Turning

Chapter 28

Unless commanded by the emperor, one should not arbitrarily use their power to kill; if possible, spare lives and secure surrenders. Do not punish those who have not yet committed a crime without evidence. As the leader of the Cavalry, prioritize the cavalry and the empire over personal safety. That was roughly it.

Those who possessed power far greater than others could, with a mere flick of a finger, cause great turmoil in others' lives. Therefore, they should not move recklessly without clear guidelines.

Killing and defeating someone arbitrarily might be easy, but living that way would soon lead to major problems in areas that could not be resolved with power alone.

Make judgments more rationally than anyone else, but when power must be used, do so overwhelmingly.

The one who had thoroughly ingrained this fact in Yuder's mind was Kishiar La Orr, who around this time would be enjoying a drink with General Gino.

'...It's easy to kill Sunz now. But will the future really change if I do, leading to the creation of a special force?'

Yuder took a deep breath and thought rationally.

'If the representative changes, that's it. But if I spare Sunz... I can understand the movements of the talented ones in the army through him, and when the future of the special force comes, I can connect more tightly.'

It made more rational sense to spare him and create a connection. After repeating this several times, the conflict finally subsided and his mind calmed. Yuder looked around with a much more relaxed expression.

"It's nothing. Vision ability, a rare ability we don't have in our cavalry. I was just surprised."

"Is that so?"

Sunz tilted his head, smiling as if relieved.

"If there are other talented individuals here besides you, could I perhaps get introduced?"

"It's impossible to introduce everyone. Some are on duty..."

"Knowing about those resting in the village would be enough. You don't have to worry, it's just personal curiosity."

Yuder also smiled to reassure him. Sunz nodded without much suspicion.

"No problem. Anyway, after guiding you to your quarters, my work ends, and you will have free time. If you want to meet other Awakeners in our army, let's go together after you've unpacked in the quarters."

"Understood."

After all, the retrieval of the Red Stone was led by Kishiar, so there was nothing Yuder needed to worry about. It was fortunate that he found an unexpected connection here, which eliminated any chance of boredom.

Ignoring the puzzled looks from the others, Yuder followed Sunz's lead and arrived at their quarters.

"This is where you will stay. Once you've unpacked, feel free to roam around."

There were a total of two buildings for their accommodation. One was for the Peletta Knights and the other was for the Cavalry.

However, because the buildings were so small and only had two bedrooms, they needed to divide the members before unpacking.

"Are there any second-gender Awakener here?"

Hinn stepped forward and looked at the rest of the members.

"Finn and I are both non-manifested-Awakener."

"I am also a non-manifested-Awakener."

After Kanna answered, she turned her gaze towards Yuder. He nodded lightly to indicate he was the same. This naturally left only Gakane. He scratched his head, seeming somewhat perplexed under the scrutiny of four pairs of eyes.

"I am... an alpha Awakener."

"Really? Then it doesn't matter if we divide by only one gender. Kanna and I will take one room. Is that okay?"

Hinn entered the lodging with Kanna's hand in hers, without waiting for an answer. Naturally, the remaining room was left to the three men.

'So, Gakane was an alpha awakener.'

As Yuder entered the room, he mulled over the newly discovered information. He had assumed that Gakane was also a non-manifested awakener, as he had never spoken up when people around him were discussing the second gender. It was surprising that he was not.

'It's fortunate to know this now. After all, I might manifest the same way as before...'

Yuder hadn't forgotten the memories of when he had manifested as an omega. It was one of the most intense experiences in his life, something he could never forget.

The process of manifesting a second gender was bearable, albeit painful. The critical point was that there shouldn't be an Awakener of the opposite second gender present during the manifestation.

Until now, this fact had not been well known, and Awakeners rarely gathered closely, so it didn't matter. But after the formation of the Cavalry, a large group of Awakeners, many things changed.

