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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Discipline (2)
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Yuri pressed in close.
He loved playing with distance so much that he dragged it down to zero—no, even lower.
As their bodies tangled, the wooden sword finally struck flesh for the first time since the spar began.
Crack!
Jared's wooden sword smacked Yuri's thigh.
"Damn, that hurts!"
Yuri laughed as he swung his own wooden sword in retaliation, and Jared barely dodged.
Not missing the opening, Yuri unleashed a spinning kick using centrifugal force. As the struck Jared reeled back, he swung his sword and clipped Yuri's ankle.
"Ngh!"
"Ow!"
Yuri took the worse of it.
But he ignored the pain, limping forward to pressure Jared again.
The two wooden swords clashed wildly, seeking openings. In the end, though, Yuri was the one taking the losses.
"Damn, no good after all..."
He hadn't expected to win anyway.
Past life's memories or not, Yuri was just a young boy, while Jared was a full-grown knight.
Still, Yuri advanced.
He took a hit from the wooden sword.
"Ngh!"
Counterattacked.
This time, it glanced off.
Pain lingered, but Yuri swung back anyway.
Clang!
His hand went numb.
Gripping the sword tight, Yuri lunged forward.
He kept ramping up the speed.
Jared thrust at his chest. Yuri dodged by a hair and counterattacked.
His wooden sword grazed Jared's side.
The first hit landed.
"That's more like it!"
Yuri shouted.
Jared bit his lip.
He clearly had the upper hand, yet it felt like he was the one being pressured.
He knew why.
"What's wrong? Getting nervous?"
Jared caught his breath, staring at the cackling third prince.
Yuri kept advancing.
Even as he took hits and stumbled, he pressed on relentlessly.
"Jared. Is that all you've got?"
Their wooden swords met.
Fierce close-quarters combat ensued.
Not satisfied with getting this far, Yuri tried to close in even more, another full step.
Jared felt deeply uncomfortable.
He's different.
This prince was nothing like him.
"Come at me for real!"
He pushed himself to the limit—no, beyond it.
He took losses now and then from failed attempts, but the prince showed no fear, throwing himself into every moment.
Shame welled up inside Jared.
"You holding back on me?"
"No, sir."
Their swords crossed.
This time, Jared struck without mercy, exploiting the opening. Yuri crumpled after a hit to the side, then swung back.
Jared dodged back, stepped in, and struck Yuri's arm.
"Ngh!"
Yuri clenched his teeth and held onto his wooden sword.
Jared targeted the arm again.
He thought it would end there, but Yuri flattened to the ground and smacked Jared's ankle.
As Jared buckled at the knee, Yuri rolled up and swung again.
Jared tried to block and counter, but Yuri's follow-up was faster. Jared blocked with his arm and swung back.
It was a sloppy move, even by his own judgment. In real combat, he'd have lost the arm.
A mistake no knight could afford.
Against a mere boy, nothing went as planned.
Yuri's chaotic style grated on him.
"Hoo..."
Yuri charged relentlessly, showing no sign of tiring.
Should I just overpower him?
The thought crossed his mind as he moved.
His mind clouded, mana unconsciously surged through his meridians.
The knights shouted.
"Jared!"
Realizing his error, Jared shifted his stance, but the wooden sword already grazed Yuri's forehead.
Severed bangs fluttered down.
Blood trickled from Yuri's forehead.
Jared's eyes widened.
"Your Highness!"
Red liquid stained one of Yuri's eyes.
"I'm sorry! It was my mistake, a mistake..."
As the flustered Jared dropped his sword and knelt, it happened.
Clang!
Yuri swung his wooden sword, and Jared blocked on reflex.
"What's the matter?"
Yuri grinned brightly and wiped the blood with his sleeve.
"First time sparring?"
"Your wound..."
"Just when it's getting fun."
Yuri burst out laughing and charged.
"No reason to stop now!"
His ferocious momentum left Jared no choice but to respond in kind.
The bleeding prince and flustered knight's wooden swords tangled again and again.
"More!"
Yuri shouted, swinging wide.
"Come at me properly!"
Something unknown surged in Jared's chest as he met the prince's spirit.
He'd never felt this fighting a knight far stronger than him.
"Damn it!"
Jared cursed lowly for the first time and countered fiercely.
The clash of wooden swords echoed loudly across the training ground.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Their intensity soared, the exchanges growing fiercer.
The wooden swords collided violently once more.
Crack!
Yuri's wooden sword shattered, fragments spinning through the air before hitting the ground.
Yuri and Jared's eyes met.
No words needed. The spar was over.
"It's done."
As Jared stood speechless, Yuri grinned and extended his hand.
"Learned a thing or two, Jared."
"N-no, Your Highness."
Finally snapping out of it, Jared reached out.
"Well fought."
Grasping Yuri's hand, Jared helped him up and stared at the third prince's youthful face.
It burned with an intensity he'd never known.
Had he ever shown such fierce determination for anything?
"What're you doing?"
"Pardon?"
"Standing there holding hands?"
Yuri furrowed his brow.
"You make the prince bleed, then just stand around?"
"S-sorry!"
Jared finally moved in a panic.
"Let me get the—"
And just like that, Yuri flopped straight onto the ground.
The knights applauded him, but Yuri ignored them, focusing on his breathing.
"..."
A man watched the scene.
"Ah, Captain. When did you arrive?"
"Just now."
Royal Guard Captain Saned stared silently at Yuri before picking something up from the ground.
A broken piece of wooden sword.
He glanced between it and the sprawled Yuri on the training ground.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After the spar with Jared, Yuri kept him close.
"My shift just ended..."
"And?"
