Chapter 1016

"The north of the capital. The place humans call the Sanctuary Forest. We have to go there."

Sanctuary Forest. Yuder’s eyes widened slightly.

How could he ever forget that name? It was where the World Sphere had been kept in his past life, and also the place the Cavalry had continuously guarded at the time.

On top of that, Yuder had entered the Sanctuary Forest because of the World Sphere and ended up being captured by the Special Unit, imprisoned, and dying there. So, it was a place etched deeply in memory.

‘But... to think a place called Hill of Gilandre was there. I never saw anything remotely like that.’

The Sanctuary Forest was located just a short ride from the northern gate of the capital. It had originally been an ordinary forest, but after the first Emperor spent his final days there and passed away peacefully, it was designated as a sanctuary.

That is, it had only been preserved for its historical significance. Aside from the statue built where the first Emperor passed, there had been nothing particularly remarkable there. Naturally, there was no mystical connection to any gods either. Before the World Sphere had been placed there, even commoners living nearby could occasionally gather herbs in the area.

But after the decision to keep the World Sphere there, the situation changed slightly. One of the main duties of the Cavalry became preventing anyone from entering that forest.

And the only person besides the Emperor himself who was allowed to enter the forest was the Cavalry Commander, Yudrain Aile.

‘Because he had to go check that the World Sphere was still there.’

The World Sphere was stored beneath the base of the first Emperor’s statue at the forest’s center. Yuder recalled how he used to go there from time to time to inspect the World Sphere. Despite having gone there so often, he couldn’t recall anything resembling the so-called Hill of Gilandre that Inon had mentioned.

‘A hill...? That place was completely flat.’

“You. Have you ever been there?”

Reading Yuder’s strange expression, Inon asked. Yuder hesitated for a moment on how to explain, then nodded.

“Many times. ...Not recently. Before.”

“Hmm. Sounds like you didn’t see anything special.”

“In my memory, it was all flat, so I was just trying to remember where a hill could’ve been.”

“Pffft. It’s not called Hill of Gilandre because it’s actually on a hill. It’s just a name... sort of a metaphor. You’ll understand when you see it.”

“So basically... it’s a place hidden with magic inside the forest.”

“Well. Yeah.”

“I’m honestly a bit surprised that it’s so close to the capital. And that it hasn’t been discovered until now is impressive. Even I, who’ve been there multiple times, never suspected anything until you said that.”

“No ordinary person would ever notice the existence of the Hill of Gilandre inside that forest.”

Inon stated firmly. Seeing Yuder fall silent, he crinkled his nose and added:

“Of course, you’re not exactly what I’d call an ordinary person, but I meant someone not connected to Luma and who doesn’t know magic well.”

If Yuder had to guess, Inon’s standard of ‘not knowing magic well’ probably included everyone except the great mage Luma. In that case, even Yuder Aile might qualify as an ordinary person.

“So it’s not strange that you didn’t know. Even the Emperor at the time didn’t know that Luma had created the Hill of Gilandre there, and almost no one else did either.”

“...But someone lived inside, right? How is that possible?”

“That’s the point of hiding it. Luma could do it. You’ll understand once we go.”

Now he was really starting to wonder what kind of trick had been used to hide it so perfectly for over a thousand years.

‘Well... What I really want to know is whether there’s anything there that will help us in the current situation.’

There was a lot to do once they returned to the capital. Yuder was listing tasks in his head when he saw his friends nearby, hesitating to call him over. He set his thoughts aside.

‘...I’ll think about the rest later.’

He downed the last of his beer and stood up again. As Inon bit into the last lemon, he asked,

“Heading off? Or staying to enjoy it a little more?”

“I’m not planning to leave alone.”

“Right. Then go enjoy yourself. If you get time, make sure to keep sending your big brother some lemons.”

The moment he finished speaking, another lemon came flying from the kitchen and landed neatly on an empty plate. As Yuder walked away from Inon, the other members welcomed him back with cheerful claps and laughter.

“Yuder! I knew that wasn’t going to be the end!”

“Play ‘Spring Comes Again’ one more time!”

“Yuder, we got so worried when your face got serious talking to the pharmacist. We thought you might leave early!”

