There were a total of ten individuals who held the surname La Orr in the Orr Empire, excluding Kishiar. Enon had told him that six among them had emerged over the past 300 years. None of them, apart from Kishiar, had shown themselves much to the world before their death, and only a few portraits of them remained. The first thought that crossed his mind upon hearing this was, what?

In truth, he had committed the sacrilege of wondering if there was something wrong with the imperial bloodline.

"Do you guess what I mean? To put it exactly, this is an old problem related to 'blood'."

And now, his sacrilegious speculation had become reality, straight from his own mouth.

"Yuder, how much do you know about the First Emperor who founded the Orr Empire?"

"He was born with the blood of the Sun God, received blessings as such, was the greatest swordmaster in history, and was friends with countless heroes..."

As Yuder began to recite in a low voice the explanation he heard every Founding Day about the First Emperor, Kishiar cut him off in the middle. "That's right. Everyone knows that story," he interjected.

"The Emperor could use divine power and sword aura. And the Empress was a mage. They had five children, four of whom became the ancestors of the current four Duke houses. In other words, they all share the same origin."

Kishiar continued calmly with his explanation.

The Imperial family and the four duke houses, both sprung from the same parents as siblings, originally didn't intermarry. However, as generations passed, the situation gradually changed.

Who first felt the need to break the taboo and extend a hand was now impossible to know. The important thing was that one of the best ways to achieve political objectives, then and now, was through marriage.

Human greed revived the fading bloodline. Then something surprising happened. It was revealed that the likelihood of children displaying strong traits of the superior bloodline, which had been gradually fading, was higher when descendants sharing the blood of the First Emperor intermarried.

Feeling the need to preserve the constant 'blood of the god' for governance, the Imperial family began to continuously marry within the four duke houses. What started out of necessity soon became a tradition, which exerted an influence stronger than law.

Even during times of bad relations between the Imperial family and the Dukes, the Emperor's spouse was always chosen from within this circle. For the Duke family, producing the Emperor's spouse was also the best way to maintain their power. The Duke's family had more freedom to marry other noble families, but they often chose to marry within the four Duke houses.

And the bloodline, having grown excessively pure, began to change gradually as time went by.

"Desiring the blood of the god even against natural law, we started to breed monsters."

At the word "monsters" casually thrown out, a sarcastic smile appeared at the corners of Kishiar's mouth.

"About 800 years ago, a certain Crown Prince, who was born with excellent abilities, died just before his coronation. History records it as a tragic explosion accident that occurred in the Imperial Mage's office, but in reality, his vessel, unable to withstand his overly inflated abilities, shattered all at once. It was a horrifying death, with his physical body bursting and no remains to be found."

The Imperial family was taken aback when they discovered the cause not long after. But they agreed that they could not abandon the effort to preserve the blood of God. Fortunately, there were no more unfortunate cases of individuals who were born with too powerful abilities for their bodies to handle and consequently died for a long time.

Every hundred years or so, when such individuals appeared, the Imperial family would hurriedly strip them of their legitimate inheritance rights and send them far away after awarding them the empty title of Duke. The first 'La Orr' surname was a grand gift an Emperor gave to his beloved but power-hungry Prince. However, this changed afterward.

The individuals banished did not even have the chance to mourn their lost power and family before their vessels began to crack, all suffering in agony until they all died before they reached the age of thirty. It was a horrifying death, when the life force was drained to its limit and the remaining power in the body exploded once the limit was reached.

"They must have realized they could not leave them in the palace or anywhere visible, even knowing they were going to die in that manner. For safety reasons."

It was more crucial to protect the many who lived, rather than the few failures, as brutal as it might sound. The truth was easily concealed just by not recording it in history.

Naturally, as the cycles repeated, the problems became more severe without getting better. Around 300 years ago, the Imperial family started selecting spouses from among the ducal families, finally recognizing the severity of the issue. Yet, even excluding the Princes and Emperors who became Dukes while bearing the surname 'La Orr', many princes and emperors died mysteriously young, one after the other.

Meanwhile, as the Imperial family started to thin, the four ducal houses realized they also shared the Imperial blood. From then on, the nobles, including the ducal houses, began to actively oppose the Imperial family. All blinded by the ambition of taking over the next imperial lineage when the Imperial family disappeared.

