The party members were perplexed, unable to see Yuder's protective barrier. Only Kishiar widened his eyes slightly and smiled.
"Interesting... Marvelous, indeed. In that brief moment, it wasn't just self-preservation but the will to use your power for everyone else."
"No, it wasn't like that."
Yuder lowered his head, but Kishiar's gaze lingered on his face for a moment longer.
"Just by touching the stone, such an event unfolds. Moving it might not be as easy as we thought."
"..."
Everyone's expression darkened. Yuder felt equally perturbed.
'Has this happened before? How did they transport it then?'
In the past, Kishiar had retrieved the Red Stone and returned to the Cavalry with it in his hand. Since he had taken it directly to the palace, it clearly could be moved. So, what had changed between then and now?
While Yuder pondered this, Kishiar issued a new command to the Eldore siblings.
"Is it possible to move the stone by placing it between the two of you? Even a short distance would suffice. Please give it a try."
"Um... We'll try."
But the attempt failed before it even began. As soon as the siblings, who had struggled to position themselves on either side of the Red Stone, reached out to touch it, energy surged from the stone once again.
"It seems to react to something even without direct contact,"
In the end, Kishiar decided there was no point in continuing and suggested they head back.
The group retraced their steps, each member silent and their expressions heavy.
"You've worked hard today. I didn't expect everything to go smoothly from the start. Let's rest for now and regroup tomorrow. If anyone has thoughts on what we've seen today, feel free to find me, even if it's late."
As he spoke, Kishiar's gaze subtly shifted toward Yuder. Feeling the weight of that look, Yuder pretended not to notice.
'I can't possibly know all the answers.'
Though he had memories of the future, he couldn't know now what he hadn't known then.
Back in his quarters, Yuder lay on his bed, quietly pondering the day's events.
The strange power emitted by the Red Stone, the reason only the Cavalry members could approach it, the cause of its explosive behavior, the differences between the past and the present…
Memories swirled through his mind, rapidly comparing and analyzing.
'The biggest problem right now is that we can't move the stone.'
In the past, Kishiar had swiftly retrieved the stone and returned without much incident. The minor event that had revealed him as the owner of the divine sword had occurred afterward, but by then, the stone had already been secured.
In other words, the retrieval mission had been executed efficiently, with no significant delays.
But now, something was different.
Of course, the members of the party Kishiar had selected this time were different, but that alone shouldn't have caused such a drastic change in circumstances. Yuder mulled over this discrepancy, trying to piece together what could have altered the situation.
His expression suddenly shifted.
'Wait... when Kishiar brought the Red Stone before, he wasn't holding it directly in his hand.'
Yuder recalled that the first time he had seen Kishiar with the Red Stone, it had been tightly wrapped in thick cloth, carefully concealed. Later, when the stone had been transported to the palace, it had been encased in a box made of transparent magic stone. In both cases, it had been shielded from direct contact.
Could this be the solution? It was speculative, but it felt worth testing.
Yuder deliberated briefly before rising from his seat.
"Where are you going?"
Gakane, who had been lying on the bed next to him, also lost in thought, looked up in surprise.
"Just need to clear my head."
Yuder quickly left the lodging before Gakane could offer to join him. The evening had settled in, and the area was quiet and dark, with only the soft whisper of wind passing through.
Once certain he was alone, Yuder spotted a small stone nearby. It wasn't much, but he decided to use it as a substitute for the Red Stone.
'Now... wrap it.'
With a flick of his fingers, Yuder summoned his power. The ground beneath the stone began to shift as sand rose up, slowly enveloping the stone, encasing it within a thick layer of earth. Forming a round sphere. Next, he willed water to materialize, forming a swirling bubble around the dirt. With another wave of his hand, the water froze into a solid, glossy white shell of ice.
Yuder's ability to manipulate the elements allowed him to control both form and temperature. He held the ice-encased stone, testing its weight.
'So simple with an ordinary stone.'
But would the same technique work on the Red Stone? He couldn't be sure, but it was worth a try. He made a mental note to pack a thick cloth in his bag for tomorrow.
