Yuri was dreaming.
He realized this because something impossible was happening.
At the moment Briol was surrounded and facing certain death, the father he thought was gone suddenly returned and slaughtered the imperial army.
Yalta was split in two, the Black Knight admitted defeat and retreated.
The ogres were too terrified to even attack.
Briol was safe, and with the empire’s war ending, the continent returned to peace.
After the war, Cedric ascended the throne and ruled Briol wisely, and everyone lived happily ever after.
If only that were true.
But since it was impossible, Yuri knew this was a dream.
“Huh.”
Yet he didn’t wake up.
“What’s wrong, Yuri?”
“No, nothing.”
Cedric, seated on the throne, looked down at him with a puzzled tilt of his head.
Joshua chuckled beside him.
“What’s this guy thinking about? In front of His Majesty?”
“Joshua.”
“Outrageous. Yuri, this is treason. Treason.”
“Uh…”
Yuri tilted his head for a moment. It felt too real to be a dream.
“What’s with that dazed look? Just woke up?”
“No.”
“You look like you don’t even know where you are. Hey, where do you think this is?”
“Well…”
Yuri couldn’t finish his sentence, and even Cedric’s expression grew serious as he adjusted his glasses.
“What’s wrong, Yuri?”
“Nothing.”
“Yuri, tell me. Where are we?”
“…A dream?”
“What?”
Yuri froze. In dreams, the world never looks this clear. But he could see every detail in Cedric’s pupils, even the worry shining within them.
He clenched and unclenched his hand. The sensation was vivid.
“You’re calling this a dream? Are you seriously treating us like figments of your imagination? Huh? This guy’s completely lost it.”
“Joshua, stop. He’s joking.”
“Look at his eyes. I’m serious.”
“Joshua…”
The two stared at Yuri. Joshua’s eyes were suspicious, Cedric’s filled with concern.
Yuri looked back and forth between them and said,
“This is a dream, right?”
Cedric and Joshua answered simultaneously.
“No.”
“No.”
Yuri nodded.
“So it’s a dream.”
There was no way the two would say that in unison.
“Then I need to wake up again.”
He closed his eyes. Usually, when this happened, clenching his whole body tightly with eyes shut would snap him awake.
“Ugh!”
Joshua sneered.
“Did you just crap yourself?”
“Uh…”
Yuri opened his eyes.
“This really isn’t a dream?”
“You’re treating us like characters in your dream. Your Highness, are you going to let this guy get away with it?”
“Yuri, are you okay?”
Their voices tangled together.
Yuri felt like they were acting in a play. Otherwise, none of this would make sense.
But in the end, he didn’t wake.
He had to admit it.
“This isn’t a dream.”
After all, he had already traveled back in time once. It wouldn’t be strange if he suddenly found himself in the future—or even another world.
Joshua asked,
“If this is a dream, what’s your real reality like? What kind of beautiful nightmare did you have to mistake reality for a dream?”
“Well…”
It seemed he had come to the future. Everything pointed that way.
Since it was too vivid to be a dream, Yuri decided to accept this as his new reality.
Still dazed, he asked,
“What happened to the empire?”
“What?”
Even Joshua’s face grew serious. Cedric asked,
“Did you really dream that?”
Yuri thought. Maybe he really had dreamed it.
The burning of Briol in his past life, the efforts to avoid repeating mistakes—it all suddenly felt so distant.
He studied Joshua’s face from every angle and said again,
“Maybe I did.”
“What kind of dream was it? Tell me quickly. I’m curious now.”
“Hmm…”
Yuri began.
“So the empire…”
He gave a brief explanation. Cedric and Joshua exchanged glances.
“That was just an old dream.”
“An old dream?”
“Did you really lose your memory? You dreamed too deeply.”
Joshua said.
“So in the end, your father stopped the empire, and now it’s completely divided.”
“How?”
“Do I have to explain everything?”
Cedric cut in.
“Enough. For now, Yuri, go back and rest. You don’t look well.”
That was a welcome suggestion.
He wanted to get away from here quickly. He needed time to calmly assess the situation.
Joshua frowned but nodded at Cedric’s words.
“Alright then.”
Yuri bowed to Cedric as he had to his father. It felt awkward, but he had expected to do this someday, so it came naturally.
Leaving the two behind, Yuri headed straight to his quarters.
“Ah, Your Highness.”
Ena appeared. She had grown older and more mature but still looked much the same as before.
“You’re in a hurry today. Did something happen?”
“Ena.”
“Yes?”
“I have some questions.”
Yuri pulled Ena into his room, sat her down, and asked about everything that had happened from just before he came to the future until now.
Ena explained patiently.
Everything Yuri wished for had come true.
The empire’s rise was stopped, dark magic was purified, and the continent enjoyed peace and prosperity. All the troublesome problems had been resolved.
It was as if the stage for a life of enjoyment had been perfectly set.
“This isn’t a dream, right?”
“No, it’s not. Actually, I’m preparing to wake you up. You talk in your sleep a lot.”
Yuri laughed.
“Right. Not a dream.”
“Of course not.”
“Oh dear…”
“I’m busy. Are you going to keep talking about dreams?”
“No, go ahead.”
Ena stood up, but before leaving, she gently patted Yuri’s head and turned.
“Our prince must have had a scary dream. Get some rest.”
