It wasn’t just Yuri.
Hernando stood there as well, along with Jared, Laurent, Moyongchan, and several others.
All of them had once lived within the Briol royal palace.
“This is…”
Hernando, being a mage, was the first to grasp the situation.
“They sent them back.”
All eyes turned to him as he spoke again.
“They sent everyone who was there back—to wherever they consider home. Marilose, who was beside me, must have gone to Valshard.”
“…”
“You said the Briol palace would soon be your home, huh? Tsk, tsk… Ah, just forget I said that.”
“…”
“Lord Bursen went back to Bursen, Lord Liberta to Liberta, and so on. Sir Ainger probably returned to Matterhorn. I wonder where Lady Inariel went. But seriously, to teleport that many people individually, the power required must be enormous. Just thinking about it…”
Hernando seemed so overwhelmed that he was just babbling without much control.
Jared, standing nearby, placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Lord Hernando.”
“To replicate this with ordinary magic…?”
“Calm down.”
“I am calm.”
“Well, we all need time to process this shock, so please keep quiet.”
“Y-yes…”
Hernando sighed deeply and sank down onto the ground.
Even Moyongchan, usually so composed, stood there dazed, unable to fully accept what was happening.
A palace servant passing by screamed upon seeing the sudden appearance of the group.
“…”
But Yuri remained still, then slowly looked up at the sky.
It was a deep, clear blue.
“Haah…”
And then she spat out a curse loudly.
“Damn it all!”
Yuri soon met with Joshua, and they talked at length.
“The news must have spread by now, right?”
“Of course.”
“Phew…”
With all those troops instantly sent back to their homes, it was impossible to keep this under wraps from the start.
People would be shocked to learn the empire had summoned a demon god, and that its power was overwhelming.
They might already be trembling in fear, their will to fight shattered.
“Cedric did something like this… this is bad.”
Joshua looked as troubled as Yuri, since he had trusted and followed Cedric too.
And with the enemy’s power so immense, the situation was even more dire.
Joshua crossed his arms and sighed repeatedly.
“What do we do now…?”
“What else? We fight.”
“Yuri, you said one month, right?”
“Yeah.”
“In that time, you’ll sort out who will follow and who will rebel. Then you’ll weed them out. Is that the plan?”
“Sounds about right.”
“You’re one of the rebels.”
“That’s right.”
“But the others probably aren’t. You said the monsters Cedric summoned from that outer world are so powerful? I can’t quite believe it, but…”
“It felt like facing a god.”
“Yeah, a god. If morale’s already broken after seeing that, and then they get to go home and enjoy comfort, won’t their desire to fight just vanish?”
“Probably.”
“Have we lost?”
Joshua asked.
“Whether they have the will or not, can we really win against someone who sends all those people home?”
Yuri couldn’t answer.
She had learned the Soul Slash and even gained the power of chaos.
But the beings Cedric summoned from the outer world wielded an unfathomable power beyond her control.
You can’t win a fight against a god.
Still, Yuri shook her head.
“This isn’t about winning or losing. We just do what must be done.”
Kill Cedric, destroy the source of the dark magic.
That was all she focused on.
It didn’t matter if the odds were slim. After all, this was her second life.
Even if she died here, she wouldn’t regret it. She would resist to the very end until Cedric was gone.
But others didn’t have such unwavering resolve.
“What if people refuse?”
Joshua said.
“If the knights and soldiers don’t want war, there’s nothing I can do. Of course, as king, I could force orders, but they won’t truly fight.”
“I know.”
Yuri sighed.
“So I’ll think it over more. There’s still plenty of time.”
One month.
Short, yet long.
Joshua nodded.
“Right. For now, rest. You smell.”
Yuri had come straight from the battlefield, still covered in blood and filth.
She stood up.
“Alright, I’m going back.”
“Wait a moment.”
“Hm?”
“Go somewhere other than your quarters. Yeah, go to where Cedric stayed.”
“Why?”
“Just go.”
“What’s going on?”
“…”
“Is something wrong?”
“There’s a guest in your quarters.”
“In my quarters?”
Yuri frowned.
“What? Did you let someone in without telling me? Got a lover or something?”
“I wish it were that, but no.”
“Then what?”
Joshua scratched his head.
“Seems you haven’t been contacted yet. They must have sent a messenger, but you’ve been busy on the battlefield.”
“What contact?”
“Yekaterina.”
Yuri looked at Joshua, puzzled why her name came up now.
Then Joshua’s next words left her speechless.
“The empire’s princess is here in Briol, in your quarters.”
“What?”
Yuri was silent for a moment, then asked again.
“Yekaterina—the empire’s princess—is here?”
“Yes.”
“In the Briol royal palace?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“She escaped and came here.”
“…”
Yuri froze like a statue, staring at Joshua, then shook her head as if she didn’t want to think about it.
“Right. I’ll go to your quarters then. I want to rest, so don’t let anyone in.”
“What about the attendants?”
“Just Ena is fine.”
“Alright…”
“I’m off then. See you later.”
“Yeah, rest up.”
Yuri left the hall immediately.
Hearing that Yekaterina was here unsettled her.
A mix of emotions stirred inside.
