Chapter 8: Confession (1)

At dawn, Yuri was summoned by his father.

The king sat on the throne, resting his forehead on one hand, lost in thought.

“Yuri.”

“Yes.”

“Did you leave the palace without permission?”

“I’m sorry.”

“And did you find the ancestor’s dungeon on Sword Mountain?”

“That’s right. What I saw there was…”

“A Death Knight?”

“Huh?”

“Hernand told me everything.”

“That bastard…”

Had he really spilled everything so fast?

Now that he thought about it, Hernand hadn’t even explained what he saw in the illusion.

He’d make him confess later. With that in mind, Yuri opened his mouth.

“Yes. And not only that. I also learned a Mana Method.”

Yuri explained what he had gained—The Cut of Soul and Heart.

Upon hearing that the technique combined mana and swordsmanship into a single form, Fiore showed interest.

“How curious. This kingdom was founded by the ancestor, but not much information about him remains.”

“Isn’t there a way to learn more?”

“You might find something if you thoroughly search the palace library.”

“Understood.”

“Did you also get the sword from there?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to use it?”

“That’s my intention.”

“It’s very large.”

“It’ll fit me over time.”

“I see…”

Fiore rose from his seat.

“Yuri. My son.”

“Yes.”

“I told you not to cause trouble.”

“Yes, yes…”

As he approached, Yuri felt the overwhelming pressure on his shoulders.

Was there another human in the world who radiated bloodlust toward his thirteen-year-old son?

Yuri stepped back, but Fiore grabbed his shoulders.

“Listen carefully, understood?”

“Of course.”

“Tell me everything.”

“But you already heard everything…”

“I don’t mean that.”

He gave him a light pat on the head.

“You know what I mean.”

Though it seemed like a father’s affectionate gesture, Yuri was sweating cold. Why did he have to add bloodlust to every word?

He felt like that hand might strangle him at any moment.

“F-father…”

“Yes.”

“I’ll confess everything.”

“Very well, go on.”

Yuri steeled himself.

Either way, he’d have to tell him eventually. To defeat the Empire’s ambition, caution alone wasn’t enough. He had to give everything, without rest.

And that would inevitably stir up storms along the way.

Better to explain in advance.

“I had a dream…”

“A terrifying dream?”

“No.”

“A sad dream?”

“No.”

“Then why do you look so tense?”

“That’s because…”

Yuri stepped back to get out of his reach.

“Because you had your fist closed, Father.”

“Oh, really?”

Fiore opened his palm. Even though it was open, Yuri still worried about a possible slap.

“Go on.”

“The truth is, it was a terrifying dream. I saw the capital of Briol in flames and the people being massacred—a nightmare.”

Fiore’s slightly inclined head stopped moving.

“It was so real that even after waking up, I couldn’t calm down. In the dream, I…”

That was partly true. How could he know if the past life he lived was a dream or if the present moment wasn’t one?

Maybe someone right now was saying, ‘Look, he’s smiling in his sleep.’ ‘Leave him be, he must be having a good dream.’

And his unconscious body had already been buried somewhere.

With that thought, Yuri spoke sincerely.

“I committed a grave sin, tried to redeem myself, but in the end couldn’t prevent the kingdom’s destruction. I survived by abandoning honor and lived a miserable life until my end. That was the dream.”

“And the change you’ve shown lately is because of that dream?”

“Yes.”

“Do you fear that what you saw might actually happen?”

“Not exactly…”

Yuri showed his neck.

“I think it was a warning from my mother.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because after that dream, the necklace she gave me disappeared.”

That’s right.

The necklace that glowed in his past life had completely vanished when he returned to the past.

“And you didn’t lose it?”

“Father.”

Yuri frowned.

Even if he was his father, how could he joke about a relic from his mother? Fiore smiled faintly and stroked his son’s head.

“I see. So, all of this is because that dream changed you.”

“That’s right.”

“Lily would’ve liked that.”

Lily was his mother’s name.

“Well then, what was it that destroyed the kingdom in your dream?”

Yuri hesitated. He wasn’t sure it was wise to mention the Empire. After all, now that he had returned, maybe the invasion would never happen.

“I don’t know for sure.”

He finally replied. If the time came to warn about the Empire, he would.

“It was a dark, unknown army. They were stronger than our Briol knights.”

Fiore nodded.

“I see. I don’t know if it was just a bad nightmare or if Lily really sent you a warning from the future, but I’m glad to see you’ve come to your senses.”

Was that true?

Yuri denied it inside.

It wasn’t that he had come to his senses—he was simply desperate for forgiveness for his sins.

But there was one thing he knew for sure.

‘Briol does not abandon its honor. Even if it means death.’

That voice—the Death Knight bound to the dungeon—still echoed in his ears.

“Is that enough of an explanation?”

“No.”

“But I told you everything…”

“One thing remains.”

Fiore made an unexpected proposal.

“Go and bring your sword.”

***

The cavern was wide and silent.

Aside from the artificial light hanging from the ceiling, there was nothing else, which gave it a desolate atmosphere.

He knew that beneath the palace, there was a private training room used by his father, but it was his first time coming here in person.

There were massive cracks all over the place—hard to believe they had been made by a sword alone.

They said that when his father wasn’t seen on the surface, he was always here.
How far did he intend to go with his strength?

