"To be honest… it’s a word that feels far too distant to me. I can’t quite grasp its meaning. Commander, may I ask what you think of it?"

It was rare for Kishiar to fall silent, especially when he was usually quick to respond to questions. Yuder added more, feeling his heart beating faster.

"If it’s a difficult question, there’s no need to force yourself to answer—"

"No. It’s not difficult. Actually, it’s quite simple."

At last, Kishiar spoke.

"I remember the feeling I had when I once read about that ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) word, trying to interpret it more deeply. To us, living in the present, 'eternity' feels like something infinite, with no beginning and no end. But I don’t think people from the era when Old Tongue was still used saw it that way. They seemed to regard the beginning and the end as two ends of a string. Like this."

Kishiar held something up in front of Yuder’s eyes. It shimmered gold in the light—one of the decorative strings that had been attached to the cloak he’d tossed aside earlier.

"When a string exists on its own, the start and the end seem like they’re facing in opposite directions. But when you bring those two ends together... look."

He joined the two ends of the string, forming a loop. No longer a straight line, it became a perfect circle.

"The moment the beginning and the end meet, you can no longer tell them apart. They revolve, endlessly, together. In eternal circulation."

Yuder looked at the circle formed by the connected string ends. It was exactly as Kishiar had said.

"...So the word 'eternity' came to mean the point where beginning and end meet."

"Exactly. It’s a shift in thinking—a break from the idea that an ending means everything vanishes. Instead of something infinite and ever-expanding, it becomes something steady, unwavering, and continuous."

Kishiar tied the string into a complete loop.

A circle where it no longer mattered where the start was, or the end. One side’s end became the other side’s beginning—and vice versa.

"After realizing that, the word 'eternity' took on a whole new meaning for me. Not some vague ideal or unreachable goal… but a source of comfort. A quiet wish."

Not a vague ideal, not an aspiration—
But comfort. A wish.

It was hard to fully understand at once. But emotionally… Yuder felt he might have grasped the essence.

Kishiar, seeing Yuder deep in thought, gently pulled him into a tight embrace and rested his forehead against his.

"This is just my personal interpretation, of course. I can’t say for sure what the person who originally coined that name intended. But… if I said I don’t think their meaning was much different—would that be something you’d rather not hear?"

In those few words, Kishiar conveyed many things.

Even without Yuder’s confirmation, he’d already pieced together enough from the clues to guess who had given Yudrain his name. And even so, he’d done his best to answer Yuder’s question sincerely.

He also showed that he understood—and cared deeply about—all the cold, aching emotions and unspoken questions Yuder carried toward Kishiar La Orr of his previous life.

Yuder closed his eyes, still wrapped in Kishiar’s arms, feeling the man’s powerful heartbeat thudding against his own chest. After a long pause, he finally opened his mouth.

"No. I was the one who asked. And you gave me more than enough of an answer. Thank you."

Upon hearing Yuder’s quiet words of thanks, Kishiar’s arms around him tightened slightly. Yuder, still in his embrace, let his gaze fall to the looped string, swaying gently before his eyes.

An end that wasn’t really an end, but a new beginning.

Eternity.

The more he looked, the more it reminded him of his own life—how death hadn’t been the end, how he had returned here, starting all over again.

‘If that’s the case… maybe I really did end up living up to the name.’

A ridiculous joke. But if that joke had led him to meet this man and share warmth with him now, then maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

No—he was certain of it.

 

A few days passed.

The reinforcements from the capital had settled into the southern region well, throwing themselves into their assigned duties. Thanks to them, the South, which had been in chaos from the sudden monster attack and the death of Duke Hern’s second son, was rapidly stabilizing. People had already begun returning to their daily routines as if nothing had ever happened.

Yuder, too, no longer suffered from the same nightmares, and on the surface, he seemed to have returned to his old work-centered self.

And now, he stood one step behind Kishiar, awaiting a special visitor at the Southern branch.

"Your Grace the Duke—or rather, Commander of the Cavalry. It’s been a while."

"General Gino. It’s good to see you looking well."

General Gino, whom they hadn’t seen in some time, looked almost exactly as he had the last time they’d met. He was a Swordmaster, so his aging was slow—but even so, he looked remarkably young.

It was said that the more aura one built up and the deeper one’s training, the slower aging became, and the more the body remained in peak condition for wielding a sword. If that was true, then even at his age, it was proof that the general had never neglected his training.

‘I never saw him fight in my previous life, so I’m honestly curious how strong he really is.’

While Yuder silently studied the general’s face, Kishiar shook his hand and engaged in light conversation.

"It’s good to see you in uniform, General. Brings back memories."

"Well, there haven’t been many chances to wear it. But since I’m here, I should attend the funeral too."

"The death of the Second Son of House Hern was truly unfortunate."

The autopsy of the body had been completed after the murderer was caught, and now the First Daughter had taken over the arrangements. The funeral was still being planned, but with Duke Hern himself still absent, no one knew when it would be held.

"More importantly, I heard some wonderful news. Is it true, what they’re saying—that you've become this country’s newest Swordmaster?"

"Haha. That’s the first thing you ask? You must be quite curious."

Kishiar chuckled playfully, and General Gino nodded earnestly.

"Of course I am. No one’s reached sword mastery since me. You, more than anyone, should know how disappointed I was."

Then, with eyes full of longing, he asked,

"So, is it really true?"

No matter how reliable the rumors were, hearing it confirmed directly was different. He wanted to hear the truth from Kishiar himself.

Kishiar smiled vaguely for a moment, then—when it seemed Gino could barely stand the suspense—finally gave a firm nod.

"Yes. It’s true. Just as you’ve heard."

"Unbelievable. Oh, heavens!"

General Gino’s eyes grew misty. At once, he dropped to one knee before Kishiar and bowed his head.

"My sincerest congratulations. I always dreamed that, should a new Swordmaster appear, it would be you. Now that it’s come true, this old swordsman has no regrets left."

Behind the emotional general, his subordinates knelt in confusion, unsure of what to do.

"Please, General—don’t do that. I’m no longer a prince. I’m Duke of Peleta now, and Commander of the Cavalry. There’s no need to go that far. Your men look quite troubled."

"Ah, I’m sorry. I just got carried away… like the old days."

Only then did the general rise. But he still gazed at Kishiar with tear-filled eyes and a smiling face.

"I’ll never forget those days when I taught the young princes to wield the sword. It was the brightest, most treasured time of my life. When you chose to stop using a sword, I was heartbroken… But the truth is, you never stopped, did you?"

"Haha. Are you saying you’re not upset I kept it hidden, even from you?"

"Not at all. In fact, I admire you even more—for not giving up the sword, even during the hardest of times. Truly… the Empire is blessed."

He didn’t seem the least bit bothered that Kishiar had kept his mastery a secret, even from him. Kishiar smiled and replied,

"To receive such praise from the teacher who rarely gave any… I’m truly honored. But tell me, General."

"Yes?"

"You didn’t happen to hear the other rumor—that I’m not the only Swordmaster now?"

"...Pardon?"

General Gino blinked.