Chapter 17: Spring

“Hey. You, over there.”

At the sudden voice, she turned around and saw a pair of long, narrow eyes watching her.

“Are you new?”

“Y-yes.”

“And what are you doing right now?”

“Well…”

May remembered the warnings from her superiors.

There are four people with black hair in the royal palace. Of course, they belong to the royal family of Briol, so one must be very careful.

The specifics for each person were:

First. If his eyes are half-closed and he wears a bored expression, be as polite as possible. That’s His Majesty. He’s not picky, but if you make a mistake, the head butler will tear you apart.

Second. If he smiles kindly like a warm breeze, you can relax. That’s the Crown Prince of Briol. He’s never troubled a servant.

Third. If he has a sinister gaze and walks crookedly, stay alert. That’s the second prince. He’s always plotting something, so it’s best not to get involved.

According to the description, this person was undoubtedly—

“The third…”

“What did you say?”

“N-nothing.”

His slouchy posture and wandering eyes matched exactly the description of the second prince her superiors had given.

She needed to get away as quickly as possible.

“I-I have things to do, so I’ll be going…”

“What?”

He frowned.

“Are you trying to avoid me now?”

“N-no, it’s not that.”

“You’re dodging the subject just like someone who is.”

“It’s just… I have work…”

“Do you all have a manual for dealing with the royal family? Like ‘run if you see this one’? ‘Don’t talk and flee’?”

Additional warning about Joshua Briol: he’s extremely smart and sharp, so be especially cautious.

He was fully ready to mess with her.

“W-well, I…”

“Answer clearly.”

Joshua leaned toward her.

“You’re stuttering in front of a member of the royal family? This is the palace, do you think you’re working at a corner shop?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“And apologizing is enough to save your job here? I’ll give you a proper lesson today…”

Just as he was speaking, Joshua suddenly stepped back.

“Tch…”

At the same time, a cheerful voice rang out behind them.

“Brother, what are you doing?”

If that voice could be compared to a color, it would be sky blue.

There was only one person in the palace who called Joshua “brother.” And regarding him, the warning was:

If he wears a confident expression and always carries a sword, that’s the third prince. As for him, everyone must handle it as they can.

There’s no manual for dealing with him because opinions vary from person to person.

“Are you bothering her?”

“Of course not.”

Joshua quickly tried to flip the situation.

“Hey, you. Did I bother you?”

“No.”

“See? She says no.”

“And who’s going to say ‘yes’ with you standing right there?”

“Oh yeah? Then I suppose if I leave, she’ll answer honestly, huh?”

Joshua stepped further back.

“Hey, maid. Answer properly.”

And with that, he ran off in a hurry.

Yuri sighed as he watched him leave.

“When will he grow out of that immaturity…?”

She didn’t dare lift her head and bowed toward Yuri to show her gratitude.

“Thank you…”

“If you’re thanking me, then that means he was bothering you, right?”

“No, he wasn’t. I just got nervous…”

“Your name?”

“I’m May.”

“Are you new?”

“Yes.”

Yuri smiled broadly.

“Do you know Ena?”

Ena, the third prince’s personal maid, was like a celebrity among all palace staff.

“If you ever have any trouble, talk to Ena. She won’t ignore you, got it?”

“Yes.”

“And don’t bow your head. You didn’t do anything wrong, did you?”

“N-no.”

May gazed at Yuri Briol in awe.

His black eyes sparkled like the surface of a lake under sunlight. He was the kind of person who, just by being near, made you feel confidence blossom.

“All right. Good work.”

“Thank you. Um…”

Wanting to thank him somehow, May searched inside her apron.

Luckily, she had some cookies the kitchen staff had given her.

“Would you like one of these?”

“What is it?”

“Cookies. They’re delicious. The chef made them himself.”

“Thanks.”

She tried to offer him a handful of cookies from her pocket.

“Oh…”

But Yuri was wearing leather gauntlets. They were too dirty to hold food.

