Turning Chapter 1022

Chapter 1022

In the cold chill of the dawn, before the sun had fully risen, several carriages emerged through the fog that blanketed the quiet main street of Charloin, where everyone was still asleep. All of these carriages bore the same emblem - none other than the emblem of the Cavalry.

Shortly after, a man alighted from the procession of carriages that had stopped in front of the security guards at the north gate of Charloin. The man, whose face was hidden by the hood attached to his outer garment, opened his cloak to reveal a button for identification and spoke in a slow voice.

"We are the Cavalry. We need to pass through the north gate to return to the capital, so please open the gate for us."

"Yes. We have already received the news. We can open the gate for you right away, but... could you please wait for a moment?"

"What is the matter?"

"Well... we heard that Duchess of Herne was supposed to arrive before the Cavalry came here, but for some reason, she hasn't arrived yet."

"..."

"So, if you're not in a hurry..."

The guard looked at him carefully, maintaining propriety. Unlike others, the people in front of him were the Cavalry. From the perspective of someone who had clearly seen with his own eyes the tremendous things they had accomplished, he couldn't dare treat them carelessly.

The unknown, chilling aura that the man in front of him exuded also contributed to his trepidation.

"Very well."

As if reading the guard's mind, the man who had been silent glanced back at the procession of carriages and nodded.

"We have to wait for those following us anyway, so that's fine."

Although he was grateful that the man readily agreed... those following them? The guard, who was inwardly doubtful, soon understood the meaning of those words.

"Huff... huff…!"

"Damn... finally, the north gate...!"

"Move......! I'll go and sit first......!"

In the hazy fog, several shadows emerged. Wearing the same clothes as the man who had alighted from the carriage, they were all running with distorted faces like demons, sweating profusely like rain. Their momentum was so fierce that it seemed believable if someone said they were coming to kill them.

'What... what is this?"

While the guard at the north gate was flustered, the people who had run to the end of the carriage procession finally rolled on the ground as if they had achieved their goal.

"Heuuugh!"

Regardless of whether dirt stuck to their bodies or not, they rolled together in a lump and shouted something with tears of emotion.

"We've arrived! We're here!"

"We don't have to run anymore, right!"

"Damn it, I was literally just 10 seconds late, and they made me run like this......!"

As they were wailing, their eyes met the man standing in front of the guard, and surprisingly, they all shut their mouths and became quiet at once.

"...Uh, Yuder. Don't tell me... you were waiting for us here?"

"Oh, no...?"

"No."

When the man answered, their expressions finally brightened as if relieved.

"Thank goodness. I thought...!"

"Haha. That's right. As if Yuder would wait for us!"

"We ran here fair and square, without any shortcuts! Naturally.”

“Phew."

What kind of people are they to feel relieved by the inconsiderate words that their colleague was not waiting for them? And what do they mean by being late and running all the way here? Could it be that all these numerous carriages had left their late colleagues behind and came all the way here while riding in the carriages?

While watching their pitiful figures running to catch up...?

It couldn't be. The moment the guard at the north gate thought so, the windows of the carriages parked around opened, and the members riding inside poked their heads out. Looking down at their colleagues covered in dirt, they spoke with sympathetic expressions.

"Oh? Those guys have already caught up."

"Are you making a fuss about dying just from running that much? And you call yourselves the 1st Cavalry recruits? Even the new recruits run better than that!"

"You fools. Look at me. I tied my luggage to my body and came out yesterday as soon as we decided to return, and I slept in the carriage's luggage compartment. That's why I was never late. You're suffering like that because you didn't even make this much effort."

"You're pretty smart, huh? I should have done that too."

The guard's eyes shook uncontrollably. As he recalled the heroic image of the Cavalry he had seen amidst the disaster and shuddered at the discrepancy with reality, the members who had collapsed on the ground raised their middle fingers and shouted.

"Whatever! You sons of demons!"

"Stop teasing and go to sleep! I'm so miserable from running!"

"Oh yeah, if you think this is nothing, come out and run with me!"

"Oh~ I don't want to? I don't want to? We just want to rest and watch?"

"..."

There was no chaos like this chaos. The only calm one amidst that laughter was the man named Yuder, who was standing in front of the guard.

