"Based on what I’ve deduced, there’s a very high chance that Meghna Curlieva and Galexantr Balfos had a far deeper personal relationship in the past than they do now."

Yuder’s hand, which had been about to habitually cut the next piece of cake, suddenly came to a halt.

"…Are you saying that rumor Suns mentioned is actually true?"

"Yes. But it’s not that kind of relationship anymore. And that Balfos fellow…"

Kishiar placed his own hand over Yuder’s frozen one and chuckled softly.

"He’s definitely a rat. Without a doubt."

"You’re saying he’s a rat? Based on what exactly…?"

"Shh. Just a moment."

Kishiar winked and stopped speaking. His long fingers still gently holding Yuder’s hand moved smoothly. He picked up the fork that had paused, sliced the cake into a perfect bite-sized piece, and even dipped it firmly before lifting it toward Yuder’s mouth. Only then did he finally withdraw his hand.

"Here. No need to rush—I’ll explain everything, so don’t worry."

"..."

Yuder, looking slightly unamused, took the bite into his mouth and began chewing as Kishiar continued his explanation.

"Back during the old recovery operation—those mercenaries who infiltrated to steal the Red Stone and ended up dying. You remember them, right?"

"Yes. We never found out who hired them, but they were clearly prepared to an extreme degree."

The one who had commissioned those mercenaries didn’t know all the details of the mission but still managed to hire Awakener mercenaries from outside the borders—mercenaries who had just the right amount of recklessness. They slipped past the Southern Army’s surveillance, which had guarded the mountain range for years, and reached the Red Stone. That meant the client had access to substantial inside information. On top of that, they had gone so far as to bind the mercenaries with oaths and dual enchantments—an immense investment in both cost and effort to prepare for the chance of being exposed.

"Right. Even if the Southern Army’s discipline among its lower ranks had weakened at the time, it’s still shocking that they waited in the mountains for several days without being caught. That’s why His Majesty and I concluded that there had to be someone inside the military who had given them the order. Someone high-ranking, no doubt."

"Does that mean… you suspected General Gino as well?"

Yuder’s cautious question was met with an unhesitating nod from Kishiar.

"That’s right. Why would General Gino be an exception? Even though the Southern Army’s perimeter had been breached for several days, he didn’t notice, and he failed to track down any trace of the mercenaries or their mastermind. From our position—entrusting him with the task—it was hard to be sure whether that was a genuine mistake or a betrayal masked as incompetence."

From that one statement, Yuder felt like he had glimpsed just a fragment of the countless hardships Kishiar and the Emperor Keillusa had endured on their path.

It might have been a situation that warranted suspicion, but Gino Bodelli’s name was not one to take lightly. He wasn’t just a general of the Southern Army—he was a Swordmaster, revered across the entire continent.

To even appear as if you doubted him—someone who had gained nothing, yet served his Emperor with absolute loyalty, led by example for his knights, and never chased wealth or fame—was a dangerous path. It might have meant losing one of the few allies the Imperial family had left.

What would happen if the world’s most respected Swordmaster, a living legend, turned his back on the throne and cried foul? The noble factions, including the four Duke Houses already hostile to the throne, would no doubt seize the opportunity eagerly.

"So… what ended up happening?"

Yuder’s eyes sharpened. But despite their blade-like gleam, his mouth kept chewing cake mechanically, giving the impression of casual indifference rather than chill.

Kishiar smiled subtly, as if unable to resist how cute that contrast was.

"Well, as you can tell from the fact that Gino is still standing, our internal investigation concluded that Gino Bodelli himself was innocent. But there was a very high chance someone under his command had betrayed us."

Kishiar and the Emperor Keillusa had speculated that the traitor had to be someone close enough to Gino to have caught wind of the sudden Red Stone recovery operation.

But even after informing General Gino and secretly searching the Southern Army from top to bottom, they hadn’t been able to identify the traitor.

"Gino was deeply ashamed of that. I suspect that’s what made him start thinking about retirement."

"If the traitor was one of his close aides, then stepping down would’ve been the best way to shake them."

"Exactly. What all of this meant for us was two things: One, the traitor who leaked information to the mercenaries might be clever enough to fool even Gino. Two, keeping someone like that around would only make things more dangerous moving forward. So…"

Kishiar gave a playful wink.

"We began a complete structural reform of the Southern Army’s power base. I’m sure my aide knows very well what that entailed, yes?"

Suns and Emon’s faces flashed through Yuder’s mind like a thunderclap.

"I see. So that’s how the Kakheop Unit came to be."

If the traitor was among the existing forces, then replacing them with a new and powerful group of unquestionable loyalty was the ideal solution.

The Awakener soldiers—nobodies until recently, yet incredibly gifted and full of untapped potential—were the perfect picks to serve that role.

"Exactly. You showing me the likes of Suns and Emon and the other Awakener soldiers back then was a brilliant move."

Had it not been for that, Kishiar admitted, he might not have used the Awakener soldiers to reshape the Southern Army’s structure—and might’ve had to seriously consider forcing General Gino into retirement.

At the time, he’d never imagined it would yield such results.

"In any case, I’ve always wondered who that person was—the one who slipped through even Gino’s and our eyes, moving freely within the Southern Army. But now that I’ve glimpsed the hidden side of military relationships that we up top could never see, the culprit is finally coming into focus, wouldn’t you say?"

"Indeed… given Galexantr Balfos’s position—as General Gino’s former disciple and a Special Officer—it would’ve been easy for him to dig for information and move around freely. The fact # Nоvеlight # that he kept volunteering for reconnaissance missions he didn’t need to be on also fits."

"Right. I doubt it’s a coincidence that he was so good at spotting enemy intrusions. He likely manufactured some of them himself to claim credit, earn Gino’s recognition, and secure a reason to stay stationed there."

"Hmm… Even if his private life was a mess, the fact that he still did his job properly and avoided scandals might’ve been what blinded Gino and those around him."

"Yes. Gino is a great general and swordsman, but he has a cold streak—he tends to ignore those who don’t meet his standards."

"You believe the enemy intrusion itself was his doing?"

"Based on what Suns casually mentioned toward the end of our chat, yes."

Kishiar’s voice was firm with conviction.

"Suns may not have realized it, but Galexantr’s behavior and some clues he observed matched exactly with several suspicious incidents I’d already investigated near the military’s deployment zone at the time."

Yuder had thought Kishiar was simply making casual small talk at the end of the conversation—but apparently not.

"I plan to dig deeper into Balfos’s duty records and the events that took place around the time of our visit. If we examine how his postings shifted before and after, we might uncover something quite fascinating."

"And if the Cavalry investigates as well, we might obtain irrefutable proof."

"Indeed. That will be necessary, too."

Kishiar smiled.

"Anyway, look at that—you’ve already finished. Want another slice?"

"I’m all righ—"

Before Yuder could even finish, a new plate was already gliding through the air behind him, floating gently toward the table.