Even as he left the dining hall and walked down the hallway, and even as he descended towards the training grounds, remnants of yesterday's memories still floated around a corner of his mind.

The fervor in the gaze that met his after he had finally detached from what he had clung to with such desperate longing for an indeterminate amount of time. The revelation of a deeper desire, manifested through his rapid, racing breath. The sensation of fingertips tenderly brushing his lips the moment he closed his eyes, unable to bear the wild unknown tumult within him. The soft laughter that echoed in his ears after he shook his head in response to the query, "Do you need healing?", before he even fully registered the profoundly quiet voice. The ticklish breath he felt over his skin. Once these memories began to surface, they lined up, one after the other, and he found it absolutely impossible to stop them.

Yesterday, Kishiar definitely proved he was right. Yuder was still unsure how to describe the vast and deep sense of unity he felt the moment he connected with him.

It was a surreal sensation, as if everything in the world had existed for that moment. The memory of that feeling was so powerful, surpassing simple stimuli and pleasure, that he even began to entertain the peculiar thought that he was currently dreaming, and that his body was still in the dressing room.

'It feels like my brain is paralyzed.'

He was aware of what he had done. However, he felt neither the expected guilt nor revulsion. Indeed, his mind must have been properly paralyzed at that time.

Walking somewhat unsteadily, as though the ground beneath him was floating, Yuder stopped when he spotted the entrance to the Imperial Knight's first training ground not far away. There was no real need to come this far, but he didn't want to head to the usual Cavalry training grounds at the back today. Part of him was reluctant to run into Kishiar so soon. If he couldn't concentrate properly, it would be better not to show up at all. He intended to calm his mind before entering.

'Enough thinking for now.'

At this time, the first training ground would be filled with Shin Division members struggling to control their remaining strength. Being with them, he should be able to regain his composure quickly.

However, having composed himself and entered the training ground, Yuder was met with an unexpected situation and stopped in his tracks once again.

"Do it properly, everyone!"

"You're the one who can't even lift a finger but talks a lot!"

The training ground was in far more chaos than usual. All the members were simultaneously unleashing their abilities. As expected of the Shin Division members, who mostly possessed physical enhancement abilities or the ability to infuse energy into weapons, each attack they swung seemed powerful enough to shatter the entire training ground, but the ground engraved with protective magic was perfectly intact.

And in the midst of all this was Kishiar. Not as an attacker, but as the sole target.

"Is this all you've got? I wonder where the spirit from earlier went."

"Ugh. Not yet!"

At Kishiar's smiling words, dressed in a dust-free light training uniform and holding only a wooden sword, a Shin Division member screamed and threw a stone with all his might. He had the ability to infuse power into thrown objects, making them faster than arrows and causing them to explode.

The stone he threw, wrapped in blue energy, rushed towards Kishiar's chest in the blink of an eye, but Kishiar easily blocked the attack with a simple extension of his bare hand.

As the stone hit his palm and exploded, scattering in all directions, the Shin Division members each cursed and rolled their bodies to avoid the fragments.

"How many times have I said it? When it explodes, we're the ones who suffer!"

"That crazy bastard! I'll kill you first!"

"Let's stop fighting amongst ourselves!"

"Seems like you still had some focus to spare to look elsewhere."

Upon discovering the squabbling members, Kishiar muttered under his breath and sprung into action. He effortlessly dodged several incoming attacks with minimal movements and appeared in front of the brawling members in the blink of an eye, looking as if he had just taken flight off the ground. Everyone gasped, taken aback by his sudden appearance. Although it looked like he had teleported, he had merely moved at a speed that deceived their perception.

"I told you to train, not to fight."

Kishiar, admonishing them like children, lightly patted the backs of a couple of surprised members with both hands. Of course, it only looked light to the onlooker, but the recipients were sent flying from one end of the training field to the other without even having a chance to scream, such was the overwhelming force.

'What the hell...'

Why was Kishiar, who should've been busy with scheduled training, among them, and what exactly was happening? As he watched in stunned silence, Yuder turned his head and saw Jimmy, lying nearby, panting with a worn-out look on his face.

"Jimmy."

"Ah, Yuder."

Upon recognizing Yuder, Jimmy quickly wiped off his sweat and sat up.

"What's going on here?"

"Commander suddenly said he wanted to join the training. He said he's been feeling rusty from not moving for a long time and encouraged us all to attack him."

At first, the Shin Division members laughed, thinking it was a joke, but their smiles quickly faded when they saw the Commander easily take down a few members who had rushed him. Until now, Kishiar had never really shown his full capabilities in front of everyone apart from participating in basic training. Several members who had been under the mistaken impression that he might not be that powerful had a rude awakening.

