Yuri scratched the back of her head.
“Wrong number.”
The man chuckled.
“Yeah. Now do you understand?”
“Who are you?”
“Why don’t you tell me who you are first? Then maybe I’ll spare your life. How about surrendering to the Empire? I think you’d like it.”
“Oh, really?”
Yuri glanced at Laurent and Jared, then shrugged.
“Things have changed.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s run.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
With that, Yuri immediately turned and tried to flee.
But the man in front of her plunged his sword into her back.
She tried to dodge, but the attack was fiercer than expected, and she had to roll on the ground.
“Why so rough?”
“Do you think I’m going to let you go?”
“You… you’ll regret this.”
Yuri raised her Guilty sword, aiming at the man as she backed away.
“I am Jared, the Beast of Briol.”
“Jared, huh? Never heard of you.”
Jared, standing behind, looked at Yuri. She ignored his piercing gaze and continued.
“And those behind me are my subordinates, Simon and Guiness.”
“Still unfamiliar names. Briol is supposed to be a land of knights, but even unknown knights have this much skill?”
“Yeah. So who are you?”
“I am Elpeso, Captain of the Empire’s Ninth Knight Order.”
“The Empire sure loves numbers. Why do they name everything with numbers?”
“Because the Empire is all about logic and order.”
“Right.”
As Yuri answered Elpeso, she kicked up dirt from the ground. Elpeso swung his sword in a wide arc to block it.
Taking advantage of the moment, Yuri and her group turned and started running.
“Let’s go!”
But Elpeso didn’t let them escape. He immediately pursued, aiming his sword at Jared’s leg in the rear.
Jared leapt to avoid it but tumbled on the ground.
“Don’t die, Guiness!”
Even in this sudden moment, Jared admired Yuri’s quick thinking in calling out names differently.
Elpeso’s next target was Laurent. He slashed toward Laurent’s limbs. Laurent skillfully positioned his sword to block every strike but found his feet trapped.
Sparks flew between the two swords.
Laurent was slowly pushed back.
Yuri quickly scanned her surroundings. She caught a faint movement in the distance.
Now’s the time to get out.
Recalling Moyongchan’s advice, she smirked.
“Shinma, I’ll take it.”
Her vision slipped into the realm of the soul.
Elpeso’s relentless assault on Laurent and Jared flickered chaotically in shades of black and white. Yuri approached him, embodying the chaos that could become anything.
“Hey.”
Yuri swung her sword at Elpeso.
His body was thrown back.
She didn’t let him go, chasing after him and driving her sword’s energy into his tumbling form.
Elpeso rolled away to avoid it.
The sword energy narrowly missed, slicing the ground and sending dirt flying.
Like slicing vegetables on a cutting board, Yuri’s sword relentlessly pursued Elpeso.
He rolled endlessly, then pushed off the ground and leapt up.
“Not bad!”
Stepping on a nearby tree, Elpeso charged straight at Yuri.
The chaotic sword energy surrounding Yuri was boiling beyond what Elpeso could handle. Still, he advanced without fear. Yuri respected that.
Their swords clashed.
Elpeso was pushed back and dropped to one knee.
“Ugh!”
Yuri grinned.
She’d always had to rely on speed and technique against stronger foes, but this time, the roles were reversed.
Elpeso was the one she needed to break.
In this position, the fight felt almost too easy.
“So this is how it feels.”
Yuri swung her sword again. The sword energy twisted like a whip, targeting Elpeso’s side and piercing through. He staggered back.
“Getting stronger all of a sudden? What trick are you using?”
Yuri finely adjusted the surging chaotic power, tuning her senses.
She needed to get more accustomed to this power.
“Answer me, Jared!”
“Alright.”
Jared watched from afar. Yuri nodded.
“I’m not just Jared.”
“What?”
“Call me Jared, the Beast of Briol.”
“Obsessed with nicknames, huh? Fine, Jared, the Beast of Briol.”
