The moment those words left his mouth, Yuri swung his fist. The thick leather gauntlet slammed against the captain’s helmet.
The captain staggered back, shouting, “W-wait! Why are you so angry?”
“Who sent you?” Yuri demanded.
“Well, I mean…”
“Die!”
Yuri swung Guilty in a wide arc.
As the captain blocked the blow, Yuri’s hand snaked around his wrists, binding them tightly. Then he kicked him in the lower abdomen, sending him crashing to the ground.
Without hesitation, Yuri followed up by kicking off the helmet.
“Ugh!”
The captain curled up, clutching his head—he must have been concussed.
While he was dazed, Yuri shoved his hand into the helmet’s visor and forcibly pulled it off.
A middle-aged man with a mustache appeared.
“Stop! I was only—”
Yuri punched him again, grabbed him by the hair, and dragged him over to where Briol’s soldiers were gathered, throwing him down roughly.
“Bind this bastard.”
“Yes, sir!”
“If he resists, kill him.”
“Yes, sir!”
Then Yuri turned and headed back to the front lines.
He muttered under his breath, “Who’s sending who?”
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he approached the point held by the Imperial forces.
More and more Imperial soldiers were climbing up the ropes.
A swirling energy began to rise from Yuri’s sword.
“Hey!”
Yuri shouted, his voice echoing off the battlements.
“Look at me!”
All eyes instantly turned toward him.
In a flash, Yuri spun once and swung his sword horizontally.
At the same time, the chaotic energy swirling atop Guilty burst free from the blade and surged into the ranks of the Imperial soldiers.
The whirlwind swept through them.
Blood sprayed like fountains.
The armor and weapons caught in the vortex shattered and twisted, their jagged edges becoming like gears in a deadly machine—tearing through their own owners’ bodies.
That section of the wall was stained a deep red, as if it belonged to another world.
Blood rained down on the faces of the soldiers climbing the ropes.
For a moment, everything fell silent.
“Hah…”
Yuri caught his breath. The sudden surge of mana had shaken him from within.
Suppressing the aftershocks, he trudged forward, stepping over corpses and chunks of flesh.
A hook shaped like an anchor hung from a rope attached to the wall. Yuri placed his foot on it and leaned over the battlement.
“Hey.”
A soldier, his face smeared with blood and flesh, trembled as he clung to the rope. Behind him, others hung in a line.
Yuri slashed the rope with Guilty.
The soldiers fell.
They crashed down onto their comrades waiting below, crushing many under the weight of their numbers.
Yuri immediately shouted, “Pour the oil!”
“Yes, sir!”
Briol’s soldiers, who had been waiting nearby, brought over boiling cauldrons and tipped them over. The oil spilled, melting the flesh of the Imperial soldiers, who screamed in agony.
Chaos reigned.
This was what war looked like.
“Cleaned up nicely,” Yuri said, turning away without hesitation. Jared followed close behind.
“And your father?”
“He’s still fighting over there.”
Yuri glanced toward the clash between the Imperial knights, led by the Black Knight, and Fiore.
Bodies slain by Fiore already littered the ground.
“That side’s going well too. Should be over soon.”
Just as Yuri predicted, the sound of a horn echoed shortly after.
The Imperial forces began to retreat.
The battle was over.
Yuri raised Guilty high and shouted, “For Briol!”
“For Briol!”
“Good work, everyone!”
“Yes! Prince, you did well too!”
Briol’s soldiers cheered.
Though they had won another victory, Yuri couldn’t shake the feeling that the Empire was stalling.
It was as if they had no real intention of taking the castle.
Jared asked, “Prince, you don’t seem very happy.”
“Not true.”
“Your expression says otherwise…”
“This is just how I look.”
“Try smiling.”
Yuri pressed two fingers to his cheek and pulled upward.
“Like this?”
“That’s enough.”
With Guilty slung over his shoulder, Yuri searched for the captured captain.
He was still there, bound tightly among the soldiers, breathing heavily.
