Turning-Chapter 817

At that moment, Yuder saw the shadow cast over the coffin flicker strangely.

‘...Gakein?’

The shadow was connected to the stained glass window at the back, and, naturally, beyond that window were the rest of the group who had not been able to enter.

The agreed-upon method of communication with Gakein was to send a signal only visible to allies by moving the end of the shadow that connected the external and internal spaces.

The fact that it was moving now meant there was an issue outside. To everyone else, it might just look like the shadow was flickering due to bad weather, but through the subtle direction in which the shadow moved, Yuder could deduce roughly what kind of problem it was.

‘Dangerous person spotted. Target.’

A tremor-like shake meant a dangerous person had been identified, and the flickering, followed by a stop, indicated that this person was someone they all knew.

Had the signal only indicated a dangerous person, it would have likely meant Crown Prince Kachien, but the subsequent meaning was unmistakable.

Without a doubt, it indicated the discovery of the Sage or Naham.

“Commander.”

Yuder quietly called Kishiar, who nodded without looking away from the same direction.

“I’m watching.”

“What should we do?”

“Until the first eulogy ends, no one can leave their seats. It looks like they’ve sent someone for a report from the outside, so we’ll have to wait for now.”

Had Gakein needed immediate assistance, the shadow would have made a clearer movement to convey that. As Kishiar said, for now, the discovery of a dangerous person seemed to be just a report, and they were monitoring the situation.

‘To have something like this happen right after it started...’

If Duke Hern had come earlier or later, they could have taken advantage of the slight timing difference to slip away unnoticed. But now, with all the entrances closed and everyone silent, any movement would have been far too conspicuous, even for Yuder.

‘I don’t know if it’s the Sage or Naham, but I can only hope Gakein and Kurga handle it well until I get there.’

If the two of them had run into each other in the same place, it wouldn’t have been this quiet. So, it was obvious that it was either one of them. In fact, Yuder leaned toward the possibility of it being the Sage.

‘Naham wouldn’t have any reason to show up at a noble’s funeral. But the Sage is definitely here.’

Through information on Hosanra, Yuder had speculated that Naham might be an illegitimate child of House Hern or a related family, but he hadn’t yet shown any behavior that pointed to a specific family. However, the Sage was a different case. After the confrontation with Naham, if the Sage had been forced to leave his usual base and come here, he would surely be in desperate need of help. And for someone who desired power more than anyone, that help would certainly have to come from a noble. There was no better place for him to hide and avoid attention than at a gathering of southern nobles like this one.

But of course, Kiole had brought along Crown Prince Kachien, who was still outside. If the Sage and Kachien were to meet, it would be hard to guess what might happen next.

‘I should have told Kiole not to leave and to send the Crown Prince away before he came back.’

Though Kiole would have struggled to send Kachien away, if Yuder had known this would happen, he would have certainly tried. He could have even knocked Kachien out himself and sent him away.

But that opportunity had already passed. For now, Yuder reminded himself that there was no immediate problem and decided to remain calm.

‘Once the first eulogy is over, I’ll leave immediately.’

However, something was strange—the first eulogy was dragging on endlessly. Even though Yuder had attended many noble funerals in his previous life, he had never encountered one where the eulogy went on for so long.

If it were just that, it would have been bearable, but the problem arose during the eulogy itself.

“How dare you yawn in front of my son’s coffin!”

The mother of the second prince, who had been crying dramatically since entering, suddenly stood up and slapped the cheek of another woman sitting beside her.

“What is this? Such disrespect!”

“Respect? Do you think I don’t know you’ve been laughing and talking about my son’s death all along? You beasts! What are you doing here, sitting and pretending?”

The disturbance grew quickly. The woman who had been slapped didn’t stay quiet and stood up, shouting, while others nearby either cried, screamed, or looked shocked. In the midst of this, one woman clung to Duke Hern as if frightened.

Yuder, watching Duke Hern gently stroke the woman’s hair while pretending to be scared, thought that he seemed to be rather enjoying the situation.

Until just moments ago, Duke Hern had been looking down at the ground, appearing bored. But now, he was watching the fighting women leisurely. From that alone, it was clear he had no real interest in his son’s funeral.

It was even questionable whether Ashlav, the second prince, had truly been his child.

But even more surprising was the reaction of the people observing.

“This is happening ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) again.”

“This reminds me of the funeral of the Count of Beniera. Something like this happened back then, too...”

