Turning Chapter 1016

Chapter 1016

"North of the capital. The place humans call the Sanctuary. We have to go that way."

Yuder's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the Sanctuary. How could he forget that name? In his previous life, it was the place where the 'World Sphere' was kept, and the Cavalry had constantly guarded it.

Moreover, Yuder had entered the Sanctuary because of that World Sphere, only to be captured by the Special Forces, imprisoned, and thus ended his life. It was memorable in many ways.

'But... I never knew there was a place called Gyllandr Hill there. I don't recall seeing anything like that.'

The Sanctuary was located at a distance that could be reached by riding a horse for a short while from the north gate of the capital. Originally, it was an ordinary forest, but after the First Emperor spent his last days there and peacefully passed away, it was designated as a sacred place.

In other words, it was preserved simply for its historical significance. Apart from the statue erected at the spot where the First Emperor breathed his last, there was nothing particularly special about the space. Naturally, there was nothing mystical related to the gods either. Before the World Sphere was stored there, even the commoners living nearby could occasionally visit and gather medicinal herbs.

However, the situation changed slightly after the decision to keep the World Sphere there. One of the Cavalry's primary duties was to guard the forest and prevent anyone from entering.

And the Cavalry Commander, Yudrain Aile, was the only person besides the Emperor himself who could enter the forest without his permission.

'I had to go there to check if the World Sphere was safe in its place.'

The World Sphere was stored inside the pedestal of the First Emperor's statue in the center of the Sanctuary. Yuder recalled the memories of irregularly visiting the place to examine the World Sphere. Despite going to the Sanctuary quite often, he had no idea where the Gyllandr Hill mentioned by Enon was located.

'In the first place... a hill? It was completely flat there.'

"Have you been there before?" Enon asked, reading Yuder's peculiar expression. Yuder pondered for a moment on how to explain and then nodded.

"Quite a few times. ...Not now. Before."

"Hmm. It seems you didn't notice anything unusual."

"I remember it being just flat land, so I was wondering where that hill could have been."

"Pfft. It's not actually on a hill named Gyllandr. It's more like... a figurative name for the place. You'll understand when you see it."

"So... anyway, it means a place hidden by magic within the forest, right?"

"Well. Yes."

"It's quite surprising that it's unexpectedly close to the capital. It's also impressive that it hasn't been discovered yet. Even I, who went there several times, never anticipated it until hearing about it now."

"An ordinary person can never detect the existence of Gyllandr Hill in that forest," Enon asserted confidently. Seeing Yuder's silent face, he added with a frown, "Ah, of course, you're not an ordinary person, but what I mean is someone unrelated to Luma and unfamiliar with magic."

Although uncertain, the level of 'unfamiliar with magic' that Enon referred to probably applied to everyone except for the Great Mage Luma. By that standard, even Yuder Aile might be considered an ordinary person.

"So, it's not strange that you didn't know. Even the Emperor at that time was unaware that Luma had created Gyllandr Hill there, and hardly anyone knew about it."

"...Is it possible to live inside without being noticed?"

"That's why it was hidden. Luma can do it. You'll understand when you see it."

Yuder was genuinely curious about what methods were used to conceal it, remaining undiscovered for a thousand years.

'Well... what I want to know the most is whether there's any information there that can help with the current situation.'

There was truly a lot to do once they returned to the capital. Yuder gauged the tasks in his mind, then erased the thought upon seeing the faces of his friends nearby, eagerly waiting to call out to him.

'...Let's think about the rest later.'

He gulped down the last remaining beer and stood up from his seat again. Enon, chewing on the last lemon, asked, "Are you leaving? Or do you want to enjoy a bit more?"

"I have no intention of returning alone from here."

"Alright. Then go and have fun. Send lemons to your big brother regularly when you have time."

As soon as he finished speaking, another lemon flew from the kitchen and landed on the empty plate. As Yuder left Enon behind, the members welcomed him with joyful applause and laughter.

"Yuder! I knew that wasn't the end!"

"Play 'The Day Spring Comes' again!"

"Yuder, do you know how worried I was when your expression turned serious while talking to the pharmacist? I thought you might leave first."

