Turning

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Chapter 117

"Yuder, you worked hard until late last night, didn't you? How are you feeling? You look a bit tired."

"I'm fine."

"Is that a new sword you have? Quite impressive. The red string tied to the handle, did the Commander give it to you?"

In fact, Yuder had tied a red string, which Enon had given him, to the sword handle before leaving that morning. If he wanted to keep Enon's advice to always carry it, tying it there seemed the best way. It was a relief that it matched well without seeming out of place, according to Gakane's words.

"The sword, yes, I got it... The string is mine."

"I see. It suits you well. It makes you look incredibly strong."

"Thank you."

As Yuder expressed his thanks, Gakane was about to say something else, but the atmosphere suddenly buzzed with activity, and everyone's gaze turned towards Kishiar, who was returning.

"It seems the march is about to begin."

"Ah, I'll return to my post. See you later, Yuder!"

While Kanna, who had once again turned pale with tension, clenched her fists, Gakane returned to where the Shin Division and his companions gathered. Following Gakane's departing figure, Yuder unintentionally glanced in that direction and briefly exchanged a nod with Devran Hartude, who was smiling upon noticing him.

After returning to the capital and receiving treatment for several days, Devran, who had completely erased traces of his torture, had started to act very friendly towards Yuder. Although he suspected the sudden friendliness was due to Devran witnessing his violet-tinged injury and sharing the secret, Yuder was relieved that he kept it well.

"Yuder! Over here."

Finally, Kishiar, who had returned to where the Cavalry had gathered, looked around for Yuder. Leaving Kanna behind, Yuder approached him. During the short walk, a few colleagues approached him, unable to hide their excitement and tension.

"Yuder, you look terrific today. Like a truly noble person."

"You too, Steiber."

Steiber Rendley, the Sul Division Deputy Commander with a pleasant smile, patted Yuder's shoulder. The Shin Division Deputy Commander Ever Beck, who had styled her long hair unusually high, also greeted him from beside.

"Yuder. We're heading to the 6th Wall right after this, right? I keep forgetting if I remembered it correctly."

"Yes, we are. Even if you try to run away because you don't want to go, I'm confident I can find you and bring you back, so you don't need to be that nervous."

At Yuder's calm response, Ever managed a smile. After passing them, Yuder finally stood in front of Kishiar, whose eyes, red as gems, were staring at him.

"Your coat is disheveled."

Looking down, he saw that his uniform's coat had slightly come undone as he had brushed past the troops. Yuder reached out to adjust it, but Kishiar was quicker. His fingers, covered in white gloves, gracefully adjusted Yuder's coat and even brushed off a piece of dust.

"...Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The sight of the imperial family member, Duke Peletta, personally adjusting someone's coat made people murmur in surprise. Yuder couldn't bring himself to turn his gaze towards them. Regardless, Kishiar just stood there, smiling.

"Thanks to your highness's grace, I'm likely to be misunderstood quite a bit today."

"That's not too bad."

"For me, it is."

"Whichever way, isn't it better for the Cavalry to be the talk of the town? Enjoy it."

Lowering his gaze and flashing an elegant smile, Kishiar waved towards the capital's citizens who were cheering for him from afar. Instantly, the cheers grew so loud that they could have deafened him.

"There he is! That's Duke Peletta! The brother of His Majesty the Emperor!"

"Wowwww!"

"Sounds like you're going deaf. How will you manage if this continues before we even start?"

Nathan Zuckerman, his face scrunched up amidst the roaring cheers, appeared, leading a huge white horse. It was the horse Kishiar was supposed to ride during the march.

"It's just a wave of a hand, after all."

Kishiar took the reins from Nathan's hand and smoothly mounted the horse. The cheers again surged, engulfing the entire street. Yuder, seeing Nathan Zuckerman's expression darken even more in his proper Peletta Knight attire and armor, opened his mouth.

"Sir Nathan, I heard you'll be accompanying me, following on either side of the horse. Which side do you plan on taking?"

"Either side is fine, but since the Cavalry should be most visible to the people, I'll take the left."

The right was directly visible to the crowd, while the left was a spot overshadowed by Kishiar and his horse.

After acknowledging Nathan's choice, Yuder stood to the right of the horse Kishiar was riding. Then, as they had been trained, the remaining Cavalry members started to line up behind them. The Deputy Commanders of each Division stood at the very front, and then the members lined up in pairs. Seeing the confident look of the lined-up members, the crowd erupted in admiration and curiosity.

