Turning Chapter 1039

Chapter 1039

"Are you alright?" Yuder asked.

"I should be the one asking you that. Are you okay?" Kishiar gently inquired. There was no trace on his face of the person who had just crushed the Crown Prince with a single surge of energy and pierced him with a tongue sharper than a blade.

'But... it was truly an incredible force.'

Kishiar rarely exerted his energy against the powerless unless necessary. It was partly to conceal his true nature, but also because he knew better than anyone how dangerous the power he possessed could be. What might be a slight release of energy for him could potentially kill an ordinary person on the receiving end.

That's why the dense and immense energy he had just emitted was all the more astonishing. The sensation was as if the sky itself was pressing down, to the point where even Yuder's entire body tensed up for a moment.

Yuder nodded, recalling the energy that had not yet completely dissipated.

"As you can see, nothing happened."

"Yes. That's a relief."

"But that power just now... did you do it on purpose? Or..."

"Let's say it was half and half. Now that there's no reason to hide it anymore, I thought it was time to show it, and the other half was more than I intended to release."

After answering, Kishiar fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"I have no excuse if you point out that my attitude towards a much younger person was not mature. But even if that moment were to come again, I would probably do the same."

"If that's what you wanted to do, isn't that enough? Honestly... I was rather relieved to see that you didn't show restraint towards him."

It was a good thing that Kishiar now rationally thought there was no need to hold back as much as before and that it was time to show his true self. Yuder no longer wanted to see him standing alone in the palace, enduring disrespect as he had in the past.

Kishiar finally smiled fully, just like before. Yuder gazed at his face for a moment and asked nonchalantly.

"By the way, since when were you watching from there?"

"Around the time when the Crown Prince was eagerly expressing to you how much of a new talent he was."

That meant Kishiar had seen everything, including when Yuder revealed the truth about the sage to Katchian and cornered him.

"One of the most painful punishments is to make someone recognize the unfiltered, genuine reality they have been turning a blind eye to. In that sense, my assistant, who accurately pinpointed and conveyed the most painful truth the other person least wanted to hear, was truly the best. I even thought I should learn from him."

Even for the shameless Yuder, being praised like this for the words he had poured out to Katchian felt rather strange.

"What is there for you to learn? Please stop."

"Hahaha."

Kishiar laughed out loud. As Yuder had said, he didn't continue with that topic and switched to another.

"Well, anyway. I hope the Crown Prince doesn't let what he learned today go to waste. I even mentioned Marin to ensure he wouldn't have the possibility to do so, so we should feel rewarded, shouldn't we?"

"When you say you didn't want to give him the possibility itself..."

"I revealed information that is completely opposite to what you told him. Eliminating the path of pretending not to know and giving up, so that he has no choice but to choose one side or the other."

It might sound like a difficult statement at first. However, from the chilling smile that flashed across Kishiar's face as he spoke, Yuder understood in a flash of light what he had intended.

'Ah. I see.'

If Katchian had only learned the truth about the sage, he would have tried to distance himself from Duke Diarca regardless of his situation.

However, the story would be quite different if the name of Marin, the sister of Mikey whom he had killed before becoming the Crown Prince, came up. If Katchian thought his past before becoming the Crown Prince might be revealed, he absolutely could not recklessly oppose Duke Diarca. Not only that, he was in a state where he should immediately confess everything and establish an even deeper cooperative relationship. If it were to be linked with the sage's brainwashing ability, he might be able to make a good excuse... but that would only be possible if Katchian could put aside all his pride and make a proper judgment.

'And that would only be possible if Duke Diarca still considered Katchian an ally and wanted to help him.'

Despite Katchian's continuous mishaps and rebellions, Duke Diarca had always covered for him. However, even for him, Katchian's unauthorized escape this time must have been quite a blow. In such a state, even if he heard the information Katchian would bring today, would he easily feel inclined to help? It would be fortunate if he didn't start concretizing a plan to quickly replace the Crown Prince with a new one.

'In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if he's already thinking about it.'

Katchian La Orr wanted to break free from Duke Diarca but needed Duke Diarca to hide his past. Unlike in his previous life, he now had no young nobles to be his allies or servants to be his hands and feet.

He must have realized that pretending not to know and staying within his shell as before could put the Crown Prince's position itself at risk, so he had to choose something anyway.

And naturally, the more hastily a person moved, the more vulnerabilities they created.

Especially in a conflicted state of mind like now.

Knowing Katchian's personality, Yuder guessed that the most painful thing for him would be moments like this. Kishiar had implanted a blade-like dilemma that pierced the heart with a single word into his enemy.

"...I see. I understand."

"Whichever path he chooses, it will be worth watching. That will be the best birthday gift he can give me. I sent him away without even receiving a congratulatory greeting, so shouldn't I at least receive this much to make it worthwhile?"

At that moment, Kishiar's birthday, which Yuder had briefly forgotten, resurfaced in his mind. Along with the immense bewilderment he had felt when he first learned of that fact.

"Did you want to receive congratulations from His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Actually, no."

Kishiar replied without hesitation, winking.

"To be honest, I was a bit... surprised when His Majesty mentioned your birthday earlier."

"It seemed so."

"Did you really forget about it?"

"Hmm... How should I put this? I didn't forget, but would you understand if I said I forgot?"

Kishiar muttered as he approached the carriage that had been in the wrong position. The coachman, one of the people working in the Cavalry, belatedly noticed them and was startled. After lightly reassuring the very embarrassed man, Kishiar boarded the carriage and lowered his voice so as not to be heard outside, giving a brief explanation as they headed to where Nathan Zuckerman was waiting.

"As I mentioned before, I was originally someone who wouldn't live long due to vessel issues. Among those whose vessels cracked at a young age like me, no one had ever lived past thirty, so I didn't bother to keep track of birthdays, which only made me aware of the passage of time. At most, I would have a meal with my family, and even that stopped when I went to Peletta. I thought there was no point in counting it."

"..."

"Even after awakening and recovering as I am now, I actually didn't celebrate my birthday for two years. Even though I knew the date, I would only recognize it as someone else's matter several days later. As if the date and the event were completely separate from me."

"So... you did the same this time?"

"Yes. I want to say it wasn't intentional, but, well... it wouldn't be strange to think I forgot on purpose."

A bitter smile appeared and vanished on the lips of Kishiar, who said it wouldn't be particularly odd to think that way since Emperor Keilusa's health was not good.

"It's a strange thing. Even though I'm not as free as others in handling power yet, I've escaped the threat of death... but rather than proudly celebrating it, it feels more comfortable to just let it pass as if it doesn't exist. Maybe I felt that way even more this time because it's exactly my thirtieth."

After a brief silence, he muttered while looking out the window.

"Actually, I still don't know. Whether it's right for me to pass this thirtieth birthday like this. I was truly happy that His Majesty remembered and congratulated me, but I also had a very brief thought of what it would have been like if I had quietly let it pass as usual. Even if it's a birthday, it's just one of many days... Sometimes, understanding one's own inner self seems more difficult than anything else."

"..."

"So don't worry if you didn't realize and celebrate my birthday in advance. Even I tried to forget it, so there's no need to feel upset about not knowing. I even told Nathan to forget about that day."

Yuder now understood Nathan Zuckerman's nonchalant attitude.

"Just having a meal together in the Room of the Little Dandelion made me happier than any birthday I've ever had since I was born. That's enough for me."

The man smiled.

Yuder suddenly bit his lip, recalling the face of a man who had died without reaching his thirty-first birthday after surpassing thirty.