As soon as the lecture ended, Laurent and Jared swiftly abducted Edran. With Dale’s help, they dragged him to an empty classroom and threw him inside. In an instant, they bound him tightly.
Fear flickered in Edran’s eyes.
Yuri pulled a dagger from her cloak—a Flame Mark Sword, one of the Four-Wheel Blades.
She dragged its blade along the wall, sparks flying.
Then she pressed the blade against Edran’s cheek.
“Feels warm, doesn’t it?”
“Ugh…”
“If you cooperate, it’ll stay warm. If not…”
Yuri shook the Flame Mark Sword, and a faint bluish flame flickered and vanished.
“It’ll get hot.”
Edran nodded frantically, tears already welling in his eyes.
Seeing his terrified expression, Yuri thought this wouldn’t take long.
“This is going to be a boring interrogation…”
She muttered under her breath as she loosened the gag in his mouth.
Edran gasped for air, then asked in a trembling voice, “W-why are you doing this to me…?”
“You know, I know, so why pretend you don’t?”
Yuri grabbed a handful of his hair.
“If you don’t speak properly, things will get ugly.”
“I’ll talk. I’ll talk.”
“That’s better. Now, tell me—what exactly am I curious about?”
“That is…”
Yuri pressed the Flame Mark Sword to his face again, and Edran’s eyes widened in terror.
“Because of Pamia. Because of Pamia.”
“You know.”
“I’m sorry. Truly sorry.”
“Why did you do it?”
“I was just curious.”
“Look at this…”
Yuri swung the Flame Mark Sword through the air again.
A faint, shimmering flame flickered around the blade. Though small, it heated the surrounding air noticeably.
The blade moved closer to Edran’s face.
“I’ll talk!”
“Should’ve said that sooner.”
Yuri pulled the blade back. A patch of Edran’s sideburns was singed.
It hadn’t touched his skin, but the heat flushed his cheek.
“You understand this isn’t a joke, right?”
Edran nodded frantically.
He had just seen the Third Prince’s eyes—completely devoid of emotion.
If he hadn’t spoken, the burns would have disfigured his face.
“Now, speak.”
Yuri smiled faintly and stroked Edran’s hair. Then she carefully cut off the burnt sideburn with the dagger.
“Who ordered you?”
“Th-that…”
Edran wanted to lie, but the Third Prince’s gaze pinned him down.
The heat from the dagger at his ear forced him to speak.
“The Duke’s family…”
“The Duke?”
“Elgast, the Elgast family…”
A familiar name.
Oliver, the flashy man they’d met at the banquet, was from the Elgast family.
“Oliver?”
At the mention of the name, fear clouded Edran’s face. He couldn’t speak aloud, only nodded.
“What exactly did he say?”
“Uh…”
“Why did he approach you?”
Once he’d started talking, Edran had no choice. They weren’t bound by any great loyalty.
Before the dagger could come closer, he answered quickly.
“Use a woman or whatever means, just get close to the prince and make him take the drug…”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Really don’t know?”
“Y-yes. I’m not that close to him…”
“Be more honest.”
Yuri leaned in close, staring into Edran’s eyes.
His pupils trembled nervously.
“Lie, and I’ll stab you right away.”
Her voice dropped low.
“When Oliver asked you to do this, what did you think inside?”
“Th-that it was unfair, that I didn’t want to hurt the prince…”
“Not that. Be more honest.”
The tip of the Flame Mark Sword grazed Edran’s cheek, splitting the skin and drawing a drop of blood.
“Why would Oliver make you do this? You must have thought about it yourself.”
“I just…”
“Humans are made to imagine things. Like how I’m picturing your face, twisted by burns, right now.”
“Th-that…”
“Speak.”
“I…”
Edran stammered.
“I thought it might be because of Princess Ekaterina.”
“The princess?”
“Just my own guess. I’m not sure.”
“Why the princess?”
“Oliver likes her. Of course, she’s beautiful.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“The princess showed interest in the prince. I don’t know much, but Oliver said so. That she was interested. So I thought Oliver was jealous and targeting the prince. That’s all. Really.”
Yuri tossed the Flame Mark Sword up and caught it repeatedly.
“I see…”
It made sense that Ekaterina would be interested in him.
Having led the allied forces to victory, he was currently the hottest name in the continent’s social circles.
That was an objective fact.
And curious Ekaterina would surely have looked into who Yuri Briole really was.
That was the problem.
Almost every man around Ekaterina inevitably developed feelings for her.
Guys like Oliver, who thought highly of themselves, were even worse. Probably, he saw Yuri as a rival and made a move.
Though it was Edran’s speculation, Yuri found it plausible.
She’d faced similar situations many times in her past life.
“I see.”
“That’s all I know. Really…”
“Alright. Calm down, Edran.”
It was time to ask something else.
“This time, a different question.”
“Huh?”
“Where did you get the drug? Did Oliver give it to you?”
Edran squeezed his eyes shut.
Yuri didn’t press further. There was no resistance left in him.
After a moment’s hesitation, Edran spoke.
“Please believe me. I don’t know much. The person who sells it…”
He took a few breaths.
“Appears suddenly at night.”
“What?”
“I don’t know either. I was walking down a back alley at night when someone appeared and offered me a drug that helps with swordsmanship.”
“Explain in detail.”
“They wore a black robe with a hood, so I couldn’t see their face. Like ghosts. They said if I told anyone about them, they’d kill me.”
“Better than being killed by me.”
Yuri patted his shoulder to reassure him.
