Turning Chapter 992

Chapter 992

The servants of House Herne, numbering in the dozens, who had received the notice of the Cavalry's visit, guided them with a disciplined and polite attitude. "We sincerely welcome the esteemed guests from the Cavalry. We will do our utmost to serve you without the slightest inconvenience."

Surprisingly, these servants had been specifically chosen to serve only the Cavalry, and they had already memorized the faces and names of all the Cavalry members visiting today.

The Cavalry members who followed them were astonished to learn that a separate, large resting room had been prepared for them to wait and rest before the succession ceremony. Inside, there were plenty of delicious foods that could be eaten comfortably, and soft chairs that allowed them to rest without disturbing their formal attire. Books to read and game cards were provided as a bonus while they passed the time. The faces of the members, who were lying down and resting while chatting in a place where pleasant music flowed, were flushed with excitement.

"Wow... What is this? Is this how a ducal house's succession ceremony usually is?"

"Of course not. It's just that the new Duchess of House Herne thinks so highly of us."

"Am I really allowed to eat this?"

"Eat as much as you want. I asked a servant earlier, and they said they could bring any food that's not here if we just ask."

"What if we spill something?"

"Don't worry about it. They've even prepared magic tools that can quickly remove stains."

"Really? I've only heard about such things, but I've never actually seen them being used..."

The other guests were also receiving sufficiently good treatment, but the treatment towards the Cavalry was on a completely different level. Providing such a level of hospitality to so many people at once, which would normally only be given to guests from other ducal houses or the imperial family, was a first in the long history of the Herne Ducal House. The treatment openly displayed that they were the most esteemed guests, to the extent that there were even nobles who glanced from afar and envied them.

However, unlike those who envied them but couldn't approach due to lack of acquaintance or pride, people who had previously established connections with the Cavalry confidently approached and struck up conversations.

"Wow. So this is the Cavalry's resting room? I thought the place prepared for our allied troops was impressive... but this is much more spacious."

"The difference in the number of people is huge, so it's only natural, Sunz."

"I know that too. I'm just saying."

"No, but how can everyone look so different just by changing their attire? I thought I had come to the wrong place!"

Sunz and Emon, who had received personal invitations to the succession ceremony just like the Cavalry, entered the resting room and expressed their honest admiration. The Cavalry members also had donned formal wear, altering their usual atmosphere, but in truth, they were equally unmatched in that regard.

The two, who rarely wore their imperial army uniforms, had neatly styled hair with crisp hats, and even wore unfamiliar medals on their chests. Although Sunz was still wearing an eyepatch over one eye due to the aftereffects of overusing his power, it didn't seem to cause him any discomfort. With infinitely bright expressions, they joked around and exchanged banter with the Cavalry members they had become close to, saying they couldn't recognize each other. Then, they walked over to find Yuder.

"Yuder. We thought we should greet you before the ceremony starts, so we came... but..."

"..."

Sunz and Emon, who had been looking for Yuder but first encountered Kishiar standing in front of him, simultaneously closed their mouths. They thought they had become quite accustomed to the face of the Duke of Peletta after frequently meeting him in the south recently, but they were completely wrong.

The simple-minded soldiers, who had become dazed without immunity in front of the tremendous appearance, forgetting the fact that they had been about to speak, only came to their senses when they heard Yuder's voice, which was as emotionless as usual.

"Sunz, Emon."

"Ah! S-sorry."

"We were being rude...! We apologize, Commander of the Cavalry."

As Sunz and Emon reflexively bowed their heads in apology, the Duke of Peletta responded gently.

"Hm? No, it's fine. Everyone does that, so don't be too embarrassed. Who would scold someone for having their gaze stolen by a beautiful flower without realizing it?"

If anyone else had said those words, they would have laughed at the absurdity, but when the Duke of Peletta calmly said them, it sounded like he was just saying something obvious in a slightly humorous way.

'He's truly terrifying...'

