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Turning Chapter 794
🕑 Added 2024-01-09 05:23:26 +0000 UTCChapter 794
After Hosanna finished speaking, he seemed to become immersed in old memories, sealing his lips in silence. Yuder did not ask another question, making the room instantly wrapped in a sudden quiet.
Then, a gentle knocking sound broke the silence, causing the previously dazed Hosanna to startle back to awareness.
"Yuder, do you think we need more time? I feel it might be time for us to leave."
Recognizing the knocker as Kanna, Hosanna quickly relaxed, the anxiety in his eyes dissipating. This revealed that he still didn't fully understand Kanna's abilities, yet he trusted her greatly, acknowledging her competence in handling matters.
Yuder stood up, dusting off his seat.
"No, we're done here. We'll be leaving soon."
"Uh..."
Hosanna hastily grabbed at Yuder's garment.
"My request to you..."
Filled with fear and guilt, he couldn't meet Yuder's eyes. His grip was so tight that his knuckles whitened. Yuder, after a brief silence, finally spoke.
"My thoughts remain unchanged. However, I'm unsure of the Commander's opinion and need to investigate further based on your story. We'll discuss this later."
Honestly, Yuder expected everyone to share his view, but saw no need to provoke Hosanna unnecessarily with his blunt words.
"Understood."
Yuder contemplated, looking at the crestfallen Hosanna, who let go of his garment.
Nahan, who had personally verified the survival of Gayle and Doyle in the Cavalry, must have realized that the Cavalry's policy wasn't to easily take lives. Thus, he must have surmised Hosanna's survival, yet he had made no effort to find him.
Even when encountering Cavalry members in the capital, Nahan didn't inquire about Hosanna's wellbeing. Given the relationship they had, Nahan's lack of concern was extraordinary.
Hosanna, having been with Nahan long before becoming an Awakener and even saving his life in critical moments, should have been like a real brother to him. Yet, Nahan didn't seem to place much importance on Hosanna.
'I thought they had been together since before Hosanna entered the Star of Nagran, assuming it was merely a long-term master-servant relationship.'
Such unbalanced emotions and relationships – were they all a result of the sage's brainwashing? Or something else...
Lost in thought, Yuder mused aloud.
"But which prestigious family despised the southern bastard child so much? I don't recall hearing about that."
Hosanna hesitated for the first time upon hearing this question.
"It's..."
"Why?"
"..."
"Is there a problem?"
"...That has nothing to do with my request to you."
It was the first real resistance he had shown.
'He refuses to answer just this part?'
Observing Hosanna's face closely, Yuder pressed again.
"What if it is related? Can't you answer then?"
Hosanna's face tightened, beads of sweat forming. He seemed to waver, suppressing pain. His fingers trembled slightly, and his muscles twitched involuntarily.
In a barely perceptible manner, yet growing ever more significant like a bubble about to burst, Hosanna hesitated.
"If that's the case, I must tell you... I..."
"Wait. I understand. You don't have to answer," Yuder interrupted, raising his hand to stop him just as Hosanna struggled to speak. At this, all the subtle reactions stirring within Hosanna ceased abruptly.
Seeing this, Yuder was certain.
"So, you're unable to answer, aren't you?"
"..."
"An oath, perhaps?"
"I can't answer that."
"Do you know if Nahan is under the same restrictions?"
"I don't know."
The responses to both questions differed. Yuder gleaned enough from this alone.
"I see. I'll not question further on this matter."
Yuder then left the room. Kanna, who had been waiting outside, glanced quickly inside the room before approaching him.
"Is it over?"
"Yes."
"What was Hosanna trying to tell you?"
"You probably have guessed it already."
"Ah. From your tone, it's about Nahan, isn't it?"
Kanna easily deduced the correct answer.
"Did he try to persuade you to surrender? Or just ask for mercy?"
"Seems like he hoped for mercy, if possible."
"That's asking too much. If we spare Nahan, would he even expect it on his end?"
Kanna smirked, wrinkling her nose. She didn't wait for Yuder's response, answering her own question.
"A person like Nahan would rather die than surrender, I bet."
"My thoughts exactly," Yuder agreed briefly, eliciting a laugh from Kanna.
"So, what did you tell him?"
Yuder relayed the entire conversation with Hosanna to Kanna. She seemed slightly thrilled to finally learn the past stories they couldn't uncover during their investigations.
"I've learned as much as I can for today. What do you think?"
"Hmm... Sometimes, letting someone speak on their own is better than trying a hundred times with my power," Kanna noted, slightly frustrated.
"I read information, not thoughts, so it's hard to be certain about such distant past events... But the information you provided today should make future readings easier."
After saying this, Kanna lowered her voice and began listing their next steps.
"I'll try to find out the name of the family Hosanna couldn't speak of due to his oath. It'll be my first attempt to break through an oath, so I'm not sure how it'll go. Probing more into the relationship with Nahan might also reveal answers about the parts you're suspicious of. And..."
Her counting fingers paused briefly.
"The brainwashing commands applied to Nahan."
Her gaze sharpened.
"It's likely the command to 'do his utmost for the Star of Nagran.' That explains why he didn't follow the sage blindly but was still dedicated to the Star of Nagran’s purpose, unlike others."
Yuder shared her view. The sage must have used such indirect brainwashing because he hadn't established a proper trust relationship with Nahan at the time.
Back then, the sage would have seen Hosanna as more useful than Nahan. However, Hosanna was Nahan's servant.
