Chapter 6: The Ancestor’s Legacy (2)

A gleam of red eyes shone in the darkness of the cave.

Yuri spoke hesitantly.

“Hey, since when does a mage just throw around the word ‘ghost’ like that?”

“If it died and is alive again, it’s a ghost.”

“Use the technical term.”

“Death Knight?”

“That’s the one.”

As he said that, Yuri gave Jared a few taps with his foot.

“Jared, get up.”

“Mmh… uh…”

“I said get up.”

After a hard kick to the backside, Jared jolted awake.

“Where am I?! What is this place?!”

He looked around, and upon seeing the Death Knight, he jumped and raised his sword.

“Death Knight!”

Yuri calmed him.

“Relax.”

“Please step back, Your Highness.”

“Wow…”

Jared swallowed nervously, completely tense.

A Death Knight was, literally, a knight who had returned from death. They were born when a knight with deep grudges was corrupted by demonic energy or tainted by black magic.

“They’re dangerous.”

Jared felt confident he could defeat almost any monster, but a Death Knight was another story.

When a knight died and turned into a Death Knight, their strength surpassed what they had in life.

The story of Gert, the knight of Adelvine, who resurrected and destroyed an entire kingdom, was well known.

“No.”

Yuri shook his head.

“That one’s not dangerous.”

“How do you know?”

“Sorry.”

Yuri took a few steps forward.

“It wouldn’t make sense for a guardian of the founder’s dungeon to attack his direct descendant, Yuri Briol.”

“That’s very naive, Your Highness.”

“We’ll see.”

Yuri had felt a strange sense of confidence ever since he took up the sword.

Who would’ve thought a sword buried so deeply could be raised so easily?

Even when he fell into the underground, he felt like the dark dungeon had welcomed him with open arms.

That Death Knight wasn’t a guard to block his path—it was a guide come to greet the heir of Briol.

“Isn’t that right?”

[No.]

The Death Knight raised his sword.

“……!”

A sharp flash cut through the air.

Hernand muttered in despair,

“Wow… His Highness just got split in half…”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Wow… His Highness’s bangs just got split in half…”

Yuri’s bangs had been blown upward by the gust.

Same as when he fought Jared. His bangs never had peace.

“Really not a welcome?”

[Actually, it is.]

The Death Knight replied.

His voice was deep and rough, as if it rose from the depths of the cave.

[Your arrogant attitude just annoyed me.]

“Arrogant? Me?”

[Just like that guy.]

“What guy?”

[Erich.]

Hernand let out a gasp.

“Oh…”

It was a name every citizen of Briol knew.

Erich Briol. Founder of House Briol, the first king of the Kingdom of Briol, and an unmatched swordsman who conquered the continent with a single blade.

“I’m the first to arrive here?”

[Yes.]

“Only Erich’s descendants can reach this place?”

[If you’re not a Briol heir, you can’t unsheathe that sword.]

“Don’t tell me this sword is the founder’s legendary blade…”

[It was the sword he used.]

Yuri flinched and threw the sword.

[…]

“S-Sorry.”

[Are you upset because it was mine?]

“No, it’s just… I shouldn’t touch someone else’s stuff like that… I wasn’t thinking.”

[If you’re going to use it, use it. It’s no longer mine.]

Then the Death Knight turned around. His tattered cloak fluttered like a rag.

Yuri picked up the sword again and muttered:

“Let’s follow him.”

“Are you sure? We could go back and report to His Majesty…”

“No.”

Yuri shook his head.

“We’re going now.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“And how do you plan to get out of here?”

“Huh?”

“You think that skeleton…”

Suddenly, the Death Knight turned around.

Yuri froze, surprised. Luckily, he didn’t seem to have heard.

“…Would just let us leave?”

Jared asked the Death Knight directly.

“Death Knight, we’d like to come back another time. Is that okay?”

[You think this is a corner store where you come and go as you please?]

His red eyes flared intensely.

[You think I waited all this time just to crack jokes with you? Is this a game to you?]

