The Cavalry, having returned, was quieter than usual.

It was only natural—more than half of its members were away on leave. But the silence only applied to the usual workspaces. In fact, there was one place that had grown even livelier and noisier than before—the training grounds.

Yuder walked alone toward the direction where the lively voices were coming from. The reason he was alone was twofold: first, because Kishiar had joined up with Nathan Zuckerman and was packing a few more things, requiring Yuder to wait; second, because Lusan, the intended recipient of a letter Inon had handed Yuder before arriving, was there.

“Priest Lusan.”

Inside a tent set up near the entrance to the training ground, Lusan looked up from where he was busily preparing medical supplies.

“Oh! Yuder-nim. I heard you went somewhere briefly with Inon-nim. You’re back already? But... where’s Inon-nim?”

He instinctively looked behind Yuder and, upon seeing that Inon wasn’t there, wore an expression of mild surprise and confusion.

“Inon had something come up at the destination, so he said he’d be staying a few more days. In the meantime, he asked me to deliver this letter.”

“A letter? For me? What kind of matter could make him stay for days...?”

Lusan took the letter with a doubtful face, as if unsure it was really addressed to him. Whatever Inon had written—though Yuder didn’t know the contents—it must have been anticipated, because once Lusan finished reading, he regained his usual bright expression.

“Thank you for delivering it, Yuder-nim. Inon-nim says I should handle the medical division as I see fit until he returns. Haha. But... I suppose you didn’t come here just to see me, did you?”

Lusan’s smiling gaze shifted toward the training ground. Yuder nodded slightly with a faint smile.

“I did come to check who’s present at the training grounds.”

“There are mostly newcomers. Some others from different branches arrived earlier this morning too, so those who guided them, along with the remaining members here, all came out to observe.”

“I see.”

Just as Lusan said, among the group of visibly tense members were both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Yuder spotted the large-framed Elpokin and felt a slight stir of emotion. Elpokin was answering the senior members’ questions stiffly like a wooden puppet while moving his limbs and wings in synchronization.

‘So the Southern branch must’ve arrived first. Makes sense—they must have departed almost immediately after we left.’

Beside him were a few new members who had once belonged to the Star of Nagran. All of them looked tense for their own reasons and hadn’t noticed who had shown up. As Yuder stood watching them quietly, Lusan subtly asked:

“Would you like me to call anyone over, if you’d prefer not to disturb the mood?”

“No, thank you. Technically, I’m on leave right now... If I go in there, I might throw off the atmosphere. I’ll see them all again after finishing my business anyway.”

“You’re right. That’s a good decision. You need to take a proper rest, Yuder-nim.”

He didn’t expect such a comment from Lusan as well—not just from Inon. Yuder quietly gazed at the young priest, who stood with clenched fists, before speaking.

“But you’ve refused awards and haven’t even taken leave yourself. Perhaps you’re the one who needs rest.”

“Eh? No, no. I rest and enjoy myself quite well when Inon-nim’s not looking. I’m not like you, Yuder-nim! Besides, now that more people are here to help, things will ease up even more.”

Lusan shook his head adamantly in rebuttal.

“And as I told the Commander before, I only did what a servant of God is supposed to do. Receiving a reward for that still feels far too shameful. I’m happy as things are. But even if you say you’re fine now, Yuder-nim, I really hope you take some proper rest.”

What could he say to that? When Yuder gave a soft sigh and replied that he understood, Lusan grinned, as if victorious.

“Ah. I also heard from a few members that the Northern branch might arrive a bit later than expected. Apparently, they encountered a village attacked by monsters while en route and stopped to help.”

“Is that so.”

“I was curious about the newcomers from the Northern branch too since I didn’t get to meet them when we were dispatched ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ to the South. But to hear they’re already helping people in danger... it truly feels like the Cavalry. I hope they all arrive safely without serious injuries.”

