Genard Jetherie.
The greedy duke of Euzeth.
If nothing else, he had an exceptional talent for sniffing out the scent of power.
Had he been born in the Empire, he would probably have enjoyed even greater wealth and glory.
But it was a meaningless assumption.
Genard was a noble of Briol, and thus, he was stabbed in the neck by the prince of Briol.
"Guhhh…."
The fallen Genard rolled his eyes in disbelief.
Yuri showed little interest in him. Just as one would not bother to confirm whether a fly wriggling on the ground was truly dead, Yuri, after piercing Genard's neck, immediately turned his gaze away.
Thus, Genard died miserably, leaving only a rattling breath.
"Hey, Genard's knight, what's your name?"
As always, Yuri asked the name of the person who caught his interest.
It was the knight who had blocked Genard's front at the very end.
"M-my name is Vicius."
"Vicius, huh, fine name. Will you die, or will you join me?"
"Pardon?"
"If you protected Genard out of loyalty to him, then just die now, but if it was to uphold your duty as a knight, then come to me."
Yuri grinned.
"In my opinion, there's a better place for you to spend your life. If you want to risk your life, risk it for a better master. Someone like me, a true lord."
Then Jared, who was standing behind, grumbled.
"Wow, you actually said that out loud…"
"Shut it."
Vicius hesitated.
A knight who had just lost his lord could not shamelessly swear loyalty right away to the one who had killed that lord.
But his worry was unnecessary.
"Please spare me!"
"I will serve Your Highness!"
"We hated Genard too!"
Before he could answer, everyone else in the room began to kneel before Yuri and swear loyalty.
There was no such thing as gods here.
Vicius opened his mouth.
"Uh…"
"Look at them, Vicius. I know what you're thinking, but is that pride of yours really so important? If it is, I won't stop you. I'll just cut off your head."
"If I serve Your Highness, then I…"
"If you do, when the time comes for you to die by an enemy's blade, you won't hesitate like just now."
"Uh…"
"Well, best not to die at all, of course."
To be able to stand before death without shame—what a blessed honor that was.
Vicius remembered the turmoil that had swirled in his head while defending Genard just moments ago.
When he stood before death, he could be honest with himself.
His body had moved, yes, but he hadn't wanted to die for a man like that.
Vicius nodded at once.
"Shameful as it is, I will serve Your Highness."
"Good. From now on, you'll have nothing to be ashamed of. Come here and stand with my men."
Yuri beckoned.
"Uh…"
"It'll feel awkward at first, but they're still awkward too, so read the room and get along."
"Yes…"
"Everyone, get along well, understood?"
It was a sloppy way of herding him into the group as if dealing with a child, but Vicius simply stood with the knights who followed Yuri.
"Hey, Vicius."
"Dalton?"
"It's been a while."
He even met a knight he knew there.
And so, Vicius entered Yuri's group.
Having recruited a knight so casually, Yuri then urged the retainer who had served under Genard.
"Hey, remember what I said? Call in all the nobles who followed Genard."
"Pardon?"
"Summon them quickly."
The man, who used to trail after Genard with a sly smile and acted as something of a strategist, was being ordered.
"Most of them are in nearby domains, so they should arrive quickly."
"Ah, understood!"
He was quick-witted.
To have enjoyed Genard's favor in the first place, he had to be good at flattering. So he nodded immediately at Yuri's words without adding any retort.
"Servant Bordeaux! I will do my utmost for Your Highness! Loyalty!"
"Loyalty my ass. You wanna die?"
"Sorry."
"Just do your job."
A man named Bordeaux fetched Genard's seal and began producing letters.
"So many of them."
There were more than ten.
Bordeaux wrote the letters, stamped them with the seal, sealed them with the Jetherie family crest in wax, then summoned messengers and lined them up. He even threatened them not to leak a word of this situation outside, going so far as to kick the shin of a messenger whose eyes wavered for a moment.
"Get your head straight! Understood!"
"Yes!"
"Your lives depend on these letters. Bring back the best possible results with all your might!"
"Yes!"
"Go!"
The tightly disciplined messengers left the room.
Yuri watched from the window as ten horses in turn departed the castle.
"Bordeaux."
"Yes!"
"Don't get carried away."
Yuri kicked his shin.
Bordeaux hopped about, still smiling.
"Hehe, my apologies."
