His body felt unbearably heavy, as if he couldn't lift a single finger. Despite the faint will that remained, his vision was dark and he could hear nothing, leaving him unsure whether he had fallen to the ground or was merely standing. These were typical symptoms that appeared when all the strength in his body was exhausted.

This was the first time he'd experienced such a phenomenon in this life, but he wasn't surprised, as he had experienced it a few times in his previous life. Regardless of how powerful one may be, there is a limit to the amount of energy a single body can hold. In his previous life, he had increased the amount of energy he could store through constant training, but he had not been at it long this time around, leaving him inevitably at a much lower capacity.

Yuder closed his eyes and slowly continued his breathing. Suddenly, he remembered the first time he'd experienced a similar phenomenon. Was it when he'd caused a valley in the west to crumble, standing in front of swarming monsters, squirming like insects? Once the sensation in his body, which had been abruptly cut off like a thread, had returned, Kishiar was there in front of him.

He was looking down at Yuder, who was lying down, with a very complicated expression. Whether he was smiling or perhaps angry, facing that expression, Yuder managed to gasp out a single sentence.

"I've found all ten methods to remove the ashes."

He fainted immediately afterward, so he didn't hear Kishiar's response, but the feelings from that moment came back very clearly.

The relief and joy that came with the sudden disappearance of all the anxiety he had been carrying.

And some sharp, intense emotion that was pressing hard enough to cause a numbing pain in his chest.

When he naturally recalled the memory of that unfamiliar emotion, which felt like it was both his and not his, Yuder suddenly felt a sense of doubt.

'What was that?'

The relief and joy were certain, but what followed was strange.

Did I... Did I feel such an emotion at that time?

"..."

Yuder suddenly opened his eyes with a cold shiver. It felt like he'd been unconscious for a very long time, but it didn't seem to have been that long, judging from the corpse of Pethuamet that he saw as soon as he opened his eyes. He tried to lift his arm in frustration with the dark, blurring view, but someone gently restrained him. Instead of the foul stench that had been stinging his nose, a familiar scent enveloped his body.

"...don't ...move."

He couldn't hear properly due to the deafening in his ears, but it was enough to fully wake him up, even just with a part of the sentence. Yuder blinked to see the face of the person supporting his body more clearly. After a few attempts, he finally saw someone's face in his view.

Was it the first light that shone in the darkness?

Yuder lost his senses momentarily as he looked at Kishiar's face, whom he was seeing after three days. The feeling of reality that he thought he had regained the moment he woke up seemed to be drifting away again.

"Commander?"

He wasn't sure if he could be heard, given that even his own voice didn't sound clear, but a gentle squeeze from the hand that was holding his indicated an affirmative response.

"How did you"

"That's not important right now."

A low voice descended from above his head. It was then that Yuder finally saw the wave-like emotion rippling in Kishiar's red eyes. As he quickly averted his gaze due to the chill creeping up his back, he finally managed to take in the surrounding landscape.

They were inside the massive trap that Yuder had set to kill Pethuamet. He could vaguely see the faces of the people sticking their heads out from the cliff and shouting something. Small bundles of light were floating around them, indicating that everything seemed to have settled down.

Yuder cast another glance towards the body of Pethuamet, whom he had slain. He had been unable to let down his guard for fear of the unexpected, even after severing the monster's tongue, but upon seeing the motionless form riddled with holes, he finally felt assured that he had truly killed it.

Pethuamet was dead. In this lifetime, Yuder Aile had truly succeeded in killing that nightmare of a monster.

Though his body was in a battered state, he had not suffered any injuries severe enough to result in dismemberment, and neither his Cavalry comrades nor any other people had been harmed. The only thing that was shattered was not the villages or cities in the western border, but the Great Sarain Forest.

And, in front of his eyes, Kishiar, too, was utterly unscathed this time. The moment he realized this, a refreshing feeling seeped in, as if he had resolved a long-held regret and ambition.

"...Are you smiling?"

Above his head, Kishiar mumbled in disbelief.

"Can you really afford to smile in such a state?"

