Turning Chapter 1047

Chapter 1047

The stove, which had converted all the mana latent within the magic stones into flames, took several hours to cool down completely. Occasionally, tiny multicolored sparks popped out from inside like grains of sand, accompanied by a ticking sound, but that was all. The stove was steadily cooling down, emitting only a lukewarm warmth from the dark hole within.

Kishiar lay on his side, his arm propped up on the bed that was far too small to contain his entire body, holding Yuder, who had nestled into his embrace. Even with his knees bent and his body curled up, his ankles still protruded out of the bed, but he paid no mind to it. He looked like a beast sitting in a narrow cave, protecting something precious.

Yuder, with his head resting on Kishiar's chest, closed his eyes and exhaled in a steady rhythm. Although his face appeared as pale as usual, Kishiar knew how to read the faint remnants of heat lingering around his eyes.

After their lovemaking, Yuder had fallen asleep while embracing Kishiar and conversing with him. It was a rare occurrence for him, but it seemed that today had been quite exhausting for him as well.

'It's understandable.'

As soon as he had returned from the south and finished unpacking, he had an audience with the Emperor and unexpectedly had a meal with him. Afterward, he had to deal with the unwelcome guest, Katchian, and even assisted the pharmacist before engaging in intimacy with Kishiar. Both his body and mind must have been extremely fatigued. Moreover, their lovemaking today was shorter than usual, making it all the more persistent and intense. He had endured making any sounds throughout, likely out of concern for soundproofing, which must have drained his energy even further.

He didn't need to go that far, but whenever he deemed it necessary, he willingly endured and tolerated anything. The way he naturally suppressed and bore it without ever thinking it was difficult was truly characteristic of him.

'Thanks to the reinforcement of the private bathroom facilities and the overall modification of the magic formations for the room's protection, there was no need to go to such lengths.'

Yuder was already aware of this fact. Nevertheless, the fact that he had endured it meant that his unconscious concern must have been that significant. Since he had never done so in the Commander's room, it could be assumed that the experience from the previous game was still influencing him.

'...'

His exceptional intellect and keen perception allowed him to deduce a great deal of information from even the slightest traces and changes. Kishiar gently stroked Yuder's back, wrapped in a sheet, as he became lost in thought.

After their lovemaking, Yuder, captivated by an extremely languid sensation and satisfaction, often became quite honest, as if he had unlocked all the bolts of his mind. Of course, he was sufficiently honest even under normal circumstances, but it was slightly different from the way he appeared then.

For one, the empty loneliness that he often displayed whenever the situation was entangled with the previous game was almost nonexistent. The tension he showed when he carefully opened his mouth, checking and retracing his words multiple times out of concern that he might convey incorrect information, was also absent.

As if that moment, when he had shed everything covering his body and shared warmth with Kishiar, was the only time he could truly rest, he drowsily answered Kishiar's questions.

“Was this the first time you learned when my birthday was?”

“It's not that I was completely unaware. Of course, nothing like today had ever happened before, but…”

“I see. It must have been quite a surprise.”

“But may I ask you something?”

“Yes. Anything.”

“Then, since you went to Peletta... have you always spent this day... alone until now?”

Within the black eyes that still held the lingering heat, Kishiar instinctively sensed it in the transparent gaze that stared at him intently.

This question was also related to the previous game.

He gently caressed Yuder's warm cheek and answered honestly.

“Sometimes I did, and sometimes I didn't.”

There was one criterion. Whether he was under the influence of the cycle or not.

The cycle was a period when the energy accumulated in a disorderly manner within the cracked vessel, reaching a dangerous state where it became difficult to control on his own. No matter how much he tried to delay it, it was ultimately an unavoidable period of suffering.

Naturally, his body would become a mess to the point where he couldn't hide it from those around him, and he had no energy to celebrate his birthday. Until it was resolved to a certain extent, the best he could do was seclude himself and endure the pain while taking the medicine sent by the Imperial Court Mage's Office.

The cycle, which came irregularly, often coincided with the period around his birthday at least once. Even Kishiar himself couldn't be certain of his physical condition at that time. If he was lucky, he might survive the end of the cycle and be in a state where he could somehow go out and about. If he was unlucky, he might be in a state where his nerves were highly strung, sensing that the cycle was approaching soon.

