As soon as the lecture ended, Laurent and Jared swiftly abducted Edran. With Dale's cooperation, they dragged him to an empty classroom they'd discovered and threw him down. Then, in an instant, they tied him up.
Fear surfaced in Edran's eyes.
Yuri pulled a dagger from his coat. It was the Flame-Seal Sword, one of the Four Wheel Blades.
When he dragged it across the wall, sparks flew.
He pressed the blade to Edran's cheek.
"Feels warm, doesn't it?"
"Mmgh…"
"If you cooperate, it'll stay warm. If not…"
Yuri waved the Flame-Seal Sword. A bluish flame flared up and then vanished.
"It'll get hot."
Edran nodded frantically. Tears were already welling in his eyes.
Seeing that terrified face, it looked like this would be over quickly.
"This interrogation's going to be boring…"
Yuri muttered as he removed the gag from Edran's mouth.
Edran gasped for breath. Then, with a trembling voice, he asked,
"W-why are you doing this to me…"
"You know, and I know. So why pretend you don't?"
Yuri grabbed a fistful of his hair.
"If you don't speak properly, you'll get a scar."
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"You better. Then first, what do you think I'm curious about?"
"That is…"
When Yuri brought the Flame-Seal Sword closer to his face, Edran's eyes filled with fear.
"Pamia, it's because of Pamia."
"So you do know."
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
"Why did you do it?"
"It was just out of curiosity."
"Oh, really now…"
Yuri swung the Flame-Seal Sword through the air again.
A faint flame flared around the blade like a mirage. Though small, it was hot enough to warm the surrounding air.
The blade was just about to touch Edran's face.
"I'll talk!"
"You should've done that sooner."
Yuri pulled the Flame-Seal Sword back. Part of Edran's sideburns was singed by the heat.
It hadn't touched his skin, but the heat had reddened his cheek.
"You realize this isn't a joke now, right?"
Edran nodded frantically.
He had just seen that the third prince's eyes held not a flicker of emotion.
Had he stayed silent, his face would've been disfigured by burns.
"Now, talk."
Yuri raised a corner of his mouth in a smile and patted Edran's head. Then he personally trimmed the burnt sideburns with the dagger.
"Who told you to do it?"
"Uh…"
Edran wanted to lie. But the look in the third prince's eyes made it impossible.
The heat of the dagger near his ear finally made him open his mouth.
"The Duke's household…"
"Duke?"
"The Elgast Duchy…"
A familiar name came up.
The glimmering Oliver he had met at the banquet was from the Elgast family.
"Oliver?"
At the mention of the name, fear flashed across Edran's face. He didn't respond verbally—just nodded.
"What exactly did he say?"
"Um…"
"I mean, the reason he wanted you to approach me."
Now that he had spoken, Edran had no choice. They hadn't exactly shared any loyalty, anyway.
Before Yuri's dagger could come closer, he quickly answered.
"He told me to use a woman, or any other means, to approach Your Highness and somehow get you to take the drug…"
"The reason?"
"I don't know."
"You really don't?"
"Yes, yes! We weren't that close…"
"Be more honest."
Yuri leaned in close to Edran's face, gazing straight into his eyes.
Edran's pupils trembled with unease.
"If you lie, I'll stab you right away."
Yuri's voice resonated low.
"When Oliver asked you to do it, what were you really thinking?"
"T-that it was unfair, that I didn't want to hurt Your Highness…"
"Not that kind of thing. Be more honest."
The tip of the Flame-Seal Sword touched Edran's cheek. His skin split, and a drop of blood formed.
"You must've wondered to yourself why Oliver asked you to do something like this, right?"
"I just…"
"Humans are made to imagine, you know. Just like I'm imagining what your face would look like if it were burned right now."
"T-that…"
"Speak."
"I…"
Edran stammered out his answer.
"I thought it might be because of the Imperial Princess, Ekaterina…"
"The princess?"
"It was just a thought. I'm not certain."
"Why bring up the princess?"
"Oliver likes Her Highness. Well, obviously, she's beautiful…"
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Her Highness showed interest in you, Your Highness. I, I don't know exactly, but Oliver once said so. That she showed interest. So I thought, maybe he was targeting you out of jealousy. That's all. That's really all."
Yuri tossed the Flame-Seal Sword into the air and caught it repeatedly.
"So that's what you think…"
It made sense that Ekaterina would show interest in him.
He had led the Allied Army to victory. He was currently the most sought-after man in high society on the continent.
That was an objective fact.
And someone as curious as Ekaterina would've certainly done some digging to find out what kind of person Yuri Briol was.
That was the problem.
The men around Ekaterina almost inevitably fell for her.
Especially guys like Oliver, who thought too highly of themselves—they were even worse. He likely saw Yuri as a potential rival and tried to pull something.
Edran's speculation included, Yuri found the idea very plausible.
He'd experienced similar situations more than a few times in his previous life.
"I see."
"That's all I know. Truly…"
"Alright. Calm down, Edran."
It was time to ask something else.
"Now, a different question."
"Pardon?"
"Where did you get the drug? Did Oliver give you that too?"
Edran shut his eyes tightly.
Yuri didn't press him further. He no longer sensed any resistance in him.
After a brief pause to gather his thoughts, Edran opened his mouth.
"Please believe me. I really don't know. The person who sells it…"
He took a few deep breaths and said,
"Appears suddenly at night."
"What?"
"I really don't know. I was walking down an alley at night, and they suddenly showed up and offered me a drug that helps with swordsmanship."
"Explain in detail."
"They wear a black robe and hood, so I couldn't see their face. They move like ghosts. They said if I told anyone about them, they'd kill me."
"Better to die by my hand than theirs."
