Turning Chapter 863

As Kiole stood frozen, unable to speak, soone approached Mayra and picked up the bloodstained hailstone that had rolled across the ground. Dressed in a black uniform, with chin-length brown hair and a small fra. Kiole recognized her face vaguely and began to recall.

‘I saw her at a party... The Cavalry... One of the Deputy Commanders...?’

He couldn’t rember her na. He didn’t even rember the na of a servant who’d been with him for ten years—how could he be expected to rember the nas of the countless mbers who stood behind Yuder Aile? In any case, it beca clear that the one who threw the hailstone wasn’t Princess Mayra, but that Cavalry mber.

To land a perfect hit like that in this weather and darkness, with such a harmless-looking face? Hard to believe—but knowing she was in the Cavalry, nothing about it surprised him anymore.

The Cavalry mber, Kanna, glanced at Kiole, who was still standing there in a daze, and turned coldly to Mayra.

"Princess. Please refrain from acting on impulse. This ti it was a person, but if it had been a monster, soone could have gotten hurt."

"I'm sorry. I just heard sothing that sounded right and reacted without thinking..."

"Haa... I guess soone really was getting hit. Not by a monster, though."

There was a strange yet familiar tallic scent coming from both won. Kiole finally noticed that both Mayra and Kanna had blood staining parts of their skin and clothing. His shoulders flinched.

‘...Blood... that’s blood...!’

"So then, Sir Diarca, why were you still here without evacuating? And that person—he seems to be your servant. Why were you getting beaten up by your own servant?"

At Mayra’s words, Kiole completely forgot the shock of the blood scent and jumped in surprise.

"How... how did you..."

"That servant has pretty noticeable blond hair. You’re dragging around a blond boy trying not to show him off—would’ve been stranger if I hadn’t noticed."

"Th–th... ah..."

Kiole’s mind suddenly went blank.

They’d run into each other quite a bit during the ti they'd spent in the sa mansion, thanks to Duke Hern. And with Kiole’s odd behavior trying to hide the prince, it would’ve been weirder not to rember.

But Kiole had genuinely believed that others, like himself, wouldn’t spare even a flicker of attention toward soone’s servant or so lowborn commoner. It was a total shock. In truth, Mayra had only barely recovered from witnessing her father's grueso death, and she had no deep interest in them at all. She didn’t even care if Kiole answered her. But he had no way of knowing that.

"That is, well..."

"But what are you going to do about that servant? Are you just going to leave him there? Looks like he’s not breathing, face-down in the mud."

"A—ahhh!"

Only then did Kiole grab the back of Kachian’s neck and pull him hastily out of the mud. The boy was an absolute wreck. The back of his head had swelled badly from the hail, and blood had begun to seep out. His clothes and face, having been smashed into the muck, were so filthy that even Duke Diarca wouldn’t have recognized him as the Crown Prince.

"......."

Normally, Kiole would’ve panicked, wiping off the mud, checking his condition—but now, looking at the unconscious Kachian, he felt only a swirl of complicated emotions. The look in Kachian’s eyes earlier, his words when he kicked Kiole and tried to make him kneel—those images kept replaying in his mind.

"If you're going to carry him, would you like so help?"

"Huh? Ah..."

At that mont, Kanna approached and asked expressionlessly. Kiole blinked in surprise and nodded awkwardly. As she supported Kachian’s body so he could lift him, sothing briefly flickered in Kanna’s eyes—but Kiole didn’t notice it.

"This person..."

"Is sothing wrong?"

"No, nothing. It’s just... the monster might get close soon. Let’s go. The others are waiting."

Mayra turned her head toward Kanna, who murmured strangely. Kanna shook her head like it was nothing and stepped away from Kiole and Kachian, walking ahead.

Through the hail and darkness, a short distance /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ ahead, the servants of Duke Hern, so rescued non-Awakeners, and several Cavalry mbers stood waiting, guarding the group. The non-Awakeners looked despondent, and so were wiping tears from their eyes. Intimidated by the somber atmosphere, Kiole quietly followed behind the group, carrying Kachian. Coincidentally, Mayra and Kanna were nearby again.

"If the one you’re carrying is too heavy, our mbers can help."

"No, this is fine..."

"Alright then. I only asked because your cheek is really swollen. Must hurt quite a bit."

"......."

How can she speak like she knows sothing? Kiole was still uneasy when Mayra glanced at Kanna.

"Oh, I wasn’t talking about you, Princess, when I ntioned the cheek."