If Nahan had decided to leave the sage's side, Hosanna would have followed him without question, regardless of the circumstances. This was a certainty, an unbreakable truth, even if Hosanna was in a state of complete brainwashing, fully trusting the sage.
Thus, to prevent the valuable Hosanna from leaving, it was necessary to ensure Nahan couldn't depart. However, Nahan wasn't easily swayed by the sage like others. The sage at that time must have been quite impatient.
'Especially after realizing Nahan’s abilities were better than expected.'
"Even if it was an indirect method, it must have seemed like a good idea at the time, right? I think making Nahan name the 'Star of Nagran' was the beginning of the brainwashing."
Kanna shared her speculation with the thoughtful Yuder.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. There's no better way to instill a sense of responsibility than by naming something, right? I know from my experience with pets. The ones I named myself were always more dear and lovable than those I didn’t."
"…Responsibility."
Yuder had never considered the link between naming and responsibility.
Chewing over Kanna's words, Yuder found himself drawn to the notion of naming. He suddenly remembered a man who had given him a name.
'…'
Comments
Ae
Agreed, Yuders' actions serve the best interests of both the cavalry and the empire. What value does a promise hold between him and Hosanna, an accomplice (we can say unwillingly/forced but I digress) to Nahan, in this context? As the assistant to the Commander of the Cavalry under the Emperor, he is committed to acting in their favor
Jennifer Jorite
I think Nahan deep down trust yuder (and by association the cavalry) more than the sage for some time now (since visiting the brothers at least+ him not taking shit when provoked to kill/hand over kiolle and the noble priest idk his name). Because the cavalry high key meets every of his requirements of a paradise and even surpasses that, as they can show proudly who they are. So yes « do the utmost for the star of nagran » aligns with his goal/ brainwashing.
Noval_freya
Not really IMO. Hosanna is a criminal in jail. How different is it from Kanna telling Hosanna that she never forced him to answer anything(which put him at ease to feel like he could trust her). The prisoners don't know Kanna's power to read them and find out information in that sense. Betrayal and breaking trust ideals aren't really relevant in this situation with criminals who are either directly, or in Hosanna's case, indirectly responsible for the deaths and harm caused to many innocent people. There was never any trust to begin with and Yuder's sole goal here was to uncover information to prevent more harm and destruction caused by the Sage and Nahan.
Aki
I read it as Nahan probably cared a lot for Hosanna (he taught him the imperial language and was going to escape South with only him, even before Hosanna awakened) and then Nahan was brainwashed and since he was with the Sage all the time back then that “give your all for the Star of Nagran” became all-consuming. Naturally he would forget about the care he had for Hosanna, and would abandon individual people for the sake of the group as a whole.
Aki
I agree, that was awful of him. Hosanna tells him, in confidence, a story full of betrayal, and how much those events hurt both Hosanna and Nahan, and then Yuder immediately betrays that trust as well. Just despicable behavior.
Vic 1989
Am I the only one who find something disturbing in Yuder promising Hosana that he won't pass on his Story to anybody except Kishiar, and yet telling everything to Kana the minute he leves Hosana's room? 🤔 It makes sense to inform Kana, but also seams a thoughtless and unnecessary betreyal of thrust. I think he could have just told Hosana that besides Kishiar there might also be other key people he must inform.
Kiolle's #1 Fan
But wouldn't it be fun if Nahan was from Diarca and that's why Duke Diarca loves Kiolle so much? Because he's the youngest, the LAST child. The middle ones get no attention, but Kiolle wins not only because he's somewhat like his father in his youth, but because his existence might disprove the fact that Nahan was born? (I don't remember if his age is mentioned but if it is I've forgotten it and it could one shot my theory XD)
Katsura Kureha
From what we've seen of the dukal families so far, I doubt any of them would leave a "blemish" they are trying so hard to hide in the sphere of influence of another family, so my bet is on Herne or Herne affiliated. Structurewise the cavalry have been uncovering scandals to take down the current head of each family and we're still missing one for Herne, so there is that as well.
Bernie Jay
I hadn’t thought of it that way! I was infinitely sad that all the previous Kishiar could hope for was to touch Yuder again. (Monkey’s Paw!!!! I will never think of White Gloves the same way! 🤣)
Sarah Mooney
Yeah see i would be more on board with thinking of "eternity/forever" in a positive light if we weren't dealing with the current undead stalker issue 👀 😒..... Que low key fretting over every half remembered "monkey's paw" campfire ghost story ive ever heard😮💨 🤯 😩
Sarah Mooney
It actually mentions kiolle's mother as being a commoner in one of the recently previous chapters which is why he was never in contention for any responsibility and another reason why his familly looks down on him. Its in the chapter where his younger brother has a go at him before he leaves the capital (nearly sure) Kiolles father is very hard to read but i think he does dote on him (well in his own way-hello low bar, nice to see you again) so i got the feeling that is was a real marrige perhaps even a later love match when he was already head of the house and could do what he liked. The author (to my recollection neway) hasn't world built much in the way of whether legitimised b@st@rds are possible or whether one can have a concubine/lesser wife situation so that was my take neway??
Léonie
I wonder which family it is... I bet on either Apeto (religious), Herne (are in the south) or Diarca (Kiolle is probably a mistress's son too). I feel bad for Hosanna... It seems Nahan never saw him as anything other than a lackey : he cared even more about the guy who betrayed him TWICE !
Bernie Jay
Ohhhh, is Yuder finally going to make that connection that the original timeline Kishiar really cared (if only to name him well)?!
