Nathan Zuckerman swiftly dismounted his steed, shouldered his pack, and ascended the rugged mountain path as if carried by the wind. The conversation he had earlier with his liege lord played over in his mind.

"I've dealt with all those who entered my assigned territory. Is Sir Aile still around?"

"It seems so. I found traces left by him first; he must be nearby."

Zuckerman's rendezvous with Kishiar was later than anticipated. Subduing the mercenaries was not challenging, but finding his stealthy liege, who moved without a trace, took time.

He found his liege quietly observing mercenaries who were like mushrooms sprouting from the earth, only their faces visible. These were the marks of the remaining companion, Yuder Aile, as Kishiar had mentioned.

"Buried quite well, aren’t they? It doesn't seem like his first attempt at this."

It was a surprising exclamation to make upon seeing the buried men, but Zuckerman found himself in agreement with his liege.

The signs of battle around the men Yuder had left behind were plentiful. They looked less like the aftermath of Awakeners clashing and more akin to a street brawl’s chaotic traces, suggesting the mercenaries had employed every means in a desperate resistance.

However, the absence of Yuder's own signs among the many meant all their efforts had been futile. Yuder Aile had thoroughly outplayed the two awakened mercenaries and buried them here alone.

He wasn't one to waste time without reason; likely, he had done this to extract information.

"Quickly fulfilling the mission while perfectly hiding his traces, and not forgetting to complete the part I assigned. Even though he started later than us because he dealt with those who used tracking abilities first."

"It will certainly be difficult to identify who did this based on these traces alone."

"That it will."

Kishiar, having finished observing, lifted his head. He surveyed the surroundings, gauging the direction, and then strolled leisurely towards a particular spot.

"So... How did it go on your end, Nathan?"

Zuckerman succinctly reported the information he had gathered from the mercenaries. Upon hearing that their backer was Baron Renbow and that a sage had contacted them from that quarter yesterday, Kishiar lightly replied that he had uncovered as much.

"Nothing too surprising, then. And, dealing with the Awakeners wasn't too difficult?"

"Yes."

The mercenaries Zuckerman had faced were troublesome Awakeners with significant abilities. There was one who could move short distances instantly and another who could manipulate the wind to create diversions, ideal for escape in the mountains.

Therefore, Zuckerman had lured them into a trap using a herbalist's rest cabin he had stumbled upon. By skillfully pretending to leave Yuder's traces, he had turned the mercenaries into his prey. In the confined space of the cabin, no one could withstand Nathan.

"The information provided by Sir Aile beforehand was quite helpful. The cabin had plenty of useful tools, so it wasn't difficult."

Before the mercenaries converged, Yuder had provided Nathan with several strategies to counter typical types of Awakeners he would face, as if he already knew Zuckerman's combat style. The advice was precise.

Even if Nathan Zuckerman had not known the method, it would not have significantly hindered him in dealing with the matter at hand, but having this knowledge made the task several times easier.

It was a startling realization, but Yuder Aile seemed to eerily know everything.

The Nathan Zuckerman of old might have strived to uncover the true identity of Yuder Aile upon such a realization. However, the man he was now harbored no such inclination. He could hardly deny that the recent events had influenced this change in attitude.

"You seem to have grown quite close," remarked Kishiar, suddenly sporting a peculiar smile.

"...May I ask whom you're referring to?" Nathan inquired.

"You and my assistant," Kishiar replied, seemingly in jest. Yet, it was known that Kishiar often embedded unfathomable implications within such remarks. Having witnessed his liege exhibiting unusual behavior towards Yuder Aile on several occasions, Nathan decided not to dismiss this question lightly.

"We are not close," he stated flatly.

"Really?" Kishiar prodded.

"As I mentioned before, it was Sir Aile who sought advice first, and I merely contributed a little. Just because we discussed strategies to counter the enemy doesn't necessarily imply closeness, in my view."

Nathan was referring to a time when Yuder Aile was absent, and Kishiar, who had just woken up from his sleep, had summoned him to recount recent events. The sharp-witted man easily surmised that his loyal adjutant had been collaborating with his assistant to gauge his unusual condition.

"Hmm. Even if many are clamoring for my attention, you barely acknowledge them. Yet, you share tea and snacks with my assistant, even going so far as to secretly watch over me, and you claim you're not close... Nathan, I'm beginning to think your standards of friendship might be a tad different from the common notion. What do you think?"

Caught off-guard by the question, Nathan Zuckerman drew upon years of experience to navigate his lord's unexpected inquiries.

"If there is a particular answer you wish to hear from me, please, just say so."

"So, you won't be led on that easily anymore," Kishiar remarked, a playful smirk on his lips as he tousled Nathan's hair. Even as Nathan grew to be as tall as a mighty fir tree, his lord would occasionally treat him as if he were still a small, young page.

"Nathan. You used to insist that we must remain vigilant around Yuder. I'm curious if you still hold that belief."

Kishiar's question unexpectedly touched on a matter that had been weighing heavily on Nathan's mind.

After a moment of silent contemplation, he responded, "I still believe we need to maintain our guard. However, aside from that, I've come to the conclusion that there is no one as trustworthy as Sir Aile in certain matters. My heeding his advice and sharing opinions with him is purely professional, not a matter of personal affinity."

"On what matters do you base such a judgment?"