Had he been smiling? As he could not see his own expression, he wasn't certain whether he was truly smiling or not. However, the fact that he felt good was true, so he didn't respond.

"You kept... your promise for sure."

As he shifted the topic, Kishiar let out a deep sigh.

"Indeed."

Unexpected things did happen, but... Along with his low voice, an emotional touch caressed Yuder's body, and he was hugged close. He was smaller than Kishiar, but still he was a man, considerably tall compared to others. Seeing himself held so lightly, like a child, he strangely felt the reality of Kishiar's return.

But while he did feel the reality, the emotion of not wanting to be held was another matter entirely.

"I can walk on my own..."

"Really? If you can lift your hand by yourself, I'll let you go."

"..."

Yuder tried to muster strength in his arm. However, only his fingertips twitched a bit; his body wouldn't follow his will at all. Kishiar, watching him, let out another deep sigh. It felt as if he was holding back from saying something he desperately wanted to say.

"Did you... leave everyone behind?"

Yuder decided to change the topic again. However, strangely, Kishiar's expression only hardened further at his question, not softening at all.

"It seems like that's not what we should be worrying about right now. Is there anywhere that hurts?"

"I... I'm not sure."

"So, you're saying it's serious enough that you don't even know where it hurts."

With the curt reply, the fingers supporting his body tightened and then relaxed. Yuder suddenly remembered the distinct imprint of five fingers on the door of the Cavalry Commander's room.

'That must have been left by Kishiar.'

Despite possessing such immense strength, the arms of the man holding him only exuded a sense of firm security. It felt slightly strange to be unafraid while in the arms of another, unable to resist.

'No, it's not just being unafraid, it's as if...'

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not."

Yuder shook his head to shake off the strange feeling. But the moment he met the worried, red gaze looking at him, a part of his memories from before he woke up suddenly surfaced.

'...Ah.'

A strange feeling had been tugging at his heart, a pain that was unbearable despite the refreshing and pleasant emotions he was feeling. He finally seemed to understand where this feeling was heading.

'Was it Kishiar?'

The fact that he had once harbored such emotions for none other than Kishiar La Orr startled him. His mind was perplexed by the revelation, but his heart quivered with a marvelous sensation, as if it had rediscovered a long-lost piece.

During his moment of mild confusion, Kishiar, likely discerning his peculiar state, halted his steps with a frown creasing his forehead.

"It seems your condition is not well."

"No, it's not..."

Before he could even deny it, Kishiar reached out a hand, shielding his eyes. A white light poured from his palm, and then, it was truly as if he had blacked out.

---

The surroundings were incredibly noisy. Unable to keep his eyes shut any longer, he gritted his teeth and forced them open. The clamor grew louder instantly, finally morphing into recognizable voices that resonated in his ears.

"Yuder. Are you conscious?"

"Kanna?"

He turned his head, but despite hearing her voice, he couldn't see his familiar comrade's face. Something seemed to be obstructing his view. Stunned, he tried to rub his eyes, but someone promptly grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"No, don't touch your face. We've bandaged it."

"Why"

"You completely drenched yourself in the monster's fluid. Why on earth would you do that?"

Kanna's voice shook with mixed emotions.

"Do you realize you were injured the most, even though you weren't alone?"

"Is it severe?"

"You need to ask that?"

A slapping sensation came from the vicinity of his right shoulder. It seemed to come from anger but didn't hurt in the slightest.

"Everything from your head to toe is a mess! Your eyes and ears are severely affected, you've broken ribs, and they said you were drained of all strength, and, and!"

"That's enough for me to hear."

Interrupting her, he exhaled. Despite the news of his severe condition, he felt oddly untroubled.

"Where's the Commander?"

"The Commander is"

Kanna seemed ready to respond, but instead, fell silent.

"You don't need to know about that. Rest more."

"Kanna?"

Her statement felt less like a simple delay and more like an ominous omen.

'I killed Pethuamet, so why is the environment still so chaotic?'

Familiar sounds reached him from somewhere. Shouts. Groans. And explosions.

'Explosions?'

With a blank expression, he moved his lips and found his voice.

"Hasn't it ended?"