As the empire grew more devastated, she worried secretly about Yekaterina’s safety there. But now that the princess was in Briol, she felt both relieved and uneasy.
Why come to Briol of all places?
Briol was the empire’s fiercest rival.
“Is it because of me…?”
Yuri muttered.
This wasn’t just self-importance—it was a reasonable conclusion based on experience.
“Of course, she reached out to me first again…”
In her past life, Yekaterina had sent signals before they became lovers. She’d said Yuri was her type.
People’s preferences don’t change easily.
“I’m just too good, huh? Can’t be helped. I’ll just avoid her as much as possible.”
Like running away, Yuri hurried to the quarters where Cedric had stayed.
Though empty since Cedric left, it had been maintained and was still livable.
When she arrived, a familiar face greeted her.
“Your Majesty. It’s been a while. You’ve worked hard.”
“Ena. You came quickly.”
“I ran straight here.”
Ena was his personal maid.
Seeing her made Yuri truly feel she was back in the palace.
“Ena, it’s so good to see you again…”
“Wait!”
She spread her arms to block Yuri’s way and pinched her nose.
“I hate to say this after all you’ve been through, but you really need to wash up. My nose feels numb.”
“Alright, alright.”
“There’s warm water ready. Please go.”
Yuri sank into the hot water, feeling all the fatigue melt away.
Even the burden of having to fight Cedric was temporarily lifted.
“Haah…”
She sighed deeply.
For a while, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth.
Then, suddenly, she muttered to herself.
“Yeah, I was curious about the rear lines.”
Her voice echoed softly in the bathhouse.
“Did you return home too?”
When Yuri spoke, someone emerged from a corner of the bathhouse.
It was Asana.
She knelt down opposite Yuri.
“Yes. But I wasn’t in the rear.”
“I had you tied up.”
“That didn’t bother me.”
“Is that so…”
“I followed Your Majesty, but suddenly my vision darkened, and I found myself in the palace.”
For Asana, the Briol royal castle was home, just as Yuri’s home was her own quarters.
There was a mansion in the castle where those who escaped the Assassins’ Order with her stayed.
Asana spoke.
“How was it? Do you think we can win?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Cedric summoned some kind of monster. I’m not sure if we can even fight it.”
“I see.”
Asana nodded. Having once been persuaded by Cedric to betray Yuri, she knew how terrifying he was.
“So, why did you come to find me?”
“Lord Cruar sent me a message. It might be too late now, though.”
“Cruar?”
The last dragon remaining on the continent, Cruar.
Hearing the name, Yuri instinctively thought of Cory.
They had escaped from Cruar’s lair, but his whereabouts were unknown. Laurent, who had been with him for a while, warned that Cory was no longer the naive boy he once was and to be cautious.
Still, Yuri trusted Cory.
“Is this about Cory?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“It’s about the Devil’s Grimoire.”
“The Devil’s Grimoire?”
Yuri’s expression changed.
Cruar had promised to let him know if he found any information about the Devil’s Grimoire. He hadn’t realized he might have stumbled upon a major clue.
“What is it?”
“Well…”
Asana relayed Cruar’s words.
Yuri’s expression shifted strangely.
“That’s all?”
“Yes.”
“Really, that’s everything?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“This is all there is. You should meet him yourself later and ask directly.”
“No…”
Yuri splashed hot water over his face.
“So that’s what he said.”
Cruar’s message tangled Yuri’s thoughts.
“Don’t cut the Devil’s Grimoire. The sword is only a temporary measure, not the true way to banish darkness. To completely eradicate darkness, you must bring forth the light. Darkness is simply the absence of light.”
That was the gist of it.
Not a single concrete detail.
In fact, he was told not to cut it at all.
“Is he saying not to kill Cedric? Then what am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Ugh…”
Yuri closed his eyes. The muscles that had relaxed in the bath were tightening again. A headache was creeping in.
“Fine, just go.”
“Can’t I stay a little longer?”
“You should go. I need to wash up.”
“It’s all steamy anyway, you can take your time.”
“Go.”
“Yes.”
Asana stood up and vanished as suddenly as she had appeared.
“Phew…”
Yuri savored the returning silence, enjoying the hot water.
For just a moment, he didn’t want to think about anything.
But the world wouldn’t leave him be.
“Your Highness! Your Highness! Can you hear me?”
Outside the bathhouse, Ena called out.
Yuri tried to ignore her, but her voice grew louder until he finally answered.
“What is it?”
When Yuri shouted, Ena replied from beyond the door.
“A visitor has come!”
“Tell them not to come in!”
“They said they’ll wait until you’re done, so take your time!”
“Who is it?”
“The princess!”
“Just tell her to leave… What?”
Yuri felt his heart drop.
He’d expected to run into someone inside the palace, but hadn’t imagined she’d come so soon.
“I’m tired, so just tell her to go! I just got back!”
“I’ll pass that along!”
Ena’s footsteps faded away.
Yuri waited for her to return.
After a moment, Ena knocked again.
He asked, “What did she say?”
“What do you think she said?”
Yuri felt his heart sink again.
It wasn’t Ena.
It was Ekaterina.
Her teasing tone echoed exactly as it had in his past life.
Frozen for a moment, Yuri sank down and submerged his head fully beneath the water.