The Allied Army returned to Balshad.
Mariloz hosted a grand banquet to celebrate the victory.
Those who had feelings for her, swept up in the festive mood, offered her flowers, and some even went so far as to challenge each other to duels.
"Young people truly are wonderful!"
Ragna clapped his hands in delight, but Mariloz's reaction was cold.
"Why doesn't anyone ask what I think? I'm not interested in any of you, so if you want to swordfight, take it to the back garden."
Yuri left the commotion behind and stepped out onto the balcony, gazing down at the night view of Balshad.
It was a city isolated in the grasslands, but remnants of an ancient civilization remained, and magic-powered lamps lit the streets here and there.
Below, gathered townspeople played instruments or chatted quietly with one another.
It was a good place to live.
"What are you doing?"
Mariloz approached. The scent of alcohol and perfume drifted with her.
"Just watching."
"Ahaha..."
Mariloz swirled her wine glass and laughed.
"Nice, isn't it? Makes you want to live here, right?"
"I heard fleeing farmers have been pouring into Balshad."
"That's true. They say they can't live because the taxes are too high. Ah, there aren't many from Briol. I guess they don't have nasty nobles."
"There must be at least one."
"Hehe..."
Mariloz winked.
"Who knows?"
Yuri had no intention of pressing the issue, so he just chuckled and turned his eyes back to the view.
The magic defense formation of Balshad was powerful. If she were to truly lock down the gates, it could likely withstand even an assault from the Empire.
"Can I ask a favor?"
"Let's hear it first?"
"Someday…"
Yuri cleared his throat.
"If Briol ever falls into danger, take in our people."
At those words, Mariloz's eyes widened.
As if trying to determine if he was serious, she leaned forward and examined Yuri's face closely, then turned to look in the direction his gaze was aimed.
"Hmm…"
Mariloz rubbed her chin, tilted her head, and answered,
"Alright."
No questions asked.
Yuri glanced at her side profile. The light leaking from the banquet hall behind them faintly illuminated her face.
A white nose tip and red lips stood out sharply against the night sky.
"Yeah."
Yuri answered quickly.
That was all.
Silence fell, and then Mariloz suddenly grabbed the hem of Yuri's clothing.
"Hey, I gave such a cool answer, and you're not even going to ask me why I didn't hesitate or what I trust you on? Shouldn't you be saying something like that?"
"You agreed. What's there to ask?"
"Wow, this guy really…"
She had hoped to catch him off guard with her quick agreement, but Yuri took it a step further and flipped expectations on their head.
Mariloz laughed in exasperation and swirled her wine glass a few times.
"You're younger than me, so why do you feel older?"
Well, he actually was older. But there was no need to explain.
Yuri chuckled softly.
"Maybe you're just mentally immature."
"Was that sincere?"
"A little?"
"Ha…"
Mariloz leaned against the railing and looked up at Yuri.
"If you keep radiating that charm like this, I might actually fall for you."
"I'm radiating charm?"
"Such a young thing already flirting around like this."
"That was informal speech."
"So what if it was?"
She drained her wine glass completely and turned away.
"Stop setting the mood by yourself and come on."
She was stronger than expected.
Yuri was dragged back to the banquet hall by her.
As they entered, the chandeliers sparkled and cast down their light. Yuri squinted slightly at the brightness.
Gradually, the interior came into view. Beneath the lights, knights who had ended the war were catching up with each other, celebrating...
"You looking to die?"
"You should be asking yourself that."
Two knights who had gotten into a scuffle while offering flowers to Mariloz were still facing off.
Mariloz rubbed her forehead.
"They're still at it."
Normally, someone would step in, but since the room was full of skilled swordsmen, no one tried to intervene. Instead, they watched with interest.
Yuri tried not to pay attention to such foolishness.
But the back of one of the standing knights looked familiar.
"Simon…"
Yuri chuckled to himself.
The once-green kid seemed to have gained some confidence through the war.
Mariloz asked,
"What should we do?"
"Leave them. They'll fight or not on their own."
"You're cold to your subordinates."
"He's a knight. He should know how to handle himself."
The moment Yuri ignored them and sat down—
"Come out."
At Simon's words, the opposing knight frowned and replied,
"You little punk, what makes you think you can act like this? Briol? You think your background gives you the right to be cocky?"
"Do I need a background to beat you?"
"Briol or not, I'll humiliate you. I am Amunson of Yoheim."
"I am Simon of Briol."
Yuri, who had been casually pouring himself a drink, suddenly snapped his eyes toward them.
He had intended to dismiss it as a childish squabble between young knights, but of all people, the opponent turned out to be from Yoheim.
Political calculations began to turn in his head.
"Your Highness?"
Mariloz called out, but Yuri ignored her and stepped forward.
"Sir Amunson."
The moment Yuri intervened, all attention turned to him.
Both Simon and Amunson were visibly flustered, and foreign guests watching the scene became more excited and eagerly raised their glasses.
Yuri looked toward the Yoheim side as he walked forward.
His eyes met with Gonte Murchin, a knight of Yoheim he had connected with during the war.
They had once spoken.
"We've grown weaker. Yoheim isn't what it used to be."
"Is that so."
"Yes. The younger generation these days is just too soft..."
At first, Yuri had thought he was just an old-fashioned knight, but it turned out Gonte Murchin was genuinely concerned about Yoheim's future.
They had made a promise.
"Sir Gonte. Once this war ends, I will invite the knights of Yoheim to Briol. I'd like to offer them a training course."
"Truly? That would greatly aid the friendship between our nations."
It wasn't just talk.
Yuri genuinely intended to invite Yoheim and provide them with training.
The mountainous country of Yoheim shared the Alloy Mountains with the Empire.
