Chapter 174: Succession (2)

Yuri was sitting at a table in the royal palace gardens, talking with Joshua.

“Do you realize how important the division of labor is?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“If a country wants to grow stronger, it first has to promote efficient production through specialization, and then establish a proper trade structure to facilitate the exchange of produced goods.”

“Understand.”

“Let’s say there’s a farmer named Jason and a fisherman named Pietro.”

“Hmm…”

“If the farmer starts fishing and the fisherman starts farming, do you think the country will run well? What they should do is each focus on what they do best, and then trade…”

“I already told you I get it!”

Joshua was sharing with Yuri the knowledge he had learned at the Française Academy.

He passionately insisted that, to achieve prosperity and strength for the country, trade and exchange had to be developed.

Yuri shook his head as he listened.

“Alright. I get that trade is important.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“But hey. Right now…”

Yuri pointed behind him. It was to the northwest. From that direction, the main army of the Empire was approaching Briol.

“Don’t you think the priority is stopping those coming from over there?”

“Military power comes from economic power.”

“But don’t you think it’s a bit late to strengthen the economy right now?”

“Tch.”

Joshua let out a sigh.

“Just when I finally decided to study, those Imperials come to oppress me…”

Yuri looked at him with a slight smile. Even so, he found it admirable. He was his younger brother, with whom he had wasted his life in the previous one, and that gave him a certain affection.

Now, seeing him working so hard, he felt relieved. If he used that head of his not for bad things, but for good, he could undoubtedly achieve great things in the future.

Yuri took a sip of tea and said,

“And all that about policies, tell it to my father, not me.”

“I already did. But he found it annoying. A monarch should listen to his subordinates’ suggestions… Our father, as a king, is a bit…”

“Hmm…”

It was hard to argue. In fact, in the previous life, part of the reason Joshua wasted his talent was their father Fiore’s indifference.

If he had encouraged him to use his mind properly, he might have achieved something great.

“And what if you tell Cedric, our older brother?”

“He already knows everything.”

Joshua shook his head.

“No matter what I tell him, he already knows. Even if it’s something he doesn’t know, just mentioning it once, he understands the rest on his own. It’s not even fun explaining things to him anymore.”

“That’s true…”

Even if he didn’t take the initiative, Cedric was undoubtedly a genius. A once-in-a-century kind of genius. He stood out in every field.

Even though he hadn’t held a sword in a long time, he was surely still stronger than most knights.

And when it came to studies, he was even more brilliant. Since childhood, he had left scholars speechless.

“Hmm…”

Yuri scratched his chin. Maybe, for the future of Briol, the best thing would be for Cedric to take the throne soon.

Their father had never been particularly interested in ruling.

“Well, in any case, sooner or later he’ll become king…”

Sooner or later, Cedric would be king. And just that thought gave Yuri peace.

Everyone is born with different talents, but Yuri knew no one more suited to reign than Cedric.

Not just in knowledge, but in character, he had no flaws. If there were a list of the ten essential qualities of a king, Cedric would be on the same level as someone like Fiore.

That’s how highly Yuri thought of his brother.

Yuri said.

“Listening to you, I’ve come to a clear conclusion.”

“What is it?”

“Cedric has to become king as soon as possible. Shall we make a move to help him?”

“Hahaha…”

Joshua leaned back in the chair as he laughed.

“Idiot. If you said something like that elsewhere, it’d be treason. Are you planning to usurp the throne?”

“It’s not a usurpation, it’s a succession. And even if I say that, Briol’s fine.”

As long as Fiore was around, it was impossible for anyone to seize the throne by force.

Joshua spoke.

“In fact, there are already rumors circulating that our father might abdicate soon.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“I don’t remember. But it’s known that our father is tired of the throne.”

“Hmm…”

“Seems like he’s waiting for the right moment.”

Yuri nodded. Seeing it that way, it was good news.

No, better said…

Yuri smiled. It was excellent news.

“The more I think about it, the better it is.”

“This guy…”

Joshua frowned, then burst out laughing.

“Right?”

“Yeah. If we win this war, Briol will be an incredible country. And you’ll help our older brother, right?”

“And you?”

“I’ve got no talent for anything other than fighting with a sword.”

“Then do your best to get there before Father dies. That way the Empire won’t be able to attack us again.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Yuri and Joshua talked about Briol’s future under Cedric’s reign. Neither of them was interested in becoming king, but they agreed they wanted to support Cedric from their respective positions.

At that moment, Jared approached.

“Prince, everything is ready, as you ordered.”

“Really?”

Yuri, who had been talking with Joshua, stood up from his seat.

“Then, I’m off, brother.”

“Sure. You’ve got a lot to do. The war’s about to start.”

“And you don’t have to do anything?”

“What are you saying? An intellectual like me will hide in a corner. You’re the one who has to wield the sword.”

“Such shamelessness. Well, I’m off.”

“Go.”

Joshua waved his hand.

After saying goodbye, Yuri walked away from the garden with Jared and strolled through the palace.

Yuri asked.

“Did you get the permit?”

“Yes.”

Recently, Yuri had sent Jared to request permission to visit the Conservation Archive inside the palace library. Ancient documents were stored there, so access was restricted.

Originally, Yuri hadn’t intended to go that far, but after accepting the chaos inside him, he changed his mind.

He wanted to gather more information about Erich Briol, the creator of the “Cut the soul and the heart.”

