"It's all because of Kiolle. He stormed out in protest of the training..."
"Hmm. So you were forced to follow such a brat and ended up running into us. Unfortunate, indeed,"
If only they had arrived a little later, or if Kiolle had just stayed quiet, none of this unpleasantness would have occurred. The Warden's words made the subordinate knight clench his teeth in frustration, bowing his head even lower.
"So, you didn't know we were here?"
"We honestly didn't,"
"How much of our conversation did you overhear?"
"...I heard from the part where you mentioned four Awakeners. But I didn't listen carefully. I only caught Apeto's name because Kiolle recognized one of your faces and got angry. I didn't know who your family was."
"He recognized a face?" the steward repeated, turning to glare at Kiolle with irritation. His face wrinkled in annoyance.
Kiolle met his gaze defiantly, still bleeding yet unbowed.
"Did you see us before, you idiot from the Diarca family?"
"That's right," Kiolle spat back. "That brat behind you, the one who always accompanies the second of the Apeto family. The audacious fool who spilled alcohol on my shoes!"
At Kiolle's outburst, the man standing next to the Warden looked momentarily startled, surprised that Kiolle truly remembered him.
"...So, you've got a better memory than I thought."
"Do you take me for a fool? I intended to punish him then, but that sneaky little scoundrel managed to sneak you all away. I may forget other things, but I never forget a grudge!" Kiolle's voice dripped with venom.
It became painfully clear to everyone that Kiolle never forgot even the smallest of slights.
'Weak, arrogant, and never forgets a grudge… Those types are always the most troublesome,'
Yuder sighed softly, recalling the two times he had already knocked Kiolle down. Judging by the Warden's rolling narrowed eyes, he seemed to share the sentiment.
"Paviel, was it?" the Warden said coolly. "Thanks to you, it looks like we'll have fewer problems. For that, we thank you."
"Then...!" The subordinate knight raised his head slightly, hope flickering in his eyes. But before he could finish his sentence, his voice was abruptly cut off.
A hunter-clad Awakener had silently appeared behind him and, in a single swift motion, plunged a blade into the knight's throat.
"Guh...!" The knight's hands flew to his neck as he collapsed, blood spurting from the wound. Within moments, he was dead.
"Paviel...! Urgh!"
"Knock him out and bring him along," the Warden ordered, gesturing toward Kiolle. "There won't be any repercussions, and we can extract some useful information about Diarca before we kill him."
Yuder watched as the hunters approached Kiolle. One of them delivered a sharp blow to the back of his head, and Kiolle collapsed beside Paviel's lifeless body. They were treated like nothing more than baggage to be carried away.
Only after the noise had sufficiently faded did Nahan remove his hand from Yuder's shoulder. The surroundings, which had seemed slightly muted, returned to their original vividness. The illusion that had concealed them had lifted.
Yuder stepped forward, his gaze falling on the blood-soaked ground where Paviel's corpse had lain.
"They'll probably take the body and make it disappear without a trace," Nahan muttered, briefly glancing away from the bloodstains.
Yuder shook his head.
"No, they're planning to frame someone."
Their goal was clear: interrogate Kiolle about the Diarca Ducal Family, extract as much information as possible, then kill him. The best way to avoid the Diarca's suspicion would be to create a scapegoat.
The easiest choice would be to frame the dead knight. But if that didn't work, they might turn their attention to the Cavalry staying in Hartan. Yuder was sure they'd already considered this option. Either way, it didn't concern him too much.
'First, I'll follow them and confirm where they're headed, then...'
"Apeto. Diarca. If I'm not mistaken, these are all prestigious ducal families, right?"
Yuder, lost in thought as he prepared to follow the Apeto family's people who had taken Kiolle, turned at the unexpected question.
Nahan's illusion had fully dropped, revealing his original form. His grey eyes, visible beneath his night-sky-colored hair, stared at Yuder with interest.
"...Yes, you're right,"
"Interesting. My brothers always said the nobles here hate the Emperor, but I didn't expect their relationships with each other to be so... strained."
"..."
Seeing the Apeto family behave so brazenly in Diarca territory, bold enough to attempt to kill a Diarca family member, one might assume their relations were tense. But Yuder knew better.
