"Nothing much has changed from the past so far."
Of course, Yuder's roommate and Kanna's acceptance had changed from the past, but the faces of those who had been roommates then were not memorable enough, and the addition of just Kanna did not affect the overall flow, so it did not matter.
The events happening in the Cavalry proceeded as Yuder knew them.
There were only minor incidents, such as the blue-haired twins engaging in a verbal fight with the passing knights or a brief commotion occurring during training due to someone causing a magical explosion.
"And soon, our lodging will change."
They would move from the temporary residence in the Imperial Knight dormitory to the newly completed building dedicated to the Cavalry. That place had been Yuder's true home for a long time before he was caught.
Although the Emperor had given him several houses after he was promoted, Yuder had never felt attached to them.
His real home had always been the small room in the top corner of the building where the Cavalry members stayed.
However, this time he wouldn't be promoted, so he could never stay in that room.
Feeling strangely nostalgic for the place that had not even been built yet, Yuder exhaled softly.
"Yuder, surely you're not tired already?"
Gakane, who had been training next to him, asked incredulously. He had become a famous figure within the Cavalry for his good looks and sociability, but he had never left Yuder's side.
Moreover, he always initiated conversations with Yuder, regardless of whether Yuder responded. It was both amazing and strange to interact with him.
In fact, if one were to mention the most significant change since Yuder's return, it would be his relationship with Gakane.
However, Gakane would die in an accident during a mission about a year later. The event that Yuder had once felt indifferent to now occasionally tormented his mind.
'I intend to prevent the deaths of those with abilities, including Gakane Volunbalt's, but...'
Could he do it? He hadn't yet accomplished something significant enough to save someone destined to die. It was unknown whether his efforts would succeed or fail. The outcome of events that had not yet occurred could not be known.
"I'm fine."
Yuder cleared his thoughts and stood up again.
"That's right. That's more like you."
What did it mean to be like himself? Even though he had behaved the same way, no one had tried to make eye contact with Yuder in the past. However, the Gakane in front of him looked at him with an innocent gaze. It was both strange and peculiar.
—---
A month passed, and the Cavalry members moved from their temporary lodgings to the new building made specifically for them. It was located right next to the Imperial Knights grounds.
The building had been designed with their training in mind, but the knights were furious that the Cavalry members, whom they despised like insects, had better accommodations than they did.
Yuder's roommate remained the same, but the room was much larger than before. When they lay down in their separate beds, their spaces were divided enough to be invisible to each other.
And so, as Yuder remembered, the harsh training continued, constantly changing its methods. There were no dropouts, but there were occasional injuries.
What was surprising was that Kishiar, the commander, also participated in the same training. The members were amazed, but Yuder wasn't. It had been the same in the past.
'For the highest-ranking person to move directly to determine the training method, it's not an ordinary thing to do.'
Unlike the members who were bonding with each other, Kishiar disappeared immediately after training, but just the fact that he was training with them was encouraging for everyone.
After spending three months like this, Kishiar finally called the members of the Cavalry again.
They stood before the commander with a look that was both the same and different from before. The most significant change was the officially issued black uniforms.
When more than 300 of them gathered, all wearing uniforms that looked similar to Kishiar's white uniform but much simpler, the atmosphere became unusually tense.
"First of all, I would like to thank you for following the unstructured training you have received so far."
Kishiar began with a brief greeting, then got to the main point.
"For the past three months, I've been testing your limits. The reason was to establish and complete the structure of the Cavalry, and now it's over. So, based on the training experience you have received, you must make a choice."
"A choice?"
Hinn, the older of the blue-haired twins, asked. If the knights had been there, they would have glared at her for daring to question the duke, but there were only Kishiar and the Cavalry members there. Kishiar nodded with a smile, showing no sign of offense.
"That's right. You will choose the divisions within the Cavalry. There are three choices in total. One is the Shin Division, the second is the Sul Division, and the third is the Jung Division."
The explanation Yuder had heard long ago was repeated.
Kishiar divided the huge group called the Cavalry into three smaller groups. The Shin Division gathered those who focused on physical abilities, the Sul Division gathered those with magic-like abilities like Yuder, and the Jung Division gathered everyone else.
"I'm not asking you to choose right here, right now. Make up your mind and let me know within a week."
Kishiar used the entire top floor of the new Cavalry dormitory building all by himself. Once everyone answered, the announcement was over.
"Yuder, which division will you choose? Obviously the Sul Division?"
On the way back to the dormitory, Gakane spoke to Yuder.
"What about you?"
Unable to confirm his decision right away, Yuder instead changed the direction of the conversation. Fortunately, Gakane didn't suspect Yuder's intention and immediately changed direction.
"I'll go with the Shin Division. I thought about the Sul Division, but during the training, I felt that this ability might not be the end for me. If I can improve more... I think the Shin Division would be the right choice."
Yuder looked at Gakane, slightly surprised. It had been only three months since he joined the Cavalry, and he had a feeling that his abilities could develop further? It was a remarkably rapid progression.
It was even more so in a situation where the academic world had not yet announced that the abilities of awakened individuals could develop depending on their efforts and conditions.
Though he died early and didn't know it, Gakane's talent might have been even more exceptional than Yuder had thought.
'Where should I go, then?'
Yuder fell into deep thought. During the three months of quietly undergoing training, he became convinced that this situation wasn't a dream and that he could truly change the future if he did well.
In the past, he had entered the Sul Division without hesitation and quickly became the deputy commander representing it. However, doing so wouldn't make much difference from the past. He wanted to avoid repeating an already predetermined outcome.
'Then, the only option left is the Shin Division.'
The Shin Division... Yuder repeated the name several times in his head.
Although his greatest ability was manipulating all natural attributes, he could also freely handle weapons, so there was a high probability he wouldn't fall behind in the Physical Division.
Of course, he might not rise to the rank of deputy commander as before, but that was actually what Yuder wanted.
'And if I go to the Shin Division... I'll see Kishiar La Orr more often.'
Yuder thought of Kishiar La Orr's abilities. His abilities, which nobody knew yet, were specifically suited for the Shin Division.
'He can freely control power and speed while demonstrating outstanding physical control, excelling in both physical and attribute-based defenses.'
The most special aspect among them was 'physical control.'
In the past, when he had been part of the Sul Division, he barely met Kishiar, the commander, as he was busy taking care of his subordinates. They did eventually meet regularly, but it wasn't what Yuder had desired.
However, things would be different if he joined the Shin Division. In the past, Kishiar had often personally supervised the members of the Shin Division and provided guidance on their training direction.
Kishiar was an incredibly skilled leader, even if Yuder didn't want to admit it. The fact became even more apparent when he went back in time.
He hadn't just formed th Cavalry based on short-term judgments. Yuder often found himself at a loss for words when he saw Kishiar's actions overlapping with future events.
'But why?'
Why did Kishiar La Orr pass the position of leader to Yuder at that time?
And without any hesitation, as if it had been planned from the beginning.
"..."
Yuder decided that he had to go to the Shin Division and find out the reason.
—---
Most of the Cavalry members made their decisions about which division to join within three days.
Even those who initially had no idea eventually gained an objective evaluation of their abilities after three months of training and education.
Those who manifested strong physical abilities went to the Shin Division, and those who manifested abilities similar to magic went to the Sul Division. Those who didn't fit into either category chose the Jung Division, but there were fewer than ten of them among the 330 total members.
"Yuder! Yuder! Wait a moment, please."
Kanna, who had called Yuder now, was also one of those ten people.
