Chapter 231: While the Enemy Sleeps (1)

The news that Briol had retaken Bezos spread throughout the continent.

It all happened within the span of a single day.

And the one who achieved that feat was Yuri Briol, the prince of the kingdom of Briol and heir to Fiore’s legacy.

When it became known that he alone had killed several Knight Commanders stationed in Bezos, the name Yuri Briol began to be mentioned as a possible candidate to fill the vacant seat among the Ten Greats after Fiore’s disappearance.

To become one of the Ten Greats at such a young age, just past twenty, was unprecedented.

That’s why, in the imperial capital, there was no other topic of conversation than Yuri Briol.

Since he was a royal from an enemy nation and his victims were Imperial soldiers, he couldn’t be openly praised, but in private circles, his feats were spoken of almost as a matter of protocol.

Even those who didn’t know the names of the imperial family members knew Yuri Briol’s name.

Elaine, who was in the capital, also frequently heard news about him.

“Did you hear about Bezos?”

“Of course.”

Elaine was sitting across from Yekaterina. As always, she had arranged the meeting under the pretext of showcasing Eastern products.

While running her fingertips over the items Elaine had laid out, Yekaterina commented,

“In the past life, it was very hard to see Eastern products like these.”

“Really?”

“Well, the alliance failed.”

“So in the end, it’s thanks to Prince Yuri… well, His Highness.”

“Exactly. He’s the man I chose, right?”

“Yes, well…”

Elaine was about to say: “In this life, I’ve barely even talked to him,” but she held back.

Considering that both had returned in time, their relationship wasn’t that of mere acquaintances who crossed paths once or twice, but of a very old connection.

“By the way, everything you brought this time is beautiful. I’ll take it all.”

“Are you sure?”

“I can’t do much lately, so at least I have to spend the palace’s fortune.”

Yekaterina pretended to be fascinated with Eastern goods just to arrange regular meetings with Elaine.

But to Elaine’s eyes, it didn’t seem like an act. Yekaterina genuinely liked the novelties from the East.

At that moment, she wore a red silk dress of Eastern style and had gathered her silver hair with a traditional hairpin called a binyeo. That hairstyle exposed her white, slender neck, and even Elaine, being a woman, couldn’t help but glance away sometimes.

Her beauty was overwhelming. Elaine almost envied her own client.

“I didn’t save the country in my past life…”

“Hmm?”

“It’s nothing.”

Elaine cleared her throat and began to pack up the items she had laid out.

“Are you really taking everything?”

“Of course.”

Everything Yekaterina bought was charged to the palace. Elaine changed the subject again.

“In Briol, that is… what will His Highness Yuri do now? Will he come straight to the Empire?”

“Probably…”

Yekaterina tilted her head.

“I don’t think so.”

“Then?”

“Yuri will try to act differently than in the past life. Rushing in immediately would be the same as failing again.”

“And acting differently means…?”

“Who knows.”

“Hmm…”

“Shall we think together?”

Elaine rested her chin on one hand and fell into thought.

It was thanks to Yekaterina that she learned her lord, Yuri Briol, had also returned in time.

That allowed her to understand his actions better.

That he approached her to give her an opportunity, that he allowed her to amass wealth—everything was part of his preparation to face the Empire.

“He succeeded in forming the alliance and wiped out the orcs. He eliminated the Empire’s allies.”

“Yes.”

“And if he wants to reduce the enemy forces and increase his own…”

Elaine thought.

To defeat an enemy as large as the Empire, it was necessary to break away from the established norms.

She vaguely recalled events from the past life that she had learned through Yekaterina, and understood that she had to think in a completely different way.

The power disparity was clear. To overcome it, she had to change the approach.

Then, what might Yuri Briol be thinking right now?

Elaine spoke.

“The East.”

Yekaterina looked at her curiously.

“It would be good to bring in the East.”

“The East?”

“Yes. It’s literally a third force.”

“And how do you plan to bring them in?”

“I’ll have to think it over. Maybe His Highness already has it in mind… or maybe it would be good to tell him. Though in the end, it’s something I’ll have to do myself…”

Since Yekaterina revealed the truth, Elaine hadn’t tried to contact Yuri. She wanted to organize her thoughts first.

But now she trusted Yekaterina. She had also accepted that a monstrous beast of unknown origin existed in the Empire.

It was time to act again.

“I must contact His Highness.”

“Lately, they’re inspecting all letters that enter and leave the capital.”

Yekaterina suddenly commented while trying to untangle the knots of a pearl necklace she had received from Elaine.

“It’s better to send someone in person. Though even that might be inspected…”

“No problem.”

Elaine smiled and took the necklace from Yekaterina’s hands. With a few finger movements, she completely untangled the chain.

As she returned the necklace, she said,

“I know someone perfect for that.”

“Who? Ah… that girl?”

“Yes. Asana.”

Though it annoyed her a bit that she was called “girl,” Elaine let it go. In terms of physical age, Asana was older, but considering the past life, Yekaterina was the older of the two.

Yekaterina tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

“Alright. I’ll send a letter too.”

***

Yuri, who had retaken Bezos, was not particularly overwhelmed with joy.

To him, it was a natural outcome.

“From the beginning, there weren’t any Black Knights left.”

“Even so, it’s a great feat.”

“It’s not. It’s literally a minor victory.”

Ainzer, who was beside him, reflected for a moment.

If the Black Knights had been present and faced off against Prince Yuri of Briol…

Even then, he couldn’t imagine a scenario where Yuri would lose one-sidedly. In fact, it seemed more likely that he would have won.

