News spread across the empire that the sinister force that had appeared had driven back all the anti-imperial alliance forces. Yet, despite this, Yuri Briol was gathering knights and training them.
The continent was stirred.
This was a signal from Yuri.
She was announcing to the entire land that she would fight to the very end.
Most of the knights from the Vengeance Order who had been with Yuri had assembled, and other knights and soldiers were returning as well.
But some did not come back.
Yuri understood.
The dark magic they faced was overwhelmingly powerful—beyond any chance of resistance. If Yuri herself had been crushed under its weight, ordinary people would have been consumed by sheer terror.
In fact, those who returned to her side could be seen as unusually loyal.
Yuri led every training session. As more people gathered, she set up a separate training ground outside Briol Castle to accommodate them all.
Standing atop the practice field, Yuri called out.
“Tirbo!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“You’re late.”
“Hehe… I was saying goodbye to my parents.”
“I see.”
Yuri looked down at Tirbo and smiled slightly. Though he spoke so casually, she knew he must have made a tremendous decision to come here.
“Come up. Let’s spar.”
“Yes!”
As Yuri positioned Tirbo on the field, she glanced sideways.
Today, Ekaterina had set up a parasol a short distance away, watching their training.
Though a member of the imperial family, Ekaterina was renowned as the most beautiful woman on the continent. With her watching, the knights trained with even greater enthusiasm.
Of course, some suspected the nature of Yuri and Ekaterina’s relationship.
Tirbo squinted and chuckled.
“Your Highness, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“When did you start dating?”
“Dating what?”
“Her—Princess Ekaterina.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You can tell just by looking. Hehe…”
Yuri’s eyebrows twitched at his words.
“Or maybe you dated before and broke up? Are you exes? That’s the vibe I’m getting.”
He was surprisingly perceptive for someone like him. Yuri’s blade gleamed sharper.
Tirbo’s chatter died down, replaced by pained groans.
“Ugh, ugh…”
“Focus, Tirbo!”
“Y-yeah. Changing the subject like that means I’m right…”
“You little—”
“Argh!”
Tirbo rolled on the ground, struck by Yuri’s attack.
“Next!”
Calling the next knight, Yuri glanced again. Ekaterina and Ena were sipping tea nearby, watching him. They smiled at each other as if sharing a private joke.
Yuri looked away, grumbling.
“Next up, you?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Prepare yourself, Jared.”
“Just like that?”
Yuri pressed Jared.
“Your Highness.”
After rolling Jared twice and driving her blade down, someone called out from outside the practice field.
A messenger from the palace.
“Your Majesty sent this letter for you.”
“What now?”
Yuri took the letter.
Unfolding it, she saw a brief report on the situation in other nations.
Most were in similar states.
Some still chose to fight; others had given up resistance. The latter group was usually larger.
Yuri read it, folded the letter neatly, and tucked it away.
“Hmm…”
She furrowed her brow—a habit when deep in thought.
As Yuri paused, Jared, lying on the ground, got up and counterattacked.
Without looking, Yuri dodged and swept him down with a spinning kick.
“Next.”
“Ugh…”
Jared crawled out of the field.
Looking up at Yuri sparring with a new opponent, he spoke to Lord Roland beside him.
“Lord Roland, isn’t this unfair?”
“I told you not to call me ‘Lord.’”
“Fine. Roland, don’t you think this is unfair?”
Roland looked at Jared, who shrugged.
“Well, I told you to speak casually a long time ago. It’s fine now, right?”
“…Do as you please.”
“Has Your Highness gotten too strong? The gap seems to be growing.”
“The enemy grows stronger, so we adapt accordingly.”
“Is that even possible…?”
“This era is already beyond reason.”
Roland gripped his sword.
Rising, he turned away from Jared and walked toward someone else.
Moyongchan.
“Let’s spar.”
Roland used formal speech with him, though his tone wasn’t particularly respectful.
Moyongchan studied him quietly, then nodded.
“There were people like you in the East too. After a few harsh experiences, a person changes.”
“…”
“Do you want to get stronger?”
“I have to.”
Roland had realized his shortcomings through battle.
Though much stronger now, he still wasn’t on par with Yuri.
So he decided to fully harness the mana corrupted by dark magic in combat.
It wasn’t as refined as before, but it would allow him to fight more destructively.
Moyongchan, understanding his resolve, nodded.
“In the East, your sword would be called a demon sword. It’s a wicked energy, the kind used by dark cults.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Depends on the person. I think it’s fine. There was a sect called the Kongtong School in the East. Their Demon Suppression Sword Technique subdued demons and contained them within, turning that power to their advantage. It’s the principle of controlling demons with demons.”
Roland nodded.
“But it won’t be easy.”
“I have to do it.”
“Yes, you must.”
Moyongchan remembered Roland’s former self—a righteous, talented young man anyone would envy.
But after suffering under the evil power, Roland had changed.
Moyongchan smiled.
He had seen many changed by hardship in the East.
Still, innate nature doesn’t change.
True character reveals itself in moments of desperation.
Though he might seem prickly on the outside, Roland’s true nature was emerging again in the face of crisis.
The two began sparring.
Moyongchan’s refined sword energy clashed fiercely with Roland’s dark blade, neither yielding.
“The most important thing with a demon sword is restraint. Never let it control you.”
“Ugh…”
“When you can fully command the demon sword calmly, that’s when you’ll truly be strong.”
