Can you explain what happened?

To be honest, he didn't want to answer. But he had to.

Kishiar seemed prepared to stay up all night, sitting right there until Yuder spoke. It was only when the sensation of being stabbed by a sharply whetted knife reached its peak due to Yuder's silence, that he finally moved his parched lips to speak.

It didn't work.

Your power?

Kishiar precisely pointed out the part Yuder had left unsaid. Yuder turned his head away, avoiding his gaze.

...Yes.

Not at all?

I could use my sword. But apart from that

Kishiar said nothing. He was speechless. The man who had been so confident in the power he possessed had turned out to be the most useless piece of trash at the actual scene. Anyone would find it not just laughable but pathetic. Yuder easily recalled some of the things he had heard.

Do you even know how many got hurt just by trusting you?

This useless guy who can't exert any power is the Deputy Commander? How can you show your face to the Cavalry now? Surely you're not planning on sticking around?

...Coming here with such an arrogant air. Serves you right!

'...'

As his stomach churned again, he decided to stop recalling. Rather than waiting for what might come out at the end of Kishiar's silence, Yuder decided to speak first.

I'll step down from the scene as soon as dawn breaks, and I'll resign from my Deputy Commander position. I'll accept any further punishment you decide to give me.

You're going to give up your position and step away?

Kishiar slowly questioned back.

Why?

A voice as parched as sand ready to blow away scratched uncomfortably at Yuder's ear. He gritted his teeth, continued avoiding Kishiar's gaze, and mumbled.

Because over ten people were injured due to my inability to use my power. I should be rightfully punished and held accountable.

No one could have predicted your power wouldn't work. If we're going by that, I, who sent you, should be the one responsible and be punished.

Enough of your unacceptable words! Who would accept them just because you, the Commander, said them!

He swallowed the rough voice that had almost leaped up his throat.

...Just punish me.

What kind of punishment can I give to someone whose arms are nearly severed?

Are you asking me to tell you what kind of punishment I should get?

Yuder swallowed a sigh, eyes narrowed and closed.

Anything will do. Whip me in public or make me leave the Cavalry, please.

That would be enough to finally quell the angry voices. Gakane, who had high respect among other members, or Ever Beck, who had proved herself this time, would make a sufficient successor.

If he was to be dismissed, he would have to return to his hometown alone... But so what? It didn't seem to matter now. If he couldn't carry his belongings with his arms, he could bite them with his mouth. And perhaps this would be a better ending for the man in front of him.

He might be able to escape from this unbearable awkwardness and weird atmosphere that always arose when they were left alone. He would soon forget the dark memory of being forced to commit an unforgivable sin...

Are you serious, Yuder Aile?

Yes.

Look at me when you speak.

A chilly voice gave an order. Yuder, resisting at first, managed to drag his gaze from the floor to Kishiar. His sharp, crimson gaze was staring at him without a hint of amusement.

"I... I'm serious."

He had expected him to get angry or to spout a harsh rebuke, regardless of how weak his words might have been. But, surprisingly, Kishiar didn't get angry.

"Even if you're the first Awakener, you've only been awakened for two years."

"..."

"No one knows the extent of their abilities, or what limits exist. Even I don't fully understand the weaknesses of my power."

Yuder was suddenly at a loss for words. As he stared blankly, Kishiar spoke quietly, yet heavily.

"You're just aware of it earlier than others. Consider yourself lucky."

"What do you mean?"

"There were 11 casualties in the last battle. You're the only one who was severely injured and required a priest. I heard that once you realized your power didn't work, you held your sword and fought alone until reinforcements could arrive. Am I wrong?"

"..."

Yuder clenched his teeth again. He didn't know what to say.

"But."

"Your power didn't stop working entirely, did it? Have you tested whether it still works on other targets?"

He didn't know. After the chaotic battle, he had been too busy getting treated and finding a place to rest to test such a thing. He barely managed to borrow this barn because there were no shrines nearby.

Kishiar sighed heavily as Yuder shook his head slowly. He scooped up a handful of the straw that had been covering the floor. Just as Yuder wondered what he would do with it, Kishiar quietly gave an order.

"Light a fire here."

"What?"

"A small fire will do."

