Chapter 242: Chronicles of the Tyrant King (10)

Yuri interrogated Jared.

He explained what had happened so far.

The Order of Vengeance, gathered in Endia, had requested the final battle of the Chronicle of the Tyrant King without hesitation.

Jared had full confidence in their victory.

Even though Yuri wasn’t there, the rest were uninjured, so he firmly believed they would win without fail.

“What if they had lost?”

“Then there would’ve been nothing we could do.”

“Bastard…”

Apparently, Jared had never even considered the possibility of losing.

“We traveled through the entire alliance of the small kingdoms, gauging their level. As long as the Empire didn’t interfere, it was an easy win for us. Even without Your Highness.”

“And how could you be so sure? There could’ve been some hidden expert among them.”

“I don’t think so. And even if there were, they couldn’t have five of them.”

“So you had no actual basis.”

“My instinct is the basis.”

“Fine. Whatever, we won.”

Yuri grinned broadly and gave him a pat on the shoulder. In the end, what mattered was that they had won.

Yuri took a cup from a tray carried by one of the servants. It had been a while since he’d had a drink.

“Let’s drink. We’ve finally completed the Chronicle of the Tyrant King.”

“That’s right. Though we haven’t assembled the banner yet. I was thinking we’d do it tomorrow, with Your Highness.”

“Yes, let’s do that then.”

For Yuri, it was a deeply moving moment. He had triumphed in the hard-fought battle against the Black Knight and now completed the Chronicle of the Tyrant King.

This would grant him real influence over the alliance of small kingdoms, making his words carry more weight.

If he also revealed what had happened between the Empire and Konzed, it would be unthinkable for the small kingdoms to continue relying on the Empire.

“By the way, how was the fight? Are you in good health?”

Jared finally asked about Yuri’s condition. He looked him over from head to toe.

He was covered in dirt, with bloodstains everywhere. And even though he hadn’t drunk much, he was walking unsteadily; clearly, he wasn’t doing well.

“Can you really drink like this?”

“Of course.”

“You don’t seem to be in good shape.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“You won?”

“Of course.”

“Oh!”

Jared widened his eyes in surprise and gave a thumbs-up.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

It’s not that Jared thought Yuri could have lost, but he didn’t expect him to actually return after winning.

Knowing the opponent had been the Black Knight made all those injuries seem minor.

Yuri smiled at him and, swaying a bit, raised his cup.

“For Briol!”

The knights of the Order of Vengeance, previously distracted, instantly reacted.

“For Briol!”

And then, the king of Endia, who was in a corner, also shouted, unwilling to be left out.

“For Endia!”

“Endia!”

“For Endia!”

The folks from Endia weren’t very synchronized. Each shouted “Endia” in their own way, celebrating in their own fashion and drinking without any real order.

Still, when raising their cups, they all made the same gesture.

The king of Endia approached Yuri.

“Prince of Briol, Yuri Briol! An honor to meet you!”

“Thank you. The honor is mine.”

“Lately everyone’s talking about the new member of the Ten Greats! Impressive for someone so young!”

“Well, in the end, the sharpest needles always poke out of the sack.”

“Let’s toast to the friendship between Briol and Endia!”

“Gladly.”

The king of Endia was clearly not sober. Face completely red, he kept offering Yuri drinks while shaking his shoulders to the rhythm of some senseless dance.

“This liquor is produced right here in Endia! It’s a gem!”

“The color is magnificent.”

“See that golden hue? That’s why I call it Golden Liquor.”

Yuri raised his cup alongside the king of Endia.

Under normal circumstances, that kind of liquor wouldn’t have affected him. But after such a grueling battle, his body was far too exhausted and in no condition to drink.

So, the alcohol hit him harder than usual.

And the king of Endia didn’t miss the opportunity.

“The weather is perfect today! Why don’t we complete the Chronicle of the Tyrant King now?”

“Now?”

“Let’s put it together, all of us! Then we’ll hang it atop Endia’s pinnacle so it can wave!”

The knights around them cheered.

“Great idea!”

“Chronicle of the Tyrant King!”

“Complete the chronicle!”

“For Endia!”

“For Briol!”

Swept up in the excitement, Yuri shouted:

“Alright! Bring the banners!”

