Externally, Nathan Zuckerman was not a swordmaster. In fact, Yuder was surprised that he was so talented that he could not be pushed back against Awakeners.
Unlike the colorful knights he met during the day, he could feel the dense energy emitted from Nathan Zuckermanâs body, steadily refined and piled up for a long time. The amount was comparable to the outstanding mages Yuder had faced in the past.
For mages, the mana quantity built up was important, but for swordsmen, the quality was more important than the quantity of mana. Since it was much harder to load the sword with energy than to use magic, only the well-filtered pure mana could have the power to be loaded with the sword.
To build such a thing as a swordsman meant that Nathan Zuckerman had great skills.
âI didnât know because I met him later⌠He is already great from the start.â
This was also possible because Yuderâs sense of feeling othersâ energy was incomparably developed.
The use of the ability was no different than it was 13 years ago, but its senses didnât fade even though he regressed because it was carved into the soul.
Maybe because it was more of a trick that heâd learned over a long period of time by meeting a lot of powerful people.
ââŚâ
Yuder looked around the room without drinking the tea Nathan gave him. The appearance of the room hadnât changed much from before. The divine sword on the transparent scabbard above the fireplace remained the same.
âStill giving off those uncomfortable vibes.â
Yuder tried to ignore the elusive divine sword as if it were aiming for his body.
âMy goodness. Youâre here first. Iâm sorry.â
How many minutes had passed? Kishiar was back. Nathan, who opened the door, took his coat off his shoulders and the gloves to arrange them without a word. An imperial duke who didnât have a servant to attend to him, but everything was taken care of by his aide.
It was strange, but Yuder knew he had done it in the past, so he didnât say anything.
âOh, itâs clam tea. Is it the season already? Nathanâs tea brewing skills are excellent, so you can drink without worry. Donât tell me he put something in it?â
âNo, sir.â
âHahaha. Iâm just kidding.â
As Kishiar sat in front of Yuder, a fragrant scent came out at the tip of his nose. He thought it was a high-quality soap fragrant used in baths, but what he smelled afterward was the lingering scent of strong perfume. Yuder immediately stiffened his shoulders and turned his eyes toward him.
The tip of Kishiarâs golden hair was a little wet.
âYou must have taken a bath.â
âHuh? Oh. Thatâs right. You have a good eye.â
Kishiar smiled as he swept through his hair. But Yuder did not smile back.
âItâs a perfume popular among the ladies. Iâm sure of it.â
How could the scent of someoneâs perfume remain on his body and wouldnât be erased even after washing up? Who did Kishiar la Orr meet and what did he do? Yuder could guess roughly.
âHe said they had a good timeâŚâ
Although Kishiarâs rumors werenât good, heâd always been popular. Because he was the type of person with a confident physique and beautiful appearance like a Godâs child.
He was famous for not rejecting the temptation that poured on him.
Yuder thought Kishiar had lived quietly after becoming a commander in his past memories, but he guessed he didnât know everything.
Well, it was none of Yuderâs business. However, he only thought that such a sword-wielding fire play would help increase his order.
âI was wondering why you called me.â
âAh, yes. I called you to talk about what happened today.â
Kishiar sipped his tea.
âThis time, fortunately, I arrived properly and it ended well. But my arrival could have not happened. Or maybe I wouldnât have stood up for you. Why did you do such a reckless thing? I thought you were far from a reckless type.â
ââŚâ
âKiolle da Diarca is unnecessarily persistent and can be annoying. But heâs a man of a very noble family.â
Who was Kiolle da Diarca? Only a few seconds later did Yuder recall that it was the name of the knight he ran into during the day.
Heâd decided to remember what he did with the young knight and forget the rest. It really went past his head. It meant that his brain didnât feel the need to remember.
âI acted as such because I thought that would never happen, so itâs fine.â
âThat would never happen?â
Kishiar asked back with an interested face.
