Chapter 870

It was only after several minutes had passed, when the cavalrymen had been sent away and the surroundings tidied up, that they could engage in a proper conversation.

"What's this about? So, you mean to say, you had another strange dream and you want to find your Commander?"

"..."

Yuder simply nodded without a word, causing Enon to shout in a voice tinged with embarrassment, his brows furrowed.

"You should have said that right away!"

What was Yuder to do when he wasn't even given a chance to speak before Enon's anger flared?

Nevertheless, Yuder didn't feel any particular discontent knowing that Enon's anger stemmed from his concern for him.

"Your Commander isn't here right now."

"Why?... cough cough cough."

Just as he tried to raise his voice, a cough burst forth, feeling as though his throat would tear apart from the inside.

"Cough gently! Do you want to dislodge the ribs I've just set back in place? Drink this!"

Enon, clicking his tongue, immediately brought a cup of water to his lips.

"Open your mouth."

"...No. I'll just, with my own hands...."

"Don't you see your arms are both sealed? Stop complaining and drink. My arm's getting tired."

Yuder hadn't realized when he first woke up, but as Enon had said, both of his arms were immobilized from shoulder to wrist with splints and thick bandages, only the tips of his fingers visible. He swallowed the water flowing into his mouth, though he had doubts about the need for such extreme measures, even if divine power had been used.

The water Enon offered wasn't clear like ordinary water. It was a deep red, brewed strongly from dried herbs, and emitted a bitter smell. But the taste wasn't what mattered. As soon as it entered his mouth, it caused an intense burning sensation that seemed to scorch his esophagus.

It was such an unfamiliar sensation that even Yuder, who usually didn't react to pain, momentarily flinched.

'...Is it really safe to drink this?'

"Finish it. It's good for you."

"..."

Reading his hesitation, Enon, with frighteningly narrowed eyes, commanded. Ultimately, Yuder drank all the water offered by Enon. With every breath, the bitter smell lingered, and a burning sensation spread from his mouth to his stomach, causing him to exhale deeply. Enon, frowning, muttered,

"Stubborn guy. Not even a hint of nausea."

"...Wasn't I supposed to drink it?"

"Are you an idiot? Of course, it was a punishment. I purposely made it more effective and worse tasting. Any normal person would've been retching by now!"

So that was it.

Despite saying something ominous about increasing the dose next time, fortunately, Enon didn't give him any more of the unpleasant water. Placing the cup back on the table, Enon crossed his arms and sat back lazily, starting to speak.

"You didn't think your Commander would be in any better condition than you are, did you? Internally, he's a mess, even if it doesn't look like it from the outside. Isolation was necessary. Ah, but don't worry, he's not about to die. So, stop thinking about getting up and doing something. He's already regained consciousness and is working."

"..."

Yuder closed his mouth just as he was about to say that. Enon scoffed as if he had anticipated this, dismissing the idea as preposterous.

According to Enon, Kishiar had returned here immediately after everything had ended that day and had been confined to the temporary leader's office bedroom. Currently, Nathan was the only person other than Enon who could enter that floor. It seemed that even Enon had mostly just dropped off medicine and briefly checked the state without really meeting him properly.

Yuder reflexively recalled memories from the past upon realizing that it was primarily Kishiar's own decision to sever ties so completely with the outside world.

He remembered the days of Prince Kishiar's residence, which had three secret walls within the bedroom.

The door to the Kishiar's bedroom remained firmly shut, barring everyone except Nathan when the cycle approached.

'...Could it be that the cycle has come again, just like back then?'

Considering the extent to which Kishiar's abilities had been drained, leaving him in shambles internally, the possibility seemed more than plausible. It wasn't life-threatening, but Yuder wanted to be sure that Kishiar was truly alright.

"Anyway, at first, I planned to leave you there with him, but your condition was so erratic that I had no choice but to bring you here. Last night, I thought I was about to deal with your funeral. Hey, are you listening to me?"

"...Sorry. I missed that.”

Yuder, having been preoccupied with thoughts of Kishiar, admitted honestly to missing part of Enon's words. Enon clenched his eyes shut, his fingers revealing a strong desire to grab and stretch Yuder's cheeks, but eventually, they reluctantly retreated.

"Ha. You know..."

"..."

"Do you have any idea how many days it's been since you passed out?"

Come to think of it, what day was it? Yuder didn't feel particularly terrible, so he had assumed quite some time had passed since he had fainted, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact duration.

From his previous life, the longest he had been unconscious after an injury was about a week. Of course, having spent such a period as a Cavalry commander, the consequences were severe, and since then, he had ensured not to leave a day's gap in his duties, no matter what.

'Last time, during the giant Pethuamet incident, it was three days... So, this time too, it must be around that.'

"...Three days?"

"Haha. Three days, you say."

Enon replied coldly, his eyes unsmiling.

"It's exactly two weeks today."

"What?"

Two weeks?

Yuder's mind momentarily froze in shock, far exceeding his expectations.

By Yuder's sense, he had fainted after fighting alongside Kishiar, briefly encountering a hand in white gloves in a strange dream before being abruptly woken up. The perceived passage of time felt barely a day, making the reality of two weeks hard to believe. He would have never believed it if someone other than Enon had said it.

Seeing Yuder finally reacting like a patient who had properly awoken, Enon sighed.

"Now, are you ready to understand the state of your body and how I've treated you up to this point?"

"..."

"Whatever you saw in your dream, as a patient, you should be more concerned about your condition first. No matter how much others try to take care of you, if you don't care for yourself, there's nothing we can do. Do you understand what I'm saying now?"

Enon's words were utterly true. Swallowing the shock of having lost two weeks unknowingly, Yuder quietly listened as Enon explained his condition during that time.

Yuder's external injuries appeared almost miraculously healed, thanks to the divine power of Lusan and Enon's medicine. However, Enon believed it best to allow a few more days for complete stabilization.

"You know the reason. Even if injuries as severe as yours seem healed, they can easily rupture again with just a slight shock. In fact, when we tried to move you here, your arm broke again just from trying to change the bed."

"...My arm?"

"Whose arm would it be if not yours?!"

Although Yuder had no memory of such an incident, it had apparently occurred, leading to his arm being heavily splinted and bandaged for absolute stability. The external injuries could be roughly dealt with in this manner, but the real issue lay elsewhere.

"The others might not have realized, but your soul's state was continuously in disarray. Though you had gradually improved from a similar state before, I thought this time would be the same, but..."

According to Enon, Yuder's soul remained in a consistently poor condition throughout the period he was unconscious, unlike his physical body, which was healing. Concerned about the unchanging state of Yuder's soul, Enon faced an unexpected situation the previous night.

"Yesterday, when I briefly left to give some medicine to the Commander, I returned to find your soul missing."

"A missing soul means...."

"That only happens to the dead."

"...You mean I was dead?"

However, Yuder was very much alive at the moment. There were no unusual signs, nor any unfelt pain from unseen aspects. As Yuder looked down at his own hands with a bitter expression, Enon rubbed his hair roughly, his face contorted in frustration.

"You weren't dead. You were breathing just fine. Even the strap of the sword was properly in place, but your soul was just invisible to my eyes."

"So, what happened?"

"I intended to call the Commander, but when I returned, your soul was visible again. Ha... You have no idea how baffling that was."

Yuder finally understood the meaning behind Enon's earlier statement about thinking he was dealing with a funeral. Indeed, for someone like Enon, who could see souls, the sudden disappearance and reappearance of Yuder's soul would have been startling.

Yuder felt a renewed sense of gratitude and remorse for the troubles Enon had endured on his behalf.