“Yes, sir!”

Some knights in charge of the banners rushed out of the hall.

Yuri sat down and caught his breath while he waited.

After fighting so fiercely with the Black Knight, his whole body ached, but the alcohol was starting to dull the pain.

It wasn’t the healthiest choice, but… well, today was a good day. He wouldn’t worry about it.

Jared spoke to him.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes.”

“How did you manage to win?”

“Want to know?”

Yuri had no intention of hiding that he had defeated the Black Knight. As soon as he began recounting the feat, even the people of Endia drew closer to listen.

“I stopped her fierce assault and in an instant unleashed a swirl of spinning aura…”

Yuri spoke calmly, without exaggeration.

“When I swung my sword, a dragon-shaped energy appeared, alive and pulsating, clashing with the tiger-shaped aura the Black Knight summoned. When the tiger bit the dragon’s neck, it breathed fire. It was like a battle between incarnations of our souls. The energy covered the sky and earth, each step burst with blood—suddenly, black clouds swirled in the sky, lightning fell with the rain, and in the darkness, our faces were illuminated. We were both smiling. That’s the life of swordmasters…”

Yuri intentionally left out the hand-to-hand part and continued.

“The victory was decided with our final cards. Each of us unleashed our secret technique that we’d kept hidden until then…”

But then, the hall doors opened and loads of banners began pouring in.

Everyone’s attention shifted away from Yuri.

“They were techniques… never before revealed—!”

“The banners!”

“Gather all the banners!”

In the blink of an eye, his audience vanished. Now everyone was running around trying different banner combinations.

Yuri, muttering to himself, stood up.

“Hey! That one doesn’t go there!”

***

Yuri opened his eyes.

He felt awful. When he tried to sit up, he noticed the ground was hard.

“Ugh…”

Lifting his head, the scene around him became clear. Many people were lying passed out on the floor.

“So I’m telling you…”

“Yes, hehe…”

“In my prime, I was incredibly handsome…”

While everyone else was drunk and asleep, only two people remained awake, exchanging cups of liquor. The dim morning light filtering through the window curtains illuminated their faces.

It was the King of Endia and Tirbo.

“You hold your drink well, young man.”

“It’s just that I don’t get drunk easily. I’ve got good tolerance. Hehe…”

“Good. Pour me another cup.”

“Of course. Here you go.”

Yuri held his aching forehead and started recalling what had happened the previous night.

After trying to assemble the flag, they drank, shouted, and one by one started to collapse.

Endia was such a strange country that no one even minded when people fell asleep on the floor during banquets. Even the servants seemed used to it and just stepped around them.

And so, one by one, they all passed out. Yuri included.

And morning came.

“Mmm…”

As Yuri stood up, swaying, the King of Endia and Tirbo called out to him.

“Oh, you’re awake! Come, join us for a drink!”

“Your Highness, drink with us.”

“No, thank you…”

Now that a new day had come, the wounds from his battle with the Black Knight hurt even more. The sensations that the alcohol had numbed were coming back with full force.

Yuri limped over to them.

“Ugh.”

“Here, drink up!”

“No, thank you. I’ll pass.”

“Can’t hold your liquor?”

“No one’s ever told me that before…”

Seeing the bottles of liquor scattered around the two of them, Yuri let out a dry chuckle.

“Compared to Your Majesty and this guy, I’m nothing. Exactly how many bottles have you had?”

“You’ve got to drink at least this much to feel pleasantly dizzy. Right, Tirbo?”

“Exactly. If you only drink a little, it’s not liquor, it’s juice. Hehe…”

“It’s been a long time since I found someone who suits me so well.”

Both refilled their cups and downed them in one go. A meeting of true drinkers.

Yuri scratched his head. Being next to people like that made him feel drunk even without drinking. His stomach was already churning.

“By the way…”

As he reviewed the events of the night before, Yuri suddenly turned around.

“The flag… where is it?”

The banquet hall tables had been shoved into a corner. In their place, a large multicolored cloth lay on the floor.

Yuri approached it.

There was the completed Tyrant King’s flag.

“…”

No. It wasn’t completed.

Since the drunks had assembled it however they liked, the pieces were completely out of order. None of the parts matched.

