The entire empire was shrouded in mourning.
Just days ago, the tournament had filled the air with celebration, but now, with Prince Ragna’s death, the streets were heavy with sorrow.
Ragna had been beloved by many, which only deepened the shock.
The funeral was held quietly.
The official cause of death was ruled an accident.
He had been drinking on a high balcony, lost his footing, and fallen. The first to find him was a servant, who immediately summoned the priests, but Ragna was already gone.
“I heard you were close to my brother,” Ivar said, gazing at Ragna’s coffin.
Yuri stood in the imperial family’s cemetery just outside the palace. It wasn’t dark here. The white walls and columns, lit by lamps and adorned with gilded decorations, made it feel like a temple.
“Ragna didn’t like me, but I liked him. The funny thing is, the reason he disliked me and the reason I liked him were the same. We were just too different. Probably because we were half-brothers.”
Yuri stared at the coffin, quietly listening to Ivar’s words.
“Yuri Briol.”
“Yes.”
“Ragna was a remarkable man, wasn’t he?”
Yuri looked at Ivar.
There was a bitter smile on his face, and behind his eyes, a swirl of emotions.
Yuri simply nodded.
“Yes.”
Deep down, he suspected the emperor might have doubts too, but that one thing was undeniably true.
Ragna was a remarkable man.
Not perfect—he had his flaws. But he was so admirable that his shortcomings barely mattered.
“He was a great man.”
“Yes, he was…”
Ivar sighed.
“I thought he’d outlive me. But here we are. It doesn’t feel right.”
He patted Yuri’s shoulder and turned away.
The funeral was attended not only by the royal family but also by those who had been close to Ragna. Ivar went around offering condolences.
Yuri lifted his eyes.
Behind the coffin, a massive door was firmly shut.
Beyond it lay a vast crypt, accessible only to a select few.
Like other royals, Ragna would be laid to rest there.
This was the last time anyone would see him.
Yuri stepped forward and placed his hand on the coffin. The royal guards nearby glanced at him but did not intervene.
Pressing his forehead against the wood, he whispered softly, so only Ragna could hear.
“I will have my revenge. No matter what.”
Suddenly, the image of Ragna laughing out loud on the grassland flashed through his mind.
Above that, the awkward expression Ragna had worn when they met in a past life flickered by.
Though they met in different times and places, he had always been the same—never dismissing Yuri as just the third prince of Briol, but seeing him for who he truly was.
“I swear it on my honor.”
Yuri said this, lightly tapping the coffin with his forehead.
The weight of Ragna’s death now added to the burden he must bear.
It was a daunting path.
But he would walk it, no matter what.
Closing his eyes, he bid Ragna farewell and stood up. Someone was already beside him.
Ekaterina stood quietly, her fingertips resting on the coffin.
A shadow darkened beneath her long lashes.
“Are you leaving?”
At first, Yuri thought she was still in denial, speaking to Ragna.
But then she looked at him.
Meeting her gaze, Yuri parted his lips briefly before nodding.
“Yes.”
The tournament was over. Ragna, who had been investigating within the royal court, was dead. There was nothing left for him to do in the empire.
He had changed much, but some things remained unchanged.
War was coming.
The one who killed Ragna would, just as in their past life, plunge the entire continent into chaos. Feeding on the grief that followed, they would only grow stronger.
Before that happened, Yuri intended to do what he could.
“I see.”
Ekaterina nodded and withdrew her hand from the coffin.
“Perhaps…”
Before she could say more, someone approached.
“Yuri.”
It was Katrina. She exchanged a glance with Ekaterina before speaking to Yuri.
“I can’t believe this happened…”
Her eyes were swollen.
“It’s truly heartbreaking.”
Katrina grasped Ekaterina’s arm, and Ekaterina wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Katrina sighed deeply.
“It’s hard to believe someone so healthy could be taken by alcohol.”
Yuri didn’t believe Ragna had died from a fall caused by drinking.
But he couldn’t question the body or the official cause of death. Doing so risked drawing attention from whoever had killed Ragna.
For now, Yuri had to be a comrade mourning a fallen friend. It must never be revealed that they were allies uncovering secrets together.
Yuri glanced sideways. Crown Prince Eugen stood beside Ivar, expressionless as he listened.
“Yuri, when you return, please send my regards to Cedric.”
Katrina wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and said this. Yuri nodded.
“Yes.”
He then glanced at Ekaterina.
Cedric and Katrina were not officially involved—they were secretly seeing each other.
But Ekaterina seemed to already know.
“Ekaterina knows.”
“Yes.”
“She was someone the emperor also knew…”
As they spoke, the funeral director overseeing the ceremony spoke up.
“Only noble bloodlines will remain for the rites. Please clear the area.”
Yuri had to leave.
As he departed the underground cemetery with the other nobles, he took one last look at the coffin.
Then, unexpectedly, his eyes met Eugen’s as the prince turned to look back.
In that brief moment, Yuri felt something.
A foreboding sensation.
His mana method activated instinctively. His vision slipped into the realm of the soul.
The scene of the underground crypt, filled with royal bloodlines, began to take on a different form.
The royal guards closed the crypt’s door.
At the same moment, Yuri’s vision returned to normal.
“Are you all right?”
A royal guard knight asked. Yuri nodded and turned away.
His back was damp.
Perhaps it was already too late.
Mulling over what he had just seen, Yuri quickened his pace.