That’s why he decided to visit the Conservation Archive.

“Before, even if I wanted to go, I couldn’t. There’s a limit on people.”

“Limit?”

“Yes. Only one. One person.”

The archive only allowed one person at a time, and with special requirements.

“Before, it was like Cedric lived inside there.”

“Ah…”

“He’d already read all the palace books, so he ended up there.”

“And he doesn’t go anymore?”

“Looks like he already read everything.”

“Impressive.”

“Isn’t it?”

When Yuri had just obtained the Cut of the soul and the heart, he had tried to visit the Conservation Archive to research Erich Briol, but gave up.

It was hard to get permission, and besides, Cedric was already occupying the place. It didn’t seem like he’d find truly useful information there.

Yuri soon arrived at the palace library. A librarian came out to greet him.

“Prince, it’s a pleasure to see you after so long.”

“Was that a double meaning?”

“I said it because I’m genuinely glad to see you. Hahaha.”

“Have you been well all this time?”

“Of course.”

Guided by the librarian, Yuri descended to the Conservation Archive in the basement. There was a slight scent of dust, but the overall atmosphere was cool and pleasant.

Jared whistled softly.

“The air here is pretty good.”

“Various systems have been installed to preserve the books. Doesn’t the air feel very clean?”

The librarian smiled as he inserted a key into the lock.

“Security also has multiple layers so no one can enter without authorization. It’s a very valuable place. I hope you find the knowledge you seek, Prince.”

When the door opened, a long staircase leading down appeared. Jared decided to wait at the entrance, and Yuri descended alone into the basement.

The Conservation Archive wasn’t visually much different from the upper floor, except it housed very old books. As he moved toward the interior, he found a table surrounded by shelves on all sides.

When he placed his fingers on it, they were covered in a light layer of dust.

From what he knew, almost no one had entered there after Cedric. Cedric had probably read books at that table and studied in his own way.

“Hmm…”

‘What sort of things might my brother have read and studied here?’

Yuri smiled as he glanced around.

Cedric was very orderly, so he didn’t expect to find any traces of him, but just in case, he peeked under the table.

“There’s nothing.”

Yuri straightened up and looked around. The Conservation Archive wasn’t particularly organized. There was no way to know immediately where to find information about Erich Briol.

He began walking between the shelves, scanning the titles. Most looked like boring books.

“This place is huge…”

He looked for books about the ancient royal families or ones that mentioned Erich Briol.

Above all, he wanted to find accounts of when he had gone to the East. Some appeared, but they didn’t contain information as detailed as what Yuri wanted.

Then he subtly raised the Cut the soul and the heart.

And over it, he covered the power with chaos.

A murky energy fluctuated over his palm and then vanished.

Chaos. He needed some clue about this dangerous and overflowing power.

“There won’t be something…”

At that moment, Yuri felt something and turned his head.

The archive’s shelves completely covered the walls, so nothing beyond could be seen, but he felt something… A barely perceptible sensation that only someone with extremely sharp perception could notice.

Yuri approached the spot in question. The old books were densely aligned.

He took a book from a shelf at chest height. As he did so, a wooden surface was revealed. It was part of the shelf, and the wall beyond couldn’t be seen.

Yuri completely emptied the books from that compartment.

Then he found something.

“Hmm…”

Behind the shelf was a small hole, and the archive’s gray brick wall became visible.

Yuri touched the section with his hand. There was a resonance.

“…”

The archive, being excavated underground, shouldn’t have produced that kind of echo. That meant there was a space beyond.

“A hollow…”

The mere fact that a hole existed was already strange. Yuri removed all the books from that shelf and stacked them on the floor.

More holes appeared behind the shelf. There was one in each compartment.

“Hmm…”

With a strange and inexplicable feeling, Yuri knocked on the wall through each of the holes, from top to bottom.

Then, he heard a click coming from inside.

Yuri swallowed. He had come to the archive expecting nothing out of the ordinary, but this was an unexpected twist.

He pressed one end of the shelf.

Ku-goong.

With a heavy sound, the brick wall began to slowly turn. It was a revolving door.

Since the bricks were thick, the passage was narrow, but it clearly connected to another space.

The interior was so dark that nothing could be seen. Yuri took a lamp hanging on the wall and entered.

The spacious interior looked like a storeroom, with various objects.

There were swords, armor, and other items, and on the shelves were books written in languages he had never seen before. He also found chests full of gold, silver, and jewels.

“What is this place?”

Even in his past life, when he had fled the palace through a secret passage, Yuri had never known about this place’s existence.

As he walked through the interior, he soon stopped in front of a specific spot.

There was a glass display case clearly built to preserve something. At first glance, it was very sturdy, and it seemed to be magically protected, as it had magical stones embedded in it.

But the contents were gone.

“What was here…?”

The moment he placed his fingers on the glass, a small spark occurred. It wasn’t painful enough to pull his hand away, but it was noticeable.

At some point, the display case had been protected to prevent anyone from touching its contents, but it seemed that for some reason, that system had deteriorated.

At most, only a faint sensation of magical tingling remained. Yuri examined the display case from all sides.

“Did someone take it?”

He couldn’t know more. With a slight tilt of his head, Yuri turned and checked a nearby shelf.

Suddenly, he noticed that one book stuck out slightly.

He pulled it out and opened it.

The pages unfolded haphazardly until they stopped on a specific one.

There was a sentence underlined by someone.