“Still alive, huh?”
“Hmm…”
A dirty rag was stuffed in his mouth, stained with blood and saliva—probably from being beaten by the soldiers.
Yuri chuckled.
“Yeah. If you want to live, you better stay quiet.”
“Mmm, mmm…”
“Jared.”
“Yes?”
“Lock this bastard up. I’ll interrogate him myself.”
“Understood. Should I prepare the usual tools?”
“Do it.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll bring the heated iron tongs in various sizes, and the steel needles.”
“Mmmph!”
Though no such torture devices actually existed, Jared exaggerated for effect.
“You know, when you burn the skin with fire, it peels off easily. After one taste, even the toughest start talking sweetly. Nothing beats it for interrogation. Curious how it feels?”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
After confirming Jared was dragging the captain away, Yuri turned back to find Fiore.
He was returning to the castle, exhausted after chasing down and slaughtering fleeing knights.
Not only had he skillfully handled the Black Knight, but he was steadily thinning the ranks of enemy captains. Today, Fiore had killed about ten—each one capable of taking on dozens alone.
It was truly an absurd display of skill.
As long as nothing happened to Fiore, Briol’s defenses would hold firm.
Yuri smiled and clapped his hands.
“Great work, everyone!”
After celebrating their victory once more, Yuri and Jared headed to the underground prison of Bezoz Castle, where many Imperial prisoners were held.
“What about that guy?”
“He was here, but where did he go?”
Yuri soon found the captain of the Spear and Blade Order. He lay sprawled on the floor, still gagged.
“Still tied up?”
“He’s the captain. We kept him bound just in case.”
“Good.”
At the sound of Yuri’s voice, the man began to squirm.
“Mmm! Mmm!”
“Bring him to the interrogation room.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yuri entered the interrogation chamber tucked away in a corner of the prison.
The small, sealed room held a table and two chairs. A draft caused the old lamp to flicker as he stepped inside.
Soon Jared dragged the captain in, threw him to the floor, and sat opposite Yuri.
“Shall we start by loosening his tongue?”
“Go ahead.”
Jared pulled the rag from the captain’s mouth.
The Spear and Blade captain shouted, “How dare you treat me like this! You’ll regret it!”
Jared smacked him on the head.
“Shut up. If you don’t want more, keep quiet.”
“Fine.”
The captain immediately fell silent. Jared smirked.
“Good listener.”
“…”
“Don’t like getting hit, huh?”
“…”
“Say something.”
“Uh, usually in this situation, wouldn’t I be sitting across from you?”
“My legs hurt too, man.”
In truth, Yuri and Jared were the ones sitting, while the captain lay on the floor.
Yuri leaned back in his chair.
“What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Spicy pork stir-fry.”
“Not bad.”
“They’re giving us a special meal for winning the war.”
“Any alcohol?”
“Not sure…”
As they chatted, the captain interrupted.
“Hey, do prisoners get the same?”
“No.”
“I want spicy pork too…”
Yuri chuckled.
“You’ve got a thick nerve. Hey, captain of the Spear and Blade Order, what’s your name?”
“Enoch.”
“Enoch.”
Enoch writhed on the floor like a worm, then arched his back and sat up.
“I am Enoch Seiya, captain of the Spear and Blade Order! My title is Baron, and my fief is—”
“Just your name. Didn’t ask for anything else.”
Yuri cut him off and leaned forward to look him in the eye.
“Continue what you were saying earlier. Who sent you?”
“You’d be better off getting rid of me.”
“I’m fine.”
“There’s going to be some very secret talk.”
“He can hear it.”
Jared looked at Yuri with admiration. Yuri ignored him.
Enoch nodded.
“Alright. Princess Yekaterina sent me.”
Jared’s eyes widened, and he covered his mouth, glancing at Yuri.
“Why?”
“To deliver a warning.”
“A warning?”
“Exactly. A warning.”
Yuri stood and kicked him in the stomach.