Yuri patted his shoulder to reassure him.
"And do you really think I'm the only one looking for them?"
"What?"
"The Empire's aware of how serious this is and is already moving. No matter how well they hide, they'll be caught eventually. All you need to do is give me the info."
That seemed to bring some relief, as Edran let out a slow breath.
"That's exactly how it happened. At first, they said it would help with swordsmanship, so I bought it out of curiosity. Then…"
"And?"
"I sold it to others too, saying it helped with swordsmanship and magic. It made me some pocket money, and, well, I kind of enjoyed how they couldn't refuse me…"
"Did you sell a lot to students?"
"Y-yes. Especially to swordfighters and mages—since the drug helps them improve…"
"How do you get in touch with the dealer?"
"I don't know. Even when I try to find them, they don't appear. They only show up when they want to. Sometimes, I even met them in our family's garden."
"That's not normal."
"Yes, exactly."
"Are they still dealing these days?"
"A-after Gott got caught by Your Highness, somehow, they found out and sent me a warning. Told me never to talk. And they never showed up again."
"That so."
"It's true. I haven't seen them even once since then."
"Got it."
Having grasped the general situation, Yuri nodded. And before wrapping up the interrogation, he asked Edran again.
"Is there anything else you want to say?"
"Pardon?"
"Anything, no matter how trivial, just tell me everything you know. If I find out later that you kept something to yourself, you'll regret it."
"A-ah, wait, I need time to think…"
Edran held his head in his hands.
"Are you sure you've told me everything?"
"Y-yes. I've said it all. It's just…"
Edran's eyes rolled around.
"O-Oliver knew I was getting the drug. I didn't sell a lot of it, so I wondered how he found out."
"And?"
"Y-yes, that, that's all."
"Alright."
Yuri released Edran.
"Edran."
"Yes?"
"Let's keep what happened today just between us."
"O-of course."
"If word of this gets out, it'll upset not just Oliver, but those drug dealers too, right?"
"Yes, that's true."
"I'll stay quiet too, so you just keep your mouth shut."
"Yes."
"And one last thing…"
While untying the ropes, Yuri suddenly grabbed a remaining piece and strangled Edran with it.
"Guhhh…"
"Don't mess with the Briol kids anymore, including Gott and Dale. Got that?"
"Uuh…"
"Answer me."
"Y-yes…"
Edran scratched at the rope with his fingernails.
"Keep that in mind."
When Yuri released his grip, Edran coughed violently, as if convulsing. Saliva dribbled from his mouth.
Yuri ruffled his hair.
"Did it hurt a lot? Sorry, I've got a bit of a temper."
"N-no, not at all…"
Yuri fixed Edran's disheveled clothes, which had gotten messy from being tied up.
"There, all done."
He grabbed Edran's chin and lifted his head, locking eyes with him.
In Edran's pupils, Yuri's own dark eyes were reflected.
The atmosphere was icy. His gaze was cold and ruthless enough to make someone tremble.
Yuri grinned with satisfaction.
Then Edran stammered,
"I-I really told you everything…"
"I know."
Yuri grabbed him by the shoulder and helped him up. Edran, whose legs had gone weak, wobbled but barely managed to stand.
As Yuri straightened Edran's wrinkled collar, he spoke.
"Edran, even if it started out like this, if things go well, maybe we can be good friends in the future."
There had been a similar case with Sven Gane. Of course, the person needed the will to rehabilitate themselves.
"Take care. Say hi if we run into each other again."
"Yes, sir."
"Let's leave first. If we walk out together, it'll look weird. Wait a bit, then leave."
"Yes."
As Yuri turned away, Laurent and Jared followed his lead.
Laurent gave Edran a cold glance, and Jared pointed to his own eyes with two fingers, then pointed at Edran. It meant: we'll be watching you.
Edran dazedly nodded his head.
As soon as Yuri stepped out of the classroom, he let out a sigh.
"The Empire's a mess."
"You said it. Caught one, and a whole string of filth followed it up."
"Couldn't have said it better."
He missed how relatively simple things were in Briol.
"Still, we got a lead. Gotta dig into that Oliver bastard."
"He's from a duke's family. Won't be easy."
"Gotta do something during the tournament period."
Like the other foreign delegations, Yuri's group was staying in the Empire until the tournament ended.
They soon went to meet the dean. The man took Yuri's hands warmly and smiled brightly.
"Everyone's saying your lecture was fantastic. Thank you."
"It was nothing."
"And…"
He smiled again.
"Please, don't be too harsh on them. They're still young, after all."
Yuri looked at the dean. He must've noticed that Edran had been taken.
The man waved his hand as if to say, don't worry.
"Well, he did wrong. You personally stepping in is only natural."
"Hope I didn't offend."
"Not at all. Someone had to do it. I should be thanking you for what you did regarding Gott. As his teacher, that should've been my job…"
"Thanks for saying that."
As expected of the dean who ran the Academium—he wasn't just anyone.
After finishing the conversation, Yuri left the Academium.
The streets were lively and noisy.
"Come to think of it, wasn't today the deadline?"
Today was the final day to submit entry forms for the tournament.
The citizens of the capital were already buzzing about who would end up as Ekaterina's partner.
Yuri chuckled.
Pretty flowers always had thorns.
Whoever won would have a hard time if they got involved with Ekaterina.
Yuri turned playfully toward Laurent and Jared.
"If one of us had entered, it would've been a great way to raise Briol's name. It's a bit of a shame."
Then Laurent nodded.
"Yes. I'll go raise Briol's name."
"Huh?"
Yuri looked at him.
Laurent met his eyes and gave a mysterious smile.
"I already submitted my application, Your Highness."