Even after becoming an Awakener and fixing his vessel, Kishiar's cycle didn't completely disappear. At that time, he didn't know the reason, but now he had some guesses.

'It's probably because the vessel hasn't been fundamentally fixed, but rather, I'm merely using the power I gained as an Awakener to protect it from breaking.'

Kishiar speculated that the timing of the cycle and the intensity of the pain experienced were closely related to the amount and type of power residing within, as well as the balance that controlled them. He could protect his vessel, but there was no way to deal with the chaotically entangled energies. If he had possessed a small amount of power like Keilusa, it might have been different, but within his body, there was too much power accumulated for a single person to possess.

Perhaps that was why, even after becoming an Awakener, Kishiar experienced a few more cycles, although much less severe than before. Even though he didn't think he would die, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

If Yuder, who could look inside Kishiar's body, hadn't appeared, he might have never been able to escape the pain of those cycles and the unpleasant sense of emptiness they brought.

Yuder was able to locate the entanglement of energies within Kishiar's body and manipulate them to a certain extent. Just by his touch, Kishiar quickly escaped the pain of the cycle that was about to strike.

Since then, there had been no signs of the cycle approaching again.

‘But... unlike now, there wouldn't have been such luck in the previous game.’

After hearing Kishiar's answer, Yuder asked.

“Then, last year... how did you spend it?”

Around this time last year, he was under the influence of the cycle. He was extremely busy preparing for the establishment of the Cavalry, but due to the cycle that came, he had to temporarily halt his work. Since it hadn't been long since he became an Awakener, he decided it was best to avoid contact with others as much as possible and monitor the situation. He spent that time alone, barely even meeting Nathan.

Yuder remained silent for a long time. Kishiar changed the subject and said something that would make him laugh. Yuder, with a faint smile on his lips, quietly fiddled with Kishiar's face and hair until he fell asleep, then suddenly opened his mouth and whispered.

“I had never seen Commander's 30th birthday in the past. The 31st... It's hard to say exactly. But this time, I hope I can see the 31st and 32nd, and even beyond that. It might be an excessive desire, but…”

“Why would that be an excessive desire? I intend to see you until your 100th birthday.”

“Now that's really a bit excessive.”

“Originally, one should have grand hopes.”

Now, unlike then, as he gently stroked the hair of the sleeping Yuder, Kishiar quietly thought.

The Yuder of his previous life did not see Kishiar La Orr's 30th birthday. It was probably because he had left the capital before then, or because he had been entangled in the cycle and pushed people away.

But the 31st...

“...”

Yuder had said that in the previous game, he killed the Duke of Peletta not long after becoming the Commander. In fact, some of the faces in the few memories he had seen were not much different from now.

'If I were in a situation where I had lost everything and had to move the remaining pieces...'

Yuder was a talent that stood out too much. His unrestrained and overwhelming power was more than enough to make everyone wary. Even now, the Cavalry was overflowing with letters and behind-the-scenes machinations from nobles who desired or envied him.

Currently, they had sufficient capacity to fend them off. Yuder himself knew well how to deal with such schemes, the Emperor and Empress were in good health, and above all, there were no problems with Kishiar himself. However, if all of those things were nonexistent in the worst-case scenario...

Kishiar could guess what choice he would have considered the best. In his mind, the image of someone's inauguration ceremony that he had seen in a dream sometime ago came to mind.

The hollow Hall of Glory. The pale man with black hair, standing alone in the same spot where the Cavalry members stood today.

And the face of the 'Duke of Peletta' standing behind him with a foolish smile, also came to mind.

'Crown Prince Katchian really hates me. The best tactic to lure someone who hates me is always...'

Deliberately showing a weakness.

A birthday was probably a very good excuse for that. It was one of the few excellent times when he could convince the other person without giving any bothersome reasons.

Kishiar had a feeling that he knew what he was doing on his 30th birthday in the previous game.

He was probably preparing for the 31st.

To do so, he must have been waiting alone, holding his breath.

As the stove cooled down completely, the air in the room gradually turned chilly. Kishiar gazed at the brightening window in the distance and closed his eyes.

Since there wasn't much time left until departure, it seemed he should rest his eyes for just a little while before getting up.