Side Story: Yuri’s Great Runaway Commotion! (17)
One by one, the Merry Merry, Sunny Sunny, and Turtle Turtle ships unfurled their sails.
The residents of Orphen who had come to see them off wished Yuri a safe journey.
“Return safely!”
“Blessings on Your Highness’s future!”
“Long live Your Highness Yuri!”
Before long, reporters who had caught wind of the event swarmed in, capturing the scene on camera.
Then, suddenly—
“Your Highnesshhhh!”
A voice rang out loudly across the harbor.
“Huh?”
Yuri turned around and was met with a sight he’d never seen before.
A person was flying.
Large wings, fashioned from wood frames, spread wide, and beneath them, someone dangled, flailing wildly as they plummeted straight toward Yuri.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Dead center.
Yuri sidestepped without catching him.
“Ugh!”
The man crashed onto the deck, rolled several times, and lay there twitching.
Yuri moved the fallen man aside and checked the deck for damage.
Fortunately, it was intact.
“Phew, I thought something was broken.”
“Are you not worried about me…?”
“Why would I be?”
“That’s cold!”
“Do you really think a mage like you would die?”
The unexpected flyer was none other than Hernando.
“Ugh, fine. But seriously, why are you leaving me behind on this adventure? You’re taking Lord Roland and Lord Jared with you!”
“I thought you’d be busy.”
“You’re ditching a retainer who’s been with you since you were a prince? Really…”
“Weren’t you the one always trailing after Lady Inariel, leaving me behind?”
“That was work!”
“This is work too.”
“Ugh…”
Hernando staggered to his feet. Yuri pointed to the wreckage on the deck.
“By the way, what’s this?”
“Oh, this? It’s a hang glider I invented. Using wind magic, you can fly freely.”
“Wow, the advances in science are terrifying.”
“If used well, it could be great for reconnaissance.”
“Could even be used for aerial attacks. Having you here brings back old memories.”
“Hahaha, I feel the same.”
Yuri recalled the past.
When he first escaped the palace, he had dragged Hernando and Jared along. And now, years later, they still stood by his side.
He smiled faintly.
“Good.”
“Excellent.”
“Then, let’s set sail…”
Just as Yuri raised his mamago to shout the real departure call—
“Your Highnesshhhh!”
Someone called out again.
“What now?”
A soldier came running.
“Your Highness, you need to come quickly. Someone’s clinging to the ship, shouting that they want to board. They say it concerns you…”
Yuri frowned as he went to the stern to see who it was.
None other than Guillermo, an executive from the Irein Trading Company. Still decked out like a nouveau riche in gold and jewels, he was desperately trying to get on board.
“Your Highness! Lady Irein sent me!”
“Why?”
“She heard about the New Continent and said that since intercontinental trade might be possible someday, I should go ahead and prepare.”
“Huh…”
Yuri scratched his head.
He’d thought similarly before, but in a civilization that used obsidian tools, he doubted there’d be anything valuable to find.
Still, if Guillermo was willing to take the risk, there was no reason to refuse.
“Well, if you want to suffer for it, suit yourself.”
“I didn’t want to come either. The New Continent is full of dark magic—it’s scary. But my recent performance has been poor, and if I don’t do something, I might get fired…”
“If you’re incompetent, you should leave.”
“That’s harsh.”
And so, Guillermo joined the expedition to the New Continent.
Once on deck, he spotted Alaitotep and his eyes widened.
“Oh! So this is a native of the New Continent! Fascinating! They don’t look much different from us.”
“Yeah.”
“Can I try speaking a few words?”
“They probably won’t understand.”
“So what!”
Unfazed, Guillermo approached Alaitotep and tried to communicate through gestures. But Alaitotep burst out laughing.
Seeing this, Yuri activated the mamago’s translation function.
[Alaitotep, why are you laughing so much?]
[Sorry, it’s just that this person’s outfit is hilarious…]
[Yeah, it is.]
Yuri nodded. Wearing multiple gold rings on both hands did look pretty ridiculous.
But Alaitotep’s words were different.
