"Gorio."
"Yes."
"You're sure about this, right?"
"I am."
Yuri was hiding with Jared and Gorio in a corner of the back alleys of the Imperial Capital.
They poked their heads out just enough to observe the faces of the passing vagrants, then hid again, repeating the process.
"The drugs aren't coming from outside."
Gorio, who had seized control of the back alleys of the capital, deployed his men to investigate the source of the drugs. And he had reached one conclusion.
The drugs weren't being smuggled in from outside. They were appearing and spreading from within the capital itself.
Furthermore, of the two types of drugs, the high-grade one was, just as Yuri had extracted from Edran, being traded directly among the nobles.
And the low-grade drug, targeted at the lower class, was being distributed through a certain group centered in the back alleys.
"The Tiger Gang operating in this area is dealing the drugs."
The Tiger Gang was one of the groups the Gorio Group had pushed out.
After the Gorio Group, fronted by the uncle's daily loan business, seized the loan shark market, the Tiger Gang lost their territory and scattered.
But now, the supposedly disappeared Tiger Gang had started roaming the alleys again.
"There they are."
Soon, a group of dark-skinned men in black clothing appeared.
They walked with exaggeratedly puffed-up shoulders, loitering around. The residents dared not face them and kept their heads down, pressed to the walls as they moved.
Yuri glanced at Gorio.
"Gorio, you don't strut around like that too, do you?"
"What do you take me for?"
"Alright, relax your face."
Yuri patted his shoulder. Gorio might be a thug, but he cared about appearances.
"Your Highness, I'm a businessman. Just in a slightly illicit field, that's all."
"Yeah, yeah…"
If he weren't a subordinate, Yuri might've kicked him, but now he was under his wing.
Yuri simply patted his back.
"I trust you, Gorio."
"Thank you."
"Anyway…"
Yuri spoke again.
"In the end, he's probably no different from Edran. He's selling without even knowing anything."
"That's likely. One of my men questioned him, but he didn't reveal anything. Just played dumb."
"Is your guy alright?"
"I had to throw him into the temple. I only told him to pretend, but he ended up actually getting addicted."
"What, you should've told me. Dropping my name works."
"Would he get a discount?"
"No, but I get a commission."
Gorio didn't reply and turned his head. Yuri felt slightly ignored, but since they were in hiding, he let it go.
The Tiger Gang continued to loiter, glancing around.
Yuri activated his mana method to enhance his hearing.
Faint voices from the Tiger Gang began to come through.
"Are we going to get nothing today?"
"Why aren't they showing up? We're running low on supply…"
"Those bastards do whatever they want."
Just like with Edran, it seemed the drug dealers appeared unpredictably.
Yuri continued to wait.
He wanted to just go beat them and make them talk, but that wouldn't yield anything useful.
Jared, hiding behind them, asked,
"Your Highness, what if nothing happens?"
"Then we clock out."
"We've been doing this for days…"
"You thought investigations were easy? It's always a lonely job."
"Coming all the way to the capital for this…"
Jared sighed.
"I envy Sir Laurent…"
Back in Briol, Laurent was the only one participating in the tournament.
Yuri had given him time to freely prepare.
So right now, Laurent was either discussing swordsmanship with other knights or training alone in preparation for the tournament.
"You should've submitted an application too."
"I didn't know Sir Laurent was going to apply."
"If you want to do something, just do it."
"You're not mad at Sir Laurent, are you?"
"You wanna die?"
Yuri honestly hadn't expected Laurent to sign up for the tournament.
It left him with mixed feelings, but he pushed it aside and focused back on the Tiger Gang.
"Everyone, quiet."
Yuri put a finger to his lips.
"Something's coming."
His sensing ability picked up on something.
A dark, murky energy was trailing the Tiger Gang from beyond the wall of the slums.
"Suppress your presence and stay on standby."
At those words, the three fell silent. They didn't even breathe loudly.
Only the Tiger Gang's grumbling voices echoed faintly.
Then it happened.
Someone cloaked in black landed silently behind the Tiger Gang. Yuri instinctively reached for Guilty at his side.
Quick and nimble. It reminded him of Asana.
The figure in black leapt over the wall without a sound. Then pulled out a thick pouch from inside their cloak and gave it a shake.
The jangling sound startled the Tiger Gang, and they spun around.
"Whoa, shit."
"Scared me!"
"I told you to make some damn noise when you move."
"Man, almost gave me a heart attack."
They cursed at the figure, but he remained unbothered.
He waited until the gang had calmed down, then said a single word.
"Ten gold."
"What?"
One of the Tiger Gang members stepped forward to take the pouch. He laid out a scale and measured the weight of the bag.
After checking the scale, he shook his head.
"Boss, it's less than last time."
"What?"
The big man standing in the center seemed to be the boss.
He approached, checked the scale himself, and looked at the black-cloaked figure.
"The amount's less, but why are you charging more?"
The figure gave no reply. He just held out his hand again, as if there was nothing more to say.
The boss chewed his lip and asked again.
"Come on, we've been doing business a long time. Can't you cut us a deal?"
The figure shook his head.
The boss put his hands on his hips and looked up at the sky, letting out a sigh.
"Making me look bad in front of my guys…"
Watching the scene, Yuri whispered to Gorio.
"Gorio, would you act like that?"
"No."
Gorio chuckled.
"Better to accept it than be humiliated."
"Exactly."
The black-cloaked figure remained calm. He didn't resort to force—just silently held out his hand, demanding the money.
The boss, as if reluctantly granting a favor, jerked his chin toward someone behind him.
"Give it to him. This guy really loves money. Just give it."
"Yes, sir."
A subordinate stepped forward with a pouch of coins and handed it over.
The figure accepted it and checked the amount of gold inside.
