Yuri had subdued the Black Knight.
Though her mental state was far from normal, this only proved how formidable her level truly was—among the Ten Strongest, she ranked near the very top.
“So, what will you do now?”
“…”
“You can’t save Ivar.”
Yuri said firmly.
He had fought against dark magic before. Through those battles, he had come to understand just how insidious and evil it truly was.
A body tainted by dark magic could never be restored. Death was the only true relief it could offer.
“If it’s just for your own satisfaction, I won’t stop you. But that path only brings Ivar more suffering.”
“I see…”
“Fighting against dark magic is the real way to help Ivar. We have to give him peace.”
“Understood. But…”
“But what? It’s that ‘but’ that’s piled up and brought us to this crisis!”
“…”
The Black Knight, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
“What’s your connection to Yekaterina?”
The name caught Yuri off guard.
Trying to stay calm, her voice still slipped out.
“W-what?”
Yuri’s eyes darted nervously, then she cleared her throat under the Black Knight’s steady gaze. She scratched the back of her head, choosing her words carefully.
“Why bring her up all of a sudden…?”
“Just curious.”
“Why?”
“Just asking.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘just’ in your world, is there?”
“Hmm…”
Yuri realized she had been cornered.
Pressing on about Ivar, the Black Knight countered by bringing up Yekaterina.
But why Yekaterina? How did the Black Knight know that name struck a nerve?
“May I ask why the princess’s name came up? I have no connection to her.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
The Black Knight shrugged.
“Well… I overheard something.”
“What did you hear?”
“You’ll find out when you return to the imperial capital.”
“What’s that supposed to mean…?”
Yekaterina was in the capital.
Yuri had no idea what she was up to.
“Enough.”
Yuri shook her head, pushing away the troubling thoughts. Worrying about Yekaterina was a losing game—she was unpredictable from the start.
No wonder she had caused so much trouble in Yuri’s past life.
“Is there really something between you and Yekaterina?”
“No. Let’s not change the subject. Let’s talk about Ivar.”
“You’re the one changing the subject, Yuri Briol. Does talking about Yekaterina make you uncomfortable?”
“No!”
“I do.”
The Black Knight chuckled softly.
“I’m the one who finds talking about His Majesty uncomfortable.”
Yuri felt like a petulant child in comparison.
The Black Knight seemed like a mature adult, accepting her flaws.
“As an illegitimate child, it’s natural to crave a parent’s love. But His Majesty has always watched over me in secret. As his daughter and his vassal, it’s only natural I can’t let go of his hand. I may not openly admit it, but I am definitely His Majesty’s daughter.”
Yuri stood quietly for a moment, then spoke.
“I apologize.”
“For what?”
“For speaking harshly.”
“Yes, apologize.”
“I didn’t mean it—I only said it to provoke you.”
When Yuri had fought the Black Knight, she had carelessly mentioned Ivar to get under her skin.
To the Black Knight, Ivar was her father.
Yuri had assumed their relationship was bad because of her illegitimacy, but that wasn’t the case. Ivar seemed to have been a decent father in his own way.
The Black Knight smiled.
“It’s alright. Stirring the pot is a natural strategy. Otherwise, would you have dared to punch me in the face?”
“Maybe not?”
“Oh?”
“I’ve grown up quite a bit myself…”
“So you’re proud of punching me in the face?”
“Come on, we’re close.”
“What kind of ‘close’ are we?”
“Among the Ten Strongest.”
Yuri scratched the back of her head as she looked at the faint bruise on the Black Knight’s face.
She felt a little sorry for hitting her so hard, but luckily, being among the Ten Strongest meant the marks weren’t too severe.
Yuri kicked a stone on the ground.
“The fight among the Ten Strongest was so brutal, doesn’t that make it all the more meaningful?”
The mountain path where they had fought was utterly devastated. No tree stood unscathed, and every rock was shattered.
It was hard to believe such destruction had ended with nothing more than powerless punches.
The Black Knight laughed aloud.
“Alright, let’s leave it at that.”
“So, are you heading straight back to the empire?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Yuri Briol. I may have lost today, but I am the Black Knight.”
She meant that even if the empire had other plans, she was confident she could escape.
“So don’t worry. Thanks to you, I’ve made up my mind.”
“Understood.”
Yuri asked what had been on her mind.
“Have you ever seen Cedric?”
The Black Knight shook her head.
“No. I haven’t seen him personally. Some of the emperor’s close retainers have said strange things, though.”
According to her, the emperor had disappeared from sight at some point, and Crown Prince Eugen had taken over his duties. Rumors occasionally surfaced about Cedric being spotted in the palace, but they were hard to believe.
The Black Knight had her own intelligence network to monitor the emperor’s condition. Through palace servants who came and went in the deepest chambers, she had learned that the emperor’s body was changing into something inhuman.
But that information was from before the emperor was completely isolated. Now, no one could even guess what he looked like.
Then suddenly, an order bearing the emperor’s seal arrived.
It commanded them to go to the coalition of small states and stop Briol’s schemes. They promised unlimited military support.
But the Black Knight knew something was wrong, so she left the empire alone.
“I just wanted to meet you and cross swords. I didn’t think the order needed the knights. You don’t shy away from a fight.”
“Of course not.”
“I’ll return to the capital and investigate further. Since there’s resistance within the palace, I might be able to make contact with them.”
“So, we’re allies now?”
“Allies?”
“My enemy is the empire, but deeper down, it’s dark magic and Cedric. Along with Eugen and his followers.”
“I see.”
“Don’t you want to kill those who harmed His Majesty, Black Knight? If we share the same enemy, we’re on the same side.”
