Chapter 231
Chapter 231
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 231
Chapter Title: 91. While the Enemy Sleeps (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The news that Brioll had recaptured Bezos echoed across the entire continent.
It had all happened in a single day.
And the one who accomplished it was Yuri Brioll, Brioll's royal prince, who was seen as Fiore's successor.
Once word spread that he had single-handedly slain multiple knight order commanders stationed in Bezos, Yuri Brioll's name began to be mentioned for one of the vacant seats among the Ten Greats, left empty by Fiore's disappearance.
Becoming one of the Ten Greats in one's early twenties was unprecedented.
As a result, the imperial capital buzzed with talk of Yuri Brioll.
He was royalty from an enemy kingdom, and the victims were imperial troops, so it wasn't an atmosphere for open praise. But in private gatherings, his feats were mentioned as a matter of course.
No one in the imperial capital, even among the imperial family, was unaware of Yuri Brioll.
Ireine, who was staying in the imperial capital, heard news of him frequently as well.
"Have you heard the news about Bezos?"
"I have."
Ireine sat face-to-face with Ekaterina. As always, she had arranged the meeting under the pretext of introducing Eastern goods.
Ekaterina ran her fingertips over the items Ireine had laid out and said,
"In our past life, it was hard to even see Eastern goods like these."
"Really?"
"The Allied Forces failed, after all."
"In the end, it's thanks to Prince Yuri—no, Your Highness."
"Right? He's the man I chose, after all. Isn't he?"
"Well... sure."
Ireine swallowed the words, This time around, we haven't even had much contact, before they could escape.
Considering that both of them had regressed, they weren't just acquaintances who'd met a couple of times as publicly known—they shared a very long history.
"Anyway, all these items are lovely this time. I'll take them all."
"Are you sure?"
"I have nothing else to do, so I might as well drain the imperial treasury a bit."
Ekaterina was acting as if she were captivated by Eastern goods to justify their regular meetings.
But to Ireine, it didn't seem like acting at all. Ekaterina genuinely liked the new items from the East.
She was dressed now in a red silk dress imported from the East, her platinum hair pinned up with an Eastern hairpin. Her slender white neck was exposed, occasionally drawing even Ireine's gaze despite being a woman herself.
Her beauty was overwhelming. Ireine felt a pang of envy for her employer.
"In our past life, we couldn't save the kingdom..."
"Hm?"
"Nothing."
Ireine cleared her throat and began organizing the items she'd laid out.
"They're all genuine, right?"
"Of course."
All the items Ekaterina purchased would be billed to the imperial palace.
Ireine changed the subject again.
"What do you think Brioll—or rather, His Highness Yuri—will do now? Will he come straight to the Empire?"
"Probably..."
Ekaterina tilted her head.
"...not."
"Why not?"
"Yuri will act differently from our past life. Charging straight in would just mean getting crushed like before—nothing changed."
"What do you mean by acting differently?"
"Who knows?"
"Hmm..."
"Want to brainstorm together?"
Ireine rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
Through Ekaterina, she had learned that her employer, Yuri Brioll, had returned to the past.
That allowed her to understand his actions to some extent.
Approaching her and giving her a chance, building her wealth—it was all to fight the Empire.
"He made the Allied Forces succeed and wiped out the orcs. He eliminated the Empire's allies."
"Yes."
"To weaken the enemy's forces and strengthen his own..."
Ireine had a sudden realization.
To topple a colossal enemy like the Empire, they needed to break from convention.
Recalling the vague outline of their past life's events from Ekaterina, she needed entirely new ideas.
The power gap was clear.
To overcome it, they had to change their approach.
So, what was Yuri Brioll thinking in this situation?
Ireine spoke up.
"The East."
Ekaterina fixed her with a steady gaze.
"It would be great if we could pull in the East."
"The East?"
"Yes. It's the true third power."
"How do you plan to pull them in?"
"We'll have to think about that slowly. Hm, maybe His Highness is already considering it? Or should I let him know? No, in the end, it's my job..."
Since learning the truth from Ekaterina, Ireine hadn't contacted Yuri. She needed time to sort her thoughts.
But now she trusted Ekaterina, and she understood there was some unknown threat lurking in the Empire.
It was time to move again.
"I need to contact His Highness."
"They say they're checking every carrier pigeon coming in and out of the imperial capital these days."
Ekaterina added suddenly.
She was struggling to untangle a pearl necklace Ireine had given her.
"Better to send someone in person. Even that might get inspected..."
"It's fine."
Ireine smiled and took the necklace from Ekaterina's hand. With a few deft touches, the chain straightened out instantly.
As she handed the necklace back, Ireine said,
"I have just the person for the job."
"Who? Ah, that girl?"
"Yes. Asana."
The term "girl" grated a bit, but Ireine brushed it off as her imagination. By physical age, Asana was older, but counting their past lives, Ekaterina was the senior.
Ekaterina tilted her head and pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Alright, I'll send a letter too."
Yuri, who had recaptured Bezos, wasn't exactly basking in joy.
To him, it was an expected outcome.
"The Black Knight wasn't even there to begin with."
"It's still an impressive feat."
"No. It was a minor victory, nothing more."