‘The one in charge of the Northern branch was... Pieni Mofle, I believe.’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Pieni, with her ability to shoot arrows of wind, had represented the Northern branch when the incident in the South occurred. She played a major role against the massive waves and had returned to her branch earlier than those heading to the Capital. Who would’ve thought she’d encounter such an incident again while bringing the new recruits back?

‘I was curious about the Northern newcomers too, but at this rate, I won’t see them until after all my business is wrapped up.’

Unlike with other branches, Yuder hadn’t been able to directly oversee the Northern branch’s recruitment. Still, since its location was right beside Peleta, he hadn’t been too worried. He’d trusted that Kishiar’s people, who were everywhere in that area, would filter the candidates well enough.

When Pieni came for the Southern deployment, she brought only first-generation members. This was because the Northern applicants didn’t include any outstanding individuals comparable to those from other branches.

‘Kishiar and I had personally reviewed applicants from the other branches and picked out promising newcomers, but... not the North.’

Pieni had chosen caution over gambling based on her own judgment. After the Southern incident, she mentioned she might’ve brought a few new faces had she known, but Yuder thought her original decision was the better one—better than risking danger by bringing unproven individuals.

‘Still, I’d have liked to get a look at them by now... but it can’t be helped. I’ll just have to wait until later.’

“Since Pieni is the one in charge, I doubt there’s anything to worry about.”

“Right? Haha.”

As Yuder quietly observed the people in the training ground while talking with Lusan, before long Kishiar and Nathan Zuckerman appeared in the distance. Yuder said his goodbyes to Lusan and turned to leave.

Kishiar, meeting his eyes, glanced over at the training ground and smiled with narrowed eyes.

“You were delivering the pharmacist’s letter to Priest Lusan, weren’t you?”

“Yes. While I was at it, I checked on how many of the newcomers have arrived. I heard the Northern group will be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. Did you hear about it?”

“I read the report just after arriving.”

Kishiar offered a bit more detail than Lusan.

“Fortunately, only a few sustained minor injuries, and the situation was resolved. But the only bridge in the village affected by the monster attack was destroyed during the battle, so they’re staying to repair it.”

“I see.”

“The full situation is in here, so you should see for yourself.”

Kishiar pulled a small letter from inside his coat and handed it to Yuder. The writing on the encrypted Cavalry report was unmistakably Pieni Mofle’s.

She apologized for the delay, explaining they couldn’t leave without repairing the collapsed bridge caused by an explosion during the battle. She listed the names of the members with her and described each of their contributions in detail.

As Yuder read through the names with idle focus, his eyes suddenly halted on one entry.

“Fay – A newcomer, but remained calm and assisted the others. When the villagers panicked after the monster attack, Fay soothed them and gathered information. The credit is all theirs.”

Fay. Fayra. He knew it was a fairly common name among Northern commoners, but he couldn’t help but notice it. Because...

“......”

“Did something strike you as odd?”

Kishiar must have noticed how long Yuder had been staring at one particular line. Yuder pulled his gaze away and answered.

“...There’s a name among the newcomers that caught my attention.”

“Someone you know?”

“Could be... or not. It’s a common name, after all.”

But the Cavalry member Yuder remembered with that name was only one person.

He was also from the North, started as a recruit in the Northern branch, moved to the Capital, and later rose to Vice Commander under Yuder’s command.

And on the day Yuder was executed, that man stood beside the Emperor’s throne, holding his staff.

‘...That man from my past life shouldn’t have joined for another three or four years.’

But Yuder had already seen an earlier-than-expected case with Gloena. There was no guarantee the same couldn’t happen with Fay.

Kishiar, reading Yuder’s expression, smiled and lowered his head slightly. He gently took the letter back and whispered just for the two of them to hear.

“Whoever they are, judging by your face, they don’t seem to hold pleasant memories. Kanna Wand will return from leave around the time the Northern branch arrives. All we need to do is send her a letter beforehand. Who can hide from both the Commander and Vice Commander’s eyes? Don’t worry.”

“...Yes.”

Yuder nodded and let out a long, deep breath.