Turning Chapter 1004

Chapter 1004

"Fortunately, they both reacted well. When they said they would keep it a secret, I told them there was no need for that."

That was the last conversation he had with Gakane and Kanna after being surrounded by them and receiving an unfamiliar yet warm embrace.

Previously…

“No need to keep it a secret? What do you mean, Yuder?” Kanna asked.

“Exactly what I said. There's no need to go through the trouble of trying to keep it a secret,” Yuder replied.

If Kanna and Gakane had noticed, it was unlikely that others would never realize it in their lifetime. Someday, everyone in the Cavalry would come to understand that the relationship between him and Kishiar was neither a silly deception like before nor a temporary cooperation solely for a greater cause.

Yuder didn't know how they would react when they found out, but he didn't want to put in the effort to delay that moment as much as possible out of fear of their future response. He also didn't want Kanna and Gakane to struggle and suffer trying to keep it a secret.

“I will continue to act as I do now without backing down. So, you don't have to go out of your way to avoid getting hurt…”

“You're telling us not to bother trying to keep it a secret and just quietly watch, right?” Kanna, quick-witted as always, rapidly grasped Yuder's meaning.

“Yes.”

Upon hearing Yuder's answer, Kanna and Gakane looked at each other. After a moment, they both chuckled and shrugged their shoulders.

“Hmm... That might be a bit difficult,” Gakane said.

“For me too,” Kanna agreed.

“What's difficult?” Yuder asked, not understanding.

Kanna was the first to answer, “Trying to keep it a secret will certainly be hard! But it would be even harder to just stand by and pretend not to know when you might be in a difficult situation.”

“Kanna is right. If your words about not needing to keep it a secret meant we should step back like uninvolved people, the two are quite different. When others speak ill of you, I want to tell them they're wrong and show them that many are on your side,” Gakane added.

“...”

“Of course, if you say you don't want us to do that, we'll try to hold back a bit, but…” Gakane's voice trailed off gloomily.

Kanna immediately spoke up, patting Gakane's broad back vigorously, “Even so, I can't promise not to step in at all. Just the thought of someone saying something against you makes me angry! You would have done the same for us if we were in your shoes. In fact, you already have.”

—

Yuder relayed the conversation up to that point to Kishiar and remained silent for a long time. The firm and unwavering expression on Kanna's face as she said those words, the smile on Gakane's face as he nodded beside her... At that moment, Yuder felt countless emotions that he couldn't express.

"...So I just told them to do as they wished," Yuder finally said.

"I see," Kishiar nodded with a gentle gaze.

"What do you think, Commander? If you feel there was something strange about my response to them or if it differed from what you wanted, please let me know."

"Hmm..." Kishiar leaned back in his chair a bit more.

"Actually, when I heard you said there was no need to keep it a secret, I was a bit surprised. But that's because I recalled your worries about scandals in the West. It made me realize anew how much has changed since then."

"..."

"I've said something similar before, but as long as it's something you did because you thought it was right, I'm fine with it. You don't need to ask for my opinion."

In his slightly curved eyes, Yuder saw a warm and firm resolve.

"No matter what choice you make, I will strive to ensure that choice can be considered the most correct one."

The blood in Yuder's entire body grew hot as their gazes met. He, too, remembered a similar conversation they had before. Kishiar said he was surprised by how much Yuder had changed, but Yuder, on the contrary, was surprised by his unchanging demeanor.

How could it be?

How could one not be captivated by someone who remained so unchanged amidst all those difficulties?

Yuder slowly opened his mouth.

"...I want to do the same."

"Hm?"

"I also want to prove that your choices were right, Commander."

Kishiar paused for a moment, his lips parted as if at a loss for words. Yuder, not even blinking, gazed into those red eyes and poured out the feelings he couldn't express back then.

"In the previous game, the Cavalry's success and the improved treatment of the second gender Awakeners were all built upon the foundation you had laid. Back then, I was the only one who knew that path was right, but it will be different this time. Everyone will come to know that the path you walk is the right one. I want to make that happen."

When Kishiar didn't know that Yuder had experienced a previous life, he used to wonder how Yuder could have such deep conviction in his actions.

But the truth was simple. Yuder didn't have the power of prophecy, nor did he believe in someone based on emotions alone. He was merely someone who had already seen the results of everything Kishiar had tried to do and knew they were all correct.

So now, Yuder wanted Kishiar to see the results at the end of the path he wished to walk for himself. He wanted the whole world to clearly see the trajectory of that path and recognize who stood there. If anything got in the way of that path, Yuder felt he wouldn't be able to forgive even himself.

Upon hearing Yuder's resolute confession, Kishiar finally blinked as if released from a spell. The eyes revealed between his trembling long lashes sparkled more beautifully than any jewel, holding a completely different light from the one seen just moments ago.

In that moment of breathtaking beauty, Yuder's thoughts ceased completely when he heard a voice meant only for him.

"You have always been the only one who gives me such conviction."

Only you.

"Every time I realize that the person you have such conviction in is none other than me, an indescribable thrill runs through me. Some might call this the joy of being acknowledged, while others might call it a burden. But I..."

The lips that had paused for a moment curved upward.

"I want to say that this, too, is happiness."

The moment he said those words, the emotions he felt flowed into Yuder's heart like water. His chest felt tight as if he had run wildly until his vision turned black, yet it was also filled with a hot emotion that filled every blood vessel.

A passion that shone like a light toward a single destination.

If that, too, was happiness, then Yuder must also be feeling happiness.

They savored the emotions each other felt in silence for a long time. After a considerable amount of time had passed, Kishiar finally spoke with a calm face, throwing out a joke.

"I feel like I need to make a good impression on Kanna and Gakane from now on. I was already preparing a gift to send to the pharmacist, but it seems two more will be added to that."

"Huh? Why would you do such a thing...?"

"There's a saying that if you want to make a good impression on your loved one, you should start by fixing the fences around them."

Yuder frowned and blinked, then asked, "...Should I do something for Sir Zuckerman and His Majesty the Emperor as well?"

It was a serious question, but Kishiar burst out laughing as if he had heard the funniest and cutest thing in the world.

"You don't have to do anything."

"But you said you were preparing something..."

"That's my pleasure. Let my pleasure remain my own."

Yuder couldn't understand why it was a pleasure, but since Kishiar said so, he decided to leave it be.

"Then I guess all that's left is to really wrap things up and prepare to go up to the capital."

"Yes. The news coming from the capital seems quite interesting... I'm already looking forward to what awaits us when we return."

—

In the hot and dry desert wind, the man opened his eyes.

"---!!"

Voices that were difficult to understand properly rose in unison around him, making his head throb as if it would shatter. He growled in a low voice as he tried to move his strangely heavy limbs.

"...Hosanna. It's too... noisy around. Shut…shut them up..."

"..."

It was a mumble that barely came out as a sound. However, the servant who would have noticed such a sound with surprising agility and immediately quieted the surroundings didn't respond for some reason. The surroundings remained noisy, and as his mind gradually became clearer, the sharp pain that ran through his entire body intensified.

The man tried to call out the name that would liberate him from this noisy torment once more.

And then, he suddenly realized something.

The man called Hosanna was already dead.

And he...

"...Are you awake now?"

Nahan opened his eyes.