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Chapter 110
The remaining members of the Peletta Knights in Yuder's mind were few in number. They were efficient guides, but their skills, with the exception of Nathan Zuckerman, were quite ordinary.
'Yet, they did cook well in the field...'
He had almost reached the last sentence among the scant information on Kishiar.
Was the position of Crown Prince originally intended for Kishiar?
No matter how many times he read it, the sentence remained unchanged. Yuder, holding the paper where the related section was written, extended it towards Enon and opened his mouth.
"Enon. Is there any basis for this section?"
"Indeed, many of those who attended the meeting at the time are still alive, so the information is quite reliable."
Enon responded dryly to the section that Yuder pointed out, but it was still unbelievable.
'Kishiar was almost the Crown Prince?'
Although the Orr Empire does not determine the Crown Prince by age and traditionally chooses after the princes have grown to some extent, it was indescribably strange to think that Kishiar might have been sitting on the Emperor's throne by now.
'...I can't imagine it.'
However, if such a thing had really happened, it might not have been bad.
Kishiar La Orr was the most perfect leader Yuder had ever seen. People said that the ability to manage a Knight Order or Cavalry and the ability to take responsibility for an entire country were different, but was it really so?
He could confidently say that Kishiar's abilities were much superior to the Katchian Emperor he had seen in his previous life. While it was hard to imagine him as an Emperor, who pays attention to his subordinates and steps up personally, wouldn't it be nice to have such an emperor in the world?
If the emperor he had served in his previous life was like Kishiar, Yuder would have been much happier than when he had been injured while handling unnecessary, dangerous assassination or destruction missions.
'If that were the case...'
Yuder suddenly realized he was stretching his assumptions to an absurd level and stopped his thoughts.
Once one becomes a Duke, regardless of what happens, Kishiar could never ascend to the Emperor's throne. That's why the current Emperor, Keilusa La Orr, didn't raise any heirs.
Moreover, in the end, the one who killed Kishiar in his past life was Yuder himself.
'Isn't it amusing that I'm having such thoughts?'
In this life too, Kishiar has already become a Duke. Rather than regretting the parts that couldn't be changed, he had to prioritize things that could be changed. Yuder decided to stop his overstretching imagination. He was losing his appetite.
"Judging by your expression, it seems this information is not satisfying?"
Then, Enon spoke at the perfect timing. Yuder lowered his head and opened his mouth.
"I think I got some leads on what to investigate next, so it's okay. For now, this is more than enough."
"Right now? What are you talking about? You said this would be the end."
"Well... could it really be?"
Yuder gave a faint smile toward Enon.
"Enon. Now that you know me, given your nature, you'll inevitably continue to be curious about what I might do. Instead of investigating behind my back, which won't yield any profit anyway, wouldn't it be better to openly observe what I'm doing?"
"W-what are you talking about?"
Enon stammered, raising his voice in surprise. Was he planning to investigate Yuder the moment he left?
"Why would I pay attention to you? I don't plan to believe in such nonsense like you coming back from the future, and I'm even less interested. I helped you once as a repayment for knowing my identity and that's the end of it! The end!"
"If you say so."
Even though Enon's expression clearly contradicted his words, Yuder let out a laugh, set the stack of papers down, and rose from his seat.
"I appreciate your help."
There was still plenty of time. Soon enough, it would become clear whether Yuder was right or Enon. As he imagined the frown on Enon's face that would follow him out, Yuder chuckled silently.
"Enon. If something happens or if you want to find me, contact me at the Cavalry's residence within the Imperial Knights' grounds."
"I won't, okay?"
"Just in case you need it, I'll leave this here."
Yuder placed a uniform button, which he had brought with him, on the counter. It was a spare Cavalry stone button with his name on it, capable of replacing a Cavalry member’s identification.
"Are you listening? I told you I won't. Take it back! Hey! You rascal!"
Ignoring Enon's yelling, Yuder opened the door, and the bright sunlight made him squint.
