...What the hell.

So all that intense thinking up to now had been meaningless? What kind of nonsense was that? Yuder blinked, momentarily stunned, but the door before him showed no signs of reopening. He let out a small sigh and glanced out the hallway window to gauge ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the moon’s position.

The day hadn’t passed yet. Which meant he’d best get moving to the Commander’s office where Kishiar would likely be.

But not everything goes as planned. Just as he was bounding up the stairs, Yuder ran into Nathan Zuckerman coming from the opposite direction.

“Sir Aile. Are you on your way to the office?”

“I am.”

“The Duke isn’t there right now.”

“What...? I wasn’t informed he had anywhere else to be.”

Hadn’t Kishiar said earlier he would head straight back to the office? And there hadn’t been any other scheduled matters. That he had gone off somewhere alone without even his aide was baffling.

Nathan Zuckerman paused for a moment before speaking again, this time more slowly.

“To be precise, as soon as he returned, the Duke used the bath, tidied the office, and packed his belongings. Then he told me that once the final checks were done, I could leave and rest. After that, he looked toward the door, as if waiting for something, and then left.”

“......”

“He didn’t take a coat, and he didn’t mention a destination, so I doubt he went far. Based on experience... I’d guess he’s still somewhere inside the building.”

Still inside the Cavalry building...

That part about him staring at the door like he was waiting for someone, combined with the idea that he might still be nearby, stirred rapidly through Yuder’s thoughts before suddenly crystallizing.

No way...

“...I see. You’ve saved me a wasted trip. Thank you.”

“I heard the departure for Peleta is scheduled after your return from tomorrow’s outing. I’ll see you then.”

Nathan Zuckerman passed by. Yuder immediately spun around and ran toward a different stairwell.

The building was silent in the depth of night. Only the faint glow of luminescent stones embedded along the hallway flickered softly. The corridors were dark, empty of any trace of Kishiar. And unlike when he was desperately searching for someone and the golden thread would often appear, there was no such connection now.

But Yuder wasn’t troubled. He was certain this was the right path.

Or maybe... the reason the link isn’t appearing now is because I already feel so sure.

Kishiar, as the Cavalry Commander, could go anywhere in the building. But if he had wanted to wait for Yuder to return, there was only one place he would have chosen in advance.

The place where, one night, he had stood bleeding from his torn hand.

Right in front of Yuder’s room.

“......”

In the faint light of the luminous stones, a familiar figure came into view.

Yuder’s unwavering conviction finally took form.

“Commander.”

At Yuder’s voice, the man turned his head. The features that had been hidden in the shadows now revealed a gentle smile.

“Did you accomplish everything you set out to do?”

Even within the Cavalry building, it was still winter, and the hallways were cold. Seeing Kishiar standing there in light clothing, without even a coat, made Yuder uneasy. Without answering, he grabbed his arm, opened the door, and pulled him inside.

“Please sit down for now.”

Wherever Yuder’s gaze passed, embers flared to life. The lanterns flicked on, firestones flew into the small magic stove, and steam began to rise from the kettle. Watching all this unfold, Kishiar burst into laughter.

“You’re quick.”

“I’m not usually this fast.”

“So you're doing it just for me? That’s unnecessary, you know.”

“The night air is cold.”

Yuder knew full well that Kishiar, who had once dived into freezing deep-sea water, had never so much as caught a cold. He was also fully aware of the inhuman endurance of a Swordmaster.

But that wasn’t the point. Even knowing Kishiar was likely fine, Yuder couldn’t ignore the chill that had seeped into those hands while he had been waiting.

Thankfully, Kishiar didn’t say another word and let Yuder do as he pleased. Even when a blanket from across the room flew over and landed on his head like wrapping paper, or when the magic stove lifted and plopped down near him with a thud, he just smiled.

Finally, Yuder took some tea leaves he found in the corner, scooped them roughly into cups, poured hot water, and placed a cup in front of Kishiar, who then spoke.

“There are some things here I didn’t see the last time I came.”

“......”

“There are a lot more items. Most of all... these flowers.”

Yuder looked at the dried bouquet standing in a small cup on the table. There were many such things scattered around his room now. Eleven cups held dried flowers, and there was also a jar that contained only petals. That jar was as thick as a man’s forearm and had tiny luminous stones sprinkled inside, so at night, it glimmered like starlight.

Naturally, he hadn’t gotten that jar himself. It had been a gift from Gakein, who had seen Yuder looking for cups to store the flowers. Gakein had said something like, “I don’t know what you're using it for, but if it’s for decoration, this is better than a dining cup.” In hindsight, it had been very helpful.

Still, the room’s gotten pretty cluttered. I should probably reorganize soon...

Yet somehow, when he looked at the man seated among the flower-filled cups, like the largest bloom of all, the room didn’t seem cluttered at all. On the contrary, it looked oddly beautiful. Ridiculously so.

Wrapped in the blanket like a parcel and reaching out with his hand, Kishiar tapped one of the flower cups with a finger and laughed. The shadow of his long lashes flickered above his lowered eyes.

“...I didn’t know you kept those flowers all this time. Don’t people say anything?”

“No one else enters this room. So it doesn’t matter.”

“I see...”

Kishiar’s smile deepened.

After the flowers had arrived, Yuder had told the staff not to clean his room anymore. If he stayed away too long, it would get a bit dusty, but he could clean that easily enough. It wasn’t a bother.

Yuder stared down at his tea and spoke.

“I asked Inon what people usually do for birthdays. He got quite angry. Not that it’s unusual.”

“I already told you it was enough for me. There was no need.”

“Yes. But for me, it wasn’t.”

His voice—Yuder realized even as he said it—sounded unfamiliar, surprisingly firm, and heavy with something he couldn’t hide.

“When I heard you say it was enough, I realized I didn’t want it to end there. That’s why I went to Inon. He’s met far more people than I have.”

“And what did he say?”

Yuder furrowed his brow faintly.

“...He said a few things. But in the end... I’m still not sure.”

“Why? Wasn’t it helpful?”

“No.”

Inon’s suggestions had been logical. If Yuder could give back even one of the many things Kishiar had given him, it might well be the best solution for the moment. But...

“At the very end, he said this. That everything we’d discussed might be pointless anyway, and that maybe the best thing would be to just go and tell you what we’d talked about. Then he closed the door. That was the end.”

“......”

Kishiar’s fingers, which had been absentmindedly playing with the cup of dried flowers, stopped. His red eyes shimmered in the firelight from the magic stove as he looked at Yuder.

He whispered lowly.

“Now I’m really curious. Can you tell me what else you talked about?”

It felt awkward to say it all directly to the one who had caused such confusion, but there was no reason not to. Yuder met his gaze and spoke.

“First, I realized that the usual birthday customs people follow weren’t helpful to me. Inon asked what kind of gifts I’d received before... but I couldn’t remember anything. So I decided to think only about the things I’d received from you, Commander. And then...”

“And then?”

The voice, barely louder than a breath, drew closer. Yuder didn’t avoid it and continued.

“...Then I realized there were too many. So many that I felt I couldn’t return a single one.”

“Haha. Did I really give you that much...?”

“Yes. Truly... too much.”

So much that it would be impossible to list them all—so many things that had stayed with him, always.

The eyes so close now they nearly overlapped... filled with countless emotions and melted into a quiet smile.

“...That pharmacist was right, after all.”