Up to this point, those who had manifested their second gender were usually those who had awakened their abilities at the same time. But problems often occurred when, after a long time following the awakening of abilities, the second gender manifested late.

Yuder was one of those Awakeners who had unexpectedly experienced this after joining the Cavalry, unaware of the fact. Therefore, he knew all too well the potential problems that could arise.

'...I need to inform Kishiar about this along with the other Awakeners in the military.'

So far, he had not seen any members who had suffered due to related issues after joining. However, he didn't know what the future would hold, so it was necessary to prepare a contingency plan.

If Kishiar asked where he had learned this information, he would have to dodge the question. But even at the risk of arousing suspicion, it was crucial to inform him beforehand.

As Yuder pondered this and entered the room to put down his bag, Finn left the room to find the bathroom.

After discarding his uniform coat and lying down on the bed, Gakane exhaled a long sigh and opened his mouth.

"Yuder. Why do you suddenly want to visit the other Awakeners in the military?"

"Just because. I got curious."

"But you didn't pay much attention to our peers in the Cavalry."

Being criticized out of nowhere, Yuder let out a hollow laugh as he looked down at Gakane.

"Well, I already know you guys well. But they are different."

"What's different?"

"Think about it. There are several Awakeners in the military who have unknown abilities, just like us."

At Yuder's words, Gakane nodded with a naive expression like a boy.

"So what? There must be people with abilities who did not deliberately apply to the Cavalry."

"That might not have mattered if this place wasn't a military."

Among the mages of the Pearl Tower, and even within the court mages and the Imperial Knights, there undoubtedly existed Awakeners. They simply had not revealed themselves yet.

However, their numbers were inherently limited, unlike the army. The Southern Army alone, led by General Gino, boasted an impressive number.

Even if only a fraction of them were Awakeners, when gathered together, their numbers would not pale in comparison to the Cavalry.

"But if the Cavalry begins to fully exert their power, how long can they continue to live as they do now, ordinarily?"

"Do you mean to suggest that the higher-ups in the army might try to create a second Cavalry?"

Although he did not elaborate, Gakane's eyes momentarily flickered, as if he had an inkling from this hint alone.

"What would you do?"

"If it were me... No, I suppose I might entertain such a thought."

For a moment, Gakane struggled between disbelief and a chilling realization before finally rising from his seat, looking at Yuder with an admiring gaze.

"So, you're trying to gather as much information as possible. That's impressive. I never even considered it."

Gakane Bolunwald, too, would have thought of this naturally if he had weathered all the storms at the top of the enormous organization known as the Cavalry for nearly ten years.

'Besides, even if he were in the same situation, he might not have thought of murder like I just did.'

Gakane had talent. Considering his relentless personality, good looks, and lineage, he could have been a much better leader than him if he had become the captain.

If he were still alive, Kishiar might not have chosen him as his successor. While he couldn't say what Gakane himself would have thought, Yuder held his abilities in high esteem.

He never thought he'd agree with the words of others in his old memories who regretted the premature death of such a promising talent. He gave a bitter smile inwardly and bowed his head.

"I'm not trying to do anything that grand."

"Were you two friends before you joined the Cavalry?"

Finn Eldore, who had opened the door and returned, interrupted and asked. Gakane had apparently had a good deal of conversation with the Eldore siblings on the way there, but Yuder had hardly ever had a personal conversation with them.

"We stayed at the same place before the test. Yuder helped me out."

"Is that how you got to know Kanna too?"

"Well, that's..."

"I'll go out now."

Yuder took off his uniform coat like Gakane. He then returned to his usual civilian attire. As he opened the door to leave, Gakane looked at him worriedly.

"Even though Sunz is with you, be careful, Yuder. We need to leave early tomorrow, so try to come back as soon as possible."

"Wow. At your age, you sound like a parent who already has a child?"

"That's not what I..."

As he listened to the conversation between Finn and Gakane, Yuder chuckled and closed the door.