Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: 40. Backlight (1)
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Genad's eyes widened. There was only one thing those words could mean.
Treason.
He had even drawn his sword. To escape punishment, he needed to bow his head right that instant.
"Enough."
Yuri grabbed Genad's shoulder. He had no desire to witness the man's humiliation.
"You know you're the one who's actually committed crimes, right? All those exorbitant taxes you slapped on them and the absurd charges—they're nonsense."
"Y-Yes..."
Yuri wanted to grill him on how he'd amassed such wealth and what his ties were to Ireine Merchant Company, but Genad couldn't afford to answer.
He might be a duke like the sky itself to commoners, but before the Brioll royal family, he was just another noble.
Yuri shifted his target.
"Diker."
"Y-Yes."
The judge, who had been holding a solemn air of gravity, stood up hesitantly and glanced nervously at Yuri.
"I saw your verdict. You'll go down in history as a fine judge."
"Th-Thank you. Haha..."
"That was sarcasm, you idiot."
"I'm sorry."
Yuri picked up the banana peel Genad had dropped and flung it at him.
The peel smacked Diker in the face before sliding down. Diker carefully picked it up and placed it on the table.
"Rolang, Jared."
"Yes."
At Yuri's nod, Rolang and Jared untied the ropes binding Raymond.
Raymond's defense attorney had gone pale and backed away. Yuri smacked the back of his head before climbing up to the judge's seat.
"Looks like things need sorting out."
Yuri shoved Diker aside and took his place.
From the high seat, he could see all the townsfolk's faces.
Amid them, Yuri spotted a familiar one.
The fruit vendor stood there, mouth agape, staring at him—the young man who had bought her apples.
Yuri waved to her.
Then he banged the gavel, quieting the murmuring square.
Once the mood had settled, Yuri spoke.
"In place of these corrupt officials, I, Yuri Brioll, third prince of Brioll, will deliver the verdict. Don't worry—I won't drone on counting numbers like some people."
The citizens laughed.
Yuri pointed at Raymond, who now wore a coat handed to him by Rolang instead of prison garb.
"Not guilty."
He banged the gavel.
"Sir Raymond is not guilty. I'll have a separate word with that unjust duke standing over there, so everyone, go back to your daily lives without worry."
The watching citizens raised their hands and cheered.
Chants of "Long live Prince Yuri!" echoed through the air.
Yuri had effortlessly drawn the crowd's acclaim that Genad had so desperately tried to manufacture.
Yuri savored the praise raining down on him as he glanced at Genad.
"Genad. We've got plenty more to talk about, don't we?"
"Yes..."
"Let's chat over a meal."
Yuri stepped down from the judge's seat and threw an arm around Genad's shoulders.
In his previous life, the man had seemed like a shrewd master of great schemes. Now, he just looked like a scheming, greedy fatso.
Yuri poked at his plump jowls.
"Bet the food here's top-notch. Prepare four servings."
"Four servings?"
"Me, Rolang, Jared, and this friend named Ace."
Yuri met Genad's eyes. At the last name, his pupils twitched ever so slightly.
"Who's Ace?"
He was acting, but it was so awkward it was obvious.
"You don't know?"
"N-No."
"Then you don't need to."
"Yes..."
From his reaction, Yuri was certain Genad was behind the ploy against Ace too.
"For now, clear away this eyesore. Let's head to the castle."
Genad nodded silently. His eyes darted around.
Yuri released the arm around his shoulders.
"We'll wrap things up here, so go ahead and get ready."
"Y-Yes. Understood."
"See you later."
With that, Yuri led his group toward Ace's house amid the citizens' cheers.
Ace and his wife greeted them with stunned faces.
Raymond looked haggard after his ordeal, but once cleaned up and dressed properly, he regained his seasoned knight's bearing.
"Thank you."
"I told you not to hang around with Genad so much."
"I thought supporting an inadequate lord and guiding him right was a knight's duty..."
"That's nonsense. You can't fix people."
"Seems that way."
"They don't change unless they die and come back. I know."
Raymond chuckled once before asking,
"By the way, is it true that all the Allied Forces Comrades Association funds came from Your Highness's personal coffers?"
Rolag and Jared nodded in agreement, looking to Yuri.
Instead of answering, Yuri nodded toward Guillermo, who immediately confirmed it.
"Yes. That's correct."
"How did Your Highness come by so much money...?"
"Your Highness. May I tell them?"
"Go ahead."
"Yes."
Guillermo smiled warmly. Unlike when alone with Yuri, he adopted a voice and expression that inspired trust.
"His Highness Prince Yuri is the majority shareholder of Ireine Merchant Company."
Everyone stared at Yuri.
Yuri, head bowed, quietly extended his index and middle fingers in a V-sign.
"When President Ireine decided to launch her business in earnest, His Highness provided the initial capital. You could say he built the company alongside her."
"Wait, how old was His Highness then?"
"At thirteen, His Highness already saw through the continent's politics and future. The company's growth owes much to him."
Yuri, still gazing at the table, now crossed his arms into an X and flashed two V-signs with his hands.
