Side Story: Yuri’s Great Runaway Commotion! (8)

The next day, Yuri gently persuaded Asana, who insisted on following her all the way.

“It’s dangerous. Don’t come with me—go back to the palace.”

“Hmph, alright.”

“Say hi to Yekaterina for me.”

“She seemed upset…”

“Heh…”

Yuri rubbed Asana’s shoulder and asked, “How’s that assassin god of yours doing?”

“He’s fine. He’s gone back inside for now.”

The presence known as the ‘Assassin God’ residing within Asana was terrified of Yuri. Whenever Yuri was nearby, it vanished as if dead.

Apparently, it smelled something scary.

Asana tilted her head in confusion, but Yuri had a rough idea.

Since the Assassin God was said to originate from the Void, it probably sensed the presence of ‘Krupfuk,’ a being Yuri was connected to.

Compared to that entity, the Assassin God was a very weak presence.

“Tell him not to be so scared. If he keeps hiding, I’ll drag him out by force and toss him back into the Void.”

“Uh, what did you just say after waking up?”

“What?”

“He said sorry.”

“For what?”

“Just… everything.”

“Alright, then be nice to Asana, okay?”

“He said he will.”

“Good.”

Yuri embraced Asana.

“I’ll be back soon. Wait for me.”

“Okay.”

After bidding farewell to her master and disciples, Yuri left the Shinseong sect.

At first, it was a pointless runaway, but now she had a real reason.

“Is fate coming to find me, or am I the one creating fate…?”

Sighing, Yuri pulled out the latest issue of Night of Hwangseong from a street vendor.

Originally considered a small-scale magazine with less credibility than Monthly Hwangseong, after the war ended, it flooded the market with sensational articles and rose to become the continent’s top publication.

“Oh, there’s already an article.”

The cover featured a big headline about her visit to the ‘House of Love.’

Since Yuri maintained a good relationship with the magazine, Night of Hwangseong covered the incident in a very positive light.

They praised Yuri’s spirit of service and called for greater attention to those marginalized on society’s fringes.

Muttering to herself, Yuri said, “I’ve raised awareness about welfare, helped maintain peace in the East, and now I have to fight a battle that will decide the continent’s fate…”

“You’re busy, aren’t you?”

“Too valuable to be buried in paperwork at Hwangseong.”

“Do you think His Majesty the Emperor’s judgment was wrong?”

“No, not that.”

Laurent, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.

“So, what’s the plan now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you heading straight to Bursen, or asking someone to accompany you? You should sort out your plan properly.”

“Hmmm…”

Laurent was right.

Though the situation was serious, they didn’t know exactly what was going on. It was all just speculation.

If the empire across the sea wanted war, they’d probably have to summon the entire continent again.

But if they were just here for exchange, they needed to assess the situation first.

Lost in thought, Yuri suddenly opened her eyes.

“I just thought of the first thing we need to do.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s go to the Mage Tower first.”

“The Mage Tower?”

“If that mysterious ship really came from another continent, we won’t understand their language. There probably isn’t a single person who speaks their tongue.”

“I see. You’re planning to borrow ‘that thing,’ huh?”

“Exactly. I want to meet Tatago.”

Tatago was the master who served Marirose when she was at the Mage Tower.

He pursued a unique form of magic called the ‘Absolute Interpretation Method.’

Unlike Marirose, who first mastered the ‘Transcendental Interpretation Method’—a derivative due to its complexity—Tatago focused solely on the Absolute Interpretation.

Recently, Tatago combined his achievements to create an artifact called the ‘Mamago.’

It could translate two different languages in real time.

Though not perfect yet, it was enough for basic communication.

“Time is tight, so we’ll stop by the Mage Tower on the way.”

“Then…”

Yuri’s group was in Liberta, on the continent’s east side. To reach Bursen on the west coast, they had to cross the middle.

“We’ll stop by the Mage Tower in the Small Nations Alliance.”

Turning their horses, Yuri and her companions headed toward the Small Nations Alliance.

---

Yuri, Laurent, and Jared wore slime masks to avoid drawing attention. Occasionally, minor disturbances arose, but they handled them all with force.

“Sorry! We’ll get along from now on!”

“Alright.”

This time, the three got caught up in a feud between two villages.

In a mountain valley, a hot spring suddenly began to gush forth—right on the border between the two villages.

They argued over ownership, and eventually, the young men gathered to settle it with fists. They even hired mercenaries from other regions.

At least, they hadn’t used weapons, which was somewhat commendable.

But violence was still violence, so Yuri stepped in.

“I stopped the fight, but this won’t be easy to resolve.”

“Yeah…”

Yuri sighed, looking down at the young men from both villages sprawled on the ground.

They bore bruises from being hit once each by Yuri’s group.

Yuri felt uneasy.

These youths had likely raised their fists under orders from their respective groups.

“Situations like this are really tough. Back in Cedric’s time, there was a clear evil to fight, so you could just swing your sword freely…”

“That’s how it is wherever people live.”

“What should we do?”

Yuri was the crown princess of Briol and the empire’s envoy, but she had no authority in the Small Nations Alliance.

Laurent asked, “Yuri, can’t you just split the profits evenly?”

“That would be easier, but…”

“You’re the owner of the Paewanggi, right?”

“It’s just symbolic. I have no real authority. And this whole mess is because the state’s laws haven’t been properly conveyed to the villages. We need to teach them that the law comes before fists.”

Just then, one of the men lying on the ground suddenly stood up and approached Yuri.

“Hmm…?”