Sunz and Emon hurriedly turned their heads to find Yuder. And they were surprised again, but in a different sense.

"Uh... uhh."

"What is it?"

"It's you, Yuder... right?"

"Was there anyone else you could have mistaken me for?"

"No... there isn't such a person."

On the day of the hailstorm, they had seen Yuder wearing formal attire for attending a funeral. However, before they could properly look at his appearance, tremendous incidents kept occurring, and ultimately, the image of Yuder that remained in their memories was one where he was covered in blood from head to toe, looking like he could collapse and die at any moment.

Therefore, the sight of Yuder in good condition today gave Sunz and Emon a big shock, in a good way.

"My goodness, Yuder. I came here thinking I wasn't too bad myself while wearing this uniform today, but I'm embarrassed to the point of shame. You look so cool."

"Oh. It was only this guy who dared to think like that. The rest of us didn't think anything at all."

Emon added in a cynical voice to Sunz's words. Sunz, who had become embarrassed, unhesitatingly poked Emon's back with the edge of his hand. Although it looked like he was poking very lightly, in fact, he had slightly used his ability to see through things, so it was a terrifying attack that mercilessly dug into vital points.

"Be quiet."

"Ugh, are you going to keep using your ability like that? Anyway, it's a relief to see you looking well, Yuder. We heard you were fine, but we still wanted to confirm it with our own eyes. We're close enough to come and check on that, aren't we?"

Yuder looked into the eyes of the two, which were filled with even more intense goodwill, intimacy, and the unique trust of those who had overcome hardships together. Then, he slowly nodded.

"Yes. I'm perfectly fine. I'm glad to see that both of you don't seem to be in bad condition either."

Joy clearly spread across the faces of Sunz and Emon upon hearing Yuder's affirmation.

"As for us, well, we recovered a long time ago. Hehe."

"Except for Sunz's eye. We have to make the weakest one among us the leader, so we're going through a lot of trouble... Ack!"

Emon finally managed to add a remark but received another vital point attack from Sunz. It was a small incident, but nothing major. They made a point to ask Yuder to meet them separately before leaving the South, and then they left.

After that, many people continuously came to greet them. The officials and mage union members whom Yuder had met on his first day in the south, as well as the people from the merchant associations, were so polite that it was impossible to recall their attitudes from their first meeting. There were nobles who mustered up the courage to introduce themselves to Kishiar, and there were also people from the pro-emperor faction who had consistently worked for the emperor in the south, although they had no direct acquaintance.

The last person to enter the Cavalry's resting room almost right before the ceremony began was General Gino Bordelli, who was being supported by Meghna Kurlieva.

"Greetings, Commander of the Cavalry."

"General. I haven't heard anything about you being injured?"

"Haha. It wasn't severe enough to mention."

As Kishiar frowned and looked at Meghna, Meghna, who had greeted him, calmly explained.

"The general single-handedly dealt with all the traitorous monsters that tried to invade the southern army's main camp around the time the last wave receded, and since then, he has been suffering from a cold. He has mostly recovered now, but he still occasionally feels dizzy, so I humbly requested to support him with my meager strength."

"So even though I said it wasn't necessary... My disciple worries too much, it's troublesome."

The old general smiled bitterly and shook his head. Kishiar, who had briefly scanned the general's entire body, slowly nodded and smiled.

"I see... It's a relief that it's nothing serious. However, Adjutant Kurlieva's concern seems valid, so don't refuse her request until she feels at ease. I'm saying this not only as another disciple who learned the sword from you but also as the one beside you."

"How could I refuse if you put it that way? Sigh. You're all really too much."

The old general, who had shaken his head with a sigh, looked at Yuder standing next to Kishiar and smiled softly.

"Yuder. I wanted to tell you that your advice was a great help, and here we meet like this. I heard you did a tremendous job this time. I was really worried because I wanted to help but couldn't, but seeing you healthy is truly a relief."