"What...what is it?"

"It's called 'The Hidden Dream of the Youngest Prince of Apeto.' All those attending tomorrow's Sharing of the Sacred Flame ceremony will be the audience. The special guest will be none other than Beltrail Shand Apeto, one of the twelve high priests and a respected authority on Awakeners."

"No, I'm talking about this cake. Where on earth did you get it?"

Despite hearing Yuder's shaky question, Kishiar elegantly placed a silver fork in front of him, continuing the conversation as if he hadn't heard the question.

"The script goes like this. A fragile-looking noble boy manages to solve an unexpected accident at a small event with the help of Cavalry members. Others fail to recognize his abilities, but the Cavalry Commander, who happened to be nearby, realizes this and praises them."

Kishiar pointed at himself with a smile. At this point, Yuder decided to give up on getting an answer about the cake and picked up his fork.

"When asked what he wanted as a reward, the noble boy requests to join the Cavalry. The Commander, touched by his passionate desire, immediately appoints him as a temporary member. Then, the boy's relative, a high priest in charge of the event, sees this and is deeply movedleading to the climax."

His long finger, which had been lightly waving in the air like a conductor, stopped precisely as he finished speaking.

"How about that? Seems like an interesting story, doesn't it?"

"Well, all right, but how are you going to make people believe that the Commander just happened to be nearby?"

"No need to worry about that. As it happens, my schedule for tomorrow has me passing by that area."

Kishiar smirked like a mischievous boy hatching a prank.

"I'll be guiding the envoys from the west through the Hill of Abundance. The beautiful hill where the Archmage Luma himself planted an apple tree."

'The Hill of Abundance...'

That hill conveniently overlooked the grand palaceit was in the best position for such a view. Upon hearing Kishiar mention the Sharing of the Sacred Flame ceremony, Yuder felt a growing sense of understanding of the previously puzzling expression on Kishiar's face.

"As the Duke of Peletta, and also the Cavalry Commander, who would dare find it odd if I rushed to the scene of a sudden accident right before my eyes?"

"I see."

Yuder's tongue tingled from the sweetness of the hastily bitten cake.

"So you plan to make a big scene to attract attention, change the perceptions of the noble Awakener, and then issue a rescue mission for Dandenion?"

"You're close."

Kishiar shook his head as if it was a shame.

"If there was only one person to rescue, that would be it. But we're not rescuing just one person, are we?"

We're not rescuing just one person. There could only be one meaning to those words. The fork that Yuder had been nonchalantly using to cut the cake came to a sudden halt.

"You can't mean..."

"Let's see."

Kishiar pulled out one of the letters he had been holding and placed it in front of Yuder. It was a roughly drawn map, noting the position of each building within the Apeto family estate. Despite the crudity of the drawing, presumably due to it being handmade, the information was surprisingly easy to decipher. Yuder read the small note written inside one of the outbuildings on the map.

'Suspected Awakeners currently detained. Approximately 20 in number.'

"How do you plan on getting all 20 of them out?"

"There's no need for us to escort them out. If things escalate, they will naturally find their way out."

Kishiar pointed at a section on the map. It was the name of Revlin marked inside the main building, indicating his room.

"The Apeto family would prevent Revlin from joining the Cavalry, but the Cavalry Commander has the right to protect and meet his troops above all. I plan to make full use of that right and request to meet my temporary member, Revlin."

It was a festival period, when the attention of the entire continent was focused here. No matter how powerful the Apeto family was, they couldn't easily dismiss Kishiar, especially considering the amount of controversy surrounding the Cavalry.

"And then what do they do?"

While Yuder made these predictions, Kishiar's finger smoothly moved across the map, leaving the main building.

"Would they not think that they should move them beforehand, in case I visit and discover something more troublesome and escalate the situation?"

His finger, tracing a dotted line representing the underground passage for food storage and transport between the outbuildings, the main building, and the exterior, finally stopped near a forest at the edge of the vast estate owned by the Apeto family.

"Once they escape from the outbuildings, then... it's over."

"..."