Eventually, in this era, the turmoil reached its peak when it was publicly revealed that the current Emperor, Keilusa, had become infertile due to a crack in his vessel.

The Diarca ducal house, successful in installing Katchian as the Crown Prince, became the winner, and the surface conflict subsided. However, a new variable arose.

Kishiar 'La Orr' became an Awakener.

"I am not proud of it, but I am confident that there is likely no one who has delved as deeply into this issue as I have. I searched every record I could obtain, including the imperial family tree. In the end, I could not find a solution. However, I am just glad that I am alive and approaching the age of thirty."

Yuder felt as if he had a glimpse into the relentless effort Kishiar must have put into solving this issue from the cold, yet calm explanation. He was a stubborn man who had striven for an unimaginably long time to resolve his own body's issue.

The ambitious man hidden behind the playful Duke of Peletta, who had become an Awakener by chance and built the Cavalry, drove his weakening body to pursue a big goal without giving up. He couldn't even guess where the source of such a tremendous will came from.

He wondered if Kishiar had shared these thoughts in his previous life.

Could he have avoided resentment or doubt in those moments when Kishiar silently pushed him away and did not deny suspicions of rebellion, if he had known then? Could he have asked for more words, instead of remaining silent on those days when Kishiar suddenly visited and spent the night?

Yuder Aile reexamined moments he thought he had no regrets about. It felt odd. Too strange, in fact, that a twisting sensation gripped his stomach.

"...I'm not sure if I'm the one who should be hearing this story."

When Yuder grumbled with a furrowed face, a smile formed on Kishiar's.

"Are you saying that now, after hearing it all?"

"That's what I think, now that I've heard it all."

Having said that, Yuder hesitated for a moment. He took a deep breath and added with difficulty.

"I appreciate your trust but you don't have to go to the extent of enduring discomfort to tell me this. I don't ask for such things."

It was ironic. He heard directly from the man himself a story that he had previously requested Enon to investigate out of necessity, but it didn't feel satisfying or heartening at all.

Could it be because of the look Kishiar had during the entire story? Maybe he was bothered by the fact that his question made Kishiar look full of sarcasm, unable to hide his disgust.

"Oh dear. Did I look uncomfortable? I wish you wouldn't think that way."

A playful retort was followed by a captivating gaze.

"It's just necessary information for the future, information. I did it because I deemed it to be alright. Trust is inherently something to be poured unilaterally. What's an old story when it's about holding on to such a charming existence?"

Despite the sight of Yuder's bizarre facial expression, Kishiar did not stop speaking.

"Anyone who learns about you would feel the same way."

"Shouldn't you be saying that to other people, not me?"

As he turned his gaze and responded, a languid reply came back.

"Other people? Who are you talking about?"

Whoever it was, he just wished that he wasn't the only one who heard Kishiar's words about being a charming existence. Kishiar laughed softly, looking at the silent Yuder.

"It's sad that my sincerity doesn't get across when all I want and think about now is you."

"...Isn't it because of the effects of the second gender manifestation that you're thinking this way, like you mentioned before?"

"I've thought about that issue. If it were, this conversation would have taken place in bed by now."

So, it meant that this was a continuation of completely natural feelings that had been ongoing since before. Kishiar, who made such a tremendous remark as if it was nothing, sent a smirk toward Yuder, who had closed his mouth.

"I've always liked you from the beginning. Isn't that right?"

"..."

"As an assistant who's so cold yet charming, I, a Commander whose only merit is his face, ought to at least be honest."

"What I said back then was a slip of the tongue."

"A slip of the tongue, you say. Does that mean you think I'm not good-looking?"

"Why are you twisting the story? That's not what I meant."

"This is disappointing. Who else could one think handsome if not me? Could it be the living rose of our group, Gakane Bolunwald? Or maybe that pharmacist from the medical division who seems to be quite friendly with you? Either way, it's really going to hurt my pride. Answer carefully."

He had heard of this Enon before, but what on earth was this new, unheard-of nickname for Gakane? The more they conversed, the more he felt like he was being swallowed by a large snake, but he had no choice. Gritting his teeth, Yuder lowered his head and mustered the strength to spit out his words.

"I think you're handsome. But..."

"Who?"

"...You, Commander."