“Should I just give them to you with the whole pocket?”

“No, no. Just those.”

Finally, Yuri took off his gloves and extended his hand. May sighed in relief and handed them to him with both hands.

Yuri popped a cookie into his mouth and smiled.

“Thanks. They’re good. I’ll enjoy them.”

“Y-yes.”

“Take care.”

“You too, Your Highness.”

May stared dreamily at the third prince’s back as he walked away, his sword clanking by his side.

She remembered the final warning her superiors had given. The most important one: Never harbor foolish feelings toward them.

Indeed, her superiors weren’t wrong about anything.

May murmured unconsciously,

“Despite wielding a sword every day… His Highness has such fair, beautiful hands…”

***

Yuri looked down at the hand holding the cookies, wondering where Joshua had run off to.

There was no way a swordsman’s hand could be that clean.

“Well, at least I made it just in time.”

Yuri opened and closed his fist.

It was the level known as “Sosu-gyeong.” [1]

Those who handle mana as if it were part of their body use mana instead of muscle to wield the sword. The pressure on the hands decreases, calluses disappear, and the skin softens.

It was proof that his mana control was highly advanced.

How many knights had reached the Pure Hand level before adulthood?

As far as he knew, none.

Perhaps Fiore had, but he’d never asked.

While putting his gauntlets back on, Yuri muttered,

“Looks like the peaceful days are over.”

Five years ago, when he’d been beheaded and died, he had returned to the spring of his thirteenth year.

Now, it was the spring of his eighteenth. The moment he had kept deep in his heart was drawing near.

A great war would shake the continent.

He felt neither fear nor sorrow. Yuri had never forgotten the past. To him, peace had merely been a time to prepare for war.

“They must already be getting stirred up.”

He looked toward the white building in front of him. That’s where the Senate was meeting.

By now, his father was likely sitting there in silence, blocking his ears with mana while the senators shouted.

He already knew what conclusion they would reach after the nobles discussed gains and losses. They would place blame on Count Franceses, Lian Flandre, and draw knights from each fiefdom.

Thus, they would join the “Alliance” summoned by the Empire.

The objective: to subdue the orcs dominating the eastern plains. The pretext was more than enough.

The orcs treated plundered humans as slaves and committed atrocities for sport. Using the excuse of wiping them out and paving the way eastward, the Empire had requested troops from all nations under its influence.

“Bullshit.”

The alliance would fail. Many knights, including Lian Flandre, would die in battle.

And with them, several talents that could’ve become threats to the Empire would fall too. The enraged orcs would then violently press the borders of each nation—except the Empire’s.

In his previous life, he hadn’t understood this, but later realized it had all been part of the Empire’s plan. In this life, he would not allow things to follow the same path.

Upon entering the building, the royal guard at the entrance greeted him.

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

“Thank you for your service, Kerry.”

“It’s nothing!”

Over the past five years, Yuri had become familiar with all the guards.

“What brings you here today?”

“That.”

Yuri gestured with his chin. From inside, shouting could be heard.

“Loud in there, huh?”

“Haha…”

“I’m just here to observe.”

“Will you be entering?”

“Yes.”

Kerry opened the way for him. Yuri walked down the hallway until he stood before the doors of the meeting chamber.

The voices grew clearer.

“It makes no sense for us to be the ones who—!”

“There are enough knights in that fiefdom to—!”

“You’re the ones refusing to listen to reason—!”

Yuri gave a bitter smile. Since its founding, Briol had been a kingdom of knights.

Under the banner of Erich Briol, fulfilling the knight’s duty as a noble was considered an honor. But that was history now.

These days, those nobles only wanted to keep what they had and seek more. And their end?

Yuri ran a hand over Guilty, the sword hanging at his waist. Like the knight who had given him that weapon, all of them ended buried, bleached bones in the earth.

Just as he was about to push the great door open—

“Wait a moment.”

