“The reason I called you all here is simple. Someone has to take over Genard’s legacy.”
At those words, several of the bowed figures suddenly lifted their heads.
Yuri’s lips curled into a smile.
“Starting to get interested, are you? All of you who just looked up, stand up.”
Yuri gathered Genard’s relatives on the spot to decide the successor.
He wanted a puppet.
If he could control Bordeaux, and Bordeaux could wield the new dukedom, that would be perfect. So, he was looking for relatives who were either weak-willed or young.
“Those who stood up, line up over there.”
They glanced at each other, then rose and formed a line as Yuri commanded.
“Good.”
Yuri clapped his hands.
“Now, let’s decide who will be the duke among ourselves.”
By Yuri’s standards, anyone who stepped forward claiming the dukedom was immediately disqualified.
Anyone who, upon hearing of Genard’s death, jumped up to claim his succession would only become another Genard if left unchecked.
Therefore, Yuri intended to select the next Duke of Yuzes from those who sat with their eyes lowered, as if dead.
“W-wait a moment.”
One of the relatives excluded by Yuri protested.
“You say you’re looking for a candidate, but why are we being excluded? We’re legitimate blood of the Jattery family.”
“That’s my decision.”
“What nonsense is this? We’re not some petty barons—we’re a ducal family. This is unfair treatment…”
While they argued, Yuri’s knights dragged something into the hall.
It was Genard’s corpse.
The protesting relative fell silent.
“Your Highness, shall we place it here? It might be uncomfortable to see.”
“Put it there.”
As the body was unceremoniously dumped in the center of the hall, the relatives gasped. The faint-hearted paled and squeezed their eyes shut.
Yuri turned his gaze back.
“So, what now?”
“Well…”
“Speak clearly. I’m not here to play with you. On the contrary. So, you want to be duke? You want to be duke and lie side by side with Genard?”
“No, Your Highness.”
“Good. That’s how it should be.”
Yuri smiled slyly and gripped Guilty’s hilt. The sound of steel sliding from its sheath echoed through the hall.
With Guilty slung over his shoulder, Yuri said,
“I’m in a bad mood. As the Prince of Briol, it’s perfectly legal for me to execute all you Jattery bastards conspiring with the Empire. Don’t test me.”
The relative who had stepped forward fell silent and bowed his head.
Yuri nodded.
“Good. Stay like that.”
He scanned the remaining Jattery relatives.
They had to lack ambition, but not be utterly foolish—after all, even pretending to be dead required some sense.
Yuri checked the documents Jared had handed him.
They contained the personal details of the Jattery relatives gathered here.
“Hmm, hmm…”
Then, something caught his eye.
“Josephine Jattery?”
“Yes?”
The woman sitting expressionless suddenly looked up, startled. She fidgeted nervously with her fingers, clearly uncomfortable.
Yuri said,
“She’s Genard’s niece and has attempted to run away multiple times. Always trying to get to the Imperial capital.”
The Empire and Briol were currently at war. Josephine’s face turned pale.
“I-it’s not what you think…”
“Culture and art are best in the capital, after all. You wanted to be a musician? Planning to study music in the Empire?”
“Yes…”
Josephine Jattery was a figure who defied her family’s wishes to pursue a career as a musician.
“A noble dream. You still have that passion, don’t you?”
“Huh?”
“Have you given up on your dream of music?”
“Um…”
She glanced around nervously, then nodded slightly.
Yuri said,
“What instrument do you mainly play?”
“P-piano, but I’m more interested in composing than performing…”
“Good. You’re the duke now.”
“W-what…?”
Silence fell over the hall.
Yuri closed his eyes.
“A pleasant silence. Some music would be just right. Now, Duke Josephine Jattery, would you play a piece for me?”
“Uh, uh…”
“There’s a piano right there. If you feel pressured, you may refuse.”
Josephine stared blankly at Yuri, then hesitantly stood.
She sat at the piano, resting her hands on her lap, scratching her thigh nervously before looking back.
“What should I play?”
“Since it’s for you, an original composition would be best. Something lively.”
Josephine hesitated, then placed her fingertips on the keys. Closing her eyes, she thought for a moment before moving her fingers.
Even Yuri, who knew nothing about music, could tell it was high quality.
Her music—never before permitted—floated gently through the hall of Yuzes Castle, where Genard’s corpse lay.
She no longer needed anyone’s approval.
Because she was the duke.
“Beautiful.”
Yuri closed his eyes, savoring the melody.
“An exceptional musician. Perfect for a duke.”
Most of the others tilted their heads, confused, but a few sharp-eyed ones sighed, realizing Yuri’s intent.
If Josephine became duke, she wouldn’t bother with managing the estate. That meant the figure the Third Prince supported would handle most of the duties.
Just then, someone appeared.
“Sir Bordeaux! We’ve carried out the prince’s orders! The nearby lords have arrived first. What shall we do?”
“Bring them here.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Jattery relatives sensed from Bordeaux’s unusually lively demeanor that he had completely fallen under Yuri’s control.
The hall doors opened, revealing several nobles with bewildered expressions.
They were horrified to find the corpse of a Jattery family member lying on the floor.
“M-my God!”
“What is this!”
“Insane…”
They showed the shock and fear that the Jattery relatives should have displayed.
One even went further, showing anger.
“What on earth is going on? Third Prince, did you do this?”
“We’re listening to music. Quiet down.”
“No matter how royal you are! How can you treat a duke like this?”
“He was conspiring with the Empire.”
“E-even so! Still!”
Yuri swung his sword.
