Turning-Chapter 849

The hail had become so intense that leaving was no longer an option, even if they wanted to.

Duke Hern, claiming the dangerous Awakeners who had disrupted the funeral might reappear, abandoned his damaged carriage and returned to the temple interior. Honestly, it might have been to avoid his suddenly changed daughter, Mayra.

That space happened to be directly beside where the Cavalry was gathered, discussing countermeasures—making it one of the safest locations in the South.

‘So that’s why the crowd grew even more.’

“Then the First Princess and the other general mourners are still outside?”

“No. After Duke Hern came to this side, we evacuated the Princess and the others into the neighboring building. As you can see, the hail is so fierce... a normal person could bleed from a single hit.”

“When did those rifts appear?”

“Right around the time the large shadow wall you were in began to disappear. There was a tremendous shock that startled everyone, and immediately after, they appeared...”

Kanna looked up grimly at the black rifts.

“And as the shadow faded, they gradually grew in size. Now that the veil’s fully lifted, they’ve stopped growing and are maintaining their current scale.”

“I see. Then for now, head to where Naham is...”

“Duke of Pelleta! No, Commander!”

Before Kishiar could finish, someone came rushing through the hail, breathless. It was Mayra. The moment she saw them, she started to speak—but froze, just like Kanna earlier, upon seeing Kishiar’s torn clothing and the blood-soaked Yuder on his back.

“What’s the matter, Princess? In these conditions, you’d best stay somewhere safe.”

“I, um... I heard you’d finally emerged after dealing with Naham and Hosanra, so I came... Are you alright?”

Her gray eyes darted between Kishiar’s tattered form and Yuder’s injured face. Kishiar let out a low chuckle and tilted his head.

“It would be nice if I could confidently say I was fine... but I probably don’t look the part, do I?”

“I’ll bring a priest immediately—!”

“No need. You don’t look well either. I won’t keep you standing here long. Just return and have the priest link up with our members after they’re finished.”

“But Baron Aile’s condition—”

“...I may look like this, but I’m fine. I’m only in this state because of the Commander’s concern, so don’t worry about me.”

Yuder, still slung on Kishiar’s back, forced out the words, swallowing his shame.

“I assume you’ve heard, but that man—Naham—is my father’s illegitimate son. I’ve heard of the heinous crimes he committed... but if he’s dead, I was hoping I might be allowed to help with the aftermath.”

“......”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“I also... wanted to offer some words of apology for what House Hern did to him. Even just once, face to face... but the situation...”

Mayra seemed to be struggling to suppress her emotions. But to Yuder’s eyes, her guilt and sense of responsibility were palpable. And if Yuder saw it, Kishiar certainly did too.

After a short silence, Kishiar slightly turned his head.

“What do you think, Aide?”

He wasn’t asking about the aftermath. He was asking whether to reveal that Naham ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) was still alive, and whether to allow Mayra a brief, distant look at him.

Given Naham’s danger, it was clearly inadvisable. Yet Yuder recalled Naham, moments before, speaking of finally finding someone to take revenge on—and the way his gray eyes looked at Yuder, calling him his brother.

If he hadn’t imagined it, then the emotion that flickered in those eyes could truly be called longing. It may have been directed at a specific person, or perhaps not. It was hard to say.

What lay beneath it may have been the twisted obsession of someone who was betrayed again and again, but kept wanting to believe. A longing for familial ties—a fixation on the concept of siblings.

Naham had likely long wondered about his own bloodline. That longing ran so deep that even after becoming an Awakener, he clung to the word “family,” to the relationship it implied.

Mayra and Naham had never met. One of them had lived not even knowing the other existed. What meaning could such a meeting have? Yet... this could be their only chance.

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“It’s probably safest to remain separated to the end... but I think at least informing her is alright.”

“I thought so.”

“What is it?”

Mayra, sensing something odd in their exchange, asked curiously.

“Helping with the cleanup isn’t a problem. But Naham isn’t dead yet. Though he likely will be soon.”

“What?!”

She gasped, stunned, then opened her mouth in a trembling voice.

“Then... may I see him? Just once?”

A request with not even a hint of hesitation. Even though Yuder had expected she might ask, it still felt strange.

“Let me be clear. He’s extremely dangerous. Barely alive, not in a state fit to be seen. And after learning the truth of his origin, he was burning with hatred for House Hern. And still?”

“Even from far away is fine. I just want to offer a personal apology for what our family did. Can’t I? No matter what happens, I’ll never hold the Cavalry responsible!”

Kishiar fell silent. A leader’s position required making the best possible decision in the most complicated situations. Yuder could sense the weight of his deliberation.

And finally, Kishiar nodded.

“If it’s only to deliver that sentiment, then I’ll allow it. Kanna, I was planning to send you anyway—go with the Princess. If Naham dies on the way, go alone to assist with the cleanup, and the Princess returns immediately.”

“Understood.”

“Thank you.”

Kanna and the Princess quickly departed. Still on Kishiar’s back, Yuder exhaled and looked again at the rifts hanging in the sky.

“...After hearing Kanna’s report and seeing that, only one thought comes to mind. I imagine you’ve thought the same, Commander.”

“Still, let’s hear it.”

“Aton mentioned before that the southern lands had already been made ‘imbalanced’ by the last incident. And now, today’s events happened. The weather changed, and the rifts appeared again.”

Previously, at the southern branch, the abnormal rift had been triggered by sacrificing the life force and mana of foreign traders from the Southern Nation.

Let’s assume that incident fulfilled the “key” condition of imbalance in the southern land and opened the ‘abnormal rift’—a box filled with disaster and chaos.

That box was already opened before. Erasing the single rift that appeared at the branch didn’t close it. Aton’s reaction after being captured had made that fact clear.

If the silence up until now had only been because there was no shock strong enough to shake the box, then a little disturbance could’ve spilled its contents at any time.

And what if that disturbance didn’t have to be mana or life force alone... but could also be something else?

“Then all these abnormal phenomena today... may have been triggered and worsened simply because Awakeners like us fought here and shook the surrounding area.”