Turning Chapter 765

Chapter 765

After Sara, exhausted from recounting her entire story, was taken away, Yuder remained seated in his place. He intended to wait for the next person, but from afar, the wary glances of Kurga and Yergin seemed suspicious.

‘Seems they're scared after all.’

In his previous life, those who had witnessed Yuder interrogate with determination had often recoiled in fear. Mostly, these were members of the Cavalry, bound to follow Yuder's orders, so he never paid much attention to their reactions.

There was one exception when Emperor Katchian had observed Yuder's interrogation and had a different reaction. But even then, the Emperor had simply concluded, "An unnecessarily prolonged affair that should have ended in torture," and left it at that.

Yuder understood why Kurga and Yergin might avoid him, especially considering that the subject of his investigation was linked to an attack on Kishiar. He was prepared to go to even greater lengths if necessary.

While Kishiar himself showed no anger, Yuder couldn't forget the sinking feeling in his heart when he first heard of the attack.

The current members of the Cavalry were not incapable of conducting investigations, but their lack of experience and the brainwashing of the sage limited their effectiveness in instilling deep-seated fear in the numerous and powerful opponents.

Those who attacked had to be prepared to face equivalent consequences. He was determined to teach them the gravity of their actions and the repercussions of meddling with someone like him.

It was fortunate that the subject of their discussion was not present.

"Yuder," Yergin called out hesitantly from a distance. Yuder shook off his thoughts and looked up to see her anxious face.

"Um... I've been thinking, and I'm not sure..."

"..."

"Do we not need to ask Sera about anything else related to the Star of Nagran? I thought you'd ask about that first since you suspected the sage's involvement, but you only inquired about the Southerners. I was curious."

Wasn't she apprehensive about speaking to Yuder?

A flicker of confusion briefly warmed his cold heart. Yuder gazed at her, assessing her intentions, before responding.

"The rest is either already known to the Commander and me, or we have ways to find out. However, the intentions of the Southerners remain uncertain," he explained.

Yergin nodded, seemingly understanding the priority.

"See, Kurga? They already knew everything."

"Uh..."

Kurga, always a man of few words, scratched his head and muttered, making it hard to discern if he was scared or not.

Yuder hesitated, then asked, "Is that all you wanted to say?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"..."

Was it really not a big deal to her? Slightly confused but with nothing more to say, Yuder gestured for her to leave.

"Understood. Send in the next person for interrogation."

Yuder continued his interrogations afterward.

The leader of the central base of the Star of Nagran tried to attack Yuder in a show of defiance but quickly found himself overwhelmed by Yuder's superior martial skills, unable to lay a finger on him.

Although the leader remained tight-lipped about who had ordered him to infiltrate the Cavalry, he couldn't deny his association with the organization and the fact that he had received orders.

In the next interrogation, Sir Radel of the Herne Family, confronted Yuder, causing a commotion right from the start, demanding to know why he was being questioned. Despite his decayed knightly honor, he was still strong, but not an Awakener, making it a challenging task for the Cavalry members who had interrogated him before Yuder.

Yuder watched his tantrum without moving a muscle. The moment a chair thrown by Radel grazed his hair, Yuder stood up, grabbed the back of Radel's head, and slammed his face into the desk. Since his hair was touched, Yuder could claim it as a rightful defense.

With his face turning beet red against the desk, Radel had to personally hear the dismissal message from the First Princess Myra, relayed through Yuder.

"First Princess Myra and Duke Herne have already discovered your betrayal within the family. The Herne Family has also nearly completed their investigation of Baron Conche's side. You are no longer a knight of the Herne, and no one will come to your aid. Do you want to leave here and face proper investigation? It might be worth reconsidering which side – ours or the Herne's – would be more favorable for your survival."

Despite Radel's cries of disbelief, fear was evident in his voice. He knew that leaving here might actually be to his disadvantage if the accusations were true.

Yuder continued the interrogation, relentlessly pressing down on the back of Radel's head until he apologized. Eventually, overwhelmed by humiliation and fear, Radel apologized to Yuder and the other Cavalry members and stutteringly divulged valuable information.