Ainzer, standing beside him, thought it over briefly.
If the Black Knight had remained and clashed with Brioll's prince here...
Even then, he couldn't picture Yuri losing one-sidedly. No, Yuri might even win.
Yuri's prowess in the previous battle had been nothing short of miraculous.
It was as if Fiore himself had returned, swinging his sword.
"Now we prepare for the next move."
"The next move?"
"Yes."
Yuri stood atop the walls with Ainzer, looking down at the interior of Bezos fortress.
Soldiers were busily cleaning up inside.
Yuri tapped the railing as he spoke.
"Now that we've reclaimed Bezos fortress intact..."
The walls Inariel had raised sank back down as if by magic once the battle ended, without even a clean cut left behind.
As if it had all been a dream, no traces remained.
Thus, Bezos fortress had regained its former solidity.
"Now we let the fence-sitters know. If they want to live, they join us."
"The fence-sitters..."
"The minor kingdoms."
To the north of the continent lay the Empire. To its lower left were the Holy Kingdom and Burson; to the right, Liberda.
Further southeast lay Brioll, bordering the plains.
In the center among those five nations were countless minor kingdoms scattered about.
Larger nations occasionally formed, only to splinter soon after. What the Empire and the other four allies saw as mere territories had banded together into a loose confederation.
To wage war against the Empire ahead, they needed to bring those under control first.
No need to cite the past life—even recently, when the Empire marched on Bezos, those kingdoms had simply opened the way.
Ainzer nodded.
"You're saying we strike the Central Confederation."
"Exactly. The Empire's gone quiet for some reason. Better to move first while we can. Make them see that allying with us is their only path to survival."
"They might not believe us..."
"We'll make them."
Yuri tapped the hilt of Guilty.
"Put this in front of them, and they'll believe."
"Hahaha..."
But Ainzer's expression wasn't bright.
There were many minor kingdoms, and united, their influence wasn't negligible. They even had their pride, making backlash against Yuri likely.
"Ainzer."
"Yes."
"Do you know what those confederation fools say every day?"
"What?"
"That their nations are small, but on equal footing, they'd match the Empire or the other four. So in war, equal numbers mean they'd win."
"Well, that's their usual rhetoric..."
"Let's use that against them."
"You mean...?"
"What else?"
Yuri grinned and gazed at the soldiers training inside Bezos fortress.
Compared to their past lives, all had reached higher levels. Thanks to Yuri's efforts to improve skills across the board.
He'd refined the kingdom's Mana Circulation Method for distribution and had knights train the soldiers.
"Match their numbers exactly, crush them flat, and they won't have a word to say."
"Oh..."
Ainzer's face lit up.
"In that case, what about me, Ainzer?"
"I'll leave Brioll in your hands for now."
"Pardon...?"
"If a skilled, seasoned knight like you goes, they'll make excuses. So just me and the Vengeance Knights will go—crush them so hard they can't even complain."
"Mm, er..."
"Won't take long. You'll have work to do in the meantime."
"Just say the word."
"I need more intel on black magic."
Yuri's voice lowered.
"Hernando, Marirose, and Lady Inariel will join you. Find a way to locate the Mage Tower Master, whatever it takes."
The Mage Tower Master.
He managed all the Mage Towers scattered across the continent.
He rarely acted directly, but as the sole inheritor of the administrator role since the towers' founding, he held the greatest authority in the magical world.
But he hadn't shown himself in ages. He wasn't someone you could meet just by wanting to.
"Me?"
"Yes. Too much?"
"No, no. Of course I'll do it. But..."
Ainzer rolled his eyes.
"They say he's somewhere in a Mage Tower, but no one's seen him in years. No one even knows where he really is."
"That's why I'm asking you."
"Yes..."
"Use your connections, whatever it takes. Hernando and Marirose will help too, of course."
"What about Lady Inariel?"
"She'll cooperate, but..."
Yuri recalled Inariel's reaction when he mentioned the Mage Tower Master.
She hadn't seemed fond of him.
"Anyway, it's on you, Ainzer. Feel free to seek help from others."
"What do you plan to do if we find him?"
"Our mages will handle it."
The continent still didn't recognize black magic's existence.
If Brioll, hostile to the Empire, claimed black magic had engulfed the imperial palace, it'd be dismissed as black propaganda or conspiracy.
So Yuri planned to convince the Mage Tower Master.
He represented all continent's mages.
If he acknowledged and announced the link between black magic and the Empire, it'd be as good as gaining every mage's support. Then, everyone on the continent would believe the threat of black magic.
In short, a plan to isolate the Empire.
"No one will associate with those reeking of black magic."
"As expected..."
Ainzer looked at Yuri with admiration.
"You're not just planning to brute-force a win."
"That stings a bit."
"I'm an animal, so yeah, I've got bones."
"..."
"Sorry."
Yuri clapped Ainzer on the back.
"I'll head out tomorrow. So tonight, let's throw a grand feast."
"Sounds good!"
"I'll test just how much you can drink myself."
"I'm the one they call Brioll's bottomless pit. It all goes in, no spills."
"Impressive!"
The morning after the grand feast.
Yuri awoke with a hangover, glanced at the spot beside him, and doubted his own eyes.