Chapter 113: Tournament (5)

“L-I’ll say it. I’m going to say it…!”

“Oh, now you want to talk? You don’t have something like hidden poison in a tooth, do you? Not going to commit suicide?”

“I’ll say it, so please stop…”

“The guy who stayed silent the whole time is dying to talk just from a little cut?”

When Yuri touched the eye he had sliced with his sword, the leader covered his face and pressed his head against the ground.

“Grrgh…”

“Alright, fair enough. My offer still stands. If you talk, I’ll let you go.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“So, who sent you? Who is your master?”

“That is…”

The leader hesitated for a moment, and Yuri reached out his hand.

He thought Yuri was going to torture him again, but instead, he cut a piece of black cloth from his clothes and pressed it to the eye to stop the bleeding.

“Come on, say it.”

“I-If I just say that, will you really let me go?”

“Yes. I’ll let you go.”

“The one who sent me was…”

He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“The Prin…”

At that moment, something shot out from his mouth.

Yuri stepped back and raised his Windring Sword.

“What is that?”

It was a black snake. The snake slithered out of his throat and looked at Yuri with its tongue flicking, then turned and crawled into the leader’s remaining eye.

The man screamed in despair.

The snake coiled inside his skull and began to stir his brain from within. The leader convulsed violently, writhing on the ground, and eventually died with blood spilling from every orifice on his face.

The black snake dissolved into smoke and vanished into the air. It was a horrifying sight.

Yuri stood up from the ground. Jared, behind him, shuddered in disgust and asked:

“What the hell was that?”

“Don’t you see? Black magic.”

“Ugh…”

“He had a restriction spell. I already thought it was strange they sent such mediocre guys.”

Although he hadn’t discovered who was behind it, one thing was now clear.

Until now, black magic had only been a hypothesis without proof. But now it was a fact. It was alive, parasitizing in the Empire’s shadows.

Jared asked.

“Was it really the crown prince?”

“Most likely.”

“Then Hasan must be part of that dark group too.”

“Yeah.”

Yuri thought of the crown prince.

The man who sat next to Emperor Ivar. His expression was kind. Compared to Georg, who sat beside him, he even looked weak.

“And the emperor? Could he be involved?”

“I doubt it.”

“Why do you think that?”

“If the emperor were involved, the assassins wouldn’t have been this clumsy.”

“Ah…”

“Anyway…”

Yuri stood up.

“Check if any are still alive.”

“Eh?”

“We can’t let anyone escape.”

Yuri counted the bodies of the fallen assassins. There were twenty in total, just as at the start. He approached each corpse and stabbed them in the neck to make sure they were dead.

Jared watched the scene, stunned.

“Prince.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re pretty ruthless.”

“Never fought orcs?”

“But those were orcs.”

“These are the same.”

Yuri continued his task without even looking back.

“They tried to kill us. It’s the same.”

Just then, one of the assassins who appeared dead suddenly sprang up at Yuri’s feet and begged for his life. Yuri asked him the same question he had asked the leader.

“Who sent you?”

“That…”

“If you just say that, I’ll let you go.”

The assassin couldn’t open his mouth. He had witnessed the leader’s death. And he knew he also had a restriction spell.

“Wait.”

Yuri stopped him.

“Wait a bit.”

He had cut Okua’s black magic before using his Soul Severance technique. If this spell was also black magic, maybe he could remove it.

He activated his mana method and observed the soulscape. In that colorless world, he faintly saw the silhouette of the man kneeling before him.

Some kind of black tentacles were wrapping him, connecting his body and soul.

They were completely attached. There was no way to separate them. Yuri let out a faint growl.

“Damn it…”

Compared to Okua’s, this black magic had less power, but it was much more sophisticated. If the one who cast this spell offered more sacrifices and completed the ritual, what kind of atrocities could they commit?

Yuri spoke calmly.

“I can’t do it.”

“Pardon?”

