Chapter 210: The Game of Thrones (1)

Sybilla’s death was announced several days later.

Given how destructive her recent actions had been, the high command of the Holy Kingdom received the news with a sense of relief deep down.

They hoped the new king would restore the Holy Kingdom to its proper course.

But before that, chaos was inevitable.

Who would become the next monarch?

Members of the royal family who had remained in the shadows until now began to raise their heads little by little. The nobles supporting them also began moving cautiously.

A silent and bloody war for the throne was about to begin.

***

“Bring me someone decent.”

Yuri said this as he basked in the sun, seated at a tea table in the garden.

He was currently staying at Francesco’s estate.

“Anyone sensible and brave enough to stand up to the Empire. Let’s put that person on the throne.”

In front of Yuri sat Francesco, Fenek, and Umstein.

Francesco shrugged.

“Yuri, you know? There are fewer sensible humans than you think.”

“True. Even at this table, there aren’t many.”

“Me?”

“I said there are few at this table.”

“But I…”

“And you should also withdraw your troops from Alas.”

Yuri shrugged as well. Francesco rested his chin in his hand, deep in thought.

“Do you think Brusen will accept that?”

“I’ll talk to them. If they’re promised that no one will touch Alras again, they’ll probably accept.”

“You have good relations with Brusen?”

“I was quite popular during the alliance.”

“But Alas originally belonged to the Holy Kingdom…”

“Better that than losing everything to the Empire. You saw Sybilla. The Empire is doing absurd things. Senseless plans. This is no time to fight over territory like Alas.”

“Hmm…”

Francesco murmured. After witnessing the nature of black magic firsthand through Sybilla, he couldn’t contradict Yuri.

After all, they had turned a queen into a monster.

An event that could literally plunge the entire continent into chaos.

“Even so, it’s not like you can just name a king because you feel like it…”

“With the support of the Holy Knight, it’s enough, isn’t it?”

Yuri looked directly at Francesco.

“If you step forward, you can establish a new king. You’re a symbolic figure of the Holy Kingdom.”

“I already told you. I can’t fight like before.”

“That doesn’t matter. Your name alone carries weight. At least make the effort.”

“I’m finished. No one will recognize me, and politics exhaust me.”

“Hahaha…”

Yuri let out a dry laugh. Then he looked back and forth between Francesco and Fenek with sharp eyes.

A powerful pressure began to emanate from his body.

“Sir Francesco. And you too, Fenek.”

Yuri placed his fingertips on the table.

“When Sybilla was cornered, you all just watched. And when she couldn’t take it anymore and stepped forward, you tried to kill her. In the end, I was the one who had to clean it up. And now that she’s dead, you’re just washing your hands of it? If another fool takes the throne, are you just going to kill him too?”

At those words, Francesco scratched his head, trying to justify himself.

“What happened with Sybilla was regrettable. But we didn’t know it would get that far…”

“What do you mean you didn’t know? Everyone saw how Larsson tried to sell her to that damned dwarf. You knew that as long as she endured everything, everything would remain peaceful. So you expected her to sacrifice herself and pretended not to see. And to be honest, I bet you were hoping to get the orihalcum in exchange for handing her over, weren’t you?”

“What are you saying?! That’s not true! We never—”

“Then act right now.”

Yuri stared coldly at him.

“From my point of view, this secret organization is a joke. When Sybilla needed help, you stayed quiet. And when the fire reached your feet, you teamed up to kill a girl. And now you’re blaming Sybilla? If I were in her place, I would’ve done the same. I would’ve allied with a demon just to destroy all of you.”

Silence filled the air.

Jared, Simon, and Guinness, standing behind Yuri, added to the gravity of the moment with their serious expressions.

Umstein, who had been silently listening to everything, finally broke the silence.

“This kid’s right. Didn’t I tell you? That we couldn’t let my brother, Glutenshtein, roam free. But no one listened. And then watching you scramble to fix everything was pathetic. If someone told me I had to be sold to a foreign race, I’d also prefer a pact with black magic.”

“Huff…”

Francesco sighed, then nodded.

“You’re right. You’re not wrong. We can’t say we’re free of blame. Me neither.”

“I’m not here to judge you for the past. What I’m saying is that at least from now on, let’s do everything we can. All of us.”

“Yes… They’ll call me a relic of the past for interfering, but I’ll have to endure it.”

“If all it takes is some mockery to stop us, then let’s bear it all. And also…”

Yuri stood up from his seat.

“If you’re already a relic, then just return to the field as an asset.”

“What?”

“You said you can’t handle mana, right?”

“That’s right. I can’t anymore…”

“I’ll make you able to.”

“What?”

Yuri’s eyes turned deep.

“I can see it.”

When Francesco told him he could no longer handle mana, Yuri had a strange hunch and examined his body within the domain of the Cut of the soul and the heart.

A black energy was blocking his core.

“Black magic energy is obstructing Sir Francesco’s core.”

“What are you talking about? I lost my mana long ago.”

“Exactly. That means black magic had already reached out back then. They planned it well in advance.”

Based on all the information gathered so far, Cedric had learned black magic through the demonic grimoire hidden by Erich Briol.

Yuri didn’t know exactly when it started, but he wouldn’t have been surprised if it had begun long ago.

Cedric had been brilliant since childhood.

“In any case, there’s a way. I can’t do it right now, but I’ll help you.”

“Really?”

