Chapter 1252

While Yuder, unusually, found himself at a loss for words, a clear laugh rang out from near the door. Kishiar was laughing so hard his eyes had curved into crescents, completely shattering the heavy mood that had been hanging in the room.

“You’ve accomplished something even I never managed to do.”

“Uh... that was a compliment, right...?”

Kanna asked, glancing up at him a little sheepishly.

“Of course ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) it’s a compliment. I’d even give you a prize if I could.”

“Ahaha. Well, I guess you’ve had a rough time because of Yuder too, haven’t you, Commander?”

She didn’t express it too bluntly, since she was speaking to the Commander himself, but her meaning was clear enough. Kishiar didn’t deny it—he simply smiled. Watching all this, Yuder felt incredulous.

‘If we’re talking about that, then he...’

To the outside world, it might look like Yuder Aile was the only one who constantly risked his life, but from what Yuder had observed, Kishiar la Orr was far worse. He talked like someone who deeply valued self-preservation, yet in a real crisis, he never backed down—no matter how painful the cost.

It hadn’t been long since Kishiar had shielded Yuder in the South, scraping his face on the ground and almost losing one of his eyes. Even thinking back to that moment now made a fire burn in Yuder’s chest.

As far as Yuder could tell, the only difference between the two of them was whether they could hide such thoughts from others or not.

It felt a little unfair... but he decided not to voice any complaints. After all, he knew very well that all of Kishiar’s actions came from genuine concern for him.

‘And I have objectively shed more blood than him recently...’

Meanwhile, Kanna had drained her second cup of water as well. Her sweat-drenched face had regained a healthy flush.

“Phew. I feel human again.”

She set the cup down and looked back at Yuder.

“Yuder. So? Everything I’ve read so far—has it helped you?”

Helped wasn’t even close. Kanna’s progress was astonishing—even Yuder, who rarely felt awe at the display of another’s powers, was shaken.

She had instantly unraveled and confirmed deductions that he and Kishiar had only managed to piece together after traveling all over the place for weeks. The way she vividly extracted the words and actions of the dead, reading their hidden intent—it was almost beyond human.

It even made him think that, when it came to this type of power, no future Awakener could ever surpass Kanna Wand.

Yuder nodded, expressing those very thoughts.

“...More than enough. It’s overwhelming.”

Kanna’s face glowed with joy and pride.

“If people found out you acknowledged me like this, they’d be so jealous they’d drop dead. But this is a secret, so I’ll keep it all to myself!”

“You were even able to read full conversations shared by the objects’ owners. Do you think you can tell who they were talking to?”

Kanna shook her head.

“That might be a little too hard. Honestly, the reason I could read things this clearly wasn’t just because my power’s improved—it’s also because all these items are so closely related.”

“That makes a difference when reading?”

“Of course. These are all things owned by the same person during the same event, right? And it looks like they were stored together in one place for a long time. When items share a strong connection like that—how should I put it...”

She crossed her arms and thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers.

“It’s like this—if my goal were to investigate something that happened in one village, then reading these items would be like interviewing long-time neighbors or relatives from that village. That’s obviously easier and more cohesive than questioning total strangers from different villages, right?”

That made sense.

“And you and the Commander being here probably helped too.”

“How so?”

“Because the people who found and brought these items are right here. I didn’t do it intentionally, but when I activated my power, it’s possible I subconsciously picked up on information you or the Commander had about them. That might’ve helped me interpret the readings.”

She said it was like a mutual resonance effect between closely connected things.

“Before I got deployed to the South, I was working on extracting information from those Star of Nagran Awakeners we captured. I figured this out while testing a few things back then.”

“I see.”

“And honestly, compared to the other things I’ve read, the energy from these is incredibly strong. Now that I’ve seen it firsthand, it makes sense, but... still, even though I’ve trained hard, I can’t always read things this clearly. Just so you know.”

Kanna scratched her head modestly.

‘She didn’t need to say that—it could be taken as her downplaying her ability. But she probably mentioned it because she knew even this little distinction might help me.’

In other words, she was saying the “event” within those readings was just that intense.

The blood and death were etched deeply enough to shine through with far greater clarity than usual.

Within those kind blue eyes, Yuder caught a faint trace of concern.

Rather than respond with reassurance, he casually slid the next item toward her.

“Explaining all that helps even more. Then, let’s try this one next.”

“Alright.”

This time, the item placed in Kanna’s hand was a mage badge. Thanks to Yuder cleansing it earlier with fire, the Imperial Magic Institute badge had regained its color—apart from the missing pin, it looked nearly intact.

Kanna lowered her gaze and gripped the badge tightly, summoning her power.

“...It’s similar to before. Same owner, same event. The strongest imprint is pretty much the same, but... something else...”

Her eyes moved as if searching for something in the air—then locked onto a point.

“...Must be hidden.”

“......”

“This object had to be hidden—or discarded. There’s a strong desire imprinted on it. But...”

She frowned, lips pursed in puzzlement, then reached over to grab something else nearby. It was the robe she had read earlier.

‘Why that again?’

Yuder said nothing, simply watching. Kanna then added the bag on top, gripping all three items together. The shimmering aura that poured from her hands was as strong as before, and a long hum escaped her lips.

“Mmm...”

“Is something wrong?”

Kanna slowly answered, eyes still roaming the air.

“When I use my power, if there’s one very strong piece of information, it can drown out the rest—makes it harder to read. But just now, I think the trace I got from the badge... was also present in one of the other items. So I thought reading them together might help me see it more clearly, but... it’s not working.”

The old man had tried to throw away those items entirely. The only reason they’d survived was thanks to a kind old woman from the grocery store, who’d salvaged the bag from the incinerator and kept it.

So it made sense that the objects carried a strong desire to be hidden or discarded...

‘But if Kanna could go further than that—if she could read something deeper...’

There was something else, nearby, that might help more than the rest.

“Kanna. Then instead of another item, try this one.”

“...A notebook?”

“This was found along with the others. I think this one might help more with... that particular part.”

A notebook, perhaps used during magical research. It was the very object that had first led Yuder to suspect that his grandfather might have been someone who had lost his memory.

Kanna nodded and placed her hand on the notebook. Yuder tensed his muscles, ready to pull her away at any moment.

Then—her shoulder jolted as if struck by lightning.

“Ah...!”

Veins stood out in her trembling hand as she gripped the notebook. Kanna closed her eyes tightly.

Amid the swirling aura, her voice rang out.

“This is a research... a research log. Or rather, it was a research log. The purpose: to measure the change in mana density across the continent—a gradual decrease over time. It’s something that benefits everyone, but it’s tedious. That’s what the owner thought... An ordinary, unremarkable log... but...”

Her voice, which had gradually softened, suddenly halted.

“...This was the item that revealed the owner’s personality and thoughts most clearly. Now that I’ve learned what I needed, this should be discarded.”