After returning to the castle, Yuri immediately sought out Joshua. Reports about what had happened in Ujes had already been delivered.
As they entered the great hall, the assembled courtiers began to reprimand Yuri.
“Your Highness, you went too far.”
“To think you actually beheaded the duke…”
“The lords will be terrified.”
“You should have handled it according to the law!”
Yuri just shrugged his shoulders.
The courtiers then turned their ire toward Joshua.
“Your Majesty, please speak to the prince yourself. No matter what, there are laws and procedures. If he just swings his sword recklessly like that…”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Briol is a land of knights, not of brutes!”
“I see. He needs to be disciplined.”
Joshua suddenly stood up, sweeping the documents off the table beside the throne with a broad sweep of his arm.
“Yuri, you damn brat!”
His voice thundered through the great hall.
“I tried to be a benevolent ruler in my father’s stead, but you only stir up trouble. You reckless fool…”
He then set down his crown and began fiddling with the ornament on his wrist.
“Everyone, leave the room.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I said, everyone out!”
The courtiers exchanged uneasy glances. They had egged Yuri on, but they hadn’t expected Joshua to react so harshly.
One word flashed through their minds:
“Broken family.”
Without Fiore and Cedric, was the royal family of Briol nothing but a fractured mess?
Joshua stomped his foot and shouted at the top of his lungs, uncharacteristically losing his composure.
“I said get out! Now!”
“Y-Yes!”
The courtiers hurriedly left the great hall, lamenting the future of the kingdom.
“Is Briol’s fate doomed?”
“I miss His Majesty.”
“How could brothers become so fierce?”
As soon as the door closed, the sound of something breaking echoed inside. The crashing noises didn’t stop, battering their ears relentlessly.
The courtiers shuddered.
“What on earth are they doing in there…?”
“But the prince is a better fighter, isn’t he?”
“Surely he won’t strike back. He’ll hold back.”
“After beheading a duke like that, I wonder if he’ll really show mercy…”
“At this rate, I fear the king might change again.”
“Either way, it’s worrying…”
Contrary to their fears, inside the great hall, the two brothers were having a peaceful conversation.
Whenever Joshua threw something, Yuri smashed it with his fist, creating a racket.
“Hey, did you really kill him?”
“Yeah.”
“How?”
“Cut his throat with a sword.”
“Good. That’s my brother.”
Joshua smirked darkly.
“That pig was unbearable, but he met his match. Bet he never expected you to be so hot-tempered, huh? How could he have known?”
“Exactly. He probably thought the new king would stop you. Should’ve known better than to expect anything from him.”
With Fiore and Cedric gone, and Joshua now king, few truly grasped what that meant.
Though they’d matured with age, at their core, the two rascals hadn’t changed.
And now, they ruled the kingdom as they pleased.
“Heh heh heh…”
“Ha ha ha…”
Yuri fetched a chair and sat across from Joshua, crossing his legs.
Joshua asked, “So, what now?”
“What do you mean?”
“We have to avenge Father and Brother. But where do we start…?”
Because Joshua had relied heavily on Cedric, Yuri had concealed the full truth to spare him the shock.
Joshua only knew that the dark sorcerer pulling the strings behind the empire was to blame.
Yuri tapped the handle of his sword, Gilty, and said, “Listen carefully. The empire will raise an army.”
“They already have.”
“A worse one is coming.”
Yuri looked at Joshua seriously, hoping his words would sink in.
“A black army.”
“What’s a black army?”
“Soldiers modified by dark magic into battle machines that feel no fear.”
“That’s just fiction, right?”
“Reality often surpasses fiction.”
“How do you know?”
“Just do. Trust me.”
“Alright, I believe you.”
“We can’t stop it with our own strength.”
Through his past and present lives, Yuri had come to a vague realization.
No matter how strong, one person alone couldn’t win.
To face Cedric, the unprecedented dark sorcerer, all humans had to cooperate. To do that, the scattered alliances had to be reunited first.
“I’m going to the Holy Kingdom. Until then, I’m counting on you to hold Briol together.”
“What will you do there?”
“I’ll persuade Sibylla.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s already lost it. Do you know how fiercely they’re fighting? It’s a fight to the death.”
“If necessary, I’ll stop Sibylla—even if I have to kill her.”
Joshua blinked at Yuri’s words.
“Your ex-girlfriend?”
“What nonsense.”
“You said you dated her.”
“I told you that was a lie.”
“I thought you were just embarrassed and making excuses. Let’s just bury the past, you know? Like adults.”
“Where do you get this stuff? You’ve never even dated anyone.”
“Hey, hey, hey. What are you saying? I’m very popular.”
“Enough. When’s the coronation?”
“Do we really need one?”
“To firmly establish your reign and show Briol’s strength. Once you’re officially king, I’ll be crown prince and get to be called Your Highness.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah. After the coronation, I’m heading straight to the Holy Kingdom—with my knights.”
“Got it. Ugh, this is stressful. Let’s break something else. I’m throwing this chair.”
“Alright.”
Rumors spread through the castle that Joshua had severely scolded Yuri.
Of course, those who knew them well didn’t believe it, but on the surface, that’s how the story went.
So when Joshua suddenly declared he would hold a coronation, some thought he felt the need to assert his royal dignity while disciplining his younger brother.
Either way, the courtiers welcomed the decision.
“Now he’ll truly realize what it means to be king.”
They had expected Cedric to inherit the throne, but with him missing, there was no choice.