He really did have a natural talent for flattery. His mind was fairly quick too—properly handled, he could be useful.
"Bordeaux, was it? What's your life's goal?"
"Pardon?"
"Wealth? Honor? Why did you work so hard beside Genard?"
"Well, I…"
Bordeaux rolled his eyes.
As Yuri's mood grew more serious, he gave a more honest answer instead of flattery. Truly, his ability to read the atmosphere was impressive.
"Money. Honestly, it was for money. I wanted to earn a lot and have a fox-like wife and rabbit-like children…"
"That's enough."
"Yes sir. Money."
"Got it. I'll give you more than Genard did, so from now on, you follow my orders."
"Would I dare refuse! Then, shall I go to the royal capital…"
"No, you'll stay in Euzeth."
"Th-th-that means, could it be that you're making me duke…"
"Of course not, you crazy bastard. Have you lost your mind?"
"Ah, yes. Yes…"
"You'll manage the man who will someday rule Euzeth, stay by his side. Understood?"
"Ah, understood."
"If you pull any tricks, you'll end up like that."
Yuri jerked his chin toward the center of the room.
Genard's corpse still lay abandoned there. Blood from his body had pooled thick on the floor.
Yuri's one-point thrust had pierced cleanly through Genard's neck past Vicius.
To most people's eyes, Yuri appeared to be a swordsman who had reached an incomprehensible realm.
"Summon all of Genard's blood relatives as well. We'll take care of them all today."
***
Once Yuri, through Joshua's letter, made his authority as the king's representative known, no one dared block him any longer. Even the knights who had resisted for Genard acknowledged Yuri.
He completely seized control of Euzeth Castle.
Yuri searched through Genard's office and found several hidden crystal orbs. He also found letters exchanged with the Empire.
"As expected, there it is."
It seemed they hadn't managed to forge a deep connection yet, but it was still enough evidence that the Empire had sought to rot Briol from within.
However, the figure suspected to be a dark mage appeared to have already left.
"Your Highness."
As Yuri was going through the documents, Jared came to him.
"I have gathered the entire Jetherie family."
"Well done."
Yuri left the office with Jared.
In the large hall where Genard had often held banquets, members of the Jetherie family were seated.
Not knowing what was happening, the relatives looked confused, but upon seeing Yuri's face, they fell silent.
"Hey, good to see you all."
Yuri sat at the head seat, crossed his legs, then looked at Genard's legitimate wife seated beside him and spoke.
"Genard, well, he ended up like that. My condolences."
She was silent for a moment, then soon closed her eyes and nodded.
"Yes."
There seemed to be little lingering attachment.
It was as if she had expected a day like this to come sooner or later.
"He committed too many crimes. I could overlook the backdoor dealings, but conspiring with the Empire means I can't let him live. Don't you agree?"
No particular reaction came back. Everyone simply lowered their heads in silence.
Yuri shrugged. Knowing Genard's temperament, he could easily imagine how badly he must have treated even his own relatives. Perhaps, deep down, they were glad.
Yuri continued.
"The reason I called you here is simple. Someone has to succeed Genard."
At that, a few of those who had their heads lowered suddenly lifted their gaze.
Yuri's lips curved upward.
"Getting interested now? Those of you who just looked up, stand up."
***
While Yuri was settling matters in Euzeth, Cory was in a tight spot.
"Hey, you."
Cory lowered his head to the man.
"Come quietly, understood?"
"Yes…"
Cory's hands were bound in shackles. They carried a curse that suppressed mana, so even if he wanted to use magic, he couldn't.
All he could do was stumble along clumsily as the man led him.
"Walk straight."
"Y-yes…"
Cory mulled over recent events.
How had things come to this?
He had been studying word-spirit magic under Cruar.
Though he was born with a Dragon Speech Organ, he was still clumsy with it, and its function had yet to fully awaken, so his progress was slow.
Even so, Cory trained diligently.
Someday, he wanted to fully master this word-spirit magic and be of help to Yuri.
Then one day, Cruar said this.
'It seems Briol is in danger. If the great dragon Cruar were to help, the crisis could be averted, but due to the contract with the Empire, that may be difficult…'
'Is that true?'
'The great dragon Cruar does not speak nonsense.'
Cory grew anxious.
From time to time, he went down to the village to buy necessities, and each time, he checked on Briol's situation.
