Turning Chapter 1077

Chapter 1077

- Regarding the approval of the plan for preparing for the visit of the Sun God Church's investigation team to Peletta and protecting the 'Changer'

Changer. It was one of the terms used to refer to those who had awakened before the name awakener was finalized. When he reflexively checked the date, as expected, it was written not long after the Red Stone had fallen.

'So this is... that.'

After the Red Stone fell, the Sun God Church and the imperial family conducted an official investigation to prevent the confusion of people who were anxious amid the sudden changes. At that time, they announced that the awakening ability and the second gender were not a curse but rather a gift from God, which allowed the Cavalry to be created as it is now.

'There was a lot of talk that if that announcement hadn't been made so quickly, it would have taken much longer for awakeners to be properly treated as human.'

Even now, there are people who are driven out or killed just for being awakened, being called monsters, so if awakeners had been confirmed as a curse from God at that time, what terrible things would have happened? He didn't want to imagine it.

'In fact, many tragic things happened in other countries that didn't lower their guard against awakeners even after hearing the Orr Empire's announcement.'

It's not completely nonexistent even now, but the situation is much better compared to the previous life. It was thanks to the Cavalry's status rising incomparably faster than in the previous life.

Anyway, it was obvious to anyone that Kishiar La Orr, an imperial family member and an awakener, had an influence on the Orr Empire being able to announce so quickly that awakeners were not dangerous.

'So I thought Kishiar must have naturally participated in that investigation... but I didn't expect to see it like this here.'

"That's the order I issued regarding the investigation team dispatched from the capital's Great Temple after I awakened."

Kishiar explained to Yuder, who was looking at the paper, in a voice no different from before.

"It was also the opportunity that made me decide to create the Cavalry, and it had deep meaning in many ways."

"I'd like to hear more details."

Kishiar smiled as if he knew Yuder would say that.

"As you know, I am an awakener who awakened almost immediately after the Red Stone fell and an imperial family member with a clear identity. I was a very good partner for His Majesty, who was worried about me, and the temple, which needed a reliable investigation of the sudden situation, to join hands for once."

Kishiar pointed to himself as he said that.

"And I myself needed time for others to investigate and judge the new changes that had occurred to me. So I approved the investigation team's visit to Peletta. However, I couldn't give them all the information about Peletta, and I also needed a plan in case they judged this change negatively, right?"

Yuder slowly nodded his head.

He would have made the same judgment even if he were in Kishiar's position. Because he couldn't give all the information on his side even if he needed the power of the temple. Moreover, if the temple judged awakeners as monsters or curses as a result of the investigation, he had to find a way to hide and protect himself.

Yuder turned to the back of the plan. It briefly stated what activities the temple's investigation team that came to Peletta had done.

'They called other changers to Peletta and investigated them besides Kishiar.'

"They did quite a lot of investigations. It took a considerable amount of time to finalize the name awakener instead of changer. They are similar words, but the feeling they give is different, so they had to be careful in many ways."

"Did you decide that as well?"

"No. That was the suggestion of a certain priest who came as a temple investigator. He was quite favorable to the awakeners. He also helped a lot in finalizing the name of the second gender. But that wasn't done in Peletta."

"The investigation done here wasn't the end?"

"What was done here was only establishing the existence of awakeners and judging whether they were dangerous. After being convinced that the occurrence of awakeners was not a temporary phenomenon and that awakening did not turn them into monsters that lose their reason, the investigation continued in the capital, where there were more manifestations and diverse data."

The temple said that Kishiar no longer needed to participate in the investigation, but Kishiar had no intention of doing so. For the first time since coming to Peletta, he returned to the capital to learn more about the changes that had occurred to him.

"That's where I first saw second gender awakeners other than myself. You can't even imagine how many discussions went back and forth within the temple over the issue of heat symptoms. If the negative opinions about awakeners had won there, the awakeners who participated in that investigation would have probably ended up on the experimental table and wouldn't have been able to leave the temple alive."