Though Cedric was exceptional, Joshua was no less qualified. While mischievous as a child, he had matured into a brilliant scholar with a sharp mind.
And so, the coronation of Briol took place.
Nobles and courtiers gathered in the great hall as Joshua stood before them.
Following tradition, he recited the oath of Briol, then placed a larger, more ornate crown on his head than usual.
“Your Majesty, congratulations on becoming King of Briol.”
“Congratulations!”
Everyone paid their respects.
Yuri sat quietly in a corner of the hall.
He had once thought he’d witness Cedric’s coronation here. But those hopes had all vanished.
Now, the brother he had relied on most had become his greatest enemy, standing in his way.
It was unavoidable.
Though the path had grown longer, he had no intention of surrendering.
Seeing Joshua as king wasn’t so bad after all. Yuri smiled faintly and applauded his brother.
Jared, standing behind, quietly asked, “Prince… or should I say Your Highness now?”
“Yeah.”
With Joshua king, Yuri was now crown prince and addressed as Your Highness.
“It feels strange to say…”
“Strange?”
“It feels so distant. I was a prince, now I’m Your Highness…”
“Say it.”
“I… I’m…”
“Your…?”
“Your Highness…”
“That’s right.”
“Is the electrical property of matter.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just kidding. Phew…”
“Just call me ‘brother.’”
“Your Highness Yuri.”
“You little…”
Considering all Yuri had been through, it would be more fitting to call Joshua ‘big brother’ or even ‘elder brother,’ but Jared, unaware of this, grimaced as if it were an insult.
“What’s the difference between Your Highness and brother?”
“Your Highness feels like a title forced by power, while brother feels like a deep, heartfelt submission.”
“What does that mean?”
As they chatted, Joshua sat on the throne, surveying the great hall.
Draped in royal robes and wearing the ceremonial crown, he radiated an unusual dignity.
The hall fell silent.
Everyone waited for Joshua to speak, and he finally broke the silence.
“Some may hope otherwise, but it is clear.”
He said bluntly,
“The empire is our enemy.”
The hall was engulfed in silence.
It was as if the king himself had declared that all the recent troubles in Briol were the empire’s doing.
“But we are not yet in a position to hold the empire accountable. Therefore, we will begin preparing for revenge. I will not allow the name of Briol to be left to rot in shame.”
His gaze swept across the hall.
Some eyes burned with anger; others licked their lips nervously.
Then his eyes landed on Yuri.
“As the first step, I hereby command my brother, now Crown Prince Yuri Briol, and his Revenge Knights to be dispatched to the disputed territories between Bursen and the Holy Kingdom. I delegate all my authority to him—act on my behalf to mediate between the two nations and revive our alliance.”
As the words fell, Yuri, who had been punching Jared’s stomach in the corner, awkwardly knelt on one knee and saluted.
“I accept the royal command.”
While Yura was preparing to leave, there were others engaged in their own struggles.
Duchess Marie-Rose of Valshard, and Hernando, who was temporarily separated from Yura.
They had been deciphering fragments of parchment in Marie-Rose’s workshop, located deep within Valshard.
At first, the magic sealed within the parchments made them impossible to approach. But after persistent study, they had finally made some progress.
“So that’s why you called me here,” Inariel clicked her tongue.
“Because it’s a cursed beast, huh? Why didn’t you explain that from the start?”
The three of them were gathered in Marie-Rose’s underground workshop beneath Valshard.
Marie-Rose replied, “If I had explained, you’d have charged in headfirst, wouldn’t you?”
“…”
“They say the Grand Wizard’s restrictions on black magic are lifted with this. Knowing Inariel’s temper, she’d have just rushed in. All cute on the outside, but…”
“What did you just say?”
“What?”
“That last part…”
“I didn’t say anything. Anyway, if that had happened, Inariel wouldn’t have come out unscathed.”
“I don’t lose.”
“You’re not facing this alone. Neither that man nor this abomination.”
Marie-Rose shrugged.
“Anyway…”
Her workshop’s walls were embedded with various gemstones, scattering light in every direction.
Colored lights illuminated the room, but the glass case in the center was different.
It was shrouded in darkness, like a black mist.
Inside were the parchment fragments Yura had obtained.
“All the parchments are connected. Even if they fall apart from the book, the original controls the rest.”
“So that’s how the Briol Royal Palace could manipulate the entire continent.”
“Exactly.”
Marie-Rose placed her hand on the glass case.
The darkness inside surged toward her hand. The surface vibrated with the sound of clinking iron beads.
“The creepiest part is that this demonic grimoire has a will of its own. Or rather, a lingering grudge…”
“A will?”
“Yes.”
Marie-Rose explained.
“We analyzed the information embedded in the parchments using transcendental interpretation methods. It nearly corrupted my mind, but this demonic grimoire was created for one purpose: to sow chaos in the world.”
“What purpose?”
“Revenge.”
“Revenge?”
“Yes, revenge.”
Marie-Rose emphasized the word.
Inariel asked, “Revenge for what?”
Marie-Rose closed her eyes. She shuddered as if recalling something horrific, then spoke again.
“When a human is murdered, how much energy do you think their final emotions carry? And where do those emotions go?”
“You don’t mean…”
“Yes. Whoever made this, it’s a product of condensed lingering grudges drifting through the world. Filled with hatred and resentment toward humanity. You could call it the essence forged from the death throes of countless souls. That’s why this monster…”
Marie-Rose withdrew her hand.
The darkness receded, swirling inside the glass case once more.
“As a remnant of humanity, it seeks revenge against the human race itself.”