Turning-Chapter 811

Not long after the Cavalry Commander, his aide, a few members, and Suns and Emon boarded the carriage and left the base—

"Um... Deputy Commander Kanna."

"Yes?"

"Today... was the day of Duke Hern's funeral, wasn’t it?"

Kanna looked up at Hosanra, who had asked the question. He hadn’t said much, but the sickly-looking young man from the Southern Nation was already fidgeting with his fingers like he’d done something wrong, avoiding her gaze. Then he hesitantly opened his mouth again.

"It’s just... it seemed a little noisy outside. I suddenly thought of it."

Hosanra was truly terrible at hiding things. Even without using her ability, it wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking.

'You didn’t “suddenly think of it”—you’ve been worried about it this whole time.'

But Kanna smiled and pretended not to know anything.

"Mm. That’s right. I met the Commander and Yuder earlier. They were both wearing funeral dress uniforms."

"Ah..."

"The Commander always looks good, so there’s nothing to say there, but you should’ve seen how shocked everyone was when they saw Yuder. Of course, Yuder hated it!"

Yuder Aile, a friend whom Kanna liked very much and sometimes even respected, had zero interest in dressing up. He was so indifferent to appearances that even on rest days when everyone else wore civilian clothes, he alone had worn the same pitch-black uniform since the day he joined. He’d become a legend for it.

His hair always hovered around the length that almost covered his eyes, and he carried an expressionless, cool demeanor—so not many realized that when he did get dressed up, he had such a strikingly good base.

'Well, there were always those weird people who said his dark and intimidating aura was decadently attractive.'

Yuder stood out in a different way than Kishiar. With that kind of power, it’d be stranger if he didn’t draw attention—but even when silent, he had this strange aura that pulled people's eyes to him.

And since Kanna often stuck close to Yuder, she ended up overhearing all kinds of hidden thoughts from people judging him. Not intentionally—she just wasn’t great at controlling her powers yet.

Anyway, even someone like Yuder had moments when he completely revealed the raw gem hidden beneath his uniform.

Those moments were always when the Commander told him to wear formal dress.

Knowing that his aide—who could split mountains and drain seas—had no fashion sense whatsoever, the Commander always personally handled his appearance on such days.

And true to his reputation as a trendsetter who once ruled the Capital’s fashion scene for years, whenever Kishiar touched Yuder's look, he always turned up looking shockingly good.

And today was no exception.

'The dress uniform was black just like the regular one, but how did it look so different? Pulling half his hair up made him look sharper, but it wasn’t just that. Anyway, the Commander’s touch is really amazing.'

The members who saw Yuder in his dress uniform for the first time whistled at the rare sight. The Imperial Army soldiers and new recruits were so shocked they couldn’t close their mouths. Some even asked if that handsome man was really Yuder Aile.

Of course, that all stopped the moment Kishiar appeared—no one could compete with his looks—but it was still funny.

Kanna, smiling fondly as she remembered the amusing scene, soon recalled the image of her respected Commander and her friend walking side by side... and suddenly sobered.

'...Mm. I should stop there. If I keep going, I’ll remember the things I tried to forget...'

"Anyway, I was supposed to go with them, but something came up so I stayed behind. It’s a relief in some ways, but I’m a little worried about Kachien going in my place. Oh, you know who Kachien is, right?"

"Um... yes. That red-haired... very handsome Cavalry member..."

"Haha, that’s right. Anyone who mentions Kachien always starts with how good-looking he is."

As Kanna laughed heartily, Hosanra gave a faint, barely-there smile. Maintaining a cheerful expression, Kanna quickly ran through the flow of their conversation in her head.

'Hosanra’s looking pretty stable today. Maybe it’s a good chance to read him properly?'

But to do that, she’d have to go outside again and use the excuse of a walk. The underground of the Southern base was within Roenev’s field, which neutralized powers, so even Kanna couldn’t use her ability here.

That’s why, whenever she wanted to investigate Hosanra directly, she would take him outside under the pretense of getting fresh air. Hosanra still didn’t know that was the real reason.

'The weather’s bad today, but it’s not like he hates going outside, so it should be fine.'

"Hey, Hosanra. Want to go for a walk today?"

"Ah... sure. I’d appreciate that..."