After she left, Yuri sat on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
“This is unbelievable…”
Not only had he traveled back in time, but now he’d come to the future. What kind of strange phenomenon was this?
But he didn’t feel bad.
All the burdens weighing on his heart had been lifted.
For the first time, Yuri felt complete peace.
He had always carried a heavy stone on his heart, but now he felt free to do anything.
He lay down and rolled once on the bed.
Then twice in the opposite direction.
Even these silly actions didn’t feel like a waste in this world.
“Heh heh heh…”
Yuri chuckled softly. Several things he wanted to do came to mind.
First, maybe he’d take Laurent and Jared on a trip.
Visiting Bursen to see Hose would be nice.
Or going to Yohim to see their statues.
Or maybe even traveling east to see a new world.
“I wonder how Master Moyongchan is doing?”
Since he didn’t know the future well yet, he couldn’t be sure if they were all right.
Then, suddenly, Yuri sensed something in the corner of the room.
Inside the wardrobe.
“Huh?”
He stood and walked over.
A strange vibrating sound came from within.
Yuri stepped back and stared at the closed door. The mysterious hum continued.
He flung the door open.
Nothing but clothes inside.
“Hmm…”
Then the vibration came again.
His eyes moved to the edges of the wardrobe’s interior.
Something was there.
“Ah…”
Yuri immediately recognized it. Wrapped in fine cloth, only the outline was visible, but it was unmistakable.
Why was this thing stuffed away here like this?
He picked it up.
Guilty.
His sword was left abandoned like that.
Had peace lasted so long that he no longer swung his sword?
Yuri thought as he unwrapped the cloth.
The word meaning “guilt” was still etched on the blade.
The moment it rested fully in his hand, Guilty let out a long, mournful cry.
“Ah…”
Yuri realized.
The moment he gripped this sword, everything he had just felt so free to leave behind pressed down on his chest again.
The empire.
War.
Dark magic.
The deaths of people.
Anxiety and fear flooded his heart. He wanted to drop Guilty immediately, but it wouldn’t leave his grasp, filling his entire body with unease.
The moment he held the sword, Yuri and the world separated.
His guilt deepened.
The ruined Briol from his past life flashed before him like a ghost.
The calm he had felt was shattered.
He gripped the sword tightly. Then the brutal battles he had endured flashed through his mind—from fighting orcs, to the empire, to Adelbine, and finally Yohim—the stench of blood brushing his nose.
His heart pounded.
Tension spread through his body.
Around Guilty, the scenery began to shift.
As if the sword and the world were vying for territory, the land beneath Yuri’s feet turned to wasteland.
Guilty trembled again.
At that moment, a face he had long forgotten came to mind.
The empty eye sockets of the dead stared at him.
“Yes.”
Yuri’s heart sank.
“I haven’t forgotten.”
He lifted his eyes.
The land beneath him was barren, and a few steps ahead, the peaceful palace scene he had just seen shimmered like a mirage.
He held Guilty.
The lingering peace still warmed his chest.
He didn’t want to leave.
But the Guilty sword in his hand kept urging him on. It cried out frantically, telling him there was too much to do, that he had to open his eyes quickly.
Yuri nodded.
“How do I wake up?”
Guilty explained the method.
The answer was always the same.
It was inevitable. He gripped his sword and engraved the Briol Oath. So the only choice left to him was to cut down his enemy.
Yuri clenched Guilty tightly.
And he struck.
The world split in two.
Yuri opened his eyes, gasping for breath. His heart pounded wildly.
“Hah, hah…”
“Awake, are you?”
Suddenly, a voice spoke to him.
Yuri turned his gaze.
“Uh…”
“Are you feeling disoriented?”
It was Moyongchan standing there.
Yuri propped himself up and looked around. He was lying on the grassy lawn of the royal palace, with only Moyongchan by his side.
“What…?”
“What were you just doing?”
“Me?”
Yuri tried to recall.
“I was talking with Ena…”
“You’re not fully awake yet.”
“Was it all a dream?”
“That’s right.”
“Why am I here…?”
“Forget the dream. What about this reality? What were you doing just now?”
“Well, I…”
Yuri searched his memory, but it felt distant, like something far away.
“Uh…”
“Bernard.”
“Oh, right.”
Yuri nodded.
“I was sparring with Bernard. Then, after finishing up, I was heading back…”
“You collapsed.”
“Yes.”
“And then you dreamed.”
“Something like that. Was it really a dream?”
“Listen carefully, Yuri Briol.”
At some point, Moyongchan’s pronunciation had become clearer.
It meant he was serious.
“You said your Soul Slash technique is infused with the Heavenly Demon’s martial art.”
“Yes.”
“What you just saw was called a ‘Heart Demon’—a manifestation of chaos born from the Heavenly Demon’s power, swallowing you whole.”
Yuri’s eyes widened.
“What’s that?”
“The chaos within the Heavenly Demon’s martial art is consuming you.”
“Uh…”
“See? You still haven’t fully come to your senses.”
“It was just a dream.”
“It’s not that simple. In fact, it’s very serious.”
Moyongchan sighed deeply.
The trial his disciple faced was no light burden.
“Yuri Briol, listen carefully.”
He hated having to say this.
But it was the only solution he knew.
“From now on, don’t pick up your sword again.”