Chapter 284: Fascination (1)

It wasn’t just Yuri.

Hernando, Jared, Laurent, Moyongchan, and several others were with him.

All of them were people who, at one point or another, had lived in the royal palace of Briol.

“This is…”

The mage Hernando understood the situation faster than anyone else.

“They sent us back.”

All eyes turned to him. Hernando spoke again.

“They sent everyone who was there back to what each person considers their home. Maryrose, who was right beside me, will have gone to Valshard.”

“…”

“She said the Briol palace would soon be her home, tch, tch… Ah, pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“…”

“The Brusen troops to Brusen, the Liberta troops to Liberta, things like that. Sir Ainzer will have gone to Matehorn. I wonder where Inariel went. By the way, can you imagine the sheer power it takes to transport so many individuals separately? Broadly speaking—”

Hernando, too, was so stunned that he seemed to be speaking without a filter.

Jared, next to him, put a hand on his shoulder.

“Sir Hernando.”

“To accomplish this with ordinary magic, you’d have to— Huh?”

“Calm down.”

“I am calm.”

“Then keep quiet for a moment so we can process the shock.”

“Yes, yes…”

Hernando let out a long sigh and sank down right there.

Even Moyongchan, usually so disciplined, couldn’t fully process the situation and stood there in a daze.

Seeing them suddenly appear, a passing servant let out a scream.

Yuri, however, remained still and raised his gaze to the sky.

It was a pure, vivid blue.

“Haa…”

And he let out a loud curse.

“Damn it!”

***

Yuri immediately went to see Joshua and had a long conversation with him.

“The news must have spread already, right?”

“Of course.”

“Ugh…”

With so many troops instantly teleported to their homes, it was impossible to hide it even if they wanted to.

People must have been shocked to learn that the Empire had summoned a demonic god, and that the power of that presence was overwhelming.

Many had probably already lost the will to fight, trembling in fear.

“That Cedric did that is serious.”

It also affected Joshua deeply, since like Yuri, he had trusted and followed Cedric.

Even worse if the enemy possessed such colossal power.

Joshua crossed his arms and kept sighing.

“What are we supposed to do with this…?”

“What else? Fight.”

“You said he gave us a month, right?”

“Yes.”

“Take that time to think. Those who want to follow me, follow me. Those who rebel, come to me. I’ll choose them and kill them. Something like that.”

“Most likely.”

“And you’re one of the ones rebelling.”

“Exactly.”

“But the rest aren’t. That monster of a so-called transcendental being Cedric summoned— is it really that strong? Hard to believe…”

“It felt like a divine entity.”

“Yes, a god. After seeing something like that, with morale in the dirt, and on top of that tasting the comfort of home… won’t they completely lose the desire to keep fighting?”

“Probably.”

“So we’ve lost?”

Joshua said,

“Whether they have the will or not, can we really defeat someone capable of sending so many people home in one move?”

Yuri couldn’t answer.

He had learned the Cut of the Soul and the Heart and gained the power of chaos.

But the being from space that Cedric had brought possessed a force incomprehensible even to him—literally immeasurable.

You can’t defeat a god.

Even so, Yuri shook his head.

“This isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about doing what must be done.”

Killing Cedric and eradicating the root of black magic.

That was all he saw.

It didn’t matter if there was no chance of victory. After all, this was his second life.

Even if he died here, he would have no regrets.

He would endure until the end, until Cedric was finished.

But the others didn’t have such iron will.

“What if people refuse?”

Joshua asked.

“If the knights and soldiers don’t want war, there’s nothing to be done. Of course, as king, I could issue a forced order. But they wouldn’t fight with their hearts in it.”

“I know.”

Yuri sighed.

“I’ll think about it more. We still have time.”

A month.

Short if short, long if long.

Joshua nodded.

“Alright. For now, rest. Also, you stink.”

Yuri had come to the grand hall exactly as he had been transported from the battlefield, covered in blood and grime.

Yuri stood up.

“Alright then, I’ll head out.”

“Ah, wait.”

“Mm?”

“Don’t go to your quarters. Go somewhere else… Yes, go to where Cedric used to stay.”

“Why?”

“Just go.”

“What’s going on?”

“…”

“Is something wrong?”

“There’s a guest in your quarters.”

“In mine?”

Yuri frowned.

“Who did you let in without telling me? Got yourself a girlfriend?”

“I wish, but no.”

“Then?”

Joshua scratched his head.

“Looks like you haven’t gotten the message yet. I should’ve sent a messenger. Of course, you’ve been busy at the front…”

“What message?”

“Yekaterina.”

Yuri looked at Joshua, not understanding why her name was coming up now.

And at Joshua’s next words, Yuri was left speechless.

“The imperial princess is now in Briol— and she’s in your quarters.”

“What?”

After a moment of silence, Yuri asked again.

“Yekaterina… meaning the imperial princess is here?”

“Yes.”

“In the royal palace of Briol?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why?”

“She escaped and came here.”

“…”

Yuri stood still like a statue, staring at Joshua, then got up, shaking his head as if he didn’t want to think about anything.

“Alright. Then I’ll go to my brother’s quarters, okay? I want to rest, so don’t let anyone in.”

“What about the servants?”

“Ena’s enough.”

“Alright…”

“Then I’m off. See you later.”

