Turning Chapter 1309

Yuder relayed to Inon everything he had learned thanks to Kanna, including his conversations and speculations with Kishiar.

After hearing it all, Inon fell into a long silence. His face revealed little, unreadable behind his closed expression, with only his slowly blinking eyes moving in thought. Yuder didn’t interrupt. He simply waited.

Finally, Inon met Yuder’s gaze again. With a serious look, the first thing he said was:

“Whatever the case, the one who went through hell trying to save the world—was you. Not anyone else. Not your grandfather. Not Luma.”

“......”

“Even if your origin’s gotten more complicated, what you’ve done doesn’t change. Just remember that.”

It was such an unexpected thing to hear that Yuder didn’t know how to respond. Inon reached out and grabbed Yuder’s cheek, stretching it firmly.

“What’re you blinking like that for? Like this is the first time you’ve heard someone say something like that. Am I wrong?”

“...It’s just... I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“Why? Did you think I’d start weeping if your grandfather turned out to really be Luma?”

Not exactly, but since Inon’s expression had stiffened the moment Yuder mentioned his grandfather, he had naturally assumed the topic would stay focused on Luma. Inon let go of Yuder’s cheek and roughly rubbed it before slumping back into his usual lazy posture.

“Sure, I’m not thrilled about it. From what you said, it sounds like the Blessing of the Great Mage wasn’t such a perfect spell after all... And while we can’t know exactly what happened, it’s clear the ones who came back from the dead went through hell. But that’s all.”

Inon’s gaze was unwavering.

“If the owner of that magic was the Luma I knew, then he must have decided it was worth doing despite the cost. There’s nothing more for me to add.”

“......”

“Just like I was made from a spirit but became something entirely different, your grandfather might’ve come back with a part of Luma, but he’s not exactly the same being. So in that sense...”

Inon looked Yuder straight in the eye.

“The Commander’s guess—that your grandfather might’ve raised you because he recognized your potential—makes sense.”

He continued, explaining why he thought that.

“Think about it. Luma didn’t have a normal upbringing either. It wouldn’t be strange if he made that kind of magic to find someone like you, based on his own experience. You said your Commander said something similar, right?”

“...What experience are you talking about?”

“I mentioned it before, didn’t I? Luma was abandoned under a lemon tree as a baby and taken in by villagers.”

Right. Yuder remembered that coming up during a conversation on Gyllandre Hill.

“Luma always said those were the happiest days of his life. But then his village was wiped out in a disaster, and until he awakened to magic, he wandered and suffered terribly.”

That had been during the age when the world was moving toward destruction. The life of an orphan without a home or family couldn’t have been easy—but in Luma’s case, it sounded like it had been painful in a very particular way.

“Luma was a person with many talents, even without magic. To put it in terms you’d understand, both his soul and the body housing it—his vessel—were exceptionally strong. If magic hadn’t emerged, he might’ve become a mercenary with a golden medal, or maybe the last person capable of working miracles by borrowing power from the spirits.”

“...Spirit-user?”

It was a term Yuder had never heard before.

Inon nodded.

“Yeah. That. They were already gone by the time I was born, but they existed before the Great Collapse. Back when spirits still remained in the world.”

Yuder already knew that Luma had deep connections to spirits, both from his journals and the stories surrounding Inon’s creation. But to think he had the potential to become a spirit-user?

“But a person with that much talent, if they’re young, inexperienced, and without guardians or money—they just end up being used by everyone around them. I don’t know the details, but he got a lot of scars from that time, ones that lasted all his life. Even after saving the world, he couldn’t live well with others. Probably because of what he went through back then.”

The name of the Great Mage Luma had endured through generations, but his personal life was barely known. This was information only Inon could have known—now, perhaps, the only one left who did.

‘...If I hadn’t awakened as an Awakener, could I have become a mage?’

Yuder found himself entertaining a thought he’d never considered before.

He’d never had any particular interest in magic, but it was clear he had a natural sensitivity to mana.

‘And... I don’t know about my soul, but Inon did say my physical body was exceptional. I don’t know if that really makes me similar to Luma, though.’

“Anyway, the point is—it’s plenty possible that Luma thought the best way to stop the next apocalypse was to find and help another hero.”

“Yeah. I get it.”

Inon stared at Yuder for a long moment before suddenly asking a question on an entirely different note.

“So, when are you going to go meet the person who might be your blood relative?”