“Want to know why I suddenly got stronger?”
“Mana method?”
“No.”
Yuri clenched her Guilty sword tightly.
“It’s burning patriotism.”
“W-what?”
The conversation ended there.
Yuri advanced again, slashing at Elpeso’s side. He blocked with a vertical sword strike.
At that moment, Yuri’s sword energy exploded.
“Argh!”
She had deliberately triggered the explosion.
Normally, this technique was rarely used because it drained the caster’s mana completely. She’d only used it once before, against orcs, and barely survived.
But now, wielding chaos, Yuri could even control the explosion.
The burst mana radiated outward, aimed solely at Elpeso.
He bled from his entire body and retreated.
But it didn’t stop there.
Yuri calmly raised her Guilty sword and struck down vertically again.
As Elpeso blocked, the sword energy exploded once more.
“Gah!”
Every clash sent shards of mana bursting out, leaving Elpeso helpless. He looked at Yuri’s sword with instinctive fear.
“What on earth is this…?”
Yuri raised the chaotic energy emanating from her body.
Her sword energy shimmered black.
“Stop resisting. Otherwise, I’ll have to kill you.”
Elpeso lowered his sword, breathing heavily. His sharp eyes scanned Yuri.
“Suddenly getting this strong means you’re not in your normal state.”
He took a long step back and raised his sword.
“That also means you can’t keep this up for long.”
Yuri raised an eyebrow.
“Am I wrong, Jared, the Beast of Briol?”
His observation was spot on.
Yuri hadn’t fully mastered the chaos. She wasn’t even sure if complete control was possible.
Not only could she not maintain it long, but if she forced it, Moyongchan’s warning—the Shinma—would come back to haunt her.
Yuri shrugged instead of answering.
Then she charged.
“Right in the bullseye!”
Elpeso shouted. Yuri ignored him. When cornered, people often try to buy time with words. She used to do the same.
Better to end it quickly.
But now Elpeso no longer tried to clash swords. He skillfully dodged and kept evading.
Close to catching her, yet never quite.
Time was running out.
Yuri glanced at Laurent and Jared. Their expressions were grim.
The chaos began to rebel against Yuri’s will, moving on its own.
She made a decision.
“Simon, Guiness!”
“Yes!”
“Execute the plan!”
“Understood!”
Elpeso’s eyes narrowed.
He watched Yuri’s group warily, scanning all directions.
“If it’s that plan…”
At that moment, Yuri swung her sword.
This time, the angle was low.
She slashed diagonally downward, causing the ground to explode in a dense cloud of dust.
They immediately turned and ran.
“A retreat operation.”
The three quickly distanced themselves while Elpeso was caught off guard.
From behind, he shouted loudly.
“Catch those three! They won’t get far!”
Elpeso’s voice echoed.
The sky was darkening.
“Ugh…”
Yuri, still running through the mountains, paused to lean against a tree, lowering her head.
“Are you alright?”
“No.”
Yuri looked back.
Elpeso and his knights were relentless, constantly trying to encircle Yuri’s group.
They needed to leave quickly, but it was hard to keep their minds focused.
It was a side effect of the chaos.
“We should rest.”
Laurent and Jared nodded.
It wasn’t just Yuri. After continuous fighting and fleeing from Elpeso, their stamina was drained.
“Let’s catch some sleep. The Empire’s forces must be tired too.”
“Damn…”
Yuri sighed.
“Let’s just hide for now.”
They found a suitable spot, dug a pit, and covered it with branches. Then they took a brief rest.
Yuri closed her eyes.
Not long after, she opened them again.
“…”
Morning had come.
Yuri shook her head and climbed out of the pit. Laurent and Jared were already packing their gear.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I slept well.”
“Your Highness…”
Laurent approached.
“You don’t look well.”
“Really?”
“Your eyes are bloodshot.”
Yuri touched her eyes.
“Is there a mirror nearby…?”
“Here.”
Jared pulled a hand mirror from his pocket and handed it over.
