Chapter 874

The conversation that had been droning on in bits and pieces finally subsided after Yuder unknowingly fell asleep. The sight of him struggling to stay awake, his blinking slowing and his speech becoming muddled, was pitiable, yet Kishiar deliberately avoided mentioning it and continued the conversation instead.

It was not helpful at all to mention it. Instead, it was much more effective for his peace of mind to first inform him of matters he would be curious about, answer his questions, and then agree to check together when day broke.

During the two weeks Yuder had been asleep, the South had been in a state of utter chaos, as if heaven and earth had turned upside down.

At the funeral of Herne's Second Prince, the Duke of Herne was horrifically murdered. Even if the patriarch of the Herne family, who was like a ruler of the South, had died a natural death, the entire empire would have been in turmoil. But the fact that the murderer was the Duke's abandoned illegitimate child made it all the more shocking.

As a result of this incident, many, including the Duke's knights, were killed or injured. On the same day as the funeral, a strange crack occurred in the sky above the temple, unleashing numerous monsters. In the South, where snow was almost unheard of, the news that gigantic hailstones had rained down all day was nothing short of staggering.

Yet, despite all these alarming events, the people of the South were even more astonished for another reason. Despite numerous witnesses to the hellish scene of monsters pouring from the sky along with hail, shockingly, there were almost no casualties in Charloin.

The monsters that nearly engulfed the entire city were thwarted by the efforts of the Cavalry, the Imperial Southern Army, those loyal to Lady Myra El Herne, the First Princess of Herne, and the brave citizens of Charloin who stood up valiantly. Thanks to those who fought rather than fled, Charloin miraculously survived the nightmarish night and welcomed the dawn.

In front of the astonished populace, a haggard-looking Lady Myra El Herne announced the previous day's events and promised to assist in the fastest possible recovery. The Cavalry and the Imperial Southern Army immediately expressed their support for the First Princess, and Emperor Keilusa also swiftly made a statement of support from the distant capital.

When General Gino, revered by all citizens and knights of the empire, personally testified to the truth of Lady Myra's words, and the Emperor also declared his support and assistance, the South quickly regained stability.

However, there were still challenges. The Diarca family, reacting a step too late, caused a stir by demanding a more thorough investigation into the sudden death of the Duke of Herne and the events in the South. They speculated that Lady Myra might have conspired with General Gino to assassinate the Duke, but this only backfired, inciting the ire of the Southern people.

Rumors spread among the Southern nobility that the Diarca family, after previously meddling in Western affairs, was now trying to control the South. This made it easier for Lady Myra to make her move. The rapid spread of this sentiment was largely thanks to Emperor Keilusa, who had read the Diarca's intentions and acted swiftly.

First Prince Aishes, representing the Apeto family, was conveniently ill at the time and had nothing to say. Princess Priscilla, the official heir of the Tain family, indirectly expressed her support by sending priests and supplies to the South.

The Diarca family, seeking to recover their bruised ego from the Tain Duke incident, fiercely criticized both the Apeto and Tain families. After receiving information that the assassin of the Duke of Herne was an Awakener, they even suggested that the Cavalry should be held accountable for not capturing him sooner.

However, before this opinion could fully ignite, it mysteriously fizzled out when the Diarca family suddenly fell silent for reasons unknown. This change began shortly after a secret letter from Kiolle da Diarca, dispatched to the South, reached the Duke of Diarca.

The fact that Kishiar, who shouldn't have known about the letter's existence in the first place, was aware of it, was simple. Emperor Keilusa had been keeping a close watch on the Duke of Diarca's movements with his own abilities.

The Emperor knew both that the Crown Prince had left the palace and that the Duke of Diarca was unaware of this fact. Nevertheless, he cunningly leaked his own news without any outward indication, causing confusion for the wily old Duke. The longer it took for the Duke to learn of the Crown Prince's absence, the more advantageous it was for the Emperor.

Indeed, this strategy proved effective. Upon receiving the letter from his youngest son, the Duke of Diarca, after sending people to the resplendent Bright Palace where the Crown Prince should have been, was seized by immense shock and rage. The problems at his own doorstep were too pressing to concern himself with others.