The boss added,
"Seriously? Checking it right in front of us? That's embarrassing. Don't you agree?"
The figure's silence seemed to embolden them. Behind the boss, some of the underlings began snickering.
And then it happened.
"Huh?"
The figure's hand moved as he packed away the pouch.
A thin line formed across the neck of the man who had handed over the money. The gap opened up, and a torrent of bright red blood poured out.
The man staggered, eyes wide, unable to even scream.
"W-what?"
The entire Tiger Gang froze in panic. But no one dared move.
The figure gave the boss a glance, then turned and walked away.
None of the Tiger Gang dared pursue him, nor did they try to save their dying comrade leaning against the wall.
Yuri turned his attention away from them.
"Gorio, they're hopeless. Clean this up later."
"Understood."
"Jared, let's go. Gorio, good work."
"Understood."
Yuri began pursuing the black-cloaked figure with Jared.
They used the mana method to lighten their bodies, hiding their presence as they slipped through the back alleys.
The black-cloaked figure moved freely across buildings and walls, his speed suddenly increasing and then slowing down again.
Yuri noticed something odd.
"He's going in circles."
"Did he notice us?"
"No, he's just being thorough."
The black-cloaked figure was deliberately taking unnecessary routes to shake off any possible pursuers.
He passed through crowded commercial streets, or entered the front of an illegal gambling den and exited through the back.
Yuri persistently kept a certain distance as he followed.
If it weren't for his exceptional sensing ability, he would've already lost him.
Jared was now simply trailing behind Yuri.
"You're still following him, right?"
"Yeah."
"That dark bastard, he's really slippery…"
Yuri quickened his pace. The black-cloaked figure was getting farther away.
"Jared."
"Yes."
"We're running. This isn't working."
"What if he spots us?"
"Better than losing him."
There was no telling if they'd be able to pick up his trail again.
Yuri was willing to risk being seen in order to keep chasing the black-cloaked figure.
He wanted to uncover the truth about the drugs before the tournament ended.
His instincts were telling him that the black magic, the drugs, and the emperor's descent into madness were all connected.
Which meant this was war.
"Jared, don't fall behind."
Yuri sprinted. His feet kicked off the air as he flew forward.
Jared's startled voice grew fainter behind him. Yuri didn't care, rushing toward the direction he sensed the black-cloaked figure.
The figure seemed to be getting closer, but then the distance stabilized again.
Realizing he was being followed, the man had started to flee as well.
"Too late."
Yuri summoned the power of Heart-Soul Slash.
This mana method, which moved exactly as he willed, held infinite potential. Yuri projected the image of a bird onto his body.
His air-time extended greatly. With each step off a wall, he soared over entire houses.
Yuri thought he had almost caught him.
But then—
Yuri stopped. He couldn't go any farther.
He stood there blankly, staring ahead.
He couldn't move forward.
The massive structure that blocked his path made him realize that this situation was about to become much bigger than he anticipated.
"Huff, huff… Your Highness…"
Jared finally caught up, panting beside him.
"Where'd he go?"
Instead of replying, Yuri pointed ahead with a finger.
"Pardon?"
There was still distance between them and the black-cloaked figure, with several buildings obscuring their view.
Even so, the structure Yuri pointed at towered far into the sky, glowing softly under the night sky with the lights of the brightly lit Imperial Capital reflecting off it.
Jared muttered,
"The Imperial Palace?"
***
The next day, Yuri left the Duforia Hotel to meet a certain royal.
She was staying at a villa outside the Imperial Palace, not far from Ragna's mansion. It made Yuri wonder if there was a designated area where royals lived together.
"Katrina?"
Jared tilted his head.
"Who's that?"
"The Emperor's niece."
"How do you know someone like that?"
"She might become my sister-in-law."
"Eh?"
Before leaving for the Empire, Yuri had been briefed by Cedric.
Cedric was in a long-distance relationship with Katrina.
"That's impressive. Long-distance relationships aren't easy to maintain."
"Right…"
Before Yuri departed for the Empire, Cedric had told him to seek her out if he ever needed help.
Yuri didn't want to trouble his brother's lover, but given how urgent things were, he had decided to ask Katrina for help.
He rode a carriage and arrived at the entrance of the estate.
He identified himself to the guards.
"I'm Yuri Briol. I've come to see Princess Katrina."
The guards opened the gate. As he stepped inside, a butler came out to greet him.
He led Yuri and Jared to a parasol set up in the garden.
"Please wait here a moment. She'll be with you shortly."
"Thanks."
"Not at all."
Yuri sat at the tea table, enjoying the cool breeze.
Unlike Ragna's garden, which was left to grow wild, this one was properly maintained.
Various kinds of flowers were neatly arranged by color, and the tall trees had their branches delicately trimmed.
Suddenly, a delicious smell wafted over.
While he was distracted by the garden, a plate of freshly baked bread—straight from the oven—was placed on the table.
"Oh, thank you."
Yuri looked up to thank the attendant.
And immediately realized his mistake.
The woman wearing a baker's hat smiled brightly at him.
"Hello?"
Her bright blonde hair shone in the sunlight.
Looking into her emerald eyes, Yuri was reminded that, just like in Briol, the bloodline of the Empire was also remarkably strong.
Yuri stood up and bowed.
"Please forgive my rudeness."
"It's alright. You can sit."
Katrina was dressed plainly, like a woman working in a bakery.
"I'm Katrina."
"I'm Yuri Briol. Younger brother of Sir Cedric."
"I've heard a lot about you."
Katrina gazed at Yuri. Then, suddenly, she reached out and fiddled with a strand of his hair.
Yuri was a bit startled, but stayed still without reacting.
"You really do look like Cedric."
Katrina's eyes sparkled with mischief.