He lightly sliced through the air, and a thin line appeared across the shouting noble’s neck, blood spurting out.
The head dropped.
The body collapsed moments later.
One noble’s life was taken with terrifying ease.
The Jattery relatives and the suddenly summoned nobles all fell silent.
They were experiencing firsthand what kind of man Yuri Briol was.
“Conspiring with the Empire, and yet you say ‘still’… you bastard…”
Yuri glared at the nobles, then rested Guilty on his lap and closed his eyes again, listening to Josephine’s playing.
“Josephine. What’s the title? It’s lively and grand.”
“‘Victory March.’”
“Victory March…”
Josephine paused her fingers and said,
“It’s a piece I composed when the prince returned after defeating the orcs.”
“A song for the allied forces?”
“Yes. For the allied forces, and for the prince. Actually, I thought more about the prince. It was originally a symphony, but now it’s just…”
“Thank you, Josephine.”
“Y-yes, Your Highness.”
She nodded with a flushed face and resumed playing.
Knowing the title made it even more enjoyable.
“I chose the right duke.”
The bloody purge continued.
Yuri cut down all who showed defiance. The survivors swore loyalty to the royal family of Briol.
“If you conspire with the Empire or threaten Briol from behind my back, you’ll see me again. Understood?”
“Yes!”
“Cooperate.”
Several bodies already littered the hall floor.
The Jattery relatives and nobles were shaken.
Though Yuri was a young man famed on the battlefield, none expected him to handle matters so ruthlessly.
They realized something.
Even though Fiore Briol was gone, the royal family’s control had not weakened.
If anything, someone far worse had appeared.
The scariest part was that Yuri wasn’t just shedding blood on impulse.
He wielded his sword as an efficient tool to achieve his goals.
“Did you know?”
Yuri said, shouldering his bloodied sword.
“Slave traders still run rampant near the northern Empire. So if a whole family disappears overnight, who would notice? Even nobles wouldn’t have a way to find out.”
It was a clear threat, but no one dared defy him.
They just lowered their eyes.
“Josephine, keep making good music. I should invite you to the palace sometime.”
“Thank you.”
“Work well with Bordeaux on managing the estate. If he does anything strange, report to me immediately.”
“Your Highness, I would never do such a thing!”
“Quiet.”
“Yes, sir…”
Yuri gathered the knights he had brought, including the newly recruited Visius.
“Good work, everyone. Let’s return.”
“Yes!”
Leading the knights, Yuri left Yuzes Castle.
Under the watchful eyes of countless troops, Yuri and his knights passed through the castle gates without any resistance, despite having killed its lord.
In a single day, he had brought not only the ducal family but also their factions under control.
Yuri’s bold advance filled his knights with pride.
Their leader was the protagonist of a new era.
“Wait, Your Highness. Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Yuri was leading the horses at the front when someone from behind nudged him.
Only Jared would have the boldness to speak up like that.
“What is it?”
“Isn’t it true that we’ve gathered thirty of us here?”
“So?”
“We’re going to keep moving forward like this. Don’t you think we need a name for ourselves?”
“A name?”
“Yes.”
The knights all nodded in agreement.
After all, they were a group brought together by Yuri.
Knights hold honor above all else, and when a knightly order gains renown, the reputation of every member rises with it.
Yuri tilted his head in thought.
“I haven’t really considered it. Do you have any suggestions?”
Jared answered immediately.
“How about the Invincible Knights?”
Yuri clicked his tongue.
“Ugh, next.”
“Why not?”
“Anyone else?”
A quiet knight raised his hand.
“I recommend the Peerless Knights!”
Yuri glanced at him briefly, then shook his head.
“Next.”
“How about the Certain Victory Knights?”
“Next!”
“Deadly Strike Knights!”
“Ugh, fine. Alright, you lot, go ahead and say whatever you want. One name each.”
As if waiting for this moment, the knights began shouting out names that reflected their own tastes.
“How about the Relentless Advance Knights?”
“The Storm Surge Knights, like a tidal wave crashing in!”
“The White Bone Knights—meaning we’ll leave none alive!”
“The Key Knights! We’ll be the key that opens any fortress gate!”
“The Bright Star Knights of the Sky!”
“Better to name it after the Big Dipper—Seven Stars Knights!”
“How about the Weeble Knights? No matter how many times we fall, we get back up!”
Yuri sighed deeply. They were all just throwing out words they’d heard somewhere before.
If this were any ordinary knightly order, maybe some of those names would have fit.
But this time, it was different.
“I’ll decide.”
Yuri closed his eyes and fell into thought.
He was preparing for a single purpose.
The knights would fight for that purpose.
“Revenge.”
He looked over them.
“I gathered you all for revenge. For the disappearance of my father, Fiore Briol, the former king. For the destruction of Francez and the massacre of innocent villagers. For the loss of our land, Bezos. For the comrades we’ve lost in endless wars—all of it is because of those imperial bastards. I have no intention of leaving them be.”
Though rumors had swirled endlessly, the empire’s involvement in all these tragedies had never been officially acknowledged.
But at this moment, Yuri declared it himself.
The Briol family’s enemy was the empire.
Though unspoken, his brother Cedric shared the same hatred.
Recalling all of it, Yuri ground his teeth and said,
“That’s why we are the Revenge Knights.”
The weight of those words was solemn and resolute.
The knights’ expressions grew serious.
A knight must avenge his enemies.
A blood feud demands blood in return.
Thus was born the Revenge Knights, led by Yuri Briol, the third prince of the Briol dynasty.