Would it really be possible for an ordinary commoner to obtain multiple, relatively unknown magical research books? And not even from the same country—they were all published in different nations, with topics that lacked any clear connection?

Even Yuder, who had no real interest in magic, knew that this bordered on the impossible.

“Sure, I suppose there might be someone out there who collects anything as long as it’s written by mages. But people like that are usually just satisfied with the act of collecting itself. They wouldn’t leave behind signs of having read the books repeatedly like this.”

“Yes. I think so too... but no matter how hard I try to recall, I just don’t know.”

The grandfather in Yuder’s memory had never shown even the slightest interest in magic. He was utterly, absolutely ordinary. To think that there might have been a side of his grandfather hidden within these books that Yuder had never known—he felt confused and at a loss.

As if he had read those emotions, Kishiar stood with a soft smile.

“Well, the category I mentioned earlier—‘someone related to magic’—can actually include a wide range of professions. Not just mages, but also people hired by mages. And the number of individuals affiliated with institutions under the Court Mage Bureau or partners of the Pearl Tower is beyond counting.”

“...”

“It’s surprising, yes—but honestly, I find it rather exciting.”

The man who loved tales of adventure had a glimmer in his eyes.

“If we look closely, we might find some kind of hidden connection between these books—something we haven’t even guessed yet. And even if we don’t... what does it matter? It doesn’t change the fact that he was someone who loved you like family.”

Only then did Yuder feel a sense of peace. He nodded slowly and exhaled a long breath.

“Yes. You’re right.”

Yes. Kishiar was right.

What did it matter who his grandfather had been? He hadn’t wondered about it before, and he had lived remembering only the grandfather he’d known. Learning more now wouldn’t change anything.

The only thing that truly mattered was that this man had raised young Yuder with care and had loved him like his own grandson.

That was enough.

As Kishiar carefully gathered the scattered books and placed them in boxes, he asked politely,

“Would it be alright if I looked through the rest of the paper bundles here, including the ledgers?”

Yuder told him that he didn’t need to ask for permission—he could look through whatever he liked. He decided to think of it as Kishiar finding a good way to spend his remaining few days here.

Then, Kishiar discovered the child-sized chair Yuder had pulled out and clapped a hand over his mouth in delight. Saying things like how unbearably cute it was and asking if Yuder wouldn’t sit in it again—his rapid-fire excitement made all of Yuder’s earlier surprise melt away like it had never existed.

***

Late that night. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

After dinner, the two of them sat back to back, illuminated by the soft light of the oil lamp and the glowing mana stove, each working on their own tasks.

Yuder opened the bundle of letters he’d brought from Peleta. Since arriving here, he’d been reading and replying to a few every day. Just dealing with the official ones kept him busy, so he was only now starting to go through the personal ones.

Most of the personal letters were friendly notes from Cavalry members on vacation. Sending someone a letter during vacation... That was such a foreign concept to Yuder, who had never even had a proper break in his previous life.

—To Yuder. You’ve probably already heard, but our family made it through that sudden anomaly incident without a scratch! My younger siblings, though... they keep talking about the Commander. They even asked how to become Awakeners. I didn’t know they were so weak to good looks. I seriously have no idea where to even start teaching them. I asked around and the only advice I got was that maybe I should just focus on improving my looks. Useless jokes...

The letter from Gakein in the South was so vivid it was easy to picture his signature awkward smile while reading it.

—Yuder. I’m having a great time in the capital with Ever. We’re all staying at Steber’s place, and inviting other people over to eat and hang out is so much fun. I mean, sure, I’m technically working under a special summons from His Majesty, but honestly the fun outweighs the duty. I’ve eaten so much bread I feel like my stomach might explode every day. If you were here, everything would be perfect... Next time, come visit too!

Kanna’s letter, even though she was technically still working in the capital, was as bright and cheerful as ever—so very like her.

—To Yuder. These days I’m following one of the knights of House Diarca under His Majesty’s orders. And this guy... as I felt before, he’s seriously too strange to comprehend. Every few minutes he looks around, saying he’s checking for assassins, yet he’s never once actually noticed any of us. It’s suspicious enough to make me wonder if he’s doing it on purpose. Kanna and Steber both say it’s fine, but I’m worried. Could you let me know if I should just leave him alone?

