Chapter 1191

After the resounding shout, silence followed. Yuder looked around at the new recruits with their mouths agape and thought:

‘That guy... If nothing else, it’s now certain he’s absolutely hopeless at dealing with people.’

Well, Fay wasn’t the only one like that. Elpokin, standing right in front of him, had a very similar personality, and hadn’t Yuder himself lived more uncooperatively than anyone else in his past life? All three of them shared the common background of having come from isolated rural villages.

The current Fay, to put it simply, seemed to have the kind of personality that was "quiet like Yuder most of the time but loud like Elpokin once he opened his mouth."

‘So this is what he was really like.......’

The Fay he had met in his previous life had probably already been worn down and rejected by others for years. While Yuder recalled how much he had changed, Fay shrank back under the silence his words had caused.

“...I’m sorry. I think I talked too much about pointless things. That must have sounded ridiculous....... That’s why I usually just keep my mouth shut......”

Yuder was about to respond—but someone beat him to it.

“If you want to talk, then talk....... What’s wrong with that? You were just explaining your ability. No one here thinks that was pointless. At least, from what I’ve seen, Senior Yuder isn’t the type to think that way at all.”

Gloena fidgeted with her hands but spoke firmly. Then Elpokin chimed in.

“She’s right! Senior Yuder is the one who encouraged and helped an Awakener like me to join the Cavalry! Didn’t the other seniors say the same? He’s someone who supports any Awakener who works hard, equally and fairly!”

What was with this atmosphere? While Yuder blinked at the overly embarrassing words, other Awakeners began to speak up one by one.

“Uh, I was a little surprised too, but not because it was ridiculous... I just thought he didn’t want to mingle with us, so I assumed he didn’t talk...”

“I’m a bit dumb, so I didn’t really get the ability, but... if it got you into the Cavalry, then it must be impressive.”

“Hey, you should talk with us more from now on. It’s okay even if you talk a lot.”

Fay slowly lifted the head he had kept bowed. From under the hat that had been covering him, his revealed eyes were brimming with tears.

‘......Is he crying?’

Before he could shed tears, Yuder quickly said what he had meant to say earlier.

“Everyone, I heard your introductions well.”

“.......”

“Understanding and honestly explaining your abilities is a basic responsibility as a member of the Cavalry. There’s no reason to think of it as pointless. In fact, I’d like to have another chance later to hear about each of your abilities in more detail.”

“Ah...!”

Sensing his sincerity, the new recruits’ faces lit up all at once.

“Are you going to create those famous personalized training plans for us too, Deputy Commander?!”

“Oh my gosh! That’d be amazing!”

Yuder wasn’t sure if their fellow recruits would agree with that excitement, but he turned around, implying they'd talk more later. From behind him, he heard Fay speaking through sobs.

“You’re the first people to tell me it’s okay to talk if I want to... that what I said wasn’t pointless... since my mother passed away....... I was the most useless person in our village......”

“Um... yeah... You seem to worry a lot... Would you like to get a card reading from me after the exam? I do that when I get anxious too......”

As always, some things would be the same as in the past life, while others would change.

Yuder had never given Fay much thought until now, but seeing how different he was from his memories made him realize—maybe he hadn’t known anything about him after all.

‘The most surprising thing, by far... is his ability.’

Offering a price through scales and mirrors, then summoning the reflection of a target... huh.

There were Awakeners who ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) used something only visible to them as a medium for their powers. In his past life, one Cavalry member could read a threat’s level through colors only he could see, while another fought wielding a weapon visible only to himself. But Fay’s case seemed similar and yet distinctly more unusual.

‘The ones who told him to keep it short were probably those damn Wolf-Eyed bastards.’

Like how Yuder had once advised Kanna to phrase her power in a strong, simple way to pass the interview, they probably suggested he simplify it to sound more impressive. Rather than explaining a complicated ability, just showing the results would’ve seemed faster to them.

‘Fay himself didn’t seem to understand the potential of his own power. Maybe the reason he only summoned doppelgangers of other people was because he thought that was all he could do.’

Instead of testing various things, he must have believed that summoning people with proven abilities would leave a stronger impression and be more effective. So, he probably trained intensely in that direction alone. In fact, that method eventually did bloom in his past life, earning him the honorable nickname of the Cavalry’s One-Man Unit.

