Chapter 877

Yuder's eyes snapped open as he abruptly sat up. He seemed to have been conversing with Kishiar, but when he came to his senses, the sun was already high in the sky.

'I must have fallen asleep at some point.'

He was perplexed, but nonetheless, he felt considerably lighter and not in a bad mood compared to when he had last woken up. Yuder turned his head to look for Kishiar. He found him asleep in a bed a short distance away. Yuder would have been extremely worried if Kishiar was still vigilantly guarding him, but seeing him resting peacefully eased his mind.

'Since I'm up first for once, it wouldn’t be bad to check on his condition this time.' Yuder thought, stepping down from the bed. He sighed shortly, annoyed by the splints wrapped around his arms.

'Isn't it time to remove these if they don’t hurt anymore?'

His arm had surely healed. Although there had been an incident where it re-broke while he was unconscious, Yuder felt that such an occurrence was unlikely to happen again.

'It seems my strength has fully returned as well.'

The strength that had been drained to its limits had surprisingly replenished itself during the two weeks he had been asleep. Moreover, Yuder felt that the total amount of strength accumulated in his body had increased compared to before.

'It seems like I broke through some unknown limit with the power of the Red Stone... Is that why?'

The power of the Red Stone within Yuder had always surged through his veins, starting from his hand whenever he exerted strength. Initially, it had only reached up to his shoulder, but since the incident in the west, it had spread to his face and chest. Now, he wondered how far it had extended. The memory of the immense power that had once fiercely resonated deep within him at a crossroads of decision lingered vaguely in his mind.

'I should check.'

The first and second time he had regained consciousness, dealing with Enon and Kishiar was overwhelming enough that he hadn't had the chance to examine his own body. But now it was different.

First, he wanted to free himself from these bandages and splints, check on Kishiar, and then take a refreshing bath.

Sigh.

As Yuder exhaled shortly and closed his eyes, a thin stream of wind blew gently, wrapping around his arms. Simultaneously, the bandages and splints binding his arms were sliced away as if cut by a sharp blade.

Yuder flexed and unfurled his now free hands several times. Indeed, there was no pain anymore.

Approaching Kishiar's bed, which was dimly lit due to the half-drawn curtains blocking the light, he noticed a familiar-smelling incense burning. The incense, releasing wisps of smoke like mirages, sat on a tray engraved with intricate, complex patterns.

'That incense seems familiar, and the tray appears to be an unusual artifact. Could it be a magic tool?'

Though it seemed like a magic tool, its exact nature was unclear. However, Yuder soon remembered the identity of the incense. It was the same kind he had seen burning in Kishiar's bedroom during a break he had taken after an experiment accident involving Thais Yulman.

Wasn't it an incense said to bolster one's energy? Kishiar didn't seem to think much of its usefulness, but seeing the same here, perhaps a subordinate who deeply cares for their lord brought it.

Who else would go to the trouble of transporting such a non-essential item for Kishiar’s sake, if not Nathan Zuckerman?

Kishiar still had a bandage wrapped around one of his eyes. His face, lying in profound stillness as if he barely breathed, appeared more like a piece of art than a person unless one listened very closely.

Yuder moved with utmost care to avoid making noise, yet Kishiar remained undisturbed despite Yuder's close approach. It was a rare occurrence.

'It must mean his body is still not in good shape.'

Looking down at his paler than usual cheeks, a deep ache welled up inside Yuder's chest. After hesitating for a long time, Yuder slowly reached out his hand toward the disheveled golden hair on Kishiar's smooth forehead. His aim was a strand of hair that seemed to irritate its owner by sticking near the eye.

After gently moving it aside, a breath he had been holding back escaped thinly.

"Huuu..."

Kishiar was still not awake. Yuder wished to use his power to check Kishiar's internal condition right then. But such actions should not be taken impulsively, as he had done previously. A thorough assessment of his own condition was necessary first.

Thinking he would end up staring all day at that face like an infatuated fool if he continued to watch, Yuder reluctantly lowered his eyes and turned his head away.

Then, he suddenly realized something he hadn't thought strange until now. 'I thought the bed curtains were only half-drawn for some reason... but now that I see it...'

