"To break a mind-shaking power, one needs a mind-shaking chaos," Kishiar said as he exited Hosanna's room, moving forward.

"Judging by the fact he could barely comprehend my question, it seems like it's having some effect, Nathan."

Today's visit to Hosanna by the Gayle and Doyle brothers, who talked about the sage and his associates, and Kishiar's subsequent visit accompanied by Nathan Zuckerman was by no means a coincidence. Multiple stages of groundwork had been laid.

First, Yuder met Gayle and Doyle, subtly leaking information about the sage while requesting help with the second recruitment of Cavalry. The brothers immediately conveyed this information to Hosanna, who felt disquieted upon hearing it. Because he had been exceptionally stable in the recent days, this emotional disturbance had a broader and more intense scope than usual.

To add fuel to the fire, Kishiar appeared with Nathan Zuckerman, who was the object of Hosanna's fear. The change in Hosanna's emotions took a wild turn, more so than ever. Bringing intermittent unrelated topics into their conversation was all part of a scheme to shake Hosanna's mind.

By making him experience emotional extremes, Hosanna finally showed some signs of breaking free from his mental conditioning. Even recognizing a question for the first time was a significant effect.

"I thought it wouldn't help when Baron Aile summoned me, but I'm glad it did," Nathan said.

"Nothing is more terrifying than a surefire belief failing. I hope next time we can have a more meaningful conversation," Kishiar responded as he climbed the stairs. Suddenly, he stopped. Nathan turned his head toward where Kishiar's gaze had landed. A man stood there, as still as a dark shadow.

Standing before them, waiting near the office, Yuder Aile quietly spoke, "Did it go well?"

"Yes, he finally understood the question about the sage's ability. As you suggested, seeing Nathan's face had a good effect."

"I'm glad."

Although his tone could suggest unfortunate news as much as good, Kishiar seemed to take it as the best compliment and smiled warmly.

"Were you worried enough to wait here until I arrived?"

"You never know."

Yuder didn't deny it. Anyone else might have found the answer arrogantly presumptuous, but when he said it, it felt utterly appropriate given his unique aura.

"Was Adjutant Zuckerman also alright?"

"Yes."

"Nathan did nothing, so of course he was fine," Kishiar answered for him, lifting his hand in a slight gesture.

"Shall we go inside to talk now? Nathan, your tasks for today are complete; you can proceed with the next one."

"Yes."

Though Kishiar said 'next task,' his intent to speak privately with Yuder was painfully evident, so Nathan simply nodded, playing ignorant. Ever since Yuder had quickly rejuvenated Kishiar's condition not long ago, Nathan had come to take such matters more lightly.

"Since today's tasks are over and you're going on to the next, are you going to see Gakane now?"

Yuder blinked and asked.

"Yes."

"Understood. I appreciate your assistance."

When Yuder began making plans related to Hosanna, he made a single request to Kishiar and Nathan Zuckerman. He asked if Gakane Bolunwald could learn swordsmanship from Nathan.

Kishiar said he would permit it if Nathan was amenable, and after some consideration, Nathan agreed to try it out, albeit for a limited time. Essentially, his agreement was almost akin to repaying a debt he owed to Yuder.

Thus commenced the swordsmanship training, which naturally was a secret that could not be disclosed to anyone. There was scarcely any time to meet, so the lessons had to be squeezed into brief moments of leisure after each of them finished their daily tasks.

Despite receiving only minimal guidance and being burdened with enormous tasks, Gakane managed to fulfill them all. It was proof enough that his request hadn't been made lightly.

It was never too late to learn the art of the sword. With the right aptitude and tenacity, the rest was simply a matter of guidance. Gakane Bolunwald definitely had these qualities.

Underlying it all was a wellspring of pent-up frustration, born from a long-standing yearning. It evoked emotions in Nathan that took him back to his own early days of learning the sword.

So he concluded that if Gakane could last for more than a month, it would be alright to spend a bit more time and teach him properly. Of course, this thought was kept a secret, even from Gakane, Yuder, and Lord Kishiar.

"I haven't been able to properly observe Gakane since I entrusted his training to him. I was wondering how he's progressing. It's good to hear it's going well," Yuder said.

"As far as I can tell, Nathan hasn't complained. I assume the boy has some potential, so there's no need for concern," Kishiar lightly responded as they entered his office.

The appearance of the office they walked into was somewhat different from usual. Papers were piled high, overflowing from the desk to the floor, sofa, and tables.

Both men, aware that these were applications from prospective second-batch members, maintained impassive expressions. Yuder naturally navigated through the papers and asked Kishiar another question.

