Side Story: Yuri’s Great Runaway Commotion! (2)

“How did you know Yuri would come looking for Kori? Even Kori himself probably had no idea.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Marie-Rose, the alluring beauty with fiery red hair, swept her hair back and smiled.

“Who else would you go to?”

“That can’t be. I have friends all across the continent!”

“Sure, but first you’d sweet-talk Sir Laurent into helping you find Kori.”

“So you’ve already figured me out…”

“Isn’t that just natural between us?”

Marie-Rose stepped closer, looping her arm around Yuri’s neck. Jared and Laurent, standing nearby, instinctively took a step back.

“So, how long do you plan to be out having fun?”

“I’m not having fun! I left a note saying it was important.”

“Well then…”

Marie-Rose rose onto her toes and kissed Yuri on the cheek, grinning.

“Mind if I come along for this ‘important’ business?”

“Of course not.”

And so, the four of them—including Marie-Rose—set off to visit Kori.

“This place is quite large, isn’t it?”

“Good deeds deserve to be grand. And to think someone called kind-hearted Kori a traitor…”

“…”

Kori ran the ‘House of Love,’ a shelter caring for orphans and the disabled.

Having saved the continent with his unprecedented and beautiful ‘Jeong’ (情) — a mystical power of heartfelt connection — Kori was regarded as a semi-saint.

His essay collection, Passing as Human, had touched readers deeply and became a bestseller.

It was said that on the day the book was published, sobs echoed through the streets.

When Kori opened the facility, donations poured in from all over, and even the temple allocated a special budget to support him.

Thanks to that, the ‘House of Love’ grew steadily.

Kori had become a symbol of humanity’s compassion.

“Welcome, brothers and sisters. What brings you here today?”

As soon as they arrived, a woman in white greeted them.

Though the facility wasn’t officially part of the temple, many volunteers were devout believers, and their speech and mannerisms reflected that.

“We came to see Kori.”

“Kori is currently engaged in ‘Jeong’ training…”

“We’ll wait. If you say Yuri Briol is here, he’ll come.”

“Excuse me?”

Only then did the woman recognize Yuri and, surprised, usher the group inside.

Yuri Briol, who had vanquished demons with his sword, and Kori, who had driven away darkness with light, were well-known friends.

“Welcome, welcome!”

The moment they stepped into the ‘House of Love,’ a warm, uplifting atmosphere enveloped them.

The entire facility was suffused with the power of ‘Jeong,’ amplifying positive effects like mood elevation and faster healing.

Thanks to this, the sick found relief, and children grew up bright and healthy.

“Still as wonderful as ever.”

“That’s all thanks to Kori’s tireless efforts.”

“No problems, I hope?”

“None at all.”

“Is the budget sufficient?”

“That, I’m not so sure about…”

Beyond the front gate, children played on the lawn, watched over by volunteers in white.

In another area, injured patients slowly repeated rehabilitation exercises.

“Shall I show you inside?”

“No, we’ll wait here.”

“Understood. I’ll inform Kori.”

As Yuri’s group strolled around the grassy grounds, they admired all that Kori had accomplished.

“The war left countless orphans, but thanks to Kori’s intervention, most were taken in. There are many places influenced by him beyond this one.”

A large monument stood in a corner of the lawn, engraved with the names of organizations allied with Kori and their sister facilities across the continent.

Among them were groups Yuri recognized well.

Marie-Rose placed her fingertip on the monument.

“Look, the Allied Veterans Association is here too?”

“Yeah. They’ve since become a social service group. Once an Allied soldier, always an Allied soldier, they say…”

Led by Raymond, the veterans now carried on various community activities.

Suddenly, a group of children ran by, and one little girl tripped right in front of Marie-Rose.

Though bleeding from her knee, the small girl didn’t cry, instead glaring fiercely as she endured the pain.

“Oh dear…”

Marie-Rose knelt and gently stroked the girl’s head.

“Does it hurt?”

“I’m okay.”

“Come here.”