Because of that, in his past life, Yoheim had been the first to fall prey when the Empire began its expansion.
If they had not fallen easily, and instead used their mountainous terrain to wage guerrilla warfare to the end, they could've remained an unnerving presence—like a dagger at the Empire's throat.
If they shared a common enemy, they could be allies.
"Sir Gonte!"
"Yes."
Sensing something in Yuri's gaze, Gonte stood up abruptly.
"This friend of Yoheim has just insulted Briol."
Amunson flinched at Yuri's declaration.
"Huh? I did?"
Yuri ignored him and continued speaking to Gonte.
"He just said, clearly, that he'd teach someone a lesson regardless of them being from Briol."
While the comment had been directed at Simon, Yuri exaggerated it into a diplomatic issue between nations.
"How can we tolerate such an insult? Don't you agree?"
When Yuri shouted, it was the countries not even involved who responded.
"That's right!"
"Briol can't let that slide!"
"Yoheim's looking down on Briol!"
"If it were me, I wouldn't take it!"
They escalated the situation precisely because it wasn't their problem.
Amunson, who had been wearing a fierce expression just moments ago, now looked utterly dejected. Even Simon, who had been his opponent, gave him a sympathetic glance.
Yuri spoke.
"At this point, there's only one way. A match to see which country's knight is superior."
"Excuse me?"
"Let Simon and Amunson fight. The losing country sends its knights and squires to the other country for collective training."
Yuri guided the situation smoothly, like flowing water.
"I agree. A knight should have at least that much pride."
Gonte supported him.
Apparently a figure of considerable standing in Yoheim, no one objected to his words.
Only Amunson's face turned red.
"What on earth are you doing?"
"I'll explain later."
Mariloz asked quietly, but Yuri didn't have time for small talk. He had to seize the opportunity while it lasted.
Though the Allied Army had won, for Yuri, this was just the beginning of a long journey.
"Let's head down and have Simon and Amunson face off. With national pride on the line, the losing side learns from the winner."
He said this while looking at other nations, not Yoheim. At this point, it was all about playing to the mood.
In the end, after much fuss, the duel between Simon and Amunson was decided.
Every knight in the banquet hall followed along to watch the match.
Mariloz sighed.
"Honestly…"
Just as she said, a duel was truly about to take place in the back garden.
The backyard wasn't very spacious.
In the center, Simon and Amunson stood facing each other, while the rest watched, squeezed in among the garden trees and flowers.
The most bewildered ones were the two of them.
They had imagined a possible sparring match, but never expected to become the evening's spectacle in front of everyone.
"What are you planning now…"
Raymond chuckled. Yuri shrugged.
"Everything will flow just fine."
"What if he loses?"
"Then we'll send our guys."
Yuri didn't mind.
Whether they came or went, the important thing was establishing a link—creating an opportunity for Yoheim to develop elite soldiers.
Still, he did hope for victory.
"Hey, Simon."
Yuri called him. Simon hesitated, then approached Yuri.
"Um, Your Highness…"
"If you lose, you die."
"…What?"
"Did you drink a lot?"
"A bit…"
"So did your opponent."
There wasn't any serious reason behind Simon and Amunson's conflict.
Mariloz was beautiful, and both had drunk a lot. That was all. These trivial elements had combined to create this situation.
"I'll teach you a secret technique."
"A secret technique…?"
"There's a move—if your opponent doesn't know it, they're guaranteed to fall for it."
Yuri whispered something into Simon's ear.
Simon's expression twisted oddly.
"Are you serious…?"
"Yes. Just trust me and use it."
"I'm concerned for Briol's honor, though…"
"Better than losing."
Yuri had learned in his past life that sometimes, honor was more important than life.
But honor had its different forms. The kind used here wasn't the kind he held dear.
"Learn to separate pride from honor."
"Yes."
In the end, Simon squared his shoulders and stepped forward.
Amunson stood in place, his facial muscles twitching. He seemed like the type to psych himself up before a fight.
Since both knights had been drinking, they were each handed wooden swords to prevent bloodshed.
The judge for the duel stepped forward.
"Both of you, come here…"
It was Graham.
Someone had insisted they needed a referee, and naturally, the name of Graham—considered a role model among knights—had come up.
Whether such a dignified person was needed for a drunken brawl was questionable, but Ragna gave him a push, and so Graham ended up stepping in.
"Don't get too worked up. Think of it as measuring each other's skill."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"It ends when one is incapacitated or surrenders."
Dueling among knights followed universally understood rules, so no lengthy explanation was necessary.
After checking their mental states through their eyes, Graham stepped back.
"Begin!"
At the call, Amunson charged in.
His technique wasn't refined, but his momentum was excellent. It was the style of a brawler.
"That's a kind of talent too."
Simon continued to retreat.
Amunson roared as he repeatedly slammed down his wooden sword.
Yuri focused on Simon's eyes.
While Simon wasn't overwhelmingly inferior, he wasn't holding the advantage either.
It was going to be a tough fight.
But if he used the secret technique Yuri had taught him, victory would come easily.
Yuri shouted.
"Simon!"
Amid the noise, Simon clearly heard Yuri's voice.
"How long are you going to keep giving ground? Be the victor!"
Yuri wasn't only speaking about the outcome of this duel.
He was rooting for Simon's entire past—born of a concubine, bullied by the legitimate son, always walking on eggshells.
Simon glanced at Yuri, then nodded. He answered softly.
"Yes, Your Highness."
To Simon, the Third Prince was the benefactor who had changed his life.
If it was his command, Simon would obey anything.
Simon raised his wooden sword.
And at last, the moment had come—for the secret technique Yuri had given him to be unleashed.
[T/L: Read more chapters on Ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]