The vacation ended in an instant. Yuder put down his spoon and rose from his seat.

“We need to head back immediately.”

“Yes.”

Kishiar stood up without hesitation. Yuder looked at him in silence for a moment, then asked,

“Come to think of it... you wanted to stay here. Aren’t you disappointed?”

“Hmm? Are you worried about me? How considerate.”

Kishiar laughed.

“I’m fine. I only said I wanted to stay if the opportunity arose—and you’ve already shown me this won’t be the only chance.”

Yuder had worried he might be adding yet another quiet sacrifice to the long list of things Kishiar had learned to give up without showing it. But Kishiar’s eyes were genuinely cheerful.

“We still need to return to your house to collect that chair and the rest of your things, after all. No one’s going to complain if we stay another day then.”

“...Yes. That works.”

Yuder nodded, feeling lighter.

“Oh. But there is one thing I regret.”

“What is it?”

“Once the vacation ends, I won’t get to hear you call me you anymore.”

The answer was so unexpected that Yuder reacted a little late.

“...You regret that?”

“Very much so. Truly.”

Kishiar responded with full sincerity, grinning as Yuder stared back at him, blank-faced.

“But it’s alright. Everything has its time. I really like hearing you call me Commander, too. Though... when you said my name, that was electrifying... Hmm. No, come to think of it, I might just be greedy and like everything.”

Yuder looked at the man, who was seriously contemplating which form of address he liked more, and finally opened his mouth.

“I’ll keep work and personal matters separate... but I understand. I also enjoyed it when you called me comfortably, as well as when you entrusted things to me as your aide. So I’ll remember what you said.”

This time, it was Kishiar who paused. Then, blinking, he broke into a smile as fresh as a spring bud rising toward the breeze.

“The best answer.”

They returned to the capital using the same method they’d used to travel from Peleta to the Airik Mountains. When they arrived, the Cavalry headquarters was exactly as it had been before the break.

“Welcome °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° back, Commander. I’m glad to see you’ve finally taken some proper rest.”

“It’s been a while, Steber. You’re looking better yourself.”

“Haha! After a full month of rest, my body’s gone from sore to stronger than ever.”

Steber, the first to arrive upon hearing of their return, beamed as he showed off his arm muscles in jest. It was just like him to exaggerate the recovery of the arm he’d secretly struggled to move due to side effects from his powers—just to reassure Yuder.

“That’s enough greetings. Let’s get the status report first.”

“Two weeks ago, the Cavalry’s official vacation period ended. Per your orders, all members have returned to their posts.”

Two weeks had passed since they left Peleta. During that time, no new anomalies had appeared. Despite being on vacation, members had entered emergency watch mode and monitored their assigned regions. The end of the break didn’t mean they would let down their guard.

“The branches have been reestablishing communication systems with local lords, reinforcing security and planning joint responses for emergencies. Most of them have been cooperative.”

“‘Most’ suggests some haven’t been.”

“I’ve heard the lords in the East were particularly uncooperative. Apparently, it’s a region that’s historically disliked Awakeners.”

That wasn’t surprising. The Diarca family held strong influence there, and unlike other regions, the East hadn’t seen the Cavalry’s achievements firsthand. Without that, the local lords lacked any real sense of urgency.

‘Still... that’s something the branch can handle without us getting involved now.’

As if to confirm Yuder’s thoughts, Steber continued with a relaxed smile.

“But you needn’t worry. The new lord of Hartan, where our Eastern branch is based, has been immensely helpful.”

Jeclis Hartan—once a promising knight of noble birth, now the lord of Hartan. He made no effort to hide his love for Dermine Hartude, the sister of Cavalry member Debran Hartude.

More than that, he had not distanced himself from Debran just because he was an Awakener. He publicly declared his intent to treat Dermine’s family as his own, and even allowed the Cavalry to build their Eastern branch in his territory. The people were apparently very impressed by how quickly the region grew under his leadership.

“According to reports, ever since the rumors from the South spread, interest in the Cavalry has skyrocketed in the East—mostly through Lord Hartan. Even if followers of the Diarca family continue to slander us, ordinary people turn to Hartan for help and information. It seems like nothing will stand in our way there.”

“That’s very good news.”

A soft smile appeared on Kishiar’s face. Steber then briefly explained what had been happening at headquarters.

“We’ve been fulfilling His Majesty’s assignments and training the new recruits from the branches. Ever and Kanna are currently out on mission, but they must have heard about your return—they’ll likely be back soon.”

“About that mission...”

Kishiar gave Steber a sharp glance and continued.

“As I understand, His Majesty assigned them to monitor House Diarca. But just before we returned, we heard something terrible had happened there. Can you explain?”

“Ah. That...”

Steber began to explain, but before he could finish, a knock came at the door. Two familiar voices followed.

“Commander, this is Kanna Wand and Ever Beck. We returned after hearing of your arrival!”

“Come in.”

Ever and Kanna entered with crisp, military steps. When they saw Yuder standing behind Kishiar, they blinked quickly in silent greeting. Yuder nodded back.

Ever now wore her long hair braided and tied up, out of the way. Kanna’s had grown out slightly and was now half-tied, a different look from before.

“Good timing. We were just discussing your mission.”

As with Steber, Kishiar exchanged brief greetings with them before getting to the point.

“I’d like to hear the current status of the mission His Majesty gave you—particularly what happened in the last two weeks.”

Kanna stepped forward first.

“I’ll report, sir.”

She began, face calm and composed.

“His Majesty ordered us to prevent the assassination of Sir Kiole la Diarca and to monitor and protect him.”

The Emperor, having received intelligence through a special channel, already knew Kiole would be attacked that day. In order to prevent the assassination—and more importantly, to turn the incident to his advantage—he made a rather bold move.

He arranged for the Empress to just so happen to cross paths with Kiole.