With a wave of her hand, Marie-Rose healed the wound with magic.

Her skills had reached such an advanced level that minor injuries vanished in an instant.

As the bleeding stopped and new skin formed, the girl’s eyes widened.

“Wow! Are you a magician?”

“Yes, pretty amazing, right?”

“Wow, wow…”

The girl poked at her now-perfect knee.

“How do I become a magician?”

“Just study like I did.”

“Study?”

The girl shook her head vigorously.

“No way!”

Then she spun around and dashed off, rejoining the other kids who had been waiting.

Watching this, Jared chuckled.

“A heartwarming sight.”

“Hmm…”

“Your Majesty?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

Yuri shrugged.

Seeing Marie-Rose with the children, a sudden thought crossed Yuri’s mind: if they had a child together, would it look like this?

“Hmmm…”

Marie-Rose smiled as she watched the children play.

Noticing Yuri’s strange expression, Laurent spoke up.

“It’s about time for that, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“If you want, I could stand as godfather.”

“You didn’t say a word! And who gave you permission?”

Jared jumped in.

“Your Majesty, I’m here too.”

“You rascals…”

As the three bickered noisily, a familiar voice called out.

“Oh! You’re here!”

Kori, small in stature, limped over to greet them.

“Long time no see, Kori!”

“Yes! It’s been a while, Your Majesty, Sir Jared, Sir Laurent, and Lady Marie-Rose!”

Kori welcomed them warmly.

They all sat at a tea table set up on the lawn.

“Would you like something to eat?”

“No, we need to feed the children. Running this place must be tough…”

“Not at all. We have plenty of funds. Hehe…”

“That’s generous, but these donations are meant for the facility. We appreciate the thought…”

“These aren’t donations—they’re my personal funds.”

“Is your book still selling?”

“Recently, it was adapted into a play, and I got a nice royalty check. Hehe…”

“A play too?”

Passing as Human was unstoppable.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Kori, you wound me. We don’t only visit when there’s trouble.”

“That’s not it, but you looked like you’d run off in a hurry…”

“What?”

Marie-Rose burst out laughing at Kori’s sharp guess.

“Kori, you’re spot on!”

“I’ve known Your Majesty a long time. Hehe…”

“She’s just using you as an excuse.”

Marie-Rose explained to Kori about Yuri’s sudden runaway, leaving only a vague note about something important.

Yuri hung his head, and Kori defended him.

“Of course, this visit is important. As the Emperor’s consort, coming to support a charitable facility is truly meaningful. You set an example not just for the Empire, but for the entire continent. Everyone will take an interest in social welfare.”

“Kori, no need to sugarcoat it.”

“No, I mean it.”

“Ugh…”

Moved, Yuri shook Kori’s hand.

Marie-Rose crossed her arms and tilted her head.

“Fine, let’s say it’s important.”

“It is important.”

“Then do something about it.”

“Huh?”

“Show us something worth dropping your state duties for.”

“Hmm…”

She had a point.

To make this visit truly meaningful, just showing up wasn’t enough.

They had to do something.

“Of course!”

Yuri jumped up.

“I’m here to honor Kori and the volunteers for their hard work and to support the vulnerable.”

“Is that so?”

“Laurent, Jared, follow me.”

Laurent and Jared sighed, reluctantly getting to their feet.

“Watch closely what I do here!”

A little later, children gathered as Yuri performed tricks.

He juggled four razor-sharp daggers, while Jared spun plates on sword tips with both hands.

The crowd went wild.

Amid the cheers, Yuri took on an even more difficult feat.

“Hey, bring the harmonica!”

He juggled while playing the harmonica.

Plee-lee, plee-lee.

“Wooooaah!”

As all eyes focused on Yuri, Jared protested.

“Using tools is cheating!”

“If you don’t like it, you try playing the harmonica too.”

“I don’t know how!”

“Well, can’t help it then~.”

“D-darn it! Bring another sword and balance it on my forehead!”

