Jared, who had been asleep, was suddenly awakened by a commotion. Someone was knocking on the door.
“Hey! Still sleeping?”
The third prince was energetically starting his day.
“Get up already!”
He seemed full of energy from the morning.
Laurent, the loyal knight who shared the room with the third prince, was already folding the bedding.
Even though the staff would change soon, he always made sure to keep things neat and tidy.
Jared, still lying down, asked, “Sir Laurent, didn’t you just wake up too?”
“That’s right. You were still lying down?”
“You’re so diligent…”
Jared pulled the blanket over his head. Then the third prince knocked on the door again.
Laurent chuckled. “Jared, if you don’t get up soon, he’ll just open the door and come in.”
“Ugh…”
In the end, Jared got up.
While he hastily threw on his clothes, Laurent closed his eyes and began meditating.
Laurent always calmed his mind like that before starting his day.
Though young, he had much to teach.
Despite belonging to one of the highest-ranking noble families in Briol, he never acted arrogant. When they fought together in the allied army, he even suggested they drop formalities and speak casually since they were both knights.
Jared, having lived as a commoner all his life, felt uncomfortable with that and insisted on keeping formalities until he felt ready.
Laurent didn’t push further.
He was a decent man.
“Sir Laurent, what do you think the prince plans to do today?”
“Who knows?”
“There’s still time before the banquet at the palace…”
Yuri was already knocking on other doors. Beyond the wall came Jose’s hearty laughter.
Laurent said, “Maybe he’s just excited.”
“Excited?”
“Sometimes, after hitting rock bottom, a person’s spirit bounces back for no particular reason. Like yesterday.”
“Ah…”
Jared recalled what had happened the day before.
At Ragna’s mansion, he had met Ekaterina, the emperor’s daughter, known as the empire’s treasure.
She was the most beautiful woman Jared had ever seen.
Words couldn’t do her justice. Every subtle movement of her facial muscles, every expression, drew his gaze.
But Yuri showed no sign of being moved.
If anything, she seemed uncomfortable and even turned away from Ekaterina.
Later, when Ekaterina directly offered a medal from the tournament, Yuri refused.
If Jared had met those transparent green eyes himself, he would never have been able to say no.
In that regard, the third prince was clearly no ordinary man.
“Maybe bad boys really are in vogue…”
“What are you talking about?”
Anyway, Yuri’s mood had been subdued since then.
Jared rubbed his chin.
“Do you think something happened between them? They haven’t met before, right?”
“The princess came to Briol once before with the second prince.”
“Oh, that time.”
Back then, Yuri had fought a duel with the second prince Georg’s champion to save his personal maid, Ena.
They had a brief connection then, and if some incident made Yuri avoid Ekaterina, it made sense.
“I don’t know what happened exactly, but it reminds me again that the prince isn’t an ordinary person.”
“Exactly.”
“Sir Laurent, do you think you could have refused her?”
Jared asked Laurent. Though different in temperament from Yuri, Laurent also showed little interest in romance.
Laurent shrugged.
“Probably not.”
“So you’re a man after all.”
He just gave a small smile.
Once they finished preparing, the two stepped out of the room and were met with a ridiculous sight.
Yuri was pulling a half-awake Jose, who in turn was dragging along a drowsy Simon and Guinevere, who were both holding onto a nodding Cory.
The four, with Yuri at the center, looked like sleepwalking ghosts dragging each other along.
Nearby, Hernando floated along almost dozing.
“Sir Laurent.”
“Hm?”
“I think we’re the only ones in Briol who are still sane. That’s a heavy responsibility. Let’s be careful.”
“Seems that way…”
Yuri seated the group one by one at the usual hotel restaurant.
The guests from Duforia were already used to this scene.
Yuri sat next to Hernando, who was talking animatedly with Cory beside him.
Cory nodded politely.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
“Cory, does he teach you magic well?”
“Yes.”
“Can you throw a fiery fireball now?”
“Not yet…”
“Not a very good teacher, huh.”
Cory laughed. Though he still wore a large hood, he seemed much brighter than before.
“Hernando.”
