"You're mistaken if you think I'm too busy. That's not the case at all."

Kishiar grinned with a carefree expression on his face. It was a smile befitting of the idle Duke of Peletta, yet the Empress wasn't fooled by it.

"So, are you saying you didn't accompany Baron Aile just because you didn't want to send him alone?"

"Partly, yes. But I must also add that today's visit presented a splendid opportunity to meet Your Majesty in the Dawn Palace, an opportunity I did not want to miss."

Astoundingly candid as his answer was, the harmony between Kishiar's smiling face and his articulate words managed not to cool the atmosphere in the slightest. Yuder watched Kishiar smoothly converse with the Empress and couldn't help but think how remarkable he was.

In the end, it was the Empress who first conceded.

"Very well. I understand why you're here, so no further explanation is necessary. I'd like to talk with Baron Aile now."

As the Empress snapped her fan closed, Kishiar sealed his lips with a quiet smile.

Yuder sensed that the slight tension he'd felt when he first sat down had long since dissipated. The Empress also appeared more relaxed compared to their initial exchange, as she turned her gaze and began speaking.

"Baron Aile, have you been in good health since the party?"

"Yes, thank you for your concern."

"That's good to hear. I was pleased you accepted the invitation, but I was also concerned we might be burdening the hero of Great Sarain Forest unnecessarily."

The Empress knew why she had to assist Kishiar and Yuder during the party. Only after hearing that Yuder wasn't suffering any aftereffects from Quelochet did she breathe a sigh of relief and offer a subtle smile.

"The reason I wanted to meet you today, Baron, is to hear directly from you about your recent actions. Though the palace is a place where one hears many stories, none compare to hearing the truth directly."

Yuder had a vague idea of what the Empress wanted to know specifically, but he simply answered, "Yes."

"Please feel free to ask me anything you're curious about."

"Alright. Then let's start with your life and journey before joining the Cavalry. I heard you lived deep in the mountains before coming to the capital. What made you decide to do that? Were you already confident you'd pass the Cavalry's entry test?"

So, we're starting there.

Yuder took a quiet breath and responded respectfully, though his expression remained unchanged.

"As you mentioned, the place where I lived was a secluded mountain valley, a half-day's travel from the nearest village. After my grandfather passed away, my opportunities to meet other people dwindled, making it hard to gauge my abilities even after my awakening."

The Empress nodded slowly as Yuder continued, mentioning how he had come across recruitment information for the Cavalry and decided to come to the capital out of a desire to test his own abilities.

"When I first saw you, you seemed very well-mannered and remarkably composed, so I was quite surprised to learn your actual age. I've heard you have extensive knowledge of your abilities, enough to teach your fellow members. Did you gain this knowledge through your awakening?"

"Partially, yes, but not entirely. Some of it came from testing my own abilities, but much of it... I had the opportunity to learn from someone else before."

"Did you say you had something to learn from meeting another Awakener?"

"Yes."

Kishiar's gaze met the space just above Yuder's face. Despite sensing it, Yuder did not turn his eyes toward him. After all, Kishiar should already know some of the story, as Yuder had briefly mentioned something similar to his comrades, including Kanna and Gakane, in the Great Sarain Forest.

However, what Kishiar might think upon hearing the story nowgiven that he had more information and had speculated deeply about Yuder's secretswas uncertain.

"What sort of person was it? One individual, or multiple?"

"...It was one person."

The Empress seemed to surmise that Yuder had learned various things from another Awakener by fate while living in the mountains. Given that many had abandoned their hometowns to flee to isolated areas or chose a life of wandering after the appearance of the Awakeners, regardless of their social status, her assumption wasn't entirely unfounded.

"If that person was skilled enough to teach the Baron, that person could be of help to the Cavalry as well. Do you still keep in touch?"

"That person is someone I can no longer meet."

There was no notable change in Yuder's expression, but his eyes momentarily darkened. The Empress suspected that the person Yuder spoke of had long been dead, as she detected a distant look in his eyes even as their gazes met.

Instead of directly apologizing for touching upon an uncomfortable memory, she phrased her words carefully.

"I see. It's a pity. However, some relationships carry meaning in the meeting itself. Since you, Baron, have achieved great things here because of that encounter, the whole Empire will be grateful for that relationship."

Yuder blinked, feeling like he was hearing something utterly unfamiliar.

'A relationship the whole Empire will be grateful for.'

Even Kishiar wouldn't think that, given his past life, but it was true that the life he had then has been a great help in this rerun of time. Even so, it felt peculiar.

The Empress then shifted the conversation to what Yuder had accomplished since joining the Cavalry. Starting from the retrieval of the Red Stone to his tasks in the western dispatch and events in Tainu, her range of questions was incredibly wide and unexpectedly insightful.

Just as she had asked about who had taught Yuder, her ability to delve into peculiar details indicated an open-minded and broad way of thinking.

Yet, she did not cross any boundaries that would make her interlocutor uncomfortable. The conversation flowed smoothly, making her appear quite different from the quiet and shy character that was her public image.

'She may be naturally quiet... But that doesnt mean she's unaware of her surroundings. Rather, her ability to grasp information is quite remarkable.'

Like a reed swaying in the wind, she might seem only gentle and modest, but that was not the entirety of the Empress. People like her could be exceptionally strong in certain aspects.

And perhaps, the subject where the Empress could demonstrate her strength would be matters related to Emperor Keilusa.

Just as Yuder had assessed the Empress, she seemed to have similarly assessed him. She looked at Yuder with slightly different eyes now, and posed a question of a somewhat different nature.

"Baron Aile, on a different note... I heard that you shared a rather surprising story when you visited the Sun Palace with the Duke to meet His Majesty, is that so?"

The conviction was clear that this was the most important reason she had summoned Yuder.

"Even after hearing the news, it was hard to be certain if such a thing was really possible. However, personally, it was news that filled me with so much hope that it was hard to keep my heart from racing. His Majesty has acted as if he's never heard such talk since, but I'm personally curious about your opinion, Baron Aile. Has your opinion remained unchanged, both then and now?"

The Empress knew exactly what had been discussed when Yuder and Kishiar had dined with the Emperor in the Sun Palace. She made no need for explanation about the conversations that had taken place; her eyes shone vividly and desperately, clearly indicating she only wanted to know Yuder's opinion.

Yuder looked at the Empress's tightly clenched lower lip and gave the most cautious and clear answer he had ever given.

"Yes, my opinion has not changed, then or now. Given the opportunity, I intend to act on behalf of His Majesty."

"..."

The fingertips of the Empress, who had been holding a fan, quivered slightly.

"What about the Duke?"

Her gaze moved past Yuder to Kishiar, who had been silently observing the conversation. With a smile that seemed to say he finally had the opportunity to reveal something he was proud of, Kishiar set down the cup he had been holding.

"Of course, my opinion has also not changed. Even if His Majesty ignores what I have previously said, I will never give up and intend to act, along with my assistant."

"I've heard that following Baron Aile's opinion could put the Duke at risk as well. Do you still say the same?"

"Faith does not come when one is afraid of the impossible," Kishiar responded.