"I apologize for being late. Let's go."
Upon speaking to Sunz, who had been waiting outside the lodging, he nodded and began to walk ahead with a relaxed stride.
"By the way, what should I call you?"
"Just call me Yuder."
"Alright, Yuder. You can simply call me Sunz."
Sunz chuckled, stating that he disliked being called by his rank as it was too stiff.
"I've been trapped here for two years, it feels good to have a new friend after so long."
"Have you been here since the Red Stone fell?"
Yuder decided to ask the question that had been on his mind, and Sunz responded candidly.
"That's right. Originally, I was in the Southern Army in the Gulcan region under Airic. But after that incident, all the troops nearby were summoned. Since then, our numbers have been gradually increasing, until General Gino arrived a few months ago."
"It must have been boring."
"It was and it wasn't. These days, whenever it gets boring, someone awakens. Watching the newly awakened individual's abilities, and fulfilling our duties, time surprisingly flies."
Sunz smiled, expressing that this was preferable to facing threats to his life while serving on the front lines. However, Yuder caught something unusual in his words.
"Do you mean that Awakeners have been continuously emerging among the soldiers?"
"Yes. Isn't it the same in other regions?"
Well, if you looked at it regionally, that was true. But the frequency as mentioned by Sunz was not common.
'...Could it be because we're closer to where the red stone fell?'
Yuder thought it was a highly plausible hypothesis. After the Red Stone fell, Awakeners began to emerge across the continent, but the highest number was from the Orr Empire.
And, even within the Empire, the central region had a higher ratio. Considering the Airic mountains, where the Red Stone fell, stretched across the central region, it was a significant ratio.
If one assumed that there was some kind of power emanating from the stone, the soldiers who had stayed here for two years had more exposure to that power than anyone else.
The fact that an Awakener appeared every time they almost forgot about it could be some evidence of the power the stone possessed.
'Did the previous Kishiar not know this fact?'
Yuder silently sorted out his thoughts as he followed Sunz toward the village center where off-duty soldiers were gathered.
Despite being a small village, it had a well-established tavern, restaurant, and market. At first glance, there were several soldiers who seemed out of place among the villagers.
"Hey! Sunz. Are you done?"
"Yeah. But where did Emon, who was here earlier, go?"
Those still playing cards at the outdoor table waved at Sunz. Upon scanning their faces and not finding the person he was looking for, Sunz asked. Someone immediately pointed at a nearby building and answered loudly.
"That guy said card games were boring and went to the tavern over there."
"I see. Let's go check it out."
Yuder followed Sunz towards the tavern. Despite it not being late, the place was bustling. Sunz explained that the soldiers often gathered here regardless of the time, as they had nothing else to do and enjoyed sharing stories.
"It's a tavern in name, but during the day, we serve ordinary food and drinks too."
"Understood."
As he said, most of the patrons, seated in a spot well-lit by the sun, were drinking mundane beverages with bored expressions on their faces.
Several individuals inside greeted Sunz upon recognizing him. He acknowledged their greetings with a brief explanation.
"That friend awoke his powers a year ago. His strength is comparable to that of a bear. And there's another one over there. That guy can jump as high as a city wall, if I recall correctly...?"
Most of the people he introduced possessed powers that enhanced their physical bodies. Yuder examined their faces carefully, wondering if any of them had detained him in the past, but he didn't recognize any of them.
"Ah, and there's Emon over there. He's the one I've paired up with the most for duties. He's a bit rough around the edges, but a decent fellow. Emon!"
"Ah, Sunz. You finally arrived."
A man who was engaged in a dice game at a table with others inside the tavern looked up. He was one of the men who had recognized Sunz earlier on their way to the quarters.
"But who's the person behind you? I've never seen him before... A new recruit?"
"No, he's one of the people I showed around earlier."
Emon, apparently having not recognized Yuder due to his change of attire, looked surprised.
"Ah, I see. I'm sorry for not recognizing you. Why are you here...?"
"I wanted to look around, so I asked for permission. I'll be leaving soon."
His answer suggested that it was fine to ignore him as he didn't want to cause any discomfort. Emon watched Yuder with a strange expression for a moment before nodding and returning his attention to the dice game.
"Emon's ability is..."
Just as Sunz was about to explain Emon's power, a noisy commotion arose from behind. It was the tavern owner, appearing with a tray piled high with grilled sausages.
He placed the tray on the table where the dice game was taking place and flashed a friendly smile.
"Here are the snacks you ordered. Enjoy them while you play. I've also thrown in some dried jerky on the house."
"Awesome!", "I love the sausages made by the owner here."
The dice players cheered in unison and reached for the tray. As the mountain of sausages rapidly dwindled, the dice game took a brief pause.
Yuder saw Emon, who had stepped back a few paces, take out a small cloth pouch from his pocket and fill an old portable pipe with dried herb leaves. He didn't seem interested in eating the sausages.
A moment later, a small flame, like a spark from flint, ignited inside the pipe. A fragrant yet sharp smell spread as the smoke wafted out.
"That's Emon's power. He can create fire. It's quite unique among those who awakened their powers here."
"I see."
As Yuder nodded, Emon turned his head, seemingly having overheard the conversation.
"What? You're not here just to look around, but to scrutinize the Awakeners?"
"He's just like us. He was curious, so I was explaining things to him."
Before Yuder could respond, Sunz answered first. Fortunately, Emon didn't seem overly curious about Yuder's identity.
"Ah, I see? Then you must have noticed that we don't have any exceptionally powerful individuals here. After all, the best I can do is light my pipe with a tiny flame."
With a snicker, Emon lifted his index finger, and a small flame flickered and popped on its tip. Yuder stared at it before speaking.
"That flame, can you not sustain it?"
"I can't. If I could, it might be more useful, but I'm content with having the freedom to light my pipe at any time without a flame. It's something I didn't have before."
"Still, it's a useful ability. When we pair up for patrol duties and climb the mountain, at least we won't have to shiver all night because we can't light a fire."
"Yeah. Thanks to you, I can avoid places where there might be monsters or wild beasts at night. It's just that simple."
Emon shrugged nonchalantly at Sunz's praise, a slow smile gracing his face. Sunz let out a laugh.
Meanwhile, Yuder's gaze on them cooled.
'They have no idea of the potential their abilities hold.'
This world was still completely ignorant of the potential and characteristics of the Awakeners' abilities. Even the Awakeners themselves were in the dark.
Once an ability was awakened, it didn't just stop there. It was given endless opportunities to grow alongside its owner. Even an ability that seemed insignificant could be developed into a formidable power, depending on how much effort the owner put into it.
'Besides, most of them have abilities that are quite useful, even if they don't develop them further.'
Most of the soldiers introduced by Sunz had physical enhancement abilities.
Although they hardly needed to use them in this place, where their main adversaries were the occasional lost wild beasts or monsters, such abilities would truly shine on a battlefield. There was a high chance of explosive growth as well.
'The same goes for Sunz's vision ability. For now, it only allows him to see through obstacles and perceive things day or night, but that alone can provide a major advantage in combat. Its potential for development is enormous.'
Emon's flame was similar. Although it was small and lasted only for an instant, it had the advantage of being conjurable immediately, regardless of location, whenever its owner wished.
There were members in the cavalry who could manipulate fire, but most of them either took quite a bit of time to summon fire or had a mediocre duration.
In this respect, Emon's flame was an extremely useful ability, perfect for launching surprise attacks while engaging in close combat with enemies.
