"Yuder!"

At the voice calling from behind, Yuder turned his head. Gasping faintly for breath, the members of the Northern Branch who had rushed over quickly surrounded him. They were all wrapped in thick cloaks similar to the one Yuder was wearing, meant to ward off the cold.

"I heard you were away on an urgent mission with the Commander, but when did you get back? You scared the hell out of us!"

"And what was that tremor just now?"

The members seemed more curious about the current situation than where Yuder had been. That, at least, was fortunate for him.

‘Well, of course. I didn’t train them to be the kind who’d get distracted from the immediate goal.’

After briefly scanning their faces, Yuder pointed toward the distant sky.

"Do you see it?"

"Huh? See what?"

"Over there. There’s a monster."

Only then did the members lift their heads with tense expressions. Ishias, shading her eyes with a hand against the snow-glare, was the first to speak after focusing on the same direction.

"Yeah. I see it. A monster that looks like a bird with wings."

"Size and number?"

To Yuder’s calm question, Ishias answered with confidence.

"Around the size of an adult man. Seventeen in total. They're flying in a circle as a group—like predators waiting for the right moment to strike."

"Anything else you can sense?"

"They seem to be using their solid wings to whip up huge gusts of wind to obscure vision and buy time. Once they pick a target, they’ll dive at once, claws and ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) beaks first, aiming to overwhelm it in a coordinated strike."

Ishias Keltara’s ability was Danger Detection. While somewhat ambiguous in nature, it was also an ability with immense potential, depending on how it developed.

When she had first joined the Cavalry, she could do little more than sense and dodge attacks coming directly at her. But now, through Yuder’s training, she had reached the level where she could accurately detect enemies from a considerable distance.

‘It’s different from simply seeing with your eyes. She’s sensing it with her ability. Not many can predict an enemy’s movements and attack patterns this clearly.’

He remembered how, back then, she had wrestled with how best to develop an ability with such versatile potential. Seeing her now, Yuder thought she’d made excellent decisions about where to focus.

He turned to her and nodded.

"No need to add anything to your training regimen."

"...Was that a compliment?"

"Did Ishias just get recognition from Yuder...?"

The rest of the members murmured among themselves, each reacting differently.

‘Of course it was a compliment.’

If anyone had shown signs of dulled senses from slacking off during their time in the North, Yuder would’ve personally put them through special training the moment today’s situation was resolved. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"As you just heard, monsters have appeared in Zilbang. They’re an entirely different type than what usually shows up. The Pelleta Knights dispatched to Zilbang couldn’t handle them alone, so they’re luring them to the basin midway between there and here. The fact that we can see them now means they’re almost here."

"What? Then why are we here instead of heading toward the monsters?"

"Sir Zuckerman is over there now."

At Yuder’s calm reply, the members all let out an "Ah" in unison.

"Right. Sir Zuckerman—he’s a Swordmaster now."

"Maybe it’s because I never went South, but it still doesn’t feel real..."

They weren’t the only ones. Anyone who hadn’t visited the South or the capital probably couldn’t fully grasp Kishiar’s swordsmanship either.

In fact, many who’d lived their entire lives in the North still didn’t know exactly how skilled Nathan Zuckerman was. Whether they knew him personally or not didn’t matter. That only meant Nathan had kept his power thoroughly hidden. In other words...

‘It means he never had the opportunity to show what he’s truly capable of.’

One thing Yuder had realized after coming to Pelleta: although the region’s main business was subjugating monsters—a rather mercenary-like enterprise—there were surprisingly few individuals of outstanding ability among their forces.

‘Well, it starts with Weliven. And even the Pelleta knights I met before didn’t stand out as having exceptional talent.’

Although Nathan Zuckerman, a Swordmaster, held the line, he hadn’t always participated in every battle. And since following Kishiar to the capital, he hadn’t even returned to Pelleta.

Most Pelleta residents had lived without knowing he was a Swordmaster. Whether Nathan or their master held that title didn’t seem to matter much to them.

