Chapter 92: A Minor Sin (2)

For the natives of Briol residing in the Imperial Capital, Got Bakbar was a source of pride.

He stood out among the talented individuals gathered at the Academium from various countries.

He was always near the top of the academic rankings, and whenever a student from Briol had conflicts with groups from other nations, he would personally intervene to resolve them.

But Got had a secret.

“Hey. Got.”

“Edran.”

In an underground training room at the Academium, Got met with his fellow student, Edran.

“You’ve been looking good lately. Maybe the stuff is working?”

“Did you bring the goods?”

“Didn’t you already order it?”

Edran gave a nod, and the bodyguard behind him stepped forward.

“Show him the goods.”

The bodyguard opened a small pouch he was carrying. It was full of crushed blue crystals, like powdered gemstones.

Got’s eyes became bloodshot. He couldn’t look away from the contents as he spoke to Edran.

“I’ll take it. All of it.”

Got offered several silver coins. But Edran didn’t accept them. The bodyguard closed the pouch again and stepped back.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

Edran poked Got lightly in the chest with a finger.

“You think I have to sell it to you just because you’re paying?”

“If you need more money…”

“No, it’s not that.”

Edran smiled slyly.

“You have to do me a favor.”

“Name it.”

“I heard the Third Prince arrived in the Imperial Capital, right?”

Got’s face stiffened at those words.

He had a history with the Third Prince going way back. When he visited the royal palace with his father as a child, he had an altercation with him.

He didn’t quite remember how it started, but it ended in a fight. The Third Prince even threw sand at him—dirty tactics.

When he told his father, he only replied:

‘That boy won’t die young on the battlefield.’

At the time, Got didn’t understand what his father meant. But now he thought he did.

Hadn’t the Third Prince played a pivotal role in the Allied Army? He still remembered the words he told him before they parted.

‘No matter the situation, always try to see the essence of things.’

The more he thought about it, the stranger it all seemed. He was someone whose childhood actions only made sense now that they were both adults.

Maybe, if he had gotten to know him better before coming to the Empire, none of this would be happening.

While he wrestled with himself internally, Edran continued.

“There’s someone who wants to get close to the Third Prince.”

“You’re planning to play a trick on the prince?”

“Oh, Got… Don’t tell me you’ve gone patriotic? Gonna say you owe loyalty to the royal family or something?”

Edran made a motion with his eyes, and the bodyguard opened the pouch again slightly. Got’s gaze instantly shifted.

The crystals shimmered as they shifted inside the pouch. Got’s hand trembled.

He wanted to snatch them immediately.

“No, you can’t.”

Edran waved his hand, and the blue crystals disappeared back into the pouch. Got felt a wave of desperation.

Edran whispered in a low voice.

“We’re not trying to hurt him. We just want to get someone close to him.”

And continued,

“If you refuse, I’ll never sell this to you again. And rumors might start flying. That Got Bakbar is actually a drug addict.”

Got couldn’t think much longer. Driven by anxiety, he had no choice but to nod at Edran.

“Fine. That’s all, right? Just introducing someone.”

“Exactly. I just need you to help me out a little.”

A swirl of thoughts flooded Got’s mind.

It was easy to justify. Just like Edran said, he was only making an introduction. If anything happened afterward, it would be the Third Prince’s fault for not handling the situation.

Just as Got himself had ended up where he was due to his own choices.

Got spoke,

“Alright.”

“Good decision. Even the Third Prince will thank you. The woman is incredibly beautiful.”

“Then…”

“Here.”

Edran gave a signal with his eyes, and the bodyguard placed the pouch into Got’s hand.

Got immediately took out one of the blue crystals and placed it on his tongue. It disintegrated instantly, turning into a pale blue gas that swirled in his mouth before being absorbed through the mucosa.

Got’s eyes rolled back. His breathing quickened.

Edran laughed at the sight.

“Feels good, huh, Got?”

Got exhaled deeply.

A string of drool slipped from the corner of his lips.

***

“Got, an unexpected name.”

