Chapter 101: The Emperor’s Medal (3)

After the emperor’s declaration, the expressions of the young knights gathered in the banquet hall changed completely.

Yekaterina, seated beside the imperial throne, silently observed the hall.

While some may not have fully grasped it at first, those truly watching her couldn’t help but feel their hearts race after hearing those words.

She was, quite literally, beautiful as a goddess.

“So, everyone, do your best. Hmhm…”

Ivar let out a chuckle. Yuri glanced at Yekaterina.

Her brows furrowed slightly, but it was so brief that no one but someone who knew her very well would have noticed.

Had they not discussed this beforehand? It wouldn’t be surprising.

Ivar was the emperor, and even if he seemed playful, when it came to governance, he did exactly as he pleased.

In his past life, there had been several similar instances.

“I have high expectations. Including you…”

Ivar smiled as he looked at Yuri. Yuri simply inclined his head slightly.

“There are fine young men in our empire too. Isn’t it time they married? Hm…”

His gaze briefly drifted to another part of the hall before returning.

“I’m glad to see so much talent among the young knights. The same goes for those here. You are more than welcome. The Empire’s doors are always open.”

Speaking plainly, Ivar patted Jonathan, who stood nearby, on the shoulder.

“Jonathan. They say you’re a smart knight. Want a fief?”

“No, Your Majesty’s words are more than enough. Thank you.”

“I love talented people. When I was young…”

Ivar continued with a few anecdotes. While most were trivial, now and then sincerity could be felt between the lines.

After talking for a while, Ivar took his leave.

“I believe I’ve kept you long enough. Young folks should enjoy each other’s company. There are plenty of handsome and beautiful people in the Empire, so make friends. You there, friend from Brusen—Jonathan. What do you think? Who’s the most beautiful here?”

“Eh?”

“Come now, be honest.”

“Ah, well…”

Caught off guard, Jonathan reflexively looked toward where Yekaterina was sitting.

“So it is my daughter, as I thought?”

Ivar burst into thunderous laughter.

“Well then, enough rambling from an old man. Enjoy the evening.”

“Yes, sir!”

Ivar made eye contact with everyone and turned around. The attendees bowed their heads in unison as he walked away.

The presence of the undisputed number one in the Empire, Emperor Ivar, still lingered even after his exit.

Despite his lack of stiffness, he felt all the more imposing because of it.

Whistle.

As the emperor began speaking with the nobles of the Empire, everyone finally relaxed and let out a sigh.

Wolf, standing nearby, remarked.

“He’s certainly not an ordinary man.”

“Definitely not.”

“But not as intimidating as I expected. That’s a relief.”

Yuri nodded. Although there were things that raised doubts, he didn’t seem like someone who would start a meaningless war.

“He seems to be a moderate emperor. Maybe the continent will enjoy a time of peace.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Yuri observed him closely.

He had expected someone colder and more calculating, but seeing the emperor cracking silly jokes among the nobles clashed completely with that image.

So had he really gone mad due to dark magic?

“By the way…”

Wolf suddenly asked Yuri a question, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“What do you think, Your Highness?”

“Hmm?”

Wolf looked at Yuri, then glanced toward the imperial family.

“I think you’d make a good match.”

“Who?”

Yuri let out a small laugh.

“What about your son?”

“My son doesn’t have what it takes. Hahaha…”

“That Sven… he seems to be focusing lately.”

“If that’s true, it must be thanks to Your Highness’ friendship.”

“Huh?”

Friendship? Between him and Sven? But Wolf looked at him with a satisfied expression, like a father grateful to the model friend who’d helped straighten out his son.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Ah, well…”

“I hope to see him shine in the tournament.”

“We’ll see.”

Yuri shrugged. In this life, he had no intention of getting involved with Yekaterina.

Whoever won and ended up marrying her didn’t matter. All those old feelings were buried under a pillow at the Duforia Hotel.

As he talked with Wolf, reminiscing about the old alliance days, a red cape entered his peripheral vision.

“Yuri.”

It was Ragnar.

