Turning
Chapter 100
开启第 100 章

"Don't worry, it should be fine until we head back."
不用担心，在我们回去之前应该没事。

"Speak up immediately if you feel the slightest discomfort."
如有任何不适，请立即大声说出来。

"Okay..."  好吧...

At the mention of his physical condition, Jimmy instantly fell silent. In this way, the party hastened their pace towards the capital.
提到他的身体状况，吉米立刻沉默了。就这样，队伍加快了前往首都的步伐。

"If nothing unforeseen happens, we should arrive soon. How are you feeling, Yuder?"
如果不出意外，我们很快就会到达。尤德，你感觉怎么样？

Riding alongside him, Gakane's voice was clearly audible. It was a question he'd asked several times before, but given Gakane's visibly worried expression, Yuder couldn't bring himself to tell him to stop asking.
他身旁，加卡内的声音清晰可闻。这是他之前问过多次的问题，但考虑到加卡内明显担心的表情，尤德克实在无法让他停止提问。

"I'm fine."  我很好。

Although his answer implied that his condition hadn't worsened since the previous day due to not using his powers, Gakane, unaware of this, simply nodded in relief.
虽然他的回答暗示着自从昨天没有使用能力以来，他的状况并没有恶化，但加佳内对此毫不知情，只是松了一口气地点点头。

"I hope we can pass through the city gates quickly today. It's always so slow because of the sheer number of people in the capital."
我希望我们今天能快速穿过城门。由于首都人太多，总是很慢。

Although it was easy to leave the capital, entering was a different matter. It wasn't easy to pass through the security check by the capital's outermost guard.
虽然离开首都很容易，但进入却另当别论。首都最外围的安检并非易事。

Unless one was of imperial lineage, even nobles had to undergo a thorough security check, and only after passing through this could they be allowed into the outermost part of the capital, towards the 7th wall.
除非是皇室宗亲，即使贵族也必须接受彻底的安全检查，只有通过检查后才能进入京城最外围，到达第七道城墙。

However, when the party finally reached the checkpoint, they realized their worries had been unfounded.
然而，当队伍最终到达检查站时，他们意识到自己的担忧是毫无根据的。

"Are you part of the Cavalry?"
你属于骑兵吗？

A soldier, seeing them from the end of the long line in front of the checkpoint, approached and spoke to them after seeing their black uniforms.
一名士兵，在检查站前面长队末端看到他们，看到他们黑色的军服后走上前去和他们说话。

"Ah, yes. We are."  啊，是的。我们是的。

"Do you have anything to prove your identity?"
你有什么证明身份的东西吗？

At the soldier's query, Gakane showed him a button on his uniform sleeve. It appeared to be a regular metal button, but in reality, it was made from a magic stone that had been processed to resist any kind of shock.
士兵一问，加卡内便给他展示了制服袖子上的一颗纽扣。那看起来像是一颗普通的金属纽扣，但实际上，它是由经过特殊处理，可以抵御任何冲击的魔法石制成的。

The soldier carefully examined the Cavalry emblem engraved on the button, then nodded and gestured towards the inside of the checkpoint.
士兵仔细检查了纽扣上雕刻的骑兵徽章，然后点头示意检查站内部。

"Your identity has been confirmed. Please proceed inside."
您的身份已确认。请进入。

"Excuse me?"  打扰一下？

"When you arrive, you were to be directed there immediately."
到达后，你应该立即被带到那里。

"Directed?"  引导？

Gakane blinked in surprise, then glanced at Yuder. Yuder could feel his concealed arm throbbing and looked at the checkpoint building the soldier was indicating. There was only one reason that could allow such an exception.
加卡内吃惊地眨了眨眼，然后瞥了尤德一眼。尤德感到自己藏在袖子里的胳膊在跳动，并看着士兵所指的检查站建筑。只有一个原因可以允许这种例外。

A person who could pass through the gates of the capital at will. In other words, it had to be an imperial command.
一个可以随意出入京城的人。换句话说，必须是皇帝的命令。

"...Let's go."  我们走吧。

Yuder began walking, putting strength in his legs to keep himself from stumbling. The party quickly followed after handing all their reins to the soldier.
尤德开始走，用尽腿力防止自己绊倒。队伍很快跟上，将所有的缰绳交给士兵。

"I wonder who gave such an order. It's not just to let us pass, but why are they asking us to go there..."
我想知道是谁下达了这样的命令。这不仅仅是为了让我们通过，他们为什么让我们去那里……

"Don't worry. It must be someone we know."
别担心。一定是我们认识的人。

Yuder lightly patted Jimmy's shrunken shoulders before stepping into the checkpoint. Everyone inside seemed to have been cleared out in advance, leaving the interior eerily quiet. Yuder locked eyes with a man slowly rising from his seated position.
尤德轻轻拍了一下吉米缩小的肩膀，然后走进了检查站。里面每个人似乎都提前清理干净了，室内显得诡异地安静。尤德与一个慢慢从座位上起身的男人对视。

A beautiful white face, wise red eyes under golden lashes.
一张美丽的白色脸庞，一双智慧的红色眼睛，下垂着金色的睫毛。

