Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: 92. Overlord's Banner (10)
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Yuri grilled Jared.
He explained everything that had happened in the meantime.
The Vengeance Knights gathered in Endia had immediately challenged the enemy to an Overlord Banner duel without any hesitation.
Jared had been utterly confident of victory. Even without Yuri, the rest of them were fine, so he believed they could win for sure.
"What if you'd lost?"
"Then there was nothing we could do about it."
"You bastard..."
Jared seemed to have given no thought at all to the possibility of defeat.
"We've been roaming the League of Small Nations, checking their levels all this time. Unless the Empire got involved, it was our overwhelming victory. Even without Your Highness."
"How could you be so sure? What if they had some hidden powerhouse?"
"They didn't. And even if they did, they wouldn't have five of them."
"No basis for that, huh."
"My gut is my basis."
"Fine. Whatever. You won."
Yuri grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.
They had won, after all.
Yuri snatched a wine glass from the tray carried by a servant.
It had been a long time since he'd tasted alcohol.
"Let's have a drink. We've finally completed the Overlord's Banner."
"That's right. We haven't tried assembling the actual flag yet. I was planning to do it with Your Highness tomorrow."
"Sure. Let's do that."
It was a deeply moving moment for Yuri as well.
They'd won the tough fight against the Black Knight and completed the Overlord's Banner. Now they had influence over the League of Small Nations, so his words would carry even more weight.
If he exposed what had happened between the Empire and Conzed, the small nations would never rely on the Empire again.
"So, how did the battle go? Are you alright?"
Jared finally asked about Yuri's well-being.
He scanned Yuri from head to toe.
His whole body was filthy, covered in bloodstains here and there. And even after just a little alcohol, his gait was unsteady, which was far from normal.
"Uh, should you really be drinking?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't look well."
"I feel great."
"Did you win?"
"Of course."
"Oh..."
Jared's eyes widened as he gave a thumbs up.
"For real?"
"Obviously."
Yuri hadn't thought he'd lose to the Black Knight, but he hadn't expected him to actually come back victorious. Considering the opponent, his current injuries seemed like mere scratches.
Yuri grinned at Jared, staggered once, then raised his glass.
"To Brioll!"
The Vengeance Knights, who had been doing their own things, reacted in unison to Yuri's shout.
"To Brioll!"
The King of Endia, watching from the corner, shouted back as if refusing to be outdone.
"To Endia too!"
"Endia!"
"For Endia!"
The Endians weren't particularly unified. They shouted "Endia" however they pleased, amping up the mood before downing their drinks. At least when it came to chugging glasses, they all looked the same.
The King of Endia approached Yuri.
"Prince of Brioll, Yuri Brioll! Glad to meet you!"
"Thank you. It's an honor to meet you as well."
"I've been hearing everyone buzzing about the new Tenth Strongest! Impressive at such a young age."
"Well, a needle's bound to stick out."
"For the friendship of Brioll and Endia, care for a drink with me?"
"Of course."
The King of Endia wasn't in his right mind. His face was flushed red as he pushed drinks on Yuri. He kept dancing at the shoulders.
"This is liquor made in our Endia. Top-notch stuff."
"Beautiful color."
"Golden, right? That's why I call it Golden Brew."
Yuri raised his glass with the King of Endia.
Normally, he'd have handled this much alcohol easily, but after the brutal fight, fatigue had piled up, and his body was in no state to drink.
So the buzz hit him harder than usual.
Not missing the chance, the King of Endia egged him on.
"Nice weather today. Why not complete the Overlord's Banner right now?"
"Shall we?"
"Let's all assemble the picture together! Then hang it on Endia's spire and let it flap in the wind!"
The knights around them cheered.
"Yes!"
"Overlord's Banner! Overlord's Banner!"
"Complete the Overlord's Banner!"
"For Endia!"
"For Brioll!"
Swept up in the atmosphere, Yuri shouted.
"Alright! Bring all the flags!"
"Yes, sir!"
A few Vengeance Knights who handled the flags hurried out of the banquet hall.
