"Was that traveler the Sage?"

"Yes."

Hosanna nodded.

"Thanks to the help of the Sage and the people who followed him, we survived. My lord’s face and my leg became irreparably damaged... but still, I’m grateful that we saved our lives."

Yuder was reminded once again that Hosanna couldn’t properly use one of his legs. He wondered when the injury occurred, and it seemed it happened at that ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) time.

"Did your leg also suffer the same kind of 'punishment' as Nahan’s face? Around the same time?"

"Ah... yes. But compared to what the Sage went through, it’s nothing..."

Hosanna seemed genuinely to believe that his leg condition was insignificant compared to Nahan’s situation. Yuder watched as Hosanna flinched, gripping his pant leg tightly, seemingly trying to hide it.

"He tried to escape using a fire illusion, so as a consequence, they branded him with the fire’s mark and punished his leg, making it impossible for him to escape. Even though he was treated like a family disgrace, they didn’t need to punish him so cruelly."

The actions carried out under the name of punishment seemed almost like torture reserved for someone who deserved to die. In fact, later they abandoned him in a burning building, which wasn’t much different.

It might not be something to be proud of for an Imperial noble to have a mixed-blood child with someone from the South, but it certainly didn’t justify doing something like this. From their perspective, it might have been better if Nahan had grown up and disappeared into the South forever, without anyone having to lay a hand on him. Why go so far?

"Hmm. There must be a reason. Maybe they were a family that believed fanatically in religion?"

Yuder kept the question to himself and continued the conversation naturally.

"So, the Promise between the Sage and Nahan must have been made because of the life-saving bond at that time?"

"That’s true, but not entirely."

"What do you mean?"

"Unlike me, my lord didn’t initially feel grateful toward the Sage. He said both I and the Sage had done useless things. Even when we suggested going to the South, he refused... For months after that, he showed no will to get treated, refusing to eat, and he was like a living corpse."

Even after successfully escaping from his family, Nahan no longer felt joy. Hosanna said he was scared because Nahan seemed to want to die as he starved himself and refused treatment, retreating into himself.

"Luckily, the Sage mercifully didn’t cast us aside, and we managed to survive that time. Truly... for that, I’m genuinely thankful to him."

Hosanna spoke with a somewhat complicated expression. He seemed to believe that the Sage had shown true mercy, but Yuder’s thoughts were slightly different.

"Someone who threw those who trusted him into harm’s way and used them as human shields wouldn’t have shown mercy without some cost."

Yuder decided to confirm his suspicion.

"How many people were there following the Sage at that time?"

"Three... No, maybe four."

"Of those, how many are still alive?"

"About two... but..."

"With such a small group, I imagine they must have faced many difficulties. Maybe they were used to wandering, but I doubt they were."

"Yes... It was like that. Unlike me, the others were often people who had awakened while living without lack and left their hometowns."

"Then, in the areas where they must have struggled with everyday life, you must have been quite helpful."

"Well, I didn’t think helping with things like cleaning or meal preparation was a big deal, so I took care of that at the time..."

Yuder nodded quietly as he looked at Hosanna, who appeared puzzled by the seemingly trivial question.

"As I thought, you were used as a free servant."

It wasn’t a big deal to prepare meals for a few people or do dishes and laundry outdoors, as Hosanna had mentioned. But that was only the case when someone was already accustomed to such tasks.

Even members of the Cavalry, who had endured all kinds of tough survival training, would struggle with fatigue the longer they spent sleeping outdoors. For someone like the Sage, who had spent his time managing things in the capital and never traveled far, the help with such mundane tasks would have been unexpectedly crucial. To live elegantly and cleanly, unseen efforts had to be made behind the scenes.

Yuder thought about how much easier it must have been for a man who had already crossed a harsh desert at such a young age, someone like Hosanna, to help the Sage who was growing weary of the tiring nomadic life.

While it was difficult to make an exact assessment, it was easy to guess that the level of comfort Hosanna provided was enough for a patient, who had no will to live and was simply lying down, to be tolerated.

It was an important yet trivial detail, one so small that even the people involved might not have realized it.

"So, when exactly did Nahan make the Promise with the Sage?"

"I think it was around the time when his facial burns had almost healed, and he had to decide whether to leave or stay. One day, the Sage came and said he wanted to have a deep conversation with Nahan."

Apparently, the Sage didn’t say much when faced with Nahan, who wouldn’t even answer his questions.

"He said there was a hot flame burning inside my lord’s heart. He said that, although the flame could have warmed someone, no one accepted it, and so nothing could be done."

It was a metaphor that almost seemed to describe Nahan’s situation as a whole. The Sage had probably crafted these words based on the information naturally extracted from Hosanna. And as expected, the Sage used words that sounded like they came from a scripture.

"Did Nahan react to those words?"

"At first, he didn’t like them. He even got angry, wondering if the Sage had investigated us. But then the Sage asked if he wanted to try using that flame to burn something else... He said that there were many people in the world who needed the kind of flame my lord had, and when he spoke about what was to come, my lord finally reacted."

It was then that the Sage opened up about everything he had done and what he wanted to do in the future.

Both the Sage and the people who followed him had been persecuted as Awakeners, forced to leave their homes. Similarly, Nahan and Hosanna, who had been tortured and abandoned after their powers were revealed, were in a similar situation.

The Sage said he wanted to help people like them. His goal was to provide them with a safe place to hide and rest, and he hoped many others would assist in this mission.

Hosanna’s heart was immediately moved, but Nahan was different. However, the Sage, with a merciful face, made his offer.

"Since we are all Awakeners, we are no different from siblings... He asked my lord to kindly watch over the work of a brother. Deciding whether to stay or leave could come later."

It was unclear which part of the offer moved Nahan, but he accepted it and began to observe the Sage.

"And then, shortly after, there was an incident where someone, persecuted for being an Awakener, was beaten by their relatives and left to die. The Sage saved that person, and Nahan’s abilities were truly helpful at that time. Everyone was shocked. That night, my lord visited the Sage."

"That was the day of the Promise."

"Yes. My lord said he wanted to help as long as the Sage’s heart remained unchanged. The Sage was very happy with that and said that, to commemorate the day, he would like my lord to give us all new names."

"-The Star of Nagran."

Hosanna nodded proudly and with a touch of nostalgia as he heard Yuder’s muttering. His eyes became somewhat distant.

"Yes. My lord named us that. It was a name with the goal of one day leaving for our own perfect paradise with the other Awakeners. And... it was also his name."

"His name?"

"He was originally called by a different name. It was a name hardly ever used, and my lord hated it. So, that day, he decided to take the name Nahan, symbolizing the death of his past self and his rebirth."

The meaning of the name "Nahan" was said to be related to revenge. That remark echoed in Yuder’s mind.

"......"

"After the name 'The Star of Nagran' was chosen, the Sage made a promise to Nahan. Since my lord gave us that name, he would do his best to fulfill it. The Sage said that if we did so, we would truly be able to reach that paradise, and he invited us to join him."

That was their Promise.