Three hours after the Emperor entered the training room.

The chief attendant, who had been sitting quietly outside, sprang to his feet at the sound of the door opening. The first to emerge was Yuder Aile, looking no different than when he had entered.

"Is the training session over?"

"Yes, it's finished."

"And what of the Count?"

"He is resting inside. He expressed a desire to leave quietly without any escort, so I'm taking my leave first."

"I see. How did the training go?"

While the Emperor was of concern, the chief attendant was equally curious about how the initial training session had gone. But the training room was so soundproofed that one couldn't even guess what had transpired inside.

Hearing the chief attendant's heartfelt question, Yuder answered obediently.

"It went exceptionally well. To be honest, I thought it might be impossible to complete everything in three hours. I now realize I worried too much."

"Is that so!"

A relieved smile brightened the chief attendant's face, and his eyes, usually stern, moistened slightly. However, he quickly reined in his emotions and bowed deeply.

"You've worked hard."

"Yes, let's meet again at the same time tomorrow."

Exchanging farewells, Yuder walked quietly down the corridor and disappeared from view. Eagerly entering the training room, the chief attendant saw the Emperor lying listlessly among the scattered debris on the floor. His eyes widened in surprise.

"My Lord, why are you lying there?"

He had watched over the Emperor since he was a first-born prince toddling around, but he had never seen him so carelessly sprawled on the floor. Unlike his energetic brother, the Emperor had always been more of a composed and elegant type, preferring to sit and read.

"Ah, Yuliver."

The Emperor, a beat too slow, called out the chief attendant's name. He declined the help to rise and spoke listlessly.

"The floor is quite cool; it's not so bad. No one else is looking, so let me lie here for a moment."

"But what kind of training has exhausted you to this extent? Baron Aile mentioned it went very well."

"Did he say that?"

The Emperor chuckled lightly, a wisp of sweat-soaked hair falling across his forehead, making him look strangely unfamiliar.

"Yes, didn't he?"

"Rather than doing well, it was more like clinging to the edge of a cliff while a merciless beast prodded me. I barely hung on."

"Excuse me?"

A beast? A cliff? These were utterly baffling terms to the chief attendant. The Emperor muttered softly.

"I always thought that the harshest teacher I would ever encounter in my life was my mother, who personally taught me horseback riding... It seems the old saying 'there's always a sky above a mountain' holds true."

Three hours. In some respects, a very short time.

But in the three hours he had spent in the training room with Yuder, the Emperor felt as if time had stretched to almost five times its length.

During that time, Yuder had pushed the Emperor to his limits in every conceivable way. He had activated abilities in dozens of objects, hurled them out the window with the force of the wind so they wouldn't be seen by others, all while making the Emperor feel the limits of those activated powers. And that was just the beginning.

While simultaneously perceiving information from dozens of locations, Yuder recited spells to the Emperor. Waves of nausea washed over him, and his head throbbed as if it would split open. Yet he never blinked, giving the Emperor a series of commands.

"You should be able to handle this much at your current level. Even the Cavalry initially claimed it would be difficult, but my judgments have never been wrong. The sensation you find difficult is akin to muscle soreness from wielding an unfamiliar power. Don't be fooled."

"Think of your power as an extension of your own limbs. When people move their fingers or toes, they don't have to consciously think about it. Why then do you struggle so much with these newfound abilities?"

"Try it one more time. If it doesn't work this time, take a sip of water and try again."

The option to simply give up did not exist for him. When asked where the water was, Yuder created water with a flick of his finger, levitating it in a shape resembling a cup before handing it to the Emperor. It was the first time the Emperor had ever drunk water created in such a manner.

Observing Yuder effortlessly manipulate the stream of water at just the right temperature without spilling a single drop, the Emperor suddenly realized the stark difference in their ability to control their powers. Yuder Aile was truly someone who could perfectly control his abilities. When he demonstrated as much, there was no room left for excuses.

Before Yuder's dispassionate gaze, which seemed to trample any feeble excuses, the Emperor rallied all his willpower and patience. He had endured enough pain to become sick of it. What was one more round of training?

Nonetheless, at the end, his senses were so scrambled that he couldn't tell whether he was in a training room or some unknown outdoor training ground. Finally, he collapsed under the table. Sweat poured down like rain, and he felt like his insides were flipping over. Yet, scraping along the floor, he managed to complete the final task. A sense of accomplishment unlike any other surged through the Emperor's heart. It felt like waking up from a demonic trance.

"As I told you, you'd be able to do it. You've completed it all in precisely three hours."

Beside the panting Emperor, Yuder spoke briefly. There were no pleasantries or apologies for the Emperor's hardship. No unnecessary personal conversations took place either. Nevertheless, the Emperor found his impartial attitude very refreshing.