The moment their eyes met, the persistent pain in his arm was forgotten.
他们的目光相遇的那一刻，他手臂上的持续疼痛感就消失了。

"Exactly, it's the third day."
没错，是第三天。

Not in his usual white uniform but dressed as befitting an imperial family member and a duke, Kishiar rose with a captivating smile in his eyes that could bewitch anyone.
不是他惯常的白色制服，而是身着适合皇室成员和公爵的服饰，基希亚尔带着令人着迷的笑容站了起来，他的眼神可以迷惑任何人。

"Congratulations on safely returning from your mission."
任务完成，安全返回，恭喜！

"Commander!"  指挥官！

Jimmy's startled cry echoed from behind Yuder. Only then did Yuder regain his bearings and, along with his other comrades, bowed his head in salute.
尤德身后，吉米惊叫声回荡。直到那时，尤德才恢复镇定，并与其他战友一起鞠躬致敬。

"How did you get here?"
你怎样来的？

"Thanks to this final letter that arrived this morning."
多亏今天早上收到的这封信。

Kishiar lightly shook the letter he held in his hand, showing it off. It was the final letter written and sent by Gakane last night. Fortunately, Kishiar seemed to have received the letter in good time before their arrival.
岸岛轻轻晃了晃他手中的信，炫耀着。那是昨晚加佳奈写完并寄出的最后一封信。幸运的是，岸岛似乎在他们到达之前及时收到了这封信。

"If it hadn't been for this, we might have missed each other. We were actually supposed to set off for Hartan today."
要不是这样，我们可能错过了彼此。我们本来今天应该启程去哈尔坦。

"You, Commander?"  您，指挥官？

At Devran's startled question, Kishiar nodded.
听到德夫兰吃惊的问题，基希亚尔点了点头。

"I had the feeling that the situation wouldn't be normal, so I wanted to check it out myself. Thanks to my capable assistant who finished everything in just three days, I couldn't do that."
我感觉情况不会正常，所以我想亲自核实一下。多亏我的得力助手只用了三天就完成了所有工作，我才能做到这一点。

Kishiar's gaze was still soft, as if joking, but Yuder thought that his demeanor seemed a bit different than usual.
岸野的视线仍然柔和，仿佛在开玩笑，但尤德觉得他的举止似乎有些不同寻常。

"I figured there wouldn't be time to wait for an examination, so I ordered to call you here immediately upon your return. Perhaps it was an unnecessary consideration?"
我想没有时间等候检查，所以命令你一回来就立即来这里。也许这是一个不必要的考虑？

"No, not at all. We didn't know that you would personally come out... As you would know if you've read the letter, if you hadn't sent people to find me, I might not have even been able to return from the vacation and might have died. I am truly grateful for saving me and my family..."
不，一点也不。我们不知道你会亲自出来……正如你如果读过信就会知道的那样，如果你没有派人去找我，我可能甚至无法从假期回来，也可能已经死了。我真的很感谢你救了我和我家人……

The usually rugged Devran blushed awkwardly in front of Kishiar. At the sight of him, Jimmy couldn't help but cough to hide his laughter, and Gakane slightly bit his lip.
德兰通常粗犷的脸庞在基希亚面前涨红了，显得有些尴尬。看到他，吉米忍不住咳嗽掩饰笑声，加卡内则轻咬嘴唇。

Fortunately, Devran was too focused on Kishiar to notice his comrades' expressions.
幸运的是，德夫兰太专注于基希亚尔，而没有注意到他战友的表情。

"The thanks should go to your comrades, not me. Now, you should go back immediately. A carriage is waiting behind the checkpoint."
感谢应该给你的战友，而不是我。现在，你应该立刻回去。岗哨后面有一辆马车等着。

"Ah, yes, we understand!"
啊，是的，我们明白！

After Devran, Gakane, and Jimmy hurriedly left through the back door of the checkpoint, Yuder slowly followed them. Kishiar slowly approached him and opened his mouth in a low voice that no one else could hear.
德兰、加卡内和吉米匆匆从检查站后门离开后，尤德尔慢慢跟在他们身后。基希尔慢慢走近他，用只有他自己能听到的低沉声音开口。

"It spread to your shoulder."
它蔓延到你的肩膀。

Even without a subject, Yuder immediately knew what he was talking about.
即使没有主题，尤德也立刻知道他在说什么。

"That is the case."  情况就是这样。

"You were not the only Awakeners who went there, but you are the only one who came back injured. What am I supposed to think?"
你并非唯一前往那里的觉醒者，但你却是唯一受伤回来的。我该怎么想？

His voice was soft but clearly lower than usual. Yuder remained silent for a moment before replying quietly.
他的声音柔和，但明显比平时低沉。尤德沉默了一会儿，然后轻声回答。

"I apologize. I was careless."
我道歉。我粗心了。

"I didn't want to hear an apology."
我不想听道歉。

Kishiar's gaze shifted from the bandaged left arm to the seemingly healthy right arm. He didn't take his eyes off Yuder's right hand for a long time.
岸田的目光从缠着绷带的左臂移到看似健康的右臂。他很久都没有从尤德的右手上移开目光。