"Hey!"
But before Yuder could step outside, Enon rushed forward and grabbed his sleeve. Yuder intended to tell him that it was okay to throw the button away if he was trying to give it back, but the expression in Enon's eyes was subtly different from before.
"...You really are a wretched kid. Here, take this. If I let you go and you collapse and die somewhere, it feels like my luck for this year would be completely ruined."
Enon forced something into Yuder's right hand. It didn't feel like the button. When Yuder opened his hand, he saw a slightly worn red string.
"What is this?"
"Figure it out yourself."
Despite his words, Enon explained with a grimace.
"It's something like a charm. Just tie it to something you always carry around."
"Why are you giving me this?"
"Oh, for goodness' sake!"
Enon shouted at Yuder's question, messing up his own hair.
"I don't know what you were doing before coming here today, but you're a lot more unstable than when you came before. It seems you've calmed yourself with divine power, but if you keep doing that, not even God can save your life. Anyway, it's better than dying, so take it!"
Bang. The moment his words ended, the door of the pharmacy closed with a loud noise as if it would break. Yuder coughed lightly as the old dust falling from above hit his head.
'It just looks like a normal string...... what effect could it possibly have.'
—---
The returned Cavalry members were still abuzz with tales of the Harvest Festival. No one had noticed when Yuder stepped out for a moment and then returned. Only a small piece of paper with a message instructing him to come to the Commander's quarters was left on the table of his lodging, prompting Yuder to head straight to the top floor.
"Did you call for me?"
"You're early. I happened to have a cake that came in as a gift. Care to join me?"
Kishiar, who was enjoying his tea and snacks, greeted Yuder with a leisurely wave of his hand. His face was surprisingly neat, as if the late work from the previous night was but a fantasy. Nathan Zuckerman was nowhere to be seen.
Upon seeing Kishiar's face, Yuder recalled the conversation he had with Enon. After a small sigh, he put on an expression as if nothing had happened and took a seat across Kishiar. As if Kishiar had been waiting for him, he pushed a plate of cake toward Yuder.
There were many different kinds of cakes, all of which looked incredibly sweet just by looking at them.
"May I partake in the gift?"
"Don't refuse. They're all sent for the Harvest, and we don't even know who sent them."
In the Orr Empire, it was traditional to exchange food gifts before and after the Harvest Festival. Among commoners, this mostly meant sharing freshly harvested grains and fruits to celebrate the bountiful harvest, but the nobility was different. They used the tradition to flaunt their wealth, competing over who could present the most luxurious and precious food.
Yuder himself, in his previous life, used to receive high-end sweets and rare ingredients from faceless nobles during this time. He was unable to use them all and had to constantly send them down to the Cavalry's dining hall.
Almost none were sent with pure intentions. Most were sent with a hidden agenda, hoping that their families would be looked upon favorably later. It was quite uncomfortable to eat, and the ones sent to Kishiar were probably no different.
"...Then I won't refuse."
"Just use any fork."
Yuder casually picked up one of the new forks neatly placed next to each plate and started to eat the cake. As expected, it was so sweet that it felt like his tongue would melt.
According to tradition, dignified nobles were supposed to use only one fork per plate of food, which is why there were so many forks. However, Yuder didn't care about such formalities.
Even Kishiar himself said to use any fork, so why should he care?
"Do you like cake? You eat quite well."
"I don't particularly like or dislike it. ...You didn't call me here to ask this, did you?"
"Can't I have a little friendly chat with my assistant?"
After saying that, Kishiar went straight to the point.
"You've heard, haven't you? About the matter that has been causing a stir in the Cavalry since this morning."
"If you mean the news of the messenger from the palace, then yes, I've heard."
"That's right. It's an extension of the story you saw in the letter last night. Things have gotten a bit complicated."
The topic Kishiar brought up didn't stray from the subject Yuder had anticipated before coming. As Yuder silently stuffed a third piece of cake into his mouth, he listened to Kishiar's words.
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