The room after Kanna left.

Yuder sat in silence, looking down at his grandfather’s keepsakes, turning over in his mind the information Kanna had uncovered.

She had ended up with a nosebleed while reading the notebook and had come close to collapsing, yet she hadn’t stopped. Only after reading the remaining items did she finally take her leave. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Perhaps because of the strain from reading the notebook, her readings from the cloth that had wrapped the baby and the ledger weren’t as vivid. According to her, the cloth hadn’t originally been meant to swaddle a baby—it had likely been used to store groceries. It had only briefly been used to wrap the child, so no particularly significant information remained imprinted on it.

As for the ledger, she merely remarked that it seemed to have been written with consistent care and effort.

"Well, it’s a ledger, so that makes sense... It’s crammed with so many little details that if I tried to read all of it, I think my head might burst. Hmm... it doesn’t feel like there was any suspicious intent when it was written."

"In terms of more personal impressions... the writer seemed to be very concerned about his grandson—about you, Yuder. He worried constantly about your health, your meals..."

"And toward the end, there was a trace of him earnestly trying to teach you how to read it. Hmm. Did you slack off in your studies when you were a kid? If you ever need to manage a ledger yourself, it might be worth a look."

That was where Kanna’s reading of the keepsakes ended.

Though she had seemed disappointed not to have gotten more out of them, she said that if the chance ever came again, she’d be happy to help once more.

"You want to understand the truth about your grandfather, right? I don’t want to leave things here either. If you ever find more things he left behind, will you call me again?"

But even as it stood, Kanna had helped Yuder immensely.

According to her, the items seemed to hold three distinctly different phases: the time during the accident, the chaotic aftermath, and finally the stable period in which the grandfather had raised Yuder. Each phase felt so different, it was as if they belonged to entirely separate people.

"But the difference I felt in the items from after the accident—those still felt like the same person. The shift was mostly about emotional chaos versus peace. Kind of like what happens when people are released ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) from the Sage’s brainwashing. But before the accident... that part felt like a completely different person altogether."

If Kanna’s reading was correct, then Yuder’s grandfather either died or came very close to death during the monster outbreak. And yet afterward, he had clearly crossed the mountain on his own, recovered enough to move. That made the theory that he’d been resurrected by the Great Mage’s Blessing seem all but confirmed now.

Yuder kept thinking about that mysterious existence—someone who was technically his grandfather, but not the true Melach Cantinto.

When Kanna said she had read “someone lost in pain and confusion, unable to remember who they were,” Yuder wished she could have gone even deeper. Still, the important thing was that the person who held baby Yuder and first arrived at the village was indeed his grandfather.

Yuder had already suspected that his grandfather had no memory at that time, so it wasn’t surprising—but the pain and confusion... that part lingered with him. Was it merely physical pain and amnesia? Or was something else going on?

A fragment of a recent conversation with Inon floated back to mind:

—“If it had really gone the way you said, wouldn’t the Great Mage have at least tried to find you at Gillandre Hill or tracked you down somehow? But he didn’t.”

—“Maybe because... it wasn’t a perfect success.”

According to Inon, soul-related magic was notoriously unstable, and even if it succeeded, the side effects were completely unpredictable. If there were deeper reasons behind the pain and confusion, they might have stemmed from that.

So perhaps, after the Blessing of the Great Mage, the nameless “Great Mage” who became “Mr. Melach” never truly remembered who he was. And thus, he lived out his days hiding in a village, unable to use magic, raising a child.

The answer wasn’t clear yet—but before she left for the inn, Kanna had said something as a parting message.

"Yuder. When I touched the chair earlier, I felt the owner's wish for the child who sat in it to be as comfortable and happy as possible. He must have truly cherished the time he spent with you. Whatever answer you're searching for, I wanted to tell you this much."

Yuder already knew how much his grandfather had loved and cared for him. But hearing it from Kanna made something soften inside his chest.

It felt like something invisible was supporting him from beneath his feet.

Yuder made up his mind to search for more of his grandfather’s belongings.

“I need to talk with Inon too. If I tell him everything that happened today, he might recall something useful.”

As it turned out, going to Kanna for help had been the right call.

Maybe he hadn’t learned anything shockingly new—but it had helped him solidify his understanding.

“Have you finished sorting out your thoughts?”

“...Ah.”

Kishiar spoke up just as Yuder lifted his head. Yuder felt a bit awkward.

“...Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“It’s bad manners to interrupt someone deep in thought. Though to be honest, it wasn’t just manners—it was a bit selfish too.”

Selfish?

“What do you mean?”

“Watching you think with such focus, completely unaware of my presence—that’s not something I get to see very often. I wasn’t about to miss the chance.”

“......”

He saw this face every day—what exactly was there to observe? Unless Kishiar found Yuder’s face so beautiful it felt new every time (which clearly wasn’t the case), what was there to enjoy?

Yuder sighed quietly and took Kishiar’s offered hand. Kishiar guided him naturally toward the chair, sat down, and pulled Yuder into his lap. By now, it felt so normal—like this was how things were always supposed to be.

“So, what’s your conclusion?”

“I’m thinking it was a good decision to ask Kanna for help. I’m now almost certain my grandfather died and was revived through the Great Mage’s Blessing.”

Kishiar gave a soft smile.

“She’d be happy to hear that.”

“...Honestly, there’s a small part of me that’s relieved she couldn’t read the full truth about him. If he really was someone deeply tied to Luma, the Great Mage, even if she promised to keep it a secret... it might’ve been too much of a shock.”

“That’s true.”

“I need to look for more keepsakes. I should also let Inon know what happened.”

After wrapping up his explanation, Yuder—rarely—felt a wave of fatigue. As he looked up into Kishiar’s warm gaze, he thought back to the time they’d spent together in Peleta.

After a short pause, he released the tension in his back. When he leaned into him completely, Kishiar—slightly surprised—wrapped his arms around Yuder.

Their bodies overlapped like one.

As Yuder rested his cheek against Kishiar’s chest, he could feel the slow release of Kishiar’s scent.

It wasn’t just the warmth—his entire body felt enveloped in something like a cocoon. The fragrance spread beyond where arms could reach, covering him like a gentle shell.

With tension fading, his mind finally found peace. Even Yuder’s own scent began to rise and mix with Kishiar’s.

In the space where their scents blended and swirled, it felt like nothing from the outside world could reach them.

“...Have you come to any new conclusions?”

“I have. But...”

Kishiar smiled.

“...Why don’t we rest first before I tell you?”