Yuri entered the palace without delay.
The king, his two older brothers, and the Bakbar father and son were waiting for him.
Yuri bowed politely.
"Apologies for being late."
Contrary to his notorious reputation as a troublemaker, Yuri displayed impeccable manners.
He even stepped aside momentarily for the servant bringing in the food.
Count Johannes and Twossen Bakbar tilted their heads in curiosity at his changed demeanor.
"The Third Prince seems to have grown sturdier. You must be training diligently."
Twossen, a skilled knight, didn't miss the subtle change.
"Seems like my son ate something unusual lately."
"If there's such a tonic, why not share it with my son too?"
"Isn't your son smart enough to handle things on his own?"
"He still has a long way to go."
Next to Twossen, Gott sat with wide, curious eyes, staring across at Cedric.
Though he had betrayed the kingdom, he had always respected Cedric.
And truthfully, Cedric was the kind of person anyone would admire. Just exchanging a few words with him was enough to feel the presence of a ruler.
But Joshua, the Second Prince of Briol and Yuri's older brother, was different.
"Sit up straight."
"Okaay."
Joshua shrugged in response to their father's rebuke, brushing it off.
He had a major influence on Yuri's descent into mischief.
Sharp-witted and quick to calculate, Joshua was a master at messing with people.
All of Yuri's bad habits had been learned from him.
Though he had come to his senses and demonstrated tactical brilliance near the fall of the kingdom, he was originally even more of a problem child than Yuri.
"You're here?"
As Yuri took his seat, Joshua, sitting beside him, grinned and subtly formed a circle with his thumb and index finger.
Word had gotten around that he'd won some money at the card tables.
"Are you playing again today?"
Yuri didn't answer. He just sat down and stared straight ahead. Joshua kept pestering him, but he ignored it.
Gott briefly glanced at Yuri with his usual round eyes before turning away.
"..."
A faint anger stirred within Yuri.
Though Gott's actions were infuriating, he was still a knight of Briol and heir to Count Johannes' title.
Yet he had led troops out only to surrender to the Empire—and even guided them personally as a collaborator.
To be generous, maybe he feared a hopeless war.
But why, then, had he revealed Briol's secrets from the front lines of the Empire?
"..."
And that sin… was also tied to Yuri's own past mistakes.
His rage toward Gott tangled with a deep sense of shame, boiling inside him.
Yuri kept glaring.
Gott shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting, then looked back at Yuri.
At first, he seemed unsure of what to do—but then, perhaps out of defiance, he met Yuri's stare head-on.
While their fathers—Twossen and Count Johannes—continued their conversation, Yuri and Gott engaged in a silent staring contest.
"..."
Yuri had meant to let it go.
But the longer their eyes met, the more furious he became.
"You got some beef with him?"
Joshua whispered.
If he ignored him again, Joshua would keep bugging him, so Yuri answered roughly.
"Yeah."
"What kind of beef?"
"That bastard stabbed me in the back."
"What? Seriously?"
Joshua seemed to take the words literally and mimicked hitting the back of his own head.
"So what, you gonna let it slide?"
"Dunno…"
"The mighty Yuri Briol wouldn't just take a hit and do nothing, right?"
"Of course not."
"After dinner?"
"Gotta call him out."
"And then?"
"Teach him a lesson."
"That's my little brother."
He had to admit it—Joshua and he were cut from the same cloth.
Even after living a long life and returning to the past, Yuri still felt that inexplicable connection with him.
Maybe troublemakers just shared some kind of genetic bond from birth.
Which is why, in his past life, he'd wasted his years following Joshua.
"Hehehe…"
As Joshua chuckled with interest, Yuri thought to himself:
You're next, after Gott.
The only one in Briol who doesn't need fixing is Cedric.
"Yuri. If you're not eating that, can I have it?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"You're giving it up that easily? Weird…"
Joshua tilted his head suspiciously but still wolfed down the meat.
Yuri smiled faintly.
In his past life, Joshua had been the older brother—but now that Yuri had lived longer, there was no reason to call him that anymore.
Joshua.
You're going to have to live this life seriously too.
"Hey. Hold your spoon properly."
"Are you imitating Father now?"
"Straighten your back. You'll get a hunch if you keep slouching."
"What?"
