Chapter 237
Chapter 237
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 237
Chapter Title: 92. Overlord's Banner (5)
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Yuri raised his sword and stepped forward.
The knight named Joseph, who had stepped up as his opponent, stood there rigid with tension before matching Yuri's movements with his own feet.
In an instant, the two of them were spinning across the dueling ground.
When Yuri thrust his sword, Joseph hurriedly retreated.
Whether due to the earlier threat or not, he eyed Yuri warily like a cat with its fur bristled. His mouth mumbled faintly, as if he was even considering forfeiting if things went south.
Yuri chuckled and spoke again.
"It was a joke. Don't be so tense."
"Y-Yes..."
"Here I come."
Yuri advanced naturally, swinging his sword. He hadn't put much power into it, so Joseph blocked it without much trouble.
The exchange between Yuri and Joseph continued.
The level Yuri was feigning was so perfectly pitched that Joseph began to delusionally think he was holding his own quite well.
From time to time, Yuri hammered down a powerful strike to keep Joseph on edge.
As he did, he lifted his eyes to glance at the knights from Conzed waiting in the back.
Among them, the one standing in the center.
A black aura coiled around his body like a serpent, lying in wait.
The moment Yuri ended his duel, that one would dart back and target the remaining Brioll knight.
If they didn't deal with it soon, they would lose the Overlord's Banner battle—and Simon might suffer serious injury.
Yuri shifted his gaze to Rail.
He had yet to meet this kingdom's king, so he couldn't be certain, but at the very least, that prime minister Rail had to know about this black magic ploy.
Gripping Guilty tightly, Yuri varied his movements.
His senses sharpened to their utmost.
What he was attempting now was a feat difficult even for someone of exceptional skill.
But Yuri intended to pull it off.
He tracked every move Joseph made against him while calculating the formation of the knights standing behind.
Taking into account Joseph's level, the levels of the knights in the rear, and every possibility allowed to him, Yuri began to move.
He deliberately swung his arm wide, aiming for Joseph's shoulder. Joseph fell back, but their swords clashed with a resounding clang.
"Kuh...!"
The impact must have been considerable, as Joseph clutched his wrist.
Yuri spun Guilty in a few circles as he eyed him, then drove Joseph toward the corner of the dueling ground.
The pattern repeated: Yuri attacked, Joseph defended. At a glance, it looked like Yuri was pressing hard while Joseph was holding up admirably.
Yuri cornered Joseph.
He had nowhere left to run. Joseph's face paled.
In that instant, Yuri's eyes widened.
His vision slipped back into the realm of Heart-Soul Severing.
He saw Joseph scrambling desperately and the black-aura knight standing stock-still.
The timing Yuri seized was a mere split-second.
Targeting the perfect convergence of all elements, he deliberately opened up one side.
Joseph spotted the gap and immediately lunged outward.
Since Yuri had created the space on purpose, Joseph believed he had escaped the corner on his own.
Yuri thrust at him right away.
Joseph reflexively raised his sword, and the blades collided.
From the repeated clashes, Joseph had already damaged his wrist.
His sword trembled ever so slightly.
Halfway out of the corner, he had to weather Yuri's assault.
His face twisted in agony.
Yuri kicked his thigh, and Joseph buckled halfway from the pain.
Yuri brought Guilty down from above. Joseph reflexively tilted his sword upward to block.
The blades rang out once more.
Yuri swung again.
Terrified in that moment, Joseph dropped his sword and rolled forward to dodge.
Yuri smashed the now masterless blade with a mighty swing.
And then.
Something sudden happened.
Joseph's sword spun wildly from the immense impact, ricocheting in another direction before embedding itself in the chest of someone standing still.
The victim was the knight harboring the black mass.
Blood sprayed.
In that instantaneous clash, the Heart-Soul Severing sword energy latent in Guilty had transferred to Joseph's blade, shredding the foul black energy lurking in the knight's body.
The pure white glow of Heart-Soul Severing in Joseph's sword faded into the air alongside the black magic aura.
The Conzed knight collapsed.
Everyone was stunned by the abrupt turn of events.
"Ah..."
The surrounding knights rushed to administer first aid, but it was too late.
With his chest pierced through, he had died instantly.
Yuri raised both hands.
"Oh dear..."
He frowned as if truly regretful, alternating glances between Joseph and the fallen knight.
"Who would've thought you'd drop your sword and run..."
For a knight, it was utterly humiliating.
And because of it, another knight had died—leaving Joseph in profound shock.
He stared blankly at the fallen knight before rushing over in a panic.
Yuri muttered.
"Joseph, ring-out loss."
Of course, it had all gone exactly according to Yuri's plan.
Target the wrist to sap his strength, seize control of the sword in a flash, then smack it into the black magic host lurking behind.
Now, there was nothing left to hinder Brioll.
Yuri shrugged as if regretful and looked at Rail.
"An unfortunate accident. My condolences."
Rail's face was the picture of bewilderment.
"Th-this, like this..."
"The Overlord's Banner rules do cover cases like this. Accidents can't halt the event. Send out your next knight, Rail."
Evidently, such incidents had occurred in the past, as the rules explicitly addressed them.
Even if another contestant uninvolved in the duel was injured by mishap, the Overlord's Banner battle continued.
There could be no liability for a weapon that ricocheted and struck someone.
"With this mess, we'll just need two more bouts. Right?"
"......"