Unlike with others, lying on the floor in his presence didn't make the Emperor feel humiliated or ashamed. In front of Yuder's straightforward attitude and firm guidance, the Emperor felt like he was not the ruler but simply Keilusa La Orr, an individual, for the first time in a very long while.

Clearly, just as Kishiar had said, Yuder was an exceptional Awakener and a magnificent trainer. He was in no way inadequate to be the Emperor's mentor.

The time the Emperor had to personally train under Yuder was not long, and he planned to make full use of the brief respite by spending even more time here tomorrow.

Though the thought made his limbs quiver in anticipation, the Emperor felt a mix of excitement and regret.

‘Kishiar, I know you have your plans, but don't leave such a talent buried in obscurity any longer,’ the Emperor thought.

Yuder Aile might be a figure whose name would eternally resound through history. That was a premonition he had felt as a scholar who loved history long before he became Emperor. He sensed that neither one's social standing, age, nor any other constraint would hold back such a person.

As he pondered why such a brilliant individual would walk a difficult path, tarnished by scandal alongside his own brother, the Emperor grew increasingly troubled. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that there must be some special reason that bound his brother to Yuder, which left him with a bittersweet sentiment.

‘Choice is, after all, a two-way street.’

How could one control the emotions directed toward another? Emperor Keilusa knew this better than anyone else.

Both the brother he valued and the prodigy he admired occupied his thoughts, as he let out a small sigh.

…

"Your Grace, a letter from the Crown Prince has arrived. He was particularly anxious about hearing your response to the message he sent you earlier."

"Why is he so restless about my opinion now? I will look at the letter later; you may leave it."

Duke Diarca stared coldly at the letter from the Crown Prince that his servant had handed over. Ignoring an imperial letter was a breach of protocol, but who would dare to correct Duke Diarca?

The nobles seated beside the Duke did not worry as they observed the Crown Prince's letter being treated like a trifling matter.

"You did well, Your Grace. The Crown Prince didn't even consider you during the audience. Now he seems rather anxious."

"Until last year, I heard he was quite discerning and even held you in higher regard than his own flesh and blood. I wonder who has poisoned his ear."

"Is it really someone else's doing? One can't blame the gardener if the seed is rotten."

At that metaphor, a hushed laughter filled the room, mingled with the scent of intoxicating herbs.

Taking a deep drag from his long pipe filled with herbal mixtures, Duke Diarca exhaled the smoke and mumbled,

"One can't simply let it wither and die. Annoying as it is, I'll have to trim the branches and fertilize it. I need to find some suspects involved in the invasion of the Sun Palace and hand them over."

"You're truly merciful."

Sincere praises flowed from various corners. Suddenly, one among them spoke up as if recalling something.

"Speaking of which, it was quite noisy on the road here today. Apparently, it's due to the recruitment of the Cavalry."

"Ah, I noticed too. Duke Peletta seems to be over the moon these days. It's unbearably noisy; when will it end?"

The nobles, aggrieved by the recent activities, took turns railing against the Cavalry recruitment and Duke Peletta. Since Duke Diarca was occupied with smoking his strong herbal mixture and did not stop them, their criticisms became increasingly harsh.

"Do you really think they can be selective when they're recruiting on such a massive scale? I heard they wouldn't notice even if a pig joined, not to mention a human."

"Haha, that's amusing. Should I send my lowest stableman there? I wonder if they would recognize him."

"I should join the bet too."

"I'll add my share. It's the perfect opportunity to send in the dwarf clown I just hired."

"Hahaha."

"Duke Diarca, Your Grace. Would you care to join us?"

When someone boldly broke the silence, everyone momentarily paused. The man who had raised this significant topic was Baron Renbow, responsible for coordinating with the Crown Prince's healers.

Duke Diarca, who had been puffing away at his pipe, nonchalantly asked, "Doesn't sound like an entertaining topic. Is there a reason for bringing this up?"

"If you're just going to send some stable hand, it wouldn't be interesting, of course. But isn't this the perfect time to plant eyes and ears within the Cavalry?"

"You think I hadn't considered that when I heard about the recruitment, Renbow? Finding an Awakener suitable for such a long-term mission is quite challenging. You'd need someone you've known for at least five years to trust them with the task. Those guys have only been around for two years. It'd be less risky to wait for the new recruits and win them over."

"Of course, Your Grace the Duke would have thought much deeper than I have. But haven't you forgotten something? The healers you met recently are also Awakeners, ever ready to serve you."

At that, everyone fell silent. Duke Diarca removed the pipe from his lips and tapped out the ashes as he inquired, "Renbow, upon reflection, was this suggestion not yours but rather proposed by them first?"

"Haha, I won't deny it."

Sly foxes, thought Duke Diarca, his gaze fixed on Renbow but tinged with a cold interest.

After a brief pause, Duke Diarca slowly nodded his head.

"Fine. After meeting them before, my interest was piqued as well. Go ahead and proceed as you see fit."