Moyongchan taught Roland earnestly, like a cherished student.
He hadn’t done this with Yuri—Yuri learned so quickly that words were unnecessary. A few demonstrations and she copied perfectly, making the teacher feel more like a living textbook.
Roland, on the other hand, was a rare talent with a righteous heart. As a Taoist, Moyongchan could teach not only swordsmanship but also tend to his wounded spirit, making the work deeply rewarding.
“When I taught you, you just beat me up like a thug…”
“Exactly. And when I asked you to teach me, you acted annoyed…”
“You’re picky about people.”
“Seems the Easterners aren’t very warm.”
Yuri and Jared, both flawed in character, grumbled nearby, but Moyongchan ignored them.
Roland quickly began mastering his sword.
“Hmm…”
Watching this, Yuri turned her body.
Things were going better than she had feared.
“You won’t be lonely when you go, right?”
At Yuri’s words, a visitor who had quietly approached smirked.
“Everyone is lonely when they die.”
“Then don’t die.”
“That would be nice.”
It was Inariel.
Yuri asked,
“You came sooner than I expected. Where did you return to, Inariel?”
“The workshop.”
“I see. You’ll stay with us until the end?”
He hesitated briefly, then answered.
“I must. After seeing what I have.”
Any human would naturally fear the being Cedric had summoned. Yuri felt the same, and Inariel was no different.
But both knew that was precisely why they had to resist with all their might.
If such a being ruled the world, it would be a hell worse than death.
Yuri was certain that the happy future Cedric promised would never come. Even if such a world were created, it would be beautiful only on the surface, rotten underneath.
Dark magic that creates spells fueled by human death could never nurture anything.
“Why give us a month?”
“To weed out the weak. Those who resist will resist; those who submit will submit. Then, with one battle, they can purge all the seeds of rebellion.”
“That makes sense.”
Yuri nodded.
“Inariel, a letter just arrived about the situation in other countries.”
“How is it?”
“Likely as you expected.”
“Yuri Briol.”
Inariel said,
“You have a month. If you go to persuade them personally, you might gain more…”
“No.”
Yuri shook her head.
“I won’t try to persuade anyone.”
“…”
“When the time comes, I will go. That’s all. Those who want to follow will, those who don’t won’t. I’ll leave it entirely to their will.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sentimental at the last moment.”
“I can’t help it.”
Yuri smiled faintly.
“The opponent’s hand is too strong, so to make the best hand, I have to gamble.”
After a moment of silence, Inariel suddenly turned his head.
“By the way, any news from the warriors you brought from the East?”
“Not yet.”
Yuri had learned from Ekaterina that Elaine had departed for the East.
Since Bernard was accompanying her, there wasn’t much cause for worry, but whether they could truly persuade the Eastern warriors remained uncertain.
“If we use the Celestial Steeds to persuade them properly… maybe they’ll come.”
“Didn’t you kill them already?”
“That’s true, but they probably don’t know.”
“Of course, the Celestial Steeds might come back to life.”
“Huh?”
“They’re the ones who bring the dead back. They wouldn’t waste the corpse of a strong knight.”
“Ah…”
Yuri recalled Cedric’s dark magic that had raised the messenger as a combatant.
Though they had decisively dealt with the monster formed by Donchichi, Dansochen, and the knights, it was unclear whether those corpses would be left as they were.
“Alright, I understand. Yuri Briol. I trust you’ll handle it well, just like you always have.”
Inariel tapped her staff on the ground and turned, then suddenly added,
“By the way, make sure you get things in order before you leave.”
“Get things in order?”
“That.”
Inariel glanced over and nodded toward Ekaterina, who was sitting under a parasol.
Yuri found himself stammering without realizing it.
“W-why?”
“Don’t leave things to regret. Sort it out before the battle.”
“W-why would I have regrets?”
“If you want to deny it, fine, I get it.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t really understand…”
“Don’t you?”
“I don’t.”
“I’m talking about your love life.”
“…”
“Or rather, your romantic affairs.”
“No…”
“Marie Rose will be here soon, too. The longer you put it off, the more complicated it’ll get.”
“Why would Marie Rose come into this…?”
“Pretending you don’t know?”
“…No.”
“It’s none of my business, since it’s your affair, but this might be our last battle. If there’s anything you need to settle, do it now.”
“Yes.”
Yuri sighed.
“I will…”
He didn’t want to be distracted by other matters before the final fight.
But Inariel’s words made sense.
If something was weighing on his mind, he might not be able to give his all against Cedric.
“I’m just giving advice. The decision is yours, Yuri Briol.”
Though outwardly he looked like a pretty boy, at moments like this, you could feel the presence of an ancient elven archmage.
Then, suddenly, Inariel turned around.
“But maybe my advice is coming too late.”
“Huh? Uh…”
Yuri sensed something too.
“They arrived sooner than expected.”
“Too soon, really.”
“Must have used magic.”
From a distance, Marie Rose was approaching on horseback, her red hair streaming behind her, flanked by several knights.
No one had imagined she’d get here so quickly from Valshard.
“Get ready.”
“B-but…”
“I’m sitting this one out.”
“Please don’t go.”
“I’m going.”
Inariel stepped away, and shortly after, Marie Rose came to a halt before Yuri.
“Your Highness, it’s been a while.”
Marie Rose greeted him with a bright smile, then pulled on the reins and looked around.
Her eyes met Ekaterina’s.