Chapter 186

Chapter 186

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Chapter 186

"Since I've now exposed all my power, I thought it was high time I revealed everything. Had I known you'd be this shocked, I would've waited a bit longer to speak."

"Excuse me?"

Kishiar's words barely registered with Yuder, who was in a daze from the shock. It was only when Yuder finally managed a weak response that Kishiar chuckled softly.

"You look as if I've done something terrible to a child."

"Terrible..."

Absent-mindedly echoing Kishiar's words, a spark of understanding flashed in Yuder's mind.

"What are you implying? Despite your ill health, do you still have the energy to jest?"

"Hmm, good. It seems your eyes have regained their focus."

That's more like Yuder. Kishiar, seemingly satisfied, narrowed his eyes as he responded nonchalantly.

"All right. The real problem isn't with me. The reason I'm bringing this up now is that there's one more thing we need to understand in order to move forward, based on the achievements we made yesterday."

"And what would that be?"

"The reason why the Emperor hasn't shown himself outside the Sun Palace for years."

Speaking carelessly about the Emperor's health was always strictly forbidden, considered highly confidential. Yuder began to wonder just how far Kishiar intended to share with him today.

"As everyone knows, His Majesty has been in ill health for some time now."

"I've heard about his illness..."

"Yes, indeed. But when we met him in the Sun Palace, did he truly seem so seriously ill that he couldn't possibly venture out anywhere?"

Yuder recalled the Emperor Keilusa he'd met at the Sun Palace. This young Emperor, resembling a sensitive scholar with glasses, didn't seem so severely unwell that he couldn't even attend a party within the palace, even though signs of illness were somewhat apparent.

One peculiar thing Yuder had noticed then was that the Emperor seemed to carry out his work and rest in one place only, without letting even his attendants or servants into the same space.

Invisible illness preventing him from going out, curious dialogues Kishiar has been dropping... Lost in thought, Yuder met Kishiar's gaze.

"...I apologize if I'm jumping to conclusions, but are you suggesting that 'the vessel' you mentioned is the reason?"

"Correct."

A soft compliment returned in a whisper.

"His Majesty's vessel is currently cracked. He's been trying to minimize movement to prevent the leakage of life force, but if he can't find a way to mend it, he'll eventually weaken rapidly until he reaches his limit. It's similar to the situation I found myself in after the cracks started forming."

"Do you mean..."

"Yes. We're hoping that the power of the Red Stone might be the answer to restoring His Majesty's health. More accurately, I am."

It was then that Yuder started to understand the connection between the retrieval of the Red Stone and the actions of the Emperor and Kishiar thus far.

'So that's it. Kishiar, who was in the same situation, improved after awakening the power of the Red Stone. So, they're hoping that by studying the retrieved stone, they might find a cure.'

They probably made the same decision in their past life too, although what followed must have been different from the present.

Yuder recalled his conversation with Nathan last night and responded, "Yes."

"At that time, I saw a red light, similar to the energy of the Red Stone, leaking from the glove you were wearing. The two lights seemed somewhat connected. How did you feel about it?"

"Connected... I’m not sure about that."

Yuder carefully recounted his memories of that moment, details he hadn’t fully disclosed to Nathan Zuckerman.

"Given the urgent situation, I felt like I could somehow stop the stone from exploding. I reached out... and the next thing I knew, I had done it."

"It's really fortunate nothing bad happened."

"Yes."

"No, I mean you."

Thinking that he meant it was fortunate for everyone, Yuder was about to respond when Kishiar gently but firmly corrected him. Expecting to be reprimanded for his recklessness, Yuder fell silent as Kishiar paused.

After a few seconds of silence, Kishiar's next words held a completely different meaning.

"...But if it hadn’t been you, everyone might have been hurt."

Yuder lifted his gaze that had unconsciously lowered to the floor. Kishiar was smiling, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"You did well."

"I didn’t expect... you to compliment me."

Taken aback, Yuder stuttered a reply, causing Kishiar to shake his head.

"While I'd prefer my members not to engage in life-threatening risks, we can’t always avoid it. If it hadn’t been you, the situation could have gotten out of control."

“You did well,” Kishiar muttered. As Yuder met his gaze, his heart pounded unsteadily.

As Yuder found himself at a loss for words, Kishiar furrowed his brows a little more, reaching out to ruffle Yuder's hair. Surprised, Yuder blinked a few times, and Kishiar's hand brushed past his ear, returning to its original position.

'What was that?'

Was there dust in his hair? As he stared blankly, Kishiar glanced at his hand and grumbled.

"Don't let your guard down too much."

"Pardon?"

"When someone who's usually alert shows an unexpected response, it seems I have developed a disease where I unknowingly want to touch more."

"..."

The uneasy feeling faded quickly.

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