Chapter 202: Revenge (2)

Yuri, upon returning to the capital, went directly to see Joshua. The events in Yuzes had already been reported.

Upon entering the throne room, the officials present began scolding Yuri.

“Prince, what you did was excessive.”

“Even if it was necessary, how could you behead a duke?”

“The feudal lords must be terrified.”

“You should have handled everything according to the law!”

Yuri merely shrugged.

Then the officials turned their complaints toward Joshua.

“Your Majesty, please speak to him directly. Even if he is of royal blood, there are laws and procedures to follow. If he starts swinging his sword as he pleases…”

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s right! Briol is a nation of knights, not barbarians!”

“I understand. I suppose I must scold him.”

Joshua stood up abruptly.

And with his arm, he swept away the documents stacked beside the throne.

“Yuri, you bastard!”

His voice echoed throughout the throne room.

“I wanted to be a compassionate king unlike our father, but you come and piss me off! Damn you…!”

And he took off his crown and began removing the accessories from his wrists.

“Everyone out!”

“E-excuse me?”

“I said get the hell out!”

The officials’ eyes trembled. Sure, they had provoked the situation, but they hadn’t expected such a violent reaction.

One word crossed their minds: chaos. Had the royal family of Briol, without Fiore or Cedric, become a total disaster?

Joshua, completely out of control, stomped on the ground while shouting at the top of his lungs.

“I said get out already! Move!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The officials rushed out of the throne room, lamenting the nation’s future.

“Is this the end of Briol’s fortune…?”

“I miss the previous king…”

“How can siblings be so savage to each other?”

As soon as the doors closed, the sound of something breaking could be heard. Not just one crash—there were repeated noises pounding their ears.

The officials shuddered.

“What could they be doing in there…?”

“But the prince is better at fighting, right?”

“You think he’s going to defend himself? He’ll probably let it slide…”

“Someone who beheaded a duke? I don’t know if he’ll hold back…”

“What if they change kings again…?”

“Worrisome, either way…”

Contrary to their fears, inside the room, the two brothers were chatting peacefully.

Whenever Joshua threw something, Yuri smashed it with his fist, creating the sounds heard outside.

“Eh, you really killed him?”

“Yeah.”

“How?”

“Sliced his neck with my sword.”

“That’s my brother.”

Joshua grinned wickedly.

“That fat pig, I’ve always hated him. He finally got what he deserved. He never imagined it would end like this, huh? How could he know my brother was such a grump?”

“Right. He probably thought the new king would stop me. He bet on the wrong person.”

Fiore and Cedric were gone, and Joshua had become king. Few truly understood what that meant.

Though they had changed over the years, their essence hadn’t. Two hooligans leading a country.

“Ahahahaha…”

“Hehehehe…”

Yuri grabbed a chair, sat across from Joshua, and crossed his legs.

Joshua asked:

“So, what do we do now?”

“About what?”

“Revenge for Dad and our brother! But I don’t know where to start…”

Joshua had relied heavily on Cedric, so Yuri had hidden the truth for a while to avoid worsening his shock.

For now, Joshua only knew it had been the work of a dark mage controlling the Empire from the shadows.

Yuri, tapping the hilt of Guilty, said:

“Brother, listen closely. The Empire will soon mobilize more troops.”

“But they’re already doing that.”

“Something worse is coming.”

Yuri looked at him seriously, hoping his words would truly sink in.

“A black army.”

“Black army?”

“They modify soldiers with dark magic, turning them into war machines incapable of feeling fear.”

“Sounds like a story from a novel.”

“Reality surpasses fiction.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I just do. Trust me.”

“Alright, I trust you.”

“We won’t be able to stop them with our strength alone.”

Yuri, having lived two lives, understood it clearly. No matter how strong one was, alone, you couldn’t win.

To face Cedric, an unprecedented dark mage, strength alone wouldn’t be enough.

All of humanity had to unite. And for that, rebuilding the now scattered alliance was essential.

“I’ll go to the Holy Kingdom. In the meantime, take care of Briol.”

“What’ll you do there?”

“I’ll convince Sybilla.”

“Don’t. That woman is completely insane. Do you know how brutal the war is over there? It’s a fight to the death.”

“If necessary, I’ll kill her to stop it.”

Joshua blinked in surprise at those words.

“Your ex?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Didn’t you two go out?”

“I already told you that was a lie.”

“I thought you denied it out of shame. You know, that ‘let’s leave the past behind’ thing adults say…”

“Where the hell did you read that? You’ve never even dated anyone…”

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you saying? Do you know how popular I am?”

“Sure, of course… Anyway, when will you hold the coronation ceremony?”

“What for?”

“Until you’re officially crowned, it won’t be known that Briol still stands. You need to formally ascend the throne so I can become crown prince and be called Your Highness.”

“You think I should do it…?”

“Yes. Once the coronation is done, I’ll go directly to the Holy Kingdom with my order of knights. Keep that in mind.”

“Got it… Ugh, this is stressing me out. Let’s break something else. I’m going to throw a chair.”

“It’s okay.”

***

The rumor that Joshua had harshly reprimanded Yuri spread throughout the capital.

Of course, those who knew them well didn’t believe it for a second, but at least on the surface, that was the story being circulated.

That’s why, when Joshua suddenly announced he would hold his coronation, many thought it was his way of taking the king’s authority seriously after scolding his younger brother.

In any case, the officials welcomed the decision.

“Now he’ll realize he’s the king.”

Although everyone had believed Cedric would inherit the throne, his disappearance left no other choice.