The Empire had set up camp in Bezos, the continent's strongest swordsman, Fiore Briol, and his son, Cedric Briol, had gone missing, and Yuri Briol had collapsed and had yet to regain consciousness.
Hearing such news one after another, Cory eventually decided to leave.
But Cruar would not allow it.
'Cory. Until you have fully mastered word-spirit magic, I cannot send you. If you wish to go, it must be after you've mastered it.'
She set that condition.
But if he waited until he mastered word-spirit magic, Briol might not survive.
So Cory pretended he was going to town for necessities, then immediately began his journey toward Briol.
He felt sorry to Cruar, but there was no helping it.
However, before long, he was captured by a group of bandits.
And he was sold into slavery.
"You look unusual, and you seem to know magic, so if I sell you to a circus, you'll fetch a good price."
"Slavery is prohibited on the continent…"
"What nonsense is that?"
The slaver burst out laughing.
"In these parts, no one can say anything. The noble lords of the Empire turn a blind eye in secret. They leave it be because they have their reasons."
Cruar's lair was in a remote mountain in the Empire's northwest.
Briol, located in the continent's southeast, was on the complete opposite side. Perhaps because of that, the people's customs here were entirely different.
"As long as you don't resist, I won't beat you. It's just pitiful to hit someone like you."
"Am I supposed to be grateful?"
"I'm just saying."
The slaver brought Cory to a small village.
If the villages he passed through in Briol were small but warm in atmosphere, the residents here eyed each other warily and exchanged grim looks.
In a corner of the village was a small, wandering circus troupe.
"Not buying."
"Just take a look at the goods."
The circus leader, initially uninterested, soon widened his eyes at Cory's appearance.
A half-orc, one he had only heard of in stories.
And one who could speak, and seemed to carry himself fairly well.
"He can even use magic?"
"Yeah. Clumsy, but he can handle mana. Of course, not at a dangerous level. A few good beatings and he's in no state to use any magic."
"Does that shackle come with him?"
"Yeah. With this alone, he can't use mana. Just take it off when he's performing. A magic-using half-breed—how curious is that?"
"Ugly as sin, but using magic? Must be smarter than the other half-breeds."
"Yeah. Not just magic, but he talks a mile a minute. Uses fancy words too. Even spouts lies about being acquainted with the 3rd prince of Briol…"
Cory flared up.
"That's not a lie."
"Shut up."
The slaver's fist struck, and Cory collapsed to the floor.
"Getting uppity, are we, interrupting when your elders are talking?"
Up until now, he hadn't used much violence, but it seemed he got touchy when it came time to exchange money.
Cory wiped his bloody nose and got back on his feet.
The slaver and the circus leader continued their talk.
"You're performing for an Imperial noble soon, right?"
"That's true, but…"
"You think your usual act will do? You need something like this for a spectacle."
"A magic-using half-breed. Curious, yes, but not exactly spectacular."
"He's smart, isn't he? You could teach him something. How about making him grunt like a pig?"
"Pig?"
"Yeah. Just have him act like an ugly pig, then suddenly—bam—use magic. Wouldn't that be a surprise?"
"That's actually not bad."
At last, their bargaining ended.
Cory was sold to the circus for a rather high price.
The slaver gave strict warnings.
"You try anything funny, and there'll be a bounty on your head. Someone as ugly as you couldn't hide anywhere. So behave. My reputation's on the line."
"Even a slaver has a reputation?"
"Talking back again."
The slaver raised his fist as if to hit him again, then sighed.
"Everyone's got their own limits. What else could you do for a living? Look in the mirror. Tsk tsk…"
Cory was angry, but he could only endure it.
"You'll regret this later."
"As if."
It was true that his appearance was grotesque.
But in Briol, the people he met had accepted even someone like him warmly, and had even taught him magic.
He wanted desperately to meet them again.
So, when he was being dragged away by the circus leader, he said this.
"Let me go."
"What are you talking about?"
"All right. If I earn a lot of money, you let me go. How about that?"
"Hm…"
"If not, I won't perform or anything. You can beat me to death if you want."
"All right, fine."
"Really?"
"Most of the other members are in a situation similar to yours. If you pay back the money, I'll do as you wish. But the interest will keep piling up. And most of them end up staying on even after paying it back. What would you even do out there?"
"I have something I need to do."
"Then try your best."
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