“That’s true.”
“Yes.”
“Alright, allies it is.”
“Good.”
Yuri extended her hand. The Black Knight stared at it for a moment, then grasped it firmly.
Yuri shook her hand up and down.
“By the way, what’s your real name?”
“My real name?”
“That can’t be the Black Knight’s true name.”
The Black Knight smiled faintly, the corners of her eyes crinkling.
“Curious, are you?”
“Of course.”
“My name is Elisabetta. His Majesty gave it to me personally, just like my half-siblings.”
Yuri’s eyes widened as she looked at the faint smile on her face.
“Elisabetta…”
The name had a beautiful ring to it, yet carried a sense of strength. Ivar seemed to have a knack for naming.
Yuri smiled as she looked at her.
“Elisabetta. It suits you well. Such a beautiful name.”
Elisabetta gazed at Yuri for a long moment.
Yuri tilted her head.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Did you seduce Yekaterina like this?”
“Huh?”
“That’s troublesome. I don’t want to fall out with my sister.”
“Don’t joke like that.”
Yuri waved her hands, laughing. Elisabetta chuckled softly in return.
“Does Yekaterina know who you really are?”
“No. Only His Majesty and a very few others know about me.”
“I see.”
“But aside from that, I have a good relationship with Yekaterina. Do you want me to send her a message? All letters in the capital are being censored right now. I could help.”
“Well… no, I have no connection to Yekaterina, so I have nothing to send.”
“I see.”
“Instead, could you send something to someone else?”
“Of course.”
“There’s someone named Elaine…”
Without proper paper, Yuri whispered a few words to Elisabetta—nothing important, just something Elisabetta could pass along.
“Is that really enough?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds like a code.”
The Black Knight nodded.
“You’re about to complete the Conqueror’s Chronicle. Congratulations.”
“Well, the real fight is just beginning.”
Elisabetta picked up her mask lying on the ground.
She pressed out the dents caused by Yuri’s punches and placed it back on her face. Though distorted, it still fit.
As her pale face disappeared behind the black iron mask, it looked like the moon veiled by clouds.
Yuri recalled the first time they met. She hadn’t seen her face then, and had assumed from her voice that she was a young man like Laurent. But she had been wrong—it was a female knight.
And on top of that, Yekaterina’s half-sister and Ivar’s daughter.
A strange connection.
Seeing things she hadn’t known in her past life slowly come to light in this one, Yuri wondered how many more secrets she still didn’t know.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
“Yes.”
Seeing her off after having fought her left Yuri feeling uneasy. She wanted to take care of her, even just a little.
“Do you have any money for the road?”
“…”
“Or maybe some jerky…?”
“That’s enough.”
And with that, Elisabetta left.
Watching her retreating figure, Yuri muttered with concern.
“Having taken down even the Black Knight, my fame will surely reach the skies. Well, that’s a problem—I really don’t want to get too famous.”
Yuri approached a horse tucked away in the corner and mounted it as well.
Their battle had been long, but not so long as to last an entire day. Night had fallen, yet Yuri pressed on without pause, urging the horse forward.
It wasn’t until dawn that he finally arrived at the last kingdom—Endia.
“Huff, huff…”
Though it was the horse that was exhausted, Yuri exaggerated his own heavy breathing as he neared the castle gates. The guards recognized him immediately and saluted.
“Oh, right.”
“Please, enter.”
It seemed the Vengeance Knights had arrived ahead of him and cleared the way.
Yuri passed through the gates without hesitation.
One guard trailed closely behind.
“I’ll accompany you. What would you like to do first? Unload your gear and rest, or join the others right away?”
“There’s no time to rest.”
Yuri urged his horse forward with determination. A fierce energy radiated from him.
Having just defeated the Black Knight and united their forces, he was brimming with resolve.
He wanted to complete the Conqueror’s Banner and declare war on the empire immediately.
“Where are my knights?”
“I’ll show you. They’re all gathered together.”
“Oh…”
They were already prepared, it seemed.
Yuri revised his opinion of Jared. He hadn’t expected such organizational skill—that he’d arranged everything so the Conqueror’s Banner could be raised the moment Yuri arrived.
“Good. Let’s go.”
“Right this way.”
The guard led Yuri deeper into the castle.
Voices echoed from within—shouts, and some familiar tones.
It sounded like a tense standoff was already underway.
“These guys…”
Yuri smiled with satisfaction. Knights should have spirit. Even when abandoned in enemy territory, they hadn’t lost their fighting will.
“Well then, shall we go in?”
“Hm?”
But instead of heading to the duel arena, they continued deeper into the castle.
“A trap?”
“Pardon?”
They stopped before a large iron door, guarded by two knights.
“We’ve been expecting you.”
The knights smiled as they opened the door.
Inside—
“Long live Briole! Long live Endia!”
“May the friendship between our nations last forever!”
“Drink up, drink!”
A feast was in full swing.
The Vengeance Knights were already drunk, arm in arm with Endian knights they’d never met before, singing loudly and making merry.
A man who appeared to be the king danced around, food stains decorating his clothes.
“…”
Yuri turned to the guard beside him.
“What about the Conqueror’s Banner ceremony?”
“Oh, that happened right after you arrived yesterday. Wow, the knights of Briole really are something else. We lost cleanly in three rounds. It was embarrassing. Hahaha!”
“Did they say anything about me?”
“Not really. Jared said you’d be a bit late due to some circumstances, so we should enjoy the feast first…”
“…”
Yuri picked up a honey-glazed apple from the table and hurled it toward Jared, who was dancing in the distance.