[Why are you wearing stones that look like they were picked up off the ground?]
“Huh?”
Yuri stared blankly at him.
Alaitotep continued, still chuckling.
[It looks like children playing house. When I was a teacher, my young students used to dress up like that. It reminds me of home. Ha ha ha…]
“Alaitotep, what did you just say?”
“Huh?”
Yuri took the gold rings from Guillermo’s hand and held them up.
[You’re saying these are just lying around on the ground?]
“Uh… yes…”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Are these common there?”
“If you dig the ground, you find them everywhere…”
“You mean they’re not valuable?”
“Yes. Like I said, children use them for pretend play. They also play with transparent stones, red stones, blue stones, green stones, and so on.”
Yuri looked at Guillermo.
His eyes were so wide they looked like they might pop out. Yuri calmed him down.
“Guillermo, relax.”
“Your Highness, did you just hear that?”
“Let’s keep this between us for now.”
“Yes. Heh heh, heh heh heh…”
“Ha, ha ha ha…”
“Hee hee hee…”
Guillermo muttered like a madman.
“Money… I can make money…”
What had started as a journey made out of goodwill suddenly promised unexpected profit.
Yuri suddenly had a new idea.
“How about building an imperial city on the New Continent…”
Maybe Ekaterina would like that.
Lost in these thoughts, Jared approached.
“Your Highness, it’s time.”
“Oh, right.”
With two more passengers suddenly added, they had delayed a bit.
But now, it was truly time to depart.
Yuri glanced back. Countless people waved, wishing them well.
He drew his mamago.
And shouted.
“Set sail!”
The sails billowed fully.
The wind summoned by the Exorcist Corps pushed the ships forward.
The three vessels set off beyond Owl Blue, heading toward the New Continent.
Standing atop the prow, Yuri faced the sea breeze and shouted toward Ekaterina, far away in the empire.
“I’ll make a fortune and come back!”
Ekaterina sat on the terrace, sipping tea.
Though burdened with many duties as Empress, she never missed her tea time.
She usually shared it with Yuri, but for now, she had to drink alone.
“Hmm…”
Since returning to the past, the scent of Helgray reminded her of events from her previous life.
But not anymore.
Having built new memories, there was no need to dwell on the past.
She crossed her legs and tapped her foot.
“Yuri…”
Not long ago, she had sent him a letter via messenger.
Though she rarely expressed her feelings in writing, this time she felt compelled to do so. No matter how strong Yuri was, she worried about his expedition beyond Owl Blue.
Today, the messenger brought Yuri’s reply.
Ekaterina smiled as she gazed at the darkening sky.
“Hmm…”
Yuri was always unpredictable, but the words in this letter truly surprised her.
A man who leaves for the sea and says something like this.
She leaned back in her chair.
“Aira…”
Yuri had said they should have a child after this expedition.
She closed her eyes and imagined it.
A child who would look half like Yuri, half like her.
She smiled without realizing it.
Just imagining it made her feel she could be happy until Yuri returned.
With a smile, Ekaterina reread Yuri’s letter.
Then, suddenly—
“Wait…”
She opened her eyes.
Upon closer reading, the letter ended with “Take care until we meet again.”
“I wrote ‘I love you,’ didn’t I?”
Her brow furrowed.
“If I express it, shouldn’t he respond? If I give, he should give back. Is he saying he loves only me?”
A maid who had come in to refill the tea stepped back in surprise.
Ekaterina smirked, clutching her teacup.
“I’ll be watching.”
“A sudden chill…”
Thinking it was from the sea spray, Yuri ran his hand over what was beneath his feet.
It was smooth.
Not wooden deck planks, but the skin of a sea creature.
Yuri was standing on the back of a gleaming white whale.
“Modivik, increase speed!”
“Whoooooooosh!”
To summarize briefly: recently, Yuri’s fleet had been caught in a storm in the middle of the open sea, on the verge of being stranded.
To make matters worse, a massive whale appeared and attacked the fleet.
In a desperate moment, Yuri jumped into the sea to fight back.