Jared couldn’t bear the pressure and stammered,

“S-Sorry…”

He stuttered twice.

Yuri smiled.

“You chickened out.”

“No, I did it for your safety, Your Highness.”

“Sure you did.”

Hernand, who usually only looked out for himself, had stayed quiet since the Death Knight appeared, but upon seeing Jared scolded, he chuckled.

“Quiet, Sir Hernand.”

“Y-Y-Yes, sorry.”

“Ugh…”

“L-L-Let’s go already.”

Jared sighed. These two couldn’t take anything seriously.

Hernand hummed cheerfully.

“A dungeon… how exciting.”

“All thanks to me.”

“Of course.”

Watching Hernand’s excited back and the prince’s resolute steps, Jared wondered how he’d ended up here.

“Haa…”

Did he really belong here?

It had been a normal day after work.

Then suddenly, he was on a mountain, entering a mysterious dungeon.

It was surreal.

“None of this makes sense…”

Nothing did.

It all started that day.

Since the third prince asked him to duel, his life had turned upside down.

What Jared wanted from the royal guard wasn’t this.

He wanted to work just enough, live peacefully, and retire in time.

He had no ambitions. And now he was in the dungeon left behind by Briol’s founder?

It felt like his destiny had been altered, swept away by the storm that young man stirred up.

“Hey.”

Yuri, who was walking ahead, turned around.

“You going to make us wait?”

Jared took a deep breath.

It was dark. Except for the faint light from the crack, there was no illumination. The silhouette of the prince walking ahead was cloaked in shadow.

Yet, when he turned and smiled, his face was strangely clear.

Over that image, another one overlapped. A face covered in blood.

‘Tsk, don’t be stupid.’

A fleeting illusion.

Would the prince look like that when he grew up?

A beautiful man, face drenched in blood, smiling wearily. For a moment, Jared felt like he could give his life for him—and then the feeling vanished.

A strange sense of déjà vu.

“You coming?”

Jared didn’t answer.

His feet wouldn’t move.

“Then stay here.”

Truthfully, Jared wanted to.

He didn’t want to be swept away by that reckless prince.

But if he did.

‘Wouldn’t it be boring?’

That’s what the prince had said.

Images of a routine life flashed through his mind. And over them appeared the face of the crazy prince who attacked like a storm.

In the midst of chaotic, tangled thoughts—

His body moved on its own.

He took a step without realizing it.

And once he’d taken that first step, the rest came surprisingly easy.

“Your Highness.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m coming.”

Yuri, who was walking ahead, turned and smiled.

“You should’ve followed me from the start.”

Jared smiled back.

“It’s just… upon reaching such a dark place, I needed a moment for my vision to adjust.”

“You’re good at making excuses.”

“It’s not an excuse.”

“Hurry up.”

“Yes, sir.”

And so, he ran after the unpredictable third prince.

***

The Death Knight led Yuri’s group to a large underground chamber.

A massive glowing stone stood atop an altar, emitting an intense bluish light.

“So the day has finally come…?”

Murmured the Death Knight. Yuri asked,

“What day?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Is it a good day?”

“Shut your mouth.”

Jared took a step back.

From his perspective, watching Yuri chat so casually with a Death Knight was sheer madness.

Hernand whispered in his ear.

“What if the Death Knight suddenly stabs him? What do we do then?”

“That’s a pretty extreme assumption.”

“If the prince ends up with his head separated from his body, we’re in serious trouble.”

“Enough already.”

“Or if he’s stabbed in the chest, blood spraying everywhere, and you’re running over to give him mouth-to-mouth in tears…”

“I said shut it.”

The Death Knight stopped in front of the altar.

Yuri spoke.

“Hey, Death Knight.”

When the Death Knight looked at him, Yuri continued.

“I am Yuri Briol, descendant of Erich Briol and third prince of the current Briol family. Hand me his legacy.”

The Death Knight shrugged.

“And who decided that you’d get the legacy?”

“I’m a descendant of Briol.”