Yuder, who had been focusing on Kishiar's fingertips with all his nerves, forgetting even to eat his cake, finally let out the breath he'd been holding. It was a truly audacious plan. It was unbelievable how he had come up with this from just a brief conversation with Revlin yesterday.

'Even if I were in the Apeto family's position, I wouldn't think of moving any other way.'

Kishiar had turned the disadvantages of the festival period, which might seem unfavorable for planning such a thing, into opportunities.

No matter how much he thought about it, there was no better plan. Yuder felt an unbearable shame at his own shortsightedness, which had only considered the difficulty of saving Dandenion and hadn't even taken into account the possibility of rescuing other Awakeners.

'If I were the leader when this happened, I wouldn't have been able to act as boldly.'

He had boasted of saving the world, but died anyway. In the end, the limit of Yuder Aile was just that. Despite living over 10 years longer than the current Kishiar, he had achieved nothing better.

Perhaps it was Kishiar, who seemed so naturally intent on saving everyone, who was truly capable of saving the world.

If he had survived in his previous life, perhaps

The moment he reached that thought, he felt a sharp, small pinch deep within his chest, as though pricked by a long needle. Kishiar, watching Yuder's blank gaze on his face, smiled slightly.

"What is it? That look on your face. Ha-ha. Are you taken aback by my ingenious scheming?"

"I... I was merely thinking how truly remarkable you are."

Hearing Yuder's dry murmur, the playfulness that had filled Kishiar's face subtly faded away.

"Is that sarcasm? Because even I would feel a bit embarrassed if it wasn't."

"It's sincere."

Kishiar was unusually slow to respond. It seemed as if he hadn't expected Yuder to speak so honestly, and there was a hint of surprise. But he slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he showed a smile that was as usual.

"It's still just a plan at this stage. The most important part of this plan is the person who will carry out the rescue mission towards the annex while Revelin and I distract the attention of the Apeto family."

And he intended that person to be Yuder. It was palpable from the look in his eyes.

"Given the circumstances, I can only ask you to exercise your abilities as much as you can without overdoing it."

"I am up to the task. Trust me."

No matter what else was hidden within that vast noble house, Yuder had resolved to make this mission a success. He was probably the only one in the world capable of perfectly completing this dangerous task.

"You always say that, but then you come back seriously injured."

However, Kishiar couldn't hide his disbelief even in the face of Yuder's resolute reply. Yuder had no confidence in promising he wouldn't get hurt and avoided Kishiar's gaze.

"...it's alright if I get treatment."

"Is it alright? Is that truly how you feel?"

A scoff escaped from Kishiar's lips.

"It seems you've already forgotten about that time you spent half a day receiving treatment. Is that why you say such things?"

Automatically, the painfully vivid memory of that day flashed across Yuder's mind. Even the mere memory of it made his shoulders feel as if they were tightening, but he strived to push the sensation to the back of his mind.

"No, there are many cases in the world where even when people are seriously injured, they cannot receive proper treatment. Compared to them, at least I can return and be healed by you, Commander, so it's okay."

"...Is that a calculated statement?"

"Pardon?"

Yuder, averting his gaze, found Kishiar glaring back at him with a frustrated expression that left him at a loss for words. It was an intensely unfamiliar expression that caught him off guard.

"What do you mean I've calculated..."

"Never mind. You don't need to answer."

Kishiar, abruptly raising his hand, opened his mouth several times as if to say something, only to close it again. An odd silence filled the space between them, a divergence from the usual atmosphere they shared. When the silence settled, the scent of the cake and the aroma of the tea became remarkably distinct, lending a slightly odd sensation to the room.

"Did I perhaps say something..."

"This mission has the characteristic of needing to strike and retreat quickly, so forming a team and receiving external support will be difficult. The more people we have, the harder it becomes to move swiftly, and the likelihood of being caught increases. It can't be helped. However, I will devise a plan using every possible means to minimize the parts where you have to act alone."

He wanted to ask if he had said something wrong, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Kishiar started explaining so quickly that he couldn't finish his thought.