Before waking up his companions for departure, Ejain had watched in silence for a while at the retreating figure of Kishiar who had put his cap back on and was sending out the messenger bird. He had contemplated several times whether or not to discard the hair tie he held in his hand, but in the end, he could not. It was because Kishiar's words kept echoing in his mind.

'You can't keep discarding things to live.'

It felt like a phrase that pierced through Ejain's entire life, as if it had observed him from his birth. To survive in an environment filled with enemies, he had been relentlessly casting away whatever he possessed if necessary. But no one had ever said such a thing to Ejain.

In the eyes of others, Ejain was a magnificent prince who served his people despite countless difficulties, and he was to become the King of Nelarn, a being who would save the world. Such an entity could not be swayed by human emotions. He believed he should not hold onto anything given that he was born as a prince, while there were still destitute people everywhere who possessed much less than him. His family's affection, his servants who were like friends, his mother's mementos, none of these were more precious than his life and the future of Nelarn. They couldn't be.

But today, for the first time, he heard a counter-argument that he could move forward without discarding precious things. It was a truly strange statement.

Kishiar La Orr was a being that had no congruence with any information Ejain originally knew. According to the data he had gathered before coming to the Empire, he heard that Kishiar was a feeble body, fond of pleasures, and a symbol of the declining Empire, but the man before his eyes was entirely different.

Despite a seemingly pampered appearance as if he had lived the most luxurious life, he sat down on the dirty ground in the most casual manner, rested his body, and guarded his surroundings more vigilantly than anyone. The cool-headed judgment seen behind his seemingly playful attitude hinted that he had precise control over reason and emotion.

A self-control that felt cruel at times. But what should he conclude about feeling very human in some respects?

'Does that inexplicable faith that the man demonstrated come from there?'

Ejain's gaze shifted towards the sword sheath protruding slightly from the back of Kishiar's cloak. He still vividly remembered the shock when he first drew that sword and obliterated a corner of the forest. The mages, who knew little about swords, might have been fooled by his display of swordsmanship as a power of the Awakener, but Ejain, who had fiercely grasped the sword to protect his body for a long time, didn't fall for it.

Ejain did not know exactly what powers Kishiar La Orr possessed as an Awakener, but it was undoubtedly not related to swordsmanship. The swordsmanship he had shown so far was not an ability gained in a moment, but the result of constant training over a long period.

Weak and stupid? Who said that?

Until he faced Kishiar directly, Ejain thought that the changes occurring in the Empire were entirely due to Emperor Keilusa's intention. He would not have decided to visit the Empire personally if he hadn't sensed the positive ripple in the stagnant Orr Empire from the rumors that spread across the continent related to the Cavalry. Ejain would have otherwise reached out to other places.

However, after meeting Kishiar and observing him, he felt the need to significantly revise his thinking. The changes occurring within the Empire were not solely the work of Emperor Keilusa. The fine gentleman before his eyes was, in fact, the Emperor's true right-hand man, his sword, and further, someone who shared his mind.

'The Duke of Peletta originally had no plans to come here, but suddenly changed his schedule. And he shows his power unabashedly throughout. It's because they possess the strength that can assure the future of my return and the consummation of the deal.'

Even though he had come to negotiate a deal, staking the Emperor and his future on it, Ejain was certain he wouldn't be too surprised even if he was to fail and die. But Emperor Keilusa and Kishiar seemed not to consider such a possibility.

Just a few years ago, many across the continent anticipated that the worn-out imperial family would soon end, and the corrupt dukes would seize power. Ejain also thought this judgment would not be wrong.

But what about now? Could he ever have guessed he would personally meet the Emperor and Kishiar in search for the possibility to secure his future?

Up until now, he had assumed that Duke Peletta lived much more comfortably than him. But now, he thought that perhaps the path the Duke had walked might not be so different from his own, or even possibly more challenging. What could a man capable of enduring for decades, diligently hiding his exceptional abilities, while feigning idiocy, desire?

Leading others was a tense and difficult path, a tightrope walk toward the future amidst enemies on all sides. Unlike Ejain, who was uncertain of the future, Kishiar showed no such anxiety in his broad and upright posture. It felt unnatural, and he wondered if he was overestimating Kishiar's abilities based on mere days of observation.

