Turning Chapter 1075

Chapter 1075

"It's been a while since I've been to the underground warehouse of the outer castle."

The man, who stood tall without any shame despite being covered in dust, looked around. The appearance of the underground warehouse of the outer castle, the first destination of the underground passage, was similar yet somewhat different from the previous life.

Both then and now, there were no people, but the presence of people working above could be felt, and the number of items stored in the warehouse was incomparably higher. Looking at the piled-up food, daily necessities, and even spare training tools, Yuder overlapped the old, desolate appearance on top of it.

'Originally, it should be filled to this extent. That time must have been an abnormal situation.'

Of course, back then, he naturally couldn't guess such a thing. Looking back now, it meant that he was that tense.

Yuder brushed off the dust on Kishiar's shoulders and hair. Being bigger than average seemed to be not good at times like this. But the man just smiled elegantly, bowing his head as if it didn't matter.

"I rather think it's fortunate that I grew up tall so I can receive such a touch."

"..."

They left the warehouse. While climbing the stairs, Yuder told him how he found the second passage.

"Looking at the design drawings, it seemed like the secret passages were connected from the outer castle to the inner castle without distinction, but when I actually came and saw it, it wasn't. Still, it helped when I thought about it by applying the map code deciphering method I had learned before."

In the old days when magic tools were not as widely used as they are now, people applied a little trick and code to the way they drew maps so that even if the map was taken by the enemy, they couldn't easily read it.

The one who taught Yuder that was, of course, Kishiar. At the time of learning, he didn't know why he had to learn this old method, but later, when he assassinated numerous people by Katchian's order, he realized that it was surprisingly really useful.

And the place where he first gained that realization was none other than this Peletta Castle.

Yuder swallowed a bit of bitterness and continued walking. It was not even a task to avoid people's presence, so he could quickly reach the inner castle. The new second secret passage existed near the entrance to the inner castle.

The moment he entered there, a feeling of a different weight pressing down on his shoulders came over him.

Yes. This was the place. The place where he had endlessly run and run in his dreams.

"..."

"Yuder."

Kishiar called out to Yuder. Yuder slowly closed and opened his eyes, then directly faced the man who was looking at him with many emotions.

Although he kept smiling or asking questions as if nothing had happened, there was no way he really enjoyed this exploration. And it was the same for Yuder.

He clearly said to the man and to himself.

"I have no intention of turning back and leaving."

Although he had stopped for a moment thinking of the old dream, that memory couldn't make Yuder cold like before. The one who had changed that was the person in front of him, so he wanted to convey his change to him.

So this confession, this step, was a kind of proof.

Yuder strongly gripped the hand he was holding. And he began to vigorously climb the stairs of the passage, leading the man.

He walked in the opposite direction of the path he had run to find the exit in his dreams.

The darkness that couldn't be fully illuminated by a small flame, the fierce wind and cold air blowing through the cracks couldn't stop those steps. The warmth of the living person by his side, his breath became a more definite lighthouse than any bright light.

Finally, the destination appeared at the end of the long walk.

At a place that didn't seem to have an exit at all from the outside, Yuder stopped and reached out his hand. The wall where his hand touched was pushed, and a space large enough for one person to pass through appeared.

Outside the passage was a corridor of the inner castle of Peletta, and only a single door was located on the opposite side.

A wooden door with a coat of arms engraved in intaglio, as if to indicate that it was a space that only the Duke could use.

Yuder stopped in front of it and turned to the man.

"Everyone must have a place they never want to go back to. For me, this was that place."

"..."

"But not anymore. During my stay here, I felt more clearly than ever how different the place in my memory was from reality, no. How different it could be. You are the one who made it that way."

Kishiar, who gave an absurdly special welcome in front of the castle gate on the day they entered Peletta, and applauded when he saw it.

Kishiar, who pulled Yuder and walked through the alleys of the town, explaining the interesting history behind each small store.

Kishiar, who used his body as a stepping stone and a blanket so that Yuder wouldn't be cold while watching the sea together.