"Are those the people in the Cavalry? They look incredibly strong."

"Their outfits are cool. This year, the Cavalry is more worth watching than the Imperial Knights."

'The continuous practice was worth it.'

Yuder smiled faintly, making sure no one else could see. Considering how desperate things were when they first practiced this parade a few days ago, the current situation was almost unbelievably improved.

As he heard the horn being blown three times in the distance, Yuder visualized the parade schedule that was about to begin today. The Imperial Troops always stood at the very front of the parade, followed by the Imperial Knights and the Imperial Mages, and then the rest of the participants.

The Cavalry, participating for the first time this year, had yet to set off since they were at the very end, but judging by the atmosphere, it didn't seem like they would be received poorly.

'Of course. We worked hard to make it that way.'

"We're about to depart. The signal came."

Kishiar, holding the signaling baton, spoke. Yuder heard the sound of a cannon firing in the distance and looked back. His 330 Cavalry comrades, stiff with excitement, came into view.

After scanning each of their faces, Yuder made sure everyone could see him as he curled up the corners of his mouth in a smile.

"Nervous?"

"..."

"No need to be. This event isn't even as challenging as a single lap around the training field."

While the parade was a grand event, it was still a festival. They were not knights who must remain stern or soldiers, so there was no benefit to them being overly serious.

'In my previous life, everyone was so tense that they made many mistakes and took a lot of criticism. There was no need to be so stiff in such a place.'

In order to maintain an image that was fitting of them, those who were chosen based on their skills alone, regardless of their social status, a leisurely smile was best. At least, that was what Yuder had decided.

"Uh, yeah. Right. We run more than ten laps around the training ground every day, so this is nothing!"

Kanna, who had been rigid, broke into a small smile as if infected by Yuder's rare grin. Subsequently, the other members also began to relax their stern expressions, one by one, and started to laugh.

"True. It's really no big deal. It's just like taking a round to celebrate the festival!"

"There wouldn't be a single person who'd be overly scared about such a trivial matter, right?"

"The one who was frozen was you. Just a moment ago, you were standing there with a face that said you wanted to go to the bathroom. I saw everything."

"Me, when did I?"

It was a miraculous scene. As Yuder looked at the Cavalry members who were openly smiling, a low voice came from above his head.

"Looks good."

Turning his head, he saw Kishiar, holding the reins, smiling like a Sun God.

"Cavalry."

"Yes!"

It was not a loud call, but the sight of all 330 members straightening their posture and responding at once to Kishiar's voice was truly spectacular.

"That's right. You are the Cavalry."

Kishiar La Orr's voice, standing under the brilliant sunlight, echoed in everyone's ears.

"Move forward with pride in that fact. I will always be in front, so there is no need to worry about losing your way. Understand?"

"Yes!"

As if waiting for that moment, the cannon fired once again.

It was a signal for the Cavalry to set off.

Listening to the cheering that was loud enough to make his ears go deaf, Yuder started to walk beside the horse Kishiar was riding. His heart was pounding, but his steps were firm.

In his previous life, Yudrain Aile, as the Commander of the Cavalry, participated in nearly ten parades. He was not nervous then, and he wasn't now, but there was one thing that was different from that time.

A serene emotion of not being worried, yet curious about what was ahead.

It was anticipation.

—---

"The Cavalry is about to appear soon."

"Alright, understood."

Crown Prince Katchian La Orr, after hearing the whisper of the attendant's report in his ear, put down the cup in his hand. The parade, which circled the entire capital, traditionally started from the end of the seventh wall and ended in the huge square inside the fifth wall.

Therefore, foreigners or nobles who wanted to watch the parade sat in a secret balcony of an unusually high-end accommodation prepared within the fifth wall, from where they would view the spectacle. The place where the Crown Prince was seated was one such balcony.

"I see Duke Peletta has prepared quite meticulously. I thought we would see the amusing sight of them herding around the common-born who could barely walk properly because they were frozen with fear."

Sitting opposite, Duke Diarca opened his mouth as if he had been waiting, wearing a grin like an old raccoon. He too had just received a whispered report from his servant, so he knew exactly how perfectly the Cavalry was performing in the parade.

And that was not the sight Duke Diarca had expected.

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