Turning

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Chapter 108

Enon had glared at the innocent fruit for quite some time before finally extending his hand over the counter. Yuder gently placed a lemon on his palm.

"...Who told you? That I'm crazy about these?"

Enon asked in a significantly softened tone, far from the seemingly lethal resentment he had just expressed. Yuder, recalling his past life where Enon would often munch on raw lemons, opened his mouth. He had found Enon's love for lemons incomprehensible back then.

"I can't tell you now."

"Again with that? Damn it."

Cursing, Enon bit into the lemon, peel and all. The act looked as if it would set his mouth on fire, but he swallowed it down without a flinch.

"It tastes good. Damn it."

Having devoured the lemon in an instant, Enon finally subdued his anger and met Yuder's gaze directly.

"I've waited for you and even tolerated your tardiness. You should know what an honor this is. Come with me."

The inside of the shop where Enon led him was still cluttered with old odds and ends, but there were a few tables and small chairs that could accommodate customers.

Yuder looked at an old red cloth hung on one wall, so worn that its pattern was unrecognizable, several rusted swords carelessly leaned near the entrance, and a bed with one side heavily sagged. They were all just like what he had seen in his previous life, stirring a mix of emotions.

"What are you doing standing there like an idiot? Sit here."

Enon gestured to Yuder with his gruff face as he sat at the table. Yuder cleared the pile of old books occupying the chair and sat down in front of him.

"You said you needed information about those who carried the name La Orr among the past dukes."

"Including Kishiar La Orr."

Yuder added, causing Enon to frown.

"Ah, right. Anyway, as you should know if you have any common sense, it wasn't easy to investigate. To find a duke carrying the name La Orr, I had to go through the royal family tree, and what you wanted was even more detailed information."

However, what Enon pulled out from his pocket was a fairly thick bundle of papers.

"But thanks to your late arrival giving me extra time, I was able to gather roughly this much. It would be hard to find such detailed information anywhere else on this continent."

"Thank you..."

"Before that."

Enon slapped away Yuder's hand, which had been reaching to accept the papers along with his thanks.

"If you want to receive something, you have to give something. Why are you trying to take as if it's a given?"

"Isn't it enough that I know the name 'Guardian of Luma'?"

At Yuder's question, Enon flared up in anger.

"Of course, it's not enough! Who the hell are you? What are you doing and where? How did you come to know about me? Start talking. If not, I'm going to burn this right here."

As if to show that he wasn't joking, he firmly gripped the bundle of papers and brought a match close to it from among the clutter on the table. Though a rough item prone to sudden explosions, it was more than capable of setting a fire quickly without the aid of expensive magic stones.

Yuder sighed softly, looking at Enon's stern expression. He had long concluded that, based on experiences from his previous life, Enon was a person he could trust no matter what. He had planned to reveal his identity soon anyway, so saying it now wouldn't matter. However, explaining how he knew Enon's name was a slightly different matter.

'...Will you believe me?'

Who could possibly believe him if he told them that after he died once, he woke up and found himself 11 years in the past? However, Yuder thought that the person in front of him, Enon, might be the one who could most easily believe such an implausible story in this world.

The reason was simple. If Enon, a being difficult for most to comprehend, being the Guardian of a great mage that existed a millennium ago, then there was a high probability he would believe Yuder's seemingly absurd tale.

'In the past, I was curious and suspicious about Enon's identity... I didn't expect the tables to turn this way.'

Would he truly believe Yuder? Could he understand why this happened?

Yuder looked into Enon's bright, lemon-yellow eyes as he forced a bitter smile.

"Alright. I'll tell you. My name is Yuder Aile. I come from commoners. I'm currently a member of the Cavalry, and I awakened my powers two years ago."

"Yuder Aile... I don't recall."

Enon repeated Yuder's name, a thoughtful expression on his face, as if wondering whether he had met him somewhere and had simply forgotten. However, no matter how much he pondered, there was no way he could find the answer on his own.

"You're part of the Cavalry, the new one that's been formed?"

"Yes."

"The one with Kishiar La Orr as the Commander?"

"That's correct."

As Yuder succinctly replied, a forced smile spread across Enon's face.

"This... You're not completely mad, are you? Are you trying to investigate the background of the Commander of your own group? Isn't that tantamount to treason?"

