Turning

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Chapter 313

The momentary disconcertment swiftly vanished. Yuder looked up at Kishiar who, hugging him tightly, hadn’t spoken for quite some time. He felt relieved to witness firsthand the emotions shading his now smile-less face. As he cautiously raised his hand, Kishiar narrowed his eyes and pressed his cheek against it. The sight of this beautiful beast rubbing himself against him sent tingles down his fingertips. His smooth, white cheek, warm to the touch, was astonishingly silky. Between their chests, he could feel a powerful heartbeat that belonged to neither of them alone.

"...I'm...I'm okay."

A murmur escaped Yuder, feeling as though he should say something. The words, even to his own ears, sounded awkwardly clumsy. Instead of answering, Kishiar tightened his embrace before finally loosening it after what felt like an eternity.

Even after collecting his emotions, he continued to gaze at Yuder's face as though seeing him for the first time.

"You mentioned that you had asked Priest Lusan to examine me."

"Ah, yes."

Even though Kishiar had assured him that he was fine, he could still see signs of fatigue on his face. Worried that he might be hiding any physical discomfort, Yuder nodded. At his words, Kishiar laughed, remarking how exhausting it was to avoid Lusan because of his request.

"I'm fine, both in body and spirit, so don't worry. If I seem drained, it’s probably because someone suddenly exerted a lot of energy as soon as they could move."

"..."

His concern for him had turned into a spear aimed back at himself. Yuder averted his gaze without a word. At the time, he had the medium in his hand and thought it could be dangerous, so he had exerted his power immediately, which must have been surprising from Kishiar's point of view.

"Speaking of which, I forgot to ask properly about the medium you used and the power it held. What was it, exactly?"

Kishiar's gaze landed on the empty medium on the table. Yuder picked it up and briefly explained the assumptions he had made thus far while Kishiar scrutinized its interior. He did not seem overly surprised as he listened, indicating that he might have had some suspicions of his own.

"You drew out the power inside the medium... Yes, that's the closest assumption for now."

"..."

"Weren't you hurt?"

Kishiar asked, his red eyes solemnly fixed on Yuder's face. While it wasn't entirely painless, Yuder nodded his head. Kishiar didn’t seem entirely convinced but decided not to press the matter any further. He took the medium, tucking it into his possession.

"I will look into this myself. If you notice any changes in your body, let me know. And if any mages ask, simply tell them it was the power of an Awakener."

"Understood."

"And... next time, it would be nice if you could give some notice before moving. If I can at least brace myself, it might be a little better."

Yuder felt the sting of an unexpected jab and swiftly changed the subject.

"...What about the Magic Spring Ruins? I'm worried there might be more anomalies like before, with monsters acting strange or new cracks forming."

"Are you changing the subject now?"

Kishiar's eyes narrowed, but he soon let out a sigh-like chuckle, playing along with Yuder's pace.

"Well, it’s hard to guarantee anything, but I don't think such things will happen again, at least for now. Remember what I said when you calmed the trembling earth?"

"You said the amplified magic power that had been pooling up was disappearing, and the remnants deep below were rising up."

"Yes, exactly. It's an extension of the conversation we had last night."

Kishiar had spent quite some time investigating the Magic Spring around Yuder, reading and re-reading the research notes of the mages in his personal quest to find a cure for Yuder. The mages, fascinated by the peculiar nature of the place where the pure magic power had long been concentrated, had grandiosely named it the 'Magic Spring'. Yet, to an outsider with no interest in power, different aspects of the scene became apparent.

"I'm not sure exactly why, but it's clear that magic power has been stagnated there for a long time. However, just because it's been there for a while, it doesn't necessarily mean it's natural," Kishiar stated.

In the research logs of the first mage who discovered the Magic Spring, Kishiar discovered that the range of the power beneath the accumulated magic power coincidentally almost matched the entirety of the Great Sarain Forest.

It couldn't have been a coincidence. The mages simply cared more about the prospect of gaining power than that particular fact.

Kishiar posited a bold hypothesis, stating that the Magic Spring was the point where the magic power concentrated beneath the Great Sarain Forest had managed to escape, and as the influence of the concentrated magic power expanded, so did the forest.

"If you try to inflate a pouch that's already full and is spilling out from a small opening, it's only natural for it to burst," he explained.

The Great Sarain Forest had long been suffering from abnormal growth. The western borderlands were notoriously monster-infested. If the magic power concentrated in the spring was the cause, the answer wouldn't be to contain and amplify it but to exhaust it and create a way for it to escape.

That night, when the enormous spell to dissolve the remaining traces of the amplification in Yuder's body succeeded and the earth tremor followed, Kishiar considered it a potential new path for the energy beneath the ground to escape. It was still a speculation, but in time, he would be certain.

