Turning

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Chapter 189

"I think I just want to go back now."

At that moment, Enon returned, casting a glance at Yuder, his brows slightly furrowed. It seemed that the lingering tension from their morning conversation had not completely dissolved yet. Yuder secretly wished that Enon would tell Kanna to rest a bit more, but such an occurrence didn't happen.

"If you wish to leave now, you may. Your condition is stable."

"Really? That's a relief."

Leaving behind words of caution to revisit should any problem arise, Enon left the room with a sullen expression. As Kanna got up and started preparing to leave, Yuder swiftly followed Enon, catching him by the shoulder.

"What is it?"

"Come by my quarters later. There's something I want to talk about."

"It's about what happened in the basement yesterday."

At these words, Enon's angry eyebrows relaxed slightly. He must have been genuinely curious.

"Hmm..."

"I'll have lemons ready."

"Do you think just having lemons will do it? What exactly did you learn from wherever you've been?"

Regardless of Enon's grumbling, Yuder informed him about the location of his quarters before leaving the infirmary with Kanna.

"Yuder. That handsome apothecary in the medical division..."

As they traversed the quiet corridor and ascended the central staircase, Kanna suddenly started talking about Enon. Yuder took a moment before slowly responding.

"Hmm?"

"Doesn't he seem a bit... unusual?"

"In what way?"

For a moment, Yuder wondered if Kanna had overheard his conversation with Enon, but it didn't seem likely. Kanna continued, her face thoughtful as she climbed the stairs.

"Well, when I woke up earlier, I really looked at his face for the first time, and something strange happened."

"A strange feeling?"

"Remember when I told you that I've been training recently to faintly sense other people's emotions and feelings? Do you remember?"

Yuder remembered her mentioning it when they went to interrogate Gayle and Doyle.

"I can't completely control this ability yet, so it can be draining. But the moment he saw me, he told me that if I don't learn to control it, my body will quickly deteriorate. I haven't told anyone else about this ability except you and the Commander. How could he know? He's definitely not an ordinary apothecary. Shouldn't we investigate?"

"..."

'...I guess I have one more thing to talk about with Enon.'

Enon still seemed to struggle with knowing what should and should not be said to others. Yuder was left pondering how to resolve this situation.

"Hey, Kanna."

"Hmm?"

"That apothecary... I mean, Enon, he's actually someone I know."

"What? Really? Was he introduced by you?"

"Not exactly, but..."

Yuder trailed off, watching Kanna's expression closely.

"In concern for you, because you were unconscious for so long, I discussed your ability in a bit more detail with him. I'm sorry."

"Oh... I see."

Finally, the suspicion and surprise that filled Kanna's face subsided.

"I even imagined he might be a spy who detected an ability I hadn't mentioned. So, he knows you... was he someone you knew from your hometown?"

"No, it was someone I met here after coming. It happened coincidentally... I received a bit of help, and that's how the bond formed."

It wasn't in this life, but it had been in the previous one. Hence, it was not a complete lie.

"Really? You, receiving help?"

Kanna seemed genuinely surprised, as if she had never even considered the possibility that Yuder might need assistance from someone. Nevertheless, her guard against Enon seemed to soften considerably with his words.

"You must have met someone truly skilled, then. I apologize if I misunderstood."

Unable to reveal the truth that her suspicions were, in fact, reasonable, Yuder simply responded with an ambiguous silence. Just then, they reached the floor where their lodging was located, and the two exchanged brief pleasantries, the central staircase between them.

"Yuder. You still have one more day off, right? Would you mind attending training with me tomorrow?"

"That's fine, but... I think it would be better for you to rest a bit more."

Continuous training certainly aids in enhancing skills, but it's not worth pushing oneself to exhaustion. In response to Yuder's concern, Kanna shook her head.

"No. After this incident, I realized that compared to the Commander or you, Yuder, I still have a long way to go. I'm ashamed of my previous arrogance, so I'll work harder. See you tomorrow!"

As Kanna turned and sprinted away, her retreating figure soon disappeared around the corridor. Yuder slowly turned and headed down the opposite corridor to his own quarters. Before opening the door, he paused, remembering Kishiar's words that there was one more gift, but he had to go in nonetheless.

What would the second gift be? He turned the doorknob with a subtle sense of unease, revealing his usual small room. What he discovered while cautiously surveying the room was a set of white clothes neatly laid out on the bed. Yuder instantly recognized the familiar outfit.

"...A ceremonial suit?"