A battle between man and whale raged atop the stormy waves.
In the end, Yuri won.
The white whale acknowledged its defeat.
And became his subordinate.
As master and servant pledged their loyalty, the storm ceased as if by magic—like a blessing on their new beginning.
“You’re probably the only human to have a whale as a subordinate.”
From behind Yuri, who was riding Modivik, Croire spoke up.
“Subordinate? No, I’m friends with this guy. Right, Modivik?”
The whale gave a powerful shake of its body. ‘Modivik’ was the name Yuri had given it.
“Your Highness!”
Buscolumn called out from the Merrymerry, following behind the whale.
“We’re about to reach our destination!”
“Finally…”
Yuri spread his arms wide, overcome with emotion.
After a long journey, they were just about to arrive at the New Continent, beyond Owl Blue.
He smiled, imagining a land filled with gold.
“Heh heh heh…”
“Such a sly laugh. What are you scheming?”
“What do you mean?”
Just as Buscolumn said, something began to appear in the distance.
“Huh?”
Yuri’s eyes widened.
“We found it perfectly.”
What was emerging beyond the horizon was none other than a harbor.
Several ships, identical in design to the Catlchynoti fleet they had sunk at sea earlier, were docked there. Thick black smoke, the unmistakable sign of dark magic, stained the air.
“Croire.”
“What is it?”
“I have a sickness.”
“What kind of sickness?”
Yuri immediately drew his gun in one hand and gripped Mamago in the other.
“It’s a disease where I lose control whenever I see dark magic.”
That black smoke was proof of dark magic—and a sign that a human sacrifice had just taken place.
These were the kind of people who killed others just to power their ships.
A surge of uncontrollable rage welled up inside Yuri.
Croire nodded knowingly.
“Yuri Briole, if you lose control of your anger, no one in this world will be able to stop you.”
“Unfortunately, that’s true. Since I’ve become the strongest, this is an incurable disease. But I can at least ease the symptoms.”
“How?”
“By eliminating the cause of my anger.”
Yuri shouted.
“Let’s go, Modivik!”
“Kuuuuuuuuuuuun!”
Using Modivik’s massive body as a runway, Yuri sprinted forward. Once he gained enough speed, he leapt onto the whale’s forehead.
Then, midair, he pulled the trigger.
His unique German technique—Shinhontang (Soul Devastation).
Yuri’s gun erupted in flames.
The enemies standing on the deck all fell at once.
Landing on the deck after a long flight, the impact split the ship in two, sinking it instantly.
Without hesitation, Yuri leapt onto another ship, swinging his sword.
Shinhoncham (Soul Slash).
With a single swing, the ship was cleanly bisected.
In moments, he had destroyed two ships.
“…”
Watching this, the members of the Vengeance Knights and the Exorcism Corps all thought the same thing.
“He’s just going to conquer this all by himself…”
“Did we even need to come?”
“That’s the fifth ship already…”
With a single gesture, Yuri shattered one target after another. And these targets weren’t people—they were entire ships.
Amid the enemy’s chaos, Modivik dove beneath the waves, then burst upward, thrashing violently.
“Kuuuuuuuuuun!”
With a massive body slam, the whale smashed several enemy ships into splinters.
Modivik roared, shooting a towering column of water into the sky.
Droplets fell like rain, sparkling as they caught the sunlight.
It was a breathtaking sight.
“…”
The Vengeance Knights, momentarily stunned by the spectacle, snapped back to reality.
“L-let’s move too!”
“Attack, everyone!”
“Charge!”
Hooks latched onto enemy ships as the Vengeance Knights surged forward.
The Exorcism Corps’ Dispel Evil spells bound the area.
The enemy’s resistance was futile. Their desperate swings of obsidian weapons couldn’t even scratch the allies’ armor.
“Smash them all!”
“Destroy everything!”
The Vengeance Knights and Exorcism Corps were among the continent’s elite. Alongside Yuri were the Ten Strong—Hosena, Francesco—and others of equal caliber like Laurent and Jared.
Every time their swords swung, the sea parted and ships split apart.
