Turning

What Alik saw in the Cavalry quarters was utterly different from what he had imagined before arriving. Having heard they were located within the Imperial Knight's territory, he had naturally assumed they were simply using an old, hastily patched-up building. But who could have known that it was instead a place constructed anew from the ground up?

The expensive materials that adorned the solidly constructed building hinted at how grand the expectations and aspirations of its creator must have been.

'The people working in the palace used to chatter that Duke Peletta just made the Cavalry unit for fun after awakening... How could this place possibly have been made for amusement? They can only speak so carelessly because they've never been here!'

If there were a few more people here with skills as extraordinary as Yuder Aile's, they would become a formidable force that no one could dismiss. What on earth was a duke, unable to vie for the imperial throne, doing forming such an ambitious power under the tacit approval of the emperor?

The Orr Empire was a nation famed for its lack of change over a long period of time. Nobody could break the order they had established, neither from within nor without.

However, Alik sighed, contemplating that he and his master might have stepped into this dangerous time where the empire was finally facing the moment of radical change.

There was one day left until the end of the seven-day vacation period.

Because he had told Gakane and Kanna to take the day off, it could be considered a true day of rest. Early in the morning, Yuder, to avoid the members who were gradually returning, quietly headed out from the Imperial Knight's territory.

It had been a long time since he had walked the streets in normal clothes, having shed his uniform. Numerous people brushed past Yuder as he meandered through the old, unchanged streets, sparking old memories.

Originally, it was said that common people didn't live within the 7th Wall district. However, as time passed, many people snuck in, settling down, and now it had transformed into a commonplace scenery.

Unlike the other districts where the majority of the buildings were built in balance as if measured, just a little way off the main street in the 7th Wall district, things quickly turned labyrinthine. This was due to the influx of those inhabitants.

Yuder navigated the dizzying streets adeptly and moved forward without any hesitation. As time went by, his surroundings became progressively grimier and darker. The stench that was strong enough to rot one's nose began to waft from between the shadows of the tightly packed buildings.

Eyes filled with anticipation of possibly picking the pockets of naive foreigners who lost their way in the darkness that stretched out like a spider's long legs trailed after him from the alleys. Of course, they quickly gave up when they realized that the new visitor was quite familiar with this slum.

The place where Yuder stopped was in front of a very small pharmacy tucked away in an old alley. It was extremely hard for first-time visitors to identify the place. The shop itself looked precariously close to collapsing, and the sign was so worn out that it was almost impossible to read the words on it.

However, as Yuder was already aware of what the place was, he did not hesitate and walked right in.

"Get out. Not open for business today."

A voice as dreadful as a hellish shriek barked from inside the opened door, the harsh tone hardly befitting for a potential customer.

Yuder paid no attention to the clutter that filled the room so densely that neither the walls nor the ceiling could be seen. Instead, his gaze was drawn to the two feet propped up nonchalantly on the counter.

"What are you doing, deaf? I told you we're not doing business! Get out!"

"I didn't come to buy medicine."

"..."

The two casually swaying feet stopped in their tracks at that moment. After a while, someone raised their reclining body and leaned over the counter to reveal their face. It was hard to believe that a man with such an attractive appearance had been lying in this disorganized and filthy space.

"What? Who are you?"

Yuder recalled the past as he looked at the man's ash-gray hair and deeply furrowed brow. He felt a strange emotion upon seeing that he looked no different from the last time he had seen him in his previous life.

"I came because there's something I want to hear."

"...Do you know me? Who are you to come all of a sudden and speak informally and give orders?"

"The Guardian of Luma's Seven Walls, Enon."

Yuder's voice was calm. However, the man's expression changed significantly upon hearing his words.

"...What did you just say?"

"The Guardian of Luma's Seven Walls...."

"Wait. Wait a minute, wait a minute."

The man, who quickly leaped out from behind the counter, covered Yuder's mouth. His eyes were filled with curiosity, surprise, and wariness.

"Who are you? How do you know? Who told you? Strange... I definitely don't recognize your face?"

‘It was none other than yourself from your previous life.’

