"Things were quite noisy near the Cavalry’s main gate from early this morning. Was there some kind of incident?"

Yuder turned his head toward the speaker. Tais Yulman, with dark shadows stretching from under his eyes down to his cheeks, was slowly pouring tea from a kettle into a cup. Normally, his student Alik would’ve naturally done that for him, but with Alik absent, the elderly mage’s movements looked clumsy and sluggish.

Yuder opened his mouth while watching the cup that looked like it might slip from those fingers at any moment.

"That must have been because Sir Zuckerman returned from Peleta today. There were people who went out to greet him."

"That Peleta knight who was said to have become a new Swordmaster, right? The deputy who used to serve the Duke of Peleta."

"Yes."

"I saw a banner that said something about 'Swordmaster of the North Wind.' That too?"

"That is a new title given to Sir Zuckerman after his recent exploits in the North."

As he spoke, Yuder felt an extremely rare emotion for a brief moment. A faint smile, born of something that could be considered pleasant, briefly spread in his chest and then faded.

The old mage, who failed to notice Yuder’s subtle shift in mood, muttered wearily, "I see."

"Two Swordmasters suddenly appearing, and the Emperor recognizing them so openly... they say the Pearl Tower was in an uproar for quite a while. Well, not that it's any concern of mine."

It wasn't the sort of thing one would expect a Pearl Tower elder to say, but the one speaking was Tais Yulman. No one would be surprised by anything that came out of his mouth.

When the cup in his hand nearly slipped for real, Yuder calmly used wind power to catch it midair.

"...Oh, thank you."

"It’s nothing."

"Since coming back from the South, I haven’t had a chance to examine your powers closely. I’d like to study that eye of yours more, the one with the color change... but with this damn medicine development, I’ve had no time. Tch...!"

The old mage sighed heavily as he looked at Yuder’s eyes with a face full of regret and longing. There was nothing he could do in a situation where he wanted to research but couldn't. Yuder responded calmly to the disappointed Tais.

"Is the development of the suppressant progressing well?"

"It’s going too well, and that’s the problem!"

Frustration and deeper fatigue appeared on Tais's face.

"I made the medicine because my student seemed to need it, and now it’s turning into a profitable business. I agreed to keep going for now, but the workload’s exploded. The effect of the initial version I made differs from the existing medicine, and now they want a whole new version based on that? What nonsense!"

This was due to the early version of the suppressant that Alik had given Fruelle when he awakened as an Omega. While it didn’t suppress the scent, it worked exceptionally well in reducing pain, making it more suitable for newly awakened individuals. Because of the decision to produce more of that version, Tais’s workload had doubled.

He seemed deeply tormented by the current situation, having to devote himself to making medicine instead of research.

"Just trying to discuss how to improve and mass-produce the current medicine is enough to kill me from overwork, and now my student’s got other jobs, so I can’t even divide the work...! Ahh. At this rate, my own genius is going to kill me from overwork."

As arrogant as it sounded, the old mage's skills in medicine-making were undeniably brilliant. The problem was that he didn’t seem that interested, viewing it as nothing more than an extension of the plant studies he had done in his youth.

‘A person who could make such medicine simply vanished in my previous life without ever crossing paths with me...’

Yuder silently pulled out two items and placed them in front of Tais Yulman.

"What’s this?"

"One is financial support for medicine development sent by the Commander, and the other is a schedule."

"Hm?"

The old mage blinked and reached out toward the items Yuder had placed on the table. From the envelope sealed with the Peleta Duke's crest, he pulled out a check written in Kishiar’s own handwriting.

Tais Yulman’s pupils trembled, briefly losing their composure as he scanned the check, which had an absurd number of zeroes. Even someone like him—an elder of the Pearl Tower accustomed to luxury robes and jewelry—found the amount shocking.

Uncharacteristically hesitant for the brazen Tais Yulman, he cautiously asked,

"...Was there some kind of mistake? This seems too much for a support fund..."

"There’s no mistake. That is the correct amount."

Yuder replied dispassionately.

"He said you would need that much support since you’ll be continuing your research without your student. The instructions for how to claim it are on the back, and you may proceed however you prefer."

"Still, when support funds are this high, doesn’t that usually reduce the share of sales revenue...?"

"No. He said that would remain completely separate. Since one product is now officially going on sale through Peleta, a portion of the related contract payment will also be sent to you separately."

At those words, the cautious expression on Tais Yulman’s face finally brightened. Yuder pretended not to notice and continued speaking.

"Additionally, people will be sent to help with your and Alik’s research. They aren’t mages, but they’re from Peleta and have assisted Lady Helrem before. Their identities are solid, so you should be able to focus more comfortably on your work."

"Hah, hahahaha. The Cavalry Commander truly knows how to get people moving. Good! To think my hardships are being recognized like this... suddenly I feel motivated to make more medicine!"

The old mage, who had been worn down by having to prepare and drink his own tea without a compliant student, was suddenly in a great mood.

"Let’s see what this schedule is."

The schedule was exactly that—a training schedule.

However, the date was not for today, but tomorrow.

"There is a certain special Awakener currently visiting the Cavalry. He possesses a rare ability but experiences some issues when using it, so I will be overseeing his training starting tomorrow. If it’s all right with you, I’d like you and your student to come observe the session and take a look at his ability."

Yuder briefly explained the origin of the schedule to the mage.

Naturally, the Awakener in question was Melvern.

"Oh...!"

Tais, who was deeply fascinated by Yuder’s ability but equally intrigued by rare powers of other Awakeners, lit up with spark-like excitement.

Unlike the tedious work of developing medicine, this was something he truly desired.

"Is that allowed?! The Cavalry Commander approved this, right?"

"Yes. However, the condition is that you must pretend not to know anything about that Awakener’s identity or background."

"Keeping secrets is nothing! Haven’t you seen how tight-lipped I’ve been all this time?"

That was true. If Tais Yulman hadn’t built up a foundation of trust through his actions so far, Yuder wouldn’t have even considered entrusting him with this task.

Yuder recalled the conversation he’d had with Kishiar before coming here.

‘Since you’re going to Tais Yulman anyway, why not ask if he’d like to observe Melvern’s training in the future? What do you think, Aide?’

‘...Are you suggesting that what he did for Alik might help Melvern as well?’

‘Though the process wasn’t exactly gentle, he did uncover a clue to resolving the heat symptoms we couldn’t even fix, and he helped a mage-Awakener develop their ability. That’s a fact.’

Melvern’s ability was extremely rare and unique. The rebound symptoms he suffered were just as peculiar.

It wasn’t necessary to bring up Crown Prince Ezein during training. As long as they kept it at that level, it was worth a try.

‘Observation, within the bounds of secrecy, should be fine.’

‘Right. I’m curious whether a mage’s perspective will be helpful again this time.’

With that thought concluded, Yuder rose from his seat in ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) front of the old mage, who was now so delighted he couldn’t stop smiling.

"Then I’ll be off to inform Alik of the same news."

"Yes, yes. That rascal. Ever since returning from the South and getting his own lab, he’s been so scatterbrained he hasn’t visited his master even once a day. Go kick his butt for me!"

Tais Yulman cheered Yuder on.

Receiving the old mage’s send-off, Yuder stepped outside the house. Not far from the Cavalry headquarters, behind the house, a small new building had been constructed.

From the outside, it looked like a storage shed, but that was Alik Felgin’s new personal laboratory, granted to him after returning from the South.

‘It’s just a few steps away, and yet they live without even seeing each other. Mages truly are hard to understand.’