"It concerns the Duke, Your Grace."

Kishiar's eyes narrowed slightly.

"That means you were wary, but now you've changed your mind."

Silence fell.

"Then, what if I command you not to trust Yuder Aile from this moment on, and conversely, Yuder suggests that I have become strange and proposes that you two investigate together? What would you do then?"

Nathan Zuckermand's expression shifted. The southern knight, who had initially cast his gaze downward as if to discern his lord's intent, eventually looked up, seemingly having reached a decision.

"To speak frankly... due to this incident, I've come to the decision that, at least once in matters concerning Your Grace, it would be alright to trust in Sir Aile's word. I will verify the basis of both claims before making my judgment," Nathan Zuckerman confessed. It was a statement he had previously made to Yuder as well. However, coming from a knight famously known for unconditionally following Kishiar's commands, it was a surprisingly remarkable admission. Kishiar burst into laughter as if he had heard the answer he was hoping for.

"Nathan. The day has finally come when even you, who has never changed, have begun to change."

Silence followed.

"I had always hoped that you would be someone who could always give such an answer. But until now, you never had. Isn't that so?"

Indeed it was so. For Nathan Zuckerman, Kishiar had been an absolute being.

Of course, that fact had not changed even now. It was just that he had come to recognize the existence of someone else who regarded Kishiar with the same blind absoluteness as himself.

Because he simply could not deny the significance of that individual.

The laughter slowly subsided. Walking ahead of Nathan, Kishiar finally spoke in a softer tone, almost as if talking to himself.

"You must be curious about why I asked you about change."

Silence again.

"The old me lived a life where change meant death, but not anymore. Look at me now. Do you think I have changed much?"

"You have not changed much. Since... since you created the Cavalry."

"More precisely, 'since meeting Yuder Aile.' Aside from that, I don't think I've changed much. Neither my disposition nor my essence has changed significantly since my time in Peletta."

The man's gaze settled quietly as he critically assessed himself.

"On reflection, it seems I still find it hard to escape the belief that patience and steadfastness hold more value than change. Despite declaring my desire to break free from a life where I am expected by no one, I didn't really know how to change. Knowing that change in what I do doesn't necessarily mean a change in essence."

Kishiar didn't say to whom he had made such a statement. Only his gaze, which softened and then firmed again, hinted at the identity of the one to whom such words might have been spoken.

"But to me, who has struggled with this... he said not to hold on any longer."

Silence.

"Don't suppress yourself. It's okay to act honestly."

Again, who had said this was omitted. But Nathan Zuckerman could guess what the omitted subject might be.

"I thought I could do anything if it was the answer he taught me... But even at this age, I've only just realized that being honest feels like standing naked before the world."

It was indeed a very difficult thing. Saying this, Kishiar suddenly smiled bitterly, then fondly, as if recalling something dear.

"There are those who manage such difficult tasks as easily as breathing. Perhaps it's time I changed too."

Silence.

"Nathan. I want to change."

The voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. Yet to Nathan Zuckerman, those words rang louder than thunder.

"And you, I hope you will continue to change as well."

Kishiar did not specify how exactly he wished Nathan Zuckerman to change. Nathan realized that he would probably spend a very long time pondering the meaning of his lord's words.

Just then, as if sensing something, Kishiar abruptly turned his head elsewhere, which perhaps deprived Nathan of more time to reflect.

"...Yuder?"

"Yes?" Nathan responded.

"I sense a scent. Something is..."

Muttering unintelligibly, Kishiar's expression suddenly hardened with a terrifying intensity. A man whose eyes changed color like flames leaping into a fervent red, he launched himself toward the darkness that had descended upon the forest. Nathan, too, sprinted after him. The two men, undeterred by the cracking of branches under their feet, hurtled down the narrow path with astonishing speed.

"I thought it was closer..."

Kishiar, who seemed to see something in the darkness, moved his hands as if reaching out and continued to speak in an undertone, the words faintly reaching Nathan. During the pursuit, Nathan Zuckerman caught sight of a few men embedded in the ground.

It was when they headed towards a rugged hill, not far from there, that a pungent smell of blood, mixed with a strange scent that Nathan Zuckerman had never encountered before, hit his nostrils.

Kishiar's shoulders tensed up in an instant. He, too, had undoubtedly detected the peculiar scents. A profound silence fell upon Kishiar, and even Nathan, who had long served him, could sense an unfamiliar emotion crossing the man's face.

Moments later, a ghastly scene unfolded before their eyes.

A stranger lay collapsed with a sword impaled in his back, surrounded by a pool of blood.

The peculiar scent wafted most strongly around this area.

Just by the sight of the hilt of the sword in the man's back, Nathan Zuckerman knew to whom it belonged.

"Your Grace!"

Nathan's cry was swift, but Kishiar moved faster towards the scene. Ignoring the impaled man, Kishiar peered intently down the shadow-enshrouded slope below.

Silence.

Then, from the depths of the dark shadows, a command was issued.

"Nathan. Bury the one here in a place easy for retrieval. Then return and search the horse for the packs. There is a medicine I had instructed to be packed in my gear. Bring those... and if you find my condition to be poor, take that medicine and go to the cabin you mentioned earlier with Yuder Aile, and make sure to administer it."

With those final words, Kishiar fearlessly dove down the slope.