Yuri and Laurent both looked at him.
Jared spread his arms in protest.
“I just gave it because you asked. Why the reaction?”
“You carry something like this around?”
“Isn’t that a bit judgmental?”
“My mistake. Beast of Briol, huh? That nickname’s a bit much for you. More like Briol’s leech brother… No, that doesn’t fit your looks.”
“Hey, give it back.”
“No.”
Yuri checked her eyes in the mirror.
“Sometimes even a mirror should reflect someone like me.”
As Laurent said, her eyes were red.
Yuri squinted, then handed the mirror back.
“Didn’t sleep well?”
“I did.”
“Really?”
“Had some bad dreams.”
Yuri covered the pit again, gathered her things, and raised her Guilty sword.
“Let’s move.”
It was early morning, and dew clung to every blade of grass underfoot. The three sets of footsteps pressed through the dampness as they moved swiftly.
The mountain, still asleep, lay silent and undisturbed.
“Don’t make a sound.”
They moved stealthily.
Elpeso’s unit was a small detachment, pulled from the main force to act as scouts. Their numbers were few.
They must have been exhausted from the chase.
Most of the enemy were either still asleep or in poor condition.
“There.”
Yuri suddenly stopped.
“Can you see them?”
A short distance away, through the thicket, they spotted Imperial knights sitting down, taking a break.
As always, they were in groups of four. Chewing on jerky and biscuits, they chatted idly.
No army can stay on high alert all the time, no matter how much their commander demands it.
Yuri crept forward first, moving quietly.
Voices grew clearer.
“Only three of them, right?”
“Still, their captain got pushed back.”
“He was a bit hurt, but looked fine. If that’s the case, the other side must have taken heavy losses too.”
“It’s not Fiore. Without that guy, their country’s nothing.”
“Isn’t Briole supposed to be a land of knights?”
“Just a backwater village, really.”
Yuri scanned their relaxed posture.
Their swords were carelessly laid aside as they lounged, taking an easy rest.
Yuri signaled with her eyes. Laurent and Jared nodded and began to spread out on either side.
She drew the bow from her back once more.
“The captain said to move as soon as the sun rose…”
“They’re moving now. Breathing. Talking.”
The Imperial knights laughed loudly.
Yuri felt a wave of relief.
Compared to the Imperial army she’d faced in her past life, these were hardly a fearsome foe. Back then, the Empire’s soldiers were like war machines; these knights lacked discipline and mental fortitude.
She took aim.
Seeing Laurent and Jared take their positions in the distance, Yuri released the string.
The arrow flew silently, piercing the neck of one knight.
“Elpeso’s captain must be a commoner or something… ugh… cough…”
“What’s going on?”
One knight collapsed, frothing at the mouth.
The others, each busy with their own tasks, noticed too late and widened their eyes in shock.
“An attack…!”
One couldn’t even finish his sentence.
Laurent and Jared sprang forward like lightning, swinging their swords. One knight fell immediately; the other two scrambled for their weapons on the ground.
Yuri nocked another arrow and fired.
Another knight dropped, an arrow buried in the back of his head.
“Y-you… you guys…”
The last remaining Imperial knight trembled with fear.
Laurent and Jared subdued him.
Yuri stepped closer.
“Doesn’t the Empire teach you to keep your helmet on?”
“W-well…”
Most of the knights who’d been killed had removed their helmets.
“You’re not by any chance Jared, the Beast of Briole…?”
“No, now I’m Jared, the Hand Mirror of Briole.”
Yuri joked before delivering a swift kick to his chest.
“Hey. I have a few questions. Answer them. Every time you stall, I’ll start cutting off fingers, then toes, then arms.”
The interrogation was brief.
Yuri relented when the knight begged for mercy.
After roughly covering the four bodies, she turned to Laurent and Jared.
“Laurent, Jared.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Shall we?”
Yuri smiled.
“The three of us are going to dismantle the Ninth Knights.”