Regardless of what the Diarca family said or did, Myra prioritized wrapping up all affairs to secure her position as Duchess. She postponed the Duke of Herne's funeral, and denounced and dismissed those forces, including the lord of Charloin, who did not come forward. However, she spared those who had criticized her but had helped Charloin on the day of the hailstorm.

Following this process, most people and nobles of the South, despite their fierce jockeying for position, outwardly turned to support Myra.

The fact that the illegitimate child who killed the Duke of Herne and then disappeared was not an ordinary person but an Awakener hostile to nobles and non-Awakeners, and that he had fought and caused internal strife with another Awakener of differing views on that day, was relatively overlooked amid these events.

The possibility of the Awakener's image being changed due to incidents related to the Star of Nagran was averted thanks to the blade that nearly turned against the Cavalry being broken.

Kishiar, who spent most of his days sleeping and barely managed to wake up and gather his senses, received reports of all these events only from Nathan Zuckerman. Even with him lying down, his dependable adjutant, the Cavalry, General Gino, and the distant Emperor were enough to support him.

He relayed these stories succinctly to Yuder. Yuder, despite struggling to keep his sleepy eyes open, listened intently, learning about the efforts of those who had supported them and how they had eagerly awaited his awakening. Kishiar remembered every flicker of indiscernible emotion in Yuder's eyes as he heard of their struggles not ending in failure.

Of course, what reassured Yuder the most was information related to Kishiar's current condition. His vessel's condition was, in truth, in such a state that it was difficult to even falsely claim it was fine. However, he had not yet suddenly entered a cycle or a mating period. The reasons he chose to isolate himself in his bedroom were twofold.

The first was because his need for sleep had drastically increased, possibly due to his vessel being squeezed to its limits for the first time. The second was to stabilize his highly sensitive and tense nerves, reminiscent of the severe pain from when his vessel had been cracked.

In other words, while he knew in his mind that it was unlikely, he isolated himself out of concern that he might accidentally hurt someone with his uncontrolled power if he made contact with others.

Kishiar did not mention that within the category of 'others,' Yuder Aile naturally occupied the largest portion.

Despite his aversion to being confined, Kishiar found a bitter smile forming on his lips at the realization that in the face of familiar pain, the most familiar and stable environment was what brought peace to his mind.

Kishiar gazed intently at the sleeping Yuder's face. The dark veins that had once marred his pale complexion had thankfully almost disappeared. However, the areas around his abdomen, which had been enshrouded in a spreading darkness, still bore the last traces of darkness.

Yuder, upon waking, did not seem to feel any physical pain. But Kishiar knew that the body Yuder was unaware of could be suffering in ways unknown. After all, Yuder was someone who endured considerable pain without a single complaint.

Gently grasping the fingertips peeking out from thick bandages, Kishiar felt a faint warmth. Yuder's ungloved fingers, toughened with calluses and faint scars, were not conventionally beautiful. However, to Kishiar La Orr, they were far more beautiful than his own unscarred, smooth hands.

The hand that held Yuder's fingers reluctantly moved up to his wrist, then to his forearm, and slowly caressed the bandages wrapped around his shoulder. Unbeknownst to Yuder, every time Kishiar briefly awoke and came to visit him, he sat by his side, holding his hand and carefully stroking over the bandages. This touch, neither to infuse divine power nor out of fear of causing pain, was always careful yet never ceased.

It was almost like a sacred ritual, the way he repeated these gentle caresses. Suddenly, a shadow cast by the dim moonlight appeared at the doorway. It was none other than Nathan Zuckerman.

"..."

Upon recognizing who was with his lord, Nathan smartly refrained from speaking aloud and instead bowed his head in greeting. The ensuing conversation was soft and faint, just enough not to reach Yuder's ears, a conversation befitting swordmasters.

"The pharmacist has sent the medicine for Baron Aile and the Duke."

"Thank you. Leave it there. Don't come closer, or he might wake up again."

"Did Baron Aile just wake up?"

"Yes."

"...That's good."

For the first time, genuine concern slipped through the usually stoic adjutant's words. Kishiar wondered what kind of expression Yuder would make if he knew this.

Kishiar's lips faintly curled up, then relaxed again.

"Have you found any traces of Nahan?"