Kanna, her face slightly flushed from the alcohol, approached and whispered so that others couldn't hear.

"But... nothing serious happened, right?"

"No. We just talked a bit about the past."

"Ah! I see. Well, since you knew each other before, you must have had things to say on an occasion like this."

It wasn't quite like that, but it was difficult to share the details of their conversation, so Yuder chose to remain silent.

"I'm glad if nothing was wrong. Ah, I'm so happy."

Kanna smiled and handed Yuder a new mug of beer that she had taken from the table right next to them. Then, as she tried to drink from a new mug herself, she staggered, prompting Yuder to gently stop her.

"You should stop drinking."

"Hmm... I'm a bit drunk, but I'm still fine."

"Drink if you want to run and catch up with the carriage tomorrow."

"I'll stop drinking."

Hearing the effective threat, Kanna solemnly put down the mug and laughed loudly a moment later.

"Actually, my alcohol tolerance is much higher than this. But drinking after everything ended well, I guess the tension has loosened, and I'm getting drunk too quickly today."

"..."

'The Day Spring Comes' resounded once again. As the members stepped out to dance, Kanna suddenly spoke in a low voice.

"I wonder if the others who couldn't come here today are doing well. I'm worried because I'm the only one having so much fun."

Since not all the members had gathered here, there were quite a few who naturally couldn't come. Most of them remained to protect the capital and each branch, but the people Kanna referred to were probably...

'Those who returned early from their mission in the south due to other matters.'

A few faces came to Yuder's mind.

Devran Hartude, who had gone to investigate the Star of Nagran village near the desert but encountered an unexpected situation there and quietly headed to the capital without returning to the southern branch, with Kishiar's permission and without the knowledge of the other members.

The members who had endured the endless waves that raged for more than a day but did not participate in Myra's succession ceremony and returned to the capital. Most of them were the ones who had requested disciplinary action in relation to Hosanna's escape on the day of the hail, including the Eldore siblings.

'They just left, even though I told them it would be better to receive the award first before leaving.'

Of course, individual refusal was refusal, and Kishiar had prepared all of Myra's gifts, including their share. Once they returned to the capital, he would probably forcibly bestow them.

Kanna sighed and muttered softly, "Although I stayed because I'm the Deputy Commander, maybe I should have returned with Hinn and Finn. Priest Lusan, whom I met while organizing luggage earlier, said something similar."

"Priest Lusan?"

"Yeah. While organizing... he found an unfinished scarf. The one... that the deceased person had been knitting. You know, the priest had brought knitting yarn to that person... So, he was contemplating whether to discard it, but he seemed to be in a bad mood..."

Even without mentioning the name, Yuder knew who it was. It was Hosanna.

"...Ah! Sorry! Did I say something strange again? Forget what I just said."

Kanna, who had been continuing her words, suddenly gasped and shook her head. It was evident that she thought she had made a mistake.

"No."

Yuder shook his head expressionlessly.

Those words just now were Kanna's hidden true feelings that she couldn't have expressed if she hadn't been drinking. She must have tried her best to stay cheerful so as not to ruin the atmosphere, as much as she could read the information of others, but she must have also harbored dark thoughts. Yuder didn't want to force her to deny and hide them.

"Those who returned made their choice, and you made yours. No one is right or wrong."

"..."

"Just to let you know, the Commander has received all the awards for those who returned. When we go back to the capital, they will all receive them too. So, you don't need to think that you're the only one enjoying yourself too much."

"Ah..."

"Including myself, not everyone has only done good things. But..."

Yuder suddenly recalled what Enon had just said.

'That's right. This is the moment when those words are needed.'

With a strange feeling, he repeated the words he had just heard.

"...There's no need to keep looking back. Enjoy the present."

"Wow..."

Kanna blinked her eyes.

"Who told you that? You didn't come up with those words on your own, right?"

"...Enon said it. Just now."

"Ahahaha! I knew it!"

Kanna laughed so hard that tears disappeared from her eyes. After laughing, she seemed to be in a much better mood.

"You're right. That's what I should do. Got it. Thanks for the good words!"

On the last night in the south, the small party of the Cavalry continued like that.