"If I'm right, there will be no more severe monster outbreaks after this year. The expansion of the Great Sarain Forest will cease, or some change will occur."

It was a prediction like a dream. Yuder blinked and hesitantly asked, "If that happens… what will you do?"

"Well, first of all, I would have to stop those who are rushing towards the Great Sarain Forest out of greed? I'd have to assign more useful research to the mages here."

"Are you going to do it?"

"If I don't, who will? They owe us a lot. I intend to reclaim it, without leniency."

A radiant smile, loaded with significance, bloomed on Kishiar's face. Only then could Yuder also afford to smile.

"Also, I will inspect if the strange crack in the air phenomenon we discovered this time is occurring elsewhere."

Yuder suddenly looked up. If Kishiar intended to investigate the crack, which was like a harbinger of disaster, the most suitable person for that task was Yuder himself.

"Leave that task… to me."

"I thought you would say that. No."

A firm denial came back as if expected. When Yuder widened his eyes in surprise, Kishiar playfully tapped his nose with a laugh.

"You can apply for it once you're fully recovered."

"…"

"You shouldn't even look at it like that."

Yuder wondered why he kept laughing as if he had seen something. Yuder tried to plead again, but Kishiar took his arm and led him away, saying it was late.

"Now that we've confirmed your improvement, you should rest. If you want to get better quickly, you need to sleep a lot, right?"

"Are you going straight to sleep, Commander?"

"No, I am heading to the forest to inspect our members."

No matter how you looked at it, the one who needed to rest here was not Yuder but Kishiar. Yuder bit his lip as he watched Kishiar, who still looked weary.

"You should rest too, Commander."

"Are you still worrying about me? Even though I've said I'm okay."

"Everyone knows to take turns without needing instructions. If that's the case, why don't you take a short nap here? I'll wake you up."

"Just for a bit..."

Kishiar, who had been leading, suddenly began to be led. He displayed a rare moment of surprise. Seizing the opportunity, Yuder successfully pushed him onto the bed. The tall man lying defenselessly on the bed left his disheveled clothes as they were, looking up at Yuder.

"…This is quite an unusual feeling. Looking up at you like this, you seem more attractive than usual."

"Don't joke about this."

Underneath the tousled blond hair embedded in the sheets, the seductive eyes creating a captivating curve momentarily mesmerized Yuder. But he barely managed to ignore it. He cautiously undid the robe, worrying that Kishiar might get up and leave again, but Kishiar did not resist, just chuckling.

Finally, after making him lie down properly and covering him with a blanket, Yuder was already out of breath, though he hadn't done anything significant.

"You look tired."

"No, I'm not."

"Why don't you just lie down here too?"

"I told you I'm not tired."

Yuder sat on the chair beside the bed where Kishiar had been sitting the night before. The heated gaze that seemed to follow his every move made his skin tingle.

"…As promised, I'll wake you, so please rest now."

"This is me resting."

"If you keep looking at me, how will you fall asleep?"

"Do you think it's too harsh to deny me the pleasure of looking at you now that you've regained your sight?"

Kishiar chuckled softly, then exhaled a long breath. His gaze was still fixed on Yuder. Yuder felt a tingling sensation from the look in Kishiar's eyes as he stared at his black, stained left eye.

It was a look filled with insatiable longing, as if he didn't want to miss a single thing about Yuder.

"Please sleep."

"…I can't sleep."

Although he seemed too old to make such a complaint, Kishiar's expression was serious. Yuder hesitated, then opened his mouth.

"Shall I hold your hand?"

"You'll hold it?"

"If you want, I will hold it until you fall asleep."

It was what Kishiar had done for him, and Yuder was willing to do the same. However, unexpectedly, Kishiar did not immediately accept the offer. A sudden smile, tinged with warmth, crossed the face of the man who had been silently looking up at Yuder.

"…I want you to rest, and you want me to rest. So it seems the best thing to do is for us both to rest together."

"Excuse me?"

"If you're going to hold my hand, why don't you just lie down with me."

Finally, Kishiar gave up on behaving and pulled Yuder to him. By the time Yuder came to his senses, he was already lying under the covers Kishiar had opened.

"What are you doing?"

"Here, now we can both rest. Sleep well."

Despite Yuder's resistance, it was in vain. Yuder incredulously stared at Kishiar, who closed his once sleepless eyes while holding him tight.

"…Are you sleeping?"

"…"

"Stop fooling around and let go of me."

"…"

"Commander."

After several calls, Yuder finally sighed deeply, releasing the tension in his body. The thought of how to explain this if someone came in was daunting, but he didn't want to forcefully push away the sleeping Kishiar.

That's right. He didn't want to push him away. That was the problem…

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