After pointing out Joshua's bad habits, Yuri raised his eyes again to glare at Gott.
Gott, who was eating, immediately reacted and met his gaze.
As their eyes locked, sparks seemed to fly.
"It's for your own good, Gott…"
In the end, after clinging to the Empire, Gott had all his territories confiscated and was driven out.
"This life will be different."
Joshua wasn't the only one Yuri intended to reform.
Gott was also included in that plan.
He would break that mindset so thoroughly that the thought of betrayal wouldn't even cross his mind and make him dedicate himself wholly to the kingdom.
Who in this world can say they give their all every moment of their life? If you're standing, you want to sit; if you're sitting, you want to lie down. That's human nature.
As a mercenary, Yuri had come to learn one truth:
Humans only reach their full potential when forced to push themselves.
Even recruits who seemed hopeless turned into disciplined mercenaries after a few days of tough training.
Yuri would turn Gott into a stronger, better knight than before.
One who didn't even know the meaning of betrayal.
"Yuri."
Just as he steeled his resolve and cut into his steak, his father suddenly called him.
"Yes, Father."
The King of Briol.
Fiore Briol.
He leaned his chin lazily on his hand as he looked at Yuri.
Fiore spoke.
"Haven't you changed a bit too much lately?"
Yuri responded.
"I just decided not to bring shame to you, Father."
It wasn't entirely for show.
Though he often appeared like a carefree noble due to his lack of formality, Fiore was one of the continent's most renowned Swordmasters. Some even called him the strongest swordsman of the age.
"I want to become a great knight like you, Father."
"A great knight, huh…"
Fiore chuckled.
"Was I ever a great knight? What do you think, Twossen?"
Twossen nodded.
"Without a doubt. Your Majesty is both the king of Briol and a remarkable knight."
"I may be strong, but I'm not sure about the 'great' part."
"You're being too modest."
"Yuri, if you want to be a great knight, it might be better to model yourself after someone else. Take away my sword, and I'm not much of anything."
Come to think of it, his father was right.
Yuri nodded obediently.
"You're right, Father. I'll do that."
The moment he agreed so quickly, the atmosphere grew awkwardly chilly.
Cedric let out a small chuckle, and Joshua bowed his head, snickering.
"Well, he said he would."
As Fiore shrugged, Twossen laughed aloud.
"The kingdom's future is bright."
"Are you teasing me too?"
"I mean it."
The meal ended on a light note.
Fiore and Twossen headed to the garden for further discussion, and Cedric left to study.
Now only the two infamously mischievous princes and the prideful young noble remained.
"Hey."
Joshua called out to Gott.
"Yes?"
"Come here for a second."
He gestured like a total thug.
"Let's go somewhere quiet."
"W-Why all of a sudden…?"
"I heard you hit my little brother."
"H-Huh?"
"I heard everything."
"I didn't do anything like that…"
Joshua dragged both Gott and Yuri to a secluded corner of the palace.
"Hey, how dare you lay a hand on royalty…"
"I got this."
Before Joshua could get carried away, Yuri stepped forward.
"Gott Bakbar."
"Yes, Third Prince."
"I hear you're good with a sword?"
"I'm… decent."
His mannerisms were already no different from an older Gott. On the surface, he pretended to be humble and composed, but his eyes darted around restlessly.
Now that Yuri thought about it, he had fought with Gott around this same time in his past life.
Of course, he won.
He beat him up thoroughly.
He could still clearly recall the resentful look in Gott's eyes.
Could it be that grudge never faded—and that's why he ended up selling out the kingdom?
"You bastard!"
Yuri shouted.
"The kingdom has no use for petty knights like you!"
"I'm not even a knight yet…"
"You will be one, won't you?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"Gott, you're someone important who must work for the good of the kingdom. And I trust you're not such trash that you'd betray it just because I beat you up a little today."
Gott was confused by the cryptic words. It sounded like praise, but it also felt like he was threatening to beat him again.
"Huh?"
"Wipe that dumb expression off your face!"
Yuri wanted to throw a glove, but since he didn't have one, he picked up a rock and threw it instead.
Gott clutched his chest.
"Gah!"
"It's a duel."
"Wait—!"
Joshua calmly handed both of them wooden sticks.
"A sneak attack? How cowardly…!"
Feeling a little guilty, Yuri replied with a straight face.