“What the hell is this?”

Yuri remembered the previous night. There were only sixteen puzzle pieces, but they couldn’t align them. It wasn’t just the alcohol’s fault.

With arms crossed, he stared at the mess. He tried moving some pieces around, but nothing worked.

The King of Endia and Tirbo came closer.

“Trying to assemble the flag?”

“It doesn’t fit together at all, does it?”

They commented while holding their cups.

Seeing Yuri attempt different combinations, the king said,

“They say the true form of the flag can only be seen with the eyes of the heart.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s said that the original flag of the Tyrant King didn’t have a sensible design. It looked like abstract art. People always asked him what it meant, and he’d say it could only be seen with the eyes of the heart. Since he wasn’t a normal person, everyone just accepted that answer.”

“The eyes of the heart…?”

“Yes. The eyes of the heart. Maybe only the good can see it?”

The king narrowed his eyes while gazing at the randomly assembled flag.

“I don’t know for sure, but they say it holds the Tyrant King’s most precious truth. Some say it contains his mana method, but who knows.”

Tirbo’s eyes widened.

“His mana method?”

“I don’t think it’s that. They say the Tyrant King called it the truth. Doesn’t seem like something he’d say about a method.”

“The truth is a heavy word.”

“Isn’t it? Have another drink.”

“Yes, sir.”

They drank again.

Yuri, pondering the words of the King of Endia, fell into thought.

“To see with the eyes of the heart.”

Those words struck a chord.

Yuri activated the Cut of the Soul and the Heart. An invisible light flared in his eyes.

Soon, his vision entered the realm of the soul. In the blinding whiteness, the vivid colors of the flag faded. They turned into soft pastel tones that connected everything gently.

Then, something appeared. Yuri opened his mouth.

“Ah…”

His eyes could see the soul.

And his sword cuts the soul. Perhaps the Tyrant King who created the flag also had this ability.

As if enchanted, Yuri moved a few pieces of the flag.

Then, the chaotic patterns on it began to make sense. Dark letters, as if drawn, ran across the flag.

It wasn’t an especially grand phrase. But in that moment, to Yuri, it carried immense meaning.

On a quiet morning, as the darkness of night faded and sunlight began to stream through the windows…

In the domain of the soul, where light and darkness are distinguished, the message of the Tyrant King was delivered to Yuri.

“Darkness can never overcome the light.”

That’s what was written on the completed flag, in the old continental language. As if it knew exactly what Yuri was fighting against—black magic.

Yuri looked down.

There was one more phrase, in smaller letters.

“I understood this truth at the summit of Mount Zenel.”

The Tyrant King had hidden this message in his flag, visible only within the realm of the soul.

And his message, after generations, was received by Yuri Briol, prince of Briol. Yuri Briol, who fights against the dark shadow that looms over the continent.

“Darkness can never overcome the light.”

Those words brought him comfort.

Yuri murmured softly,

“Message received, Tyrant King.”

Yuri engraved the true form of the flag in his memory and deactivated the Cut of the Soul and the Heart.

Then, the vivid, nonsensical colors returned to the flag. But they no longer seemed ridiculous.

The King of Endia and Tirbo were still chatting in front of the flag.

“Looking at it now, it seems like there’s at least some continuity.”

“It looks like abstract art, but decent.”

“If this is the final version of the flag, what a letdown.”

“That’s how legends are. The truth usually disappoints.”

Yuri smiled and spoke.

“Do you really think so?”

“Hmm?”

“To me, this flag is beautiful.”

“Are you serious?”

“Doesn’t it look like the dawn driving out the night’s darkness?”

“Hmm?”

It was true. Though there wasn’t a clear shape, when seen through Yuri’s words, it did feel like sunlight overcoming the darkness.

“Hmm, now that you mention it…”

“Yes, it does.”

“It suddenly looks different.”

While the two reflected, Yuri approached the wall of the hall and fully opened the window curtains.

The bright sunlight flooded into the room. The knights lying on the floor began to wake up one by one.

“Ugh…”

“Ugh, what a hangover…”

The world awakened with the rising sun. Yuri leaned against the window frame, gazing at the peaceful morning landscape of Endia, and smiled.

It was time to depart for Mount Zenel.