“Humans are imperfect.”
That was the sentence.
“Hmm…”
Yuri glanced at a few lines before closing the book. It spoke about how, because humans are imperfect, one must train both body and mind even harder.
Just from a little reading, she understood the message.
It was a call to keep striving.
“Even after all this time, the elders’ words never change.”
The gist was that humans are flawed, young people lack effort, so one must follow the wisdom of ancient sages and polish both body and soul.
It was a cliché, but the message itself was sound.
Truths are often obvious, and obvious truths tend to be dull.
“But this elder’s level is quite high.”
Whoever the author was, they argued that to become a true human, one must master not only martial arts but also science, philosophy, art, and even the dynamics of human relationships.
If that were possible, it would make someone invincible.
Yuri closed the book.
“Who could have made this place…”
She muttered to herself but already had a good guess.
It had to be the person who built the royal palace. This palace was constructed alongside the founding of the Briol kingdom.
Erich Briol.
This was undoubtedly his secret vault.
Judging by the lack of any signs of entry or exit, Yuri might be the only one to have discovered it.
She wasn’t sure if his older brother, Cedric, had ever come here, but she doubted it.
Yuri’s unusually keen senses were likely the only reason she found this place. No one else seemed capable of uncovering it.
She examined the interior further.
“This is…”
A collection of fine weapons was stacked neatly. But since Yuri carried the Gilty, she had no intention of taking any of them.
“Not these…”
She muttered, looking around.
What she truly wanted was anything related to Erich Briol and the Shin Hon Cham technique he left behind.
More than that, she wanted to understand the chaos he had unleashed.
Suddenly, she spotted a crumpled notebook inside a box.
She picked it up and opened it.
“Huh…?”
The title read: “On the Sword that Cuts Mind and Soul.”
Yuri flipped through the pages.
There were brief notes, presumably written by Erich Briol himself, though many pages were torn, leaving only fragments here and there.
“Only the Sword of the Heavenly Demon can cut it.”
“The energy is too dense.”
“The Heavenly Demon tried to break free from the cult’s shackles.”
The notes were cryptic, filled with puzzling thoughts.
Yuri couldn’t grasp the full context, but she inferred that Erich Briol had tirelessly worked to harness the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts.
She had long suspected that the Shin Hon Cham technique was connected to dark magic.
It was as if the technique was born to sever black magic itself.
And the Death Knight who gave her the Gilty had said the dungeon revealed itself when the time was right.
Though speculative, perhaps Erich Briol knew about the existence of dark magic—and sought a way to resist it through the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts.
With that thought, Yuri turned the page.
More incomprehensible words followed.
Then, at the very end, she found an unbelievable sentence.
“My friend, the Heavenly Demon, I miss you tonight.”
Yuri flipped further.
Nothing else was written after that. The rest were blank, yellowed pages fluttering until the notebook ended.
He called the Heavenly Demon his friend.
According to Moyongchan, the Heavenly Demon was a scourge of the martial world, defeated by Erich Briol and the era’s greatest martial artist, the leader of the Cheongseong faction. Thanks to them, peace was restored.
But the author of this notebook referred to the Heavenly Demon as a friend.
“Wow…”
Cedric once told her that the history people know and what actually happened can be completely different. Since we can only infer from limited records, we might be like blind men feeling an elephant.
Perhaps there was something between Erich Briol and the Heavenly Demon that no one else knew.
Yuri felt anew the importance of keeping records.
“I should get into the habit of writing notes. Maybe even keep a diary.”
That way, future generations could praise her deeds for years to come.
Yuri looked around the room and turned to leave.
Though she hadn’t found what she truly sought, it had been an intriguing experience.
Just as she headed back to the entrance, she suddenly noticed some writing inside the revolving door she had passed.
She stood before it.
And smiled.
At that moment, Yuri was certain. This was Erich Briol’s space, and he must have carved these words with his sword.
“I fear no enemy.”
It felt strangely profound. Fighting the empire had kept such oaths out of her mind until now.
“I act on what I believe.”
Did Erich Briol write this down to remind himself constantly?
“I will fulfill my duty to the very end.”
Everyone has a duty, whether they want it or not. It’s a burden placed on one’s shoulders. You can refuse it, but some see it through to the end.
“I take this oath as my honor. Erich Briol.”
This seemed to be the original text of the oath passed down through the royal family.
Yuri reached out and traced the carved letters. She didn’t know what feelings Erich Briol had when he made this vow, but it resonated deeply within her.
Her vague worries and anxieties about the war faded away.
She raised the Gilty and summoned the energy of Shin Hon Cham.
The sword energy surged.
Beneath Erich Briol’s inscription, she added her own will.
“I will too! Yuri Briol.”
Yuri left the secret vault and continued exploring the preservation archives.
She found a few useful books on swordsmanship and read through them. There were helpful insights scattered throughout.
Though she didn’t find a direct solution to her current problems, she made significant progress in understanding the broader path of the sword.
After a quick survey, she headed upstairs.
The royal palace’s archivist was waiting.
“You’re here.”
“How did you know?”
“I heard your footsteps.”
The archivist smiled quietly.
Like the imperial palace’s archives, the keepers of precious knowledge always carried an air of secrecy, as if guarding hidden truths.
Yuri suddenly asked,
“Are you hiding anything?”
“Huh?”
“Hiding something.”
“…”
“You are.”
The archivist fell silent.
Though Yuri had spoken jokingly, he suddenly seemed uneasy.
She pressed on, as if she knew something.
“Come on, confess. I know everything.”
“How…?”