"It's in place of a glove."
He silently scolded himself. His mercenary habits had come out without him realizing.
Mercenary duels had no rules. All kinds of dirty tricks were fair game—throwing stones, kicking sand, spitting, grabbing hair.
The one who survived was the strong one.
That was the law of the battlefield.
"..."
Yuri's gaze darkened.
And that same law applied in Briol.
No one cared whether Gott had betrayed them or if Yuri had been deceived.
The Empire won.
So that meant Briol was weak.
And for the crime of weakness, the fallen kingdom's people were trampled by oppression, and its glorious history was buried in the mud.
"Please uphold chivalry, Third Prince!"
Gott shouted as he swung the wooden stick at him.
Yuri stepped back and kicked the ground.
A spray of sand scattered.
As Gott flinched and shook his head in confusion, Yuri's wooden stick lashed out.
"Argh!"
He struck Gott's exposed arm.
Gott hastily tried to counterattack, but Yuri had already moved behind him.
He struck his back.
"Hitting from behind too?!"
Gott's voice rose in protest.
"Third Prince! Have you no shame?!"
Dusting the sand off, Gott glared at Yuri with burning eyes.
"Shame, huh…"
And yet this same person had once sold out his country?
Gott had surrendered to the Empire, and knights who defied his decision died.
Yuri advanced, holding his stick at the ready.
Gott responded with elegant swordplay, striking in from the side.
It was a decent technique.
But Gott was so focused on the form of the move that he missed its true meaning entirely.
It was a fitting sword style for someone living an empty life.
"Huh?"
Yuri feinted as if to clash blades—and then simply let go of his sword.
His wooden blade spun through the air.
He stepped in, grappling Gott by the waist and arms.
"Wha—?"
He swept Gott's foot and brought him crashing down.
"Ugh!"
Before Gott could recover from the impact, Yuri snatched his wooden sword.
Then, planting his foot on Gott's chest, he pointed the blade at his neck.
"You threw your sword…"
Gott stared up at him, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Gott."
"Yes?"
"What is a sword?"
"…Excuse me?"
"It's a tool to kill. Isn't it?"
"…Yes, it is."
"If you can kill without holding it, there's no reason to cling to it."
"..."
Yuri stepped off him and continued.
"One more question. Why is your father a count?"
"…What?"
"Who gave him that power?"
"That's…"
"Think about it."
Yuri extended a hand.
Still upset, Gott hesitated before finally grabbing the hand and letting Yuri pull him to his feet.
"Gott."
"Yes."
"Whatever situation you face in the future, try to see the essence of it."
It was probably too complex for a boy just a year or two older than Yuri's current body.
But he had always wanted to say these words to the Gott of the past.
The boy had swallowed the Empire's bait whole and walked into ruin of his own accord.
"Is that too difficult?"
"…Yes."
"Then think it over and come find me. We'll talk again."
Yuri had no intention of punishing the current Gott for his past life's sins.
He simply wanted to give him a chance to live differently this time.
As a fellow sinner.
"…Yes."
Gott, unaware of Yuri's real thoughts, started rolling his eyes again.
Yuri grabbed his shoulder firmly and warned him.
"Hey."
"Y-Yes?"
"If you don't come find me… I'll come find you."
"Y-Yes, yes, sir…"
"Now go."
"Yes."
Gott slowly walked away—then, once he felt he was far enough, turned and shouted,
"I went easy on you today!"
Yuri looked at him.
Gott shouted again,
"If I had used my Mana Sword, you'd be the one on the ground, Third Prince!"
With that, he turned on his heel and ran off.
Yuri stared at his retreating figure—and burst out laughing.
He didn't know Gott had already learned the Mana Sword.
But the fact that he hadn't used it even now proved he wasn't rotten to the core.
Of course, even if he had used that half-baked Mana Manipulation, the result would've been the same.
"Yuri."
Joshua, who had been quietly observing from the corner, spoke up.
"To win so easily… you're really good at fighting!"
He looked more excited than Yuri.
"What, you thought I'd lose?"
"Yeah."
"Then why'd you start the fight?"
"'Cause it's fun."
Yuri looked between the wooden stick in his hand and Joshua.
Noticing the look in Yuri's eyes, the ever-perceptive Joshua bolted instantly.