It was true that Cedric was outstanding, but when it came to talent, Joshua was in no way inferior. As a child, he had been mischievous, but once he matured, he showed remarkable academic achievements thanks to his exceptional intelligence.

Thus, Briol began preparing for the coronation ceremony. In the presence of assembled nobles and officials, Joshua appeared in the throne room.

Reciting the Briol oath as tradition dictated, he placed upon his head a crown more magnificent than the one he normally wore.

“Your Majesty. Congratulations on becoming the King of Briol.”

“Congratulations!”

Everyone paid him homage.

Yuri sat in a corner of the hall, watching silently.

In the past, he had thought that from that seat, he would witness Cedric’s coronation.

But that desire had completely vanished. Now, the brother he trusted most had become his worst enemy and stood in his way.

There was no alternative.

The road would be longer, but he wasn’t going to give up.

And seen in that light, Joshua becoming king wasn’t so bad either. Yuri clapped while looking at his smiling brother.

Behind him, Jared murmured softly.

“Your Highness… or rather, should I call you Your Majesty now?”

“Exactly.”

With Joshua as king, Yuri now became crown prince and had to be addressed as “Your Highness.”

“Ugh… that title doesn’t feel natural to me…”

“At this point?”

“It feels too distant, you know? He was just Your Highness, and now it’s Your Majesty…”

“Say it.”

“I… Your…”

“Your?”

“Your Majesty…”

“That’s it.”

“…Is an electric property of matter.”

“What are you saying?”

“It was a joke. Ow…”

“Then just call me brother.”

“Your Highness Yuri.”

“You brat…”

Considering what Yuri had experienced, Jared should actually call him something like big brother, but since he didn’t know, he reacted in horror as if it were an insult.

“So what’s the difference between Your Majesty and brother?”

“Your Majesty sounds like a title enforced by power, while brother feels like total submission from the heart.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

While they joked, Joshua sat on the throne and solemnly observed the hall.

Dressed in ceremonial attire and wearing the formal crown, he projected an authority different from usual.

The hall fell silent. Everyone awaited Joshua’s words, and then he spoke his first line.

“I hope some people are wrong, but…”

He began suddenly.

“…It is a clear fact that the Empire is our enemy.”

The hall fell into a deep silence.

With those words, the king was officially acknowledging that all the recent incidents in Briol had been caused by the Empire.

“However, for now, we don’t have the means to make them pay. Therefore, starting today, we will prepare for revenge. I will not allow Briol’s name to sink into humiliation.”

His eyes swept across the hall. Some were filled with anger, others licked their lips from the tension.

And then, his gaze landed on Yuri.

“As the first step, I entrust my younger brother, now Crown Prince Yuri Briol, and his Order of Vengeance, with a mission in the contested zones between Brusen and the Holy Kingdom. I delegate all my authority to him to act on my behalf, mediate between the two, and restore the alliance.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuri—who had been punching Jared in the stomach in a corner—dropped to one knee in a gesture of respect.

“I accept the royal command.”

***

While Yuri prepared to depart, others were continuing their own battles.

Duchess Maryrose of Valshard, and Hernando, who had temporarily parted ways with Yuri.

They were analyzing parchment fragments in Maryrose’s underground workshop, deep within Valshard.

At first, the dark magic within had prevented them from even approaching, but after continuous research, they had finally made some progress.

“So that’s why you called me…”

Inariel clicked his tongue.

“Because that thing was a cursed beast? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

The three of them were in Maryrose’s underground workshop.

“If we had, you would’ve attacked immediately, right?”

“…”

“Dark magic can even break the restraints of a great archmage. And with your temperament, you definitely would’ve charged right in. So pretty on the outside…”

“What did you say?”

“Say what?”

“That last thing you said…”

“I said nothing. Anyway, if you had, you wouldn’t have come out unharmed either.”

“I don’t lose.”

“It’s not an enemy you can face alone. Neither that man nor this abomination.”

Maryrose shrugged.

“In any case…”

In her workshop, gemstones embedded in the walls scattered rays of light.

The colors lit the interior, but the glass container in the center was different.

It seemed shrouded in dark mist, as if enveloped by shadow. Inside it was one of the parchment leaves Yuri had obtained.

“All the fragments are connected. Even if they’re separated from the book, the original can control them.”

“So they could manipulate the entire continent from Briol’s palace.”

“Exactly.”

Maryrose placed her hand on the container.

The darkness inside stirred, approaching her hand. With a metallic sound, the surface vibrated.

“The most chilling part is that the demonic grimoire has its own will. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say it harbors resentment.”

“Will?”

“Yes.”

Maryrose said,

“Using hyper-analysis techniques, I examined the information printed on the parchment. I almost lost my sanity, but I discovered this: the grimoire was created for a single purpose—to sow chaos in the world.”

“And that purpose is…?”

“Vengeance.”

“Vengeance?”

“Yes. Vengeance.”

Maryrose emphasized the word.

Inariel asked,

“Vengeance against what?”

She closed her eyes. As if recalling something dreadful, she shuddered before speaking.

“Do you know how much energy the final emotion of a murdered person holds? And where that energy goes?”

“You’re saying…?”

“Yes. I don’t know who created it, but this object is the result of gathering all the resentment floating around the world. It’s filled with hatred and grudge toward humanity. It is the essence of final breaths collected together.”

“So this monster…”

Maryrose withdrew her hand.

The darkness returned to its original form, swirling inside the glass.

“…is humanity’s remnant, and it seeks vengeance on humanity itself.”