The decision was swift. Kishiar trusted Yuder's abilities and told him that there was no need for frequent reporting in carrying out his activities.
"There's nothing more foolish than wanting a detailed report for every little thing in an intelligence-gathering operation where speed and secrecy are essential. Minimize interim reports and feel free to request support where needed."
"Understood."
"It's fine to make mistakes, just don't get injured."
There was no denying that the person Kishiar was referring to was Yuder. After a moment of silence, Yuder nodded.
"Will do."
Only then did Kishiar's flawless smile soften slightly. Before Yuder left, Kishiar seemed to remember something and shared an additional piece of news.
"There was another update earlier. Do you remember the assassins you captured in the Great Sarain Forest?"
Of course he did. They were the ones who had targeted Prince Ejain of Nelarn but had miscalculated and were captured instead.
"Yes. What happened to them?"
"The investigation into their backers is complete. The results aren't particularly surprising."
As expected, the assassins hailed from Aeril, the homeland of the mother of Ejain's biggest rival, the third prince. Circumstances indicated that they had undoubtedly received support from there.
Normally, they would have transferred the captured assassins to Prince Ejain's side long ago, but there was a reason they had continued investigating them.
"We succeeded in identifying people within our own Empire who aided them when they entered. It seems some powerful noble families are assisting the third prince, facilitating their illegal entry and providing them with information."
"That's hardly surprising."
"Indeed. We couldn't determine their exact identities, but knowing this much is sufficient for now."
The reason the assassins could so easily track Prince Ejain within an Empire foreign to their own was that the power and position of their helpers were notably high.
There were only a few people capable of this, and even fewer with the motive.
'One of the four Dukes, most likely. To be specific, one of the three, excluding Apeto who wouldn’t have the nerve.'
It was unlikely that Ejain’s enemies in Nelarn didn’t know the real reason he had ventured to the Orr Empire under the guise of attending the Harvest Festival. Just as Ejain sought a way to resolve his crisis in the Empire, his enemies must have also extended their hands to influential nobles in the Empire to thwart him.
Whoever had accepted that overture had clearly calculated the odds. It was a win-win for them—help eliminate a prince without solid backing in another country and curry favor with a likely future king.
'They probably thought it would be trivial, just helping to remove a prince from another country.'
However, the second prince returned safely to his homeland. Though the Cavalry had assisted in his safe return, no one noted that the prince’s return and the cavalry’s monster-hunting mission in the west coincidentally occurred at the same time.
And the shocking news that the prince had awakened before returning to his homeland was still a secret, known to no one.
A message had recently arrived at the imperial palace, reporting the safe return of Prince Ejain. "Though the situation is still dire and he can't move freely yet, things will be different this time around. The powers he's awakened will greatly assist him in protecting himself."
Moreover, as he had secured the support of Emperor Keilusa, he shouldn't face as much resistance as before.
Yuder nodded, pondering the future of Prince Ejain.
"Yes, that's good to hear."
"Is that the end of it?"
Kishiar's question seemed to hint at a desire for a different answer. Yuder blinked a few times before asking, "Is there anything more you'd like me to say?"
"I just thought you might be more curious about his well-being, now that you and he have become close."
"I never asked for this position. I find the news of the Prince's safety to be sufficient."
With his Awakener powers considered among the best for self-protection, it was likely that Ejain would no longer face the same dangers as before. Perhaps it was now more constructive to think about how quickly the prince could end the struggle for the throne of Nelarn and stabilize internal affairs.
Kishiar smiled gently at Yuder's response.
"Alright, I understand."
"Then, I'll take my leave."
Yuder bowed and turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, he heard his name.
"Yuder."
He turned his head and saw a man standing near a window, radiant in the sunlight filtering in.
"Don't forget, the doors here are always open."
"..."
"Always."
Yuder suspected that this might have been what Kishiar most wanted to say.
"…Yes."
Yuder slowly nodded and stepped out of the room, feeling a warm sensation rising within him.
…
Back at the training ground, Yuder singled out the individuals he was looking for and told them to follow him. Gakane and the Eldore siblings didn’t seem surprised, likely suspecting why they had been called, but Devran appeared quite anxious.
"What's going on? Why did you call me? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, it's not that."
Yuder reassured him and led them toward the medical unit.
"I have to bring one more person, so wait here for a moment. We'll discuss everything in detail afterward."
"There’s another person to fetch from here?"
Ignoring Devran's uneasy voice, Yuder knocked on the door of the medical unit.