Yuri and Wolf bowed respectfully.

“Your Highness.”

“Must’ve been exhausting listening to all that nonsense.”

Ragnar glanced toward the emperor’s direction.

“He talks too much…”

“Haha…”

“To make his daughter the prize of a tournament? What a reckless man.”

He was probably the only person on the continent who could speak that way during an event personally attended by the emperor.

“Since things are like this, you should win, Yuri. For Yekaterina.”

“I don’t intend to participate in the tournament.”

“That can’t be. Too many wolves are after my niece.”

“Maybe they’re not as bad as they seem.”

“You’re too damn calm…”

Yuri was about to sip his wine when Ragnar grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around so abruptly that he almost spilled the drink.

“Look over there.”

“Eh?”

Ragnar pointed across the hall. A handsome young man with carefully styled, glistening hair stood surrounded by people, gesturing dramatically as he spoke. With every word, the crowd around him burst into laughter.

Many women were near him, but his gaze frequently wandered toward Yekaterina.

Ragnar leaned in and whispered into Yuri’s ear.

“See that guy with all the women around him? He’s a duke’s son. First-class gigolo.”

Yuri, who had lived a similar life in his past, understood Ragnar’s words as a compliment.

Seems popular with women. Looks like a gigolo.

In other words, he’s saying the guy’s good-looking.

“And despite that look, he’s skilled with a sword. Even I acknowledge his talent.”

“I see.”

“He’s entering the tournament, and if it’s not you, no one else will be able to stop him.”

“And why should anyone stop him?”

“I can’t let Yekaterina end up with a guy like that.”

“Seems like her own father doesn’t mind much…”

“That’s because the old man’s not right in the head. Yuri, you know me. I’m a generous man. I’m not trying to interfere in my niece’s life.”

“Not so sure about that…”

“I mean it.”

Thinking back, in his previous life, Ragnar hadn’t said anything when Yuri, who had nothing, dated Yekaterina. But now, he seemed to genuinely dislike that duke’s son.

“Other than that guy, there’s no one competent enough to win the tournament. I’m worried about Yekaterina.”

“I see.”

Yuri replied in his usual tone. Annoyed by his indifference, Ragnar snorted.

“Yuri.”

“Yes.”

“Are you impotent?”

“Huh?”

“Answer me right now.”

Ragnar leaned in and spoke intensely into his ear.

“If you’re a man, it’s natural to feel moved seeing Yekaterina, but you—what kind of guy stays so indifferent in front of that beauty? Even when I said I’d help you, you lied and said you already had someone…”

‘What kind of guy? One who ruined his life for that woman and was reborn.’

Yuri wanted to say that, but instead he just gave a serene smile and replied.

“Your Highness, what matters in a person isn’t looks, but their heart.”

Ragnar stared at him in utter shock.

“That’s true… but hearing it from you is just plain weird…”

“It must be because Your Highness leans more toward appearances than the heart.”

“Hmm? In my life, I’ve rarely been praised for my looks.”

“Exactly. That’s precisely why.”

“What?”

While Ragnar was left momentarily confused, Yuri skillfully changed the subject.

“The food is delicious. The culinary culture of the Empire is admirable.”

“Ah, of course it is!”

Ragnar immediately got caught up in talking about food. However, he suddenly seemed to remember something, looked around, draped his arm over Yuri’s shoulder, and whispered.

“By the way, Yuri.”

“Yes.”

“About that dark magic we talked about before…”

During their time in the allied army, Ragnar had already suspected a connection between the orcs and dark magic. He believed the root of the evil might lie in the imperial palace.

Had he found any clues now that he was back in the Empire?

“I think there’s something in the palace. I’ve been investigating on my own and, though I can’t go into detail, I found a small clue.”

Ragnar’s hand gripped Yuri’s shoulder tightly.

“This isn’t just the Empire’s problem. Keep that in mind. The war may be over, but the problems haven’t disappeared.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Saying that to Yuri, who didn’t even belong to the Empire, showed just how much Ragnar trusted him. However, Yuri didn’t share what he himself knew.

