Chapter 134: The Sea’s Treasure (1)

Yuri’s group was riding across Adelein on their way to Brusen.

The people of Brusen had louder voices than those from Briol or the Empire. Even when greeting, they shouted, and at first it seemed like they were fighting.

Yuri, riding next to Jose, commented.

“Sir Jose, the people of Brusen seem very spirited.”

“Of course. When you talk about real men, you mean those from Brusen.”

“And to think I’m about to try a full-course banquet served by a Brusen knight… I can’t even imagine what it will be like. Sir Jose, what exactly do you have prepared?”

“Well… uh…”

Despite bragging about offering them a full-course banquet, once they crossed the border into Brusen, Jose became much more reserved.

“F-for now, come to my territory. It’s not far.”

“All right, all right.”

Soon after, Yuri’s group arrived at Jose’s region. Orphen, the city he governed, was a port that had direct contact with the sea.

After passing through the city amid bows from its inhabitants, they arrived at Jose’s mansion, where the servants greeted them with enthusiasm.

Several black-furred dogs ran at full speed and leapt into Jose’s arms, who happily petted them one by one.

Jared approached to observe them.

“They all have completely black fur.”

“Don’t they look just like the prince?”

“I don’t think so. They seem way too tame.”

“Tame? If someone tries to hurt me, these brave dogs leap like maniacs.”

Yuri smiled ironically.

“Are you saying I’m a dog?”

“It was just a figure of speech! Hahahahaha!”

Yuri’s group settled in as guests at Jose’s mansion. After a hot bath, the fatigue from wandering through Adelein seemed to melt away.

Dressed in clean clothes, Yuri immediately went to find Jose. He was standing by the window, looking out over his land.

“Sir Jose.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Isn’t it about time you showed us what you promised?”

“Excuse me?”

“The full-course banquet of Brusen.”

“Oh, that… hahaha. Yes, of course.”

“Did you really have something planned?”

“L-leave it to me.”

And he immediately led them to a restaurant near the coast.

“This place is simply spectacular.”

In a large cauldron, stew was boiling vigorously.

“Have you tried ‘deuchisthu’?”

“What?”

“It’s Brusen dialect. It means, ‘Have you tried pork stew?’”

“Pork stew, is it a stew made with pork?”

“More or less. It’s probably the most popular dish among Brusen citizens. Hey! Six pork stews!”

The restaurant owner was an old woman. Upon seeing Jose, she simply nodded and went into the kitchen without a word.

Jose explained.

“She’s a woman of few words. Whether noble or servant, everyone eats the same stew. No hierarchy here.”

“That really represents Brusen well.”

Shortly after, the old woman returned and served the stews one by one to the group. The clear broth, with fat floating on the surface, was still bubbling vigorously.

When Yuri went to scoop with his spoon, Jose stopped him.

“Wait. There’s a ritual to eating pork stew. Follow my lead.”

“Ritual?”

He first added heaps of chives, then seasoned it with a kind of fermented shrimp sauce.

Yuri imitated him, but Jose shook his head.

“The secret to pork stew is in the seasoning. If you don’t season it well, it’s no good.”

“Aren’t you adding too much?”

“I eat quite salty.”

“Is this okay?”

“Yes. Perfect.”

“Then let’s try Brusen’s signature dish.”

“Enjoy.”

Saying that, Yuri took his spoon and started eating the stew.

“Well? Isn’t it amazing?”

“Yes, it’s pretty good…”

“Brusen’s pork stew is unbeatable! Hahahaha!”

Yuri lowered his head with an awkward expression.

It was tasty. But he wasn’t sure it was extraordinary enough to make such a fuss. It didn’t seem very different from the stews he’d had in Briol or the Empire.

But since Jose showed such satisfaction and pride, Yuri decided to just nod.

“As you say. It’s delicious.”

“Eat all you want! Hahahaha!”

From the others’ expressions, it seemed they thought the same. However, as they ate, it became hard to stop.

“Hmm…?”

Although they could eat calmly, it made you want to stuff large spoonfuls into your mouth and exclaim like it was an incredible delicacy. Unconsciously, Yuri kept scooping.

The group ended up eating pork stew until they were sweating profusely.

In the end, all six bowls were completely empty.

“Huff…”

“That was delicious.”

“Thanks, Sir Jose.”

“Too bad Cory wasn’t here to try it…”

“Now we’re stuffed.”

As they got up from the restaurant table, they shared their impressions.

Yuri asked.

“So, what’s next?”

“Hmm… well…”

“A full-course banquet isn’t made of just one dish, right?”

Jose went silent. Yuri’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t tell me you just said that and had nothing planned…”

“N-no, of course not! Absolutely not!”

“Then what’s the next plan?”

“C-c-coffee?”

“What?”

“Iced tea, maybe…”

“Are you serious?”

“No, no, just joking! Hahahaha!”

Jose looked away immediately. In the distance, over the horizon, seagulls flew.

“Let’s go to the sea. To the sea.”

“Oh… the sea?”

“Brusen means sea.”

“All right, let’s go.”

Following Jose, Yuri’s group arrived at the coast and stood on the beach.

In front of the golden sand stretched a vast blue sea. Each time a wave broke, white foam rose and then dissolved. The seabirds flying above dove into the surface.

Seeing that scene, the life of a sword-wielding knight felt completely insignificant.

It felt like laying out a blanket right there and lying down was the true way to live, making one wonder why they had tried so hard until now.

Jose smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the others.

“This is the sea of Brusen.”

“Sir Jose.”

“Yes.”

“And that’s it?”

“N-n-no, of course not.”

“Pork stew and the sea. While they’ve been memorable experiences, they’re still pretty simple. I’m sure you have something really impressive planned.”

