Their reaction was far more intense than Yuder had expected. Before he could say anything, he found himself trapped in a barrage of alternating questions from the two.

“You gave this only to us? Is that why you waited until training was over to call us?”

“How exactly do we drink it? Can you explain just a little more clearly?”

“Are there none for the others?!”

“No, but you gave one to the Commander first, right?”

“Wait, does it help with training somehow? This is just a normal tea, right?!”

“...Calm down, both of you.”

Yuder barely managed to calm them down before his ears exploded. He answered all their questions sincerely. Having already gone through similar back-and-forth with Inon, it wasn’t particularly difficult.

Yes, it was true that he’d only given it to the two of them for now. As for how to drink it, however they liked. He’d make more later to give to others. And of course, it didn’t have any magical or training-enhancing effects. He also assured them that, naturally, the Commander had received one first. That settled their nerves—but also made them feel both relieved and a bit envious.

“Thank goodness we didn’t unknowingly take something meant for the Commander... Good job, Yuder. Going forward, make sure the Commander gets things like this first before anyone else!”

“It’s hard to believe this is just regular tea... You never know. Maybe it has some incredible hidden effect you don’t even realize. What if this is the secret behind your immense power?”

“I told you—it doesn’t do anything like that.”

Watching Kanna breathing a sigh of relief only to start offering unsolicited advice, and Gakein spinning out a serious-sounding conspiracy theory, Yuder couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. When Yuder firmly shook his head, Gakein raised the bottle like a trophy and laughed cheerfully.

“Haha! If anyone finds out Yuder gave us a gift like this, they’ll be so jealous. But don’t worry—I swear I’ll keep it secret!”

“Yeah, Gakein. If this gets out, we might seriously have to lock our doors at night to keep out intruders. I could read their intent, but you can’t, remember?”

“Hmm. Should I put it in a safe and set «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» up a shadow trap in front of my bedroom?”

“Think that’ll be enough? If it were me...”

“If it gets out, just split it and share. It’s not like it’s anything amazing.”

When Yuder said that, worried they were taking it too seriously, both of them vehemently shook their heads.

“We’d normally share with our comrades too. But you said this was all you had left from before you joined the Cavalry!”

“Exactly. And it’s your first gift to us! That kind of thing, you want to treasure and savor all on your own!”

“...If you leave it too long, the flavor could change or it could go bad.”

“Then we’ll use preservation magic tools!”

Even after telling them it wasn’t something worth going that far for, the two remained stubborn. Yuder eventually gave up trying to convince them.

‘If I mention I’ve got one more bottle left, things will get chaotic.’

He only had three bottles of the powdered tea left. Giving the first two to Kanna and Gakein—who had been his longest companions since joining the Cavalry—was an easy decision. But the last bottle was the problem.

If he gave it to the Deputy Commanders, one would be left out. And when he’d received the bottles, he remembered hearing that Kishiar had already set aside one for Nathan Zuckerman. So, Yuder ultimately decided to keep the last bottle as a reference when he made a new batch.

‘I remember how to make it, but it’s been more than ten years since I last did.’

It had been eleven years since his previous life, and now another year had passed since returning. After so much time, even someone with a good memory couldn’t be sure their body would remember exactly what to do.

When he made that decision, it had felt like a smart plan... but now he realized he absolutely had to keep the existence of that final bottle a secret until the new batch was done.

“Anyway, Yuder, thank you. I’m really touched that you thought of us after coming back from your first proper break. I’ll drink it carefully and gratefully. I’ll definitely return the favor next time!”

“Ah! Thanks from me too. I was so surprised and happy I ended up saying that last... I didn’t bring anything this time, but if I’d known I’d be getting something so precious, I would’ve brought something too.”

“There’s no need. I didn’t give it expecting anything in return.”

The words they had once said to him—this time, it was Yuder who said them. It felt a little strange.

There had been a time when he thought giving and receiving gifts was a pointless hassle. In his past life, as Yudrain Aile, it was common knowledge that people who said “I don’t expect anything in return” were exactly the ones with the most to hide.

But now, in the heart of Yuder Aile, who said the same words, there wasn’t a trace of falsehood. Just seeing Kanna and Gakein grinning so widely and genuinely happy was enough. That in itself was already a return gift—what more could he possibly want?

“But...”

“Just the fact that you didn’t turn it down is enough. Consider that your return gift.”

At that, Kanna suddenly pressed her lips together, then threw her arms wide and hugged Yuder tight.

“Ugh, seriously! Then take this instead! Gakein, you hug him too—come on!”

“Huh? O-okay!”

Prompted by her command, Gakein quickly opened his arms and joined the hug.

“This is a hug of gratitude! My mom used to say it was the best thank-you in the world, so I’m giving it to you specially! You shake three times while hugging, like this.”

“......”

They followed Kanna’s instructions, hugging him and shaking their arms three times before letting go. Anyone who saw it would probably say these three grown adults were acting like children, but Yuder didn’t shake them off.

“This is really embarrassing... but kinda nice.”

“I haven’t done this since my mom passed away.”

Yuder watched the two of them smiling sheepishly. He was reminded all over again—he’d made the right decision giving them the gift.

“Ah, Yuder. Today’s the day of the trial we’re being dispatched to for public security, right? You’re going too, yeah?”

Gakein asked brightly. The trial he was referring to, of course, was the one Crown Prince Kachian was required to attend.

Just last night, the High Judges had unanimously agreed that Crown Prince Kachian must appear at the trial. That decision came several hours after the Room of Truth had been closed.

Today marked the second trial of the attendant accused of hiring mercenaries to kill the villagers of Gwanaman in the Crown Prince’s stead. Now that the judges had agreed the Crown Prince must attend and face charges, he was required to appear today and answer for the suspicions himself. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

In preparation for the chaos expected around this explosive case, the judges had requested increased security around the courtroom. It was only natural for the Cavalry—renowned as the Empire’s most elite force—to be deployed.

Naturally, both Gakein and Kanna had been assigned as part of the dispatch, befitting their roles as elite Cavalry members.

Yuder nodded, looking at his reliable comrades.

“I’ll be going. I’ll have to move with the Commander since I’m acting as his aide.”

“I figured. I heard you went to the Room of Truth with the Commander yesterday, too. The capital’s been buzzing about it... but nothing bad happened, right?”

“Oh, yeah. I heard Miss Marin was present too. She didn’t return to the unit last night, so I was a little worried. Was she okay?”

Kanna tilted her head, clearly curious as well.

They both knew that if they were going to the trial today, they’d likely witness the same scenes Yuder had seen yesterday. But what they were really worried about wasn’t what would happen to Crown Prince Kachian—it was whether Marin, a fellow Cavalry member, had been mistreated, or if Kishiar and Yuder had been okay.

That made Yuder genuinely glad.

He answered firmly, to set their minds at ease.

“Nothing happened, and nothing will. The Crown Prince will pay for what he’s done.”

“Yeah. I figured as much.”

Gakein hummed a tune and walked off, saying he’d see Yuder later. As Kanna was about to follow, saying “Then I’ll head out too...”, Yuder called out to her.

“Wait, Kanna.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“If you’ve got time after everything today, can we meet privately? I have something I’d like to ask of you.”

Kanna lowered her voice, catching on quickly.

“Do you need my ability for something?”

“Yeah. It’s not related to Cavalry work, but I’d like you to read some information from a few items I brought.”