"Hey. You there."
When she turned at the sudden voice, a pair of long, narrow eyes were staring at her.
"Are you new?"
"Y-yes."
"What are you doing right now?"
"Well…"
May recalled the warnings from her seniors.
There are four black-haired humans in the royal palace, all members of Briol's royal family. Be cautious.
The details for each person were as follows:
First. If his eyes seem half-closed and his expression bored, be as polite as possible. That's His Majesty. He's not particularly difficult, but if you make even the slightest mistake, the head attendant will scold you harshly.
Second. If he smiles kindly as if a warm breeze is blowing, you can relax. That's the Crown Prince of Briol. He has never once made things difficult for the attendants.
Third. If his gaze is sinister and he walks with a crooked gait, never show an opening. That's the Second Prince. He's always thinking of some kind of mischief, so the best course is to avoid getting involved.
From the signs, this person was clearly...
"The third one..."
"What?"
"N-no, it's nothing."
The slouched posture and the shifty eyes were exactly as her senior described the Second Prince.
She needed to get away from here as quickly as possible.
"I-I have something to do, so I'll just…"
"What?"
He furrowed his brow.
"Are you avoiding me right now?"
"N-no, not at all."
"You sound exactly like someone trying to dodge me."
"I really have something to do…"
"Do you all share a royal family handbook or something? One that says to run away if you see me? Not even talk and just flee?"
Additional warning about Joshua Briol: He's extremely clever and quick-witted, so be especially careful.
He was already gearing up to thoroughly mess with her.
"Th-th-that's…"
"Answer me properly."
Joshua shoved his face close to hers.
"Are you stuttering in front of royalty? This is the royal palace. You think you're working at some neighborhood general store?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"You think sorry makes up for it? I guess I'll have to give you a proper education today…"
As Joshua was about to continue, he suddenly backed off.
"Ugh…"
At that moment, a cheerful voice came from behind.
"Hyung. What are you doing?"
If a voice could be compared to a color, this one would be blue—like the open sky.
Only one person in the palace called Joshua "elder brother."
And the warning about him was as follows:
If he looks confident and always carries a sword, then he's the Third Prince. As for him—deal with him as you see fit.
There was no official handbook for him because opinions varied widely from person to person.
"Are you bullying her right now?"
"I'm not."
Joshua immediately shifted the blame to her.
"Hey, you. Was I bullying you?"
"No."
"See? She said I wasn't."
"Who would say yes when you're standing right there?"
"Really? Then I guess I'll disappear. Maybe she'll answer honestly once I'm gone?"
Joshua stepped a few paces back.
"Hey, maid. Answer well."
Then he scurried away in a hurry.
Watching his retreating back, Yuri let out a sigh.
"When is he ever going to grow up…"
Unable to lift her head, she bowed deeply toward Yuri's chest.
"Thank you…"
"Hearing your thanks, it seems like he really was bothering you."
"No, he didn't. Really. I was just… flustered…"
"Your name?"
"It's May."
"May. You're new here?"
"Yes."
Yuri smiled brightly.
"You know Ena, right?"
Ena, the personal maid of the Third Prince, was like an idol among the palace attendants.
"If you ever run into trouble, talk to Ena. She won't pretend not to see. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Don't bow your head. You didn't do anything wrong, did you?"
"N-no."
May looked up at Yuri Briol, dazed.
His black eyes shimmered like the surface of a lake reflecting sunlight.
He was the kind of person who made confidence well up inside you just by being near.
"Alright then. Keep up the good work."
"Thank you. Um…"
Wanting to repay him somehow, May fumbled around in her arms.
Fortunately, she still had the cookies the kitchen had given her.
"Would you like to have this?"
"What is it?"
"Cookies. They're really good. The head chef made them himself."
"Thanks."
She scooped up a handful from her pocket to give to him.
"Uh…"
But Yuri was wearing leather gauntlets. They were too dirty to place food into.
"Sh-should I just give you the whole pouch?"
"No, no. Just that's fine."
Only then did Yuri take off his gloves and hold out his hand. May sighed in relief and handed him a full handful.