Inside the crypt, his vision had been pitch black.
Yuri went to Hernando’s workshop.
In front of the log cabin, Inariel was smoking a cigarette.
The sight of the young boy with a pipe in his mouth was oddly fitting.
“You all right?”
“Yes.”
“Such a thing….”
Every time he exhaled smoke, his long ears twitched.
“You must be suspicious, right?”
“Yes.”
“Of course…”
Just then, Hernando stepped out of the cabin.
“My condolences, Your Highness.”
“I’m fine.”
“How did it look?”
“I didn’t see the body. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”
“Is it really possible it was an accident…?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I’m suspicious about why he was unreachable for so long. And the secret base was completely empty.”
On his way to the mage tower, Yuri had stopped by the pawnshop where he had met Ragna before. But unlike before, it was now deserted.
“Hmm…”
Inariel said,
“I thought it was coincidence, but maybe it’s fate…”
Yuri and Hernando looked at him. Inariel hopped down from the log he’d been sitting on, folding his arms behind his back.
“I just came on a whim, and now I’m caught up in this mess. I looked into black magic—it’s more dangerous than I thought. If your guess is right, the prince died chasing black magic.”
“Yes.”
“If the empire, especially the royal family, is tainted, this is a grave matter.”
Inariel picked up the staff he had laid on the ground.
“Half of the Ten Strong are connected to the empire or have friendly ties.”
It was true.
The empire didn’t just have the Black Knight. Three of the Ten Strong, including the Black Knight, were directly under the emperor’s command, and two others were under their influence.
“If this power runs wild, the entire continent will fall into chaos.”
“Yes.”
Yuri had seen that scene firsthand.
Like a broken dam, the empire’s power spread in all directions.
No one could stop the Black Army.
Looking back, they had been driven by the power of black magic.
Just like the orcs of Okua.
“Since things have come to this, I’ll find a way on my own. Yuri, how do you plan to stop it?”
“For now…”
Yuri pictured the continent’s map.
“Before returning to Briol, I plan to stop by Adelvine.”
“Adelvine…”
There was only one thing there.
“Marie Rose said she wished for more parchments.”
She was deciphering parchments imbued with black magic from Valshad, but lacked enough samples.
If they had just one more parchment, the work could progress much faster.
If the parchments were decoded, they might be able to create magic to counter black magic.
“And Inariel said the parchments were in Adelvine.”
“Could it be…”
“If my guess is right, Gert became a Death Knight because of those parchments.”
Yuri thought that, like the orcs of Okua, Gert must be carrying the parchments.
“We’ll retrieve them there.”
At those words, Hernando and Inariel fell silent.
Yuri had just declared he would capture Gert, one of the Ten Strong.
“You’re crazy.”
Inariel said,
“Just so you know, I’m not joining your fight.”
“Understood.”
Yuri nodded.
Inariel was an elf, not human. He wasn’t one to meddle in human affairs.
“Then how do you plan to catch Gert?”
“Just like before.”
“Gert is one of the Ten Strong.”
“I know.”
“Are you thinking of calling your father?”
“Of course not. I’ll go in secret.”
“Then?”
Yuri had memories from his past life. And Gert was defeated before he died.
After Gert, the Ten Strong at the time, was killed, a new Ten Strong emerged.
And Yuri knew exactly who that new Ten Strong was.
“Isn’t it strange to count a death knight like Gert among the Ten Strong?”
“If you put it that way, what about that ogre bastard?”
“At least you can talk to him. But Gert? He just kills anything alive. So…”
Yuri smirked.
“It’s time for a new Ten Strong to rise.”
Hernando’s eyes went wide.
“Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t want to take that position. It’s just too much trouble.”
“What?”
“Embarrassing, really…”
“Not you.”
“Then who else is there with that kind of talent?”
Yuri shook his head.
Either way, he already knew the man well. No matter how dangerous the fight, he wasn’t the type to back down. If offered, he’d probably be eager to join.
“There’s someone who promised me the full experience. I’m going to see what that’s like this time.”
Jose Aratur.
The sword of Bursen, and one of the Ten Strong in Yuri’s past life.
“Hmm…”
Hernando rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Well, I suppose the time has come to leave the royal castle.”
“Yeah.”
“Your Highness, I don’t think I can join you on this journey.”
“Why not?”
“This matter is serious. I’ll stop by the Mage Tower’s main branch. I want to ask for their help.”
“Thank you, Hernando.”
“No need.”
Yuri wasn’t sure exactly how high Hernando’s rank was in the world of mages, but recently it had become clear he was quite a formidable sorcerer.
Maybe the Mage Tower would step in after all.
“But then we’re short on mages…”
Yuri glanced at Inariel. He shook his head.
Hernando smiled.
“Your Highness, don’t worry.”
“Hm?”
“There’s someone you haven’t seen in a while. He just finished a long period of secluded training.”
“No way…”
Hernando clapped his hands.
The door of the log cabin swung open.
Someone stepped out.
“Allow me to introduce: the newly born mage, officially ranked Novice Wizard, Kori.”
Yuri was taken aback when he saw Kori.
“No…”
His steps were still unsteady, but his body had grown considerably.
He’d been training as a mage, but why were his clothes ragged? And beneath those tattered clothes, why were there muscles and scars?
He looked less like a mage and more like a martial artist who had just come down from the mountains.
Clenching his fist, Kori declared,
“I, Kori, will accompany Your Highness in place of Hernando!”