Turning Chapter 1035

Chapter 1035

"It's been a while since I had such a pleasant time. Now, fully recover from the accumulated fatigue, let's meet again in a month in good health," the Emperor said.

Yuder had expected the Emperor and Empress to ask Kishiar to stay the night after the meal, but surprisingly, they didn't hold him back any longer. Kishiar himself seemed to have no intention of staying at the palace either.

"I understand. May you achieve all that you desire, Your Majesty," Kishiar replied.

"Also, inform the other members of the Cavalry that if they need any assistance from the palace during their vacation, we will provide support at any time. Ah, especially to Devran Hartude, who was of great help this time," the Emperor added.

It was significant that the Emperor personally mentioned the name of Devran, who had saved him from an assassination attempt. Kishiar nodded with a smile.

"Devran is an excellent member of the Cavalry. The reason he had to go to the capital first was to help those trapped in the Star of Nagran village in the southern desert escape to safety. That coincidence turned out to be helpful to both of you, so he will be pleased," Kishiar explained.

Indeed, the reason Devran had to return first without a word while searching for the Sage's traces with Ever in the south was none other than that.

Even after Ever returned to Charloin first for reporting, Devran continued to search their base near the desert and finally succeeded in finding the village. By then, the Sage, Nahan, and other key figures had long since left, but there were still many who had not escaped.

Most of them were sick, too weak, or had noticeable physical changes that prevented them from leaving the village. Kishiar had given Devran a secret order to rescue them and return to the capital first. Despite the lingering effects of the Sage's brainwashing on those people, Devran successfully gained their trust and completed the difficult task of moving them to the capital.

'Well, according to them, the sage's brainwashing had already weakened significantly because of his use of Diemon's copying ability, which led to the death of a child in that village... Still, it must have been difficult,' Yuder thought.

The child's ability was to control monsters. It was none other than the child Nahan had brought from the east before.

Only after the Sage's death, when his brainwashing ability lost its power, could they fully understand the truth. They learned too late that the child had been exploited in such a way and died. If it weren't for Devran, who had been with them in the east and possessed an inexplicably natural infiltration ability within the group, it might have taken much longer to grasp the complete truth.

'The child's ability was drained to death because of the sage's brainwashing. Diemon wouldn't have dared to think he could steal the sage's ability if that hadn't happened... It can only be called a self-inflicted misfortune brought about by greed,' Yuder mused.

Still, he could only hope that the child and those who cared for the child found some solace in the fact that the sage and Diemon met their end in the most miserable way, side by side, thanks to the very abilities they boasted about.

'I wouldn't have minded killing them with my own hands,' Yuder thought, swallowing a cold breath so that no one would notice. He then turned his gaze to the Emperor, who was still talking about Devran. The Emperor seemed to be in a good mood at the mention of Devran and was briefly explaining the incident again.

"Even though he suddenly found himself among the Imperial Guards, I've never seen someone blend in so seamlessly without any sense of discomfort. He was a step above those who came disguised for assassination. He possesses remarkable disguise skills," the Emperor praised.

"Indeed. It would have been nice if the Duke and Yuder had seen the faces of those who fainted in surprise upon witnessing the enormous flames Hartude unleashed that day," the Empress added with a smile, also commending Devran's performance.

Yuder quietly bowed his head beside Kishiar, inwardly agreeing with their words.

'This was a true display of Kishiar's keen eye for people,' Yuder thought.

Devran's infiltration and disguise abilities, which had come to the fore through a chance opportunity, reached their peak after his intelligence activities. He even succeeded in rescuing the brainwashed residents of the Star of Nagran village. Kishiar, who had been receiving reports of his achievements, seemed to have given him high marks for that and ordered him to assist the Emperor in thwarting the assassination.

No matter how talented Devran was at infiltration and disguise, he previously only had experience blending in among commoners. Yuder had been slightly worried about whether he could carry out a mission alone in a palace full of nobles, but the result was perfect.

'At this point, it's safe to say that he has the ability to naturally infiltrate and perform missions in any place, regardless of status or situation. It could almost be considered another Awakener ability,' Yuder mused.

There had been quite a few cases in his previous life where someone awakened another new ability during Cavalry activities. As the number of Awakeners increased exponentially towards the end of his life, it wasn't even surprising to see someone with two abilities.

In any case, it was Kishiar who recognized and nurtured Devran's talent, which even Yuder had difficulty noticing. His discernment was indeed extraordinary.

"Hmm?" Kishiar suddenly turned his head, as if sensing Yuder's gaze on him. Their eyes merely met, without any words exchanged, but he smiled with delight as if that alone was enough to please him.

In Yuder's mind, ten new training plans he had intended to assign to Devran to make better use of his abilities in the future vanished in an instant.

"...Sigh..." The Emperor sighed, rubbing his brow.

"Hurry and go, Kishiar. I shall not hold you back any longer," he said.

"What have I done to deserve this?" Kishiar asked innocently.

"I said go."

"Your Majesty, if the Duke leaves now, you won't see him again for a month. You shouldn't do this. Duke, before you get in the carriage, there's a small gift I brought from the Dawn Palace. Please take it with you," the Empress intervened.

"Indeed, you are the only one who cares for me so much, Your Majesty," Kishiar said, bowing his head and pretending to wipe away tears with exaggerated emotion.

Deep lines instantly formed on Emperor Keilusa's brow. The chief attendant watched the scene, laughing silently.

In any case, starting tomorrow, they would experience their first real vacation. The feeling was strange in many ways.

"The Cavalry's carriage was supposed to come this way, but I don't see it," Nathan Zuckerman said as Yuder stepped out first to look for the carriage while Kishiar received the gift from the Empress.

However, the carriage that should have been in the empty space was nowhere to be seen. Nathan Zuckerman slightly frowned, looking at the vacant area.

"It's likely they mistakenly stopped at the main gate. I'll go and bring them here," he offered.

The Sun Palace consisted of several buildings arranged in an intricate, irregular pattern, making it easy for those who didn't visit often to get lost. It was common for carriages to take the wrong path and stop at a different location, as it happened today. While it might not be bad for avoiding assassinations, it was inconvenient at times like this.

'Since it's a carriage from the Cavalry, it's understandable that they could get confused,' Yuder thought.

After assessing the surroundings, Yuder shook his head.

"I'll go," he said.

"You, Baron Aile? This place has quite a complicated layout. Are you sure?" Nathan Zuckerman asked.

"The carriage might have taken a wrong turn towards a different gate, not the main one. By using the power of the earth, I can quickly detect the vibrations of the carriage. I'll be faster," Yuder explained.

Indeed, Nathan Zuckerman fell silent for a moment, unable to refute those words.

"...It's convenient in many ways to be able to use abilities like that. Then, I'll leave it to you," he conceded.

Yuder nodded and stepped into the darkness.

He had used his ability as an excuse to Nathan Zuckerman, but in fact, he was one of the most familiar with the paths here. He could easily guess where the carriage, which had intended to come this way, might have strayed.

'Nathan Zuckerman might be familiar with the Prince's Palace where Kishiar stayed, but I, who roamed the Sun Palace's secret passages as if they were my own home, would be faster,' Yuder thought.

As expected, it didn't take long for him to spot the carriage that had taken the wrong path.

As Yuder walked towards it, he suddenly stopped and turned his head towards a spot in the darkness.

"..."

"You have sharp senses, young hero of the Cavalry," a voice spoke as a figure emerged from the shadows like rising from dark water. A cracked smile flowed from the lips of the one who gazed at Yuder with mischievous eyes. It was none other than Katchian La Orr, the Crown Prince.