Mariloz beamed brightly when she saw Yuri.
"Did you come to see me? At this hour?"
"That's not it."
"Should I send this man away?"
"No."
Yuri stepped into the room and closed the door.
"I want to hear the rest of that story."
"What are you talking about?"
"About who gave that to Okua."
Ernando opened his mouth.
"You heard all that?"
"Yes."
"How?"
He had entered Mariloz's room and surrounded it with a mana barrier that blocked all sound. So how had Yuri been able to hear?
Ernando was taken aback, as he had no intention of sharing information about the parchment with anyone other than Mariloz.
"Who knows?"
Yuri pulled out a dagger and gave it a shake.
It was the Wind Ring Blade, one of the Four Wheel Blades.
He had imbued it with the energy of Heart-Soul Slash and pierced Ernando's barrier. Through the gap he had created, he was able to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"I see."
Ernando nodded in understanding.
But he had a bigger question.
"That aside, why did you come to Mariloz's room at this hour? Don't tell me, Prince…"
At Ernando's sharp gaze, Mariloz nodded.
"I'm curious too. Why are you in my room so late at night?"
Yuri glanced coldly between the two of them.
"Is that really all you could think of?"
"What else?"
"Ernando, I've been keeping an eye on you."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Yuri nodded toward the parchment on the table.
"You kept carrying that thing around even though it reeked of rot. I was curious what you were trying to do, so I watched you."
Ernando's eyes widened.
"You knew?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I told you. It stinks."
"But I sealed it with magic."
"I can still feel it."
Yuri said, casting a glance aside.
Black energy was rising from the parchment. It was a phenomenon similar to when the black warlock had appeared.
No one else noticed anything, but Yuri could clearly feel it.
"I'll take a look."
"It's dangerous."
"It's fine. There are two great mages right here."
"Still…"
"If I don't, this'll just be more tiring, right?"
Yuri grinned.
"Isn't it better to just deal with it here?"
Ernando sighed.
Once you were caught by the unruly third prince, there was no getting away quietly.
He exchanged a glance with Mariloz, who tapped Yuri on the shoulder.
"This thing's bad for mental health, but you still want to look at it?"
"Yeah."
"Alright."
Mariloz clenched her fist.
"Just trust me. I'll protect you, Prince."
"Thanks."
"I'm going to break the seal now. Are you ready?"
"It's not that big a deal…"
In the end, with Ernando and Mariloz standing on either side of him, Yuri faced the parchment.
"Here goes."
Mariloz broke the seal.
Yuri looked at the parchment.
...
He could feel the thick, evil energy gnawing into his mind.
The edges of his vision wavered in darkness. Not being able to see his surroundings was mildly annoying.
"Get lost."
Yuri infused the Wind Ring Blade with the energy of Heart-Soul Slash and slashed. The black energy that had been creeping toward him scattered at once.
"No way…"
"Wow…"
The two mages groaned in disbelief.
Yuri stepped closer to the parchment and examined it.
For ordinary people, even glancing at it would be difficult, but he leaned in, as if trying to read barely visible letters.
"Hmm…"
Soon, the letters on the parchment began to squirm.
A shape of a black tower shimmered in front of Yuri's eyes.
A pair of eyes inside it stared at him.
A staring contest began.
The eyes glared at him, occasionally narrowing slightly, but there were no other noticeable changes.
"I see a tower and eyes. Is that all?"
"For now, that's all…"
Yuri stabbed the eye with the Wind Ring Blade.
The eye twisted violently, let out a faint scream, and then vanished.
The hallucination ended.
Now, all that remained before his eyes was an old piece of parchment.
Yuri straightened up again.
"It really is a disgusting thing."
Ernando and Mariloz stared at Yuri in shock.
"What's with those looks?"
"How are you still fine?"
"I'm Yuri Briol."
"That's not the issue. Did you really stab it with a blade?"
"I didn't like its gaze."
"How can something like that even happen…"
Yuri glanced down at his chest.
"Maybe my mana method is just unusual."
The black energy within the parchment seemed to fear the Heart-Soul Slash.
"Just a mana method?"
"You saw it too, at Sword Mountain, right?"
Ernando fell silent. Yuri spoke again.