In his previous life, while serving the Emperor, he had witnessed the intricate dynamics between the Four Great Ducal Houses. They reminded him of a legendary serpent with many heads but one body.
They were constantly at each other's throats, vying for better positions and opportunities, but they always prioritized their collective survival.
Even if it became known that the Apeto family had killed Kiolle, the Diarca family wouldn't confront them openly. They might seek subtle, private revenge, but it would never escalate into an open feud. That was the unspoken rule of the Four Great Ducal Houses, passed down for over a thousand years since the founding of the Empire.
'As long as order is maintained, glory is everlasting.'
That's what the Emperor Yuder had once served had said about the ducal families. Thus, he knew better than to assume from this single event that their relations were poor.
The ducal families were a peculiar lot—willing to kill each other in one moment, yet just as ready to protect each other with their lives when it mattered.
However, Yuder wasn't in the mood to explain these complex dynamics to Nahan. As he stayed silent, Nahan seemed to sense the topic had run its course and shifted the conversation.
"The risk of being discovered from here on is much higher than before. We don't know how many more of our brothers are in the direction they're heading. But you're going to keep going, aren't you?"
"Yes," Yuder answered simply.
Nahan smiled slightly, as if he'd expected that response, and immediately restored his illusion.
They continued deeper into the mountains, following the trail left by the Apeto family. Thanks to the large group, the footprints and bloodstains were easy to trace. It was a fortunate turn.
"Look, The trail leads into that cave."
Their trail led deep into the valley, ending inside a cave. It was cleverly hidden between the rocks—so well concealed that without the telltale droplets of blood marking the path, they might never have found it.
Listening closely, they could faintly hear human voices echoing from within. The source was unmistakable.
'We've confirmed the location. We could return to contact Gakane and Jimmy...'
However, the presence of far more people inside than they had anticipated made Yuder pause. Although there was no immediate need to engage, if they didn't act now, the people inside might disappear without a trace. He composed himself and turned to Nahan.
"Can you conceal us again like before? Could we enter undetected?"
"I'm not sure," Nahan admitted. "It's easy to hide in a forest, blending with trees and shadows. But in a cave… there's not much we could disguise ourselves as."
"That does sound difficult," Yuder agreed.
Without the option to rely on stealth, Yuder decided on a more direct approach: incapacitate anyone they encountered. Sometimes, the simplest strategy was the most effective. Which is launching rocks with the wind.
"What are you looking for?" Nahan asked, watching Yuder scan the ground.
"A stone to launch."
"You're going to throw a stone? Why?"
"If we can't hide, it's faster to knock everyone unconscious as we go," Yuder explained calmly.
Nahan gave him an incredulous look. "You're serious?"
"I don't waste time on pointless things."
"…We might not need to wait long. Someone's coming out."
Sure enough, the voices from inside the cave were growing louder. Yuder and Nahan quickly concealed themselves among the dense trees.
Two men emerged, both dressed like the hunters who had followed the man they called 'Warden' earlier. They carried large water jugs, likely heading to fetch water.
'Are they both Awakeners?' Yuder wondered. 'Either way, this works for us.'
He spotted two small pebbles at his feet. With a flick of his hand, he hurled them, enhancing their speed with the wind.
The sound of stone striking flesh echoed, and the two men crumpled to the ground. Yuder approached their unconscious bodies and knelt to inspect them.
"Did you kill them?"
"They're just unconscious," Yuder replied, searching their belongings. Aside from a small dagger and a few cigarettes. It seemed they had planned to take a break and smoke after fetching water.
'Nothing useful here.'
Yuder used the dagger to tear strips from their clothes, binding their hands and feet securely. He then stuffed their mouths with cloth to keep them silent, hiding their bodies behind the same trees where he and Nahan had been concealed moments earlier.
Straightening up, Yuder turned to Nahan, who had been watching silently.
"You mentioned earlier you didn't know what we could disguise ourselves as inside the cave."
Nahan's eyes widened slightly, catching on to Yuder's intent. A brief flicker of surprise, or perhaps disbelief, crossed his face before he quickly masked it.
"That's right,"
"It seems we've found our solution now,"