“The spell cast on you… I can’t break it.”

“Ah…”

A look of resignation crossed the assassin’s face. He moved his lips for a while and then said:

“Just… make it quick…”

Before he finished the sentence, Yuri’s sword cut his neck. His head slipped from his neck, mouth still open.

The body fell heavily and blood spilled.

Like a routine task, Yuri went checking each corpse one by one. No one was left alive.

Twenty bodies were left on the ground outside the imperial capital. Yuri said to Jared:

“Bury them all.”

“Eh? All these corpses?”

“Use mana to do it.”

“Why?”

“So the people behind this will wonder.”

Yuri was already dragging the bodies to pile them up.

“They sent twenty assassins, and all disappeared. If at least the corpses remained, they’d think they died fighting. But if nothing’s left, what will they think?”

“Ah…”

“And what if they come check me out in person?”

“You think they’ll be that naive?”

“We’ll only know if they do.”

Yuri cast his gaze toward the distant imperial capital. On the sturdy walls, the red flag that symbolized the Empire fluttered.

“The crown prince won’t fear me. He has no reason to. So he won’t care if I raise suspicions. He won’t even be cautious.”

“And if, by chance, he is?”

“Then it’ll be harder.”

Jared, grumbling, began to gather the corpses.

In the end, they piled up the twenty bodies in one place and dug a pit. Yuri coated his sword with energy and struck the ground with the flat of the blade, opening a large trench.

“Prince.”

“Hmm?”

“If the crown prince really practices black magic…”

“Uh-huh.”

“From the looks of it, he already does, but… do you have to be the one to face him?”

“Jared. If the imperial family falls into corruption, do you think Briol will be safe?”

“Well, but…”

“What Okua did by bringing orcs will seem like child’s play. This would be the Empire unhinged in madness.”

“Hmm…”

Jared jumped into the pit and swung his sword, then suddenly spoke.

“You told me something once, remember?”

“What?”

“When we were fighting Okua. That the alliance was just the beginning, and to prepare myself…”

“And what exactly did I say?”

“Uh…”

Jared approached and whispered something in his ear. Yuri burst out laughing.

“Oh, that.”

“Were you serious about it?”

“Do you think I wasn’t?”

Yuri looked at him with a wide smile.

“Look at what we’re doing now. Don’t you think, step by step, we’ll get there?”

“Ah…”

“Have faith, Jared.”

Jared let out a deep sigh.

“I’m starting to think I won’t die of old age…”

“Everyone dies.”

Yuri jumped into the pit with him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he spoke.

“What matters is how you die.”

Jared sighed heavily again.

“What a burden…”

“My arm?”

“No. Your conviction, prince.”

“Did you think it’d be light?”

“If I’d known, I would’ve stayed loafing around in the imperial guard…”

“What was that?”

“I should’ve just lived a peaceful life…”

Yuri watched him silently. Over Jared’s face, the image of the Jared from his past life overlapped.

Back then, they weren’t as close as now. He was just another guard among many, not even someone he knew by name. But when they fought together, he showed good reflexes.

Although, for lack of training, he didn’t last long. He was a lot like himself.

‘It’s frustrating, prince.’

‘What is?’

‘If I could go back in time, I’d train until I dropped dead…’

‘Quit talking nonsense.’

Recalling that moment, Yuri couldn’t help but smile. Jared, who had died in the next battle—what regrets did he have when he closed his eyes?

Maybe, like him, he wished to go back in time for another chance.

Yuri chuckled, looked Jared in the eye, and said:

“Hey, stop talking nonsense.”

Then he patted him on the back and kept digging.

“Eh…”

Upon hearing those words, Jared froze with a stunned expression. That tone—so relaxed and teasing—he swore he’d heard it before, a long time ago.

Was it when they got lost in the dungeon of Briol’s founder?

No. He saw a strange vision then, yes, but he had already felt that sense of familiarity before. Like this wasn’t the first time.