"Yeah, I get it. This parchment is tainted by black magic, and it's really dangerous."
Yuri picked up the parchment, flapped it once, and started walking. Then, just as he was about to sit on the bed without thinking, he caught himself and stopped awkwardly.
Mariloz smiled sweetly.
"You can sit, it's fine."
"No, I'm good."
Yuri moved and sat on the chair in front of the vanity.
Then he shook the parchment again.
"So this came from Okua's corpse, right?"
"Yes."
"Mariloz was right. This is a conspiracy."
Yuri felt a chill as he thought back on Mariloz's theory.
The Allied Army had been sent to die from the start. And now, black magic had been added to the mix.
Yuri reflected on his past life.
Back then, the Emperor suddenly began a conquest campaign. Within the Empire, purges and oppression filled the land with blood.
Rumors had spread that the Emperor had gone mad.
"If a normal person saw this parchment, they'd lose their mind, right?"
"Most likely."
"Is that what black magic does to people?"
"Very much so."
Yuri looked at the parchment again. The twisted letters were incomprehensible.
He shook it roughly once more.
"What the hell kind of script is this?"
Then suddenly, someone's voice echoed in his mind.
"Beware the Devil's Grimoire."
Yuri's hand, which had been shaking the parchment, stopped.
At the ruins of an ancient kingdom, he had witnessed past events.
The mage who left behind those memories had warned him to beware the Devil's Grimoire.
Could it all be connected?
Perhaps the parchment in his hand had been torn from the Devil's Grimoire.
"Alright."
Yuri handed the parchment to Mariloz.
"Mariloz, you were about to say something earlier."
"Yes?"
"The thing that coward Ernando stopped you from saying."
"Yes. Coward Ernando stopped me."
"I think the same way you do."
"Oh?"
Then Ernando called out to Yuri.
"Prince."
"What?"
"If you jump to conclusions too hastily, this will only blow up."
"Who said anything about jumping to conclusions? And seeing how sensitive you're acting, Ernando, it looks like the three of us ended up thinking of the same suspect, didn't we?"
"That's only because of Mariloz…"
"We have to go to the Empire anyway."
Yuri mentioned the word Empire without a second thought.
Ernando let out a sigh.
"Haa…"
It was understandable that Ernando wanted to keep the situation from escalating, but Yuri had already lived through one life and returned to the past. He no longer needed to be cautious.
At the very least, it was clear the Empire had used the Allied Army as bait.
On the contrary, they had to prepare earlier before the Empire moved in earnest.
"Come with me to the Empire. See for yourself whether or not the Empire was behind this."
"I guess there's no helping it. Understood."
"For the record, I'm sure the Empire tried to throw away the Allied Army. Thanks to me, it succeeded miraculously."
"Do you have any reason for thinking that?"
"Reason or not, Prince Ragna seemed to think the same."
"I see…"
If the Empire had actually intended for the Allied Army to succeed, they wouldn't have made Ragna Commander-in-Chief. He was not favored by the Emperor.
In the end, Ernando nodded.
"Understood."
Then Mariloz raised both thumbs and winked at Yuri.
"You managed to break stubborn Ernando."
"No big deal."
"So not only are you sharp, you're clever too. Is there anything you can't do?"
"Letting people down?"
Mariloz burst out laughing.
"Can't I go with you to the Empire too?"
"Mariloz, I need you to analyze the parchment."
"Alright. If it's your request, Prince."
"I'm counting on you."
She touched her lips, thinking for a moment, then said,
"In that case."
"Hm?"
"Grant me one wish later."
Yuri looked at Mariloz.
She wore a sly smile at the corners of her lips.
"A wish?"
"Yes."
A "wish," put another way, was a request to be fulfilled.
He'd already promised to grant one wish to Sibylla.
If you hand out wish tokens carelessly, families collapse and societies crumble. A debt that can't be repaid leads to ruin.
Yuri didn't want to take on any more debt.
But Mariloz was firm.
"If you don't agree, I'm not doing it."
"You serious?"
"Yes."
Mariloz crossed her arms.
"There are plenty of other mages, right? Just give it to someone else. Though, you won't find anyone else as close to transcendent interpretation as I am."
