At the emperor’s declaration, the young knights gathered in the banquet hall exchanged glances that had suddenly changed.
Ekaterina sat quietly beside the throne, gazing down over the hall.
Even those who barely knew her couldn’t help but feel their hearts flutter at the emperor’s words.
She was, quite literally, as beautiful as a goddess.
“So, everyone, do your best. Heh heh hmm…”
Ivar chuckled softly. Yuri glanced briefly at Ekaterina.
Her brow furrowed ever so slightly, but it was such a fleeting expression that only those who knew her well might have noticed.
Had this not been rehearsed beforehand?
It wouldn’t have been unusual.
Ivar was the emperor, playful in demeanor but always steering state affairs exactly as he wished.
Similar moments had happened many times in his past life.
“The expectations are high. Yours too, Yuri…” Ivar smiled at him. Yuri simply bowed his head.
“We have some fine young men in our empire. It’s about time they settled down, hmm…”
His eyes briefly landed on a corner of the hall before moving on.
“I’m pleased to see so much talent among the young knights this time. The same goes for the friends here. Anyone is welcome. The empire is open.”
Ivar revealed his true feelings as he patted Jonathan’s shoulder nearby.
“Jonathan, this one’s a clever knight, right? How about granting him a fief?”
“No, thank you. Your words alone are enough.”
“I like talent. When I was young…”
Ivar continued tossing out a few jokes. Most were lighthearted nonsense, but occasionally, genuine sincerity peeked through between the lines.
After a while, Ivar finally rose to leave.
“I’ve held you all too long. Young people should enjoy themselves among their peers. There are many beautiful and fine young people in the empire—make good connections. Jonathan, friend from Bursen, what do you think? Who’s the prettiest here?”
“Huh?”
“Be honest.”
“Well, um…”
Caught off guard, Jonathan couldn’t come up with a proper answer and instinctively glanced toward Ekaterina.
“Just as I thought—my daughter, huh?”
Ivar burst into laughter.
“Alright, enough of an old man’s nonsense. Enjoy yourselves.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Ivar made eye contact with each of them once more before turning away.
Those gathered bowed their heads in unison toward his back.
The undeniable presence of Emperor Ivar, the empire’s supreme ruler, lingered heavily in the room even after he left.
His informal manner only added to the weight of his presence.
“Phew…”
Once the emperor began mingling with the nobles, everyone finally relaxed and exhaled deeply.
Wolf, standing nearby, spoke up.
“He’s no ordinary man.”
“Seems that way.”
“Still, I’m glad he’s not as terrifying as I imagined.”
Yuri nodded in agreement.
Though there was something inscrutable about him, the emperor didn’t seem like the type to recklessly wage war.
“If the emperor is moderate, the continent should enjoy peace for a while.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Yuri kept his gaze on the emperor.
He had expected someone sharper, colder—but here was a man cracking light jokes among nobles, quite different from his assumptions.
Could it be that the emperor had truly gone mad from black magic after all?
“By the way…”
Wolf suddenly asked, breaking Yuri’s thoughts.
“What do you think, Your Highness?”
“Hm?”
Wolf looked at Yuri, then back toward where the emperor’s family was seated.
“You’d fit in well there.”
“Maybe.”
Yuri smiled faintly.
“How about your son?”
“My son isn’t qualified. Ha ha ha…”
“Sven seems to have gotten his act together.”
“If that’s so, it’s all thanks to the friendship you’ve shared with him.”
“Hm?”
Friendship? There was no such thing between him and Sven.
Yet Wolf looked at his son with the fondness of a studious, exemplary friend guiding him on the right path.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
“I look forward to seeing you shine in the tournament.”
“Well…”
Yuri shrugged. In any case, he intended to keep his distance from Ekaterina this lifetime.
He didn’t care who won or married her.
He had already let go of old feelings, burying them under his pillow at the Duforia Hotel.