The battle was overwhelming.
Yuri shouted.
[Surrender and lie down! Or you all die!]
The fight didn’t last long. Soon, the enemy cowered on the ground, and those who resisted lost their heads.
Yuri was the first to set foot on the New Continent.
He stood calmly on the soil, Mamago slung over his shoulder.
“So this is the New Continent…”
The earth was soft, the air smelled of grass.
The sky was a clear blue.
“Not so different from home, after all.”
Yuri glanced sideways.
The Catlchynoti forces on land had lost all will to fight. They lay prostrate before him, begging for mercy.
With the arrogance of a conqueror, Yuri walked among them, inspecting the defeated.
“Hmm.”
Suddenly stopping, he drove Mamago into the ground.
The head of a dark mage, who had been bowed low, split open.
“Dark mages are the exception.”
Yuri had witnessed their atrocities.
Just like during the naval battle, when their magic was sealed, the dark mages had stabbed their own sacrifices in desperation. Countless had died pointlessly.
Though Yuri executed the dark mages one by one, none dared resist.
The overwhelming difference in power instilled terror.
“This should be enough…”
Turning around, he saw no intact enemy ships on the sea—only wreckage and sunken hulks remained.
The Vengeance Knights began to disembark.
“Your Highness, what shall we do with the prisoners?”
“For now…”
Yuri raised Mamago and shouted.
[Slaves from other cities, unjustly captured by the Catlchynoti, rise!]
Among the Catlchynoti, the slaves who had been forced to lie down slowly lifted their heads, wary.
Yuri called out again.
[We have come to offer you a choice! If you wish to fight against the Catlchynoti, stand up! Fight alongside us! You will earn freedom equal to the courage you show!]
He then lifted Mamago, conjuring a ‘Rotating Whirlwind’—a fractal vortex of mana.
A roaring storm filled the air.
Yuri’s gaze shifted.
A massive structure built by the Catlchynoti stood in the harbor.
At its roof’s edge was a grotesque decoration made of bones, perpetually stained with fresh, drying blood.
A disgusting sight.
Yuri targeted it and swung his sword.
A storm of sword energy flew out, swallowing the building whole.
Everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
The massive structure was crushed as if bitten by a giant beast.
What had stood tall moments ago was now reduced to dust.
It was a miraculous display of power.
Even the Vengeance Knights, familiar with Yuri’s strength, were astonished. To the New Continent’s natives, it must have seemed like a miracle.
Yuri smirked, slinging Mamago over his shoulder.
[Will you join me in toppling the Catlchynoti and killing their wicked priests?]
As the sun emerged from behind the clouds, its rays bathed Yuri in light.
The slaves from other cities, watching the scene, thought the same thing.
A savior.
The prophesied hero had appeared.
They rose to their feet, bowing deeply to Yuri.
[Savior…!]
[No, that’s not it.]
[Savior!]
[I said, no…]
From the deck of the Merrymerry, Alaitotep watched the scene and muttered.
“Just like always…”
His companions nodded in agreement.
“Truly, he is the savior from the legends.”
“Are we dreaming?”
“God has not forsaken us…”
Every city under Catlchynoti rule shared a similar prophecy.
That one day, a savior with black eyes and black hair would cross the distant seas to deliver them.
Alaitotep murmured.
“He breathes fire with his hands, cuts through anything, summons storms to tear apart his foes. When you meet him, you’ll know he’s the savior without needing to search for signs. On the day he crosses the sea, the Catlchynoti will vanish without a trace, and the oppressed will welcome a new era…”
Alaitotep realized the legend was unfolding before his eyes.
There was no doubt.
The demonic Catlchynoti dark mages lay prostrate, begging for mercy, while the slaves who had been treated like cattle wept and praised this man.
One of Alaitotep’s comrades watching with him spoke.
“Alaitotep, you know the rest of the prophecy, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
The prophecy was widespread, but few knew its full conclusion.
Surrounded by the people, Alaitotep spoke with a voice full of awe.