Yuder regretted a bit that he couldn't say that, pointing to the hand that was covering his mouth. The meaning was that if he kept covering it like this, he wouldn't be able to answer even if he tried.

Although Enon's expression was still full of skepticism, he finally removed his hand.

Instead of answering his question, Yuder quietly lifted the corner of his mouth.

"I can't tell you who told me right now. But I swear it's not information I obtained unfairly. As far as I know, you have to cooperate with anyone who mentions your name. Isn't that right?"

The look in Enon's eyes changed completely to one of utter astonishment.

"How... how do you know that too? No matter how I think about it, I don't know someone like you. How on earth did this happen? Is there something wrong with my head?"

Enon might not have known Yuder, but Yuder knew him. He was the one who helped Yuder, who had been seriously injured while carrying out a secret mission for the Emperor in his previous life and was hiding briefly near the slums.

He was coarse in his speech, but he was more compassionate and kind than he appeared. He knew so much that it was almost mysterious, and he often shared information deeper than most information guilds without hesitation. At that time, he claimed it was because he had heard so much from living in the slums for a long time.

Several years passed in this way, and when a disaster spread across the world and Yuder started chasing the signs of something strange, Enon suddenly disappeared.

Before disappearing, he once mentioned that he thought he needed to leave the capital and find out something. Yuder found the last letter he left in the medicine shop months after he had a hunch about something.

The letter revealed that he was not merely an ordinary person, but a Guardian who had made a pact with the Archmage Luma long ago to protect the seven walls of the capital. It also contained a few more pieces of information related to him.

"'Believe in my words or not, that's your choice. But if we meet again and I do not remember you, mention the name 'Enon,' Luma's Guardian. Then I will certainly help you again. I wish you luck on your journey, Yudrain.'"

Enon sometimes audaciously called himself 'elder brother' and meddled with Yuder. Even though Yuder had never once called him 'elder brother,' his disappearance was included in the fleeting regrets that swept past him just before his death.

"Your head is perfectly fine. And my name is Yuder Aile. Remember it; we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

Yuder introduced himself anew, carrying memories from their brief relationship in his past life.

"Even hearing the name, I still don't recognize it...? And why should I see you frequently?"

Enon frowned and tilted his head.

"Because you're the only person who can help me now."

Yuder casually pulled over a chair that was left around and sat down, ignoring Enon's gaping mouth at his nonchalant attitude.

Enon had the uncanny ability to discern whether a person was lying or not. Thus, from this point on, he needed to speak with the utmost honesty.

"Currently, I need information about those who have held the title of Duke in the past while possessing the castle of La Orr. Even if it's small, if you have any knowledge, please share it. Especially about Kishiar La Orr, who became a Duke under the same conditions as now."

"...Why are you already talking as if I've agreed to help you? Are you planning some sort of rebellion? If that's the case, I absolutely won't assist you."

"No, it's not. The information you give me will only be known to me, and I won't use it anywhere."

In his past life, Yuder did not highly trust the information Enon shared because he thought it was leaked from some back alley. But this time it was different. Yuder decided to trust Enon more than the information guilds he had used and been betrayed by multiple times in the past.

"It's very important to me. I can't ask anywhere else. Please."

At Yuder's words, Enon's eyes twitched. He let out a deep sigh and slouched, then suddenly jumped up and began pacing around the narrow shop.

"This is crazy."

"..."

"You understand how tricky it is to deal with information related to the imperial family's history?"

"I do. That's why I'm asking you."

"I thought my luck seemed a bit off this morning. So this was it, meeting a crazy guy like you."

He said this, then continued pacing the shop for a while. Eventually, he knocked over one of the piles of random stuff he had collected, snapped in frustration, and finally stopped.

"...If things were as usual, I would have kicked you out. But I'll help you, just this once. You did come here in my name."

Yuder immediately tried to express his gratitude, but Enon cut him off.

"But the information you're asking for is too dangerous and covers a wide range. Anything related to the imperial family takes a backseat for me, so it'll take some time to verify."

"How long?"

"At least three days."

"Understood."

Yuder immediately nodded and stood up from his seat. At this, Enon's expression became strange again.