Although he didn't say it out loud, the meaning of those actions was clear.

How could he not know that he was trying to make sure Yuder would leave Peletta with only happy memories?

Yuder opened his mouth with a firm gaze.

"So, now I want to open this door again."

"..."

"I want to open it and be personally introduced to what's inside. I want to know what kind of place it originally was, and I want to hear about the things you did here."

Was it an illusion that the red eyes he was facing seemed to tremble slightly?

Yuder continued without stopping, saying the last words.

"Will you allow me to do that?"

Kishiar slowly turned his gaze. The place he looked at had a closed door.

A complex smile hung between the faintly escaping breaths.

The man, who had been silent for a long time, finally opened his mouth again, looking at Yuder.

"Every time I confirm how strong you are, I become ashamed of myself. I realize anew the weak heart that was trapped under the name of worry and concern."

"I..."

Before he could say anything, Kishiar embraced Yuder.

The body scent emanating from the overlapping embrace made it hard to breathe. Yuder slowly raised his hands and hugged the man back, feeling the dizzily rising heat in his eyes.

"You don't need permission. You can already do anything here if you want."

"..."

"Even if it was a place where permission was absolutely necessary... there's no way I could refuse."

The warmth left his embrace. But now, even that didn't feel cold. Yuder approached the door and grabbed the handle.

-Creak...

The wooden door easily opened inward, revealing the interior. Yuder focused his gaze on the interior revealed in the darkness.

The first thing he felt was the smell of paper that had permeated everywhere for a long time.

The unlit mana stone fireplace and the desk caught his eye next.

There was nothing different from the memory and the appearance in the dreams he had several times.

At that moment, the man who passed by Yuder casually put his hand in the container next to the mana stone fireplace. As soon as he threw in a handful of mana stones, a bright, colorful flame rose, and the darkness inside was washed away in an instant.

"This place had been closed until I came. There was an unspeakable amount of old dust because it hadn't been properly used. Even Nathan said it was the first time he had seen a place with so much dust in his life, so it must have been at least a hundred years since it was last cleaned."

With the explanation that began softly like a song, Kishiar vigorously drew the curtains. Moonlight poured in, brightly illuminating the desk and the floor.

"But after cleaning, it was quite elegant and had a nice view, so when I wasn't sick, I worked here. As my condition worsened and I couldn't come down often, I liked this place so much that I regretted it."

Every time he moved, every corner of the office changed like magic. The old lamps that were off were lit, and the large clock that had stopped began to move regularly again, finding the correct time. The teacup and water jug that were placed neatly on the desk silently flew through the air and elegantly took their place on the guest table.

The man, who took out tea leaves from somewhere and boiled water in an instant with a small magic tool, quickly brewed tea in two cups. A good aroma rose along with the steam from the porcelain teacups.

"I think the person who created this place knew quite well what beauty was. I also got a lot of inspiration from here when decorating the Cavalry Commander's office."

The man, who sat in front of the finished tea, smiled with the corners of his lips raised. There was a joyful look in his downcast, curved eyes as if he was recalling a really good memory.

"If you look closely, there are about five things that exist here that were directly copied and created in the Cavalry Commander's office. Other people couldn't recognize them because they were too small, but you might be able to. Now, will you sit and listen together?"

Yuder looked at Kishiar, who was sitting in a comfortable position in front of the teacup, and moved his steps. It was very strange that he was moving to drink the tea that he offered here.

In a situation completely opposite to just before the assassination, Yuder sat in the seat the man offered. The tea he slowly lifted and put to his lips was something Yuder knew very well.

"It's Her Majesty the Empress's tea."

"It's tea grown in her greenhouse. Both His Majesty the Emperor and I have made it a habit to drink almost only that in our offices. It's very good for your health as it drives away the cold and relieves fatigue."

Was the tea Kishiar offered him before his death the same tea?

It was unknown, but somehow it felt like he had gotten an answer. Yuder slowly savored the warmth of the tea spreading through his body like warm haze.