“Why would I lie?”

Yuri looked at Francesco.

“I’ve already said it. We need to do everything we can. That includes me. If Sir Francesco regains his power, my job becomes easier. That’s how dire the situation is.”

At that, Fenek reacted with enthusiasm.

“If that’s true, it would be a huge help. If Sir Francesco regains his power… can it be done right away?”

“Not now. But I know a magician who’s researching black magic. When I meet up with him, I think he can do it. I should see him soon.”

Yuri could destroy black magic energy, but he couldn’t physically extract it from the human body.

However, if it was Hernando—the one researching black magic and scrolls—he might be able to temporarily extract that dark energy from Francesco’s body.

Unlike with Sybilla, the black magic hadn’t fully fused with his body yet, so it was still possible.

“Then, do you have anyone in mind to propose as king?”

“Hmm…”

Francesco and Fenek looked at each other. Then they exchanged a subtle glance with Umstein.

Yuri tilted his head, confused.

“What’s going on?”

“There is someone… but we don’t know if he’ll accept. Though if he does, he’d do well.”

“Who?”

“Luther.”

At first, Yuri didn’t know who they meant, but then his eyes widened.

“The youngest one?”

Luther was the name of the young man who had played the role of the youngest among the three brothers who had approached him at the tavern looking for a fight.

He remembered his carefree face, like someone who claimed to live without worries or troubles.

“He’s of royal blood?”

“He is of royal blood, and also a candidate for pope.”

“Candidate for pope?”

Yuri was still surprised.

“Yes, don’t you remember how he joked at first saying he was the pope…?”

“He’s not, but he was one of the saints considered as a future pope.”

The “saints” were the candidates for the papacy selected by the temple.

They had to have deep faith, an upright character, and exceptional talent in sacred law.

“Even though he gave himself to the temple, his lineage is solid.”

“And his abilities too.”

“But we don’t know if he wants to do it…”

Then Yuri said,

“I’ll make him want to.”

“You?”

“Yes. Where is Luther now?”

Yuri stood up from his seat.

“The human heart isn’t that complicated. If you put a sword to someone’s neck and ask ‘do you want to be king or die?’, they’ll choose to be king. Who wouldn’t?”

Umstein, who was listening from the side, burst out laughing.

“You speak very entertainingly. Is that typical of the Briols?”

***

“Either die, or become king.”

Contrary to what Umstein thought, Yuri really did put a sword to Luther’s neck and threatened him.

“A-ah…!”

Luther, completely confused, looked around with wide eyes.

“Your Highness…?”

“I was told you have royal blood.”

“Y-yes, but…”

“Look me in the eyes.”

Luther looked at him.

“Do I look like someone sane?”

“No…”

Yuri brought the sword closer.

“Ah! Why? What’s wrong with you?!”

“I didn’t like your answer.”

“But it was what you asked…!”

“Anyway, you’re going to become king.”

“I belong to the temple! I’m a saint!”

“And do you think I’d be here with a sword to your neck if I didn’t know that?”

“N-no, of course not…”

Luther swallowed hard.

He had been peacefully reading a book at home when suddenly a shadow leapt from behind and a sack was thrown over his head.

He woke up tied to a chair, with Yuri Briol, prince of the Kingdom of Briol, pointing a sword at his neck and demanding that he become king.

In his view, Yuri Briol was clearly not in his right mind. He hadn’t seemed normal from the start.

“Besides, I don’t even know if the temple would accept me afterward…”

“I’ll handle getting their permission.”

“How?”

“For those who say no, I’ll put a sword to their necks and threaten them.”

“Like you did to me?”

“Exactly.”

Yuri said,

“I know this goes against everything that’s established, but right now there’s no other choice. If we don’t do this, we can’t stop the Empire or those damned black magic mages.”

He was certainly handling everything very aggressively, but if he hadn’t, nothing would have moved forward.

If they had stopped to discuss what was right or wrong, they never would have stopped Sybilla or presented a king to oppose the Empire.

Only an unpredictable element could flip the Holy Kingdom and stand against Cedric.

And Yuri had decided to become that unpredictable element himself.

“I don’t have time. If you won’t accept, I have to find someone else. So let’s end this quickly.”

“Huh?”

“Say you’ll be king. I’ll count to three. One. Two…”

He counted very fast.

Luther realized Yuri Briol was not in his right mind. He acted without hesitation.

He hadn’t even reached “three” and was already pressing with the sword.

He answered immediately.

“I’ll do it! I’ll be king!”

“Good. That’s more like it.”

“Damn you…”

“That’s how the world works.”

“You bastard…”

“Insult me all you want.”

Yuri smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

“Hey. You, who lived peacefully without problems—now a life full of headaches awaits you.”

“But… what about the temple?”

“I already have a plan.”

His idea was to have the Holy Knight—symbol of the temple—intervene, and also pressure the temple with the help of Vlad and Fenek, with whom he already had ties.

“If someone close to the temple becomes king, they’ll welcome it.”

“But for a saint to abandon his path and return to the secular world—that’s unheard of.”

“Really no precedents?”

“No. It only happens if someone commits a grave sin and is excommunicated…”

As soon as he said that, Luther realized his mistake.

This man would truly put a sword to anyone’s neck. He wouldn’t mind ruining another person’s life if necessary.

“Violence, murder, arson, theft, blasphemy… Which one do you prefer?”

“You’re completely insane…”