"Is that the village?"

"Yes."

Their destination had finally come into view. Though it was called a village, its total population didn't even rival a single unit within the Cavalry. There wasn’t even a basic perimeter fence like most settlements had—proof of how small it really was.

Yuder approached the entrance of the village, which appeared suddenly out of the forest, without hesitation. As they stepped inside, all eyes turned to them—the villagers pausing in the middle of their work.

"Hm. They seem quite wary."

"It's because we don’t look like common foragers or hunters, but we’re also not travelers loaded with gear. No need to worry."

Only about a year had passed in real time, so it was natural—but the village hadn’t changed much from how Yuder remembered it.

Feels strange... it’s been twelve years in my memory, so just like the house, the fact that nothing's changed feels oddly out of place.

Still, it made finding the store easy. Yuder headed straight to a building cluttered with odds and ends and stepped inside. An elderly woman, dozing behind the counter, startled awake from the cold breeze that came with the door opening.

At first, she looked a little intimidated by Kishiar’s tall figure, but then her eyes narrowed at Yuder, and she craned her neck forward.

"Hm? You look familiar..."

"..."

"Wait... were you that kid from the Sheltertree House, the one who used to bring wood?"

Yuder gave a quiet nod. The old woman sprang to her feet.

"Heavens. You disappeared so suddenly—we wondered where you'd gone, and now you're back. Where on earth have you been?"

Yuder felt a little caught off guard. He remembered their past interactions as little more than the occasional exchange of necessities and a handful of mundane questions. Her warm welcome was unexpected.

He hesitated slightly, unsure how much to share, but decided to be honest.

"I went to the Capital."

"What? All the way to the Capital by yourself? Wasn’t that dangerous?"

"I was fine. I passed the Cavalry entrance exam there. I’m with the Cavalry now."

"The what? Cavalry? What’s that?"

Living isolated in the mountains, news from outside reached this place incredibly slowly. Although the news of the Red Stone and the Cavalry’s formation had eventually made its way to the region, no one had connected it to Yuder.

This village isn’t near a stationed military base like the ones closer to where the Red Stone fell... and as far as I recall, I was the only Awakener here when I left. No wonder they don’t know about the Cavalry.

Though technically closer to the Red Stone’s landing site than many places, this was also the most remote.

As Yuder deliberated how to explain, Kishiar wrapped an arm around his shoulder and cheerfully interjected.

"Dear madam, if I may clarify—His Majesty the Emperor created the Cavalry to gather individuals with special talents."

"Eh?"

The old woman blinked, looking back and forth between Kishiar and Yuder several times.

"A relative... maybe?"

"Hahaha, no, not a relative. But I am in the Cavalry too. I’m very close to Yuder and was specially invited to come visit."

Kishiar beamed as if he'd been waiting for that very question.

Technically... nothing he said is wrong.

Kishiar was a Cavalry member. And a lover was far closer than any cousin, especially one Yuder had never even met. But of course, no one here would interpret it that way. It was uncanny how smoothly he twisted the truth without a single lie.

"Oh my, I see. You two looked so similar, this old lady must have gotten confused."

"Please feel free to speak casually. I’d feel bad if you were uncomfortable."

"Can I? I mean, you said the Emperor chose you..."

"Of course. The Cavalry was created by His Majesty to protect everyone in the Empire. You don’t need to worry at all."

"Is that so?"

With a soft and easygoing manner, Kishiar had the old woman smiling in no time. He went on to praise the Cavalry, emphasize how remarkable Yuder was, and extracted both the village’s history and tales of young Yuder’s visits from the woman like a master interviewer. To Yuder, it felt like Kishiar had managed to learn more in this one conversation than he had in all his years of visiting this shop.

"I’d been looking forward to visiting ever since I heard this was a place Yuder often came to. Now that I’m here, I can see it really is beautiful."

"That boy rarely came down to the village after his grandfather passed. We were worried, but to hear he succeeded in the Capital and brought such a fine friend... it’s a relief. Come by anytime if you need anything."

"Thank you."

After what sounded like a conversation between a native and a lifelong friend, Yuder finally got the chance to do what he’d come here for.

"...I’d like to buy some vegetables and eggs."

The old woman, beaming, packed far more than the requested amount. In all his years buying food here, Yuder had never once received such a generous bonus.

"You really don’t have to give me so much extra..."

"No, no. Today’s a happy day, so take it. I owed your grandfather so much back in the day—this is the least I can do."

"..."

"At first, your eyes looked so different that I thought you were someone else. But seeing you like this, there's no doubt. If your grandfather could see how much you've ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) grown, he’d be so proud."

How could he possibly refuse after that? Yuder simply nodded.

When they stepped back outside, the sun had already sunk low.

How long did that conversation go on?

As he looked on in mild disbelief, Kishiar stood beside him, glowing with joy. Despite Yuder’s protests, he’d packed the goods into boxes and effortlessly carried them himself.

"That was such a fulfilling experience. The shopkeeper is such a kind and lovely woman."

"I’ve never taken so long just to buy eggs before."

"Hahaha."

"Let’s hope the butcher hasn’t closed yet."

Thankfully, the butcher was still open. The gruff, broad-shouldered man, who’d barely exchanged words with Yuder in the past, actually looked surprised to see them. What followed was almost a carbon copy of what had happened at the grocer’s, and when it was over, Yuder stepped out feeling like he’d aged a few more years.

Kishiar came out grinning, carrying a box stuffed with nearly three times the amount of meat they’d paid for.

"That’s everything, right?"

"For today, yes."

"Good. Let’s head back."

"Isn’t that heavy? We should split—"

"Nope. This is my joy. Doing what you want is a guest’s privilege."

Carrying heavy supplies up a mountain counted as joy?

Given that he was humming while walking, he really didn’t seem to find it difficult. Yuder couldn’t find the heart to argue further.

The path back home was pitch-dark, not a single light in sight. But walking the forest trail with Kishiar gave the darkness a strangely different feeling. It seemed Kishiar felt the same.

"The moon’s bright, but the stars... there are so many. Feels like they might come tumbling down."

"Yes. This place is high in elevation, and the sky is usually clear. People always said the stars were more visible here."

"Living in a place like this, I doubt any other night sky would’ve impressed you much."

"Not really. If anything, the palace nights are far more dazzling."

Even at night, the Imperial Palace never truly went dark. Nightstones lit the halls, and beautiful lanterns extended across the grounds in elegant arrays. During festivals, colored magical lights strung between towers made for an unforgettable view. The first time Yuder saw it, he’d been mesmerized too.

The stated purpose of all that lighting was to help nighttime workers and deter assassins—but on the surface, it created a spectacle unlike anywhere else. To hear someone who had grown up amid that light now praise the stars here—it felt oddly embarrassing.

"Not true. No matter how bright manmade light is, it can never surpass the light of nature. This—this is far more beautiful. But..."

Kishiar paused and chuckled softly, turning his head toward Yuder.

"...it’s probably also true that it feels so beautiful and moving because I’m here with you."

"..."

"I think... no night sky from here on will ever move me more than this one."