Yuri waited for them, sitting down to catch his breath.
His body ached all over from fighting the Black Knight so fiercely, but the alcohol dulled the pain bit by bit. It wasn't exactly healthy, but it was a good day, so he decided not to care.
Jared said.
"But are you really okay?"
"I'm fine."
"How'd you win?"
"Curious?"
He had no intention of hiding his victory over the Black Knight anyway. As Yuri began recounting his tale of valor, even the Endians gathered around.
"While blocking the Black Knight's ferocious attacks, I unleashed a whirlwind sword aura in an instant..."
Yuri explained plainly, without exaggeration.
"When I swung my sword, a living sword aura in the shape of a dragon appeared, clashing with the tiger-shaped sword aura the Black Knight conjured.
The tiger bit the dragon's neck, but my dragon breathed fire. It was as if our totems were battling each other.
The sword auras filled heaven and earth, blood spraying with every step... Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and as rain fell with lightning, our faces emerged from the darkness in the storm. Both of us were smiling. That's the life of sword demons..."
Yuri deliberately omitted the punches and continued.
"What decided the duel between the two sword demons was the final secret technique. Each revealed their hidden ace..."
As Yuri spoke, the banquet hall doors opened, and flags began flooding in.
Everyone's attention shifted away from him.
"Their true ultimate moves they'd kept hidden..."
"The flags!"
"Gather the flags!"
In an instant, the audience scattered from Yuri's side, grabbing flags from various nations and trying to fit them together every which way.
Yuri muttered to himself alone before standing up.
"Hey, that's not right there!"
Yuri opened his eyes.
His stomach felt awful. When he tried to get up, the floor was hard.
"Ugh..."
He raised his head, and the surroundings came into view.
Numerous people were collapsed on the floor.
"So, what I mean is..."
"Yeah. Heh heh..."
"Back in the day, my looks were outstanding, you see..."
Amid everyone passed out drunk, two men were the only ones awake, passing a bottle back and forth between them.
Faint morning sunlight filtered through the curtains on the windows, illuminating their faces.
It was the King of Endia and Tirbo.
"You hold your liquor well."
"I don't get drunk easily. The booze is strong. Heh heh..."
"Good. Pour me one."
"Right away."
Yuri clutched his aching forehead as he recalled the previous night.
They'd assembled flags, drank, and talked loudly until people started collapsing one by one.
For some reason, Endia just let people sleep on the floor during banquets. The servants passed by indifferently, as if it were routine.
They'd all passed out in turn.
Yuri had collapsed too.
And so morning had come.
"Ugh..."
As Yuri staggered to his feet, the King of Endia and Tirbo called out to him.
"Oh, you're up! Come join us for a drink."
"Your Highness. Drink with us."
"No thanks..."
Now the next day, the wounds from fighting the Black Knight hurt more. The sensations dulled by alcohol returned, intensifying the pain.
Yuri limped over.
"Ngh."
"Here, drink!"
"No. I'm good on booze."
"You can't hold your liquor, huh."
"Never heard that before..."
Yuri let out a hollow laugh at the sight of the empty bottles around the two.
"Compared to His Majesty and this guy, it's nothing. How many bottles did you down?"
"You gotta drink this much to feel that nice buzz. Right, Tirbo?"
"Exactly. A little is just like juice. Heh heh..."
"It's been ages since I met a friend who gets me."
The two poured for each other and chugged again.
It was a meeting of heavyweights.
Yuri scratched his head. Just being near them made him feel drunk without drinking, his stomach churning.
"By the way..."
Yuri mulled over last night, then whipped around in alarm.
"The flags?"
The banquet tables had been pushed to the corners. In their place lay a massive, colorful cloth on the floor.
Yuri approached it.
There was the completed Overlord's Banner.
"..."
No, it wasn't completed.
Drunken humans had arranged it haphazardly. The flags were a total mess, with no connections between them.
"What the hell is this?"
Yuri recalled last night. Just sixteen puzzle pieces, but they refused to fit no matter what. It wasn't just the alcohol.
Yuri crossed his arms and observed it.
