Chapter 179: The Knights of Briol (1)

The imperial envoy entered the castle with arrogance, his eyes half-lidded as if looking down on everyone.

He carried something wrapped in red cloth with golden threads, likely a letter sent by the Emperor.

Yuri received him alongside his aides and the lord of Bezos Castle.

“I bring a message from His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Very well.”

Since Yuri wasn’t king, he sat half-leaning in the chair with a casual posture.

Around him, knights with swords at their waists watched the envoy closely.

For an official reception of an imperial message, the atmosphere was overly simple.

The envoy blinked slightly, then extended the letter.

“Wait.”

Yuri didn’t take it.

“You must show homage.”

His tone was like that of an adult scolding a child. His voice was soft and measured—so much so that it took the envoy a moment to understand the meaning of his words.

Seeing that the envoy remained still, Yuri repeated himself.

“Won’t you?”

He didn’t say it harshly or try to impose authority. He simply gestured with his eyes as if to remind him he had forgotten something.

After a brief silence, the envoy replied.

“The Empire is preparing for war with Briol.”

“And?”

“That means it no longer recognizes Briol’s royal authority.”

“Hm…”

Yuri nodded slightly.

“I see you have courage.”

“My duty ends with the delivery of this letter.”

“You know you’ll die if you don’t do it, right?”

The envoy blinked. It seemed he had never been treated this way before.

Normally, an envoy from the Empire was treated with distinction—especially if he brought a letter from the Emperor. Even a king would tread carefully.

But Yuri didn’t care.

Because he already knew just how insane the Empire would become.

“As you yourself said, we’re at war, aren’t we?”

There was no negotiating with the Empire.

The more you gave in, the more they demanded—until the entire continent was engulfed in flames.

There was nothing to gain by treating an envoy with respect. On the contrary, it might cause his own men to let their guard down and lose focus in battle.

Just as he had united the allied army by cutting off orc heads on the plains, Yuri was also ready to kill this envoy if necessary.

Yuri stood from his seat.

“I’ve got nothing against you. You’re doing your job, and I’m doing mine.”

He picked up Guilty, which was resting beside him.

“Since I don’t want this to become a hassle, I’ll be clear—either pay homage or die.”

As Yuri tapped the pommel of his sword, the envoy’s eyes trembled slightly.

Yuri’s demeanor wasn’t bravado. His intention to kill him was a purely rational judgment.

“Th-this…”

The envoy averted his gaze. Normally, a minister would step in and stop such a situation. That’s how feared the Empire was.

But none of the knights of Briol intervened. On the contrary, they looked down on him with their chins raised, as if demanding he humiliate himself already.

“I’d heard Briol was the land of knights, but this is barbaric.”

He tried to speak calmly, but ended up stuttering. Yuri laughed.

“And what do you think ‘land of knights’ means? It just means there are lots of guys who know how to swing a sword. Nothing special, right?”

Some around him burst into laughter. They looked like a gang of thugs.

The envoy closed his eyes and reopened them. He hadn’t come with solemn intentions.

As usual, he expected to deliver the letter and leave with an air of superiority.

But here, his logic didn’t apply.

“Jared.”

“Yes.”

“Looks like he has no intention. Bring him.”

“Understood.”

Jared approached the envoy with steady steps and, without the slightest hesitation, reached out. He grabbed him by the collar like a petty criminal and dragged him forward.

“W-wait a moment…!”

“Hmm?”

Everyone in the hall stopped and looked at him.

The envoy hesitated for a moment, then slowly lowered his head.

“As an envoy of the Empire… I p-present my r-respects to the Prince of Briol.”

And he bowed. It wasn’t a particularly dignified show of respect.

“Ah, what a shame.”

Yuri said as he pulled out a few gold coins from his pocket. The knights of Briol began passing the money around.

The envoy realized they had bet on how he would react.

“Th-this is…”

His face turned red from the humiliation. Yuri paid it no mind.

“Leave that there.”

“How rude… how dare you, a mere minor kingdom, treat an envoy of the Empire this way…?”

At that moment, the atmosphere shifted. The laughter vanished.

All the knights in the room fixed their gazes on the envoy. The pressure was so great that he stopped breathing.

Yuri stood up.

“Just because you showed respect once doesn’t mean insolence will be tolerated.”

He drew Guilty.

The envoy took a step back.

“What’s the matter? Dying only takes a moment. It’s no big deal.”

He spoke from experience. Yuri remembered clearly the moment when, in his previous life, Laurent had cut his throat.

It had taken only the blink of an eye.

“Now then…”

“I’ve gotten carried away.”

The envoy immediately lowered his head. He turned out to value his life more than he let on.

“With your permission, I’ll take my leave.”

“Hmm…”

Yuri sheathed his sword.

“Fine. I won’t show mercy again. Leave.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

And the envoy left the room without looking back. The knights burst out laughing.

“That guy definitely pissed himself.”

“No wonder he walked out all hunched over.”

They spoke like drunkards in a tavern—but they were all titled nobles.

Those who have set foot on the battlefield inevitably become rougher.

And it seemed they quite liked Yuri’s attitude.

“Prince, that was well done. Arrogant types like that need to be broken from the start.”

“We’ll end up fighting and shedding blood anyway. No reason to be polite.”

“As expected of His Majesty’s son.”

Laurent and Jared, however, wore doubtful expressions, as if unsure whether that was the right thing—but the others praised Yuri without hesitation.

“Well then…”

Yuri untied the string on the letter.

“Let’s see what the Emperor has to say.”

He lifted the cloth and read the contents. But there really wasn’t anything special.

