Chapter 207: Friends (5)

Yuri reflexively turned Guilty.

White feathers scattered.

Flap.

With a flutter, a white bird flew and perched on Sybilla’s shoulder.

He had thought someone grabbed him by the nape, but it had only been the bird brushing against him.

Sybilla greeted him.

“Hi. Long time, huh?”

“Sybilla. Since when are you a bird tamer?”

“Things happen. And you? Since when do you pretend to be a mouse?”

Her attitude made it clear—she had known of Yuri’s presence from the start.

“You were well hidden.”

“And you’re pretty good at pretending to be a king.”

“Pretending?”

Sybilla lifted her chin.

“I’m not pretending. I’m the real queen.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what I said—it doesn’t look like it.”

“What are you playing at?”

Sybilla stared at him, then sighed.

“Ah, I shouldn’t get carried away. Yuri Briol. You’ve always been like this.”

“Now you’re pretending to be calm. You’re not only good at playing queen.”

“Get to the point. Stop playing with words.”

“I am getting to the point. Why are you pretending to be queen?”

“I already said. I am the queen.”

“Larsson was the king.”

“That bastard’s dead.”

Sybilla shot him a sharp glare.

“You came all this way, sneaking in like a rat, just to pick a fight? You should be thankful I’m even talking to an intruder like you.”

“Fine.”

Yuri accepted it without complaint.

He had a habit of provoking with words when he was at a disadvantage.

“I just want to ask one thing. Why are you attacking Brusen?”

“So that’s why you came?”

“Not really. The friendship that binds us, and the concern I feel for you, are more important reasons. But since I’m here, I figured I’d ask.”

“How considerate.”

While they spoke, Glutenshtein remained curled up in a corner.

Sybilla looked at him with disdain and answered.

“Alas belongs to us.”

“That’s your entire reason?”

“What more reason do I need?”

“For example, that the Empire proposed you assassinate Larsson, take the throne, and then attack Brusen.”

“Ha…”

“Oh, no reply. So it’s true.”

“I’m not replying because it’s absurd.”

“That’s not like you.”

“What nonsense are you spewing?”

“Were you the one who tore out that friend’s tongue?”

“Calling it a decision would be an understatement. I just did it.”

Sybilla stared harshly again at Glutenshtein.

“It’s all that bastard’s fault.”

“I see.”

Yuri crossed his arms and approached the bars.

Sybilla didn’t seem different from how he remembered her. She was the same Sybilla he had known.

And yet, something didn’t feel right.

A deep unease flickered in his eyes. His gaze delved into the realm of the soul.

That place was no longer a dark cell—through his incandescent white vision, Yuri saw the essence.

The figures of Sybilla and Glutenshtein glowed faintly.

Then Yuri returned to reality.

“What did you just do?”

“Hmm?”

“You just… something…”

“What would I do? I was just staring at how pathetic you and that dwarf look…”

Yuri clicked his tongue.

“Sybilla.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry about your situation. I understand why you’d seek revenge. But my enemy is the Empire. To stop it, we can’t allow the alliance with your kingdom to break. We can’t allow a conflict with Brusen using Alas as a pretext.”

“And what are you going to do about it?”

Yuri remembered the first time he met her.

The Sybilla now wasn’t so different from the one who used to wear invisible armor to make herself feel bigger.

“I’ll stop you.”

“You? How?”

“You’ll know soon enough. And also…”

Yuri, arms crossed, stared intently at her face.

“…”

Sybilla was thrown off by his intense gaze.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Yuri didn’t respond. His eyes remained fixed on her in total silence.

Sybilla blushed.

“If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“Sybilla.”

“What?”

“Do you remember the wish voucher?”

Some time ago, Sybilla had received a wish voucher in exchange for pretending to be Yuri’s girlfriend.

Several had already been issued, and Yuri was concerned about not knowing how to retrieve them.

“Use it now.”

“Hmm?”

“Looks like our paths have diverged. The voucher’s about to expire. If you plan to use it, it’s now or never.”

Sybilla stared at him. Their eyes locked.

She said nothing.

Yuri nodded.

“Alright. That’s the end of it.”

With those words, Yuri turned and began descending the stairs.

Sybilla spoke.

“Did I say I’d let you leave so easily?”

But her words lacked strength. Yuri simply waved goodbye.

Glutenshtein, who had been silent, started shouting again.

He seemed convinced Yuri would save him.

“Uuuuh! Uuuuh!”

“What a racket. You take care of the dwarf.”

***

Yuri failed to convince Sybilla, so the plan was set into motion more quickly.

Yuri, accompanied by Jared, Simon, and Guinness, headed with the secret organization toward the place where the dwarves’ treasure was supposedly hidden.

It was a mountain not far from the royal castle.

There were already Holy Kingdom soldiers watching the area, but not many, so sneaking in wasn’t difficult.

Inside the mountain, there was a cave.

“Weren’t you supposed to convince her?”

“Excuse me?”

“I heard you just went there to argue with her.”

Francesco spoke to Yuri, who was watching the cave entrance from their hiding spot.

“What are you talking about?”

“You just threw barbs at each other. You never showed her what you truly felt. Your sincerity.”

“I don’t get what you mean.”

“I just mean that’s no way to talk things out. Neither you nor that queen are very good at socializing.”

“Me?”

Yuri let out a short laugh.

