This time, Emperor Keillusa had ordered Kishiar to withdraw from all affairs and rest. And true to his word, ever since giving that command, he hadn’t contacted Kishiar even once. He hadn’t even informed Kishiar’s informants about anything happening in the Capital, so Kishiar had only barely learned—indirectly and belatedly—about the incident involving Kiole.

But even an emperor like that would be forced to partially rescind his orders if he witnessed the anomaly rift that had appeared across the Empire.

Yuder thought so, but didn’t say it out loud and simply rose from his seat.

“Anyway... For now, we've confirmed that there have been no damages. That alone is a relief. Let’s go.”

“Already?”

“It’s not ‘already.’ Several hours have passed. If we’d followed the original schedule, you would’ve been resting by now. Also... there are some things I’d like to say.”

With the unprecedented event of anomaly rifts appearing across the country, delaying his examination of Kishiar’s health any longer was no longer an option. Reading the firm resolve in Yuder’s gaze, Kishiar softened his expression and stood with him.

“In that case, we have no choice. If any urgent news comes in while I’m away, report it immediately to Nathan or Enk here, regardless of the time. They’ll relay it to me.”

“Understood.”

The people from Peleta and the Northern Cavalry members all bowed their heads in unison. Yuder noticed that quite a few of them were giving him very warm, approving looks.

‘What...?’

In that moment of confusion, Enk slightly raised her bowed head and silently mouthed a message with her lips.

‘Thank you. Please take him quickly.’

“......”

It seemed they believed Yuder had come up with an excuse out of concern and was forcibly dragging Kishiar away to make him rest.

‘I do actually have something to say, not just an excuse... but in the end, I suppose it looks that way.’

It struck Yuder anew just how deeply everyone here cared for and worried about Kishiar.

And... how fragile they still perceived Kishiar to be. That he was someone who couldn’t afford to push himself or move around too much.

“So. What was it you wanted to say to me?”

Back in the Duke’s bedroom, Kishiar spoke as if nothing was out of the ordinary, and Yuder strode up to him.

“You probably already know.”

“I had a feeling you’d say you wanted to examine me again after so long.”

“Exactly. Lie down, please.”

When Yuder pressed a finger lightly to Kishiar’s chest, the man let out a silent chuckle and let himself fall back onto the bed like a delicate bird. Yuder sat beside him and undid his top. Beneath the thick winter garments, his bare shoulder was exposed—and on it still faintly remained the mark Yuder had left during a moment of intense pleasure.

‘......’

Yuder Aile rarely lets his attention stray from a set goal, but in this moment, his eyes were involuntarily drawn to that spot.

“...Did it hurt?”

“Hm?”

“This spot, I mean.”

Yuder gently brushed the faint mark with his finger, and the red eyes blinked, as if only now noticing the lingering trace. A moment later, they curved gently.

“No. Not at all.”

“I’m relieved to hear that... Still, I’ll have to be more careful next time.”

Even if overwhelmed by pleasure, he’d never lost control to the point that a mark lasted this long. The fact that he hadn’t even realized it had happened showed just how out of sorts he’d been then.

‘It must’ve been because Kishiar’s scent grew stronger after coming to Peleta. I was trying so hard to withstand it that I lost myself...’

Maybe he should train himself to resist the scent. As Yuder was thinking that, his eyes half-lowered—

“Don’t.”

As if reading his unnecessary thoughts, Kishiar reached out and touched Yuder’s cheek.

“To be honest... I was thinking it would be nice if more marks like that were left on my body.”

“...Excuse me?”

“You know I’m far greedier than I look.”

His eyes gestured subtly toward the mark on his shoulder as he spoke, his face calm and sincere. Yuder frowned slightly and replied.

“You go to great lengths to ensure no marks are left on me. And yet you’re saying it would be better if I left more on you? That feels strange.”

“Desires don’t always balance out.”

Balance. That word reminded Yuder of his original purpose. He sighed softly and placed his hand on Kishiar’s chest.

“...In any case, before I proceed with the examination, I have a few questions.”

“Sure. Ask anything.”

With his golden hair splayed messily across the sheets, the man answered docilely.

“Lately, it seems you’re finding it harder to control [N O V E L I G H T] your powers. Have you noticed?”

“It’s my body. Of course I have.”

Kishiar smiled wryly and nodded.

“I thought the scent might be particularly affected... Do you think that’s related too?”

“Scent?”

Kishiar echoed the word a beat late. Surprisingly, for someone usually quick-witted, his tone suggested he hadn’t immediately grasped the connection in Yuder’s question.

After a pause, the man narrowed his eyes as if retracing memories. His low voice came slowly.

“Scent. My scent... I thought it hadn’t changed much. I did feel more uplifted being with you here in Peleta, but you seemed the same... It didn’t feel as serious as my power control issues.”

“......”

“Has my scent... been strange?”

His gaze turned cold and still.

Yuder looked into those eyes and hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

“I don’t think ‘strange’ is the right word. But it was certainly different.”

“How exactly?”

Saying it aloud felt oddly awkward. Still, Yuder made an effort to strip all emotion from his voice.

“Your scent intensified dramatically. Much more than usual... Especially at night, when we were together... Honestly, I felt like I might drown in it a few times. I’ve never heard of an Awakener dying from scent, of course.”

The ending was part truth, part jest. But Kishiar didn’t laugh.

“......”

“The scent of an Awakener changes depending on their physical state, so if your other powers were strengthening, the scent increasing with them makes sense. What’s odd is that you weren’t aware of it... but it’s not unprecedented.”

“You’ve seen a case like this before?”

Yuder nodded.

“Among the Two-Star Manifestation Awakeners I knew in the previous game, many showed symptoms like a sudden surge in scent before their rut began—or a change in scent’s tone altogether.”

He’d never seen one whose scent decreased beforehand. But other than that, symptoms varied widely. Some suddenly gave off overpowering fragrances, while others couldn’t stop their scent from spreading whenever they met someone’s eyes.

“Many of them weren’t even aware their scent had increased. That sometimes led to unfortunate incidents.”

He didn’t explain what those “incidents” were. But Kishiar could certainly imagine it.

The man met Yuder’s gaze in silence for a long time.

And finally, he spoke.

“Then you’re saying... this current state of mine could be the early signs of rut.”