"Did Hosanna respond to your inquiry?"

"No. But I'm quite certain he's aware; he's just unable to respond," Kishiar said.

"Ah, I see."

Thanks to the efforts of Kanna and Emun in the West, Yuder had gleaned some information about the sage from the Awakeners who had belonged to the Star of Nagran. This allowed him to make certain speculations about the sage's abilities.

First, those from the Star of Nagran invariably saw the sage as a good person, without a hint of malice. This belief was so deeply ingrained that it would not change under any contradictory circumstances.

Second, even though they must have observed and experienced the sage's abilities directly, they appeared unable to recall the specifics. When questioned about it, they conveniently glossed over, as though such matters never existed in their world.

Third, these traits persisted long after their initial meeting with the sage.

From these observations, Yuder speculated that the sage's ability might involve some form of mental manipulation, triggered by a single word or a brief piece of information.

'Perhaps what he implanted in those from the Star of Nagran was a simple notion: that the sage is an entity to be trusted unconditionally,' Yuder thought.

From his experiences in a previous life, he knew that mind-controlling or brainwashing abilities were less effective the more complex the implanted command. Even the smallest deviation in behavior could quickly break the spell.

‘Controlling someone in such detail would require constant attention, and even then it might not be enough. To brainwash a large number of people simultaneously, one could only implant a proposition or two in their minds. Even so, the effect lasting this long is truly remarkable…’

Upon hearing Yuder's speculation, Kishiar offered a new perspective. He suggested that perhaps the duration of the brainwashing effect was continually renewed for those who spent time with the affected individuals.

‘People serving heretics do the same; it's harder to break away from a group when you share the same beliefs.’

It made sense then why the Gayle and Doyle brothers, who were always together, or the many Awakeners in the West, couldn't break away from the Sage despite the passage of time. That's why they had targeted Hosanna as their first objective.

Hosanna was an unusual case; brainwashed by the sage, yet valuing Nahan more than the sage. He occasionally met with Gayle and Doyle, but spent most of his time alone. He was considered the most likely to waver.

And the results obtained today seemed to confirm that assessment.

He was worried that the brothers might not disclose the information properly, so it was worthwhile to secretly leave permission that they could pass it on to Hosanna in advance.

‘Once we add the information about the sage's past that Kanna and Enon will bring, we'll quickly uncover his power and neutralizing methods.’

Such powers were troublesome, as killing the caster didn't necessarily end them. Yuder had learned from past experiences that some people's faith grew stronger if the person they believed in died.

One failure was enough. Even if it was troublesome, the proper course was to methodically find the neutralizing methods, choke their powers, and make them reveal themselves.

"According to Emun's report, a significant number of the Star of Nagran members are interested in the second recruitment of the Cavalry," said Kishiar.

"It seems things are progressing well on that end too."

"True. I was a bit concerned about the Southern merchants who claimed to have made contact with their base in the South, but that's still uncertain. In any case, it's not a significant variable at the moment."

This useful information came from a letter Gakane had found in the sage's residence.

It was ridiculous that they survived and made substantial contact with the Star of Nagrans, but there was no significant concern as the second Cavalry recruitment had begun and was shaking the internal structure of the Star of Nagrans.

‘All things considered, everything is rolling along quite well.’

Yuder, who had calmly assessed the situation surrounding the Cavalry, turned his gaze toward a tactical game board placed amid a pile of documents. No pieces were visible on the board, which as always was simply left vacant.

‘Placing that board there without actually playing the game... is that a sign he’s not forgetting what happened that day?’

Kishiar hadn't changed noticeably since hearing the story of the past. He was still, if not more so, efficiently going about all tasks without a single mistake.

It seemed like he no longer had nightmares about when Yuder died, and there were no immediate issues at hand. Yet for some reason, that pristine tactical game board, which never disappeared from the cluttered desk, bothered Yuder more than usual today.

Just as he was about to say something, Kishiar spoke first.

"By the way, I received a message earlier. His Majesty will be able to come tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, you say?"

"Yes. I should go about my daily life as usual, so I won't be coming out to greet our 'unimportant guest'. I'll leave the reception to my assistant. Take good care of it."

This meant that Emperor Keilusa, who had decided to receive ability training from Yuder, would be making a covert visit to the Cavalry tomorrow. After a few days of seeming quietude for coordination, it appeared that the schedule had finally been settled.

Yuder nodded in acknowledgment. Faced with the Emperor's secret visit and the crucial task of training, any trivial questions were promptly pushed aside.