“And how would you have convinced her, Mr. Francesco?”

“Oh, Sybilla. I understand how you feel. I would’ve done the same in your place. Anyone would have.”

“What?”

“At the very least, you should’ve said that.”

“And what would that have accomplished?”

“Um…”

“Huh…”

They both sighed at the same time.

“By the way, are we sure Sybilla will come here?”

“She’ll come in person. She doesn’t trust anyone.”

Yuri nodded.

“I’m curious about this supposed treasure.”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

The cave entrance was also guarded by Holy Kingdom soldiers, but Umstein knew of another tunnel that led inside.

Yuri’s group crawled through a narrow passage just wide enough for one person, until they finally entered the cave.

And there they found something.

“This is…”

Yuri lit a torch.

There was a massive block the size of a house, with a perfectly smooth surface. It shimmered with black, silver, and occasionally a reddish gleam.

When looked at closely, it resembled the night sky.

“What exactly is this?”

Yuri had imagined some kind of legendary weapon when he heard it was a dwarven treasure. But what lay before him was just a beautiful rock.

Umstein answered:

“A meteorite.”

“Excuse me?”

Yuri’s eyes widened.

“It’s a meteorite. When they fall, we dwarves retrieve them. They contain minerals not found on this earth.”

“And this is one of them?”

“Yes. And it was a completely unexpected discovery. No one imagined a meteorite this large would be composed of the metal we dwarves value most.”

“And what is it?”

“The legendary metal. We call it orichalcum.”

“Ah…”

Yuri had heard the name before, but thought it was just fantasy.

“The dwarves discovered it?”

“Yes. My brother and I found what our ancestors had hidden here. But that idiot brother of mine tried to use it as a bargaining chip and offered it to the king of the Holy Kingdom… well, the queen.”

“Ah…”

“Seriously, what an idiot…”

Yuri stared at the orichalcum, stunned.

“And what can be made with it?”

“Anything.”

It was Jared who replied.

“Weapons too?”

“Of course. With this, you could forge a weapon capable of slicing through the toughest steel like butter.”

“Wow…”

The meteorite was large enough to forge a good number of weapons.

Yuri murmured.

“If we use this to make weapons, we might even reach the Empire…”

At that moment, a commotion came from the cave entrance. Yuri’s group hid behind a tall rock formation.

“Today wasn’t supposed to be the queen’s day, right?”

“That’s what we thought…”

There was still time before the day they had anticipated. And yet, Sybilla appeared suddenly.

She arrived with a group of knights who entered the cave with her.

Behind her, Glutenshtein was dragged along.

Umstein clenched his fists.

“Khuh…”

Sybilla gazed at the meteorite in awe.

“This is the meteorite?”

“Ugh ugh…”

Glutenshtein nodded.

Sybilla touched the surface with her fingertips.

The meteorite gave off a strange glow. Both Yuri and Umstein opened their eyes wide in surprise.

Sybilla caressed it slowly, then smiled as she nodded.

“It’s perfect.”

Then she gave her subordinates an order.

“All of you, out.”

“Excuse me?”

“I want to be alone. Wait outside until I call you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, you stay.”

Sybilla kept Glutenshtein with her.

Once the other knights left, Sybilla turned to the dwarf.

“Can you refine this?”

“Ugh…”

“Good. Then, can you shape it the way I want?”

She extended her hand.

Then something bizarre happened. From her fingertips, black energy, like mist, emerged and formed an unknown figure in the air.

It was a creature with tentacles.

“I’m asking if you can make this.”

Glutenshtein nodded. He was so terrified he could barely discern the figure.

“I see…”

Yuri, watching it all, muttered:

“Should we do it now?”

“What?”

Francesco asked, confused.

They hadn’t come to fight. They only meant to scout the cave and plan the attack.

As they were, they didn’t have the strength to face Sybilla.

“Mr. Francesco. It’s not that we can’t fight, right?”

“True, but…”

Though he had lost much of his power, Francesco still had combat strength.

Yuri said.

“Sybilla has been corrupted by dark magic.”

That day, in the soul domain, he had seen a black core growing inside Sybilla.

She was already tainted by dark magic.

And it was all his brother Cedric’s doing.

“If we leave her alone, she’ll only grow stronger. And we have no idea what she plans to do with that meteorite. We must stop her before she causes a disaster.”

Sybilla wanted to turn that meteorite into a monstrous statue. There was no understanding her intentions.

That’s why Yuri wanted to stop her as soon as possible.

“It’s risky…”

“And even if a few more knights came, it wouldn’t change anything.”

With that, Yuri unleashed the Cut of the soul and the heart. His mana began to swirl around him.

Francesco’s expression completely changed.

“You…?”

Though he no longer had his former power, he had once been a Holy Knight among the Ten Greats.

He immediately recognized Yuri’s strength.

“You’re much stronger than I expected.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Sybilla must have sensed his energy too.

A thick darkness suddenly filled the entire cave. Yuri straightened.

With the Cut of the soul and the heart at full force, the black energy pressing down on them was blown away.

“Sybilla. Hello again.”

“Yuri Briol.”

Sybilla scowled.

“You were hiding there? You came all the way here? And with those rats?”

Yuri shrugged.

“And you? Changed tastes? Gonna make a statue as hideous as that? Why not use me as a model? I swear my face used to be more your type.”

“Nonsense.”