"Does it hurt?"  疼吗？

"I can't deny it... It's a little painful compared to before... Ah!"
我不能否认……比起以前，有点痛苦……啊！

Before he could finish speaking, Kishiar suddenly grasped his right hand. It was a motion made without much strength, but as soon as he touched it, his entire right arm felt as if it was deeply pricked and throbbed painfully, making Yuder unconsciously clench his teeth.
还没等他说完，基希亚尔突然抓住他右手。动作并不用力，但他一触碰到，尤德尔右臂就好像被深深扎了一下，剧痛传来，让他不由自主地咬紧牙关。

Seeing Yuder's slightly distorted face from bearing the pain, a shadow of concern passed over Kishiar's face.
看到尤德因疼痛而略显扭曲的脸庞，基希亚尔脸上掠过一丝担忧。

"I made the right choice to wait here just in case..."
我在这里等待，以防万一……

He released Yuder's hand. Yuder endured the tingling pain and looked up at Kishiar.
他放开了尤德的手。尤德忍受着刺痛，抬头看着基希尔。

"We need to leave quickly. It seems we'll have a lot to do as soon as we get back."
我们需要迅速离开。看来我们回来后有很多事情要做。

"Welcome back."  欢迎回来。

True to Kishiar's words, Nathan Zuckerman, his adjutant, slightly poked his head from the inside of the black carriage parked outside the checkpoint's back gate and greeted them.
奈森·祖克曼，他的副官，如基希亚所说，略微探出停在检查站后门外的黑色马车内，向他们问候。

As Yuder climbed into the carriage, he remembered Kishiar's face from his dream. The real-life Kishiar was undoubtedly different from the one in his dream, a fact that was more pronounced now that they were face to face.
玉德爬进车厢时，想起梦中岸亚的面孔。现实中的岸亚无疑与梦中不同，现在他们面对面时，这种差异更加明显。

Only then did it dawn on him that he was really back.
只有那时他才意识到自己真的回来了。

'...Had I been anxious all this while?'
我这段时间是不是一直很焦虑？

He looked down at his own gloved hand and wondered this strange thought.
他低头看着自己戴着手套的手，心中充满了奇怪的想法。

He couldn't find an answer.
他找不到答案。

The cavalry building they returned to appeared as tranquil as ever. After directing Gakane, Devran, and Jimmy to rest in their respective quarters, Kishiar led Yuder to his own room.
他们返回的骑兵营地依然平静如昔。在安排加卡内、德夫兰和吉米分别休息之后，基希尔带尤德尔去了自己的房间。

The top floor, where Kishiar resided, remained unchanged from three days prior. Walking past the magic stone stove, ablaze with colorful flames, and the Divine Sword Orr placed above it, Kishiar turned towards Nathan Zuckerman as they approached the sofa.
最顶层，基希亚居住的地方，与三天前一模一样。走过燃烧着五彩火焰的魔法石炉，以及摆放在上面的神剑奥尔，基希亚转向走近沙发的那坦·祖克曼。

"Nathan, lock the door and bring the items I asked for this morning."
纳森，把门锁上，把今天早上我要求的东西拿来。

"Understood."  了解。

"Yuder, this way."  尤德，这边。

Kishiar, who had taken off his gold-buttoned military blue coat and rolled up his shirt sleeves, called out to Yuder without hesitation. Seeing him not only roll up his sleeves but also undo his cravat, Yuder began to doubt what he intended to do.
岸本，脱下金纽扣的军蓝色外套，卷起袖子，毫不犹豫地叫住了尤德。看到他不仅卷起袖子，还解开了领带，尤德开始怀疑他打算做什么。

"What are you planning to do?"
你打算做什么？

"What else could I be doing?"
我还能做什么？

Kishiar retorted briefly and opened his mouth as he turned to Yuder.
岸田简短地反驳了一句，转过身对着尤德张开了嘴。

"Aren't you undressing? Just rolling up the sleeves won't be enough to see how far the spot has spread."
你难道没脱衣服吗？光卷起袖子看不出污渍蔓延的范围。

"Ah, yes."  啊，是的。

Yuder sat on the sofa and took off his uniform. As was the case yesterday, his undressing was considerably slower than usual due to the injuries on both hands. After failing to undo the buttons twice, Kishiar, who was watching, frowned as if he had realized something.
尤德坐在沙发上，脱下制服。和昨天一样，由于双手的伤势，他的脱衣速度比平时慢得多。两次解不开纽扣后，正在观看的基希亚尔皱起了眉头，好像意识到了一些事情。

"Ah, I see. Both arms... Put your hands down, I'll help."
啊，我明白了。两只胳膊……把手放下，我来帮你。

"I'm fine. I can do it myself."
我很好。我自己能做到。

"Do I have to order you even for such things?"
我需要为了这种事下命令给你吗？

There was nothing he could do once the word 'order' was mentioned.
一旦提到“命令”，他就无能为力了。