'Wait... Yuder? Could it be that Yuder Aile?'

When the guard swallowed his saliva while looking at Yuder, who was standing indifferently, the window of the carriage he had alighted from also opened, and a hand suddenly popped out.

That hand, which looked smooth and beautiful but was very long and large, making it instantly recognizable as a man's hand, waved its fingers enticingly toward Yuder. The guard couldn't take his eyes off that sight, which seemed to be drawing something with fingertips or dancing.

'…What is it? Is he calling him?'

Without speaking, the meaning was unclear. But it was incredibly distracting.

"Excuse me... Shouldn't you go there? It seems like he's calling you…"

"It's alright. He's not calling me, he's just the Commander."

"Pardon?"

The guard asked back, but Yuder Aile just closed his mouth as if that explanation was sufficient.

'Commander...? If it's the Cavalry Commander, isn't that His Highness Duke Peletta, the swordmaster...!'

"Then, then, if Duchess of Herne is scheduled to come, I should at least report first that we have to wait a while..."

"He already knows. He's just doing that to play around, so please ignore him."

"Yes...yes? Playing around...?"

Do even royals play around? The guard's mind became endlessly dizzy.

Just then, if Duchess of Herne's carriage hadn't appeared in a hurry, the guard's confusion might have continued forever.

"I apologize. I wanted to come earlier to see you off, but due to my negligence, I made the guests wait."

Myra El Herne, the new Duchess of Herne, who alighted from a carriage that was too simple to be believed as a ducal carriage, turned to Yuder and solemnly apologized. Yuder shook his head.

"It's alright. We also felt the need to rest for a while anyway."

"And the Commander?"

"He's here."

Only then did the carriage door open, and Kishiar appeared. He was such an incredibly handsome man that it was hard to believe he was the same person who had been playing childish pranks by sticking his hand out the window to attract attention until just now. His appearance was so unreal that the guard at the north gate doubted for a moment whether everything he had seen was a dream.

"I'm pretty sure I clearly conveyed that there was no need for the Duchess of Herne to see us off... yet you came all this difficult way."

"How could I do that? It's not possible to send off guests without even a final greeting. Even more so when the other party is a benefactor."

When Myra answered firmly, the corners of Kishiar's lips rose, forming an arc.

"The Duchess of Herne has changed a lot since I first saw you, but in a way, you haven't changed at all. That's probably why my assistant decided to wait without a word."

Although the exact meaning was unclear, it was definitely felt as a compliment. Myra also seemed to think so, as she smiled for a moment and then opened her mouth while looking around at all the Cavalry's carriages.

"Please leave the South with only good memories. May the blueness of the surging waves always be abundant on your path ahead."

At this moment, both the members covered in dust and those who had been mocking them listened to those words with gentle and serious faces. The moment he heard their voices expressing gratitude in unison with a salute, the guard felt a thrill running through his entire body.

'Ah... as expected, they are.'

The heroes of the south who had saved them during the days when hail poured down and huge waves surged.

It was overwhelmingly clear that they were right in front of him.

Yuder Aile got back on the carriage. The guard sent a signal to open the north gate and saluted more vigorously than ever.

"Salute to the heroes of the South!"

Following his lead, the soldiers guarding the top of the gate and the knights guarding the outside, without exception, raised their hands above their heads in the same posture and saluted.

The procession of the Cavalry's carriages left Charloin like that, receiving the highest respect.

"Huff... huff...! Wait a minute! Wait for me!"

"We still can't get on?! Do we really have to run and follow all day today...!"

"You cruel bastards...!"

Along with the few members who started running after the carriages again, wailing.

"Now... I can finally take a proper look at this."

Some time after the carriage had left Charloin, Yuder finally took out a bundle of papers rolled up and tied from a small bag. The eyes of Kishiar, who was sitting across from him, sparkled with a peculiar light.

"That's the translated copy of the pages hidden at the end of the First Duke Tain's journal, right?"

"Yes."

"Let's take a look together."

The man moved to sit next to Yuder. Yuder untied the string and unfolded the paper. Sentences written in Enon's characteristically rough handwriting were revealed.