Kerry, who had been following him, stopped him.

“Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

“You were about to kick the door, weren’t you?”

“No.”

“I saw it clearly. I’ll get in trouble if I let that happen. Please, have some consideration.”

“Then how am I supposed to open it?”

“With etiquette… knock first, please.”

“Alright.”

Yuri nodded. For now, he decided to go along with it.

He knocked gently.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Are you ignoring me?!”

“You’re the one not listening!”

The argument continued. He imagined his father sitting motionless, plugging his ears with mana.

He knocked again.

Knock, knock, knock.

No response. Only more shouting.

“Is there really a need to yell like that?”

He knocked once more.

Crash!

The door broke.

The nobles seated in a circle turned to look at him all at once. The two who had been arguing, standing up, also froze and stared at him.

One of the nearest nobles called out,

“Your Highness?”

He looked at the ground.

“The… the door…”

“Oh, sorry.”

Yuri apologized politely.

“I knocked several times, but no one answered. I accidentally used too much strength.”

“But how did you…”

Yuri was a swordsman who handled mana as if it were part of his body. Breaking a door wasn’t surprising. But this one was special.

The council chamber door was made of thick steel, designed to prevent disruptions even from knights. The fact that Yuri had shattered it with ease astonished everyone.

This was the moment his presence, after five silent years, etched itself into the nobles’ memories.

“Now that it’s broken, melt down that fine steel and make more swords. Ha ha.”

He tried to laugh, but no one joined in.

Yuri cleared his throat.

“I’ll be joining the meeting too.”

All eyes turned to the main seat. Fiore nodded.

Yuri stepped between two nobles near the door and took a seat. Both shifted uncomfortably.

“Mind if I sit here?”

“N-no…”

“Can I take that?”

“G-go ahead.”

“Tastes good. Here, have some of mine.”

He snatched up some of the snacks prepared for them and offered the cookies May had given him.

The room remained silent.

All eyes were on Yuri. With a drink in hand, he gestured with his chin.

“Carry on.”

“Uh…”

But no one dared to continue. So Yuri took the lead.

“You two—yes, the ones who were yelling. Stand up.”

“Eh?”

“Come on, keep going.”

The two stood up hesitantly. Earlier they had been shouting nonstop, but now that they had the floor, they were silent.

One of them began to speak timidly.

“Well… this…”

As he half-listened, Yuri glanced at a man sitting in a corner.

Lian Flandre. A great knight and father of Laurent.

In his past life, he had led Briol’s army. He hadn’t refused the post and returned only as a corpse.

They said his end was heroic. An admirable knight.

While Yuri pondered, the room’s noise swelled again.

Many things were said, but they all amounted to the same message:

“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to send troops.”

Faced with such blatant excuses, Yuri let out a sarcastic laugh.

Gennad, seated at the back, said nothing. He was clever. He knew it was best to stay out of moments like this.

Suddenly, his eyes met Fiore’s.

……

Though he seemed only skilled with a sword, his father could read hearts.

He seemed to have guessed why Yuri was there.

A subtle shadow crossed his expression.

Yuri gave him a confident smile.

Meanwhile, the nobles continued arguing.

“Then, the fiefs with more resources should send more knights…”

“And what’s the standard for ‘more resources’?”

“Obviously, tax revenue…”

Yuri raised his hand.

One by one, those arguing fell silent.

“…We must decide…”

The final words of one noble lingered in the air.

When he had everyone’s attention, Yuri spoke.

“I’ll go.”

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

“I said, I’ll go.”

Then their eyes widened. Yuri stood.

“I will personally join the Alliance.

So show your commitment. Fulfill your noble duty so the name of Briol does not fall into disgrace.”

An eighteen-year-old prince, still not of full age, had declared his participation.

As the nobles stared, dumbfounded, only Fiore responded to his declaration.

“May fortune be with you, my son.”

T:/N:

(1): (境界 of the Pure Hand).