“And you don’t think I’m the only one looking for them?”
“Huh?”
“The empire is aware of the seriousness and is taking action. No matter how much they hide, they’ll be caught eventually. You just need to give us information.”
That seemed to ease Edran’s tension; he exhaled slowly.
“Exactly as I said. At first, they gave me the drug, saying it helps with swordsmanship, and I bought it out of curiosity. Then…”
“And?”
“They sold it to others, saying it helps with swordsmanship and magic. It was a way to make pocket money, and it was fun to have them under my control.”
“Did you sell it to many students?”
“Y-yes. Especially swordsmen and mages, since it helps with their skills…”
“How did you contact the seller?”
“I don’t know. They never appeared when I looked for them. They only show up when they want to. Sometimes I even met them in our family garden.”
“Unusual.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Are they still dealing now?”
“After Goat got caught by the prince, somehow they warned me not to say a word. And they never appeared again.”
“I see.”
“Really. I haven’t seen them since.”
“Alright.”
Having grasped the gist, Yuri nodded. Before ending the interrogation, she asked Edran once more.
“Anything else you want to say?”
“Huh?”
“Anything, no matter how small. Just tell me what you know. If I find out later you hid something, you’ll regret it.”
“Ah, ah, I need time to think…”
Edran covered his head with his hands.
“Did you really tell me everything?”
“Y-yes. I told you everything. Th-that…”
Edran’s eyes rolled.
“Oliver knew I was getting the drug. I didn’t sell much, though. So I wondered how he found out.”
“And?”
“Y-yes. That’s all.”
“Good.”
Yuri released Edran.
“Edran.”
“Yes?”
“What happened today stays between us.”
“Of course.”
“If this gets out, not only Oliver but the drug dealers will be upset, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I won’t say a word either, so just keep your mouth shut.”
“Yes.”
“And one last thing…”
As she untied him, Yuri grabbed the remaining rope and tightened it around Edran’s neck.
“Gah—!”
“Don’t bother the Briole kids anymore. That includes Goat and Dale. Got it?”
“Y-yes…”
“Answer me.”
“Y-yes…”
Edran scratched at the rope with his nails.
“Remember that.”
When Yuri loosened the rope, Edran coughed violently, drool spilling from his mouth.
Yuri tousled his hair.
“Did that hurt a lot? Sorry, I’m a bit impatient.”
“N-no…”
She straightened his disheveled clothes, tangled from being tied up.
“All done.”
Yuri lifted Edran’s chin and met his eyes again.
Her own black eyes reflected in his.
The cold atmosphere was palpable. Her gaze was sharp and merciless enough to make him tremble.
Yuri smiled with satisfaction.
Then Edran stammered, “I-I really told you everything…”
“Good.”
Yuri grabbed his shoulder and helped him to his feet. Edran wobbled, his legs weak, but he managed to steady himself by planting his knees firmly.
As she smoothed the creases in Edran’s collar, Yuri said, “Edran, even though things started off like this, if it all works out, maybe we can become good friends.”
There was a similar case with Sven Gain, of course, but that required the person’s own will to change.
“Take care. If we meet again, don’t forget to say hello.”
“I will.”
“Let’s head out first. It’d be awkward if we left together, so wait a bit and come out later.”
“Yes.”
As Yuri turned away, Laurent and Jared, who had been standing nearby, followed suit.
Laurent cast a cold glance at Edran, while Jared pointed first to his own eyes with his index and middle fingers, then back at Edran—an unspoken promise to keep watching.
Edran nodded blankly.
The moment they stepped out of the classroom, Yuri let out a sigh.
“The Empire is complicated.”
“Tell me about it. Catch one fish, and a whole bunch of trash comes up with it.”
“Exactly.”
She found herself missing Briol, where things had been relatively straightforward.
“But at least we got a lead. We need to dig into that Oliver guy.”
“It won’t be easy. He’s from a duke’s family.”
“We’ll figure something out during the tournament.”
Like delegations from other nations, Yuri’s group planned to stay in the Empire until the tournament ended.
Soon, they met with the academy head and exchanged greetings. He clasped Yuri’s hands warmly, his face lighting up.
“Everyone’s been praising your recent lecture. Thank you.”
“You’re too kind.”
“And… please don’t be too harsh on them. They’re still young and inexperienced.”
Yuri looked at him, sensing he’d noticed Edran had been taken away.
He waved a reassuring hand.
“Well, since he did something wrong, it’s only natural you’d take action yourself.”
“My apologies for the trouble.”
“Not at all. Someone had to do it. And thank you for what you did regarding Gote. As teachers, it was our duty, but still…”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
The academy head was no ordinary man, fitting for someone who led the institution.
After finishing their greetings, Yuri and the others left the academy.
The streets were bustling.
“Come to think of it, today’s the deadline, isn’t it?”
Today was the last day for tournament participants to submit their applications.
Citizens of the imperial capital were already buzzing, speculating about who would become Yekaterina’s partner.
Yuri smiled faintly.
Beautiful flowers always have thorns.
No matter who wins, anyone tied to Yekaterina was bound to have a hard time.
She teased Laurent and Jared with a playful grin.
“If one of us had entered, we could’ve made Briol’s name famous. That’s a shame.”
Laurent nodded.
“Yes. I’ll make sure Briol’s name echoes far and wide.”
“Huh?”
Yuri looked at him.
Laurent met her gaze steadily, a strange smile playing on his lips.
“I’ve already submitted my application, Your Highness.”