Without a word, Yuder handed the journal to Inon. Opening to the first page, Inon stared at it for a long time without speaking.

Eventually, he let out a deep sigh beneath his furrowed brow and closed the cover. Turning his head toward Yuder, he met his gaze with an unreadable expression. Yuder didn’t look away.

“...If it weren’t for you, I never would’ve even considered coming back here. Even if I had, I definitely wouldn’t have found this on my own. That much I’m sure of.”

The hidden research, including Luma’s journal, hadn’t been found by sheer coincidence. It was thanks to the chain of events that began in the West—finding the First Duke of Ta-in’s secret lab and experiencing everything that followed—that they’d made it here. But Yuder didn’t think it was his own achievement.

Being able to come here, being able to uncover the hidden research, had ultimately been possible because of Inon. If he hadn’t made the decision to leave the Capital, if he hadn’t kept trying and chosen a different path, no matter how hard Yuder tried, he never would’ve seen this.

He was about to say so, but Inon shook his head with a faintly complicated smile, as if he already knew what Yuder was going to say.

“Honestly, I never imagined Luma would’ve left me any kind of message. I just figured I’d look for what she left behind and pass on whatever was useful. But... she believed that one day I’d come here seeking help—and she left this behind. Even wrote something weird, like she was worried about me.”

“......”

Inon gave a short laugh. After blinking slowly, the complicated emotions seemed to clear from his eyes, leaving a new clarity behind.

“Anyway... one thing’s clear now.”

“What is?”

“Luma must’ve left this after she returned to Ghilandre Hill. And there’s something in this message she didn’t have before—certainty. What do you think that means?”

A certainty she hadn’t had before.

When she left Ghilandre Hill, Grand Mage Luma believed her research into turning back time had failed. Even when she created the Guardian, she wasn’t fully sure that a moment would come where their role would be needed.

But after returning, she wrote that message. She left behind the failed research and chose to preserve it—thinking it might one day become useful information for the future Inon.

Just like Kishiar had said earlier, maybe the difference was that she’d gained the belief that someone else—someone with the same purpose and path—would appear someday.

“That Commander wasn’t wrong. I think Luma hoped that if someone like you ever showed up, I’d be there to protect and help you as the Guardian. I wonder what made her so sure something like that would happen while she was gone.”

“Maybe it’s in the journal... somewhere.”

“Then look for it. She might’ve left more.”

Inon shrugged and handed the journal back to Yuder.

“Like I said before—I’ll be organizing and examining the materials. You stick to reading that thing, as we agreed.”

“Actually, may I help with that too?”

Kishiar stepped in smoothly. Inon narrowed his eyes.

“With what exactly?”

“Sorting the materials. From what I’ve been watching, following Luma’s method means identifying and manipulating the flow of mana in a specific pattern, correct? I don’t have insight like Yuder, but I think I can learn that part.”

“If it were simple enough to learn with one explanation, don’t you think I’d have asked already? I deliberately didn’t. Besides, I heard your current state doesn’t allow you to use magic frequently.”

Even at that pointed remark, Kishiar just smiled calmly.

“I never said it was easy. The pharmacist is right. But shifting mana and casting spells aren’t the same. And if the method itself is the issue, well... I don’t think it’ll be too difficult. From what I’ve seen over your shoulder, it’s roughly...”

He raised his hand and drew a pattern in the air. The motion was similar to a mage drawing a magic circle—but not quite the same. Yuder didn’t know what it was, but judging by Inon’s stunned expression, it meant something.

“...What the hell? How do you—? Is there information about Luma’s magic in the Imperial Palace?”

“No. Like I said—I just watched what you did just now.”

“Bullshit. You expect me to believe you picked that up just from looking?”

“I don’t like using magic, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand it. If I concentrate, I can grasp the basics in my own way. I’ve picked up swordsmanship and Awakener abilities too, after all.”

At that, Inon finally seemed to believe him—at least a little. Staring at Kishiar like he was witnessing the most absurd thing in the world, he let out a groan from deep within.

“...Insane.”

