"Success at last."

Yuder wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead as he finally laid eyes on the internal state of Emperor Keilusa.

Only when the acute tension that had been hovering sharply began to wane did he become keenly aware of his surroundings. Turning his gaze, he caught sight of Kishiar's red eyes watching him intently from a little distance away.

Unspoken but palpable concern and careful observation.

Though Kishiar refrained from uttering words of excessive worry considering the situation, Yuder knew that if he felt Yuder was struggling to bear some pain, Kishiar wouldn't hesitate to intervene—regardless of the Emperor's command or Yuder's own stubbornness.

Oddly enough, just feeling that watchful gaze seemed to provide a solid foundation behind him. Yuder took a deep breath and turned his eyes back to the Emperor.

"The internal gate is open, Your Majesty. Is everything alright?"

"The sensation is a bit odd. But otherwise, everything is as usual."

"Shall we continue, then?"

Emperor Keilusa's head moved almost imperceptibly, signaling assent.

Finally allowed to view the Emperor's inner workings, it was—as expected—a mess.

The energies within the Emperor were fewer and more scattered than those within Kishiar. There was no aura to speak of, and magic energy existed only in a slight concentration around the heart. The most significant aspect was the transparent white light of divine energy.

The spectacle of the divine energy coursing erratically throughout his body, getting tangled and broken intermittently, was evidently not normal even at first glance.

'And the vessel is...'

Yuder's eyes scanned the area around the Emperor's vital point. Thanks to his previous attempts, he quickly found the 'vessel' amid the complex flow of light.

Located roughly in the body's center was a small lump of energy, connected like the root of all power, extending its branches. This was the vessel.

However, Emperor Keilusa's vessel seemed unstable, as if it might vanish at any moment. Yuder had little trouble guessing why.

The largest power filling the Emperor's vessel was divine energy. But as this divine energy tried to return to the vessel, it got tangled and dissipated on the way, resulting in very little actually reaching its destination. The vessel lost its form as it lacked the energy to sustain it, causing the chaotic energies in the body to collide and tangle with each other. It was a vicious cycle.

Kishiar's vessel had been different. It was stable due to the red energy that wrapped around it, allowing the energy to circulate throughout his body healthily. There were some tangles and knots, but compared to the Emperor's state, it was far more stable.

'I never thought I would reevaluate Kishiar's vessel like this,' Yuder mused, looking down somewhat bitterly at the Emperor's vessel, which was barely the size of a small bird's egg.

'The most serious issue seems to be that it can't maintain its form and keeps dispersing. This must be what they call "a crack in the vessel".'

As far as Yuder could tell, the small size of the vessel wasn't a significant issue. After all, most people live and die without even knowing what a 'vessel' is.

However, the inherent problem that anyone could see was that what originally existed was struggling to maintain its proper form and was on the verge of collapsing. Each time the vessel wobbled and barely coalesced back into shape, a corresponding strain appeared on Emperor Keilusa's brow.

'Would it have had a similar effect if the Emperor became an Awakener, like Kishiar speculated?'

The vessel of Kishiar and the vessel of the Emperor. The most significant difference between the two was the presence or absence of a red energy that enveloped them, maintaining their shape. If it had existed, the current situation could have been somewhat different.

Yuder's gaze swiftly moved, focusing on the Emperor's desk far away. He sensed a faint but familiar power from the mediums stacked in the basket.

They were gifts sent by Kishiar to the Emperor, following the speculation that exposure to Awakener's energy increases the likelihood of awakening. However, the Emperor had not yet awakened.

'Naturally, not everyone has awakened since the Red Stone fell. There must be individual differences. But... what conditions give rise to those differences?'

Lost in thought, Yuder suddenly saw a faint red light flicker and disappear within the Emperor's vessel.

'...What?'

Blinking, he looked again, but the light had vanished.

'An illusion?'

However, moments later, Yuder once more saw a red energy briefly shimmer and disappear within the Emperor. This time, he was certain it was not an illusion.

'This... could be.'

"Your Majesty, you're sweating profusely on your forehead. Are you alright?"

At that moment, the chief attendant's cautious words alerted Yuder to the deteriorating state of the Emperor. When he came to his senses, he realized quite a bit of time had passed.

"...I'm fine. It's business as usual. The Baron's work is not yet done; leave me."

Emperor Keilusa replied tersely, his teeth gritted. While his voice feigned calm, his vessel, writhing and revealing its strain, exposed the pain he was feeling.

“But still..."

‘I've examined all that I can. Let me quickly discuss the important points and then I'll withdraw my energy.’

Swiftly responding, Yuder moved his hand to point at several locations.

"This is your divine power, this is your magic power, and this central part is your vessel."

"The vessel, you say? This?"

Yuder elaborated as clearly as possible on the state of the Emperor's vessel, comparing it with what he had seen in Kishiar and others. Although the explanation was challenging, the Emperor maintained his focus, listening intently even amidst his pain.

"...I see. The Duke's vessel is wrapped in the energy of an Awakener, while I lack that, and so my collapsing vessel fails to maintain its form... That is your assessment of my current state?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"It's evident then that becoming an Awakener has indeed made the Duke healthier."

The Emperor muttered softly and exhaled deeply, closing his eyes. When he reopened them, his face bore a warm affection for Kishiar, mixed with an unfamiliar emotion.

It was a fragile but genuine glimmer of hope.

In the now softer atmosphere, Yuder quietly opened his mouth.

"I've explained all that I can, and I'll now withdraw my energy before continuing."

Yuder slowly pulled back his energy. As the light hovering above the Emperor dissipated, the chief attendant quickly prepared a warm towel to wipe the fatigued Emperor's forehead and face.

Yuder was also rapidly growing fatigued, but explaining what he had just discovered about the Emperor took precedence.

"Your Majesty, when I examined your internal state just now, I discovered an aspect that was completely unexpected."

"...Unexpected?"

"Within you, Your Majesty, there was a red aura."

"What did you say?"

Emperor Keilusa's eyes widened in surprise. The chief attendant, who had been attending to the Emperor, abruptly stopped and swallowed hard. Kishiar also revealed a change in emotion, subtly moving his eyebrows.

"Is this true?"

"It appeared only briefly before vanishing, but it was unmistakably a red aura."

"How could that be... In that case..."

"However, I cannot confirm that it's the aura of an Awakener."

At Yuder's subsequent words, the Emperor's expression changed again.

Seeming to question what exactly Yuder was trying to say, Yuder opened his mouth without hesitation.

"In my judgment, it's difficult to find the answer with just the power I possess. Therefore, I would like to seek the help of the Commander."

"Are you asking for the lifting of the Duke's participation ban?"

Yuder nodded after a moment of silence.

"Yes. Moreover, I would like to request another opportunity."

"..."

It was a truly bold request. In the silence that filled the room, Yuder continued unequivocally.

"The extent of what I could examine alone today has its limits. However, if you judge that the results were not useless, please grant me one more opportunity. The power that the Commander possesses is absolutely necessary for this matter."