“Ugh!”
“Don’t act like you’ve got something to hide. Spill everything from start to finish. I’m not here to play twenty questions.”
“Fine, fine.”
Enoch grumbled.
“I’ve got pride too, but I guess I’ll let this slide…”
“What was that?”
“Alright, alright. Who knew you’d be this nasty…”
“Enough nonsense. Explain.”
Enoch cleared his throat and began to speak.
“Princess Yekaterina sent me to deliver a warning to you. I couldn’t refuse out of respect for the favor she showed me. I volunteered for this war just to face you, and today, finally, we’ve come face to face. I had other duties, but as a knight, my pride got the better of me, and I couldn’t resist challenging you to a fierce duel. Then I remembered my mission and willingly surrendered.”
Jared turned to Yuri.
“Shall I hit him?”
Yuri nodded.
“Hit him.”
“W-wait!”
“It’s too late.”
Jared gave Enox three sharp flicks on the forehead. Enox groaned.
“More humiliating than being kicked around, huh…”
“Keep talking.”
“The warning is this: Yuri Briol. You need to take it to heart.”
He paused, took a deep breath, and slowly opened his eyes. Bound and swollen-faced, he didn’t look very imposing.
“Beware of Cedric Briol.”
Yuri stared at him.
Jared stood up on his own.
“I’ll hit him.”
Yuri stopped Jared.
“Wait.”
“Your Highness, this guy’s clearly talking nonsense—”
“Let’s hear him out a little more.”
“Huh?”
Yuri propped her chin on her elbow, resting it on her knee.
Normally, she wouldn’t tolerate an imperial knight speaking so casually about Cedric. To him, and to the Briol royal family, Cedric was someone to be trusted without question.
But lately, Laurent had been mentioning Cedric repeatedly, which had been bothering her. Though the only basis was a few words exchanged between Laurent and Cedric at the palace, she hadn’t taken it seriously—until now, hearing Cedric’s name again made her want to verify things herself.
Jared asked,
“So? What exactly should the Crown Prince be wary of?”
“Just be careful, that’s all.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s everything.”
“Is this some kind of joke…?”
As Jared stood, Enox performed a quick backward hop on his butt.
Jared strode after him and flicked his forehead again.
“Ah! Wait! The Princess said if you doubt me, I should also tell you this!”
“What is it?”
“Do you still have the necklace?”
“What necklace?”
“I don’t know! The necklace!”
Jared looked at Yuri.
“Your Highness, shall I hit him?”
“Hit him.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t overdo it. I’ll be waiting outside.”
“Understood.”
Yuri stood and left the interrogation room. Enox shouted loudly behind her, but she didn’t stop.
Once outside, she closed the door, and no sound escaped.
Leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, Yuri muttered,
“What on earth…”
Suddenly, Yekaterina warned her to beware of Cedric—and mentioned a necklace.
Yuri closed her eyes.
There was no connection between her and Yekaterina.
Not in this life.
Her thoughts drifted back through time, slipping into her past life.
Yes, there was a necklace.
Yuri always wore a necklace that had belonged to her mother.
When she grew close to Yekaterina, she had given her that necklace as a promise of their future. Yekaterina had smiled brightly, grateful for the precious gift.
Then the empire invaded Briol.
Yekaterina sent back the necklace in a letter.
That was her answer.
Their bond was severed, and when Yuri returned to the past, the necklace disappeared.
But now, at this moment, Yekaterina was talking about the necklace.
Yuri mulled it over.
No matter how she thought about it, aside from her mother’s heirloom, there was no other necklace that could be referenced between her and Yekaterina.
In her past life, that was the only one. In this life, she didn’t even have that.
Her thoughts settled on one possibility.
She clenched her fist, then relaxed it.
Just then, the interrogation room door opened.
“Your Highness, I’ve hit him enough.”
“Wait.”
“Pardon?”
Passing Jared, Yuri grabbed Enox by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back inside.
“We need a private talk.”