That was because Kishiar had trained them to be self-reliant, able to defend themselves without relying on him or Nathan. Individually, they might be ordinary—but together, they wielded power equal to or greater than any army or knightly order. That confidence had become the backbone of the entire force.

A very Kishiar-like approach.

‘But now that Nathan Zuckerman has decided to make his name known, it’s time to show what he can do.’

If his debut came from defending Pelleta, even that taciturn knight would be satisfied.

Suppressing a sharp smile, Yuder said,

"Sir Zuckerman will switch out with the team luring the monsters and join the fight. He won’t be alone—he’ll be with five knights who are especially quick on their feet. As for us—"

He paused briefly, then turned as if to display the eastern tower in its entirety, gesturing for them to look.

"We’re going to support them from here."

The cramped top of the tower, barely enough space for ten people. No roof, just open air and a dusty, mossy scent from ancient stones. Only Yuder’s voice rang out, clear and unwavering.

The members didn’t respond right away. Maybe they were too stunned to guess what they were supposed to do here. Or maybe they simply thought it was absurd.

But after the silence passed, the first to speak up said something Yuder hadn’t expected.

"Got it. What do we do? Just tell us."

It was Edin—who, after returning from the Red Stone recovery mission in their past life, had withdrawn from all activity citing health problems.

"You told us to bring bows, so I’m guessing you already had a plan?"

Following Edin’s lead, Aks, who had vanished without a word and returned with a grim face, also spoke up.

"I was honestly kind of disappointed I couldn’t go South, but now I don’t mind. I’m looking forward to this. Just give me an order—I can handle anything."

Even Felicia—who had sided with those who refused to acknowledge Yuder as the new commander after Kishiar stepped down and disappeared—chimed in.

"I’m not bad with a bow, you know..."

And even Valmore—one of the many who had vanished without so much as a resignation, disappearing without a trace.

"Then we’re all in agreement! What do we start with?"

Finally, even Ishias, who had never stood out or shown any presence within the unit until now, spoke up.

The members who had held the Northern Branch together—and who had once joined Kishiar’s Red Stone retrieval mission in the previous life—were now all declaring their willingness to follow Yuder’s lead.

Yuder felt an odd, complex emotion stirring in his chest. He’d received similar trust from others before, but this was different because he knew exactly what these people had done in their past lives.

‘Chances are... in the previous life, Kishiar didn’t choose them because he thought they could actually help him.’

That Kishiar had likely aimed to retrieve the Red Stone alone, in total secrecy. He would have chosen people most convenient to silence if anything happened. And in the end, they had indeed vanished quietly, never speaking of what occurred.

This time, however, Yuder had picked those who had some level of camaraderie with him and the skill to match. A completely different starting point.

‘I used to wonder why Kishiar chose me this time instead of last time... but now I understand.’

The previous Yuder had hidden nothing. This Yuder, however, had hidden everything. And Kishiar was the kind of man who drew closer to those he suspected most, wanting to observe them directly. That’s why he’d used the Red Stone mission to get a closer look at what Yuder was hiding.

Yuder swept his gaze across the members in front of him.

‘They were just disposable cards in the past life... But not today.’

Today, Yuder planned to blend his own approach with Kishiar’s—and fight together with them.

To let them fully display the strength they had to protect others.

And to help them realize they could act independently, without leaning too heavily on outliers like Yuder or Kishiar.

He held out his hand toward Ishias, who was holding a bow.

"Give it to me."

Weliven had responded to Yuder’s unusual request without question. He’d sent a finely tuned wooden bow, paired with a slender quiver. Inside were about twenty arrows, their tips carefully sharpened.

"Isn’t that too few arrows? Should I go grab more?"

"No. That won’t be necessary."

Yuder detached the quiver from the bow and positioned it just below the tower railing, almost like planting it there. The members crowded around him.

Inspecting the empty bow, he unhesitatingly extended both arms and drew into a stance. Far in the distance, just a dot against the sky, the shadows of the circling monsters could be seen. He stared straight at that dot, then slowly released tension from the drawn string.

"This should be enough."

Monsters weren’t the only ones who knew how to hunt.

The voice that signaled the start of battle rang out with an eerie chill.