He tried shifting a few flags occasionally, but nothing emerged.
The King of Endia and Tirbo approached.
"Trying to assemble the flag?"
"It just won't fit, huh?"
The two spoke, glasses in hand.
As Yuri fiddled with the shapes, the King of Endia chimed in.
"There's a saying: You have to see the flag's true form with the eyes of the heart."
"Pardon?"
"They say the actual Overlord's Banner wasn't anything meaningful. Like an abstract painting. People always asked what it meant, but the Overlord just said to see it with the eyes of the heart. Since he wasn't an ordinary man, everyone just accepted it."
"Eyes of the heart..."
"Yeah. Eyes of the heart. Maybe only good people can see it?"
The King of Endia squinted down at the roughly assembled banner.
"I don't really get it, but they say it contains the Overlord's most precious thing. Some say it's his Mana Circulation Method, but who knows."
Tirbo's eyes widened.
"His Mana Circulation Method?"
"I don't think it's a Mana Circulation Method. They say the Overlord called what was inside 'truth.' Doesn't seem like someone like him would describe a Mana Circulation Method that way."
"Truth, huh. Impressive words."
"Right? Cheers."
"Cheers."
The two drank again.
Yuri stood silently, pondering the King's words.
The phrase "see with the eyes of the heart" struck him deeply for some reason.
Yuri activated Heart-Soul Severing.
Invisible light shot from his eyes.
Soon, his vision entered the realm of Heart-Soul.
In the white-hot glow of his sight, the Overlord's Banner's vivid colors faded. No longer harsh primaries, they softened into pastel tones, seamlessly linking the entire flag.
And then, something appeared.
Yuri's mouth fell open.
"Ah..."
His eyes saw Heart-Soul, and his sword severed it.
Perhaps the ancient Overlord who made this banner had the same ability.
Yuri approached as if entranced and rearranged a few flags.
Suddenly, the chaotic patterns atop the flags took on meaning.
Black letters, flowing like a picture, crossed the entire banner.
It was a simple phrase.
But in this moment, it held immense significance for Yuri.
In the quiet morning as dark dawn fled and sunlight poured through the windows.
Within the realm of Heart-Soul, where light and darkness were distinct, the Overlord's message reached Yuri.
The completed Overlord's Banner bore those words in ancient continental common tongue. It was as if it knew Yuri's situation against black magic.
Yuri's gaze dropped lower.
Smaller letters continued the phrase.
"I realized this truth at the summit of Mount Jenel."
The Overlord had hidden meaning visible only in the Heart-Soul realm within his banner.
After ages untold, his message reached Yuri Brioll, Prince of Brioll.
And Yuri Brioll was confronting the vile darkness shrouding the continent.
Darkness can never defeat light.
Those words comforted him.
He murmured softly.
"Received it loud and clear, Overlord."
After etching the banner's true face into his eyes, Yuri dispelled the Heart-Soul Severing aura. The vivid, meaningless flag reappeared in his vision.
But it no longer looked ridiculous to him.
The King of Endia and Tirbo peered at the Overlord's Banner, chatting on.
"Looking at it now, it connects somewhat naturally."
"Like a decent abstract among abstracts."
"If that's the completed version, it's kinda underwhelming."
"Well, legends are like that. Truth is always disappointing."
Yuri grinned and spoke up.
"Do you really think so?"
"Huh?"
"To me, this flag looks truly beautiful."
"For real?"
"Doesn't it look like morning sunlight chasing away the night's darkness?"
"Hm?"
It was exactly as he said.
Not concrete in form, but pondering his words while gazing made it seem like darkness receding before sunlight.
"Hmm, maybe?"
"Now that you mention it, kinda."
"It looks different all of a sudden."
Leaving the pondering pair behind, Yuri went to the wall of the banquet hall and yanked open the curtains.
Intense sunlight flooded in. The knights on the floor began stirring one by one.
"Ugh..."
"Ugh, hangover..."
As the sun rose, the world awoke.
Yuri leaned against the window frame, smiling at Endia's serene morning scenery.
Now it was time to head to Mount Jenel.