Chapter 583

"We've disseminated announcements for recruitment in various regions, just like we did for the first Cavalry squad. It will take a bit more time for the news to reach the remote areas, but it shouldn't take too long."

The sun poured its light into the splendid Cavalry office.

Several people stood before Kishiar, who was seated with a bundle of papers in one hand, delivering their reports in succession.

The first to report was Nathan Zuckerman, an adjutant who had long been by Kishiar's side. He had hands-on experience conducting the first round of Cavalry recruitment, so he was now assisting with the second one as well.

Ideally, the recruitment should be handled solely by the Cavalry members. However, the group was still lacking in both manpower and experience. Even a novice mistake could prove fatal at this point. For the team to have the resilience to swiftly correct and forgive such errors, everyone needed more experience under their belts.

Therefore, Kishiar had planned for the second recruitment to be a joint operation between the Pelleta Knights and the Cavalry. Nathan Zuckerman and the others from the Pelleta Knights, having learned from the first recruitment, would help ensure that the Cavalry members could manage future recruitments on their own.

In fact, collaboration between the Pelleta Knights and the Cavalry could have been awkward, but there were no complaints from either side. Thanks to Kishiar, who was both the Duke of Pelleta and the Commander of the Cavalry, relations between the two groups were exceptionally good.

Members of the Pelleta Knights had frequently visited the Cavalry, and they had cooperated closely on various occasions, such as during harvest festivals and missions to the western regions. Moreover, the majority of both groups came from commoner backgrounds and held deep respect and loyalty for Kishiar as their lord.

As a result, a unique camaraderie had developed between the similarly-minded members of the Cavalry and the Pelleta Knights.

After Nathan Zuckerman had finished his report and stepped back, the next in line was Deputy Commander of Jung Division, Kanna Wand.

"Due to the flood of inquiries related to the second recruitment, the entire department that is temporarily in charge of this work is on the verge of being paralyzed. Starting today, we're assigning members from other Divisions who wish to officially join the administration section," Kanna Wand reported.

Until now, the members had spent most of their days in skill training and learning. However, the rigorous training had yielded results, and everyone now had a clear understanding of what they needed to train in for their personal growth. Illiteracy was a thing of the past.

Therefore, Kishiar had started to assign the well-taught and rapidly growing members according to their preferences and aptitudes. It was a more advanced classification than just dividing them into three categories based on their abilities: Sul, Shin, and Jung.

Those who were weak in combat but had a knack for administrative tasks took on those roles full-time. Those who were good with people were put in charge of guiding the people who were not members but working within the Cavalry.

While combat-capable members were undoubtedly important, solidifying the internal structure by picking those who were good at other tasks was paramount for the Cavalry's future growth.

Kishiar was already well aware of this need, and it was also something Yuder had desired after watching the Cavalry's progress for a long time.

Kishiar had consulted Yuder multiple times in anticipation of the Cavalry's structural reforms. The extensive personnel reshuffling and internal changes that had taken place were seamlessly executed, incorporating lessons Yuder had learned through trial and error in his previous life.

"Excellent. Keep me closely informed to ensure smooth progress."

"Yes."

Upon hearing Kishiar's praise, Kanna's eyes shone with strength. Despite assuming greater responsibilities than before, there was no hint of apprehension in her eyes. On the contrary, they burned with a desire and ambition to accomplish even more.

After the recent task allocation, Kanna and the other Deputy Commanders came to realize how much Kishiar had been shouldering alone: all these minor yet essential duties. They had never quite understood that meals, clothing, and even the maintenance of the Cavalry's facilities didn't magically take care of themselves.

The moment they recognized that their Commander had single-handedly managed everything until they were mature enough to share the burden was indescribable.

Next, Ever Beck stepped forward. With her characteristic calm demeanor, she quickly began her report.

"News has come in that nobles in the regions where we plan to establish Cavalry branches are showing resistance, as expected. However, their numbers are fewer than anticipated, so the first-phase deployment can proceed as planned."

Kishiar had already discussed receiving assistance from officials and was planning to send members to various locations to lay the groundwork for new branches. Their tasks included securing land and buildings in the proposed regions and screening initial applicants for the Cavalry.

While the first wave of deployed members were tackling unresolved issues, they would be sending updates back to the Cavalry's headquarters. Following that, a second wave, including Kishiar and other top-ranking officers, would be dispatched.

Kishiar had been open about these plans. While many still failed to grasp the real extent of Kishiar's capabilities and criticized him, there was a significant difference between now and the past. More people had started to seriously consider what it meant for Kishiar to act as the Commander of the cavalry, especially after being revealed as the new master of the divine sword.

Moreover, Crown Prince Katchian's recent assignment to investigate the monster that had invaded the Sun Palace on behalf of the Emperor also played a part in this.

