The manifestation of Jimmy's second gender had been a long time coming. There had been signs for days, so it wasn't surprising. Kishiar seemed to share the sentiment, nodding his head as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Were there any members affected prior to the isolation? Any other anomalies?"

"Fortunately, the manifestation began while we were discussing training, so other members were not affected. Given the energy I felt alongside the fever from the manifestation, it seems that Jimmy will likely develop into an Alpha like myself. Until the manifestation is complete, I plan to have the Alpha members of the Shin Division take turns caring for him in an isolated room."

This was the first time that a member of the Shin Division had manifested a second gender. Despite what must have been a significant surprise, Ever's response was impressively calm.

"We gave him a herbal juice with a fever-reducing effect and applied a wet towel, but do you think this response is sufficient?"

Upon hearing her question, Kishiar, who had been lost in thought, nodded in approval.

"That should be sufficient for now. You handled the sudden situation very well."

The corners of Ever's eyes turned slightly red with pleasure.

"Thank you. It's all thanks to your prior instructions. I merely carried them out."

"The one who suggested making those arrangements is here, so you should thank Yuder."

"Yuder, you mean?"

Yuder was taken aback as the conversation suddenly turned towards him. In Ever's eyes, there was a look of surprise as she turned to look at him.

"...I merely made a suggestion. The fact that it was clearly defined as a rule and law is all thanks to the Commander. There's no need for that."

"Haha, it's nice to see you both passing around credit."

I don't like it. Yuder swallowed the words he couldn't bring himself to say aloud.

"Excuse me, Commander. I also have another matter to discuss..."

Upon finishing her report, Ever trailed off, seemingly aware of Yuder's presence. She evidently wanted to speak with Kishiar one-on-one. Noticing her hesitation, Yuder quickly rose from his seat to bid his leave.

"I'll take my leave then."

"Do that."

Kishiar waved with a smile. Unaware of Ever's slightly trembling eyes as she noticed the heap of empty dishes on the table, Yuder left the residence.

As he moved towards the lower ground of the building, avoiding the gaze of the other Cavalry members, his mind was filled only with thoughts related to the news of Jimmy's manifestation.

'It was a good decision to set up regulations regarding second gender manifestation in advance.'

In his previous life, there had been quite a few incidents among Cavalry members who suddenly manifested their second gender. Just the thought of not having such troubles this time was refreshing.

'Come to think of it, wasn't there not much time left when I manifested in the past?'

He couldn't remember the exact timing, but he was glad it wasn't precisely the same as before, since he couldn't be sure if the timing of manifestation would be the same this time.

'Wasn't there a time in the past when awakeners facing a second gender manifestation influenced those with potential around them, leading to a chain of manifestations?'

Those about to, or just after, manifesting a second gender often emitted a unique energy that could be felt with the senses, even if it wasn't visible.

In the case of Jimmy, he had only experienced slight fevers, but it never hurt to be cautious in case of an unknown occurrence. Yuder contemplated spreading the word in advance in case his power erupted suddenly.

'With the rules in place and those around me on guard, I'll be prepared even if my powers erupt abruptly like before. Jimmy's precedent would mean there will be less surprise.'

This time, absolutely, he would prevent any situation where he was alone with Alpha before his powers erupted. Clenching his fist lightly, Yuder made a firm resolution.

---

As Kishiar had mentioned, the Red Stone was stored in a spacious room set up beneath the Cavalry building. When he knocked on the entrance that appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary warehouse, a small hole just wide enough for a pair of eyes to peek through opened in no time.

"Ah, it's you!"

Despite his lack of self-introduction, the person inside recognized Yuder immediately and opened the door for her.

"I've been looking forward to seeing you again... Uh, yes, my name. You remember it, right?"

"Of course. You're Alik Pelgin."

Upon Yuder's succinct answer, Alik Pelgin, the apprentice of the old mage, smiled brightly.

"That's right. I'm relieved. I thought you might have forgotten me, as our first encounter was so brief... Just like the first time we met...."

