Chapter 989

The sweet rest after the great battle had ended, and the Southern branch of the Cavalry returned to its usual state of busy motion—though now filled with more vitality than ever before. Of course, this was partly due to the influx of new members and visitors crowding every corner, but that alone couldn’t explain the energy and ease now flowing through the halls.

Only one area stood apart from this buzz.

“Ah! Pharmacist! Please, I’m begging you! How can you tell me not to eat candy after giving me something this disgusting?!”

“Pick one. You can suck candy and weaken the effect, then suffer for two weeks with something that could’ve been cured in one. Or shut up and deal with it.”

“I usually don’t complain about medicine, really! But after three days of drinking this, I need to know just out of sheer curiosity—what on earth did you make this from to taste so horrific?!”

“What’s it to you? There’s no poison in it, so just suffer in silence.”

The cries filling the infirmary were all thanks to the new medication Inon had brewed for the avalanche of patients—it tasted like pure torture. Lusan, who had returned and rejoined the medical team, tried to intervene amid the groaning, retching, and writhing soldiers.

“Yuder drank nearly double this amount without a single complaint earlier, so I thought it’d be okay... Inon, maybe we could reduce the dosage for those who are really struggling?”

He meant it kindly, from a place of sympathy. But to the ears of the suffering Cavalry members, it sounded like an icy challenge: “Yuder took it without complaint—what’s wrong with you?”

Even knowing Lusan hadn’t meant it that way, it still hit a nerve. Sometimes, being overly pure and sincere only made it worse.

The pale, trembling patients exchanged glances and raised shaky hands, muttering:

“W-wait, no. I’ll just drink it...”

“Me too...”

“Huh? Are you sure? If it’s too much, you don’t have to force—”

“I can do it! I’m a Cavalry soldier!”

“O-oh... I see. Alright, then...”

With that, the troops snatched the medicine from Lusan’s hands, shut their eyes tightly, and downed it in one gulp.

A moment later—

“Urgh...!”

“Guhh... BLEH—uuuugh!”

The room echoed with unspeakable groans as soldiers clutched their throats and collapsed. Thankfully, they all fell onto the infirmary beds, their soft mattresses preventing any actual injuries.

Stunned, Lusan tended to them, checking their conditions and pulling blankets over their bodies. Then he turned to Inon.

“...What just happened? Why are they suddenly so eager to take it?”

Inon answered flatly, his face bored.

“They say the most dangerous creature is the one who doesn’t know anything.”

“Uh... What?”

“Never mind. You’re back now, kid. Everyone’s at least swallowing the damn stuff, so it’s easier. Keep it that way.”

“What did I do?”

Inon didn’t reply. Since this kind of thing wasn’t new, Lusan didn’t press the question.

“Hm. It does feel like everyone’s acting more responsible and connected than before. Actually, I’ve been feeling a lot more attached to the Cavalry myself since the southern battle. Maybe we all realized the same thing?”

“Dunno. From what I can see, you’ve all gone collectively insane.”

Inon’s gaze swept the collapsed soldiers, then landed on a closed door at the back of the infirmary—and lingered.

“...Well. This isn’t a knight order that prioritizes rigid hierarchy and tradition, nor is it a mage guild that preaches freedom and enlightenment. I guess the Cavalry’s developed a personality of its own.”

“Oh, that’s beautifully said. It’s true. The Cavalry isn’t a knight order or a mage guild—it’s its own thing, capable of anything, and I really love that about it.”

“...Hmph.”

Judging by Inon’s sour expression, he didn’t seem particularly moved. But Lusan knew him well enough by now to understand—despite appearances, Inon was thoughtful and deeply caring.

“You’ve stayed up several nights caring for patients and brewing new medicine, Inon. You should rest now. I’ll take care of the rest. Besides, someone’s waiting for you in the back room.”

Inon clicked his tongue and stood.

“Who’s worrying about who here? You’re the one who had to go to the temple for divine power exhaustion. ...But fine. I’ll go talk to the one waiting. Just keep an eye on things ‘til I get back.”

“Okay! Take your time!”

With both hands shoved into his coat pockets, Inon strolled over to the back room and opened the door. Inside was Yuder, who had been quietly waiting after drinking his medicine earlier.