After all, Ragnar was still part of the imperial family. Even with dark magic involved, there was no telling how he’d act if the interests of the Empire and Briol came into conflict.

“I see.”

Ragnar grinned widely.

“See you later. Enjoy, Yuri.”

And he walked away. After that, nobles from the Empire began approaching to greet him. Yuri received them with calm grace.

That’s when the duke’s son Ragnar had warned him about appeared.

“Greetings, Your Highness. Your reputation precedes you.”

Involuntarily, Yuri glanced at his hair. It was so well-groomed it gleamed.

“I’m Oliver Elgast. My father is the Duke of Saito.”

“I’m Yuri Briol.”

Oliver seemed to expect him to say more, but as Yuri remained silent, he simply nodded with a broad smile.

“I’ve heard much about your performance in the allied army.”

Oliver extended his hand.

Immediately, soft gasps of excitement came from the noble ladies nearby. Several young women covered their lips with fans, whispering to one another.

‘What’s so exciting about this?’

Yuri took his hand. Oliver continued.

“I’m a knight as well, so I thought I’d like to face you someday. We’ll meet at the tournament.”

With that, Oliver gave a bow. Although he appeared polite outwardly, Yuri could sense a different kind of emotion in his eyes.

Now he understood why Ragnar couldn’t stand him.

“We’ll see…”

Yuri responded evasively. But Oliver seemed to take it as an affirmative, flashing another radiant smile.

“I look forward to it. If you’ll excuse me.”

As he watched him walk away, Yuri let out a bitter smile.

Everyone seemed to take it for granted that he’d participate in the tournament.

“Everyone’s so eager…”

The Empire was rotten from within, and still they talked about tournaments… Yuri had no intention of joining that game.

He wet his lips with a bit of wine and headed over to the group from Briol. Between Simon and Jared, Jose was laughing heartily.

“Ah, Your Highness.”

Jose spoke enthusiastically.

“I heard what happened. His Majesty has placed something tremendous at stake.”

“That’s right.”

“If I were a bit younger, I might give it a go myself. What a shame.”

Jose was right at the age limit to participate.

“I don’t know if Your Highness will enter or not…”

Simon and Guinness grumbled.

“He says he won’t.”

“If Your Highness entered, it’d be a true political marriage…”

Yuri shot them a cold look for such nonsensical remarks. Simon and Guinness immediately went quiet. Jose chuckled and gave them a pat on the back.

“Well, that’s his decision. But…”

Jose gave a mysterious smile.

“Even if Your Highness does decide to participate, it’s not like victory is guaranteed.”

Yuri’s eyebrow twitched.

“I saw some interesting individuals. It seems the larger the country, the more talent emerges.”

“You mean that guy with the shiny hair?”

“Yes. He’s one, but there are also other great knights who aren’t here. If Your Highness enters, I advise you to be careful. Hahaha…”

Seeing Jose laugh, Yuri narrowed his eyes. More than those trying to push him into participating, it was Jose’s provoking words that were more effective.

For a moment, the thought of entering the tournament and crushing all those arrogant men crossed his mind.

“Not interested.”

“That would’ve been quite the spectacle. A shame.”

“Fighting on the battlefield is enough for me.”

Yuri said as he raised his glass.

“A toast. Now we can truly say the allied army is finished.”

“That’s right.”

As they raised their glasses, people began to gather around.

All those who had shared life and death on the battlefield were now gathering to celebrate the allied army’s victory at this imperial banquet.

Who would have imagined such a day would come, after shedding blood alongside orcs on the arid plains?

If only everyone had survived.

“To the comrades who went ahead.”

Yuri said.

Everyone raised their glasses with a bittersweet smile. Simon and Guinness frowned, remembering Dyke.

“It was an honor to fight alongside you. All of you.”

They all raised their glasses together. Once the commemoration ended, joyful laughter burst out.

And at the center of that circle of former comrades from the allied army was always Yuri.

Just seeing that scene was enough to understand the position he had held in that army.

“Hahahaha…”

Yekaterina watched him silently, gazing at his profile.