“He must have voiced those feelings often.”

“Yes. Anyone stationed in the mountains probably heard it at least once. Every time he drank, he’d go on about how Deputy Curlieva was the ‘spoiled favorite,’ getting to avoid the boring mountain life and live comfortably down in the South. He often said the position of the General’s aide was supposed to be his. Whether that’s true or not, I couldn’t say.”

The implication was clear: Galexantr Balfos harbored a deep inferiority complex toward Deputy Meghna Curlieva—whether it was about work or their shared status as disciples of the same master.

“Then I suppose Deputy Curlieva must not think very highly of Special Officer Balfos either?”

“I thought that might be the case, but… when I spoke to her, I never got that impression. If anything, she seemed very careful to avoid commenting on him at all…”

“I see.”

After responding, Kishiar rubbed the skin under his lower lip in thought—then suddenly, as if something had struck him, asked a new question.

“Have they always had this kind of relationship? If they’re both Gino’s students, I doubt they were at odds from the very beginning.”

Yuder sensed that Kishiar’s question, while seemingly casual, carried a deeper implication.

‘Does he think there’s more to their history?’

Suns seemed to recall something at that moment. His eyes widened as he let out an “Ah.”

"Ah… I don’t know for sure, but that reminds me of a rumor I once heard."

"What kind of rumor?"

“Well, just like before, I can’t say it’s credible… but there was talk that when they were younger, Special Officer Balfos had a huge crush on Deputy Curlieva and used to follow her around. Some even claimed they were actually in a relationship…”

Suns frowned, as though just recalling it made him uncomfortable.

“I think it was just one of those trashy gossip stories for entertainment.”

“I see. Then what’s your impression of Special Officer Balfos’s capabilities?”

Kishiar smiled, deftly shifting the subject. He clearly sensed Suns didn’t want to dwell on the personal rumors.

With a more relaxed expression, Suns answered.

“In terms of swordsmanship, it’s said he’s nowhere near Deputy Curlieva’s level. But no one’s ever complained about his actual job performance.”

“So he does his work well?”

“I went on several recon missions with him. He was very effective at preventing monster incursions or outside threats. Honestly, aside from having a bit of a willful personality…”

He trailed off, scratching his head, looking sheepish.

“To us low-ranking soldiers at the time, he felt like someone who’d turn a blind eye to small mistakes or personal issues. That was appreciated, to be honest.”

In other words, during that year-long deployment, with discipline among the troops starting to slacken, Balfos let the lax atmosphere slide—and in turn, didn’t bother hiding his own laid-back demeanor either.

‘At least he did the job properly. That’s something, I guess.’

Kishiar didn’t criticize that somewhat embarrassing past. Instead, he chuckled, then asked something unexpected.

“I see. But tell me—was the Southern Army really short on personnel back then? Enough that a Special Officer had to regularly go on recon missions with you? As I recall, that’s not supposed to be a Special Officer’s primary duty.”

In the Imperial Army, there exists a special forces unit with a long-standing tradition—the Special Task Force. Officers of high rank in that unit are known as Special Officers.

The Special Task Force was originally formed by gathering only those with exceptional sword skills—people strong enough to face knights capable of producing aura fragments.

In short, they were the Empire’s secret weapon—elite warriors each capable of taking on a hundred men.

‘Well, that’s all ancient history now.’

The modern Special Task Force had long lost that level of prestige. As the number of elite knights dwindled, so too did the strength of the Task Force. In a few decades, Suns’s own Kakheop Unit would likely surpass it in influence.

‘Still, someone holding the rank of Special Officer shouldn’t have been so idle that he had time to hang around with low-ranking patrol units.’

Suns nodded at Kishiar’s observation.

“You’re right. That’s not the kind of job a Special Officer is usually assigned. He didn’t go on recon much at first, but at some point, it seems he got bored and started tagging along with patrols during his personal downtime.”

“So he wasn’t officially assigned to those missions—he just joined in now and then?”

“Yes, that’s more accurate.”

In short, Balfos had a habit of wandering around and would occasionally barge into recon squads when he felt like it.

“And Gino allowed him that kind of freedom?”

“Even so, I’ve heard that his contributions during recon missions earned him a good number of merits, which is likely why the General never said anything.”

Ever since the Red Stone had fallen, foreign and unknown forces had never truly left the surrounding area alone. Though the Emperor had dispatched the Southern Army to prevent the potential loss of the Red Stone and protect the lives of ordinary Imperial citizens, that hadn’t meant the enemies had simply disappeared.

Hadn’t there even been assassins who somehow learned of the recovery mission and tried to attack them?

‘We never did find out who they really were.’

While Yuder recalled those past events, Kishiar continued his line of questioning.

“When you say Balfos was good at stopping intrusions during recon, do you mean he had a good eye for spotting threats? Or that he was good at directing troops to stop them?”

“Hmm… the first one. He didn’t engage in much combat himself, but he had an uncanny ability to detect any signs of enemy infiltration in the mountains. I tend to take on a lot of night shifts because of my enhanced night vision, and I often saw him heading out for recon on his own. I’d say he did his job properly when he was working.”

At that, a faintly amused smile curled at the edge of Kishiar’s lips.

“Really? Well, with clairvoyance, I suppose it wouldn’t be hard to spot someone trying to sneak around in the dark, even from far away.”

“Haha, yes. That makes sense.”

Kishiar chatted a bit more with Suns—just small, inconsequential talk—and then gave a polite cue to end the conversation.

“That’s all I needed to ask. I believe I’ve heard more than enough. I know it was a bit sudden—thank you.”

“Not at all! If I could be of any help to you, Commander, then I’m honored!”

“Not just me. I promise you, His Majesty the Emperor won’t forget your loyalty and support either.”

Suns looked taken aback—he clearly didn’t think he’d said anything worth such high praise—but soon stepped away, flustered and quietly moved.

Once the door closed and his presence disappeared beyond the hallway, Yuder finally spoke with his usual blank expression.

“Did you find something out?”

“At first, I just meant to dig into the past between Meghna Curlieva and Galexantr Balfos… but honestly, I might’ve stumbled onto something even bigger.”

Kishiar’s smile was still there—deep and unreadable.

“Have a seat. You must be tired.”

“I’m fine, but…”

“I’m not.”

Somehow, Yuder found himself not sitting across from Kishiar, but pressed closely beside him on the same seat.

And as if that weren’t enough, there was now a plate of cake on the table—no one knew when or how it got there.

“Here. Eat while we talk.”

“When did you even get this?”

“This is exactly the kind of thing powers like mine are for.”

A shameless reply, spoken like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Who used push-and-pull-type abilities to silently summon cake plates? It was absurd. But Yuder, seeing that Kishiar wasn’t planning to say another word until he picked up his fork, had no choice but to cut off a piece of chocolate cake and put it in his mouth.

At that moment, Kishiar began speaking cheerfully.

“My guess is that Meghna Curlieva ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) and Galexantr Balfos very likely had a deeper, more personal relationship in the past than what we’re seeing now.”

Yuder’s hand, about to cut the next bite, froze in place.

“…You’re saying you believe that rumor Suns mentioned was true?”

“Yes. Though of course, it’s clearly not that kind of relationship anymore. And as for Balfos…”

Kishiar gently placed his hand over Yuder’s frozen one and laughed low in his throat.

“He’s definitely a resentful bastard. That much is certain.”