Chapter 997

Kanna—and Yuder—stood in front of him before he’d even realized it.

“Kanna... Yuder...”

Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of his friends, Kachien barely managed to utter their names. Kanna gave him a small smile. She then immediately turned to address the Bollenvalt family, who had been visibly anxious.

“Hello! You must be Kachien’s family. I’ve heard so much about you—I’m so happy to finally meet you.”

“Ah...”

“I’m Kachien’s friend, Kanna Wand. And this here is...”

She gave Yuder’s arm a little tap. He furrowed his brow slightly, then spoke.

“...Yuder Aile.”

His tone was slow and blunt as always, but that blade-like chill he so often gave off was absent. Dressed in formal attire, which softened his usual atmosphere, he seemed far less intimidating. The Bollenvalt family’s expressions relaxed noticeably. Kachien’s mother stepped forward to speak.

“We’re... pleased to meet you, Kanna. Yuder. We’ve heard about the two of you in Kachien’s letters—it’s a pleasure to finally meet you...”

Though the words "despite the situation" hung unspoken, Kanna didn’t mind and smiled brightly.

“Kachien was one of the first friends I made in the Cavalry. He’s a wonderful person who’s taught me so much. I’ve always wanted to meet you, and I’m truly glad I got the chance today.”

“Ah...”

Hearing praise for her son, his mother’s face seemed to melt into a radiant smile. The rest of the family managed faint, relieved smiles as well—all of them, unsurprisingly, bore a strong resemblance to Kachien.

But there was one person who couldn’t tolerate this warm atmosphere—Megdolgen Mizelskhan, who let out an incredulous shout.

“What the hell is this, Kachien Bollenvalt? Are you trying to intimidate me by bringing your comrades in? If you think I’ll just let that woman’s outrageous insults slide—!”

“Outrageous insults?”

Yuder, who had been standing silently, repeated the words and turned his head toward Megdolgen. Their eyes met—and for a moment, Megdolgen forgot what he was even trying to say.

“...Ghk!”

It felt like invisible blades were pressed against his throat, his limbs, his vitals—an eerie, skin-prickling sensation. Every nerve in his body froze, unable to breathe properly, paralyzed by the presence of death. It was a type of fear he had never known.

‘Wh-what the... what kind of eyes are those...!’

He’d seen Yuder earlier from afar, receiving his commendation and talking with Mayra. He’d thought Yuder looked relatively decent for a commoner of no proper background. But that was all. He’d scoffed at the thought that someone with such a lean, unimpressive build could have done all the incredible things the rumors claimed.

Coming from the inland backwater town of Ulan, Megdolgen had dismissed all the stories about the Cavalry and Yuder as imperial propaganda orchestrated by the Emperor and the Cavalry Commander.

But those eyes.

This inescapable, suffocating terror—what was it?

“What would you do if it wasn’t outrageous?”

Yuder asked coldly. Only then did Megdolgen manage to exhale, barely holding his trembling legs upright as he stammered a reply.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“You just claimed the Commander and Vice Commander of the Cavalry insulted you without ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) reason. I asked what you’ll do if that’s not the case.”

“Of course there’s a reason. Just check his right pants pocket.”

Kanna cut in, her tone bright and cheerful, but ice-cold.

“He’s been sneaking around all evening, collecting women’s hair and rummaging through backstage bathrooms for discarded items.”

“What?”

Everyone who had been watching gasped in shock. Megdolgen, too, panicked and reached instinctively for his pocket.

‘How the hell...!’

He was sure no one had noticed. He broke out in cold sweat, unable to think.

Desperately, he tried to deny it.

“Wh-what kind of ridiculous—!”

“Ridiculous? Are you going to say it’s ridiculous that you crawled into the dressing rooms, dug through trash bins, and carefully kept stained handkerchiefs and broken makeup bits, trembling with excitement?”

Kanna didn’t hesitate. She couldn’t have been following him the whole time—so how did she know every disgusting detail?

Megdolgen’s head swam.