Yuder pressed his lips together, trying not to reveal his feelings as he replied:

“Sometime soon.”

“You didn’t look too thrilled talking about that before, and your eyes are still saying the same now.”

“......”

“See? Even your soul’s a bit shaky. You hiding something from me?”

Anyone who thought they could keep secrets from Yuder needed to meet Inon and be humbled. Compared to someone who could pick out your emotional tremors just by sensing your soul, Yuder was nothing.

“It’s nothing.”

“Sounds like something. Out with it. Now.”

Yuder sighed and opened his mouth.

“I get why it’s important to confirm whether the information about my origin is true. And Lady Helrem... she’s a good person. But... apart from that, thinking I might have some noble blood out of nowhere—it doesn’t really make me happy. It doesn’t feel real.”

The truth was, he didn’t want it to feel real.

And this wasn’t some grand revelation or critical intel—it was just a personal emotion. That’s why he hadn’t said anything earlier.

Surprisingly, Inon didn’t scold him.

“Hm. Fair enough.”

“...You don’t think that’s a strange reaction?”

“What’s strange about it? Don’t tell me that Commander punk said it was strange?”

Inon’s eyes suddenly went cold for a split second. Yuder quickly shook his head.

“No. Not at all.”

“Then there’s no problem. Honestly, even if the chance that she’s really your blood relative is high, it’s not like that’s gonna suddenly change everything overnight. And there’s no need to feel uncomfortable or awkward either. No matter what, you’re still Yuder Aile. Your grandfather’s grandson, and my little brother.”

Yuder hesitated for a moment at the end of that sentence.

‘Now that I think about it... if my grandfather really is the Great Mage Luma...’

Sure, the body wasn’t Luma’s original one. And mentally, he might not be entirely the same either. But still.

In that case, in a sense, he now had a new kind of connection to Inon. A bond that, unlike with Helrem or House Caspire, might actually deserve to be called... “family.”

Yuder felt deeply confused. As if reading his mind, Inon grinned.

“See? I told you I was right.”

No matter how suddenly relationships changed, there was no reason to feel uncomfortable or awkward. Yuder would still be Yuder Aile.

And yes—Inon’s words were, as always, correct.

***

Later that night.

At the end of his long day, Yuder walked the dark corridor and opened the door to the Commander’s office.

Kishiar, seated under a lantern, was elegantly moving his quill when he looked up and smiled brightly.

“Judging by your expression, it looks like you delivered the gifts well.”

As he’d said earlier, Kishiar had been waiting for Yuder while working. The two bottles placed confidently on the Commander’s desk immediately reminded Yuder of the ones Inon had laid out in the Medical Unit.

“Now that the person I was waiting for is here, work is over.”

Kishiar set down his pen and walked over, naturally pulling Yuder into a hug. Yuder leaned into him, accepting the kiss pressed to the top of his head.

“They were more willing than I expected.”

“As they should be. And the pharmacist?”

“Inon liked it as well.”

“Besides the members, staff, and the Medical Unit, did you give it to anyone else?”

“If I list them all, the story’s going to get long.”

Kishiar burst out laughing.

“Oh dear. You still don’t realize that the longer the story, the happier I get?”

“But... if we talk too long, we’ll have less time for other things, won’t we?”

For a moment, the smile on Kishiar’s face faded.

Yes—this expression was very similar to the one he’d shown earlier that day.

Blushing around the eyes and cheeks, at a loss for what to do with himself.

Even while handling other matters, that look had kept resurfacing in Yuder’s mind. He’d need to talk about Melvern and the conversation with Inon eventually—but that could wait.

Staring at him like a starving man unable to look away, Yuder declared:

“Earlier, you fled saying you’d do something irrational. It’s time to follow through.”

“...I’d just managed to cool off, and here you are, ruining it.”

Kishiar’s smile deepened in defiance. It was an indulgent, provocative grin that pulled people in effortlessly.

“If my master wants to know something, of course I must tell him. But... I also really want to know what you’ve been up to.”

“Give it up. You’re the one who made that expression and provoked me first.”

“Ah, so this face of mine adds yet another sin to its long list.”

Kishiar sighed dramatically. But the hand wrapped around Yuder’s waist moved lower, heading for his hips. After drawing a long kiss from Yuder’s lips, the man whispered between sweet breaths:

“Then let’s compromise. We’ll go to bed and talk while doing both.”

That was exactly what Yuder wanted. He nodded.