Turning-Chapter 914

At that moment, a feeling of suffocation suddenly overwhelmed Yuder.

His chest tightened, and nausea surged. The cold sensation that had been rising, something he couldn’t push away, was halted by another hand placed gently on top of his own.

"..."

"Seems like this conversation will take a while. Should we sit and talk?"

Yuder didn’t avoid Kishiar’s gaze, instead slowly following his lead. Kishiar sat down at the desk with the continent map spread out in front of him and pulled Yuder onto his lap, embracing him.

To anyone who might have seen, it would have been a shocking position, but by now, it felt like nothing at all. Yuder lowered his gaze, inhaling the cold scent that spread through the air. From the chest against his side, the rhythmic beating of Kishiar’s heart was audible. The sound of the man holding him so tightly proved, more than anything, that he was alive.

Until just now, Yuder hadn’t felt any sensation, but now, he slowly felt the tension in his body start to release.

"...Had I been holding this much tension in my body?"

As he exhaled softly, a quiet voice reached his ear.

"We still don’t know the true cause of the Great Cataclysm. Many scholars and priests have studied it for years, but no one has come up with a satisfactory answer."

It wasn’t uncommon for Kishiar to suddenly change the topic during conversations. So Yuder simply remained silent, continuing to listen.

"Some say it was caused by the wrath of the gods. Others believe it was due to the appearance of some powerful monster that we can’t even imagine. But can we really attribute the cause of the Great Cataclysm to just a couple of extraordinary and immense things?"

"...."

"While some nations, like the Or Empire, have endured for a thousand years, the continent is full of nations that were once ambitiously founded but quietly faded away. Our Emperor, when he was a prince, used to love reading history books about the rise and fall of those nations. In the end, he realized one thing. Do you have any idea what it might be?"

"No."

Yuder’s response was cold and emotionless, but the touch on his back remained gentle.

"I believe it’s this: 'Beginnings are beautiful, but the end is always ugly.' No matter how grand a group started, when they fell, their greed tore them apart, exploiting those around them, only to cling to their past glory, ignoring the future and fading away. Many nations, or groups that could have been nations, ended this way."

"...."

"Then, was the Great Cataclysm really any different? You saw the end of a game in the previous round. What do you think?"

Yuder, recalling his earlier thoughts, opened his lips.

"I... I believe, as you said, the world that was heading toward its end wasn’t so pure. If there had been even a little bit of good in it, I wouldn’t have worked so hard to avoid repeating it when I started the second game."

After speaking, Yuder began to sense the direction of what Kishiar was about to say.

"So, are you saying that the reason for the fall is always ugly and obvious?"

Kishiar answered softly.

"I wanted to say that you shouldn’t feel disheartened or angry now that you understand the obvious and filthy nature of those who disrupt the world and seek only their glory. We shouldn’t feel so defeated when we uncover such things."

Kishiar continued with a calm tone.

"People are aware that the relationship between Duvern and Nelerun is bad, but not many know it all started because of a pie at an alliance meeting 560 years ago. The King of Duvern suspected that Nelerun's king had deliberately given him a pie with fewer apples as an insult. That was the trigger, and the king of Duvern broke the alliance and even cast aside his politically important wife. She was the most beloved sister of Nelerun's king."

"...That's absurd."

Yuder couldn’t help but voice his disbelief. Kishiar, however, explained that while the pie incident was a tipping point, it wasn’t the entire cause. Negative feelings had been building for years, and it wasn’t unusual for them to explode over something minor. Still, it was hard to believe that such a trivial thing could be the spark.

The results of that explosion had led to countless victims, and Yuder couldn’t help but sigh at the thought.

"Even the Diarca family, which now has the most ambition to devour the royal family, was once known as one of the greatest loyalists and noble families. They were even given the official permission from the emperor to maintain more than 10,000 soldiers. Do you think the people back then could have foreseen that the spear they gave to protect the emperor would end up choking the royal family’s neck?"

Kishiar’s stories, though convoluted, always seemed to be understood clearly in Yuder’s mind. Some of the things Kishiar said sounded almost cynically cold for someone from the royal family.

"If it weren’t for the brilliant ministers and politicians who laid the foundation during the early years of the empire, Or would have perished long ago after the Tuarlan Rebellion 700 years ago. The way they focused power in one place, ensuring that even when problems arose, they could quickly rectify them, was truly remarkable. The empire was lucky to have someone emerge during each crisis to heal the wounds, but I wonder... is that still true today? You and the Cavalry, for example, managed to turn things around at the right moment."

After sharing all these historical tidbits, Kishiar let out a smile devoid of heat.

"Yes, even for the most ridiculous reasons, conflicts begin and continue, and many suffer for centuries. That’s why understanding why these things happen is important. We need to know the cause if we want to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

No matter how absurd and degrading the truth was, learning it was still a form of progress. Kishiar’s eyes seemed to reflect this sentiment.

"If you hadn’t worked so hard in the previous game, you would never have been able to uncover the true nature of those outdated individuals through Aton today."

"..."

"So don’t think your efforts have lost meaning just because the reasons behind them are so obvious. There are far more ridiculous and absurd things in the world, things you can’t even imagine."

Yuder remained silent for a long time. Finally, he gave a small nod.

"...I suppose that’s true."

"See?"

The overwhelming frustration and emptiness Yuder ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) had felt earlier suddenly began to feel a little laughable. He bit down on the inside of his lip before exhaling a sigh.

As he met Kishiar’s gaze, he could faintly see the restless stirring deep within his own dark pupils.

"...Could it be that I was so swayed and played with because of those kinds of ridiculous thoughts? If I didn’t feel some sense of emptiness, it would be a lie."

"..."

"However, as you said, Commander... I’m glad I understand it now, at least. The cause is much clearer than the other possibilities I could have imagined, and it will be easier to find a way to stop it."

He hesitated for a moment, then switched to a different form of address. Kishiar’s eyes widened slightly, and his grip on Yuder tightened.

"Even if their desires are obvious, the time and power they’ve spent preparing for it cannot be ignored. Stopping the damage done in the South will be difficult."

Moreover, exposing their true goals and uniting with other nations would be no simple task. It was still unclear whether they had already committed, or planned to commit, the same acts they did in the South elsewhere.

Yuder lightly pressed his forehead against Kishiar’s shoulder and continued speaking.

"...Still, you’re here, aren’t you?"

"..."

"That means more to me than anything else..."

He wanted to say more, but couldn’t quite get the words out. Before he could finish, Kishiar’s lips met his, silencing him.

"Ah..."

Their lips clashed urgently, the sound of their deepening kiss accompanied by a breathless moan. At the same time, emotions poured out of Kishiar, overwhelming Yuder, from head to toe.

Yuder closed his eyes to savor the feelings as they washed over him.