Chapter 889

“Of course, that’s what I believed—so I said it just now. His Majesty probably only brought it up out of concern. Don’t worry. There’s no force behind it—it’s simply concern.”

That was a relief... but Yuder still found the Emperor’s intent unexpectedly surprising.

‘If he truly wanted to make me the one in charge of the palace, then he must’ve anticipated all the hassle that would come with it. Did he really think it’d be worth it anyway?’

Yuder had absolutely no intention of taking such a position, but just imagining himself as the Commander of the Imperial Palace's security painted a very clear picture. Whether he was a hero of the West or not, it would immediately cause a massive uproar.

And the reason was simple. To the nobles of the Capital, Yuder was remembered not for his achievements, but as the lunatic who had dared to dance with Duke Peleta at the banquet and spoke impertinently right in front of Duke Diarca, eyes wide open and unyielding.

Yuder had assumed that Emperor Keillusa’s silence on the matter had been an act of deliberate leniency—perhaps because of the merit of helping him Awaken.

But appointing Yuder Aile as the one to oversee the Emperor’s safety and the palace’s security would be tantamount to publicly declaring him one of the Emperor’s closest aides. To the public, Yuder Aile—already rumored as Duke Peleta’s male lover—would be seen as officially validated by the Emperor, along with every scandal he was tied to.

‘Just the shock of that announcement alone would keep the entire Empire buzzing for at least half a year.’

Technically, the current status quo was already an implicit form of approval—but there was a huge difference between simply not denying something and making a public declaration. It might seem subtle, but in noble politics, such things mattered immensely.

Just thinking about how loud Duke Diarca and the rest of the nobility would become if he were appointed to such a position was enough to give Yuder a headache. Emperor Keillusa was a sharp, rational man. Surely he would know better than to take unnecessary risks when he already had too much to deal with.

And yet, despite all that, he had told Kishiar that he wanted to keep Yuder close. The depth of that trust felt overwhelming and unfamiliar. At least, the kind of trust Yuder remembered between monarch and subject didn’t feel like this.

This felt almost... like the kind of trust shown between family.

Kishiar had likely brought it up so directly because he wanted Yuder to know just how deeply the Emperor trusted and valued him.

Yuder let out a long, silent breath.

“...I suddenly feel like I need to work even harder than before.”

Kishiar didn’t ask why. From the faint smirk on his lips, it was clear he already knew the answer.

“Still, don’t push yourself. It’s only been a day since you woke up.”

He appreciated the concern, but with Kishiar unable to step forward himself, and new irregularities cropping up again, Yuder couldn’t promise he wouldn’t push himself. Since he couldn’t lie and say otherwise, he turned his gaze away and changed the subject.

“...Come to think of it, I heard from Gakein earlier that Sir Zuckerman is currently out on a mission with Kanna, Elre, and Nipolen. May I ask why you sent them?”

“Sounds like you’ve already half figured it out. You’re probably right.”

Kishiar followed the shift in topic without hesitation.

“Do you believe Naham is still alive?”

“I’m not completely certain. But Nathan discovered some evidence in a specific location in the desert where the bastard was believed to have gone. A bloodstained bandage and part of what looks like the sleeve of his clothing.”

Yuder’s expression turned cold.

“Did Kanna confirm they belonged to him?”

“She did. And the place where they were found was quite interesting too.”

Yuder recalled the final information Kanna had read from Hosanra and her explanation of the middle region among the merchant groups within the southern desert. He hadn’t been to the Southern Nation in his previous life, but he had faint memories of hearing about that area.

“...I see. Then, as you suspected, it seems Hosanra was trying to send Naham to his destination ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) through one of the merchant groups that operate in that middle region. I understand now why you thought there was a high probability of an Awakener being there.”

“Exactly. So we’ll have to hope the team I sent brings back something concrete. And also hope nothing major explodes on this end before they return.”

Yuder nodded grimly.

“Considering the appearance of an irregularity in Makla, I do believe it’s only a matter of time before another disaster strikes. But... at least this time, it falls within the scope of what we anticipated. It won’t be like the day of the hailstorm.”

He would make sure of that.

Yuder clenched his fist, his expression resolute.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

But that heavy atmosphere didn’t last more than a few minutes, easily broken by Kishiar’s relaxed suggestion.

“...Well, it seems we’ve gotten through most of today’s business. How about dinner now?”

“Dinner? Ah...”

Only then did it occur to Yuder that since Kishiar had awakened, he hadn’t even had a proper sip of water.

“My apologies. I should have prepared food the moment you woke up. Let me get some water first—”

“It’s fine. I’m not hungry. What matters more is you.”

“...Pardon?”

Before he could question it, Kishiar cut in with a smile.

“You told me everything that happened today, and if I recall, the only thing you ate was a lemon wedge the pharmacist forced on you, right? The sun’s long since set, and if you’ve been running around all day and waiting here for me without eating anything else, then you’ve basically been starving. Aren’t you hungry?”

“...”

Kishiar was right. The only thing Yuder had consumed since waking up was that lemon from Inon.

He’d been too busy being surrounded by people and talking nonstop, and after arriving here, he’d been focused entirely on Kishiar. The thought of hunger hadn’t even occurred to him. Blinking a few times, Yuder slowly opened his mouth.

“...You’re right. I didn’t realize I hadn’t eaten. I don’t really feel hungry, though...”

“See? I knew it.”

Kishiar’s expression softened into a gentle smile.

“But that just means we can eat together, so it worked out. I can’t even remember the last time we had a meal like this together.”

Now that he mentioned it, that did seem to be true. Yuder had no memory of the past two weeks, so he couldn’t feel the gap as strongly as Kishiar did—but just by the calendar, it had been a while.

More important than whether Naham was alive, more urgent than the coming disaster, was the man in front of him not being hungry. And sharing a meal with him was just as important.

It was a kind of thought and judgment Yuder would never have had before. But the Yuder Aile of now had changed—changed more than he ever could’ve imagined.

Just like so many others he’d known in the previous life had become completely different people in this one, he too had undergone perhaps even more transformation. And he could feel it clearly now.

“Is it good?”

As Yuder looked at the man smiling at him from across a massive pile of food the members had brought immediately upon request, he slowly nodded.

“...Yes. You should eat plenty too, sir.”

Truthfully, Yuder had been given more food than Kishiar. But that wasn’t unusual—it had always been that way. Even when Yuder didn’t need much, Kishiar had always given him the bigger portion.

And Yuder had always eaten it without complaint.

As he quietly chewed, he was reminded of long ago—back when he still hadn’t warmed up to Kishiar—and how he’d eaten an enormous amount of dessert Kishiar had provided.

‘It happened more than once, too.’

The most memorable one was the massive dessert tower he’d eaten while staying briefly in the palace after his Awakening. Back then, he’d chalked it up to his habit of never refusing food—but he hadn’t really thought about why Kishiar would give him something so rare and luxurious.

But now, he understood.

Yuder looked down at the mountain of fruit and soft bread before him and smiled faintly.