He was a slender man wearing glasses, with sharp eyes visible above the lenses.

There was a dangerous aura about him.

He looked like the type who could study at a desk all day without moving.

Even Yuri was taken aback and stepped back.

“Who are you?”

A man lying right in front of Yuri shouted out.

“That’s Joseph, the pride of Doubledoor Village and a genius of Hwangseong Academy!”

“What?”

Joseph stopped straight in front of Yuri.

Even knights rarely maintained such confidence around her, but he spoke without a hint of hesitation.

“Your Highness.”

“Huh?”

Yuri was startled again.

He was wearing a slime mask, yet he had immediately figured out her identity.

“How did you know who I am?”

“Guessing your identity was easy.”

“How…?”

Meeting a true genius after a long time, Yuri tensed up. If she let her guard down, he might see right through her.

“Because the author called you ‘Your Highness.’”

“What?”

“And the author called you ‘Yuri.’”

“Impossible…!”

“There’s only one royal named Yuri on the continent.”

Yuri nodded. It wasn’t a particularly brilliant deduction.

“Alright, you’re right. I am Yuri Briol. So, genius Joseph, the pride of Doubledoor Village and Hwangseong Academy, what brings you to me?”

“I…”

Joseph calmly continued.

“I came to tell you the root cause of this mess.”

“What is it?”

“The king!”

Joseph shouted.

“The one who should be the true king is imprisoned, and the one who shouldn’t be king has taken the throne!”

The scale of the incident was growing.

Yuri clutched her head and muttered in frustration.

“Damn it. I ran away because I didn’t want to work, and now an empire from across the sea appears, and I get dragged into a royal usurpation…”

“You really ran away because you didn’t want to work? And what empire across the sea?”

“You have sharp ears.”

Joseph adjusted his glasses.

“Something serious is definitely happening. You ran away to avoid work but got caught up in an even bigger problem. An empire across the sea… it might be a ruthless new continent with a completely different culture…”

“You’ve already guessed that far? You really are quick-witted. As expected of Joseph, the pride of Doubledoor Village and Hwangseong Academy…”

“I’ll offer a little help.”

“Help?”

“There’s someone you’ll find useful. If I’m the pride of Doubledoor Village, he was the pride of Orphen Village. We competed for the title of genius at Hwangseong Academy.”

“Orphen? That’s in Bursen…”

“Yes.”

Orphen was the territory ruled by Hose, and the very place where the two had a beautiful duel by the sea.

“His name is Buscolum, nicknamed the ‘Sea Genius.’ He’s very interested in navigation. He might be the only person on the continent who can take you to the New Continent.”

“No…”

Yuri hadn’t planned on going to the New Continent. But hearing Joseph speak, it felt like she really had to go.

It was as if the world itself was sending her a sign.

“I, I don’t have to…”

Yuri wanted to resist fate, but Jared and Laurent accepted Joseph’s offer first.

“They say where there’s a will, there’s a way, Your Highness. Looks like this is one of those cases.”

“Buscolumn, huh? Somehow, that name inspires confidence. Yuri, you’re going to solve this problem and meet this Buscolumn fellow.”

“Ugh…”

In the end, Yuri had no choice but to nod.

“Alright… So, what country are we in again?”

“Conzed.”

“Conzed?”

Back when the War of the Overlords was raging, the king of Conzed had been completely corrupted by dark magic.

If Yuri remembered correctly, after that king died, his son took the throne.

“That was true at first. But…”

Joseph shook his head.

“The dead king’s brother seized the throne. That man indulges in power and pleasure, dragging Conzed into ruin. The people call him the False King!”

“That’s terrible…”

“The False King is in cahoots with the lords and landowners who pay him bribes. The country only takes taxes now—it no longer functions as a proper state. The law has become useless. It’s a chaotic mess where fists speak louder than justice.”

Joseph’s glasses gleamed sharply.

“That’s why they even resorted to fighting over ownership of the hot springs. The village chiefs stirred things up behind the scenes. With the law failing, lawlessness runs rampant!”

“Ugh…”

“Is this a place fit for people to live? Please save Conzed!”

Joseph dropped to one knee.

“Overlord!”

At that, the other burly men lying prone suddenly sprang up, dropping to one knee before Yuri and shouting in unison.

“Overlord!”

Yuri responded sharply.

“Everyone, back down!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Trying to pull a fast one, huh…”

“Ugh…”

All the men except Joseph dropped back down flat.

Yuri crossed his arms and looked down at Joseph.

“The pride of Double Door Village. The genius of Hwangseong Academy, Joseph.”

“Yes.”

“You know this as well as I do.”

Yuri’s eyes glinted coldly.

“This Buscolumn guy better be the real deal.”

“Of course.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure if this was the right choice.”

“Don’t worry. Buscolumn is the genuine article.”

“Is that so…”

“Would you like to hear a little story?”

Joseph smiled slyly.

“Your Highness, do you know how to stand an egg upright?”

“What?”

“There was an assignment in class to stand an egg on end. A round egg. Sounds impossible, right? No one succeeded—except for Buscolumn.”

“How did he solve it?”

“Ah, that guy…”

Joseph traced the floor as if gently cradling an invisible egg.

“He stood it up perfectly.”

“Huh?”

“He just… stood it up.”

“What?”

“He had incredible balance. Not just eggs—he could stand stones, pencils, anything. Eventually, he even stacked three eggs like a tower.”

“…”

“At the time, I was so jealous that I said you could just crack the egg and stand it, and the professor slapped me. Ha ha ha…”