“No, it was worse back then. A wizard was involved, and the temple almost caught fire.”

“I thought this time it might go smoothly...”

“...”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

It seemed this wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred at a Hern family funeral. Only a few people—Kiole and those obviously from outside—seemed shocked, while most of the southern nobles watched the commotion with an almost indifferent attitude.

The yelling of the fighting women, the priests unsure whether to continue the eulogy or intervene, and Duke Hern calmly sitting in his seat.

‘There’s no chaos like this one. It almost makes me think I could slip out now without anyone noticing.’

Just as Yuder thought this, someone spoke up.

“Is this really the kind of behavior we’re going to see in front of Ashlav?”

Mayra, who had been sitting silently until then, raised her voice, still in the same position without changing her posture.

It wasn’t the voice of someone full of dignity, but one that still carried a certain youthfulness. Despite that, there was undeniable anger in her words that made everyone stop in their tracks.

The women fighting each other froze, and Mayra glared at them before speaking again, clearly and firmly.

“Whatever the cause, today is the day we must send Ashlav off. If you don’t have the decency to show proper respect, leave now.”

“...”

“I might forgive you once for acting out of grief, but not twice.”

“Princess! Are you telling me I have to keep tolerating people yawning in front of Ashlav’s coffin?”

Ashlav’s mother trembled and asked. Mayra’s words were directed at everyone, but it seemed that the meaning didn’t reach those whose grief had driven them to madness.

“Don’t misunderstand my words. I’m speaking to everyone.”

“You must be glad! You’ll be the only heir now! But don’t get too comfortable in your joy! I’ll make sure the truth comes out about how you killed my son!”

Ashlav’s mother, who had been attacking other women, shifted her target to Mayra. The woman who had been slapped sneered and muttered loudly.

“Now you act like a great mother. Do you think there’s anyone in the south who doesn’t know you had a bad relationship with the second prince? You can’t even tell who’s who, but now you’re accusing others of yawning in front of his coffin.”

“What?!”

“Quiet.”

The moment Ashlav's mother was about to erupt again, she hesitated when a pale hand suddenly appeared in front of her. It was Mayra, who had finally stood up.

Without showing any anger, Mayra coldly alternated her gaze between the two women. Then, she spoke.

“I’d like both of you to leave.”

“What? Why me?”

“Wh...! How dare you expel me, Ashlav’s mother!”

The woman protested in shock, while Ashlav’s mother screamed.

“As I just said, I won’t tolerate any more commotion. You’ve broken the rules again without any intent to follow them, so now you’ll pay the price. Have them removed.”

“There’s no such rule!”

“Duke Hern! I’m wronged! Must I really leave?”

The woman who had been slapped by Ashlav’s mother now begged for mercy from Duke Hern. However, Mayra, with a firm stance, called for the family’s soldiers at the entrance.

As they hesitated but followed Mayra’s command to grab the women, Duke Hern, who had been silent until then, finally spoke.

“Mayra. Don’t go too far.”

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“......”

“Disturbances aren’t good. Ashlav would’ve wanted that.”

His words essentially included Mayra as part of the ‘disturbance.’ Mayra’s expression tightened. And the soldiers, who had been ready to follow her orders, immediately lowered their hands and turned their backs, as though they had never received such a command.

“Where do you think you’re going? Get them out!”

“......”

“Indeed. Just like the fox chief.”

Yuder caught the faint murmur from Kishiar, who showed no change in his expression.

“The next successor doesn’t seem pleased with how his position has been confirmed so completely. He probably waited for this kind of situation to turn the tide of influence in one fell swoop.”

‘So that’s how it is.’

Duke Hern doesn’t mourn his son’s death. Would someone like him actually hold any affection for Mayra?

It was familiar to see someone in power watching for any sign of their influence waning. That was exactly how Emperor Kachien behaved.

However, Duke Hern’s actions were much more subtle than Kachien’s. With just a single remark at the right moment, he had made the would-be next successor look foolish in front of everyone. He had made it clear just how absolute and unshakable his influence was within House Hern. In comparison to Kachien, the title of ‘fox chief’ was perfectly suited.

As Kishiar surveyed the bystanders with a detached gaze, he suddenly raised his voice and called out to Yuder.

“Assistant.”

“Yes.”

“Go out and help the First Princess. See to it that these women are removed. It seems they are not in any condition to stay at the funeral any longer.”