“...Is this how the Cavalry treats people?! I’m someone who suffered real damage from Kachien Bollenvalt! Even if you try to shut me up with slander and lies—!”

“Then just turn out your pocket and prove your innocence.”

Yuder’s voice was like a judge delivering a sentence.

“W-why the hell should I—ugh!”

Suddenly, a pitch-black shadow rose from beneath Megdolgen and grabbed him by the collar, flipping him upside-down. He tried to scream, but a shadowed hand silenced him.

‘AAAGH! SOMEBODY HELP!’

His suppressed scream was garbled as his body dangled in the air, shaking violently. All the items he had carefully hidden in his pocket fell out with a clatter.

Megdolgen flailed in vain to recover them—but it was no use. A polished shoe stepped forward, and someone bent down slowly to pick them up.

The red-haired young man with a handsome face examined the clumps of hair, the stained handkerchief, and the rest of the discarded items with a troubled but cold expression. The southern onlookers all covered their mouths in disgust. Kachien’s face held no amusement whatsoever.

“...Yeah. It’s real. Well, I figured it would be—Kanna wouldn’t say something that wasn’t true.”

‘Kachien...!’

Megdolgen, his mouth still sealed, let out a muffled wail as Kachien sighed.

“Megdolgen. Honestly, I had nearly forgotten your name. If you hadn’t come back to mess with me over money or whatever else, I could’ve just kept forgetting you. But to come here, on a day like this, and hurt not just me but my loved ones? That’s something I can’t forgive.”

“...Mmmph! Mm!”

“I’ll say this again—I’m not giving you a single coin. You insulted my family, my comrades, and tried to ruin Duke Hern’s succession ceremony. There’s not a shred of reason to reward that.”

“Grrhhmm!”

“Now stay in that shadow and think about what you did. Your punishment will come after the ceremony is over.”

Dangling upside-down in the air, Megdolgen watched the darkness close in around him.

The last thing he saw was Kachien Bollenvalt’s face—no longer the easily hurt, wilting youth of the past, but firm and fearsome.

“...Whoa, Kachien! That was amazing just now.”

“Huh? Uh...”

“Did you see Meg-something’s face? Totally frozen—he couldn’t even talk!”

As the shadow that engulfed Megdolgen sank into the floor and slipped out of the hall, Kanna clapped Kachien’s shoulder with a grin. Kachien turned his head in a daze, and Yuder Aile gave a slight nod before speaking.

“When a disruption occurs in the venue, protocol says to first suppress and remove the instigator, then handle the rest after the event. You followed procedure well.”

“Oh...”

“Now that the Duke and Commander have returned from their conversation, it’s best that things have wrapped up. You did well, Kachien.”

Only then did Kachien realize Duke Hern and Kishiar had not been present. Caught up in the chaos with his family and Megdolgen, he hadn’t even seen Yuder dance earlier.

‘Ah... so that’s why Megdolgen was so persistent in cornering me now, huh?’

Glancing around, Kachien noticed more eyes than just Kanna and Yuder’s. Other Cavalry members, even some recruits he’d barely spoken to, were quietly watching him with fierce yet supportive gazes. Nearby, he spotted Priest Lusan holding a plate of food, watching with concern, and Inon clicking his tongue in disapproval.

It wasn’t just his two friends who’d been worried about him.

As Yuder had said, Kishiar and Mayra soon returned to the hall. It didn’t take long for them to piece together what had happened.

Kishiar wore a smile that wasn’t quite soft. Amused, perhaps, but not kind.

Mayra, on the other hand, frowned deeply and approached Kachien with an outstretched hand.

“I was out speaking with the Cavalry Commander, and I apologize that such an unpleasant incident happened in my absence. My butler informs me that this Mizelskhan fellow was not on the official guest list from House Hern.”

“Oh... I see.”

“We’ll thoroughly investigate how he slipped in and make sure he pays the price. To insult an honored guest at the succession ceremony and cause such a scene is no different from insulting House Hern itself.”