Turning Chapter 1043

Chapter 1043

"...It seems the pharmacist was right after all."

Although Yuder couldn't fully understand, it was indeed as Enon had said. The moment Kishiar heard their conversation, he rejoiced more brightly than ever before. Kishiar smiled so happily that Yuder momentarily forgot what he was going to say next.

"I didn't expect you to be so delighted to hear that I was at a loss because I had nothing proper to give you in return," Yuder said.

"No, that's not it. What's important is that the person most precious to me wanted to commemorate someone's birthday for the first time and pondered over it very seriously for a long time, and that someone turned out to be me. Could there be a happier story than this?" Kishiar's sincerity was evident from the emotions conveyed from his side.

"...But."

"But if you still feel it's lacking from the giver's perspective, then how about telling me some more stories?" Kishiar suggested with a cheerful face, smiling adorably at Yuder's slightly furrowed brows.

"Other stories, you say?"

Yuder couldn't think of anything else to tell him, believing he had already shared everything worth mentioning. However, Kishiar clearly thought otherwise, his eyes sparkling as he opened his mouth as if singing.

"I want to be introduced to the items that have increased in this room, including these flowers. There's nothing more special and enjoyable than receiving a house tour directly from the owner. I want to hear about your birthday, not just mine, and I'm curious about what gifts you've received from others that made you consider them useless. There's so much more I want to hear, but... shall we start with this for now?"

"..."

Yuder was stunned by the list that came out in an instant, and Kishiar even ended it by saying, "Shall we start with this for now," which was unbelievable. Yuder was momentarily perplexed, but when he saw Kishiar relaxing his eyebrows as if to say it was okay if he didn't want to talk, Yuder opened his mouth.

"Is that really... enough for you?"

"Answering sincerely, of course. Sometimes, the invisible can be a more precious gift than the visible, don't you think?"

It was an undeniable statement. Yuder lowered his eyes, recalling the sensation of the moment when he thought about what he had received from Kishiar.

"I understand. If that's what you wish."

The man with a blanket draped over his shoulders stood up, led by Yuder's hand. They slowly circled the small room, examining the items that had increased over time and engaging in conversation.

There was a bookmark that Kanna had bought for him from a flea market that opened irregularly in Sixth Wall District. The book in which it was inserted was surprisingly a gift from Steiber, who enjoyed reading. The title was "57 Simple and Delicious Practical Wild Cooking Menus for Travelers, Written by Buelang, the Legendary Minstrel Who Traveled the Continent for 47 Years," and Yuder had memorized a few of the seemingly useful information.

The small, bizarre-looking ornament given by the Eldore siblings was placed on the table where a basin for washing his face was fitted. Next to it, among the towels provided by the Cavalry, was a strikingly pink towel that Ever had brought from her hometown.

"Ever's hometown made a living by dyeing and producing high-quality cloth. The quality was quite remarkable," Yuder said, remembering how surprised he was to receive such an item from Ever, as it had never happened in his previous life.

After sharing the story of how he had spent time procuring the cups in which dried flowers were placed, Yuder finally stood in front of the wardrobe. In fact, the inside of it was the most troublesome and complicated in his opinion.

"The inside is... a bit messy, so don't be surprised," Yuder warned as he grabbed the double doors and opened them with a click, fully revealing the contents of the wardrobe to Kishiar.

Most of the items were identical black Cavalry uniforms, but on one side hung several dazzlingly splendid formal attire. Underneath them were boxes made of high-quality materials stacked in layers, most of which contained items given by Kishiar that Yuder had collected and organized.

"Ah, I remember this snuffbox," Kishiar said, picking up one of the items. It was a jeweled snuffbox, one of the gifts he had bought excessively when they were pretending to be fake lovers in Tainu, in the western region. The item had a hidden compartment inside, allowing for the concealment of small belongings. Yuder had been using it quite usefully in his own way, so he was a bit surprised that Kishiar had picked it up.

"You're not actually using it? I feel bad about that," Kishiar said.

"No... I am using it," Yuder replied.

Kishiar's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he tilted his head. "Really?"

"Yes."

Yuder hesitated for a moment before taking the snuffbox back from Kishiar's hand. He then opened the lid, revealing the hidden compartment.

Inside, there was only a small paper flower. Seeing the colorful candy wrapper folded into a flower, the smile on Kishiar's face disappeared for a moment.

"...As you can see, this is how I'm using it," Yuder said, looking down at the flower that he hadn't opened since returning from the south. "I put it here thinking it's too small and might get lost easily."

"I thought you would have thrown this away for sure, even if nothing else," Kishiar said.

Throwing it away. That option was never in Yuder's mind from the beginning. Even when he was suffering from belated regret and pain every time he thought of Kishiar, he didn't consider it.

Even now, looking at that flower, something inside his chest stirred strangely. Perhaps it was because of the memory of the morning when he first discovered it.

Yuder gathered all those thoughts and answered concisely, "I didn't want to do that."

The man who had been staring at Yuder as if enchanted suddenly covered his face with his hand. The cheeks exposed beneath his covered eyes were surprisingly red.

"Commander?" Yuder called out.

"I feel like my heart is going to burst," Kishiar said.

"Pardon?"

"But I have to endure it. Until I hear everything I want to hear."

The man took a few deep breaths and finally lowered the hand covering his eyes. Unlike before, when he was just smiling in amusement, he whispered in a low voice, his eyes filled with a burning passion.

"...So, what's next?"

After opening the box where the items bestowed by the Imperial Palace were kept and explaining them, there was only one thing left. It was an old and small bag that Yuder had brought when he joined the Cavalry.

"Right now, there's only one set of clothes and a bracelet inside," Yuder said.

"A bracelet?"

"My grandfather gave it to me as a gift before he passed away. He made it himself."

The bracelet Yuder took out along with his words looked old at a glance. It was made by cutting small gemstones and stringing them on a thread, so its durability was too weak to even wear now.

"After joining the Cavalry, I've just been keeping it," Yuder explained.

"Giving a child a bracelet strung by oneself is a wish for love and longevity as much as the number of beads," Kishiar explained in a low voice, looking at the bracelet.

"The beads used in that bracelet are not simple gemstones but magic stones. Black magic stones have a low grade due to the small amount of magic power contained within them, but they symbolize unchanging eternity. And stringing twenty-four beads signifies all the hours that fill a day and night. It shows how much your grandfather worried and cared about you."

"..."

Is that so? Yuder looked down at the bracelet on his palm with an unfamiliar feeling.

"I didn't know it had such a meaning," Yuder said.

"Young people usually don't know. It's not strange at all," Kishiar reassured him.

"But you're plenty young yourself..."

"Haha. I just really like these kinds of stories, and I've received quite a lot of gifts wishing for longevity from the Emperor and Empress."

Kishiar smiled.

"After my vessel had issues, they were very concerned. Even the paintings hung in the Room of the Little Dandelion where we ate today were actually a special collection of works depicting the childhood of imperial family members who had exceptionally long lives."

No wonder there were so many paintings of children with dazzling golden hair.

"Then I can finally hear about your birthday. I'm really looking forward to it," Kishiar said.

After the room tour ended, Kishiar approached the bed as if he had been waiting and confidently rested his head on Yuder's shoulder. It was strange that such a posture was no longer awkward.

Yuder let out a small sigh and began to speak.