Was it just a delusion, or was he indeed a person capable of rewriting a chapter of history?

The words of Yuder Aile, that sounded like a prophecy telling him to think of the power he would gain in the future and what comes after, suddenly floated in his mind. Was this strange man before his eyes considering what he could accomplish with his own power and what would come after?

Pushing a carriage that's already moving to gain speed is easy. However, getting something that's been still for a long time to move again requires much more effort.

'If it's someone like him who's managed to hide his true power and form from the world for such a long time, there's nothing he can't do. Even if it's the difficult task of moving the decaying Empire.'

It was strange. Despite acknowledging his own status as the prince of Nelarn, the more he observed Yuder Aile, and faced Kishiar, who sent awe-inspiring trust, the more curious he became about their future.

The fact that it didn't feel negative was both curious and strange.

Ejain decided not to discard his mother's heirloom hair tie while watching the straight back of the man whose secrets he couldn't even begin to guess. And for the first time in a very long while, he thought about his own future that was not negative.

---

As soon as day broke, the mages of the Western Mage Union began to move busily again. From outside the window, the sound of igniting the magic stones to complete the repair of the magic circle and set up a new formation could be heard.

In the end, Yuder had risen from his bed in the wee hours to search for Priest Lusan who had failed to return to his quarters all night. He found Lusan, curled up by the bedside of the most seriously injured patient, caught in a brief slumber.

"Priest Lusan."

"Uh... hmm. Sir Yuder?"

Upon seeing Yuder's face, Lusan forced his swollen eyes open and shot up from his position, startled.

"Oh, did I oversleep? My goodness. Dawn has already broken!"

Witnessing him immediately checking the patient's condition, Yuder knew persuading him to return to his quarters for even a little rest would likely be fruitless. Impressed by his resilience, Yuder opened his mouth.

"While I understand your dedication, please do not skip meals. Those returning in three days would be quite dismayed to find you in such a pitiful state."

"Of course. Are you well, Sir Yuder? I heard from the mages that you've been working tremendously hard all day yesterday."

In reality, their reactions were more akin to shock or curiosity rather than admiration, but Lusan softened the truth. He was concerned that his words might potentially sap the spirits of the assistant of the Commander, who was left alone and ardently helping others. Yuder understood the meaning hidden in his words quite easily and responded with a small smile.

"I'm alright."

"That's good. Then let's have breakfast together and again dedicate ourselves to our respective tasks here today. Ah, right. How is the condition of your spot? Let me check it before you go, and I'll imbue you with some divine power."

Yuder recalled the condition of the spot on his right hand that he had checked before leaving that morning. Although the spot had spread across the entire back of his hand due to strenuous use, its color was faint and there was no pain. He figured he probably didn't need to ask the already exhausted Lusan for his divine power.

"No, I think it should be fine for now. I'll ask for your help when I return."

"Is that so? The intervals at which it appears seem to be increasing, and you said there's no pain, so it looks like a positive change. But do come find me immediately if you need me. Sir Enon was quite worried about that spot of yours until the end."

'Enon?'

Yuder felt a slight sense of joy at hearing his name after such a long time. Despite his outward pretense of indifference, Enon was more affectionate than anyone Yuder knew.

"I understand."

After eating together, they each went their separate ways. As soon as Yuder stepped outside, a group of mages who had spotted him from afar greeted him with faces that, while still slightly awkward, were much softer than they had been the day before.

"Hello. You've had breakfast, I presume?"

"Yes."

"Good. Lorna over there was looking for you. She said to call you when you arrived. She's working on restoring the magic circle."

"I see."

"And if you have some spare time... um... would it be alright to ask some more questions about things we didn't cover yesterday? I've been so preoccupied, I couldn't sleep properly last night."

So they were that curious. Yuder slowly nodded at the mages who lowered their voices to ask. He didn't see the mages clenching their fists and passionately lighting a fire of enthusiasm behind his passing back.

"Sir Aile, you've arrived. Have you given thought to what I mentioned yesterday?"