"Welcome! Did you get injured during training?"
A cheerful Lusan greeted him.
"No, where is Enon?"
"If it’s Enon you’re looking for—"
"Why am I being sought?"
A curtain was pulled aside to reveal a gruff face lying on a patient bed.
"Why are you lying there?"
"I’m recovering from fatigue after being forcibly taken on a long journey. Is there a reason I can't lie here?"
"Let's talk for a moment."
"Who are the other people you brought outside?"
"They are here to hear the same thing as you."
At these words, something seemed to click for Enon, who shook his head vehemently.
"No. I won’t do it."
"I haven’t even said what it is yet."
"I can smell that you’re going to ask me to do something tedious. I’m already tired enough from working here; I won’t do any more."
"Sir Enon, at least listen to what Sir Yuder has to say before making a decision. You came all this way," Lusan interjected with a chuckle. It seemed he had come to know very well that Enon's grumbling wasn't out of genuine anger. Yuder exhaled softly as he looked at Enon, who had turned his head away.
"Here, catch."
Enon reflexively caught the object Yuder threw at him. Upon realizing what it was, he let out a sigh. A lemon, bright yellow and aromatic, glistened in his hand.
'I did well to grab a lemon from the cafeteria before heading to the training ground.'
"Eat it, and we'll go."
"You little—since returning from the West, you've grown crafty."
Enon grumbled and showed irritation, but eventually, he sat up and took a bite. His once furrowed brows relaxed, and his expression softened.
"Ah, fine, I'll go. Just know that if it's not important, I'll leave right after hearing it," Enon said as he approached, a trace of an indistinct expression aimed at Yuder's face.
"By the way, what did you do during your vacation?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Something seems—"
Enon paused, seemingly noticing Lusan who was eavesdropping on their conversation.
"No, let's talk after this is done."
Yuder and Enon exited the medical quarters. Outside, the four waiting people watched Enon chew on the lemon and exchanged a variety of expressions.
"Now that we're all here, let's go up."
Yuder led them to the break room and took a seat. Since all the members were in the middle of training, the place was empty.
"First, let me explain why I've gathered you all here. Some may already know, but some may not."
Yuder began explaining, gauging the expressions on Devran and Enon's faces.
The decision was swift. Kishiar trusted Yuder's abilities and told him that there was no need for frequent reporting in carrying out his activities.
"There's nothing more foolish than wanting a detailed report for every little thing in an intelligence-gathering operation where speed and secrecy are essential. Minimize interim reports and feel free to request support where needed."
"Understood."
"It's fine to make mistakes, just don't get injured."
There was no denying that the person Kishiar was referring to was Yuder. After a moment of silence, Yuder nodded.
"Will do."
Only then did Kishiar's flawless smile soften slightly. Before Yuder left, Kishiar seemed to remember something and shared an additional piece of news.
"There was another update earlier. Do you remember the assassins you captured in the Great Sarain Forest?"
Of course he did. They were the ones who had targeted Prince Ejain of Nelarn but had miscalculated and were captured instead.
"Yes. What happened to them?"
"The investigation into their backers is complete. The results aren't particularly surprising."
As expected, the assassins hailed from Aeril, the homeland of the mother of Ejain's biggest rival, the third prince. Circumstances indicated that they had undoubtedly received support from there.
Normally, they would have transferred the captured assassins to Prince Ejain's side long ago, but there was a reason they had continued investigating them.
"We succeeded in identifying people within our own Empire who aided them when they entered. It seems some powerful noble families are assisting the third prince, facilitating their illegal entry and providing them with information."
"That's hardly surprising."
"Indeed. We couldn't determine their exact identities, but knowing this much is sufficient for now."
The reason the assassins could so easily track Prince Ejain within an Empire foreign to their own was that the power and position of their helpers were notably high.
There were only a few people capable of this, and even fewer with the motive.
'One of the four Dukes, most likely. To be specific, one of the three, excluding Apeto who wouldn’t have the nerve.'
It was unlikely that Ejain’s enemies in Nelarn didn’t know the real reason he had ventured to the Orr Empire under the guise of attending the Harvest Festival. Just as Ejain sought a way to resolve his crisis in the Empire, his enemies must have also extended their hands to influential nobles in the Empire to thwart him.
Whoever had accepted that overture had clearly calculated the odds. It was a win-win for them—help eliminate a prince without solid backing in another country and curry favor with a likely future king.
'They probably thought it would be trivial, just helping to remove a prince from another country.'