After a moment of hesitation, Inon finally called him over, seemingly deciding to actually teach him how to analyze materials using Luma’s methods.

“Let me make this clear. Even if you manage to pull it off, reading the material is a different issue. It’s all in archaic language. Maintaining the mana flow while quickly reading that stuff? Can you even manage that?”

“I don’t know what your definition of ‘quick’ is, but if it’s not a precise translation you need, then archaic texts aren’t that different from others.”

“How fast do you read other books?”

“Give me an evening and I can thoroughly read all twelve volumes of the Imperial Law Code.”

“...I’ll explain once. Try it. Just know—if you fail, the mana will drain you dry and you could die.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Smiling faintly, Kishiar followed Inon to the tree. After Inon explained using gestures while holding a wooden fragment, he handed it over. Kishiar examined it briefly, then drew out a thread of golden mana from his fingertip.

Yuder tensed, gathering strength in case something went wrong—but nothing did.

The wooden fragment, wrapped in Kishiar’s mana, remained perfectly stable. The success was made immediately clear by Inon’s curse.

“Unbelievable. Are you even human?!”

“Perfectly human. Foolish, fragile... I would’ve vanished long ago without the sacrifices of others.”

He said it so lightly, turning his gaze toward Yuder with a wink—perhaps to make sure he didn’t take the words too seriously.

“Anyway, looks like it worked. I’ll finally be useful here. I was hoping to at least get a grasp of what’s here before returning. Good thing I pulled it off.”

The heavy mood surrounding Luma’s intentions vanished entirely. Though Inon cursed like a machine gun about the absurdity of it all, he didn’t stop Kishiar from helping with the material sorting.

Then I...

Yuder couldn’t read the archaic language ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) and couldn’t help with their part—but he could read Luma’s journal with his insight. So he sat down and opened it again.

Amidst the focused atmosphere, dawn passed and daylight returned.

By midday, Yuder and Kishiar stepped outside Ghilandre Hill together. Kishiar exhaled a warm breath into the air, then smiled.

“It’s chilly, but the weather’s nice.”

“You barely slept at all. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Of course. Aren’t you the one who should be exhausted? You sure you don’t want to rest more before we leave?”

“I’m fine. If I need sleep, I can rest after we return to the Cavalry.”

“Still, riding while tired is—”

“Oh, shut up and get going already!”

Inon burst out of the house, shouting.

“I still have to dig through all these documents!”

“Don’t push yourself. Take breaks.”

Yuder answered calmly. Inon scoffed.

“Hah! You think you can say that to me?”

“The Commander already said he memorized the full inventory and content structure. Now that sorting can happen here too, there’s no rush.”

“Yeah, right. What the hell even is that guy?”

Yuder had meant it to ease the pressure, but Inon just looked at him like the world had lost its mind.

And really, it had been absurd—Kishiar had memorized all the materials hidden in Luma’s lab, from dawn until morning. He hadn’t absorbed the meaning of everything—he’d just memorized it outright, planning to sort and analyze later. It was impossible, yet he’d done it with a smile.

Even Inon, who wasn’t fully human, had been left speechless.

And Kishiar, still calm and smiling, bowed his head politely toward Inon.

“Well, I’ll leave the rest in your hands. I’d love to stay longer, but there’s work waiting for me elsewhere. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to send word.”

“Yeah, yeah. And make sure he doesn’t overdo it. Don’t just keep throwing missions at him.”

“Haha. Of course. I’ll even have someone occasionally sneak lemons into the First Emperor’s statue in case you ever need to visit.”

“......”

Inon didn’t say it was unnecessary. He just glared at Yuder and grumbled.

“Anyway. It’s still your damn vacation, so go rest. Forget about this place for now.”

“I haven’t finished reading Luma’s journal yet.”

“You’re going to Peleta, right? Read it on the way.”

With that, he gave a lazy wave and turned back inside without hesitation. Yuder watched the landscape of Ghilandre Hill for a moment, then turned away.

“...Let’s go.”

“Yeah. Shall we ride side by side this time?”

Kishiar smiled and reached for Yuder’s hand. Yuder glanced at it for a second—then didn’t pull away.