It was definitely the ceremonial suit he had worn on the day of the manifestation. He hadn't paid any attention to the missing ceremonial dress since he had already changed into different clothes by the time he had regained his senses, but he hadn't expected it to return here.

"Could this be the second gift?"

Kishiar had said that he would probably prefer the second gift, but he wasn't particularly thrilled about getting his suit back. As he picked up the suit with a strange feeling, Yuder stopped as he noticed a few objects that had rolled out from the folds of the garment onto the bed.

One of them was a round object wrapped in brightly colored paper, its identity uncertain. However, the other was unmistakable. A fist-sized piece of stone, glowing a dark red, was unquestionably the medium of the Red Stone power that Thais Yulman had created the night before.

"This is......"

He cautiously reached out and grasped the small stone. Despite being shattered, the medium holding the power of the Red Stone possessed an odd allure, much like a top-quality gemstone. Unlike when it was the Red Stone, it was now quiet even when held in hand. After setting it back down, Yuder unwrapped the second object in the colored paper.

What could be worthy to be placed next to the medium of the Red Stone's power?

Fifth generation store in the center of the Fifth Wall district. The Candy Store of New Bellaria.

A taste sweeter than love. Now share it as a gift.

"..."

Inside the colored paper wrapping lay objects no larger than a fingernail – little candies. Yuder silently looked down at the clusters of candies that shone like jewels in various colors, eventually picking up one and placing it in his mouth. From the ruby-red candy came a sweet taste so intense, it made him wonder if it was his tongue melting.

'I suppose... I have to admit...'

Yuder covered the candy wrapper again and lifted up the artifact, bringing it close to his eyes.

'This one certainly appeals to me more than the first gift.'

The reason Kishiar had given it to Yuder was because it didn't matter how he scrutinized or used the artifact, as long as its power was worth one artifact. By giving away part of that dangerous power without any conditions, Kishiar was sending the most certain message that his trust in Yuder had not changed. It was indeed a daring distribution.

A fleeting smile rose and vanished from the face reflected faintly on the surface of the artifact. Yuder, feeling satisfied, stashed the artifact in his bosom and stood up.

There was no time to rest; he had things to prepare before Enon arrived.

He went down to the dining room and picked up some bread for himself and a few lemons for Enon. After tidying up the uniform that the cleaning staff had laundered for him and checking the state of the room, his long-awaited guest finally knocked on the door after finishing all of his day's work.

"All the room locations here are confusing. There's no name on the doors, and when all the colors are exactly the same, even the owner would have a hard time finding the room."

"It's deliberately designed that way to make it hard for intruders if they come in. Come in."

After answering him, using memories from his past life, he went in first, with Enon grumbling quietly and following him.

"So, what exactly happened yesterday?"

"It's a bit of a long story."

Despite being a small room, it had everything. Upon seeing the lemons washed and laid out on the small table, Enon's expression softened significantly.

"Alright. Start talking."

Explaining what had happened the night before wasn't that difficult. It was just an unexpected accident during an experiment to separate the power from the stone for the purpose of researching the power of the Red Stone.

However, explaining the mysterious situation that had occurred between the power of the Red Stone and him at the time of the accident was rather difficult. To talk about his hand that had emitted light, he had to reveal the circumstances under which the spot had formed, but it was tricky to explain without violating his oath since it happened during a secret mission.

So, Yuder carefully continued his story using incidents before and after the mission that wouldn't violate his oath, allowing Enon to infer the gaps. He believed Enon could make an educated guess about the missing parts, but the only response from Enon, who was casually eating through the tough lemon peel as if it were pudding, was an occasional non-committal "Hmm."

"...and that's what happened."

Finally, the story came to an end, and his mouth felt dry from all the talking.

"Hmm. I see. Now I understand a bit more."

Enon, having polished off two lemons, squinted his eyes and twisted the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"So, what's the opinion you want from me?"

"I want to know what you think about what happened to me during the experiment yesterday."

"You say you don't know, and you want to know if I know, right?"

"You've lived for a long time."

"Even though I've lived for a long time, the fact that the Red Stone fell two years ago hasn't changed. I never really cared about you Awakeners in the first place."

Although he spoke those words, Enon's gaze was serious. Lost in thought, he held the third lemon in his hand and rolled it rhythmically.

"The power of the Red Stone is all about change..."

"..."

Enon mumbled something under his breath as if he had caught on to what Thais Yulman had said, and he tilted his head, his throat letting out a dry, hollow sound.

"So, you were talking about the magic revolution and all that in that context. That arrogant young mage. How audacious."

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