âWhat does that mean?â
âMy side is much stronger. Besides me, there were many other members who could win even if those knights gathered all behind their backs. Thatâs as far as we can go with whatever happens.â
âYou mean, you didnât wait for me to arrive, you just believed that your side was much stronger?â
âYes.â
âThatâs interesting.â
Kishiar burst into laughter.
âSo how do you intend to resolve your problem with Kiolle da Diarca? His family is already putting pressure on us and they want to punish you.â
âAm I in trouble?â
Instead of answering, Yuder threw a counter-question.
âIf I am in trouble, you can kick me out.â
ââŚâ
Kishiarâs smile grew a little thicker. He leaned his face against his hand on the chairâs armrest. Red eyes shone through the golden hair.
âYou passed the Cavalry test, but you have no attachment feelings.â
ââŚâ
For Yuder, it would be better if the future didnât flow the same way as before. Being kicked out of here didnât mean the other way disappeared.
On the contrary, if he left, the chances of Kishiar remaining as the commander of the Cavalry may be greater. It wasnât a bad result if he thought about it.
âItâs been a while since Iâve seen someone who doesnât hesitate. Were you always this fearless?â
ââŚI guess so.â
Looking back on his memory, Yuder had received similar reviews from Kishiar in the past.
[⌠Yudrain, youâre too fearless that it becomes a problem. But thatâs what makes meâŚ]
âNo.â
By closing his eyes, Yuder let go of a useless memory of the past. No, that future wouldnât come. He didnât have to think about it because he wouldnât make it happen.
âWhy do you look so stiff all of a sudden? As if I just asked something I shouldnât.â
âNo, itâs nothing. It doesnât matter if they have a grudge against me. I will take care of it on my own so that it doesnât damage the Calvary.â
âHaha. Nathan, did you hear what he said? Heâll figure it out on his own.â
Kishiar burst into laughter again.
âThatâs what a commoner orphan says as if he could defeat a great duke family who has been around for a thousand years. Itâs really interesting.â
ââŚâ
Nathanâs icy blue eyes glanced at Yuderâs face. After a while, he turned ahead.
âI wonder why you think your power is so great. From what Iâve seen so far, itâs amazing, but I donât know if youâre that confident. Do you think you can win against me?â
Against Kishiar la Orr? It was a dangerous conversation. If someone else heard it, Yuder would be reported for the crime of the attempted assassination of the imperial family. But he focused entirely on the meaning.
Would Yuder be able to win if he fought against Kishiar?
Kishiarâs ability that Yuder had seen before was almost limited to physical ability. Each one seemed to have tremendous power and a high level of magic defense, so if Yuder fought him in person, it would be tricky.
âAnd itâs not like we would go all out⌠I guess heâs the only one Iâve ever seen go all out.â
Still, Yuder was probably the only one who knew Kishiarâs ability to that extent. It was possible because he followed him around when he was a deputy commander.
Kishiar was the type of leader who usually identified the situation and put the necessary talents in the right place when an incident occurred, so he was extremely less likely to come forward himself.
It was the opposite of Yuder who would step up before his subordinates and sweep it all away.
âIâve seen one or two abilities he used at a time, but heâs never used them all at once⌠Come to think of it, Iâve only heard of it and never seen it in person.â
It was during the Red Stone Retrieval mission that Kishiar was known to be the master of the divine sword. Yuder wasnât included in the mission and didnât know the detail of what had happened, because all those who had been there were ordered to never speak of it.
Later, it was heard that Kishiar first pulled out the divine sword to deal with the enemyâs surprise attack, and the situation was immediately cleared up.
That was the first and last time he used the divine sword as far as Yuder knew.
What if Kishiar used all his abilities at once and even held the divine sword?
âI donât know how the power of the new sword works⌠Maybe itâs more like making it easier to use existing skills.â
During training, Kishiar didnât show his ability directly but participated mainly in teaching. There was a limit to imagining abilities that he didnât know.
âI donât know. I donât know what youâre capable of, Commander-nim.â