Jared added a third sword atop his head, spinning plates while turning his head around. Three plates whirled at once. The ridiculous sight had the children giggling uncontrollably.

Marie-Rose rubbed her forehead, then laughed.

“Really…”

Kori stood beside her, laughing as well.

“Your Majesty truly has a way of drawing people in, wherever you go.”

“I didn’t expect it to be like this.”

“I heard Sir Laurent is up to something too…”

“Dark Laurent?”

Ever since the once-diligent Laurent turned rebellious, those who remembered his old self started calling this new version of him ‘Dark Laurent.’ Of course, he had no idea about this nickname.

Soon, Laurent appeared.

True to his ‘dark’ reputation, he didn’t let himself be made a laughingstock like Yuli or Jared had.

A volunteer standing nearby announced, “Sir Laurent will be demonstrating blindfolded tomato slicing! Come on, one by one, step up and throw your tomatoes!”

Laurent covered his eyes with a thick cloth and gave a slight nod, as if daring them to try.

One by one, the children stepped forward and threw tomatoes from a sack.

Like a ghost, Laurent sliced each tomato cleanly in half.

The crowd’s interest shifted from mere watching to active participation as the trick became interactive.

Everyone lined up, taking turns throwing tomatoes.

“Here goes!”

No matter how fast the tomatoes flew, Laurent sliced every single one perfectly.

He handed the halved tomatoes back to the kids.

“Uh…”

Yuli and Jared, who had quickly lost the children’s attention, stopped their own tricks.

“…”

But no one cared.

Laurent had completely stolen the spotlight.

“How disappointing…”

“Tell me about it.”

“Jared.”

“Yes?”

“You’re not just going to stand by and watch, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Jealous of Laurent’s popularity, the two hatched a plan to bring him down.

They soon slipped into the crowd of children, stirring up trouble.

“Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Do exactly as I say.”

They even managed to pull the volunteer who was keeping order aside.

“Uh, excuse me, but if you—”

“It’s fine. I’ll take responsibility.”

“Uh… okay…”

Laurent continued slicing tomatoes one after another.

But the rules no longer applied.

Children holding tomatoes surrounded him from all sides.

As a skilled swordsman, Laurent sensed something was off, but thanks to Yuli’s interference, he couldn’t quite figure out what was happening.

Then—

“Throw!”

Dozens of tomatoes came flying from every direction.

Just as the children’s sizes varied, so did the speed and force of the tomatoes.

“Ugh!”

But this was Laurent Flandre.

Before Yuli Briol appeared, he was hailed as Briol’s greatest prodigy, and today, he was named among the new Ten Great Swordsmen.

In an instant, Laurent sliced through the dozens of tomatoes.

The children’s mouths dropped open.

“W-wow…”

“That guy’s amazing…”

“So cool!”

“Unbelievable!”

Laurent’s blade intercepted the flying tomatoes without hesitation.

The children cheered even louder.

Yuli and Jared’s jealousy reached its peak.

“Die, Mr. Popular!”

Tomatoes thrown by Yuli and Jared tore through the air toward Laurent.

Feeling an instant threat to his life, Laurent ignored the children’s tomatoes and focused on slicing the two aimed at his vital points.

Bang!

A sound erupted from the tomatoes that shouldn’t have been able to make noise.

In the chaos, some tomatoes hit Laurent.

Juice splattered everywhere.

He ended up completely covered in tomato pulp.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

Yuli and Jared laughed wildly.

Laurent ripped off his blindfold.

“Yuli Briol!”

Even as he spoke, tomatoes kept flying.

One hit his forehead, dripping down his face.

“…”

Through his red-stained vision, he caught sight of Yuli and Jared’s backs as they fled into the distance.

“Hey, mister, you can’t stop us now!”

“Take this, tomatoes!”

“That guy’s tired! Keep throwing!”

The kids, excited, kept pelting him with tomatoes.

Amid the downpour of tomatoes, Laurent forced a small smile and said,

“Alright, kids, take it easy…”