‘Utter Chaos’

‘A complete mess.’

That was the first thought that struck Yuder upon arriving at the Charloin's Cavalry branch headquarters.

"Those who threaten Charloin, withdraw at once!"

"Back off!"

"There have been complaints about the building lease... and the noise!"

"Doesn't the Cavalry branch have someone in charge? How can they expect to operate like this! I don't know about other places, but here in the south, they can't get away with such nonsense!"

People from every walk of life had gathered, crowding the front of the branch building, creating a tumultuous scene. It was evident at a glance: mages from various parts of the south, local residents, and frustrated administrators all converged in a chaotic mix.

It was so crowded that the Awakeners, who had come to take their tests under normal circumstances, were nowhere to be seen.

'I knew there was significant opposition, but this is worse than I expected. The members inside the branch must have had a tough time holding out.'

"Hmm. It seems noisier now than when we first started building the main headquarters of the Cavalry on the Imperial Knights' territory."

While Yuder quietly assessed the situation, Kishiar, with his arms crossed, looked at the protesting crowd with a smile and spoke.

"It feels like our Cavalry has really grown, doesn't it? Quite overwhelming, indeed."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. In fact, facing this scene now seems overdue."

In the east, they had already established a base in the territory of Zachlis, whom they already knew, so although there was some resentment from neighboring territories, they hadn't faced direct opposition. In the west, they had preemptively laid the groundwork in Tainu, so there was no one to oppose the construction of the branch there.

However, the south was different. It was a completely new area where direct opposition was inevitable.

Only upon seeing the genuinely intrigued expression on the man's face did Yuder's furrowed brows relax.

"Yuder! It is Yuder, right?"

At that moment, a voice filled with joy pierced through the noisy crowd. A burly man, resembling a bear, wearing a snug uniform with a long hood, rushed over with a laughing face.

"Kurga."

He was one of the members who had shared a room with Yuder when they first joined the Cavalry. Although he wasn't as close to Yuder as Gakane or Kanna, it wasn't accurate to say they had no friendship at all.

Kurga, who had been more distant than others in the past, now approached Yuder with a friendly face, vigorously patting his shoulder and sharing a hearty embrace.

"We've all been waiting for you for a long time! It was a long wait. We did receive a letter from the Commander saying it would be slightly delayed, but still... Oh, by the way, where is the Commander?"

"He's right here."

"Ah!"

Startled by the sudden voice from behind, Kurga almost fell backward but managed to regain his balance.

"Weren't you supposed to come in disguise? What's with this appearance..."

"I just used a magic tool, no need to be so surprised."

"Ah... Ah, I see. That's one way to do it."

Other members of the branch, who had initially been startled by Kishiar's magically altered appearance, reacted in various ways. But Kurga's reaction was uniquely slow.

'He was always a beat behind the other members even when we were in the capital.'

However, Kurga's strength lay in his bear-like, solid, and slow demeanor. He was, to put it nicely, steadfast, or to put it bluntly, indifferent to the point of ignoring insults. He possessed a personality that was rarely swayed by external influences.

Due to this, Yuder had entrusted Kurga with the temporary leadership of the Southern branch, believing in this very trait of his character.

'It seems that my choice was indeed a good one.'

Even amidst the protestors surrounding them, Kurga showed no change in expression. Neither the insults nor the noise seemed to penetrate his ears or eyes.

He was truly the ideal choice to be stationed in the region where the most opposition was anticipated.

"Has this protest been ongoing since the branch was established?"

"Yes, but it's only recently that the number of people has increased so much. We followed the Commander's orders to ignore such noises and just continued with our recruitment efforts, which only led to more people joining the protest day by day."

When Kishiar first received reports of severe opposition to the construction of the branch in the South, he instructed the members there to show no reaction other than what was outlined in the 'official response manual' sent from the headquarters.

And Kurga, along with the other members dispatched to the South, followed these orders impeccably. No matter how much they were provoked, they never lost their temper and steadfastly stuck to the official responses provided by Kishiar, not uttering a word more.

This approach, difficult for many to maintain, was also the best way to infuriate the opposition, if one could manage it.

'And the result of that is the chaos we see today.'

Now, Yuder understood why the protestors were particularly enraged, their eyes bloodshot with anger. Who could have imagined that they, who looked down on these mere commoners, would be so blatantly ignored?

"You've done well. You held on until we arrived."

"Hm? Oh, it wasn't difficult. Some of the others said they were getting tired, but I was fine. Compared to the extreme summer training you had us do, this was nothing."

Kurga grinned.

"So, are we going inside to rest before starting work?"

"No."

Kurga tilted his head at Yuder's firm response.

"Then what?"

"I'd like you to pick out three people who came here first and most frequently from those present here."

"Hmm?"

A short while later.

The Awakeners from the Star of Nagran, who were busy filling out their application forms with the help of Cavalry members, were startled by a sudden thudding vibration echoing from somewhere.

"Yikes. What's that?!"

"It's not an earthquake, is it?"

"Look over there! The door is opening!"

Someone exclaimed in a remarkably bright voice.

The Awakeners turned to see the branch's main gate, which had been firmly shut until now, smoothly opening. Despite the winter season, the bright and dazzling sunlight of Charloin streamed in through the door, casting the silhouette of someone in backlight.

Initially, they thought the protestors had finally broken through the door, but it was not so. A man with dark hair, seemingly untouched by the bright sunlight, stepped into the branch with a calm yet unwavering stride.

The applicants, unable to discern his identity due to his plain black traveler's clothes instead of a uniform, were puzzled. However, the existing members of the branch recognized him immediately.

"Wow! He's finally here!"

"Now we can finally be relieved!"

Several members of the branch rushed towards the man, cheering. The member helping with the applications also quickly wore a relieved and confident smile.

"What, who is that person?"

As the bewildered Awakeners from the Star of Nagran muttered among themselves, others followed the man with black hair into the building. Two of them were tall, but their features were oddly indistinct and hard to recognize. However, the individuals who entered after the black-haired man invited them in with a "Please, come inside," were distinctly different.

The very people who had been fervently protesting outside just moments ago now entered the branch, their faces ashen and dragging their feet. As they glanced at the man with the black hair, their expressions were a mix of fear and anger, almost blended together.

"Now that we're in a place more suitable for a proper discussion, shall we continue our earlier conversation?"

The man with black hair spoke first, his voice steady, slow, and cold, addressing the protestors. Their faces contorted in dismay, but they did not voice any opposition to the man.

'What in the world is going on...'

The Awakeners from the Star of Nagran, mouths agape, only then noticed that the noise of the protest outside had abruptly ceased, despite the presence of people still lingering around. How could it have become so quiet?

Who exactly was this person?

Amidst the rising questions, Dagon, the de facto leader of the group who had brought them this far, gathered his courage and spoke to the Cavalry member handling the registrations.

"Excuse me. Who is that person? Could he be the Cavalry Commander? We come from a region near the desert in the South, so..."

Though he added more than necessary, perhaps out of fear of appearing suspicious, fortunately, the Cavalry member didn't seem to mind and chuckled.

"No? Ha ha. I see, the applicants wouldn't know. That person is..."

"…The desert?"

At that moment, the man with the black hair, as if having heard the conversation from afar, turned his head.

The moment Dagon's eyes met the terrifyingly black pupils peeking through the man's hair, he recognized who he was.