“Yes, rest well.”

Yuri immediately left the throne room. The news that Yekaterina was here kept him from calming down.

He felt many emotions at once.

As the Empire grew more and more devastated, deep down he had worried about Yekaterina being there. And now that she was in Briol, he felt relieved but also uneasy.

Why would she have come specifically to Briol?
Briol was the place the Empire had the fiercest rivalry with.

“Could it be because of me…?” Yuri muttered.

It wasn’t arrogance, but a logical deduction based on past experience.

“As always… because of me…”

In his previous life, it had been the same.

Before they were a couple, Yekaterina had been the one to make the first move. Later, he’d heard that Yuri was exactly her type.

Tastes don’t change easily.

“I guess it’s because I’m too attractive. Oh well. I’ll just do my best not to run into her.”

Almost fleeing, Yuri made his way to the quarters where Cedric had lived.

Since Cedric had left, they had been empty, but as they were still kept in good condition, there was no problem using them.

When he arrived, he saw a familiar face for the first time in a long while.

“Your Highness. It’s been a while. It must have been hard for you.”

“Ena. You got here fast.”

“I came straight here.”

It was Ena, his personal maid.

Seeing her, Yuri truly felt he had returned to the royal palace.

“Ena, I’m so glad to see you again—”

“Wait a moment!”

She stretched out her arms to stop him and covered her nose.

“Sorry to say this after all you’ve been through, but you need a bath first. I think my nose’s gone numb.”

“Alright, alright.”

“The hot water’s ready, go right away.”

***

Yuri was immersed in the hot water.

It felt as though all the accumulated fatigue was melting away.

For now, he even set aside the burden of having to face Cedric.

“Haaa…”

He let out a long sigh and stayed with his eyes closed, enjoying the heat.

Then he murmured to himself.

“Yes… I wonder how the rear lines are doing.”

His voice echoed in the bath.

“You came home too?”

As he spoke, someone stepped out from a corner of the bath.

It was Asana.

She knelt down in front of him.

“Yes. But I wasn’t in the rear.”

“I had left you tied up.”

“That’s not a problem for me.”

“I see…”

“I was following you, and suddenly my vision went dark and I appeared in the palace.”

Just as for Yuri, the royal palace was his home, for Asana, it was the palace of Briol, where she had a mansion with those who had escaped the order of assassins with her.

Asana asked,

“How was it? Do you think you can win?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. Cedric summoned something so monstrous I’m not sure we can even fight it.”

“I see.”

She nodded. Having once betrayed Yuri under Cedric’s persuasion, she knew well how fearsome he was.

“Then why did you come to see me?”

“Lady Cruar sent me a message. It may not be worth much now…”

“Cruar?”

Cruar, the last dragon remaining on the continent.

Hearing her name, Yuri thought of Cory.

It was said that Cory had escaped from Cruar’s nest, and now no one knew where he was. Laurent, who had been with him, had warned that he was no longer the innocent boy he used to be.

Even so, Yuri still trusted him.

“Is this about Cory?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“It’s about the demon’s grimoire.”

“The demon’s grimoire?”

Yuri’s expression changed.

Cruar had promised him that if she found information about that grimoire, she would pass it on to him. Perhaps she had gotten a big lead.

“What did she say?”

“Well…”

Asana conveyed Cruar’s words, and Yuri’s face turned strange.

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Is that really all?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“That’s all. Better to ask her yourself when you see her.”

“I see…”

Yuri splashed his face with the hot water.

“So that was it…”

Cruar’s words filled his mind with thoughts.

‘You must not cut the demon’s grimoire. The sword only postpones the situation, but it does not eradicate the darkness. To eliminate it completely, you must kindle the light. Because darkness is the absence of light.’

It was nothing concrete.

She was even telling him not to cut it.

“What does that mean? That I shouldn’t kill Cedric?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmmm…”

Yuri closed his eyes. The muscles that had relaxed began to tense again, and his head started to ache.

“Alright, I get it, you can go.”

“Can’t I stay here?”

“Go. I need to bathe.”

“It’s not like anything can be seen through the steam anyway…”

“Leave.”

“Yes.”

Asana stood up and disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared.

“Phew…”

Yuri went back to enjoying the silence, not wanting to think about anything.

But the world wouldn’t leave him in peace.

“Your Highness! Your Highness! Can you hear me?”

It was Ena, calling him from outside.

He tried to ignore her, but her voice kept getting louder, so he ended up answering.

“What is it?”

She replied from the other side of the door.

“You have a visitor!”

“Tell them no!”

“They say they’ll wait until you finish your bath, so you can take your time.”

“Who is it?”

“The princess!”

“Tell her to leave… what?”

Yuri’s heart skipped a beat.

He knew that being in the palace he might run into her, but he hadn’t thought she would come looking for him immediately.

“Tell her I’m tired and to go away! I just got back.”

“I’ll tell her that then.”

He heard Ena’s footsteps moving away and waited for her to return.

After a moment, she knocked on the door again.

“What did she say?”

“What do you think?”

Then Yuri felt his heart sink again.

It wasn’t Ena who answered.

“I’ll wait. Take your time with your bath.”

It was Yekaterina.

Her voice, tinged with amusement, was exactly the same as in his previous life.

Yuri, frozen for a moment, sank down until his head was completely submerged in the water.