“The savior will destroy the Catlchynoti, slay all the evil gods they worship, and finally summon the Platinum Goddess from beyond the sea to build a blessed empire that will prosper for a thousand years…”
As Alaitotep finished, the prisoners aboard the Merrymerry all bowed deeply to Yuri.
“We will never forget this day…”
For the people of the New Continent, it was a day remembered as the arrival of their savior. In the Empire, it was marked as the day Yuri Briol, husband of the Empress, set foot on the New Continent.
And five years had passed since.
As a result of the New Continent Liberation War, the Katlchinoti Empire was utterly destroyed.
Yuri Briol established a new nation in its place. The cities and countries of the New Continent, once exploited by Katlchinoti, pledged their allegiance, forming a vast federation.
They called it the United States of Ameria.
The name came from what the New Continent’s people called their land—Ameria.
Though the United States of Ameria recognized the Empire’s Empress, Yekaterina Ivarna Granzayen, as their head of state, each member nation operated autonomously, creating a loose imperial alliance.
An era of peace and prosperity stretched out before them—an unprecedented golden age in history.
Yet for Yuri Briol, hailed as the hero who saved the continent and the savior of Ameria, it was far from a happy time.
Unwillingly thrust into the role of ruler of the United States of Ameria, he found himself burdened with even more grueling responsibilities than before.
He wanted to delegate, to pass the weight onto others—but he couldn’t.
Because his wife, Empress Yekaterina, was personally visiting the Amerian continent, keeping a close watch on him.
“It’s a good era,” she said.
“Isn’t it?” Yuri replied.
“To think we’d come all the way across the sea to this continent…”
“Exactly.”
Yekaterina was chatting with Irein, who had come on official business.
Irein had become the world’s richest magnate by leading intercontinental trade, and naturally, Yuri’s wealth as the major shareholder of the Irein Trading Company had soared to immeasurable heights.
Irein smiled.
“After such a devastating war, the world recovers so quickly. Back then, I never imagined a day when we’d be peacefully drinking tea with Your Majesty on such distant land…”
She recalled the past.
A mysterious little boy who appeared before her when she had nothing, entrusting her with a task.
That boy had ultimately changed the fate of the world.
“Yeah. I never thought this day would come either.”
The two shared a quiet smile and sipped their tea, when suddenly—
“Mother.”
A small child came running up, her black hair and jewel-like green eyes shining brightly.
An angelic face.
None other than the daughter of Yuri and Yekaterina—the princess and future heir to the Empire.
“Mother, mother.”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
The child’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink against her pale skin, so much like her mother’s.
“Father’s not here…”
“Hm?”
“I went to play with Father, but he’s not there…”
“Yuri’s not here?”
Yekaterina rose from her seat, a sudden ominous feeling washing over her.
“Irein, something doesn’t feel right. Will you come with me?”
“Of course.”
They left the terrace and headed toward Yuri’s study, where he should have been.
Yekaterina flung open the door adorned with the white eagle emblem—the symbol of the United States of Ameria’s ruler—without hesitation.
“…”
But the room was empty.
Papers were scattered messily across the desk, as if he had been working moments before. Behind the disheveled chair, the window stood wide open, a breeze stirring the curtains wildly.
A strong sense of déjà vu gripped Yekaterina as she approached the desk.
She clenched her fist.
“Yuri…!”
A note left behind.
It contained a single line of apology, explaining that something urgent and grave had come up, and he had no choice but to leave.
Yekaterina pressed her palm to her forehead.
“He ran away again…!”
Irein gasped.
“My goodness! What do we do?”
“First, we need to contact the Empire. Let’s start by putting Lord Roland and Lord Jared on the wanted list.”
“What’s next after the New Continent? The Deep Sea Empire? The Underground Empire? Or maybe somewhere above the skies?”
“Don’t say such ominous things!”
Yuri Briol—the hero who saved the continent, the savior of Ameria—had run away, and once again, the winds of turmoil were beginning to stir in the world.
Unaware of the adults’ worries, the princess followed along, beaming brightly as she thought of her father, the person she loved most in the world.
“Running away…? That sounds fun!”