As he reminisced about the alliance army’s days with Wolf, a flash of red cape caught his eye from the edge of his vision.
“Yuri.”
It was Ragna.
Yuri and Wolf bowed respectfully.
“Your Highness.”
“Sorry you had to listen to all that nonsense.”
Ragna shot a glare toward the emperor’s direction.
“Too much talk…”
“Ha ha ha…”
“Putting your own daughter’s medal on the line in the tournament—what a reckless man.”
Only someone like Ragna could speak so freely at a ball where the emperor himself was present.
“Now that it’s come to this, Yuri, you really have to win. For Ekaterina’s sake.”
“I have no interest in the tournament.”
“No way. There are plenty of wolves eyeing my niece.”
“Maybe he’s a good guy, if you get to know him.”
“You’re too easygoing…”
As Yuri raised his wine glass, Ragna grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, nearly spilling the drink.
“Look over there.”
“Huh?”
Ragna pointed toward one side of the hall.
A handsome young man with sleek, well-groomed hair stood surrounded by people.
He spoke with exaggerated gestures, drawing laughter from those around him.
Though many women clustered nearby, his gaze often drifted toward Ekaterina.
Ragna whispered close to Yuri’s ear.
“See that guy with all the women? He’s the duke’s son. A parasite, really.”
Having lived a similar life in his past, Yuri recognized Ragna’s words as a backhanded compliment.
He must have a lot of charm.
A parasite, meaning he’s handsome.
“Despite his looks, he’s skilled with the sword. I admit he has talent.”
“I see.”
“He’ll enter the tournament, and if not you, there’s no one to stop him.”
“Why stop him?”
“I can’t stand the thought of Ekaterina ending up with a guy like that.”
“Her real father seems fine with it…”
“That’s because her father’s strange. Yuri, you know me—I’m lenient. I don’t intend to meddle in my niece’s life unnecessarily.”
“Well…”
“I’m serious.”
Looking back, Ragna had tolerated Yuri dating Ekaterina when he had nothing to offer.
But he truly disliked that duke’s son.
“Besides him, there’s no one else worthy of winning the tournament except you. I worry about Ekaterina.”
“I see.”
Yuri answered vaguely.
Displeased with his attitude, Ragna grunted.
“Yuri.”
“Yes?”
“Are you a coward?”
“Huh?”
“Right now.”
Ragna leaned in and launched into a passionate tirade.
“Any man would be captivated by Ekaterina’s beauty, but you? You act indifferent. You even lied about having a lover when I offered to set you up…”
Well, what else could he say? He’d ruined his life because of her and was reborn.
Instead, Yuri smiled faintly and replied,
“Your Highness, a person’s heart matters more than appearance.”
Ragna looked shocked.
“That’s true, but why does it sound so strange coming from you…”
“Maybe it’s because Your Highness values looks over heart.”
“Hm? I haven’t heard many compliments about my looks in my life.”
“Exactly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
While Ragna was momentarily confused, Yuri quickly changed the subject.
“The food is delicious. The empire’s culinary culture is impressive.”
“Of course.”
Ragna immediately launched into a discussion about the cuisine.
Then, as if remembering something, he glanced around and slung an arm around Yuri’s shoulder, whispering.
“By the way, Yuri.”
“Yes?”
“About that black magic I mentioned before.”
During the alliance army days, Ragna had suspected a connection between orcs and black magic. He wondered if the palace held the root of the problem.
Had he found any clues since returning to the empire?
“I think something’s going on in the palace. I’ve been investigating privately. I can’t say much, but I’ve found a small lead.”
His grip on Yuri’s shoulder tightened.
“This isn’t just the empire’s problem. You should know—though the war is over, the troubles remain.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
For Ragna to say this to someone not even affiliated with the empire meant he truly trusted Yuri.
But Yuri didn’t share what he knew with Ragna.
After all, Ragna was still royalty.
Even if black magic was involved, Yuri couldn’t predict how he’d act if the empire’s interests clashed with Briol’s.