Was it mere coincidence that the announcement of Crown Prince Katchian's assignment coincided with the Cavalry's second recruitment drive, both done in the Emperor's name?

It was a well-known fact that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Emperor had not been cordial, to say the least. The sudden news that the Crown Prince had taken on this mission for the Emperor rattled many within the noble factions.

Even Duke Diarca's camp seemed unable to hide their confusion, failing to provide any substantial reaction. They had likely felt the shock of realizing that their assumptions were deeply mistaken.

But the shock the nobles felt didn't end there.

For the first time in years, the Emperor made a brief appearance in person at a meeting. Although he only stayed for a few minutes and left after a fit of agonizing coughs, it was enough to plunge people into chaos.

'Is the Emperor really on his deathbed? Has he given up even on receiving treatment and concealing his illness?'

'Could it be? Is the Cavalry's hurried second recruitment drive also related to this?'

The air was thick with questions and speculation.

Rumors were circulating that the Emperor had secretly made a deal with the Crown Prince regarding his future actions. The incident of a monster invading the Sun Palace was just the beginning...

'Could the Crown Prince, who once tried to break away from Diarca, not try it a second time? The fact that he shook hands with the Emperor as soon as he recovered suggests that—'

Naturally, the cough was an act, and the Emperor had anticipated this reaction.

However, neither Emperor Keilusa nor Kishiar actually thought that this event would have a significant impact on Duke Diarca and his loyal supporters. If the Crown Prince was in his right mind, he would soon offer an explanation, and the situation would be somehow resolved.

Still, the important thing was that the attack had succeeded, if only momentarily creating a small crack.

Prince Katchian was not, as people believed, an absolute pawn of the Diarca ducal house.

If people who had assumed that Duke Diarca's era would naturally follow the current Emperor's death suddenly realized that might not be the case, what would they feel? Merely teaching them that what they thought was a given is not actually so gave this event ample meaning.

'...And when they recover from this shock, His Majesty will deliver another, allowing the second recruitment of the Cavalry and the establishment of the branch office to go smoothly.'

Yuder stood behind Kishiar, listening to reports from others and contemplating future events.

The second recruitment of the Cavalry and establishment of the branch office was certainly important. But it should not be the sole focus of everyone's attention. As Yuder saw it, the Emperor and Crown Prince affair was a bait Kishiar carefully crafted to allow the Cavalry to focus on consolidating their internal strength.

Those who had sharpened their blades to topple the Cavalry could not ignore this astonishing bait.

To use the Emperor of a nation as bait was an extraordinary move, yet neither the Emperor nor Kishiar seemed to mind. Considering the future status of the Cavalry, there could not be a more opportune time.

"Everything is going well so far... except for one thing. This variable called the 'Star of Nagran' is a little concerning."

Yuder recalled the rushed words of the intelligence agents.

They had brought back many useful items from the residence where the sage had stayed. Among them was the surprising information that Nahan had appeared in the capital in good health after disappearing from the west. The sage was currently by the Crown Prince's side, so they had not run into Nahan, but for how long that would last was uncertain.

The Eldore siblings and Gakane, who had directly heard Nahan's voice, all reported that Nahan and his associates seemed incredibly hostile towards the sage. It was not a surprising report.

'"Even though many things have changed from my previous life, it seems the internal strife within the Star of Nagran continues.'

Nahan wouldn't usually attack other Awakeners. Yet, that wasn't an absolute, as Yuder, who had faced him before, knew all too well.

The sage and Nahan were both dangerous individuals. Yuder, who would soon leave the capital following Kishiar, did not want to leave any variables unresolved.

"Before the last family meal ended, I left a signal for Kiolle. If he's observant, he'll come looking soon."

Yuder had slipped a small note into Kiolle's pocket using the power of wind, right before Prince Katchian left and the previous family meal concluded.

To those uninformed, save for Kiolle, there would be no way of knowing who had sent the message or what it meant. However, if you were the person in question, you would know with certainty who sent it and what they intended to say.

'Even Kiolle, as foolish as he is, would understand that much.'

"And finally, my assistant mentioned that there was a particular matter he wished to propose today. Shall we hear it now?"

At that moment, Kishiar turned his head to speak, as if concluding that the final report from Steiber had ended. His slightly slanted eyes seemed to already know that Yuder had been lost in other thoughts.

Pushing aside thoughts of the Star of Nagran and Kiolle, Yuder opened his mouth.

"Ah, yes. Before we discuss establishing new branches and recruiting members, there's something I strongly believe we should address. I had mentioned it before today's meeting."

"And what would that be?"

"I propose we create a power control device specifically for the Awakeners within the Cavalry."