Chapter 982

“Oh no. The other members will be terribly disappointed if they hear that.”

Each time Kishiar laughed, a soft vibration rippled across the skin where Yuder’s body lay against his. Though Yuder had seen Kishiar laugh countless times—so often that it felt etched behind his eyelids—feeling it through touch was something altogether different.

How should he put it? It felt as though even Yuder’s body, which wasn’t laughing, was smiling along with him, shaken by his laughter.

“Try sharing with them what you shared with me. I guarantee it’ll be quite the entertaining time.”

“...”

“Of course, you’ll have to leave out anything about our earlier ‘games.’ Still, there’s plenty to talk about, so I think it’ll be fine.”

Yuder hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod.

“...Understood.”

“If possible, do it before we leave the South. A tavern would be fine—but ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ I’d recommend booking a good restaurant in advance, sitting down in a nice atmosphere, and having a proper conversation.”

Though he wasn’t the one who would be part of it, Kishiar got excited, adding more suggestions.

That far, really?

If it was anything, it was certainly peculiar—Kishiar genuinely enjoyed seeing Yuder getting along with others.

Yuder looked at the man who was now rattling off the names of all the famous restaurants in Sharloin, and abruptly asked:

“If you’re looking forward to such chatter, why not join us yourself, Commander?”

“Tempting, but I can’t. If I show up, everyone will be too tense to enjoy themselves.”

“Then... who will you talk to about all this, aside from me?”

Kishiar blinked silently, a little surprised, then smiled—differently than before.

“Is that... you worrying about me?”

“...”

Yuder Aile, once a commander himself in his past life, understood what it meant to be at the top. Once you’re placed in a position of responsibility, there’s no one left to stand beside you. It means there’s no one left to show your true thoughts to, no one to share comfortable conversation or jokes with.

A lot had changed from his previous life, and now Yuder had people with whom he could share those things. But what about Kishiar la Orr? It didn’t feel right, thinking that someone who loved these lighthearted exchanges so much might be left alone.

Yuder wanted to believe that, even in his absence, Kishiar could spend his days peacefully, without loneliness.

...Is that it? Is that why he keeps urging me to spend more time with others? Was that his reason all along?

While Yuder gained new understanding of the man whose intentions had often been hard to read, Kishiar replied cheerfully:

“No need to worry. I have Nathan, and Helrem and Mick who came all the way here, remember? There are others, too—people who, even if they didn’t know I was the Duke of Peleta, still said I was a decent friend. Of course, I can’t share everything with them, but even sharing brief moments can be enjoyable.”

Apparently, Kishiar had been building connections for a long time while using magical items to conceal his identity.

“When did you even have the time to make such friends?”

“While trying to manage barren little Peleta, friends naturally came along.”

His gaze drifted into the air, as if reaching back into the distant past.

“Even someone like me needs money to care for those who believe in their new lord. And to make money, trade was the best option. Mick, in fact, was one of the people I met through that.”

“So, you didn’t reveal you were the Duke of Peleta from the start when getting close to merchants.”

“No. When I first met Mick, he was just the son of a small merchant house—he had a talent for trading, even with the meager goods from a place like Peleta. He said his dream was to save enough to own a little general store someday.”

Yuder found himself genuinely interested in Mick’s story, as told by Kishiar. How Mick had been cast out by his jealous family and tried to kill him; how he’d joined forces with Kishiar after being saved by him; how they’d grown the Shuden Company together—it was like something out of a novel. Kishiar’s storytelling was so vivid that when he recounted the moment Mick discovered his identity by accident, fell to his knees, and swore eternal loyalty, it left Yuder silently awed.

Now he understood where Mick’s deep loyalty came from. When they’d first met in the West, Kishiar had only said he’d helped Mick during the early days of the Shuden Company. But this wasn’t “help” in any modest sense.

No wonder Mick had been willing to dive into the deep sea without question, risking his life for him.

And now I understand why he operates a company named after Kishiar’s family name but refuses to be addressed by it...

If the company had only started expanding recently, just how young had Kishiar been at the time? Probably far younger than he was now.

A memory surfaced—Helrem briefly mentioning the young Duke of Peleta in his boyhood. That image overlapped with the youthful portrait Yuder had seen in the Imperial Palace. A boy who had hidden his identity and done so much for his land...

All while bearing the secret of being a vessel with an uncertain fate.

“Was Mick’s story that interesting? You’ve been deep in thought ever since.”

“I didn’t know any of that before,” Yuder said, shaking off his thoughts.

“If you’re curious about the people around me, feel free to ask. I think they'd be fine with me sharing this much with you.”

“No... actually...”

Yuder hesitated before speaking.

“...It’s not really about them. I was more... thinking about who you were when you met them.”

“Me?”

Kishiar’s surprised voice was soon replaced by a wide smile.

“Well, well. Today just keeps feeling like I’m receiving presents. If you keep saying things that make me feel this good, you’ll be the one bringing me back to reality, not the other way around.”

Yuder had learned a great deal about this man—but he hadn’t learned everything. Now that he wanted to have all of him, it was only natural to be curious.

Laughing for a while, Kishiar pulled Yuder into his arms and whispered softly at his ear, in a secretive tone:

“Originally, once all this was over, I planned to skip the Northern branch entirely and return directly to the Capital to focus on cleanup. You remember that?”

“Yes.”

They’d spent so long in the South that the second recruitment for the Northern Cavalry branch had already concluded. There was no time, and no real reason, to visit. They had decided to return to headquarters to meet the new recruits from all branches at once.

They had to report to the Emperor and prepare for the rapidly shifting future—so returning to the Capital was the most practical option.

“...But once we’ve reported to His Majesty, I think we’ll be able to take a few days off. When that happens, would you come with me to Peleta?”

The unexpected invitation made Yuder blink.

“I told you before—I want to show you the northern sea, to compare it with the one we saw here in the South. And there, you’ll also get to see some of the things you’ve been curious about. But... if you don’t want to go right away...”

Perhaps because he already knew Yuder had visited Peleta in his past life, Kishiar trailed off. But before he could finish, Yuder answered firmly:

“I’ll go. I absolutely want to go. And...”

“And?”

Eyes soft with joy, Kishiar asked. Yuder pressed his lips together in hesitation, then spoke:

“...I’m planning to visit my old home sometime soon—to sort through things I never got around to. If... if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to come with me.”

No one had visited Yuder’s mountain home since his grandfather died. Technically, it had only been about a year since he joined the Cavalry—but to Yuder, it felt like a place untouched since his previous life. Just thinking of bringing someone else there was strange.

But he didn’t want to take the words back.

Because as soon as Kishiar—who had always expressed such curiosity about Yuder—heard them, his face lit up like he’d just received the greatest gift in the world.

“...Of course. If you’d grant me that honor, anytime.”

“It’s not really an honor. It’s a terribly run-down place, and honestly, I barely even remember where it is. We might get lost trying to find it.”

“That too would be an honor.”

Ah. Kishiar buried his face against Yuder’s chest, releasing a breath that sounded like awe.

“...Now I think I could truly listen without any regret—to everything you were going to say before the sea took us.”

Yuder held the golden hair tickling his chest. Two hearts beat in near-perfect unison.

He didn’t need to ask what Kishiar meant.

The story Kishiar had once said he wanted to hear—but deep down had feared.

Words even Yuder himself hadn’t wanted to say.

And the dream he never got to speak of in the end: the white-gloved hand in that final rift before the disaster struck.

Yes. Now, Yuder felt he could finally tell everything, with ease.