"Great. Wait here a second. I’ll tell the others."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

But she didn’t get the chance. A sudden knock on the door was followed by someone calling her name.

"Kanna! You in there? Kanna!"

Hosanra jumped in surprise and backed away. When Kanna opened the door, she blinked at the unexpected faces.

"Huh? Hin... even Pin? What’s going on?"

"The guy we’ve been chasing! You know!"

"We finally found something on this end! But the trace—it’s not normal!"

"Ever told us to come get you! Just in case!"

"Today’s an important day, so we’ve got to move fast and stay sharp! No time—come on!"

The two of them always spoke self-centeredly, but now they were practically overlapping, throwing out one line each in rapid-fire succession. It was dizzying.

But Kanna, capable of parsing more information in a second than most people could in a day, managed to sort out their meaning.

'They found a trace of the Sage inside Sharloin, and it seems serious. With so many people gathered for the Hern funeral, they want extra help—me. Mm. Got it!'

"Alright. I’m coming. Hosanra! I’m sorry, but I’ll have to go. Can I ask another member to take you for the walk instead?"

There was no real need to send Hosanra on a walk if she wasn’t going with him.

But to avoid raising his suspicion, and to maintain trust by following through on her words, she figured it was best to let him go out for a bit anyway.

"Uh, wait! Please!"

Just as Kanna was about to leave, Hosanra hastily grabbed her sleeve.

"They found something about the Sage... or Naham, right? That’s why you’re going, isn’t it? Then I—I should come too...!"

"...What?"

"I can help! You know what I can do. I can move faster than anyone. I know more about them than anyone. And if we meet them, I might be able to persuade them...! If you’ll allow it...!"

'Damn.'

Kanna wasn’t the only one who understood the Elder siblings’ chaotic explanation.

Naturally, Kanna responded with a clear refusal.

"Sorry, but I can’t allow that. Don’t forget, our agreement was only for you to come to the South with us, Hosanra. Expecting more than that is too much."

"Ah..."

"But I’ll tell you what happens after I get back. So just go take your walk like a good boy."

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Her tone was gentle, but her response left no room to argue. Hosanra collapsed in place, defeated. As Kanna turned to leave, she glanced at the sleeve he had grabbed with a faintly uneasy expression.

"Hmm..."

'When he grabbed my sleeve, I felt something strange. What was it?'

"Kanna, what are you doing?"

"We have to go—now!"

The Elder twins were shouting again up ahead. Kanna shook off the odd sensation and called to one of the members nearby—a solidly built man with thick fists and a towering height.

"I was going to take Hosanra out for a walk, but I can’t now. Can I ask you to go instead?"

"Sure."

"Don’t stay out too long, just in case. And make sure you hold onto his arm."

She usually wouldn’t say that, but the faint unease from before still lingered.

"You might not need to worry. Look outside."

The sky, which had been cloudy with sleet since morning, was now as dark as night. Thick storm clouds had completely blotted out the sun.

"Even someone who’s been locked away without sunlight for ten years would want to turn back in this weather."

"Mm... maybe so."

"Not maybe—it’s a fact."

"Kanna!"

Growing more impatient, the Elder twins stomped their feet.

"We’re going to use our powers to travel! That means we need to get out of here fast!"

Kanna gave a resigned smile and waved.

"Alright, alright. I get it. Everything’s ready—let’s go!"

Kanna left with the Elder siblings.

The member she’d asked led Hosanra, cloaked heavily in a robe, outside for a walk. Unlike when Kanna had been with him, this time not a single word was exchanged, but Hosanra didn’t complain.

Even if he had, it would’ve been hard to tell with how covered he was.

Despite the poor weather, Hosanra continued the walk under an umbrella, contrary to the member’s earlier assumption that they’d return soon. They circled the edge of the training grounds behind the base over and over—long past boring, now just cold.

The member hesitated before gently asking,

"Um, how about we head back now? Southern winters may be mild, but if we keep walking, you’ll catch a cold."

"..."

"Hey?"

Annoyed by the silence, the member moved the hand holding Hosanra’s arm upward to grasp his shoulder, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» trying to get a look at his face.

And in that briefest of moments—

A tiny sliver of contact where their skin separated—

The necklace around Hosanra’s neck shattered with a sharp crack.