Although he was smiling faintly, Kishiar's eyes were deeply sunken. Yuder suddenly recalled what he had said to him before. When he was using his hidden divine power to fix the stains that remained on Yuder's hands, he had said something like a joke...

"...You once said something like if the temple judged you as a cursed person, you might be dragged to the depths of the Sun God Temple's main mountain and put on the experimental table under the pretext of a noble sacrifice for all mankind. Could that be..."

"...Hmm."

Instead of answering, Kishiar's smile deepened a little more. There could be no clearer answer than that.

'This is unbelievable. He really didn't joke around at all.'

It wasn't the end that he had revived the poor Peletta and escaped the crisis of death after awakening. The battlefield Kishiar had gone through was still alive even after awakening.

"If they investigated awakeners in heat... were you alright?"

"I had gone into heat right after awakening, so I was fine during the investigation period. I had helped with the investigation while observing second gender awakeners in heat from the outside, and at that time, I was able to find out that I didn't react much to the scent of others. I think that fact had a pretty big influence on the temple's judgment regarding the second gender."

He, who had shown superhuman patience even in front of the newly manifested Yuder's scent. It wasn't very surprising that he was fine even when faced with the heat of another second gender manifestation before.

"That's a relief."

Kishiar looked at the plan in Yuder's hand with deep eyes as if recalling the distant past.

"Yes. Thanks to the awakeners I met at that time for the investigation, I first thought that I should create a place like the Cavalry. The need to show that even if we have different abilities and come from different statuses and genders, we are clearly beings of the same nature... that we need a place to protect us and give us a voice."

"..."

"So that we can properly express our abilities without forcibly suppressing or using them badly. If we can create a place that shows it helps others... maybe it can remain and help create a better world even after I'm gone."

He smiled at Yuder with a slightly embarrassed yet dreamy face.

"Of course, that was when I couldn't even come up with the name Cavalry. I never imagined that I would abandon my plan to just finish the investigation and return to Peletta, and that I would completely stay in the capital."

Yuder listened to the man's voice as if enchanted. He couldn't take his eyes off the words flowing from his lips.

"At that time, I constantly doubted myself, thinking that I might be making a plan that was too unrealistically difficult. Because it was too hard to add something more in a situation where I was busy focusing on Peletta. But now..."

"..."

Beyond the words that were cut off for a moment. The person who had been silently looking at Yuder opened his mouth with the most relaxed face of all.

"I am convinced that the thoughts and decisions I made at that time were the most meaningful things I have done in my life. Not only because someone gave me that conviction, but also very clearly and without a doubt, by myself."

Unexpectedly, something in his heart tightened as if pierced.

The eyes he met were so deep.

Like the sea of Peletta.

"Is there anything else you're curious about?"

Kishiar asked. Yuder looked at the bundle of papers in his hand and put it down without hesitation.

"No."

"Your expression has finally loosened up to normal."

Yuder lightly touched his face. Just by touching, he still couldn't judge what state his face was in at all.

"...Was I like that?"

"Yes. Do you feel a little more comfortable with this place now?"

Only after hearing those words did Yuder realize that he was sitting with his strength relaxed. When he looked around again, the office scenery was the same as before, but it felt much more familiar. Even though he had only sat there for that short time, drinking tea and talking.

Through his story, Kishiar had granted Yuder's request to change his perception of this place more clearly than ever.

"...I see. I think you're right."

Yuder looked at the empty office desk chair and took a deep breath. And he opened his mouth, surprisingly easily even to himself.

"You remember what I told you before about the memory of when I first and last came here?"

Kishiar quietly nodded his head.

"Of course."

"I still can't remember the end of that moment. There was a time when I wasn't the least bit regretful about that..."

Yuder continued, hoping that his intention would be clearly conveyed to the man in front of him.

"But not anymore. I want to know what happened here more than ever."

Once he opened his mouth, all the words inside flowed out without hesitation.

"I want to remember the truth. It's okay even if it's not a great truth. I want to remember you who were here."