“Alright.”
Ragna smiled wryly.
“We’ll meet again. Enjoy yourself, Yuri.”
And with that, he left.
Afterward, nobles of the empire came by to greet him. Yuri received them with a relaxed demeanor.
Then the duke’s son Ragna had warned about appeared.
“Greetings, Your Highness. I’ve heard much about your reputation.”
Yuri found himself staring at the young man’s head—his hair so perfectly styled it gleamed.
“I’m Oliver Elgast. My father is the Duke of Saito.”
“I’m Yuri Briol.”
Oliver seemed to expect more, but when Yuri said no more, he nodded and smiled broadly.
“I’ve also heard of your exploits with the alliance army.”
Oliver extended his hand for a shake.
At once, a few nearby voices let out small cheers. The noble ladies covered their mouths with fans, whispering among themselves.
What was all the fuss about?
Yuri took his hand. Oliver continued speaking.
“As a fellow knight, I’ve been eager to test my skills against you. I look forward to seeing you at the tournament.”
He said this with a polite bow.
On the surface, he seemed courteous, but Yuri caught a flicker of something else in his eyes—something different.
Now he understood why Ragna disliked this guy.
“Well, we’ll see…”
Yuri answered vaguely.
But Oliver took it as a positive response and broke into a bright smile.
“I’ll be looking forward to it. Until then.”
Watching him walk away, Yuri gave a wry smile.
Everyone seemed to assume Oliver would naturally be competing in the tournament.
“They’re all so excited…”
The empire was rotting from within, and yet here they were, caught up in talk of a tournament. Yuri had no intention of playing along.
He took a sip of wine and made his way over to where Briol and the others were gathered.
Between Simon and Jared, Jose was laughing heartily.
“Ah, Your Highness,” Jose said, his voice lively. “I heard the news. His Majesty has staked quite a lot on this.”
“That’s right.”
“If only I were a bit younger, I might have thrown my hat in the ring. What a shame.”
Jose was just on the edge of being too old.
“I don’t know if the prince will actually enter the tournament…”
Simon and Guiness grumbled.
“He says he won’t.”
“If the prince does compete, it’ll be a national celebration…”
Yuri shot a sharp glance at the two, who immediately fell silent.
Jose chuckled, patting their backs.
“Well, it’s up to him. But you know…”
He wore a sly smile.
“Even if the prince does enter, there’s no guarantee he’ll win.”
Yuri’s eyebrows twitched.
“Seems there are quite a few interesting challengers. I suppose a big country breeds great talent.”
“You mean that shiny-headed guy?”
“Ah, yes. He’s formidable, and there are other great knights not even here. Your Highness, if you do enter, be careful. Ha ha ha…”
Jose’s laughter made Yuri narrow his eyes.
Compared to those pushing him to join the tournament, Jose’s words stirred a more genuine competitive fire.
For a moment, Yuri even considered entering just to crush those challengers.
“I’m not interested.”
“A pity. It would have been quite a show.”
“I’m content with fighting on the black battlefield.”
Yuri said, raising his glass.
“Well, let’s toast. It really feels like the allied forces have finally come to an end.”
“Indeed.”
As they lifted their glasses, others gathered around. Comrades who had faced life and death together on the battlefield now celebrated the allied victory at the emperor’s banquet.
Who would have thought, back in those dry grasslands soaked with orc blood, that a day like this would come?
It would have been better if everyone had survived.
“To the comrades who went before us.”
Yuri spoke quietly.
Everyone raised their glasses with bittersweet smiles. Simon and Guiness winced, as if thinking of Dyke.
“It was an honor to fight alongside you all.”
They drank.
After the moment of remembrance, laughter soon filled the air.
In the midst of the allied soldiers’ gathering, Yuri was always there.
Anyone watching could tell the position he held within the allied forces.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
Beside Yuri, Ekaterina quietly observed his profile.