It was an incredibly tiresome affair for a Diarca to be born as the youngest son, bearing the strongest resemblance to the father within the family. Even Kiolle, who was born with an aristocratic character and took pride in his status and roots more than anyone, could not like his own siblings. Since he had decided to become an Imperial Knight at an early age, he had not been openly on guard, but the problem began when the atmosphere gradually changed subtly after being tied to a dog-like oath.

He keenly felt the change in the attitudes of those who confronted him if he inadvertently kept his mouth shut. Some people found Kiolle more challenging the quieter he became, and others could not hide their contempt for him.

As for his brothers and sisters, the more Kiolle kept his mouth shut, the more they openly showed their blatant vigilance. Even those who had once dealt with him without fault had recently begun to reveal their suspicions and guards toward Kiolle.

His father, Duke Diarca, was now patting him on the back and praising him for growing up, but his gaze was so intense that it almost felt like a knife cutting his neck.

‘Look at that gaze. He looks like he's trying to kill me.’

His eldest brother, who was the heir, ignored Kiolle openly because of his dignity, but the third one, who did not receive attention from his father, was different. His eyes blazed with anger.

Kiolle pretended not to see his brothers' stares and waited for a moment to speak to Duke Diarca. Right now, someone was skillfully intervening in the conversation.

"Your Grace, I heard you're looking for the people who cured Baron Durmand's migraines. Are you planning to send them to the Bright Palace?"

Baron Durmand, one of Duke Diarca's closest associates, was famous for having tried every possible treatment for his chronic migraines. Kiolle recalled hearing that he had met a commoner healer and miraculously got better.

Could it be that Crown Prince Katchian's illness was so serious that his father would resort to such superstitions? As he was anxiously thinking, Duke Diarca stroked his white beard and smiled.

"Well, I don't really believe it, but since Baron Durmand recommends it so highly, I think it might be worth trying once. It would make the aftermath much more comfortable."

"Then would you like to meet a commoner healer I know? The one I know is quite skillful..."

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, those around began eagerly offering to introduce commoner healers they knew. Kiolle seized the moment and quickly told Duke Diarca that he would retire. The Duke looked at his youngest son's face, full of irritation, and clicked his tongue.

"You've matured a bit, but you still have a long way to go. The conversations at such gatherings can be valuable truths."

Since he had been forced to keep his mouth shut rather than mature, Kiolle brazenly remained silent. The Duke waved his hand, signaling that it was alright to leave.

"Yes, go rest. Ah, and..."

As if he'd remembered something, the Duke added,

"I'm planning to change all the Knights guarding the Crown Prince soon, so there will be a notice to the Imperial Knights. Don't act rashly, just wait."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it time for you to take on a proper task? The Crown Prince will likely feel more comfortable with you than strangers."

That statement meant he intended to place Kiolle in the closest position to the Crown Prince. Even though there were all sorts of ominous rumors, the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince. Having the opportunity to get a seal of approval right next to him was an extraordinary privilege more than anything else. Kiolle felt his brothers' wary glances fixed on his face once again. Although he felt an unpleasant irritation bubbling up inside him, he obediently bowed his head and withdrew.

In this way, Kiolle da Diarca's presence grew day by day, and he himself was unaware of it.

—---

To my dear Yuder.

Yuder read the opening of the thickest letter from Gakane among those that had come to him. At first, there were concerns about Yuder's health, and the middle part contained minor incidents that occurred while interacting with the mages of the Western Mage Union, but the latter part was a little different.

...And I was hesitant to write this, but there was an incident a few days ago. Among the newly emerged monsters, there was one that absorbed magic power. It was just one creature, but since the Great Sarain Forest has been so filled with magic since the opening of the Magic Spring Ruins, it was not easy to kill, as its recovery was too quick no matter how much it was attacked.

The new monster was not only large but also exhibited a remarkable ability to recover in areas filled with magic. The Cavalry members had a hard time figuring this out, and there were moments when lives were in danger.