“You finished everything urgent?”

“Yes.”

Yuder had a bowl in front of him, identical to the ones that had laid the other soldiers flat—except his was twice the size.

Inon sat down, eyeing the empty bowl with mild disgust and crossing his legs.

“Everyone else was dying trying to drink that. You didn’t even flinch?”

“It’s medicine, not poison.”

“That’s true, but somehow it’s so annoying hearing you say it.”

“If it helps, I can throw a tantrum now and pretend it was unbearable.”

“Then I’d just have to watch you bow dramatically like last time. No thanks. Just act like a patient, would you?”

As Inon grumbled, the corner of Yuder’s lips twitched into a faint smile, which quickly disappeared. Inon’s bright yellow eyes scanned him up and down.

“How’s your strength?”

“Not bad. I’ll probably need a few weeks to get back to where I was before the fight. But if someone tried to kill me right now, I could still put them in the ground.”

“Sounds like you’re fine, then.”

“I rested, like I was told.”

Inon’s eye twitched. He could already guess how Yuder had “rested.” But in the end, he had been the one who’d told him to.

He took a deep breath and held back the frustration rising in his chest.

“...Back on the day of the waves, your condition didn’t look great. But right now, there’s no major issue. You said the thread tied to the sword didn’t snap completely, right?”

Yuder nodded silently.

“There was a reason for that. I was too busy to explain then, but... right before the waves hit, I had another dream. The hand in the white glove appeared again.”

“Ha... Of course it did. I figured you’d say something like that.”

It wasn’t the first time Yuder had rushed to find Inon as soon as he was physically capable. And every time, he brought along some new earth-shattering revelation that gave Inon a headache.

Still, at least this time everything had ended well. Whatever Yuder said, it couldn’t be that bad.

Or so Inon thought—until, just a few minutes into the story, that confidence was shattered.

“...That’s about how far I got in the conversation with the Commander.”

“......”

“Inon?”

“......”

Inon, arms folded and head bowed, slowly lifted his gaze. His rarely seen bright yellow eyes—already expressive by nature—were now glowing with fierce intensity.

“First question. Did your damn Commander send you here?”

“...Yes. He said I should definitely tell you.”

“Bastard must’ve figured you wouldn’t listen to him, so he shoved it on me.”

Inon cursed loudly and let out a sharp breath.

“Well, fine. Let’s play along.”

His smile flared up like a mirage for a moment—then vanished beneath a blaze of rage. Without hesitation, both hands shot out and yanked Yuder’s cheeks.

“I barely patched you back together, and you’re already thinking of new ways to die?! Is this the mouth responsible for that crap?! Huh?!”

“......”

“Sure, maybe that horrifying idea is theoretically possible. But no one knows if what’s beyond that rift is what you think it is! And even if it is—do you know how fragile the human body is?! Ordinary people’s souls would shatter just standing near an anomalous rift! Just like how exposure to monsters wears the soul down over time!”

“W-wait... Inon...”

“You think your body is strong? It’s not! Okay, yeah, fine, maybe it’s a little tougher than average. Maybe you’re not someone who goes down easy. But that’s not enough! You’ll die! Do you understand what that means?!”

“......”

A normal person would’ve let go long ago—but only after quite a while did Inon finally release his grip. Yuder’s face throbbed like never before as he looked at him, and Inon met his eyes with grim seriousness.

“Erase that plan from your brain. Now.”

“I’m not saying I’m doing it right away. Just that it’s one of several—”

“You say that now, but the moment it feels ‘possible,’ you’ll go for it. Don’t think I don’t know you. And what about your Commander?”

“......”

“You said you want to save the guy with the white glove, right? But what happens if you save him... and then you die? Have you thought about that?”

Yuder fell silent. Save Kishiar, and die in the process. He hadn’t truly envisioned that outcome...

“...I figured there’d be some cost if I wanted to save him. Maybe not my life—but something.”

Still, even Yuder knew this wasn’t the time or place to say that out loud.

Only after promising—about ten times—that he would abandon the idea for now, was Inon finally satisfied enough to ease up.

If he could’ve made Yuder swear an oath, he probably ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) would’ve.