“You’re here?”

When he turned around, his father was already there.

Fiore Briol.

A genius who had wielded a sword since he could walk. He won the imperial knights’ tournament at a young age and made a name for himself on the continent by performing incredible feats during the orc invasion, as part of the military alliance.

Now he was considered the closest to the title of “strongest” among the continent’s Ten Great.

“This is my first time here.”

“I thought none of my children had talent with the sword.”

“Hmm…”

Yuri disagreed. Though he had earned a bad reputation as a troublemaker who neglected his training, he had always been recognized as someone with martial talent.

Saying he had no talent? Perhaps his father’s standards were just too high.

“You disagree?”

“No, I think I have talent with the sword.”

“Talent, you say?”

Fiore raised his sword.

His beloved weapon, North Wind, gleamed under the light.

“What exactly is a swordsman’s talent?”

The question left him speechless. Fiore gave him some options.

“Natural strength? Speed? Reflexes? Or a deep innate understanding?”

“Shouldn’t it be a combination of all those things?”

“And you, what do you have among those?”

“I think I have a little of everything.”

“Then you’ll become a great swordsman?”

He was about to say yes but closed his mouth. In his previous life, he had not become a true swordsman.

Though he tried to fight against the imperial invasion with his rusty talent, he hadn’t stood out more than any other knight.

“Before I had that dream, I probably wouldn’t have made it.”

“And what were you like in that dream?”

“Pathetic.”

“There are many like that. They shine in their youth but end up average.”

Fiore swung the sword in the air. Even the smallest movement was awe-inspiring.

“I’m not talking about the superficial. If you train endlessly, you’ll eventually reach a high level. But there’s something more, something that pushes people beyond that level.”

“Beyond…?”

“In your case, you’re lazy. Even though your body has talent.”

“So, is it about effort?”

“Something beyond effort. Something that surpasses even urgency or a sense of duty.”

Fiore looked at his sword.

In his eyes danced a shadow. Suddenly, Yuri felt something strange.

He was just watching him look at his weapon, but he seemed like a possessed man, as if he had lost his mind. For a moment, he felt like a stranger.

Unconsciously, Yuri also gripped his sword.

“I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe it could be called a calling from the sword.”

He could barely understand it.

Yuri murmured.

“Like destiny?”

“I don’t like such passive concepts, but maybe it’s something like that.”

In his past life, Yuri had been born with talent but never devoted himself to the sword.

He had never been drawn in by it. It hadn’t been his fate to walk that path.

And now?

Yuri looked at the sword he received from the Death Knight: Guilty.

Despite being buried for so long, its blade was flawless and reflected his eyes.

Black eyes, typical of the royal house of Briol, deeply calm.

That was all.

“Well, son?”

Fiore whispered near his ear.

“Should you wield a sword?”

He didn’t know.

To him, a sword was just a tool. He didn’t feel it was destiny or a revelation. Even if he lived again, he probably wouldn’t become like Fiore, someone possessed by the sword.

“Do you hear the call of the sword? When your death comes… will you have a sword in your hands?”

He didn’t know.

He was determined not to repeat his mistakes, but that didn’t necessarily mean he would become a great swordsman.

Yuri slowly shook his head.

“I don’t…”

He looked up at Fiore.

“I don’t feel…”

And then he gasped as he saw red eyes looking down on him. Shadows rose all around.

Thousands, millions of eyes were watching him.

The Briol of that day, burning under imperial boots, returned to his mind.

“Ah…”

Flames surrounded him. Despair and sorrow covered the land. The empire’s army marched over the corpses.

He didn’t have the power to stop them. Helplessness consumed him completely.

The emotions of that day returned.

Watching Briol’s banner fall from the palace, he had felt that the fall of the kingdom was inevitable.

But…

‘Never fear the enemy.’

The voice of the same sinner echoed in his ears.

Yuri raised his sword. It didn’t matter whether he won or lost. Life or death didn’t matter either. He didn’t even care about the destiny forced upon him.

‘Act according to what you believe.’

He only had to do what must be done.

Even if he ended up naked among spears and blades, he had to wield his weapon.

The Empire’s black army advanced.
Yuri charged without hesitation.

He killed and was wounded.

He killed and was wounded.

Cutting down enemies on all sides, he kept moving forward. His body staggered, and he was finally swallowed by the black tide of imperial armor—like a paper boat in the middle of the sea.

Death.

“Fulfill your duty as the heir of Briol… until the very end.”

As he felt his body falling to pieces, Yuri smiled in ecstasy.

“Yuri?”

He looked up again. His father was watching him.

What had he just seen?

“You…”

The hand gripping Guilty was trembling violently. Yuri blinked.

His vision had been tinted red and then returned to normal. He took a deep breath to steady himself.

How much time had passed?

On Fiore’s face was a mixture of a faint smile and deep concern.

“It seems I was wrong…”

Fiore patted Yuri’s shoulder.

He always got nervous when his father raised his hand, but this time he didn’t feel that way.

On the contrary, that warmth gave him peace.

“Yuri.”

“Yes.”

“You will wield a sword.”

Yuri nodded.

“That’s what I’ve decided.”

He didn’t like the bitter expression on his father’s face, so he gave him a playful slap on the butt.

“Don’t worry. I’m a genius, remember?”

And promptly got smacked on the head.