Yuri popped one cookie into his mouth and smiled.
"Thanks. These are good. I'll enjoy them."
"Y-yes!"
"Take care."
"You too, Your Highness."
As the Third Prince walked away with the clink of his sword, May watched his back, dazed.
She recalled the final and most important warning her seniors had given.
Never, ever, harbor feelings for them.
As expected, her seniors hadn't been wrong about a single thing.
May mumbled to herself for no reason.
"His Highness swings a sword every day, and yet his hands are so pale and pretty…"
***
Yuri looked down at the hand holding the cookies, wondering where Joshua had run off to.
A swordsman's hand couldn't be this clean.
"Well, I made it just in time, thankfully."
Yuri opened and closed his hand.
It was a realm called—Stage of the Bare Hand.
Those who wielded mana as naturally as their own limbs used mana instead of their physical bodies to control their swords. With less pressure applied to the hands, calluses disappeared and the skin grew smooth.
It was proof that his mana manipulation had reached an extremely advanced level.
How many knights had reached the Stage of the Bare Hand before coming of age?
As far as he knew, none.
Fiore might have, but he never asked, so he didn't know.
Yuri muttered as he put his gauntlets back on.
"Looks like the quiet days are finally over."
Five years ago, he had died, beheaded. He had returned to the spring when he was thirteen, and now, it was the spring of his eighteenth year.
The time he had been waiting for was drawing near.
A whirlwind of war would sweep across the continent.
He wasn't afraid. He wasn't sad.
Yuri had never forgotten the past. To him, peace was simply time to prepare for war.
"They're probably starting to chatter by now."
He looked toward the white building ahead.
That was where the Senate meeting was being held.
By now, his father was likely dozing off while pretending to listen to the council's absurd demands.
As for the conclusion the nobles would reach after negotiating their gains and losses—he already knew.
Count Francaise, Lian Flandre, would be appointed as the lead commander and knights from each territory would be drafted.
Thus, they would join the allied army summoned by the Empire.
The objective: to conquer the eastern plains, currently occupied by orcs.
The justification was more than sufficient.
Orcs enslaved captured humans and subjected them to brutal torture for mere amusement.
The Empire declared it would subjugate the orcs and open the path to the East, and called upon all nations under its influence to send troops.
"Utter nonsense."
The allied army will fail.
Countless knights, including Lian Flandre, will fall in battle, and many powerful figures, who might one day become obstacles to the Empire, will be ruined.
The enraged orcs will press violently against the borders of every nation.
Except the Empire.
Back then, he hadn't known, but later, he would come to understand that everything had been orchestrated by the Empire from the very beginning.
In this life, he had no intention of letting things unfold that way.
As he entered the building, the royal guard standing at the entrance saluted.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
"You're working hard, Kerry."
"Not at all!"
Over the past five years, Yuri had made personal acquaintance with every member of the royal guard.
"What brings you here today?"
"There."
Yuri gestured with his chin. Loud yelling could be heard from inside.
"Noisy, isn't it?"
"Haha…"
"Thought I'd stop by and watch."
"Are you going in?"
"Yeah."
Kerry stepped aside and opened the way.
Yuri walked down the hallway and stood before the doors of the chamber.
The voices became clearer.
No, what I'm saying is, why should we…
There are already enough knights in that territory…
You people are the ones who need to—
Yuri gave a bitter smile.
Since its founding, Briol had been a nation of knights. Under the banner of the sword raised by Erich Briol, nobles took pride in fulfilling their knightly duties.
But now, it was all just a story of the past.
Those men clung to what they had and wanted to seize even more.
And so, what became of their end?
Yuri gently ran his hand along Guilty, clanking at his waist.
Like the knight who had passed down this sword to him, he too had been buried as a white skeleton.
He was just about to kick open the grand doors—
"Wait."
Kerry, who had followed behind, stopped Yuri.
"Your Highness."
"What?"
"You were just about to kick the door, weren't you?"
"No, I wasn't?"
"You were definitely about to. I'll get disciplined. Please, spare me."
"Then how do I open it?"