Ever, who had started doubting whether Kiole la Diarca’s stupidity might actually be a disguised strategy, was also included.

—To Senior Yuder! I asked the other seniors and they said it’s okay to write a letter, so here it is. This is my first letter. I’m happy I learned how to write. Sorry for writing. But I will write again next time. Please allow it. Thank you. From Elpokin.

Elpokin’s letter, with its messy scrawl and complete lack of content, was followed by several others just like it from new recruits.

The Elder siblings had sent letters too—far more composed than before, though still filled with their usual cheekiness.

Members from the other branches also included their current status and questions for Yuder, alongside mentions of the recent anomaly. In one letter, Jimmy asked Yuder to explain in detail what it had been like going to Peleta with the Commander, which left Yuder a bit flustered.

—A long reply... I wouldn’t even know where to start.

Still, letters from Cavalry members were easy enough to read and respond to. The hardest ones were those from people he didn’t know how had even found the Northern branch address: Duke Mayra Hern, and the Empress—who hadn’t sent anything to Kishiar, but had sent one to Yuder.

Yuder suspected that at least half of what was in the Empress’s letter was probably meant for Kishiar. But after reading it, he realized every single word was clearly directed at him alone.

It was all strange and overwhelming, but not unpleasant.

After reading and replying to the letters, Yuder turned to his reading.

He’d resumed reading Luma’s journal since arriving here—something he hadn’t had time to examine properly before. So far, the content wasn’t much different from what he’d already seen.

Rather than write about himself or people around him, Luma often scribbled disjointed thoughts. Most of them revolved around the status of mages during the early founding period of the Empire.

Tonight’s entry read:

—Children born to priests or renowned knights, if they showed signs of magical power, were never allowed to speak of it. A young mage once said it was better to die than to live under such repression. How many more like him must there be?

—Is magic dangerous? Is it shameful?

—Change is hard. Human life is short. We must do whatever we can.

Honestly, it sounded so much like the things current Awakeners went through that if he hadn’t known better, Yuder would’ve believed it had been written in the present day.

Being called monsters, being driven from their homes, living in fear of their own power... Others who, in contrast, sought power and lost their humanity—or were consumed and killed by it. It all felt too familiar. It was almost eerie.

Was being an Awakener dangerous and shameful? How many times had Yuder Aile asked himself that question?

The belief that they had to do whatever it took to change public perception—Yuder understood that feeling more than anyone. There was probably no mage in history who could grasp that sentence more deeply than he could.

—Who would’ve thought I’d feel this kind of kinship with a grand mage from a thousand years ago...

The feeling was surreal. But it made it all the easier to focus.

—I don’t know if this was written before or after the founding of the Empire... But maybe if I keep reading, I’ll find out.

Maybe Kishiar would have figured it out with the amount of information so far. But he was currently absorbed in reading Yuder’s grandfather’s books from the storage room. Yuder figured he’d wait and ask if things were still unclear after he finished more of the journal.

He continued slowly tracing the text with his finger.

Then he suddenly noticed the next page was completely blank.

—Why is this part empty?

He turned the next page. Blank again. After flipping through more than ten empty pages, he finally found a new passage.

He hadn’t activated his Insight yet, so he couldn’t understand it, but even just looking at it, he could tell something was different. The handwriting was larger, rougher—less like scattered jottings and more like a proper entry, written to fill the entire page.

The moment he saw the densely filled sheet, he felt it clearly: this was something different from everything before.

He stared at the text for a moment, then carefully raised a finger. His Insight activated, and the words began to flow into his mind.

The first sentence read:

—Out of paper. Lucky I found an old notebook I’d lost.

“...”

Yuder pulled his hand back and glared at the writing.

Surely Grand Mage Luma hadn’t written this to mess with him—but from the reader’s perspective, it felt ridiculous. If he’d created a special code that only he himself could read, why was this the kind of thing he wrote with it?

If the man were still alive and in front of him, Yuder would’ve been tempted to say something—grand mage or not.

—Though Inon would never have let me get away with that...

He took a deep breath to calm down, then raised his finger again and focused on the content.