Of course, the Fay Yuder saw again now looked much younger than the one in his memories.

His hair was cut short like a boy’s, and his vacant expression—along with lips trembling like he was about to pass out—only added to it, especially since he looked nearly identical to Elpokin.

‘Back then... I remember him giving off a much gloomier impression.’

Yuder recalled the first time he’d met Fay in his previous life. By then, Fay had already been a Cavalry member for a few years. In other words, he had been older than he was now.

Though he had been transferred from the Northern branch to the Central Headquarters after his abilities showed promise, he clearly understood that “promise” wasn’t enough—that it was a trial period, nothing more. If he failed to gain recognition, he would be sent back to the North within two years. Maybe because of that, he worked harder than anyone else.

‘That’s why I decided to keep him in the headquarters. Few people put in that much effort.’

“D-Did your holiday end today, s-sir?”

Jaek, standing beside Elpokin, asked nervously, his face nearly frozen.

What’s with him now? After Yuder helped him escape the Southern fighting ring and Jaek later learned who he really was, he’d clearly been a little spooked... but not this bad. Did Elpokin’s nerves rub off on him or something?

Yuder stopped reminiscing about Fay and nodded.

“I returned today. Where were you all headed?”

“Um...”

The question wasn’t even meant to pressure them, just a simple inquiry—but all the new recruits tensed up like statues. A moment later, their eyes darted around like they were silently deciding who should answer. Anyone could’ve spoken, but their reactions made things awkward.

Is it really that hard to talk to me?

It wasn’t like all the new recruits lacked confidence. It just so happened that none of the bolder ones were present here.

If Marin had been among them, this would’ve gone differently.

Yuder let out a short sigh and decided to pick someone himself. Otherwise, it seemed like they’d stand there forever.

“Gloena. I’d like you to answer.”

He chose her instinctively, a decision shaped by past life habits.

“Ah!”

Gloena’s face turned red from being singled out.

She might look flustered, but she usually speaks up when needed. She’ll do.

“W-We’re heading to take the second retest... for arithmetic...”

“Second?”

“Yes... I didn’t pass the last retest either... I’m sorry!”

The Cavalry taught basic arithmetic to new recruits—not advanced math, just practical calculation skills for reports and daily tasks. In other words, these recruits had failed the arithmetic test twice and were on their way to take it a third time.

After Gloena answered, the others bowed their heads in shame. One covered their face with a hand. It was clear they’d hesitated to answer because they were embarrassed to admit, in front of Yuder, that they’d failed twice.

Yuder glanced over at Fay. The kid had pulled his uniform hood down low over his face to hide.

...Come to think of it, weren’t Gloena and Fay both bad at math?

Though they’d joined the Cavalry at different times in his past life, their terms as vice-commanders had overlapped quite a bit. Gloena had disappeared earlier, but Yuder remembered they’d gotten along decently.

He faintly recalled Ever—the longest-serving member besides Yuder, and the vice-commander who’d held everything together—sighing over one of their reports.

“Both of them do fine with everything else, so why are they both so terrible with numbers? I told them to check each other’s work for arithmetic sections, and now the mistakes have doubled. Yes, literally every number was wrong.”

So, even now, nothing had changed. With that thought, Yuder spoke.

“There’s no need to apologize to me.”

“Huh?”

“Not being good at math isn’t a crime, and arithmetic isn’t required for Cavalry work. There are plenty of jobs that don’t need it.”

“Oh...”

All the new recruits blinked wide-eyed.

“So if you’re not good at it, just study enough to pass and focus harder on the subjects you’re better at. I didn’t take advanced literature or historical analysis after the reading and writing course, either.”

In truth, it wasn’t because he couldn’t handle them—he had just chosen to spend his time more efficiently. But the recruits, unaware of that, looked deeply moved.

“Th-Thank you for the advice!”

Yuder quietly scanned their faces and asked naturally,

“Some of you I know, but I see a few unfamiliar ones. What are your names?”

“Ah... I’m...!”

The new recruits who had never greeted him before stepped forward to introduce themselves. Their nervousness seemed to have faded somewhat.

And finally, it was Fay’s turn.

“I-I’m Fay! Selected for the Northern branch!”

It was the loudest voice of any recruit so far.

“I’m twenty years old! And my ability... I personally call it the ‘Moving Scale Mirror’...!”

“Whoa. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that kid speak.”

“‘Moving Scale Mirror’? What’s that even mean?”

A few nearby recruits whispered in surprise, and the comments reached Yuder’s ears. He pretended not to hear, but his reaction wasn’t that different from theirs.

...Wasn’t everyone relaxed now? What’s with his tone? And what’s with that ability name?

In his past life, when Yuder first asked Fay to explain his ability, Fay had simply said with a gloomy face, “I can create and control other people’s doppelgängers. It requires a price.”

This strange name, “Moving Scale Mirror,” was definitely new.

“What exactly does the ability do?”

“I have a scale that only I can see! When I offer something to it, a mirror appears! In that mirror, I see the target I placed on the scale—and I can summon that reflection here!”

It was an incredibly odd explanation. The others seemed equally baffled, their faces blank.

“You summon the reflection of what’s in the mirror...?”

“So then what does that... actually do?”

When new recruits first join the Cavalry, the focus is on physical training and theoretical studies like reading and math, rather than immediately developing their powers. Kishiar believed that letting them adapt first led to better results.

So none of the new recruits had really seen each other’s powers yet.

Even so, Yuder’s reaction wasn’t far from theirs.

...A scale and a mirror? What the hell?

The ability, as Yuder and others knew it, was that Fay could create a duplicate of someone using a body part like a fingernail or hair. Yet here Fay was describing it with some elaborate inner ritual involving mystical objects.

While Yuder quietly blinked, Fay waved his hands, flustered and rambling on.

“O-Of course it sounds weird! Usually I just use hair or something to reflect a person, and then that person appears in front of me...! Only for a short time, though.”

“......”

“M-My friends told me to just call it ‘the doppelgänger ability’ instead! So it’s okay if you think of it that way too...”

“Friends?”

Yuder echoed softly, and Fay brightened immediately. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

“Yes! Friends I met back in my hometown! They gave me a lot of advice to help me get here!”

Yuder didn’t need to ask who those “friends” were.

They were the bastards posing as the Shuden Trading Group—affiliated with the Wolf’s Eye tribe—who had wormed into Fay’s hometown like poison and tried to corrupt the entire Northern region.

“......”

“They told me not to describe my power in such a complicated way, but I—I really admire the heroic stories of Sir Yuder Aile and ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Lord Kishiar la Orr... I mean, the Commander—so I thought you’d understand what my power really is...!”