Kanna, her cheeks slightly flushed from drink, tiptoed closer so others wouldn’t hear and whispered:

“But... nothing serious actually happened, right?”

“No. Just talked a bit about the past.”

“Ah! I see. Yeah, since you two knew each other, this was a good chance to say some things.”

That wasn’t exactly the case, but since it was hard to explain what they really talked about, Yuder simply stayed quiet.

“I’m glad it was nothing bad. Ah, this is fun.”

Kanna smiled and handed him a fresh mug of beer she’d grabbed from a nearby table. Then she tried to lift her own mug but stumbled slightly, so Yuder gently stopped her.

“That’s enough for you.”

“Hmm... I’m a bit tipsy, but I can still handle it.”

“If you want to run after the carriage tomorrow, go ahead and drink.”

“I will stop drinking.”

Upon hearing the highly effective threat, Kanna solemnly set her mug down—then burst out laughing loudly a moment later.

“Actually, I can usually drink a lot more than this. But I guess because everything ended well, I let my guard down. I’m getting drunk really fast tonight.”

“......”

“Spring Comes Again” rang out once more. Watching the members head to the dance floor, Kanna spoke in a quiet voice.

“I wonder if the others who couldn’t come tonight are doing ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ okay. I feel kind of guilty for enjoying myself so much.”

Not everyone was able to gather here. Many had stayed behind to guard the capital or the various branches. But the ones Kanna was likely referring to...

‘Probably the ones who left the southern mission early for other reasons.’

Several faces appeared in Yuder’s mind.

Debran Hartude, who had gone to inspect the Star of Nagran’s village near the desert and, after encountering something unexpected, headed quietly back to the capital without returning to the southern branch—under Kishiar’s permission and unknown even to the other members.

And the others who had survived the relentless, days-long waves but chose not to attend Mayra’s succession ceremony and returned directly to the capital. Most of them had been the ones who requested disciplinary action over Hosanra’s escape on the Day of Hail—including the Elder siblings.

‘Even though they were told it would be better to stay and receive their commendations, they just left.’

Of course, their personal refusals were respected, but Kishiar had still secured Mayra’s gifts for them. When they returned to the capital, he would probably make sure they received them anyway.

Kanna sighed and murmured quietly.

“I stayed behind as Deputy Commander, but maybe I should’ve gone back with Hin and Pin. When I was packing earlier, Priest Lusan said something similar.”

“Priest Lusan?”

“Yeah. While packing... he found an unfinished scarf. You know... the one the deceased person was knitting. The priest used to bring him yarn and stuff... He wasn’t sure whether to throw it away. He looked pretty troubled...”

Even without her saying the name, Yuder knew exactly who it was. Hosanra.

“...Ah! Sorry! I suddenly said something weird again, didn’t I? Forget I said that.”

Kanna flinched and shook her head quickly, clearly thinking she’d made a mistake.

“No.”

Yuder shook his head expressionlessly.

That comment was Kanna’s hidden truth—something that wouldn’t have come out if she hadn’t been drinking. She’d probably been forcing herself to stay cheerful so as not to ruin the mood, but clearly, she had her own darker thoughts. He didn’t want her to feel the need to hide them anymore.

“Those who left made their choice. And you made yours. There’s no right or wrong.”

“......”

“For the record, the Commander received the rewards for those who left too. Once we’re back in the capital, they’ll get everything. So there’s no need for you to feel like you’re enjoying yourself alone.”

“Ah......”

“I mean, none of us—me included—only made perfect choices. But still...”

Yuder suddenly recalled what Inon had said earlier.

‘Right. I guess this is the perfect moment for that line.’

He spoke again, echoing the words he’d just heard.

“...There’s no need to keep looking back all the time. Enjoy the now.”

“Wow......”

Kanna blinked.

“Who said that? That wasn’t something you just thought of on your own, was it?”

“...Inon. Just now.”

“Ahaha! I knew it!”

Kanna burst out laughing to the point of tears. When she finally stopped, she looked much better.

“Yeah. That’s what I’ll do. Thanks. That really helped!”

And so passed the final night in the South—a small party, just for the Cavalry.