"You're still on your break, right, Yuder?"

"Yes."

"It's a shame. We could've seen who's stronger, you or the Commander."

"...You wanted to see that?"

"Of course!"

Jimmy, answering with sparkling eyes, suddenly scrutinized Yuder's face.

"Hmm? But Yuder, what happened to your lips? Did you get hurt?"

""

Judging by Jimmy and Devran's reactions, his chapped lips were quite noticeable.

"It's nothing. Just a bit...tired."

"Hmm. I see..."

The boy who had been tilting his head started to scratch it and chuckled.

"The Commander also had a wound on his lower lip today. Maybe it's because of the changing season."

Saying that he'd rested enough and was going back, the boy who had been rolling on the ground holding a practice sword walked past Yuder, failing to catch the rare look of embarrassment that flitted across Yuder's face.

"...You're going again?"

"Of course. Opportunities to challenge someone as powerful as the Commander with all our might are rare. I'm going to do it till the very end!"

Hearing the shout, Kishiar, who was far away, turned his head and spotted Jimmy and Yuder behind him. Yuder's eyes tensed at the moment their gazes met, but no one noticed.

And shortly thereafter, Kishiar, as usual, waved his hand and squinted his eyes into a smile. It was but a fleeting moment, barely enough time for him to dodge Jimmy's onslaught and throw himself backward, but it was more than sufficient to calm the chaos that had been swirling in Yuder Aile's head.

'...He hasn't changed.'

A quiet voice echoed in his tranquil heart.

Kishiar's demeanor hadn't changed one bit from yesterday. He was still smiling at Yuder, with no hint of falsehood in his gaze.

He was vastly different from the image of him lingering in Yuder's memory after the manifestation incident during his previous life. Could this man, who had just beamed as if light crowned his head, be the same man who had despaired in silence, forcing a smile onto his parched lips then?

The fact that everything was indeed changing from his previous life had finally hit him.

'...Yes.'

Yesterday's events were not accidents but transpired entirely due to his and the man's will. It couldn't have been the same as before.

A bittersweet sense of liberation blossomed from within his chest. Yuder briefly let slip a smile akin to a sigh, but quickly extinguished it. He bowed his head.

"I feel refreshed after a good workout."

Sometime later, Kishiar approached Yuder, leaving the Shin Division members sprawling behind him, rotating his shoulder. Unlike the Shin Division members smeared with sweat and dirt, he looked composed, with only a trace of sweat on his forehead.

"I'm sorry, you came to watch training, but now there's nothing for you to do."

Yuder responded as usual to Kishiar's ever-composed demeanor that showed no trace of yesterday's passion.

"No, your personal involvement would have been a better experience than mere training. But..."

After confirming there was no one around to overhear their conversation, Yuder lowered his voice.

"Is it alright for you to use your power like this?"

Kishiar's ability as an Awakener was not as flashy or noticeable as others, but each small movement carried an overwhelming power that was unmatched. Even Yuder, who had seen him fight monsters in his previous life, could not fully comprehend the extent of his power. How could the inexperienced Shin Division members stand a chance against him?

The worry was whether he would again suffer physical distress from using his ability, just as he had after casting magic before.

"It's fine. When the heat period is nearing, I need to use it more than usual. Leaving the power idle can be more harmful."

"I see. I apologize if my concern was presumptuous."

"Presumptuous, you say. It feels good to be worried about. I usually don't like it, but when it's you, it feels quite nice."

Kishiar, who made this fortunate remark when no one else could hear, gestured and began to walk ahead.

"Shall we head back together? It's going to take them some time to regain their senses."

Yuder glanced at the Shin Division members, swallowed his slight feeling of guilt, and nodded.

"Understood."

Not long after they left the training grounds, they saw Imperial Knights pretending not to see them while giving them disdainful looks and disappearing into the distance.

'They don't even bother with a greeting.'

Despite being members of a knight's order created to protect the imperial family, their insolence was hard to believe. However, Kishiar didn't pay them any mind. As an assistant, there wasn't much Yuder could do if his Commander did not approve, but he made a mental note of their attitudes.

'Someday, I'll have to deal with all those guys and make sure they greet us eagerly, even at the sight of Kishiar's shadow.'

"Duke."

Not long after they started walking, Nathan Zuckerman appeared with a brisk stride. He walked straight towards Kishiar, offered a silent bow in greeting, and then spoke up again.

"You must return to the office immediately."

"What's the matter?"

"The first son of Apeto has paid a visit."