It was so brief that Yuri let out a little chuckle.

“That’s it?”

“What does it say?”

Yuri held out the message for everyone to see. Everyone present wore uncomfortable expressions.

“Hmm…”

The contents were short.

「Surrender.」

That was all.

However, what unsettled everyone wasn’t the message itself.

“The Emperor…”

One of the nearby knights spoke up.

“He really does seem to be sick.”

The fact that the letter was wrapped in red cloth and sealed with golden threads indicated it was a personal message written directly by the Emperor.

And yet, the handwriting was strange.

Some letters looked like they had been written by a child—weakly and disorderly—while others were so heavily pressed it seemed the writer had gripped the pen with extreme force.

The shifting tone in each word created a disturbing sensation for anyone who read it.

It was, quite literally, the handwriting of a madman.

Yuri examined the letter. His eyes were already peering into the soul’s domain.

The darkness of black magic was so thick it could be seen visually. Yuri concluded that the Emperor had been completely consumed by black magic.

The Emperor—Ivar. The emperor he had met in this life hadn’t seemed like a bad person.

He had even shown a simple side, capable of making silly jokes. But that Ivar no longer existed.

Yuri closed the letter, silently offering his condolences. He didn’t feel right continuing to look at it.

“He won’t last long.”

He murmured those words.

The next emperor would be Eugen—and he was a terrifying monster with an evident mastery of black magic.

“There was something strange, though.”

One of the knights behind him spoke.

It was Ainzer Yustam, lord of the Matehorn region.

Though he had a bit of a belly, he was sturdy and experienced. House Yustam was one of the most prestigious in Briol.

“I met the Emperor some time ago. Back then, he seemed like a decent man. When he suddenly started doing crazy things, I thought he’d been poisoned by something.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. They said he lost his mind from poisoning, and it seems to be true.”

“That’s something that can’t be helped.”

Yuri rose from his seat.

“Some things just happen.”

“True enough.”

“Well then, let’s prepare.”

Yuri spoke with a firm tone.

“Since we treated the envoy so poorly, it’s likely the other side will start getting ready too. They might begin the war right away. Some of us here may not be around tomorrow. Has everyone written their will?”

Laughter erupted. Jared, who stood beside him, shook his head.

He didn’t quite understand that kind of joke.

Not only Yuri, who made them effortlessly, but also the older knights who enjoyed them so naturally—it all seemed strange to him.

Ainzer responded to Yuri’s joke with good humor.

“No need for a will, Prince.”

“Do you get along with your children?”

“No. Quite badly, actually.”

“And still no will?”

“That’s exactly why. When I die, they’ll fight over the inheritance, and the loser will come visit me first. Isn’t that the truly filial child?”

“Ah, now I see you’re a very wise father.”

“Hahahahaha!”

More laughter burst forth. For being on the eve of war, the mood was surprisingly cheerful.

Jared, who had been quiet, tried to join in on the conversation.

“By the way, I think we’ll be able to eat more tomorrow.”

Everyone turned to look at him. One of the knights asked:

“And why’s that?”

Jared beamed and delivered a line.

“Because there’ll be fewer mouths to feed. After all, you can’t put rice in the mouths of the dead, right? Hahahaha!”

Jared laughed alone. His laughter faded slowly.

“Ha… ha…”

The atmosphere turned icy.

The cold stares of the knights pierced his chest like knives.

“So you’re saying we’re all going to die tomorrow?”

“Ah, that… no…”

“If half of us die, you’ll have a double feast tomorrow, is that it?”

“No, it was just a j-joke…”

“Sounds like you’re hoping we drop dead, huh?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Jared turned pale.

“If I’ve offended anyone, I’m sorry…”

At that moment, everyone burst into laughter.

“Wahahahahaha!”

“Double portion, he says! This guy’s got guts!”

“If I die, you can have my special ration! Hahaha!”

“Kid, you’re bold! No matter who dies, we’ll get you twice as drunk!”

One of the knights clapped him hard on the back while laughing.

“I thought you were a goody-two-shoes, but you’ve got some spark!”

It was a joke, too. Jared let out a relieved smile and laughed along, a bit awkwardly.

They were truly hard people to understand.

How could a prince as young as the king’s third son get along so well with people like this? Jared glanced at him, and Yuri silently winked with a smile.

Yuri stood up.

“Well, that’s enough joking. Now something serious—take care of yourselves tomorrow. Not just you, but also the rest of our troops. This war may drag on. Who knows, we might even end up planting Briol’s flag in the imperial palace and drinking there. And if we do, we all have to be alive to celebrate it together.”

“Yes, sir!”

Yuri’s words raised the morale even more.

The whole room was boiling with enthusiasm. But someone leaning against the wall was lost in thought.

“…”

It was Laurent.

Because of his Flandre upbringing, this kind of atmosphere felt foreign to him, and he was still worried about Cedric.

From an outside perspective, it might seem like he was worrying too much. If it were someone else acting like him, Laurent would’ve told them not to overthink it.

But he couldn’t shake that feeling.

“Lian must be proud. To have such a handsome son.”

A knight came up to him. He was an acquaintance of Lian Flandre, Laurent’s father.

Laurent smiled.

“Yes. Thank you for your words.”

“And how is Lian?”

“He’s well. I’m told it’s nothing serious.”

“That’s good to hear. Laurent—or rather, Sir Laurent—please take care.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind. But feel free to call me whatever you like.”

“Alright, Laurent. I saw you many times as a child.”

“I vaguely remember.”

With those words, Laurent turned his gaze to the window.

A lone bird was flying across the sky.