"...I know."

Mayra hadn’t said a word, yet Kanna responded like she already understood. Mayra simply nodded, like she was used to this, and began walking again.

‘Cheek... the Princess? Now that I think about it... she had a swollen bruise too. Was she hit? By who? Who could possibly dare to strike the First Princess of House Hern?’

Kiole finally noticed the red, swollen mark on the visible side of Mayra’s pale cheek and was shocked. Even while hurt and soaked in ceremonial mourning clothes, she hadn’t complained once and walked on her own, refusing to be carried.

He stared in amazent at this side of her he hadn’t seen before—when suddenly, soone shouted from up ahead.

"Monster up ahead!"

Kiole jumped as if sothing exploded under his feet. Unsure whether to put the prince down and prepare to fight, he hesitated. Kanna’s voice cut through sharply and calmly.

"How many?"

"About... ten! Not exactly sure!"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"That’s manageable. We’ll break through directly. Don’t run—get ready and hold your positions!"

Surprisingly, the others—except the Cavalry—didn’t panic. As if they’d already experienced this before, no one reacted as dramatically as Kiole. While two Cavalry mbers gathered the non-Awakeners, including Kiole, Kanna, the one who had thrown the hailstone earlier, knelt on one knee and touched the ground.

An unseen force surged as Kanna’s eyes lit up a brilliant blue.

"...Yes. Exactly twelve. Sa type we’ve seen before. No abnormalities. They’re split on both sides. When I give the signal—wipe them out!"

"Got it!"

The Cavalry mbers spread out with military precision. Even though there were fewer of them than there were monsters, none showed any fear.

Soon after, faint vibrations signaled the monsters’ approach.

‘Am I really just supposed to stand here and do nothing?!’

Kiole began to hyperventilate, wanting to flee. Just then, soone beside him spoke.

"You seem tense. Don’t worry. If it were fifty of them, maybe running would be better—but ten’s nothing."

He turned to see a Cavalry mber with a relaxed face. Although he bore so battle wounds, his expression was completely calm. How could a group barely a year old act this composed?

‘Are they just overestimating themselves because they’ve never faced a real monster?’

Kiole thought back to the ti he fought a monster during Imperial Guard training. Even a half-weakened monster used for training was horrifying and powerful. That had been safe, because it was training—this was real.

Yuder Aile was an outlier, a freak—but Kiole didn’t know enough about the other Cavalry mbers’ strength to trust them.

"...But it’s dark... You can’t even see ahead clearly—how can you all..."

What if—just what if—they failed to deal with the monsters? What if they abandoned the rest and fled?

"I—I’ll fight too."

"Oh? Brave of you. Especially with those legs shaking like that..."

"What?!"

"I an, thanks, but no. Not trying to insult non-Awakeners—it’s just that we’re the best equipped to handle this. If soone unfamiliar jumps in, it could make things worse."

"......."

"Hah. That sounded pretty cool, didn’t it? It’s one of our Commander’s famous lines. I’ve been dying to use it soday—finally did. Anyway, we’ll never abandon you. Even if we die, we’ll get you out safely. So just stay right here, alright?"

Got it? The Cavalry mber grinned and patted Kiole’s shoulder. From his fingertips, power radiated and ford a semi-transparent shield around him.

"......."

"They’re here!"

With Kanna’s sharp cry, the monsters appeared. Their glossy black eyes glimred in the dark, and just as Kiole flinched in terror, Cavalry mbers hidden in ambush moved from both sides and launched their assault.

The battle didn’t last long. It wasn’t as overwhelming as Yuder’s power, but still, not a single Cavalry mber suffered major injury. Breathing heavily, covered in blood, they had successfully taken down all twelve monsters.

"Hah... Haa..."

"Anyone injured?"

"Nope."

"None breathing? Good. Move out imdiately!"

Kanna raised her hand in a signal, and the Cavalry reford their formation seamlessly, standing ready to protect the non-Awakeners once more.

Kiole walked behind them, still carrying the Crown Prince, watching the Cavalry’s backs.

Originally, as a knight, he should have been the one protecting others.

But now, he was the one being protected from behind.

The very person he’d tried to save with loyal devotion had slapped him in the face and refused to trust him—while the Cavalry mbers he had scorned were protecting them without question.

Without expecting anything in return.

That realization, for the first ti, sparked sothing strange inside Kiole da Diarca.

Sothing unseen was growing deep in his heart, and as he walked, the hail continued to fall upon their heads.