"But I thought you, Yuder, being able to meet him directly, might have heard something more detailed."

Yuder scanned the surroundings. The training ground was nearly deserted, the dawn training period nearing its end.

It had been about three days since Kishiar had announced his plan to deploy the Cavalry to accomplish two tasks at once. The cycle was not yet finished, but he tried his best to keep up with work, using letters and other means.

There was not much issue since only three Deputy Commanders and Yuder, who often interacted with the Commander, were involved in the tasks. However, Yuder wondered how the other Deputy Commanders perceived the permission he had obtained to freely enter the Commander's office under the pretext of sorting letters.

Neither Ever, Steiber, nor Kanna would ostracize or dislike Yuder merely because he received special treatment from Kishiar, but one could never be sure. Yuder answered as cautiously as possible.

"There wasn't much difference for me either. The Commander was often away."

It wasn't a lie. Even though Kishiar had allowed Yuder to stay in the Commander's office as long as he wanted, he had only shown his face once in three days. And even then, he had appeared with a weary face, received the letter, and entered the room again with a regretful smile.

"I see... He still seems quite busy."

"But he has already decided on the matter of the Western mission, so I think he will provide more details soon."

Kishiar's image faded from his mind at Ever's worried words. Fearing that she might worry excessively, Yuder steered the conversation in a different direction.

"But, Ever. Are you not worried about having to fight monsters if we go West?"

"Hm. Have you forgotten why I first awakened, Yuder?"

Ever grinned and clenched and unclenched her fist in a playful gesture. Power flowed like a ripple over the special glove designed to reveal the fingers, disappearing quickly.

"I slew dozens of monsters that were ravaging our village right after I awakened. I'm not scared of that at all. What worries me more are leading the Shin Division and members who wont listen."

"Are you sure, considering that the monsters that will appear there might be entirely different from the ones we have observed and learned about so far?"

"Absolutely. I'm stronger than I was then, and now I have comrades I can rely on. Are you worried, Yuder?"

He had tried not to create reasons for worry and was confident about the results. But listening to Ever's confident smile and direct question, he felt strangely unsettled.

The members had learned the names, appearances, and weaknesses of monsters that frequently appeared across the continent, preparing for the mission that they would eventually undertake. As this information was the accumulation of people's long-term efforts, it was highly accurate. If one memorized that, they would be confident in defeating any monster.

But Yuder had realized that this information was useless in practice when he was first dispatched to suppress the monsters in the West in his previous life. The monsters recorded were only a part. Most of them had not been recorded properly because most of the witnesses had died, or there were several times more monsters that were entirely new.

He had meticulously planned to avoid experiencing such a situation again, and countless rehearsals took place within his head, but it was an immutable law that he could never guarantee a 100% certainty. Even with his exceptional abilities and plans, it was impossible for him alone to control everything.

Yuder condensed all these thoughts into a simple response.

"Expectation and worry are separate matters."

"I suppose so."

Ever, who gently nodded in agreement, cracked a small smile.

"Still, I somehow feel this mission will turn out well too. It has always been the case so far, hasn't it? We were really worried during the Harvest Festival, but it worked out well, and the trial of the Apeto family also ended satisfactorily. Plus..."

Looking at her enumerating on her fingers, a faint smile crossed his face. As she rattled off her words, it somehow felt as if she was summarizing and praising all the issues he had resolved since his return.

'Yes, just like she said, everything has been going smoothly so far.'

"...So, it will be alright. Ah, did I just talk like Kanna just now?"

Looking somewhat sheepish, Ever admitted that she may have picked up the carefree personality of the girl she spent most of her time with lately. In response, Yuder shook his head.

"Thanks to you, I feel a bit more relaxed now. Thank you."

"I'm glad to hear that. I used to be a worrywart too, but my perspective changed quite a bit after watching the trials of the Apeto family, so I try not to be like that."

"What changed your perspective at that time?"

It seemed she hadn't taken on any special duties related to the trials beyond escorting the witnesses. Intrigued by what might have occurred, Yuder asked, to which she responded that nothing in particular happened.

"Just from standing behind the Commander and watching the trials alongside those who came forward to testify, I had a realization."

"What was it?"

"Even the nobles that I used to fear turned out to be nothing special in the court."

Ever revealed a playful grin.

"They looked pathetic trying to reduce their mistakes, and their stubbornness or crying to avoid punishment didn't seem noble at all. It was also funny to see those who tried to intimidate the witnesses run away without a word at the display of my power."