If the intention was to block out light and sleep, drawing the curtains fully would have been proper. However, the curtains over Kishiar's bed were only half-closed. While approaching, Yuder hadn't noticed anything odd, but as he was about to leave, he realized that from this spot, his own bed was clearly visible.

So, Kishiar had deliberately left the curtains on that side undrawn to keep an eye on Yuder’s bed. Thanks to this, Yuder could immediately spot Kishiar upon waking.

It seemed like a trivial matter, but this realization stirred an unbearable emotion in Yuder.

"..."

Kishiar, in his slumber, was unknowingly painted vividly in Yuder's mind.

"..."

During the two weeks Yuder had been asleep, and the brief encounter they had last night upon waking, had Kishiar been yearning for Yuder all this time? Had he only half-closed the curtains so he could see Yuder at any moment, and thus had been lying there, watching?

Though a short yet long period had passed, the feelings Kishiar showed Yuder had always been consistently the same. They were not apparent at first glance but became painfully clear once he turned his back.

These emotions were beyond words. Perhaps.

After bathing, Yuder dressed in the clothes that seemed prepared for whenever he might wake and opened the door leading away from the bedroom, heading to the opposite office. Just then, a familiar back of the head caught his eye.

With rose-red hair and a tall stature, Yuder quietly approached and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What are you doing? Are you fully recovered?"

"Hm? Haha. Of course. I've been fine for a while... Yuder?!"

Gakane turned his head with a laugh, then suddenly let out a yell as if he had seen something unbelievable.

'I'll go deaf at this rate.'

"What?! Yuder, how are you here?"

"Obviously, because I woke up."

"When?!"

“Just now.”

“What? But are you sure you should be moving around already? What about your arm? Your leg?”

Gakane seemed to have misunderstood Yuder’s mention of having just woken up. Yuder let out a short sigh and shook his head.

“I’m fully healed. I just slept a bit longer, there’s no problem with my body, so relax.”

“But still…”

“Where’s Enon? In the infirmary?”

“Yeah, yeah. If you mean the pharmacist, he should be in the infirmary as usual... You're going there?”

“I have to. Enon will be angry if I don’t visit right after waking up.”

It seemed Gakane finally accepted that Yuder was indeed in good health.

“So, you really are better…”

Would Yuder really be wandering around if he wasn't fully healed? He had the judgment to know better than that.

Yuder, with a bewildered Gakane in tow, headed to the infirmary. Along the way, everyone they encountered reacted as if they had seen a ghost at the sight of Yuder, either falling over in shock or screaming, leaving Yuder's ears almost deaf by the time they arrived.

“My goodness, Yuder is out!”

“It’s Yuder!”

“Yuder...! Are you really all better? Truly?"

Many of them, just like Yuder had been until recently, still had protective braces on various parts of their bodies. There were quite a few with gauze on their faces or leaning on canes. Even though they had been treated with divine power, they still needed to be cautious of aftereffects.

Yet, their faces all looked vivid and bright. The memory of blood spilled and lives lost during the hailstorm seemed to have been conclusively dealt with by the Cavalry in Yuder's absence.

Could it be that no one harbored any resentment towards Yuder Aile for failing to stop Hosanna and losing Nahan? This fact felt somewhat strange, and the strangeness only amplified the peculiarity Yuder felt in accepting all of this.

How could everyone smile so brightly, knowing that it all wasn’t over yet?

Yuder slowly extended his hand in response to an imperial special forces soldier reaching out to shake his hand with a bandaged finger, his smile full of relief. Watching the group from the Star of Nagran and other candidates rushing towards him in excitement, Yuder briefly recalled the fighting arena where he first encountered them, then quickly pushed the memory away.

Even Elpkins among them, despite his large size, shed small tears like a child, letting out a childlike sob.

“I’m so relieved... They said you were in a coma for over two weeks... I thought…”

“...”

Yuder felt awkward, but Gakane’s eyes reddened as if understanding his emotions. By the time they reached the infirmary, the crowd following them had grown so large it almost filled an entire corridor.