"Did you not say there is a mysterious power in the Red Stone? I am certain that Duke Peletta will find a way to make it serve your cause."
"..."
"The court mages and the priests of the Sun God are all working day and night for you, Your Majesty. And I too..."
The Empress trailed off, forcing a smile onto her face.
"Please continue to take the herbs I've prepared for you, replenish your energy, and you'll surely find a solution. Everything will be fine."
Hmm. The Emperor swallowed the murmurs he couldn't bring himself to voice directly to his Empress.
Even if he could mend what was already broken, how long would it last?
------
On an unusually sunny afternoon, three people stood in a deserted physical training field set up behind the Cavalry barracks. They were Yuder, Kanna, and Gakane.
"Before we start, how are you feeling?"
At Yuder's question, Kanna and Gakane closed their eyes, seemingly checking their own conditions.
"I'm... fine."
"Me too."
"Commander, do you not need to step back a bit?"
"Ah, I'm also fine, of course. Don't worry about me and proceed."
Kishiar, who had elegantly seated herself at a table a bit away from the trio, waved his hand with a languid smile.
At the same time, Nathan, who had appeared from inside the barracks, placed a teacup from the tray he was carrying in front of Kishiar.
As he poured tea from a teapot - too small in comparison to his hands - into the cup, a crisp and fragrant smell filled the dusty training field, seeming rather out of place.
"Such a wonderful aroma."
"It's tea made from the leaves of a medicinal herb the Empress has recently cultivated. She sent it while you were away on your mission."
"Her Majesty? Always in her debt. I suppose I'll have to write her a letter of thanks."
While Kishiar's side was filled with serenity, the area surrounding Yuder was tense.
Starting that day, Kanna and Gakane had decided to train under Yuder for the development of their abilities. Although it might seem odd to receive training from Yuder, who was essentially a fellow soldier even if he was the commander's assistant, the two of them had no objections, having seen his skills firsthand.
Normally, many soldiers should have been in full swing training at that time. But now, there was no one except them. This was because the entire Cavalry had started a holiday that Kishiar had granted the day before.
When all the nobles turned their eyes to the Cavalry after the incident of driving out Count Gallon, Kishiar seemed to have been waiting for the moment, announcing a week-long holiday.
The official reason was to celebrate the successful completion of the Cavalry's first mission. But in reality, a select few knew that it was a maneuver to prevent the Red Stone hidden within the Cavalry from being exposed to unnecessary attention.
The soldiers didn't know that the secret mission of their comrades, which had ended in success and a big reward, was to retrieve the Red Stone. However, they were extremely pleased to get a holiday thanks to it.
There were quite a few people in the Cavalry, like Yuder, who were not confident of their admission and had left things to settle back in their hometowns.
Including those who wanted to show their families what they would be like after being admitted, most of the soldiers left the barracks immediately.
The vacation plan had initially begun due to a conversation with Yuder during the mission to recover the Red Stone, but Yuder himself had ultimately given up the vacation. He couldn't afford to spend a whole week of his scant month dedicated to locating the Red Stone on something like a holiday.
There were also a few members, aside from Yuder, who didn't take the vacation. Most of them either had no place to return to, or their homes were too far to visit within a week. Among them was Kanna, of course.
At first, Yuder had planned to take her alone for personal training to improve her abilities. After the holiday, he intended to strengthen all members' abilities even further, and had requested Kishiar for permission related to the training.
However, the problem was that Gakane was present when Yuder approached Kanna to propose training together during the holiday.
"Training with Kanna? For a whole week? I want to join too. Let me do it."
At first, Yuder refused. Training two people with different abilities could reduce his focus. However, Gakane was extremely persistent. He immediately canceled his plan to spend his vacation in his hometown and clung to Yuder.
Since he had received permission from Kishiar to participate in the training plan, he would train the other members like Kanna in enhanced training after a week anyway. So he argued there was no need to do it first. But Gakane was adamant. His obsession with strength was beyond what Yuder had imagined.
"You're training with Kanna because the leader ordered you to investigate the Red Stone, right? You think her current abilities are insufficient, so you're trying to teach Kanna something more, aren't you? Then my shadow will definitely be helpful too!"