‘Hey, stop talking nonsense.’

That phrase.

He felt like he’d heard it in a past so distant he couldn’t even remember when.

An inexplicable emotion surged in his chest. He felt a strange pain in his heart. And, for no apparent reason, he felt truly fortunate to be at Yuri’s side.

It was a strange feeling.

Yuri, with his back to him, kept digging. Jared cleared his throat quietly.

“Prince.”

“What?”

“When the time comes… will you give me a position?”

“A position?”

“A high one.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Give it to me.”

“You want it?”

“I want it.”

“Alright.”

“With all I’ve been through, it’s the least you owe me…”

Jared muttered in embarrassment and threw himself into digging with enthusiasm. He did it so vigorously that Yuri had to step back a little.

“Wow…”

Yuri watched him and sighed.

“So you wanted to rise that badly?”

“Eh?”

“Ambitious.”

“That’s not it…”

“Then what is it?”

“Don’t you feel why I said that?”

“Keep digging.”

“What do you think I am…?”

“Didn’t you ask for a high position?”

“But I didn’t mean it, I just said it because of the situation…”

“So I won’t give it to you?”

“Give it to me!”

After digging for a while longer, they finally threw the twenty bodies into the pit.

They covered them with dirt, packed it down, brought fallen tree trunks and placed them on top. Then they added grass and rocks to camouflage the area and make it look just as it had before.

They even erased signs of battle, leaving the clearing as it was when they arrived.

The work was done.

Yuri brushed the dirt off his hands.

“Another hard day done.”

“You can say that again.”

“Jared is going to hold a high position, so he shouldn’t be doing such heavy work…”

“That’s not it…”

“Let’s go. Today we’ll have a nice cold beer.”

“Perfect.”

“Laurent’s tournament—is it tomorrow?”

“Yes. Tomorrow’s the final. Are you going to support him?”

“I’m not really interested…”

Yuri and Jared brushed the dust off themselves and began walking back to the capital. As the sun set, their shadows stretched long behind them.

In the place they left behind, a stone Yuri had placed stood tall like a gravestone.

***

The tournament final was held on a much grander stage than the qualifiers.

It was the main stadium located outside the imperial capital. Thousands of citizens filled the stands, eager for the duels about to begin.

The announcer stepped forward and shouted with force. His voice echoed through the stadium thanks to a sound-amplifying artifact.

[The greatest swordsmen on the continent have gathered to prove their worth. The tournament for His Majesty’s medal begins! Round of 64!]

Fireworks exploded in the sky. Laurent was the first to step onto the stage.

His opponent was a knight of the Empire, though not particularly famous. The announcer approached them both and began the introductions.

First, he introduced the imperial knight.

[Espero Garfield. A member of the Second Imperial Order. An exemplary knight and role model.]

The crowd cheered.

[A message for the citizens watching, perhaps?]

Espero, slightly nervous, cleared his throat several times and looked toward a specific section of the stands. The VIP section from which the entire stage was visible.

The emperor wasn’t present, but the second prince Georg and Princess Yekaterina were.

Espero said:

[I will win that medal… and dedicate it to the princess.]

A new wave of cheers erupted from the crowd. Yekaterina, showing no discomfort, gave him a delicate smile.

The announcer clapped to pump up the crowd, then turned to Laurent.

[Laurent Flandre, eldest son of Count Française and genius winner of multiple swordsmanship tournaments.]

Briol citizens shouted enthusiastically. There were fewer than the imperials, but their voices were no less loud. The announcer asked him as well:

[Would you like to say something before the match?]

Laurent smiled calmly.

[I’ll do my best.]

A rather underwhelming answer. The announcer brought the amplifier even closer and asked again:

[Ah… if you win the medal, what will you do with it? Can you tell us?]

Laurent glanced at the VIP section. His eyes met Yekaterina’s.

He looked at her for a moment, then smiled and answered:

[If I win… you’ll find out.]