Chapter 1077

— Approval for Plan to Prepare for the Sun God Temple's Investigation Team Visit to Peleta and Ensure the Safety of the “Changed Ones”

“Changed Ones.” That had been one of the terms used for Awakeners before the name was officially decided. Instinctively, Yuder checked the date written on the paper, and sure enough—it was shortly after the Red Stone fell.

So this is... that.

After the Red Stone’s appearance, the Sun God Temple and the Imperial family launched an official investigation to calm the unrest among the people, who were shaken by the sudden changes. It was during this time that the powers of the Awakeners and the concept of Second Genders were announced not as curses but as divine gifts. That was what made it possible for the Cavalry to be formed as it existed today.

If that declaration hadn’t been made so quickly, there were many who believed it would’ve taken far longer for Awakeners to be treated as human beings.

Even now, there were still cases where people were persecuted or killed simply for awakening. Had the Temple declared the awakening as a curse back then, unthinkable horrors might’ve followed. Yuder didn’t even want to imagine it.

Even after Ordeon’s declaration, other countries that remained suspicious of Awakeners did suffer numerous tragedies.

Though such tragedies still existed, things were far better than in Yuder’s previous life. The standing of the Cavalry had risen incomparably faster in this life.

In any case, it was obvious that the reason the Ordeon Empire was able to declare so quickly that Awakeners weren’t a threat was due in large part to the influence of Kishiar la Orr—a royal and an Awakener himself.

So I’d always assumed Kishiar took part in that investigation, but... I never expected to come across it here like this.

“That’s the order I issued regarding the investigation team sent from the High Temple after I awakened,” Kishiar explained, his voice unchanged as Yuder stared at the paper.

“It was also the moment that led me to decide to create the Cavalry. It holds a lot of meaning.”

“I’d like to hear more about it.”

As if he had expected Yuder to say that, Kishiar smiled.

“As you probably know, I was one of the earliest Awakeners—someone whose identity was publicly verified, and a royal. That made me a perfect partner for both His Majesty, who was worried about me, and the Temple, which needed a credible subject for their investigation of the sudden incident.”

He gestured to himself as he spoke.

“And I, too, needed time to analyze and understand the changes in myself from an outsider’s perspective. That’s why I approved the investigation team’s visit to Peleta. But I couldn’t simply give them unrestricted access to Peleta. I also needed a contingency plan in case they viewed these changes negatively, didn’t I?”

Yuder slowly nodded.

If he had been in Kishiar’s shoes, he would’ve made the same decision. No matter how badly they needed the Temple’s power, they couldn’t hand over all their information. And if the Temple had concluded that Awakeners were monsters or cursed, a plan for escape and protection had to be in place.

Yuder turned to the back of the document. There was ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) a brief note about the Temple investigators’ activities during their visit to Peleta.

So Kishiar summoned other Changed Ones to Peleta and had them investigated as well.

“They conducted quite a few investigations. It took a long time before we could finally settle on the term ‘Awakener’ instead of ‘Changed One.’ They’re similar words, but the impression they give is very different, so we had to be careful.”

“Was that decision also made by you?”

“No. That came from one of the priests on the investigation team. He was quite sympathetic toward Awakeners. He also played a big part in deciding the term for Second Genders. That wasn’t done here in Peleta, though.”

“So the investigation didn’t end here?”

“What we did here was only to assess the nature of Awakeners and determine whether they were dangerous. Once it was confirmed that awakening wasn’t a temporary phenomenon, and that those who awakened didn’t turn into irrational monsters, the investigation continued in the Capital—where there were more subjects and data.”

The Temple stated that Kishiar no longer needed to be involved. But Kishiar had no intention of stepping away. To better understand the changes in himself, he left Peleta and returned to the Capital for the first time since arriving here.

“That’s where I saw another Second Gender Awakener for the first time. You can’t imagine the kind of debates that took place in the Temple over whether the heat period was a real symptom. If the negative opinions had prevailed, the Awakeners who participated in that investigation might have ended up strapped to an altar for experimentation in the name of noble sacrifice for all humanity.”