"His Highness holds equal shares with President Ireine. You could call him co-owner of the company."
Yuri lifted his head, sweeping the room with charismatic eyes. The two V's he made gained even more emphasis.
He spoke.
"That's me."
Jared clapped half-heartedly with a bemused look.
"But I can't keep footing the bill forever. The Allied Forces Comrades Association needs to stand on its own."
"Quite right."
"Raymond, that's why..."
Yuri gave Raymond a gaze full of trust.
"Will you lead the Allied Forces Comrades Association?"
He pondered the proposal briefly. He didn't seem particularly surprised.
"What do you plan for the association?"
"Help those without proper jobs or the disabled become self-sufficient. If they can't work at all, provide living expenses."
"That's no easy task."
"Handling people is the hardest part."
"Understood."
His ready agreement caught Yuri off guard by a beat.
"Really?"
"Yes. Someone has to do it, so if you entrust it to me, I'll give it a shot."
Raymond's expression as he spoke wasn't exactly bright.
Genad had discarded him—a man who opposed him—so easily. He'd even tried to throw him in prison.
Raymond's entire past life had been negated in an instant.
Yuri patted his shoulder.
"Actually, it's for the best. Without this, you'd have kept serving blindly under that scum."
"Thank you."
"And hey, after dealing with a guy like Genad for so long, wrangling the Comrades Association troublemakers will be a joke. Consider yourself trained for this all along!"
"I see."
"Here, take this." Yuri offered his fist playfully. "Unlike Genad, you can punch the disobedient ones as you please."
"Hahaha..."
As Yuri tried to cheer him up, Raymond smiled softly.
"I'm fine, Your Highness. If anything, I feel relieved."
"Good to hear."
"Ace will help a lot too."
While they chatted amiably, Rolang asked Yuri,
"Your Highness, giving Genad this much time—what if he pulls something?"
"Right. He might be destroying evidence."
Yuri smirked.
"Think I wouldn't account for that?"
"Then..."
"I've got it covered."
He gazed out the window. As the sun set, long shadows stretched across the city.
Yuri thought of his loyal subordinate and said,
"If Genad has any skeletons, he'll rush to tidy them up now."
Asana slipped into the castle through its shadows.
Genad's castle was poorly secured. Confidential documents were scattered everywhere, as if he never imagined an intruder.
She pocketed a few files unrelated to this case but useful leverage against him later. Then she tried the safe's combination when commotion erupted outside.
Asana melted into the shadows immediately.
The office door opened, and Genad lumbered in.
"Huff... huff..."
He rushed straight to the safe Asana had been fiddling with.
In his panic, he didn't notice the lock was already disengaged.
With Asana watching intently, he spun the dial.
She memorized the numbers.
"Huff... huff..."
The safe brimmed with gold bars and jewels—far more than she expected.
Genad shoved it all aside and pulled out something from the depths.
A communication orb, larger than standard ones.
He placed it on the central table and caught his breath.
"Huff..."
Genad wiped his sweat.
Tensing for what came next, he took deep breaths before placing his hand on the orb. A faint light emanated.
Soon, a hazy figure appeared within.
"Greetings."
Genad bowed deeply.
Asana squinted to identify the figure, but it was indistinct.
The orb's glow was too bright, casting deep shadows over the face beyond.
"So, out of nowhere, the third prince shows up and..."
Genad detailed the trial events.
Finally, the figure spoke.
Genad pressed his ear to the orb, nodding repeatedly, but Asana heard nothing.
"Yes, yes. Understood. I'll do that."
He groveled.
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Yes."
The communication ended, and the light faded.
Genad stood frozen, head bowed. His fists clenched his knees, crumpling his pants.
A half-sob escaped him.
"Damn it, why is everyone out to get me...?"
After muttering for a while, he stood, returned the orb to the safe, and left with heavy steps.
Asana emerged from the shadows and approached the safe. The memorized code opened it instantly.
She examined the orb.
It looked ordinary at a glance, but it differed from common models.
An imperial long-range communication orb, usable only by those authorized by the palace.
Possessing it was ironclad proof of Genad's empire ties.
"Hoo..."
Asana tucked the orb into her bosom. A bit bulky to carry, but she decided to deliver this evidence to Yuri.
As she moved to slip out through the shadows...
The orb suddenly glowed.
Even she, rarely startled, panicked. No mana had been infused, yet it activated.
A humanoid shape flickered inside.
But the light died quickly. Cracks spiderwebbed across the orb, shattering in her arms.
Shards lacerated her arms and abdomen, blood spraying.
"Urk..."
The fragments clattered noisily. Footsteps approached from outside.
Asana lunged toward the darkest shadow.
Her vision shifted.
She swam through the shadow realm—her secret domain, known to none.
Suddenly, something tugged at her ankle.
A shard from the orb had lodged in her calf. Black smoke-like tendrils from it clung to her.
Asana shook her leg to dislodge it.
At that moment, outside the shadow, Genad's knights searched the room.
Her body was gradually pushed out of the shadow.