"Just because?"
"Follow me."
"I have training..."
"Looks like someone's got their head on straight now. Who do you think made you that way? Time to repay the favor, right?"
"..."
Jared sighed at Yuri's words.
"Understood."
"Good."
After their spar, Jared threw himself into training. Still lacking by Yuri's standards, but definitely improved from before.
This would do for now.
The real overhaul could come later, step by step.
"Was gonna grab more people, but decided to trust you instead, Jared."
"Planning something dangerous?"
"Whether it's dangerous or not is up to you."
"If it's dangerous for Your Highness, I refuse."
"No veto power. Come on."
"No."
"Guess I'll take one more then?"
"Who...?"
"Perfect timing. Look, one's passing by."
Yuri shouted at a man far off.
"Hey!"
He spotted Yuri, flinched, and tried to play it off and walk past.
"Hernando!"
At the persistent yells, he finally sighed deeply and approached.
A slender man who looked far removed from any fighting.
"What is it, Your Highness?"
"I need your help."
"I'm busy..."
"Time to settle your debt."
The man's eyes widened at Yuri's words.
"For real?"
"You ever seen me lie?"
"All the time..."
"Not outside of gambling."
"True, never outside."
"Trustworthy, right?"
"Not really."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I've never seen you when you weren't holding cards."
Hernando was the mage advising King Fiore, having lost a fortune to Yuri at the gambling tables.
"No lie. I'll wipe your debt clean."
"In that case..."
"Good enough?"
"Shouldn't we put it in writing?"
"What?"
"Ink over tongue."
"Trust me."
Yuri jabbed at himself indignantly.
"I'm Yuri Brioll."
"Yeah, sure..."
Fuming at the lukewarm response—what, was a prince's word worth this little?—
"Jared."
"Yes."
"You vouch for me. Testify to my word as Yuri Brioll."
"Understood."
"That do it?"
"Hmm..."
Hernando stroked his chin, eyeing Jared's face.
"What're you looking at?"
"Your features."
"..."
"Not the untrustworthy type. Sir Jared, right?"
"Yes."
"Fine. So, Your Highness, what's the job?"
"Exploration."
"Sounds good. Where to?"
"Dungeon."
"Pardon?"
"We're hitting the dungeon."
With that, Yuri pulled up his hood.
"First, we sneak out of the palace."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Yuri walked a dark tunnel with Jared and Hernando.
Torchlight flickered wildly, illuminating the way ahead.
"How'd you know about this place?"
"Luck."
The tunnel led outside the palace—a secret escape route for the royals in emergencies. Few knew of it before the war.
This was Yuri's second time through, past life included.
"Where's it end?"
"Sword Mountain."
"Sword Mountain?"
Sword Mountain was a hill outside the capital, legend saying Brioll's founder trained his swordsmanship there.
Originally grand and majestic, it was said to have been whittled down by sword strikes.
Like most legends, probably exaggerated.
But someone had indeed trained swordsmanship there.
In his past life, the empire that destroyed Brioll discovered a dungeon on Sword Mountain.
"Why there?"
"Shut up and follow. Before I cancel the debt."
"Got it. You're so overbearing. Must be tough shadowing him, Sir Jared?"
"Well..."
They soon reached the tunnel's end.
A massive iron door, sealed tight, looked unopened for ages.
The lock was huge and rusted; even with a key, it seemed impossible.
"Jared."
"Yes."
But what if the Royal Guard stepped in?
At Yuri's nod, Jared scratched his head and raised his sword.
Blue sword aura flared.
This was the true power of the Mana Circulation Method.
A mana-coated blade could slice iron like tofu.
Clang!
An explosive ring echoed.
But the lock held.
Competitive now, Jared hammered at it repeatedly.
Hernando scratched his head.
"Even the Royal Guard couldn't break this lock."
"Tough."
"A key would be nice."
"Got one."
"Where?"
"On me."
"Pardon?"
Yuri pulled an old key from his pocket.
"Right here."
Jared and Hernando stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Why'd you have me do that?"
Yuri shrugged at Jared's question.
"Just curious."
If he could destroy it with sword aura.
"Where'd you get that key?"
"None of your business."
It had been shoved in a corner of the palace library; even King Fiore didn't know its purpose.
He'd dug through records and found it as doom loomed, but too late—paid the price.
Bitter memory.
The lock clicked open as Yuri brought the key close.
He pocketed both key and lock.
Hernando's eyes bulged.
"An artifact?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you say?"
"Figure it out."
"Well, Sir Jared couldn't break it no matter what..."
He eyed it greedily, but Yuri had no intention of sharing.
"Lend it just a sec..."
"No."
"I'll look and give it back."
"Quiet."
"Your Highness?"
Ignoring Hernando, Yuri moved on.
Stairs appeared, leading through a cave to the outside.
Sword Mountain loomed under the blue sky.
Sharp leaves blanketed the slopes, shredding sunlight and blurring the view.
Yuri smiled.
"They say Brioll's founder gained enlightenment on Sword Mountain."
"Made-up story, probably?"
Hernando crossed his arms as Jared shot him a look.
"Not in front of His Highness..."
"What's wrong? Do you buy it, Your Highness? Here's my take: It was called Sword Mountain for the sharp-leaved Tigris trees, then they jazzed it up with founder tales to boost royal prestige. That's what I think. Rational, right?"
Yuri was indifferent.
"Dunno. How should I know?"
"Not interested, huh."
"One thing's sure. The founder trained his sword here— that's fact."
"How do you know?"
"Ways."
"So you're training here?"
"No."
Yuri pointed at Sword Mountain and declared.
"Now we raid the Founder's dungeon."