After examining the ice sphere for a moment, Yuder dropped it. With another command of his hand, the ice and soil shattered and melted, returning seamlessly to the earth. The original pebble was all that remained.
As Yuder looked at the pebble, he considered why Kishiar had gone to such lengths to wrap the Red Stone so thoroughly.
'The most likely reason is to contain the energy it releases.'
The Red Stone's power was immense. Gakane's experience—his shattered shadow after being struck by the stone's energy—had made that clear. Even with a protective barrier, Yuder had still felt the overwhelming force trying to penetrate his body, suffocating him with its intensity.
'And all of that came from just one small stone.'
Yuder glanced down at his palm. He hadn't noticed it while climbing the mountain, but now, after having some time to recover, he saw the back of his hand. There was a faint bruise, as though something sharp had grazed him. The thought lingered in his mind as he contemplated what it meant.
He couldn't remember when he'd gotten the bruise, which looked as if something had burst from within. But as he stared at it, the memory came flooding back.
'Just before I put up the barrier, some of the force from the stone passed through my hand.'
Something invisible had brushed through his body—a subtle yet strange sensation. If this mark was truly caused by that force, then putting up the barrier had been the right decision at that critical moment.
'If that energy had pierced my head, heart, or mana hole... I don't even want to think about it.'
Thankfully, the damage was limited to his palm. An Awakener's body was more resilient than that of an ordinary person, but it wasn't invulnerable. In particular, the mana hole, located below the navel, was an especially vital organ. Although its existence wasn't normally noticeable, if it were to be destroyed, one would lose the ability to sense or manipulate energy. Yuder glanced down at his lower abdomen, thinking about this crucial organ that would be publicly known in about a year's time.
At first glance, the bodies of the Awakeners didn't seem much different from before their awakening. Yet, in truth, their bodies underwent profound changes. Were these transformations truly the work of God, as the Emperor and the Pope claimed?
Yuder had known long before his death that not everything they said could be trusted. But back then, he hadn't given it much thought, not seeing it as a matter of significant importance. However, now that he had seen the Red Stone up close, the idea that this small stone could alter the bodies of countless people, including himself, seemed bizarre. How could its energy be responsible for granting them these powers?
Yuder kicked the small stone he'd been staring at with the tip of his boot. The stone rolled away and came to a stop at someone's foot. Surprised, Yuder looked up to find Kishiar La Orr standing there.
"What brings you here?" Yuder asked, caught off guard.
"I was just taking a night stroll. And you?"
"Me too... the same."
In reality, Yuder had come out to clear his thoughts about the Red Stone, but he offered a vague reply. Running into Kishiar in such a secluded spot was unexpected.
He intended to return to his quarters, but Kishiar was quick to engage him in conversation.
"Since we've met, why not walk together for a while?"
Yuder sighed softly. How could he refuse the commander's request? He nodded, reluctantly agreeing to walk alongside Kishiar.
Despite the invitation, Kishiar remained silent for a while, and Yuder felt a strange pressure to initiate the conversation.
"...Sir..."
"You are..."
Their words overlapped, both speaking at the same time. Yuder blinked in surprise, looking up at Kishiar, who was now gazing down at him with a faint smile. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Yuder bit his lip.
"Please, go ahead,"
"No, it wasn't important. You first,"
"No, I wasn't going to say anything important either,"
There wasn't exactly a friendly relationship between them that warranted casual conversation. Yuder had planned to discuss the events of the day, and if nothing more came of it, perhaps bring up something related to the second gender. But seeing no immediate need for small talk, he shook his head. Kishiar, noticing Yuder's hesitation, narrowed his eyes.
"Is that so? Well, if it's not important, then there's no harm in you speaking first. Even if I ordered you to, as your leader, you wouldn't like that?"
'This crafty...'
Yuder's eyebrows twitched slightly at Kishiar's playful tone.
His own past, filled with moments where he had used the authority of leadership to make his subordinates do the same, conveniently slipped from his mind. Now, he found himself in a similar situation, caught between an informal request and the unspoken weight of an order.