“You’re here.”

Yuder returned the bow as he was greeted by Nathan Zuckerman. The loyal knight was, once again, already waiting at the bottom of the stairs before Yuder came down.

Impressive. I didn’t send any signal this time, but he still noticed.

Yuder was genuinely impressed by his perceptiveness.

Unless someone possessed an ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ overwhelming level of power that made common sense meaningless—like Kishiar—most Swordmasters Yuder had met weren't this sharply attuned. Compared to regular people, of course, they had vastly superior senses. But rarely had any of them managed to detect Yuder’s presence when he deliberately moved without revealing his energy.

And yet, Nathan Zuckerman had responded swiftly to Yuder’s faint presence. Granted, Yuder hadn’t gone all out to hide himself, and Nathan had likely been focusing intently on the upper floors—but even so, it was worth acknowledging.

“Why do you look at me like that?”

The knight seemed to notice Yuder’s gaze and asked.

“I was simply admiring your abilities, Sir Zuckerman. You were already here without me sending any magical signal.”

It was an honest answer, but Nathan looked slightly flustered, as though it were the first time he’d received praise. It was a stark contrast to his earlier, impassive demeanor when dealing with Yuder as a new member of the Cavalry—or the wary, scrutinizing look he’d given him later.

“I kept my senses focused here while awake, that’s all. Even so, sensing your presence without a signal wasn’t exactly easy.”

“And yet you timed it perfectly. To me, it seems like your skill has reached a new level since before... wouldn’t you agree?”

“...You’re right.”

The knight admitted it candidly.

“Since returning from the South, I’ve had a bit of a personal breakthrough. Thanks to that, the aura that had long been stagnant has begun to shift.”

It was about the sword—and so his expression subtly relaxed.

Apparently, the battles with the monsters in the South and watching Yuder’s sparring with Meghna Curlieva had been quite the stimulation for Nathan Zuckerman as well.

I heard that once someone becomes a Swordmaster, it’s even harder to improve further—but he’s grown stronger. That’s something different from my past life...

Yuder’s last memory of Nathan Zuckerman in his previous life was of him silently following behind Kishiar as they departed for Peleta. He hadn’t spoken to anyone—just walked one step behind his lord like a great stone. Back then, Nathan seemed utterly devoid of interest in personal achievements. Even after Kishiar’s death... perhaps especially after.

At that time, like Kishiar, Nathan had felt like someone whose thoughts were completely unreadable. But now—now, he felt undeniably human. Not a stone, but a knight who devoted himself to his lord and also pursued the sword with sincerity.

If only I had known this in my previous life.

With a hint of regret, Yuder offered a formal congratulations.

“Congratulations.”

“It’s nothing. Compared to our lord, I still have a long way to go.”

Then, glancing past Yuder, Nathan continued.

“Also, just to inform you... It’s been two days since you last came down. His Grace... still hasn't come out.”

Two days...

That meant it had been two days since he’d gone back up after receiving the bread and towel. Added to everything else, Kishiar had spent about a week total in rut—it wasn’t exactly a short time.

But it’s fine. He made it through safely, without any problems. That’s enough.

Though the final conversation they had might’ve made Kishiar a bit sad, Yuder was fine. The only thing that mattered was the truth—that no matter when or where, Kishiar la Orr had trusted and leaned on Yuder.

If Yuder was fine, then Kishiar would be too. It wasn’t blind optimism. The warm gaze of trust that Kishiar had shown him throughout the rut made him believe that.

Yuder nodded.

“The rut is essentially over now. We had a proper conversation earlier.”

He explained that he’d blocked Kishiar from coming down for now to let him rest and that he was asleep. Nathan’s eyes brightened.

“That’s a relief.”

“So... was there any trouble during those two days? I’d like to check in with the Northern branch, if possible.”

At that, the knight’s eyebrows twitched slightly, as if caught off guard.

“There’s nothing that would require your immediate attention, same as before. But... would it not be better to rest a little longer?”

“I’m fine. I just want to get a better grasp of the situation before His Grace wakes up. So there’s no need to worry.”

After putting Kishiar to bed and tidying the room, Yuder had left immediately. Something told him—pure instinct—that even Kishiar would need several more hours to wake. So he wanted to get as much done as possible before then.

Knowing Kishiar, once he’s back to himself, he’ll throw himself into work right away. I should clear whatever I can in advance.

“But...”

Nathan hesitated. Judging by his expression, he likely assumed Yuder wasn’t feeling well—probably due to the deep winter cloak that covered him from head to toe and his slightly hoarse voice.

I want to say it’s just my voice, that I’m perfectly fine...

Thanks to sleeping, eating, and... bonding with Kishiar, his strength had returned to normal. He wore the cloak only because of the marks left on his body—not because he was physically unwell.

But before Yuder could say anything, Nathan spoke first.

“...Actually, some staff sent by His Majesty the Emperor arrived. They brought a letter as well, containing an imperial command. It states that, as punishment for disobeying a royal order, both the Cavalry Commander and his aide will be subject to an additional two weeks of confinement after their leave ends.” 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“...What?”

“If you don’t believe me, here. I brought the letter.”

Nathan really did pull out a small scroll from his coat and handed it over. When Yuder opened it, there it was: the Emperor’s signature stamped on a formal decree, ordering two additional weeks of confinement for Kishiar la Orr and Yuder Aile.

What the hell...

“So even if you’d like to return to work, I recommend resting a bit longer.”

It was a completely ridiculous reason. But Yuder had one just as compelling not to yield. He didn’t want to be absent any longer—for Kishiar’s sake, and to confirm signs of impending disaster.

He hesitated, then spoke.

“But the Emperor’s command only takes effect once our leave officially ends, doesn’t it? That’s not now. It may sound like I’m being stubborn, but the truth is—no one wants to return to the Commander’s side faster than I do. If you helped, we might even finish things sooner. Isn’t that the rational choice?”

“...”

“Help me out, will you?”

Nathan finally fell silent. After a moment of thought, he let out a quiet breath, then raised his hand in a brief salute. It was the Peleta Knights’ signal of acceptance.

“Understood. Even if His Grace were here, I think he would’ve said the same. You’re not trying to sneak off without me. If I accompany you, I think it’ll be fine. Is it just the Northern branch you’d like to visit?”

“That, and...”

He was in the middle of replying—

When suddenly, the ground beneath them gave a faint tremble.