“Yes?”
“Want to come with us today?”
Yuri asked quietly, but Hernando shook his head.
“Sorry, Your Highness.”
“Why not?”
“I have business at the Empire’s Magic Tower branch.”
“I heard the Empire’s Magic Tower isn’t really a proper tower?”
“That may be, but sometimes you have to meet even half-baked people.”
He made a circle with his thumb and forefinger and held it up to his right eye.
“This.”
It was a reference to the parchment he had left with Marilou in Valshard—a gesture hinting at the visions that had appeared in the Black Tower.
Yuri sighed.
“If you have business, I can’t stop you.”
Hernando had been busy lately.
Usually unmotivated, he had focused on investigating after discovering that parchment.
Yuri was glad about that.
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“Yes.”
“Cory, stick close to Hernando. He can’t use cards, but his magic is pretty good.”
“You just said he’s not a good teacher.”
“Did I say that?”
In the end, Yuri decided to take Laurent and Jared with her instead of Hernando’s two loyal subordinates.
“Laurent, Jared.”
She called the two who were eating behind her.
“Follow me today.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
Their job was to accompany Yuri anyway.
Simon, who had been watching from another table, asked hesitantly.
“Um, Your Highness, what about us…?”
“You guys just stay and have fun.”
“S-sorry.”
“No, who knows when we’ll be back at the palace. Expanding your horizons is part of your duties.”
Simon and Guinevere had been following Jose around, basically touring the palace. They had the easiest lives.
Jose nodded.
“As expected of the prince. Ha ha ha.”
“By the way, is Bursen coming?”
“Are you trying to send me off quickly? That’s harsh.”
“No, it’s just that he hasn’t shown up yet. He should have left before us.”
“He’ll come when the time is right.”
Countries that had joined the allied army were arriving at the palace one by one.
But there was no sign of Bursen.
“What if he can’t come? Then I’ll represent Bursen myself.”
At that, Simon and Guinevere looked at Jose with admiration.
“Jose’s confidence is really something.”
“If you build your skills, you can do the same. Want to come with me to the armory today? A knight needs a good eye for equipment.”
“Sounds great!”
Since he would one day become one of the Ten Strong, that level of confidence wasn’t excessive. He was already becoming the representative knight of Bursen.
Feeling confident they could handle themselves, Yuri stopped worrying about those three.
She took a bite of her food and said to Laurent and Jared, “Don’t eat too much. The person we’re meeting today is treating us to lunch.”
“You’re still eating.”
“This much is fine.”
The person Yuri was meeting was Vlad, a priest introduced by Sibylla.
He wasn’t wearing the usual white priestly robes but a stylish casual outfit that nobles at the palace might wear.
If not for the cross badge on his chest, you wouldn’t guess he belonged to the temple.
“Your attire is quite secular.”
“Hahaha…”
Vlad scratched his head at Yuri’s comment.
“It’s easier to work in the empire this way. It’s also my personal preference.”
“I see.”
“Sometimes here, you have to be a businessman, not a priest.”
“I understand. Just curious, that’s all.”
Yuri clasped her hands and rested her chin, like an interviewer.
“So, you want to join forces with me. Heh heh heh…”
Vlad smiled.
“You seem like a big shot.”
“Something like that. Shall we get down to business?”
“Certainly.”
Vlad skimmed the notebook in front of him briefly, then closed it.
“First, what kind of compensation do you expect, Your Highness?”
Yuri smiled slyly, unclasped her hands, stretched back in her chair, and looked around.
They were inside the temple located in the palace.
The temple in Briol’s castle was grand, but this one was on another level.
“A business promoted by such a large temple…”
“To save the sheep who have strayed onto a wicked path.”
“It’s ironic that drugs bring money to the temple.”
“To fulfill the will of the gods on earth, it’s an unavoidable task.”
“True.”
Yuri crossed her arms and thought for a moment.
“Start by telling me what you want me to do. We’ll discuss compensation afterward.”
Vlad smiled.