"Follow etiquette. Start with a knock…"
"Fine, fine."
Yuri nodded. Judging from Kerry's face, he decided to let it slide this once.
He knocked lightly.
Knock, knock, knock.
No, so are you just ignoring what I'm saying?!
You're the one not listening to me!
The argument continued.
He could clearly imagine his father, sitting there absent-mindedly, plugging his ears with mana.
He knocked again.
Knock, knock, knock.
Still no response. The shouting inside only grew louder.
What could possibly be worth yelling about that much?
He knocked once more.
Bang!
The door shattered.
The eyes of the nobles, seated in a circle, all turned to him.
The two men who had been standing and pointing fingers at each other also froze in place, their eyes wide.
The noble sitting closest called out to him.
"Your Highness, the Third Prince?"
His eyes dropped to the floor.
"Th-the door…"
"Oh, sorry."
Yuri apologized politely.
"I knocked, but no one answered. Guess I used too much strength without realizing."
"How could you possibly break that door…"
Yuri was a swordsman trained in mana method. For someone like him, breaking a door was no surprise.
But this case was different.
The doors of the council chamber were made of thick steel, specifically to signify that no one could disrupt the meetings of the Senate.
Even a seasoned knight would struggle to dent it.
This was the moment Yuri, who had kept quiet for the past five years, etched himself into the nobles' minds.
"Well, since it's broken, we might as well use the good steel to forge some new swords. Hahaha."
He tried to laugh, but no one joined him.
Yuri cleared his throat.
"I'll be joining the meeting."
"..."
The nobles turned their eyes to the head seat.
Fiore gave a slight nod.
Yuri wedged himself between two nobles seated near the door and sat down.
They squirmed uncomfortably.
"Mind if I sit here?"
"N-no…"
"Can I have one of those?"
"P-please, go ahead…"
"Tasty. Have one of mine too."
While munching on the snacks prepared for the nobles, he handed out the cookies he'd received from maid May.
The chamber remained quiet. The nobles' gazes were fixed on Yuri.
He picked up a drink and nodded.
"Carry on."
"Um…"
But no one spoke.
In place of Fiore, who sat silently, Yuri took over the meeting.
"You two—yes, the ones who were standing and shouting just now—get back up."
"Pardon?"
"Let's continue, shall we?"
The two stood hesitantly. They had been shouting moments ago, but now that they were on the spot, they were silent.
One of them began to speak, stammering.
"S-so, as I was saying…"
Half-listening to the man's words, Yuri's gaze drifted to one man sitting in the corner.
Lian Flandre.
An outstanding knight, and father of Laurent.
In the previous life, he had led Briol's army. He never avoided the position everyone tried to push away, and in the end, he returned a corpse.
His final moments were said to be heroic.
A truly admirable knight.
While Yuri was lost in thought, the chamber grew noisy once more.
Various arguments flew back and forth, but they all led to the same conclusion.
I don't want to go. I don't want to send troops.
Yuri snorted at their blatant self-preservation.
Genard, seated in the corner, remained silent. Being clever, he knew it was best not to speak at times like this.
Then, he briefly met Fiore's eyes.
...
His father might seem skilled only with the sword, but he had a sharp insight into people's hearts.
Realizing why Yuri had come, a faint shadow had fallen across his face.
Yuri gave him a confident smile in return.
The argument continued.
"So, the territories with more resources should send more knights—"
"What's the standard for those resources?!"
"Obviously, it's based on tax revenue—"
Yuri raised his hand.
One by one, the shouting voices fell silent.
"Need to…"
The noble who had been speaking trailed off awkwardly.
Once all eyes were on him, Yuri spoke.
"I'll go."
The nobles stared blankly at him.
"I said, I'll go."
Only then did their eyes widen.
Yuri stood from his seat.
"I'll join the allied army myself. So show some damn sincerity. Act in a way that won't shame Briol's name—fulfill your duty as nobles."
At just eighteen years old, not even officially an adult yet, the Third Prince declared his intent to march to war.
As the nobles sat stunned, mouths agape, only Fiore responded to his proclamation.
"May victory be yours, my son."