That’s how incredible Yuri’s performance in the recent battle had been. It was as if Fiore had returned to wield the sword.

“Now we have to prepare the next step.”

“The next step?”

“Yes.”

Yuri stood atop the wall, gazing into the interior of Bezos Castle alongside Ainzer.

The soldiers were hard at work organizing the inside. As he lightly tapped the railing, Yuri commented:

“Now that we’ve reclaimed Bezos Castle in perfect condition…”

The wall that Inariel had raised had fallen back down as if nothing had ever happened once the battle ended. There wasn’t a trace of a cut or separation left.

It was as if it had all been a dream.

And so, Bezos Castle had regained its former solidity.

“It’s time to send a message to those still hesitating—if they want to live, they must join us.”

“To whom are you referring with ‘those’…?”

“The small states.”

To the north of the continent was the Empire; to its southwest, the Holy Kingdom and Brusen; to its southeast, Liberta.

And to the east, beyond the grasslands, lay Briol.

Between those five great powers stretched a mosaic of small states.

Sometimes one of considerable size would emerge, but it wouldn’t take long to fragment. Thus, those small countries, the size of mere territories, often formed a sort of confederation.

If they were going to face the Empire, they had to subjugate them first.

There was no need to reference the past life. Just recently, when the Empire had descended to attack Bezos, those small states had simply opened the way for them.

Ainzer nodded.

“You’re going to attack the Central Alliance?”

“Yes. I don’t know what they’re plotting, but the Empire is unusually quiet. It’s better to move first. We have to make them see that joining us is their only chance at survival.”

“I don’t know if they’ll believe that…”

“Well, they’ll have to.”

Yuri struck the hilt of Guilty.

“If we steamroll through them, everyone will end up believing it.”

“Hahaha…”

Still, Ainzer’s face wasn’t entirely optimistic.

Even if they were small, their number was considerable. If they united, their influence wouldn’t be negligible. And all of them had some pride, which made it likely they’d resist Yuri.

“Ainzer.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what those alliance members say every day?”

“What do they say?”

“That their country may be small, but if conditions were equal, they wouldn’t lose to the Empire or the other four kingdoms. That if they matched in numbers, they could win any war.”

“Well, that’s what they always say around there…”

“Then let’s use that against them.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Can’t you guess?”

Yuri smiled as he looked at the soldiers training within Bezos Castle.

Compared to their past lives, they had all reached a higher level. That was the result of Yuri’s efforts to improve their abilities.

He refined and distributed the kingdom’s mana methods and ordered the knights to train the soldiers.

“If we match their numbers and crush them completely, they won’t be able to say anything.”

“Oh…”

Ainzer smiled with satisfaction.

“In that case, this Ainzer…!”

“You’ll stay in Briol in the meantime.”

“Eh…?”

“If a knight as skilled and veteran as you came with us, they’d make excuses. So I’ll go alone with the Second Order of Knights and crush them so thoroughly they won’t be able to open their mouths.”

“Uh, hmm…”

“It won’t take long. In the meantime, I need you to do something.”

“Tell me what you need.”

“We need more information about black magic.”

Yuri’s voice became more serious.

“I want you, along with Hernando, Maryrose, and Inariel, to do everything possible to find the Master of the Tower of Magic.”

The Master of the Tower of Magic.

He was responsible for all the magic towers on the continent.

Although he rarely acted directly, the fact that the position was passed down by appointment since the towers’ founding gave him unmatched authority in the world of magic.

But he hadn’t appeared in a long time. He wasn’t someone one could simply find by wishing it.

“Me?”

“Yes. Is it too difficult?”

“No, of course not. I’ll do it. But…”

Ainzer looked away.

“They say he may appear at one of the towers, but no one has seen him in years. No one really knows where he is, right?”

“That’s why I’m entrusting it to you, someone so capable.”

“Right…”

“Track what you can with your connections. Hernando and Maryrose will help you too.”

“And Lord Inariel?”

“He’ll cooperate, but…”

Yuri recalled Inariel’s expression when the Master of the Tower was mentioned.

He didn’t seem too fond of him.

“Anyway, I’m leaving it to you. You can ask others for help too.”

“And what will you do when you find him?”

“Our mages will take care of that.”

The continent had yet to acknowledge the existence of black magic.

If in Briol, which was opposed to the Empire, they said black magic had taken over the imperial palace, it would be dismissed as propaganda or a conspiracy theory.

That’s why Yuri planned to convince the Master of the Tower. He represented all the mages of the continent.

If he acknowledged and publicly declared the connection between black magic and the Empire, it would be equivalent to having the support of all the continent’s mages. That way, everyone would end up believing in the danger of black magic.

In short, it was a plan to isolate the Empire.

“They won’t even want to speak to anyone who smells like black magic.”

“As expected…”

Ainzer looked at Yuri with admiration.

“You don’t plan to win by brute force alone.”

“That sounded like a jab.”

“Well, I’m a beast, and beasts have bones, right?”

“…”

“Sorry.”

Yuri patted him on the back.

“I’m leaving tomorrow. So tonight, let’s celebrate with a grand banquet.”

“Perfect!”

“Tonight I’ll personally see how much you can drink.”

“They call me the sinkhole of Briol. Whatever they pour in, I swallow.”

“Now that’s impressive!”

***

The next day, after the banquet.

Yuri, who woke up with a hangover, looked to his side and couldn’t believe what he saw.