“Briol, huh…”

His red eyes glowed.

“I once bore that name, too.”

Those words carried a heavy weight. Yuri looked at him, puzzled, and Jared and Hernand froze behind him.

It couldn’t be.

Could this Death Knight be Erich Briol himself, the founder of the kingdom?

“Don’t tell me you’re Erich Briol?”

“No.”

“You scared me…”

Yuri sighed.

“I’d never respect a founder who ended up a sack of bones like you.”

“You’ve got guts to talk like that.”

“It runs in the family.”

“Yeah, in that way, you really are like him.”

The Death Knight let out a short laugh. It wasn’t exactly pleasant.

“You don’t inspire much confidence, but the time has come, so I’ll fulfill my duty.”

“What duty?”

“I’ll give you what you seek.”

The Death Knight sat on the glowing stone. A massive wave of mana surged instantly.

“Your Highness, step back…”

Jared sensed something was off and tugged at Yuri’s sleeve. Hernand cut in:

“That’s a mana stone. I didn’t know ones that big existed.”

“That thing?”

“Yes.”

Mana stones absorbed and stored mana on their own. They allowed the use of magic even without personal mana, making them more valuable than diamonds of the same size.

“Can something that big really exist?”

“It’s unreal. A stone that size could buy an entire city.”

“Then why leave it buried here?”

“Because whatever the founder left behind must be even more valuable than that stone.”

The Death Knight stared at them.

“Are you ready?”

A heavy silence fell. But the Death Knight didn’t wait for an answer.

“I hope you’re worthy.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the mana stone emitted a blinding light. Everything turned white.

Yuri shut his eyes.

…

They were no longer in the dungeon.

A barren, desolate land stretched out before him.

“Where…?”

Yuri looked around, bewildered.

All he saw was empty wasteland, the horizon in a perfect line around him.

Suddenly, he saw something approaching in the distance.

“Hello?”

He called out.

“Stop, stop!”

But it showed no sign of stopping.

“Are you the founder?”

No, that couldn’t be.

“What is that?”

It wasn’t human. Its body was translucent, letting the background show through. It had a humanoid shape… but it carried a sword.

“This…”

That’s when Yuri noticed he was also holding a real sword in his hand.

It wasn’t the one from the tomb, but a regular military sword.

“Am I supposed to fight?”

As if answering his question, the opponent lunged. Yuri blocked the blade.

A simple, direct fight began.

“Huh…?”

Something changed. Within the translucent body of his opponent, a bluish energy began to glow.

That energy pulsed from the heart and flowed through the body, linking to the sword.

Clang!

Each time their swords clashed, the heart beat, and the blue energy swelled and contracted in rhythm.

Yuri understood.

“Mana Method…”

The Dummy was deliberately exposing itself, circling around Yuri.

Through its transparent body, the mana flow was clearly visible.

Yuri finally grasped it. The swordsmanship, the mana method, the combat style—it was all Erich Briol’s.

The founder of the Kingdom of Briol had clearly been an absolute madman.

“Does he expect me to learn by fighting directly?”

The only silver lining was that the Dummy was holding back. With a gesture over its heart, it displayed the mana flow extending throughout its body with a blue glow.

“…Ha…”

A mana method that becomes part of your body can’t be easily changed.

This training was clearly designed for someone who didn’t have one yet. And still, it demanded that you feel it and use it on the spot.

An absurd demand. No one could do that… unless they were someone living a second life.

“Like me.”

Yuri sat down on the ground.

Pure mana filled the space.

Yuri began to absorb it. In his previous life, he’d studied mana methods thoroughly to hide his identity, so he was confident in handling it.

“That’s how it was…”

He tried to replicate what he had just seen. A child with no training manipulating mana like a seasoned knight. Even for a Dummy, it must’ve been shocking.

Yuri glanced at it.

“…!”

The Dummy was frozen, elbows raised, one hand pointing to the sky, the other to the ground. Its mouth seemed wide open.

An impressively expressive reaction.