Yuri nodded with his arms crossed. He was sitting on Dale’s back, who lay face down. A muffled groan came from beneath him.

“Ugh… Prince, this is too much…”

“If you faint, you die.”

“Uuuugh…”

In front of him, Pamia waited with a submissive attitude.

“Why did you do it?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I was asked to, but Got is a good person. That’s why I trusted him…”

“Shut up.”

In his past life, Got had been a dog of the Empire, even opening the path for them by revealing all of Briol’s weaknesses.

Trash that deserved to be crushed without mercy.

Even so, Yuri didn’t dismiss him immediately. He thought maybe things would be different this time.

But once again, Got disappointed him. Yuri asked Pamia,

“Pamia?”

“Yes…”

“You say you studied cards to seduce me?”

“Yes…”

“Forward-thinking of you. How much did you practice?”

“A week?”

“What did you say?”

“Well… I have natural talent…”

Yuri was baffled.

If she really had the skill to make money in Basregas after only a week of practice, that was a remarkable talent.

“What a waste to be caught up in something like this.”

Pamia was a high-class courtesan in a brothel. Edran was one of her clients, and he had offered her a substantial sum to carry out this assignment.

Winning over men was part of her job, and upon learning the target was the Third Prince of Briol, she accepted without hesitation.

“If I’d known you were like this, I wouldn’t have done it…”

“Cold and rational?”

“A man who doesn’t see women as women…”

“That’s your illusion.”

“And that thing about dating the princess of the Holy Kingdom is just a front too, right?”

“You’re assuming too much.”

“Are you actually in a relationship with the knight Laurent?”

“No.”

Considering the whole situation, it was clear that Got was already aligned with the Empire. Although Yuri remembered his past life, he hadn’t known that Got had studied at the Academium.

Perhaps due to Yuri’s intervention in this life, but in truth, his influence on the continent hadn’t been felt until after the creation of the Allied Army. So Got had likely enrolled at the Academium on his own.

Maybe there he made friends with people from the Empire, or maybe he simply betrayed Briol’s honor and became their dog.

Either way, it was a problem.

Yuri thought of Got’s father, Toussaint Bakbar, a loyal knight, while considering what punishment to apply.

He was even evaluating extreme measures.

Suddenly, Pamia asked,

“Are you going to kill him…?”

“Eh?”

Dale flinched and collapsed against the floor. The weight of Yuri on his back made the impact worse, and he groaned in pain.

Yuri gave a few taps to his arched back and stood up.

“Why ask that all of a sudden?”

“It’s just… I saw a murderous glint in your eyes for a moment.”

“You can sense that?”

“I’m good at picking up signals…”

“Could be.”

Yuri nodded. Depending on the situation, he might kill him.

“If he betrayed me, he has to pay the price.”

That alone was enough justification. If left alive, he might betray him again.

It was better to cut the root now. Yuri never hesitated when it came time to spill blood. If necessary, he’d resort to murder.

Got Bakbar would simply disappear for “some reason,” or become the victim of an “accident.” And so, he would be forgotten by history forever.

“Dale.”

“Y-yes, sir?”

“Where’s Got?”

“Probably at his house…”

“Let’s go.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

Dale hesitated. Yuri then turned to Pamia.

“Pamia.”

“Yes…”

“We shared a card game, so I’ll let you go.”

“Thank you…”

“I hope you become a great card player.”

“Uh…”

Yuri decided not to punish her. In the end, Pamia had just approached on Edran’s orders. Now the priority was finding Got.

Yuri signaled to Dale.

“Get up.”

“Y-yes…”

Since he couldn’t stand properly, Yuri grabbed his arm and yanked him up. Dale lost his balance and fell into him.

Yuri clicked his tongue.

“What kind of useless person are you? What’s your specialization?”

“Swordsmanship department…”

“Are you serious?”

“I… didn’t want to go either. But it’s a family tradition…”

Yuri was beginning to understand why Dale relied on Got. With the rough students in the swordsmanship department, someone like Dale didn’t stand a chance.