Yuri looked at Ernando. He shrugged and said,
"Calling me stubborn Ernando is incorrect. In the Tower, when they say someone's stubborn, they mean Mariloz."
"Ah…"
He chuckled as if enjoying the situation.
Just moments ago, he had been under pressure—but now the tables had turned.
Yuri closed his eyes.
"Fine."
"Are you serious?"
"As long as it's something I can do. No ridiculous requests."
"Okay."
"Can't you just tell me the wish now?"
"My, you're really going to grant it?"
"You called it a wish, didn't you?"
"Now that you say it… it really is a wish. Fine. I'll tell you later."
"Why?"
"Because I haven't decided yet?"
Yuri already felt a twinge of regret.
But to stop the Empire's schemes and prevent the kingdom's downfall, this much sacrifice was necessary.
Even if it led to future default and financial ruin, for now, he had to charge forward.
"Alright. Fine…"
That was his answer. And to shake off the growing regret, he forced a bright expression and said,
"Both of you ready to become enemies of the Empire?"
"Huh?"
"Excuse me?"
"If the imperial family turns out to be tainted by black magic, that's what we're dealing with, right?"
At Yuri's blunt remark, Ernando opened his mouth in shock. Mariloz, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes.
She suddenly recalled the event at the banquet.
Out on the balcony, Yuri had said something strange.
'If Briol becomes endangered, take in its people.'
Seeing how Yuri was acting now—as if he'd been waiting for proof all along—she thought maybe he did know something.
Mariloz stared at him. Yuri tilted his head.
"Hmm?"
All her suspicions faded in an instant.
She muttered to herself,
"A man with secrets is always more attractive…"
Then she nodded firmly.
"Alright. Let's dig into this."
Yuri welcomed her answer, while Ernando sighed again with a sour face.
And thus, the three of them came together in unity.
Yuri grinned and said,
"Let's work well together."
He glanced at the parchment.
The Devil's Grimoire… What kind of item was it?
What he had known in his past life was only the tip of the iceberg. Now, truths he had never known were beginning to reveal themselves.
It felt as though the enemy's true form was slipping further away.
But Yuri wasn't worried.
As the situation grew more complicated, new allies had emerged, and the seeds he had sown were steadily bearing fruit.
"I've got a question—are there any signs or traces tied to black magic?"
"Signs?"
"I have a friend in the Empire. He can gather information quietly, so I wanted to have him look into it."
"If you're talking about traits of black magic…"
Then Mariloz suddenly spoke up.
"The user probably loses their sight."
"Really?"
"I think I read it somewhere. I'm not totally sure. Maybe?"
"Come to think of it, all the orc shamans were blind."
"Then I guess they are tied to black magic."
Yuri nodded. Ernando, who had been quietly listening, asked,
"Prince. You have a friend in the Empire? You've never been there before."
"I met him in Briol. He left for the Empire not long ago."
"What kind of friend?"
"You've seen him too, Ernando."
"Pardon? Who?"
***
"I heard you've been getting cocky lately. Lost your damn fear, have you?"
"I wasn't cocky, just diligent. And I never had any fear in the first place."
"Hah, you arrogant bastard—your mouth would be floating even if you were drowning…"
Trouble was brewing in the Empire's underworld.
A new group had emerged, trampling on the old powers and rapidly expanding their operations.
With unknown financial backing, they were practically monopolizing the black-market loan business.
Existing organizations had tried to deal with them through violence, but the newcomers weren't easy prey.
"You really got a death wish, huh?"
"Do we really need to keep talking? If you want to settle this with fists, go ahead."
"Cocky little bastard. I'll make you beg for your life. Boys, get him!"
"Yes, sir!"
The one at the center of this chaos—Gorio—put on his gloves with a sigh.
"Why do they all say the same corny lines…"
He wasn't in a good mood.
Why did he, the boss, have to personally come all the way to the Empire's branch to clean things up?
"My underlings are just too useless."
Gorio slammed his fist into the jaw of the oncoming enemy and shouted to his men,
"Show these dainty Empire nobles what Briol's made of!"
And so, Gorio—the infamous thug of Briol—was now devouring the Empire's underworld with Uncle's Daily Loan at the front.
[T/L: Read more chapters on Ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]