Seeing his eyes cloud over as if recalling something, it seemed the incident of Yuder forgetting the name of Kiolle da Diarca at their first meeting was deeply imprinted in his mind. Yuder turned his gaze towards the expansive space behind the mage, rather than responding.

Other than massive pillars placed here and there to support the building, the place was completely empty.

However, a transparent box was visible on a table far away, and a hefty aura was barely leaking out from that direction, making his fingertips tingle slightly. It seemed that the Red Stone was stored there.

"Is the stone currently in that box?"

"Ah, yes. As expected, you spotted it right away. Follow me. I'll show you."

Yuder started walking behind Alik. As the distance shortened, he could feel the energy emitted by the Red Stone intensifying through his skin.

Yet, strangely, Yuder noticed that the energy didn't seem as provocative and heavy as before.

'What is this?'

"Do you see those magic stones on the ceiling?"

Alik opened his mouth as if noticing Yuder's puzzled expression.

"The energy emanating from the Red Stone was so strong that as soon as my master and I arrived here, we had to first create a barrier. We spent dozens of precious stones to build a seven-layer barrier, which was just barely enough to weaken it to this level. My master still seems to think further reinforcement is needed. How do you feel? Is the air breathable?"

Only then did Yuder notice the magic stones stuck all around the high ceiling. Upon closer inspection, he could make out complicated magic circles drawn faintly.

"...Yes. It's much better."

"Miss Kanna also said the same. I'm glad it seems to be effective."

Alik grinned, looking rather proud, but Yuder didn't return the smile.

"By the way... Where did Master Yulman go?"

"Master had briefly gone up to our quarters. He'll be back soon. Ah, wait a moment. Please, stop there."

Alik interrupted, abruptly blocking Yuder's path.

"We've set up a camp here. From here, it just looks like an empty space, but if we do this... Ha ha."

As Alik complicatedly twirled and waved his hand, the once empty space started to blur and the scenery changed. The distant Red Stone remained in view, but suddenly before Yuder appeared two sleeping bags that hadn't been there before, a table, three chairs, and a small magic stone stove burning brightly.

"Master couldn't be bothered to go back to the quarters, so he left these here."

"Shouldn't we inform the Commander and move proper furniture here?"

Alik scratched his head at Yuder's serious question.

"No, no, it's alright. This is more than enough for us. Master dislikes complicated things, and he's accustomed to living this way while conducting research... Ha ha..."

A subtle hint of struggle was noticeable on Alik's laughing face, as if he was a disciple catering to a demanding master.

"Actually, even though we've set up camp here, I can't proceed further without Master. When Master arrives, would you like to observe more closely with us? Or..."

"Stay here. I'll go take a look alone."

What was important wasn't to observe the stone, but to understand how much the mages had deciphered from the stone and what kind of investigation they were going to conduct.

Leaving Alik behind, Yuder began to stride towards the Red Stone. Thanks to the magic stones set up, he could approach much closer than before.

The Red Stone, delicately placed on a cushion inside a transparent box, hadn't changed since he last saw it. However, it seemed like the old mage had attempted to set up something as several magic stones were scattered around the box.

'It seems there hasn't been much progress yet.'

"Oh, our guest has arrived."

Yuder, who had been observing the stone, turned his head at the voice behind him. The elder magician of the Pearl Tower, Thais Yulman, greeted him with a smiling face.

"Sir Yuder. It's been a while."

"It has indeed, Yulman. Just call me Yuder."

In previous meetings, Kishiar had been present, and so formal titles were used. But now, as they would be seeing each other more frequently, there was no need for such formality. The old mage readily accepted Yuder's suggestion.

"Right."

The old mage, sporting a splendid white beard, was wearing an ordinary grey robe unlike what you'd expect from an elder of the Pearl Tower, but his eyes twinkled with youthful vigor. He was a stark contrast to his disciple, who seemed half weary.

"Did you come to see the stone?"

"No, I wanted to hear about the progress of the investigation."

"Ah, I see."

Thais Yulman nodded, looking back at the Red Stone and wrinkling the bridge of his nose slightly.