Normally, I would have lured the monster to the very end by myself and used the opportunity to evacuate my comrades first. But for some reason, I kept thinking about our last conversation. Remember? Even if we don't succeed…

Even if we don't succeed, the best outcome may be that everyone is safe.

Yuder recited these words he had said at the time and continued reading the next sentence.

...So, risking the surrounding terrain collapsing, we just retreated. It was only after retreating and regrouping with others that we could truly grasp the power of that monster. Having already caught a magic-absorbing monster before, I think we found the solution rather quickly.

After writing about how the experience of catching a small Pethuamet helped, Gakane calmly explained how they had caught the monster.

It was a creature easily caught by luring it to an area with less magic, but it felt so futile when we caught it. If I had been stubborn at that moment, I would have died in vain, right?

Though he had suffered a long tear in his chest, Gakane's life was not in danger. He expressed gratitude for Yuder's advice that came to mind at that moment and added that he shouldn't worry about his health.

My injury is almost healed thanks to the mages' help. By the time you get this letter, the bandage will probably be off. If you knew how much I've grown in ability from this experience, you would probably be surprised. Hinn teased me several times, saying that I clearly risked danger to grow!

Yuder read that part several times with a strange feeling, then exhaled softly.

‘…Has the part I was worried about been resolved?’

In his previous life, Gakane died while standing up for his comrades during a monster subjugation. He heard that the body was found torn in the chest, in a horrifying condition. Yes, that's what had happened.

As soon as he read the sentence about the injury, a vague old memory that he had long forgotten faintly resurfaced. Although the specific circumstances might have been slightly different, it was almost identical to this recent incident.

Yuder knew how painful it had been for the Cavalry members who had gone with Gakane to learn that they had survived thanks to his sacrifice. Memories surged, one after the other: the hatred that had stemmed from that place, leading to a fight with the members almost every day; the rage that had felt like a wall, which he had vented as much as possible on Kishiar.

All of it had become as if it never happened.

In the letter, it was lightly written that the mission was successfully completed and not to forget the offer of a commissioning right. However, the weight contained within those words was by no means light.

Gakane, in this life, had safely overcome the crisis just as Yuder had wished.

Yuder had believed it would be so. He believed, and thus he could leave Gakane there and depart. But despite that, the weight he felt when he faced the fact that it had actually happened was somewhat different. Complicated emotions that were hard to describe surged at once, and Yuder was unable for some time to turn to the next page of the letter.

A little later, as Yuder opened the last page of the letter, he narrowed his eyes once again, this time with a slightly different meaning.

... But you know, after this matter ended, there was also an unusual discovery at the Magic Spring Ruins.

The Western Mage Union decided to dig under the ground, thinking that half of the concentrated magic flowing from the Magic Spring Ruins had now seeped out. The Cavalry members agreed to help them dig underneath the rock, and surprisingly, magic ore stones that no one had expected were discovered.

At first, when we dug up just a few, it was fine, but later, when they kept coming out without end, everyone became speechless. I don't know much about magic ores, but having so many large fist-sized ones buried in one place is a rare thing even in the mines?... Thanks to that, the mages are in an uproar.

If Gakane was right, it was tantamount to discovering a new vein of magic ore. That quality magic ore buried in bulk in none other than the Great Sarain Forest, a region stretching across the borders of several countries. A tremendous future with greedy hordes clamoring for it seemed to unfold naturally.

In the previous life, when the whole western region was devastated due to monster occurrences, and human footprints were cut off, leaving only the troublesome Great Sarain Forest, this naturally hadn't happened.

But according to Kanna, it seems that this is not a natural phenomenon. She thinks there might be some old information related to that place that can be read? So she wants to dig more to read the information. I reported to the Commander, but I'm a bit nervous about what he'll reply.

Gakane concluded the new news at that point and wrote that Kanna would soon leave for Tainu as soon as things were settled. Yuder folded the letter after reading that far. The next letters from Kanna and Jimmy contained similar yet different stories from Gakane's perspective.

The numerous magic ore stones that had come from beneath the Magic Spring. And Kanna's significant statement.

What information could she read from beneath that? What could it possibly be?