"..."

"Do you remember? When all of us from the Cavalry gathered to drink, we had a conversation like this. Yuder, you said that I could become someone who steps forward and speaks up for the weak, regardless of the circumstances around us."

At first, he wondered when he had said such a thing, but soon enough, the memories came flooding back.

'Was it around the time when I first met Kiolle Diarca in the training field and knocked him down?'

At the training field of the Imperial Knights, the trainees who were merely commoners and had just joined the Cavalry couldn't say anything when the members of the Imperial Knights, who were against the use of the training field, behaved rudely. Ever regretted not being able to step forward at the time, but Yuder, who came from the future, told her there was no need for that. In a few years, they would become so powerful that they wouldn't even notice something like the Imperial Knights. All they lacked was the realization and experience of their own strength.

"...Yes, I remember."

"At that time, I doubted if it was possible, but while helping those who came for the trial, I realized that I had truly become someone who could do that. Can you believe it?"

Ever described it as a novel and wonderful feeling.

"So now, I'm not afraid of anything anymore. I realized that having faith in the future and confidence in myself can be this much fun. And all of that faith came from the Commander, you, Yuder, and our fellow Cavalry members."

"Hmm. I..."

"You're trying to say you didn't really do anything there, right?"

When he started to mumble uncomfortably due to the praise at the end of her nice speech, Ever interrupted him.

"Don't say that. You, Yuder, have done enough to earn such praise. Even now, you're helping me by observing my abilities more meticulously than I am. How could I not be grateful?"

"...That's just what I did while training together."

"Everyone is very jealous of me. You know, some people were really upset because they thought I alone had the opportunity to train one-on-one with you, right?"

Yuder nodded awkwardly. At this, Ever burst out laughing and patted him on the shoulder.

"Even the Commander added in a letter to me that he was jealous of the great opportunity I had gotten. Can you believe it?"

"The Commander said that?"

Did the Commander insert such a thing in between the letters to the Deputy Commanders, even though he couldn't go out because of his duties? When Yuder swept down her face with a feeling of bewilderment about five times greater than before, Ever's laughter grew louder.

It felt very strange. The past and the present tangled in his mind, then unraveled and disappeared into a blank slate. Unable to figure out what to say in response, Yuder remained silent until the fully risen sun in the sky above caught his eye.

"Ah, it's time for breakfast now. Let's go inside."

Yuder, following the footsteps of Ever who brushed off her seat and stood up, turned his gaze slightly. He thought of someone who might be behind the curtains drawn so as not to see inside, on the top floor of the sparkling Cavalry building in the light.

Suddenly, he felt an illusion as if the heat rising from the inside of his chest spread to the end of his lips.

---

"The Duke of Peletta sent a reply saying he wouldn't help us?"

An astounded voice echoed within the beautiful reception room of the Tain Duchy's main residence. The Duke of Tain, who stylishly trimmed his beard, rarely fiddled with it carelessly, but at this moment he couldn't hide his rage and unwittingly roughened his chin.

"What the hell does this mean? Did his liver swell because he won a trial against Apeto once?"

"Exactly, he has no intention of collaborating with the Tain Duchy, but he does agree that the situation with the monsters appearing in the west doesn't look ordinary, so he said he would dispatch the Cavalry separately."

"So, he's saying the same thing, isn't he, Theo?"

The sharp gaze of Duke Tain turned toward Theorado, the Commander of the Imperial Knights, who was sitting in front of him. Commander Theorado also happened to be the Duke's cousin.

"He's saying he won't cooperate with us but he'll deal with the monsters in the west on his own? What kind of nonsense is that? If the people sent by Duke Peletta roam and wreak havoc in our territory, we won't be able to say a word."

"In that case, couldn't you send the knights and mercenaries as you initially planned and draw a line to prevent any approach?"

"The timing is the problem."

Duke Tain mumbled as he rubbed his forehead.

"I've recently sent a large number of goods through a newly developed sea trade route. In order to protect that, I've already dispatched all those who can be mobilized. Who would've known that right after that, such a large amount of monsters would appear?"

Duke Tain, sighing, turned his head and looked at Commander Theorado.

"Theo, can you lend me just a few of the Imperial Knights?"

"That would be difficult."

"We could use the pretext of training to send them over there."

"Don't you know? A few months ago, we sent a few knights, including Kiolle Diarca, to the East for training for the same reason. After an accident occurred there, the oversight has become strict."

"Damn that Diarca. Worthless as always."