He smiled faintly, but there was a depth in his eyes. Yuder suddenly recalled something Kishiar had once told him—when he had used hidden divine power to heal the stain left on Yuder’s hand.

“...You once said that if the Temple deemed me cursed, I might be taken to the deepest sanctum of the Sun God’s Temple and sacrificed on an altar for the sake of all mankind. Was that...”

“...Mmm.”

Kishiar smiled a little more deeply in place of an answer. And that was more than answer enough.

Unbelievable. Not a single one of his jokes was truly a joke.

Reviving impoverished Peleta and escaping death through awakening hadn’t been the end. The battlefield Kishiar faced had continued long past that point.

“If the Temple investigated a Second Gender Awakener in heat... Were you alright yourself?”

“I went through my first heat right after awakening, so I was fine during the investigation period. I helped observe other Second Genders from the outside, and that’s when I learned that I didn’t react strongly to other people’s scents. That seemed to have quite an impact on the Temple’s evaluation of Second Genders.”

He had shown inhuman restraint even in the presence of Yuder’s scent right after his awakening. Having seen that firsthand, Yuder had no trouble believing he had remained calm even in front of others experiencing heat.

“That’s fortunate.”

Kishiar gazed at the document in Yuder’s hands, his eyes seeming to drift far into the past.

“Yes. It was thanks to the Awakeners I met during that investigation that I first started thinking about creating something like the Cavalry. Even if our abilities, social statuses, or genders were different, I realized we all shared the same nature. And there had to be a place to protect us—to give us a voice.”

“...”

“A place where we could properly express our power without suppressing it or using it destructively. Where we could prove that such power could help others... If we could create that, maybe... just maybe, even after I disappear, it could still remain to help build a better world.”

He scratched the back of his neck and smiled at Yuder, his expression a mix of bashfulness and boyish wonder.

“Of course, that was before I’d even thought of the name Cavalry. Back then, I still planned to return to Peleta once the investigation ended. I never imagined I’d end up staying in the Capital for good.”

Yuder listened to his voice as if in a trance. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the words flowing from Kishiar’s lips.

“At the time, I kept doubting whether I was being unrealistic—whether I was coming up with a plan that was too difficult. Just managing Peleta was hard enough; taking on something more seemed impossible. But now...”

“...”

After a brief pause, Kishiar—looking more at peace than ever—opened his mouth again.

“I can say for certain that the thoughts and decisions I made back then were the most meaningful of my life. Not just because someone gave me that conviction... but because I myself believed it, without any doubt.”

Yuder felt a tight stab deep in his chest, like something had struck him without warning.

The depth in Kishiar’s eyes was overwhelming.

Like the sea of Peleta.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?” Kishiar asked.

Yuder looked down at the papers in his hands, then let them go without hesitation.

“No. There isn’t.”

“Your expression finally looks like your usual self.”

Yuder touched his own face. But simply touching it didn’t tell him what kind of expression he was making.

“...Was it that obvious?”

“Yes. Are you feeling more at ease in this place now?”

Only then did Yuder realize he was sitting in a relaxed posture. Looking around again, the office—unchanged from earlier—now felt familiar. All they had done was drink tea and talk for a short time, and yet...

Through his words, Kishiar had fulfilled Yuder’s request to change his perception of this place better than anything else could.

“...Yes. I believe you’re right.”

Yuder glanced at the empty chair at the office desk and took a deep breath. Then, to his own surprise, he spoke with ease.

“You remember what I told you about the first and last time I came here, don’t you?”

Kishiar quietly nodded.

“Of course.”

“I still can’t remember how that moment ended. There was a time when that didn’t bother me at all...”

Yuder spoke slowly, hoping his meaning would be clear to the man before him.

“But now it does. More than ever, I want to know what happened here.”

Once he began, the rest of his thoughts spilled out without resistance.

“I want to remember the truth. Even if it’s not a grand truth—that’s fine. I want to remember you, the one who was here.”