Yuder was skeptical about what good it could do, but he also doubted whether he could do it. As his mixed emotions left him hesitant, a soothing voice resonated in his ear.

"It's okay, hurry."

That's right. What did it matter if he failed? They had already seen the worst of each other, so there was nothing more to lose.

As if guided, he gave up and exerted his power. Instantly, flames appeared out of nowhere. A small, crimson fire spread over the straw that Kishiar was holding.

As he looked at the easily created flame, Kishiar smiled softly. It was a different smile than when they first met.

"You can do it."

He murmured as he looked down at the pile of straw that had quickly turned to ashes. Yuder was overwhelmed by strange emotions and couldn't easily open his mouth. After a while, Kishiar, who had been looking down at the ashes on his white glove, called his name.

"Yuder Aile."

"Yes?"

"I'll give you a homework. If you solve it, we will forget about this incident and you will maintain your position."

"What homework... are you talking about?"

"Find ten ways to clean up these ashes so that they are invisible."

As he spoke, Kishiar turned over his palm. His riddle-like voice landed on the black ash piled on the floor.

"However, any direct methods that involve physical actions are to be excluded. Use only your 'power'."

"What do you mean..."

"This is your punishment. You don't need anything else."

And the moment the approaching hand covered his bewildered eyes, the engulfing darkness unfolded, and his consciousness slipped away

---

...

Once again, Yuder opened his eyes. Only after seeing the familiar ceiling of the Cavalry quarters did he realize that what just happened was a dream from his past life. Rubbing his throbbing head, he sat up, and faintly saw the still-dark window.

Unable to fall back asleep even when he closed his eyes again, he got up and drank some water. Even though it should be no different from the water he drank in his dream, it left a bitter taste in his mouth for some unknown reason.

'I'm having some strange dreams.'

He wondered if it was because of the tension he felt, considering he was due to depart for the West soon. The vague image of Kishiar from his dream lingered in his mind.

The memories from that time remained quite vivid even now. It was a highly memorable experience, after all. It was the first time he realized that his power did not affect anything beyond what was born and grew in this world.

A few days after receiving an unfamiliar task from the belatedly arrived Kishiar, Yuder finally understood the true meaning of his words. He realized that the only way to achieve his goals was not just by burning or killing things directly as he had done before.

It didn't matter if his direct power didn't work against monsters. If their bodies decayed, they were bound to die. And Yuder had the power to move nature itself to crumble even the largest and toughest creatures.

Thanks to this, in the next battle, Yuder drove hundreds of monsters into a narrow valley with the help of others. He won a great victory by collapsing the entire cliff. Several landscapes in the West changed due to this, and it was deemed a historic battle that would be recorded in history books, helping him to earn the title of Count.

In this way, after a few appearances, Yuder hardly participated directly in battles due to intense check, but his experience from that day continued to be a great help even after he became a Commander.

Yuder looked down at his hand, lightly clenching and unclenching it. Because he didn't bother to wear gloves when sleeping alone, his palm, dotted with small spots, was clearly visible. Observing the rough fingertips scarred from various jobs he had done since childhood, he suddenly remembered the bandaged hand he saw in his dream.

'Come to think of it, that injury... It was serious, considering it now.'

He had never really thought about it before, but seeing it again in the dream, it was surprising that there were no aftereffects, given how severe the condition was. It was an injury inflicted by a monster, a natural enemy of his abilities, and until Kishiar arrived, he had only wrapped it in a bandage without receiving proper treatment. Even if it was treated later, there was a high chance of not fully recovering, yet how did it heal so cleanly?

The temples he visited afterward didn't seem to have cured him well either. They were reluctant to use the holy water that Kishiar had procured from other regions on the Cavalry members.

'Back then... Since it was the first injury, I just thought I recovered faster than others.'

After becoming a Commander, the injuries he received from dealing with monsters for similar reasons healed much slower than other injuries, and the scars did not fade easily.

"..."

Suddenly, Yuder stiffened his shoulders.

'Could it be?'

He didn't know it at the time, but there was one piece of information he had now. The fact that Kishiar could use divine power.

If his complete recovery wasn't a coincidence, the only plausible explanation was that.