Got had likely protected him from abuse. But no help is free. It always comes with a price.

Yuri smacked him hard on the back.

“You’re a weakling.”

“S-sorry…”

“Just guide me for now.”

“Are you going to kill him?”

“Of course not. We’ll talk it out.”

Lie.

“I’m glad you changed your mind. You’ll see, Got’s a good person.”

“For you, maybe.”

Yuri left the room with both of them.

Just like when they arrived, the hallway was silent and empty. But as they went down the stairs, a casino employee appeared out of nowhere, greeted them, and returned to the room.

Basregas Casino hid a side as strange as its reputation.

Yuri smiled.

“I just arrived in the Empire, and the fun’s already starting.”

***

After leaving Pamia, Yuri headed with Dale to Got’s residence. He rented the entire second floor of a multi-family house in the city center.

“Mister Bakbar must be spending quite a bit.”

Yuri doubted Toussaint had that much money, but it seemed he took his son’s education seriously.

As they climbed the stairs with Dale in front, Yuri looked up through the railing bars.

An unpleasant smell came from above.

A sensation only someone who had mastered the “Cut of the soul and the heart” could perceive.

Yuri reached for Guilty, the sword at his waist.

“This is it.”

Dale stopped in front of the entrance. The iron door had a peephole, but you couldn’t see inside from the outside.

Dale knocked.

“Got?”

No answer.

“Got?”

He knocked louder. Still silence. Yuri asked,

“Does he usually get visitors?”

“No. He doesn’t like people dropping by…”

“Really?”

That strange sensation from earlier now grew stronger behind the door.

Yuri activated the Cut of the soul and the heart, spreading it through his whole body. Feeling the mana pressure, Dale stepped back.

Yuri ripped off the doorknob in one go.

“It’s open.”

As the door opened, a nauseating stench hit them. Even Dale grimaced and looked around.

“What is this…?”

Yuri stepped in without taking off his shoes. The bedroom door was ajar. He kicked it open wide.

And the scene was a disaster. Got was sprawled on the bed.

Blue smoke drifted from his nose and mouth, his eyes vacant, drool spilling from the corner of his lips.

It was obvious at a glance—he was drugged. Dale, who had followed him in, froze.

“W-what… what is this?”

Got slowly turned his head toward them and smiled. His reaction, so out of place, was eerie.

“Dale.”

“Got…”

“I see you did what I asked. Good job. Very good…”

He staggered upright. He seemed incapable of rational thought. He spoke in a dull voice:

“Long time no see, Prince… Prince Yuri… Ha, haha…”

Yuri sighed.

After all the mess he’d caused, he had hoped Got would at least be prepared for the consequences. But no.

The situation was even more pathetic than expected. One glance was enough.

Got was completely drugged, and that was likely the bait used to trap and turn him into the Empire’s dog.

“Got.”

“Y-yes… hahaha!”

“Been a while.”

“Yes, it has. Although… I don’t remember when…”

“When we were kids.”

“Oh, right. Then…”

His tone suddenly shifted.

“I owe you…”

Classic addict behavior. Mood swings, disordered thoughts. Suddenly, Got grabbed a vase from the nightstand and threw it.

“That’s how I feel!”

Yuri caught it without flinching.

“Hoo…”

He had taken so much of the drug that he was completely out of his mind. Even if he hadn’t been caught now, he would’ve caused a scandal eventually.

And Got didn’t stop. He brandished a sword and charged at Yuri.

“What the hell…”

A bluish aura streamed from his nose and mouth. It wasn’t just addiction: the drug caused a dangerous physical reaction, like a temporary body overload.

“P-prince…?”

Dale paled.

Yuri didn’t move. Got charged at him like a madman, laughing.

“Guess we’ll have to change the setting.”

Yuri delivered a flying kick. Got didn’t even get to swing his sword—he flew like a projectile, smashed through the window, and crashed outside.

The thud of his body hitting the ground echoed. The wind blowing through the shattered window rattled the messy room.

Dale, who had been holding his breath, choked and started coughing like he was dying.