“The person you admitted to the hospital is recovering well.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Through Prince Yuri, we want to raise awareness about the harms of drugs and promote our temple’s treatment clinic. People tend to avoid drug treatment, but I want to change that.”
“Right. People try to hide it.”
“But Prince Yuri came to the clinic personally for a friend, boldly ignoring public opinion.”
In truth, since Gott wasn’t really a friend, Yuri had done it without much thought, but she nodded as if agreeing.
“Exactly. It’s more shameful to let someone worsen without seeking help when they need it.”
“Precisely. I want to spread that message throughout the empire. To create a culture where anyone can seek treatment openly.”
“Do you really think drugs are that widespread in the empire?”
“Yes. Especially among the noble youth, it’s circulating like wildfire.”
Yuri nodded thoughtfully.
After all, Edran—the one who originally supplied drugs to Goth—was also a noble scion. Perhaps among the empire’s aristocracy, this was already considered commonplace.
“Now, here’s the proposal. Your Highness, what compensation do you desire? The funds are ready.”
Yuri fell into contemplation. He didn’t need money; in fact, he had more than enough.
What he truly sought was influence over the empire.
And the temple held just the thing he needed.
“I want the temple’s favor.”
“Excuse me?”
“Make me a Baptizer.”
Vlad’s eyes widened.
He was clearly taken aback by the unexpected request.
A Baptizer was a sacred title granted by the temple—bestowed upon those who had rendered great service to the temple or lived lives worthy of the divine teachings.
Of course, that was just the surface meaning.
In reality, it was a concept the temple had created to counterbalance the nobles’ right to knightship.
But among the faithful, it carried tremendous weight.
“A Baptizer, huh…”
It wasn’t a title given lightly.
But Vlad was quick to calculate.
If someone like Yuri, who commanded the continent’s attention, became a Baptizer, the number of those loyal to the temple would surely grow.
Finishing his thought, Vlad smiled warmly and asked,
“Your Highness, do you believe in God?”
Yuri did not. Not now, living his second life, nor before. Returning to the past didn’t mean he believed in any deity.
He smiled faintly at Vlad.
“If I have to believe, then I suppose I will.”
Vlad chuckled.
He tapped the table thoughtfully on Yuri’s words, then nodded.
“Good answer. I like it.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Let’s do the interview today. Would it be alright if your close friend joins you?”
“Is there a script or something?”
“The temple will handle the details. What matters is the image. We’ve hired a famous artist. You’ll have to wait a bit for the sketches.”
“Understood.”
“And we hope you’ll attend the temple’s upcoming event.”
Yuri nodded.
“How’s Goth doing?”
“He’s cooperating with the clinic.”
“Anything unusual?”
“He keeps quiet except during treatment…”
Vlad checked the time.
“It’s just about lunchtime. Let’s eat first, then go see him.”
“Alright.”
Yuri rose from his seat. A short distance away, Laurent and Jared were looking up at a cross, quietly talking.
“Hey, let’s go eat.”
“Ah, yes.”
Following Vlad to the temple’s dining hall, they found quite a number of children eating.
Most appeared to be nobles or from wealthy families.
“These children have been raised under the temple’s teachings since they were young.”
“So, like attracts like.”
“Hahaha…”
Yuri picked up a tray. He hadn’t expected to see such a familiar item here in the temple.
“Luxury is forbidden by temple rules.”
Though he himself was dressed extravagantly, Yuri simply nodded.
As he received his food, he opened his mouth in front of the main dish—the meat side.
“Could I have a bit more meat…?”
Then he stopped.
His eyes lifted to meet the server’s gaze.
“Huh?”
The server wore a black mask.
Through the slit near the eyes, the man looked at Yuri and said,
“I didn’t know you were so devout.”
“Uh…”
Yuri was at a loss for words, but Vlad laughed beside him.
“Don’t be surprised. He’s very devout and volunteers here often.”
Looking at the masked server, clad in a sanitary cap and apron, Yuri’s mouth fell open.
He had thought that, having come to the empire, he might encounter him once.
But never had he imagined meeting him here.
One of the Ten Strongest.
The empire’s sharpest spear.
The ‘Black Knight’ stood before him.