However, the second prince returned safely to his homeland. Though the Cavalry had assisted in his safe return, no one noted that the prince’s return and the cavalry’s monster-hunting mission in the west coincidentally occurred at the same time.
And the shocking news that the prince had awakened before returning to his homeland was still a secret, known to no one.
A message had recently arrived at the imperial palace, reporting the safe return of Prince Ejain. "Though the situation is still dire and he can't move freely yet, things will be different this time around. The powers he's awakened will greatly assist him in protecting himself."
Moreover, as he had secured the support of Emperor Keilusa, he shouldn't face as much resistance as before.
Yuder nodded, pondering the future of Prince Ejain.
"Yes, that's good to hear."
"Is that the end of it?"
Kishiar's question seemed to hint at a desire for a different answer. Yuder blinked a few times before asking, "Is there anything more you'd like me to say?"
"I just thought you might be more curious about his well-being, now that you and he have become close."
"I never asked for this position. I find the news of the Prince's safety to be sufficient."
With his Awakener powers considered among the best for self-protection, it was likely that Ejain would no longer face the same dangers as before. Perhaps it was now more constructive to think about how quickly the prince could end the struggle for the throne of Nelarn and stabilize internal affairs.
Kishiar smiled gently at Yuder's response.
"Alright, I understand."
"Then, I'll take my leave."
Yuder bowed and turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, he heard his name.
"Yuder."
He turned his head and saw a man standing near a window, radiant in the sunlight filtering in.
"Don't forget, the doors here are always open."
"..."
"Always."
Yuder suspected that this might have been what Kishiar most wanted to say.
"…Yes."
Yuder slowly nodded and stepped out of the room, feeling a warm sensation rising within him.
…
Back at the training ground, Yuder singled out the individuals he was looking for and told them to follow him. Gakane and the Eldore siblings didn’t seem surprised, likely suspecting why they had been called, but Devran appeared quite anxious.
"What's going on? Why did you call me? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, it's not that."
Yuder reassured him and led them toward the medical unit.
"I have to bring one more person, so wait here for a moment. We'll discuss everything in detail afterward."
"There’s another person to fetch from here?"
Ignoring Devran's uneasy voice, Yuder knocked on the door of the medical unit.
"Welcome! Did you get injured during training?"
A cheerful Lusan greeted him.
"No, where is Enon?"
"If it’s Enon you’re looking for—"
"Why am I being sought?"
A curtain was pulled aside to reveal a gruff face lying on a patient bed.
"Why are you lying there?"
"I’m recovering from fatigue after being forcibly taken on a long journey. Is there a reason I can't lie here?"
"Let's talk for a moment."
"Who are the other people you brought outside?"
"They are here to hear the same thing as you."
At these words, something seemed to click for Enon, who shook his head vehemently.
"No. I won’t do it."
"I haven’t even said what it is yet."
"I can smell that you’re going to ask me to do something tedious. I’m already tired enough from working here; I won’t do any more."
"Sir Enon, at least listen to what Sir Yuder has to say before making a decision. You came all this way," Lusan interjected with a chuckle. It seemed he had come to know very well that Enon's grumbling wasn't out of genuine anger. Yuder exhaled softly as he looked at Enon, who had turned his head away.
"Here, catch."
Enon reflexively caught the object Yuder threw at him. Upon realizing what it was, he let out a sigh. A lemon, bright yellow and aromatic, glistened in his hand.
'I did well to grab a lemon from the cafeteria before heading to the training ground.'
"Eat it, and we'll go."
"You little—since returning from the West, you've grown crafty."
Enon grumbled and showed irritation, but eventually, he sat up and took a bite. His once furrowed brows relaxed, and his expression softened.
"Ah, fine, I'll go. Just know that if it's not important, I'll leave right after hearing it," Enon said as he approached, a trace of an indistinct expression aimed at Yuder's face.
"By the way, what did you do during your vacation?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Something seems—"
Enon paused, seemingly noticing Lusan who was eavesdropping on their conversation.
"No, let's talk after this is done."
Yuder and Enon exited the medical quarters. Outside, the four waiting people watched Enon chew on the lemon and exchanged a variety of expressions.
"Now that we're all here, let's go up."
Yuder led them to the break room and took a seat. Since all the members were in the middle of training, the place was empty.
"First, let me explain why I've gathered you all here. Some may already know, but some may not."
Yuder began explaining, gauging the expressions on Devran and Enon's faces.