He confessed that a year ago, Baron Conche had proposed to make his son the new Duke Herne. Initially, Radel hadn't planned to get so deeply involved, but the investments he made with the Southern merchants, introduced by Baron Conche, were so successful that he found himself unable to withdraw.

This suggested that there were more in the Herne Family, like Radel, who had been bribed. Yuder informed him that the more names of other traitors he disclosed, the higher the chances that Lady Myra would spare his life. After getting the information, Yuder concluded the interrogation.

"That's the last one..."

"Yeah, that was the last person."

With Radel, the series of interrogations Yuder had to conduct came to an end. He rose from his seat and walked towards the door. Just as he was about to grab the doorknob, Yergin called out to him from behind.

"Yuder. I think someone like you is absolutely necessary for the Cavalry."

Yuder's hand, reaching for the doorknob, paused. As he turned his head, Yergin continued in a heavy, serious tone.

"It's not because you're a genius at devising devilish training methods, but because, when needed, you can be frightfully stern and decisive."

"..."

Yuder silently gazed at her face, unsure of how to respond. Wondering if he misunderstood, Yergin hesitantly added more explanation.

"What I mean is, honestly, I think it's a waste to even feed the ones who attacked our Commander. And criminals like that knight who pretend to be something they're not. Isn’t it right to teach those who tried to disgrace our Commander and the Cavalry a proper lesson? You must have thought the same, hence your tougher approach today."

There was probably a significant difference between her pure respect for Kishiar and Yuder's feelings. Nevertheless, it seemed they both deeply regretted the attack on their Commander.

When Yuder silently affirmed her statement, Yergin smiled mischievously, her lips curling up triumphantly.

"Well... I think Kurga, lacking our level of loyalty, found it a bit excessive, but thanks to you, many have finally realized the gravity of their crimes. I'm quite pleased about that. Just saying."

"...When did I?"

Kurga muttered under his breath, his bear-like face filled with a sense of injustice.

“I just… It was my first time seeing an investigation like Yuder's, so I was a bit… nervous. I think the same about doing what needs to be done. Don't make it sound like a misunderstanding.”

"Hmm, let’s go with that then!"

"Yergin..."

"Anyway, you don’t need to mind us. Just keep acting in the true nature of the Cavalry as you always have."

"It's not the nature of the Cavalry, but its spirit."

Kurga corrected her in a tiny voice from behind. Yergin quickly amended her statement with a brazen face.

"Right, spirit. But isn’t nature also correct? You don't care about such things, do you?"

Whether it was nature or spirit, it didn't matter. Yuder didn’t care what people called him. What caught his attention were the expressions of Yergin and Kurga. They looked completely different from when they were interrogating Sera. The fear and tension he had assumed they felt seemed like a lie now.

Or was it his mistake, a misconception born from recalling his past life and assuming they were afraid during the interrogation?

Yuder looked down after watching the two bickering lightly.

‘The Cavalry needs someone like me.’ It was a sentiment he had never heard in his previous life, leaving him with a strange feeling.

With that odd sentiment in his heart, Yuder pulled the doorknob. He stopped in his tracks upon seeing the tall shadow of Kishiar, leaning against the wall with crossed arms.

"...Commander."

He wanted to ask why Kishiar stood there instead of coming in, but was taken aback.

'Did he hear what was said earlier? Or has he been here since the interrogation?'

"I finished earlier and thought I’d come to fetch you."

"Ah, Commander? When did you get here?"

Yergin and Kurga, following Yuder, were startled to see Kishiar. The man smiled nonchalantly at them and greeted them casually.

"Just arrived. You’ve worked hard, so go up and rest once you’re done. I’ll head up first with my assistant."

"Ah, yes! Understood!"

"Then, we should leave."

Kishiar lightly touched Yuder's back before withdrawing his hand. Feeling the brief warmth, Yuder silently followed him upstairs. Once they were alone, Yuder finally spoke.

"...How did Aton’s interrogation go?"

"It went well."

Kishiar replied calmly.