"Of course not. My intention is actually the exact opposite."

Unfazed by Enon's attitude, Yuder calmly retorted.

"The opposite?"

"My goal is to protect Kishiar La Orr at all costs, to keep him from dying. But to do that, I felt I needed to know a bit about the secrets of these illustrious individuals who are shrouded in mystery."

Enon's eyes flickered. His expression was as if he wanted to say 'don't lie to me.' However, he couldn't find any traces of deceit in Yuder's face or voice.

"You're not lying."

"I told you so."

"You crazy man."

Enon cursed again. Despite Yuder giving him a proper answer, he was still subjected to Enon's abuse, which made him feel slightly wronged.

"Why would you do such a thing? Why would you want to protect someone who's an imperial family member, a duke, and even a Commander? What can you do just because you have some information? Are you going to thwart an assassination or something?"

"No. Not at all..."

"Then why on earth?"

Enon's golden gaze was filled with curiosity. Yuder felt this was his chance to say something.

"If I were to tell you that I came from the future, would you believe me?"

"That's not a funny joke."

Enon's first response was to dismiss it as a joke. As it was an anticipated reaction, Yuder calmly retorted.

"But it's true."

"Huh. Time-related magic was the only thing that Luma couldn't succeed in. Did you become a great mage of the century or something? There's a limit to joking."

"Don't you think you're the one who can best determine whether I'm joking or not?"

"That's why I'm saying it's nonsense, you bastard. That's a realm no one has ever succeeded in, you understand? Do you have any proof that you've traveled back in time? You don't, do you."

"Just because nobody has succeeded doesn't mean it'll never happen. Ordinary people might not believe you're Luma's guardian, so why is this any different?"

"That's a separate issue."

"Then where do you suppose I learned of your true identity?"

Piercing through Enon's dismissive deflection with his soft retort, Yuder was able to make him change his expression for the first time.

"...What?"

"All I know about you, you've revealed to me yourself. You're the Guardian of the Archmage Luma, you said you've lived for a very long time, you've gathered information here and there, and you liked lemons. I know more beyond that. That's my proof. Still won't believe me?"

Yuder saw Enon blink rapidly, his eyes wide and astounded. His expression flickered with confusion, surprise, skepticism, and disbelief, then became sharply serious. It was a look Yuder had never seen on him before, despite having observed Enon for a long time.

Yuder felt a weighty pressure, as though he was slowly sinking into cold, deep waters. However, he managed to maintain composure, showing no change in his outward expression.

"...What's your purpose, then? Why did you seek me out?"

"Like I said, to protect Kishiar La Orr."

"You came back in time for that? Such a grand action for just that reason? Are you telling me to believe that?"

Enon seemed to quickly pick up on the fact that Yuder wasn't telling the whole story. It seemed he had to reveal more to satisfy Enon. After a brief hesitation, Yuder decided to share the larger goal he had in mind, which would gradually unfold with time.

"...And I want to prevent the same events from happening again, before I came back here."

"Hmm. Okay. Now it's starting to make sense. The same events... Are they personal?"

"No personal issues. That's all for now."

After stating that, Yuder added one more sentence.

"The reason I came to you is because I thought you were the only person who could help me with this matter without tricking me."

"Tricking?"

Enon's expression changed dramatically in an instant.

"I can't leave this to an information broker who could potentially trick me. There are limits to the information I can find myself."

"...So you really just wanted this information?"

"That's what I said."

From Yuder's perspective, he was entirely sincere, but Enon looked incredulous.

"Each word you say sounds like a complete lie, yet why can't I shake off the feeling that you're not lying? Is something wrong with me?"

Enon, heaving a deep sigh, shifted his gaze to the bundle of papers in his hand. Alternating between looking at Yuder and the papers, he slowly put down the match he had been holding in his other hand. The cold, tense atmosphere then eased back to normal.

It was brief, but Yuder remembered the intense pressure he had felt from Enon. It was a power unlike anything he had ever felt before; somewhat similar to magic yet not, and also different from the energy emanated by Awakeners. It was a strange energy.

Perhaps it was a power inherent to his being a 'Guardian'.

"I didn't ask you to believe me right away. You can take your time to watch and judge."

"Why should I watch you? Didn't I clearly say that I would only help you this one time?"

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