It was natural for him to think so, having seen Kishiar take back the Red Stone that they thought would be presented to the emperor. However, the one who ordered it was not Kishiar but Yuder himself, something Gakane naturally could not guess.
Until then, Yuder had thought of Gakane as just a good-natured and diligent guy. But seeing his determination not to shy away from following him even to the restroom, Yuder's perception changed.
Gakane Bolunwald was a persistent bugger who pretended to be nice.
"Yuder, please. I already know how tremendous your skills are. How could I give up such an opportunity? I want to become as strong as you. If I can train with you, I'll do whatever you say. I really mean it."
"..."
After being hassled all day, Yuder finally let out a long sigh.
"It's just one week. Nothing might change, and you may only suffer. Even so, are you willing to do as I say?"
"Of course! If I gain nothing, that's my fault. I'll never blame you."
The Yuder from his past life might have refused nonetheless. But Yuder eventually nodded. If the one eager to walk the path of hardship regretted it, so be it - it wouldn't be his loss.
"Alright."
"Thank you, Yuder!"
Gakane hugged Yuder tightly, his face filled with emotion.
When Kanna heard that Gakane would be training with them, she was greatly relieved that she wouldn't be alone.
To her, Yuder was a cherished comrade who was nothing less than a lifesaver, but he was sometimes even more inscrutable than Kishiar. The thought of training one-on-one with such a person for a whole week had made her secretly anxious.
And so, two members became the first subjects of Yuder's ability enhancement training. Kishiar expressed great interest in this training plan and declared that he would definitely observe it.
Thus, today's situation had been set in motion.
The training ground they were to use was constructed in a place that could never be seen from the outside. Despite being right behind their lodgings, it was not visible from within, making it exceedingly suitable for a training session like today's.
"Yuder. But, can I... can I really do it? Even with training, can I actually develop my ability enough to read an object's information without touching it within a month...?"
Kanna asked with a worried expression. She was aware of the potency of Yuder's ability, but she was the one receiving the training. With the leader, Kishiar, watching over her, she felt afraid that she might disappoint them again, like the time when she was unable to help during the Red Stone retrieval mission.
"You can do it."
Yuder answered with short but assured certainty, then pulled out an object he had brought earlier. Kanna and Gakane's gaze focused on it.
"A book...?"
"What are you going to do with that?"
"Kanna, try reading the information of this book using your ability first."
Yuder purposely turned the back of the book to Kanna so she couldn't see the title. With a puzzled expression, Kanna approached and placed her hand on the book. Soon, a transparent energy began to ripple slightly between her fingers.
"Hmm... it's a book that has been handled by many people. Most of them seem to think it's a difficult book. It seems to be about 20 years old... a source of warm comfort..."
As Kanna spoke, her words gradually became less coherent and eventually faded. Yuder quietly observed her.
"I can't read any more than this. This is my limit."
"Kanna, when you use your ability, what do you usually think about?"
At Yuder's sudden question, Kanna's eyes widened in surprise.
"Huh? I just... I don't think about anything. Only about needing to read quickly...?"
"I see. Then, this time, try using your ability while focusing on the thought that you must read information related to the title or content of this book. Can you do that?"
"I've never tried before... but I'll give it a shot."
Kanna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Once again, she placed her hand on the book, and a short time later, a ripple, larger than before, began to emerge. Gakane, who was right next to her, seemed to notice this ripple as well, as he held his breath and looked surprised.
"...In the beginning, there was a land without light. One day, God took pity on those wandering in the darkness and cast down light. The first light was small and hard, clustered like a pebble... Remember the first sentence well, as it's the most important. The first of 14 chapters, in total 99 chapters...? This is..."
Slowly muttering, Kanna opened her eyes and looked down at the book with a stunned expression.
"This is the Scripture of the Sun God, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's right."
Yuder flipped the book over. It was indeed an old copy of the Scripture of the Sun God. Despite being quite worn from many hands over a long time, the cover still looked clean, as if it had been carefully preserved.