‘But what if he could offer up useful weapons or objects to the scale and create copies of those? Could he duplicate means of transportation too? Or magical tools, or.......’

As various items came to mind, another idea suddenly popped up in Yuder’s head.

‘What if there’s a way to use the reflection in the mirror without actually summoning it?’

According to Yuder’s memory, the doppelgangers Fay summoned were always healthy and clean, unlike the originals. That was probably because it was how Fay wished to see them.

So, what would happen if the original was made to face the clean reflection from the mirror without summoning it?

What came to mind first was the ability of a healing-type Awakener from his past life. That man had once been a physician and used a small mirror to detect injuries invisible to the eye. But unaware of the true nature of his power, he insisted it was a “mirror of truth” and tried to develop it in a different direction. Eventually, he lost control and died.

‘That was the moment I seriously started thinking about the direction of ability development.......’

In his past life, Fay’s growth had been seriously delayed. Even though he trained harder than most, it took him years to refine his ability to a usable level—something not many experienced.

‘Come to think of it... That kind of thing often happens when someone tries to develop their ability in a direction that doesn’t suit their nature.’

Now that he understood how Fay’s power worked, he began to see Fay’s past struggles from a new perspective.

Perhaps Fay’s ability wasn’t actually specialized in extracting doppelgangers for combat, but in using those doppelgangers to apply his power to the original in another way.

He didn’t know what that might be yet—but if he kept watching, he would eventually figure it out.

‘If he could move past just coughing up blood to summon doppelgangers for a few seconds of battle... and evolve it into something far easier and more useful—’

Just as he reached that thought—

Someone came up and clapped Yuder hard on the shoulder.

“Yuder! You’re back!”

“Gakein.”

It was Gakein, his face glowing twice as brightly as usual. The shine was so dazzling it almost hurt to look at.

“I’m really happy to see you again. Seeing your face, it finally feels like I actually enjoyed this vacation!”

Honestly, it was something Yudrain Aile should’ve been saying to him instead.

‘But that aside... Now Lusan the priest, and even Gakein, are commenting on my face.’

“I don’t think I look any different. You look well.”

“What are you saying? Your eyes, your complexion—they’re way more vibrant than before your leave! This is the healthiest you’ve ever looked since we met.”

“I’ve always been healthy.”

“Of course I know that! But, you know... the vibe...”

Gakein smiled as if looking at a younger brother, then glanced around and leaned in to whisper softly.

“Mm, well. You look good enough that I feel like I should thank the Commander.”

“.......”

Now that Kishiar’s name had come up, Yuder couldn’t bring himself to argue further.

“Anyway, I’ve been looking for Sir Zuckerman, but I haven’t found him yet. Do you know where he is?”

“He hasn’t returned yet. It'll be a few days.”

Yuder relayed the news that Nathan Zuckerman was still in Peleta handling unfinished business, and Gakein’s radiant face dimmed slightly.

“I see....... I trained hard during the vacation and made some progress in swordsmanship. I wanted to show him... I guess it’ll have to wait. I also wanted to congratulate him on being officially recognized as a master by His Majesty the Emperor...”

Normally, Yuder would have simply thought that Gakein had grown close with Nathan Zuckerman. But suddenly, he recalled how Nathan had hidden the nickname he’d earned in Peleta and only passed along the cringeworthy rumors to this side.

Now felt like a good moment for payback.

“If you’re going to congratulate him, why not add one more thing to the list?”

“Huh? What is it?”

Yuder told him that Nathan Zuckerman had recently defeated a horde of flying monsters in Peleta single-handedly, and that because of it, he’d gained a new nickname: the Sword Emperor of the Northern Wind.

“Whoa....... He got a nickname like that? He didn’t mention that in the letter he sent me...!”

Gakein was devastated that he’d missed such a cool moment but promised he would include that new title in his congratulations for sure.

“Oh, by the way, Yuder. It might be a good idea to step outside the Cavalry base for a moment.”

“Why?”

“It might just be my imagination... but I think I saw someone outside who looked a lot like Kiole la Diarca. When I approached, they ran away before I could get a good look, so I didn’t bother chasing them... But if it really was him, maybe he came looking for you?”