“You plan to hide it from me, the prince?”
“Well…”
The archivist smiled resignedly.
“I suppose I have no choice. I’ll tell you everything.”
“Good. Smart choice.”
“Sir Jared…”
“Hm?”
“Has gone to Zone 96.”
Yuri shuddered.
That was a forbidden zone.
She didn’t know why such knowledge was gathered in the royal archives, but it had been there for some time.
Perhaps some ancestor king had a secret craving for forbidden knowledge.
Yuri sighed.
“Zone 96…”
“Yes…”
The number 96 resembled the symbol for a typhoon.
Like that, Zone 96 was a treasure trove of knowledge that could shake a person’s heart.
In other words, it was the erotic art section.
“A knight visiting such a place…”
Yuri sighed again, and the archivist smiled slyly.
“Everyone visits at least once. I keep records of all visitors. Heh heh heh…”
Yuri realized this archivist held the deadly secrets of everyone living in the palace.
“But Prince Yuri, you haven’t been there. Surprisingly.”
“Me?”
Yuri shrugged.
“I don’t need that kind of knowledge.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
Yuri had never been to Zone 96.
Not in this life.
In her past life, she had frequented it so often she memorized every book there. That was how she maintained her royal dignity this time around.
The archivist said,
“Considering your future, it might be good to take a look at least once, Your Highness. Knowledge has no rank.”
“Don’t worry. I know it all.”
“Huh?”
“There’s an old swordsmanship book that says the best textbook is instinct.”
“Oh…”
“But you know…”
Yuri hesitated, then asked.
She couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
“By any chance…”
“By any chance?”
“Has my older brother, Cedric, ever been there?”
“Ah…”
The archivist opened his mouth, then closed it again. He gave an ambiguous smile that made it impossible to guess the truth.
“I don’t know…”
“Just tell me. I’ll take this secret to the grave.”
“I don’t know…”
“I’m just so curious. Did my brother really see something like that?”
“I don’t know…”
“You keep repeating the same thing.”
“Hahaha…”
The archivist smiled faintly.
“Well, I really don’t know.”
“You’re tight-lipped.”
“That’s the virtue of an archivist.”
“You told me everything about Jared, though.”
“Shall we go now?”
Cedric was tidying his room.
Books, models, maps—everything was piled up.
Though neatly arranged, the sheer volume made it look cluttered.
“Hm?”
He suddenly found a book in a drawer. It was one he had borrowed from the royal archives long ago and forgotten to return.
“Oh, this…”
He smirked and flipped through the pages lightly.
Nude images flickered before his eyes.
“Zone 96, huh.”
Despite the explicit pictures, his expression didn’t waver.
If anything, a look close to disdain flickered across his face.
With a slight smirk, he closed the book and pushed it back into the drawer.
Suddenly, a faint light glimmered from beneath the drawer.
As he pulled the handle, light began to seep from the crystal orb wrapped in cloth. Someone was trying to communicate with him from afar.
Cedric sighed.
He stared at it for a moment, then took the orb out and set it on the table.
As he ran his fingers over its surface, a face appeared.
[Cedric.]
“What is it?”
It was Katrina.
“I told you to stay put until I contacted you first.”
His voice was flat, emotionless.
Anyone who knew him well would have been shocked by how devoid of feeling he sounded.
[It’s just…]
On the other side of the screen, Katrina fidgeted nervously.
[We haven’t heard from you in so long, so we just…]
“Just?”
[Sorry.]
“Yeah, you should be.”
Cedric sighed sharply, as if scolding her, then forced a dry smile.
“Alright, Katrina. How’s the capital?”
[Eugen has taken full control. Everything we ordered is progressing smoothly. Everyone’s becoming puppets, moving exactly as he wants.]
“And that guy?”
[Ah…]
Katrina twisted a strand of her hair.
[The Black Without Shadows… we still need more time to judge him.]
“That won’t do.”
Cedric blinked behind his glasses.
“I’ll have to see him in person soon.”
[He’s dangerous.]
“I’ll be the one to decide that.”
[Sorry…]
“I’ll send an envoy to Briol soon. We’ll talk again then.”
[An envoy?]
“We’re about to end the war and declare a truce. Briol will have to suffer some damage too.”
[Can you really do that?]
“Katrina.”
Cedric stared into the crystal orb.
“I’m going to be king soon.”
Katrina’s eyes went wide.
[Really?]
“Yes.”
[Fiore… you mean Father?]
“I told you first.”
[That’s great.]
“It’s all thanks to my dear little sister.”
Cedric smiled.
It was the warmest expression he’d shown so far.
“My clever little sister—I’m really looking forward to seeing how she handles what comes next.”
[Cedric. Are you just going to keep letting your sister be? Stop tolerating that obstacle and start dealing with it…]
“Katrina.”
Cedric’s expression hardened.
Immediately, Katrina lowered her head as if she’d committed a grave offense.
[Sorry. I misspoke. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I apologize…]
“I won’t tolerate presumptuous behavior.”
[Sorry…]
Cedric abruptly dropped the orb, roughly tossed it into a drawer, and slammed it shut.
Then he leaned back in his chair.
“……”
He said nothing, just smiled faintly as he stared off into empty space.
A dark energy began to flow from Cedric’s body.
He stretched out his hand.
From his fingertips, the black energy coalesced into a small tower.
At its peak hung a grotesque, eye-shaped form.
Fixing his gaze on it, Cedric chuckled low.
“I wonder what Yuri’s up to…”
If Yuri Briol had inherited Erich Briol’s sword,
then Cedric Briol was the heir to dark magic.