Yuri calmly demanded to continue the Overlord's Banner battle right after a knight had died.
Of course, Rail couldn't refuse.
They hastily cleared the knight's body amid the chaos, and the event pressed on in the unsettled atmosphere. The remaining two knights from Conzed, unable to regain their composure, fell to Jared and Simon like playthings.
With the black magic gone, it was far too easy.
Thus, Brioll claimed victory three to one.
Yuri approached Rail, who stood there dazed.
When Yuri placed a hand on his shoulder, he flinched before lifting his head.
"The flag?"
"Ah, yes..."
"And you mentioned staying the night earlier. That still good?"
"Of course."
He forced a smile.
"Conzed doesn't mistreat its guests."
Lodging was provided for the Vengeance Knights, complete with bathing facilities.
The Vengeance Knights soaked away the fatigue accumulated from their long travels in the hot water.
Once he'd finished freshening up first, Yuri summoned Jared.
"You noticed something was off, right?"
"Yes."
Yuri explained what had happened. When he got to the part about the black magic aura hopping around to target Tirbo and Gines, Jared let out a hollow laugh.
"Truly bizarre. So that's why you killed that knight?"
"Yeah."
"Your Highness pulling that off is impressive."
"It was me."
Yuri crossed his arms and continued.
"Anyway, two options. We rest and leave. Or we turn Conzed upside down. Which sounds better?"
"Turn it upside down?"
"That prime minister stepped up and handled everything. The problem's with the king. Either Rail's in league with the Empire and did something to the king, or the king's colluded directly and ended up in some weird state."
"Ah..."
"The Empire's influence runs deep in Conzed, that's clear."
"Yes. We're in a rush, so ignore it and go—or poke around Conzed. That's the choice."
"Exactly."
"My personal take..."
Jared gazed into space, weighing his thoughts.
"We moved awfully fast. More time to spare than expected."
The Vengeance Knights were collecting flags at a record pace unseen in Overlord's Banner history. Galloping daily, snagging one—or sometimes two per country—in rapid succession.
At this rate, they could gather all the flags within a month.
"Let's check it out."
"What?"
Yuri eyed Jared with genuine surprise.
"Didn't expect that. Thought you'd say it's a hassle and let's just go."
"What do you mean?"
Jared shook his head.
"Tirbo and Gines nearly died."
"True."
If Yuri hadn't hurried the forfeit, that black energy would've inflicted grave wounds—or worse—on the two.
"Let's flip the place. Who knows if it'll happen again."
"Maybe."
Yuri grinned.
"Alright, let's move."
It was already deep into the night outside.
Having arrived late and fought the Overlord's Banner battle, most of the castle staff—save a few servants attending them—had retired.
Yuri and Jared donned masks and slipped out of their rooms.
They found a suitable window, climbed outside, and scaled the outer wall. Their skills had reached a realm where they could maneuver their bodies at will.
Yuri crawled up to the upper floor where the king resided and entered through a window.
The corridor was dark and silent.
Suddenly, light flickered from afar.
Yuri turned to Jared and pressed a finger to his lips. Then he ducked into the gap between two pillars.
It was a servant carrying a lantern.
In one hand, a tray topped with a bowl; guided by the lantern's glow, he advanced down the corridor and arrived at a massive door.
Two guard knights stood vigil in the shadows.
They opened the door for him, and the servant entered. A glimpse inside revealed darkness there too.
Yuri whispered to Jared.
"That door's huge, huh?"
"Yes."
"Something's up, right?"
"Shall we?"
Yuri gauged the distance.
He devised a plan to silently neutralize the two guards, then whispered the rough strategy to Jared.
"Got it?"
"Yes."
With that, Yuri stealthily slipped back out the window into the darkness.
Left alone, Jared pulled a coin from his pocket and tossed it down the corridor.
A clear chime echoed.
"......"
The two guards exchanged glances, and one slowly approached. Jared waited behind the pillar.
Step, step.
The guard halted right at Jared's position.
Jared throttled him.
At the same time, Yuri—who had circled around outside—entered through the opposite window and subdued the remaining guard.
Having knocked out the pair without a sound, Yuri and Jared stood before the massive door.
"Opening it."
"Yes."
The two eased the door open.
The interior was dim, but the lantern the servant had brought cast a faint light.
A figure lay upon a grand bed, and the servant's back was visible as he tilted a bowl toward it.
Jared tensed.
"That's..."
"Yeah."
But the shape on the bed was profoundly unnatural.
It retained a human form, yet the body and head were grotesquely swollen several times over. Each breath leaked air with a foul stench.
The oblivious servant had his back turned, but the figure on the bed spotted Yuri and Jared and swiveled its eyes toward them.
It made no sound.
Yuri easily guessed the entity's identity.
It was Conzed's king.
The crown on the bedside table confirmed it.
Yuri and Jared entered, quietly shutting the door behind them. They approached the king of Conzed.
Only then did the servant hear their footsteps and turn.
"Who... Huh?"
Yuri struck his jaw, knocking him out, and rolled the body aside.
"......"
Conzed's king stared up at the two with wide eyes.
Jared grimaced. It was a sight impossible to view with any peace of mind.
Yuri spoke.
"Your Majesty. I am Yuri Brioll, Third Prince of Brioll."
He gazed vacantly at Yuri.
Then his lips twitched.
At first, the words were indistinct, but holding his ear close revealed the intent clearly.
"Will you... kill me...?"