Chapter 871

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

"...Enon. I'm sor..."

"Shut your mouth if you're going to apologize. Understand?"

However, before Yuder could even start his apology, a sharp look from Enon sealed his lips.

"I didn't go through all this just to hear those words. If you're sorry, eat well, don't get hurt like this again, and think about bowing in gratitude to your gracious big brother here."

Enon might have said that, but Yuder knew what he truly desired wasn't money. In his previous life, he had often received gratitude and a single lemon more than money from those to whom he gave medicine.

That was the kind of person he was, so it made sense he had picked up and treated Yudrain, who looked suspicious to anyone else, without expecting anything in return.

'And back then, too, he preferred being treated like a big brother over money.'

Suddenly, Kishiar's words came back to him: if you believe you're right, don't apologize. Though different, the sentiment in the eyes of these two, who didn't want his apologies, somehow seemed similar.

Yuder looked at Enon's pouting face and then smiled, looking down. Enon, as if he had seen something unbelievable, widened his eyes in shock.

"...Wait. Did you just... smile?"

"When I'm fully recovered, I'll bow down and express my gratitude for your kindness. If that's really okay with you."

"..."

"And... thank you for saving me. I mean it."

It felt a bit awkward and embarrassing to say it out loud, even if he was always sincere.

"...You're really a damn fool."

Enon, who had been silent, finally murmured that and then ruffled Yuder's hair roughly before embracing his shoulders.

"You have no idea how many people were waiting for you to wake up."

"..."

"Anyway, you're awake now, that's what matters. We can think about other things later. For now, just focus on getting better, okay?"

Yuder slowly nodded.

In Enon's embrace, the sharp scent of herbs mingled with the refreshing aroma of lemons. Breathing in this scent, Yuder strangely felt both his body and eyelids growing heavy.

"...I suddenly feel sleepy. My body feels heavy."

"Of course, you're tired and heavy. You've been lying down for two weeks and just woke up."

"...I need to see the Commander."

"That damn Commander talk....... Sigh."

Enon gently stroked Yuder's head, a bit painfully, and then sighed, pushing his shoulder to lie down.

"If it's not something urgent like one of you dying, just sleep for now. I'll make sure you can catch up when you wake up."

"But...”

"What 'but'?"

"I just passed out for a moment, and it's been two weeks. If I sleep now, I might wake up days later again... I'm worried my thoughts... my information might get blurry..."

Even with his foggy mind, Yuder tried to express his concerns, causing Enon to frown deeply.

"Hey. The world won't end if you sleep a bit more."

"..."

"If you forget something while sleeping, then it wasn't that important. If you don't wake up in a day, I'll wake you up myself. Alright? Now just sleep!"

"...How?"

Yuder had only asked out of curiosity if there was a way to forcibly wake someone up, but this caused Enon to flare up in anger.

"Huh? Are you doubting me now? I haven't slept properly for days keeping watch over you, and you don't trust your big brother?"

"No. …I trust you. I do."

It felt odd to explicitly express trust to someone. This was especially true since that someone was Enon.

After Yuder voiced his trust, there was a brief pause before Enon covered Yuder's eyes while he was lying on a pillow with his hand.

"Then that's settled. Close your eyes!"

Yuder reflexively shut his eyes. As he could no longer see anything, his body relaxed rapidly, like a sponge soaking up water.

Through his fading consciousness, Yuder faintly felt Enon grumbling yet carefully patting his body. He was likely doing this to reassure Yuder of his presence, even though Yuder was about to fall asleep.

'But he doesn’t have to treat me like a child...'

Before he could finish the thought, Yuder drifted off to sleep again.

When he woke up, without having dreamt at all, it was night. The surroundings were quiet, and Enon was nowhere to be seen.

More importantly, this was not the medical room he had been in before.

'Where is this...'

It was the bedroom connected to the temporary Commander’s office. As he realized this, a voice sounded from beside him.

"...Did you sleep well?"

Yuder's mind, half-submerged in stupor, responded to the voice in the darkness. Turning his eyes, he saw a man sitting beside the bed.

Kishiar, with a white bandage over one eye, wearing loose indoor clothes, quietly looked down at Yuder. The sight of the bandage reminded Yuder instantly that all the battles he had been through were real.

"..."

"Should I get you some water? The pharmacist said to give you water as soon as you wake up."

Kishiar asked, reaching for a teapot on the table. Yuder nodded, and soon the sound of water being poured was heard. Yuder tried to sit up to drink, but his movement was hindered by the bandages and splints wrapping his arms and torso.

"Ah...."

"It's okay. Don't rush. Take it slow. ...There."

Kishiar's firm hand supported Yuder's back, helping him to sit up. Through the thin layer of clothing, the cool scent of Kishiar's skin was palpable.

The moment he sensed that familiar aroma, Yuder recalled the sinister, fishy smell from the white gloves in his dream. It was a scent completely different from Kishiar's natural one. It was hard to believe they came from the same person, but that scent was unmistakably from Kishiar La Orr's hands.

"Here."

Kishiar brought the cup to Yuder's lips. Yuder had been slightly worried it might be another of Enon's tasteless herbal concoctions, but thankfully, this time it was just plain water. The clean water quenched a thirst he hadn't known he had.

As he drank more urgently than he realized, Kishiar gently stroked his back, urging him to slow down.

"Don't rush. There's more."

After drinking two and a half cups, Yuder finally felt sufficiently hydrated. As he leaned his head back, the man quickly and perceptively set the cup back in its place.

"...How long... have I been asleep this time?"

"Half a day."

Kishiar's response was short and clear.

"You regained consciousness briefly during the day, and after you fell asleep again, we moved you here. The pharmacist thought it best. As soon as you woke up, you were desperately looking for me, he said."

"..."

"Is it true that you were so worried you wouldn't wake up for more than a day, that you refused to sleep?"

The words were accurate, but something about the choice of words seemed off. Yuder could feel the full extent of Enon's frustration in his expression and remained silent for a moment.

‘Enon...’

After a small sigh, Yuder opened his mouth.

"I had a strange dream while I was unconscious. I wanted to tell you about it, Commander, that's why I was looking for you."

"Hmm... Let me guess. Did those 'white gloves' appear again in your dream?"

For a moment, Yuder felt his heart leap in surprise.

"...How did you know? Could it be-"

"We didn't share the dream."

Kishiar interrupted Yuder's forming question with a calm reply.

"Well, it wasn't hard to guess. A dream so significant that you had to, and absolutely needed to find me. Considering the events that transpired before you dreamt it, the most impactful and significant thing was undoubtedly the three strange cracks that appeared above the temple."

The man who listed these reasons slightly curved the corners of his lips in a peculiar smile.

"Given that you had a similar dream after the strange crack appeared before, it wasn't hard to surmise that it could happen again this time. Moreover, both then and now, the common factor was that I couldn't share your dream at all."

"..."

"So, what was the dream this time that made you seek me out so urgently?"

"It's about that..., rather than that…"

"...Hmm?"

Initially, Yuder had planned to immediately talk about the dream upon seeing Kishiar. However, now that Kishiar was asking about it, Yuder found himself more preoccupied with the bandage still covering his face.

The sight of just one red eye, instead of a pair, was deeply unsettling. The mere sight of it made Yuder feel as if something sharp was scraping inside his heart, an unbearable sensation.

Finally, Yuder reached out, touching the area near Kishiar's eye. Despite the difficulty of movement due to the splints, he managed to touch his intended target with his fingertips. Even through his numb skin, the rough texture of the bandage was unmistakably felt, causing his teeth to clench involuntarily.

"Why do you still cover your eye like that?"