“Y-yes, of course.”

“And what’s that impressive thing?”

“Well, you see… that impressive thing…”

Jose stammered before speaking.

“Right, right… how about some sashimi?”

“Sashimi?”

“You don’t like it?”

“I do, but…”

Yuri shrugged and rubbed his stomach.

“We just had pork stew… I don’t think I can eat anymore.”

“Oh…”

“Sir Jose. You can be honest.”

Yuri looked at him directly as he said it.

“The truth is that this so-called full-course banquet of Brusen… doesn’t really exist, does it?”

At those unexpected words, Jose’s face tensed. He struggled to move his lips to deny what Yuri had said.

“I-it does exist!”

“I know it’s not true.”

“What?”

“Before coming here, I asked my older brother.”

When the alliance war ended and Yuri returned to Briol, he had asked Cedric about the supposed full-course banquet of Brusen.

His wise older brother always had an answer for everything. And this time was no exception.

Cedric explained that the famous full-course banquet of Brusen was just an expression used by Brusen folks to show hospitality and that there was no actual banquet protocol.

“I-it’s impossible…”

“I already knew, so you don’t have to force yourself.”

“That His Highness the Crown Prince of Briol even knows about Brusen’s unwritten customs… truly admirable.”

“There’s nothing I don’t know. I’m Briol’s future.”

Jose let out a resigned laugh.

“In that case, there’s no choice, Your Highness. I just hope you spend a few peaceful days in my territory.”

“Is that really all?”

“Excuse me?”

“Isn’t there another reason you insisted on bringing me to your territory under the pretext of a full-course banquet?”

“Did your brother tell you that too?”

“Of course not. It’s just my personal guess.”

“Hahaha…”

Jose nodded.

“Yes. In fact, there’s someone I wanted to introduce to Your Highness if the opportunity arose. And it seems this was the perfect occasion.”

“Someone you want me to meet?”

Yuri looked at him cautiously.

“Don’t tell me, Sir Jose… you have a younger sister…?”

“I don’t.”

“Or a cousin…?”

“I know what you’re thinking. But it’s nothing like that.”

“Then, who is it?”

“Hmm…”

Jose smiled and looked up at the sky. Then he chose his words carefully.

“If I had to say… it’s someone I could call my master.”

“Your master? And why would you want me to meet him?”

“After seeing how Your Highness fights, I simply got curious. What would happen if the two of you met? After everything that happened in Adelein, that curiosity only grew.”

“All right.”

Yuri nodded.

“If you say so, now I’m curious too. Will we be able to see him tomorrow?”

“I don’t know if he’ll be at his residence, but we can go look for him.”

“Okay.”

Yuri said that and placed a hand on Jose’s shoulder as he looked again at the distant sea.

Suddenly, he thought of his older brother, who had come up in conversation.

“I wonder if Cedric is doing all right…”

As he murmured that, Yuri smiled faintly and shook his head. Cedric was someone he didn’t need to worry about.

Whether in martial arts, knowledge, or appearance, he had it all.

He was even in a relationship with a great partner.

Truly, he lacked nothing.

***

In Adelein, the Demon Flower had been eradicated, and Gert was dead.

And someone who knew that fact was walking through a secret passage hidden beneath the imperial palace.

“The Demon Flower was destroyed? Damn it…”

Cursing, he ran a hand through his hair in clear frustration.

“How much effort did I put into all of this, only for that idiot to ruin it…?”

His hair, almost silver-white, swayed.

He finally arrived at a large iron door. He pushed it open with his hand and stepped inside.

There was an altar. Dozens of candles flickered on a large magic circle, and bones of unknown origin were scattered around the place.

And in the center, a skull pointed upward, holding an ancient scroll between its teeth.

“Seriously… nothing ever goes right for me.”

He approached the magic circle and muttered something in an incomprehensible language. Then, despite there being no wind in the room, the candles began to flicker as if being sucked into a vortex.

His chants quickened. From the eye sockets of the skull that held the scroll, a light began to leak.

“Haa…”

Then he walked to a corner of the room. There, behind a small door shrouded in darkness, humans appeared behind iron bars.

He looked at them without any expression. The prisoners, emaciated to the point their bones protruded through their skin, offered no resistance as he dragged one of them out.

“P-p-please… save me…”

The one being dragged spoke in a trembling voice.

“Your Highness…”

“Shut up.”

As he said, the one hiding secrets beneath the imperial palace was none other than Eugen, the crown prince of the Empire.

Eugen stepped on the prisoner’s head to silence him and threw him into the center of the magic circle.

The man’s body twisted as it tangled with the burning candles, scorched by the heat.

“¡Aaagh…!”

“Shut up.”

Eugen unsheathed a knife and plunged the blade straight into the man’s neck.

“Guh…”

Blood gushed forth. And as it touched the scroll, it began to emit a red glow.

A thick black smoke began to rise, quickly filling the surroundings.

Eugen watched it silently and then knelt on one knee. Suddenly, a hazy silhouette began to take shape in the darkness.

[You’re useless.]

The voice that followed was feminine.

“I’m sorry. I trusted that idiot…”

[Foolish.]

“I’m sorry.”

Eugen kept his knee to the ground before the figure.

[Don’t interfere for a while. Stay put.]

“If you give me one more chance…”

[I said stay put.]

“…Yes.”

[From now on, I’ll take action. You just take care of the underworld.]

“Understood…”

Eugen looked up. The darkness condensed little by little, forming a defined figure.

The form took on the appearance of someone Eugen knew well. A woman wearing a baker’s cap.

[I’ll come see you soon.]

“Understood.”

[Family should visit each other from time to time.]

“…Yes.”