Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: 42. A Mild Sin (3)
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As night fell, the imperial capital transformed into a city that never slept, ablaze with lights of every color.
Parties for socializing sprang up here and there. Stories left unfinished from the day floated from mouth to mouth among the crowds.
"Did you hear the third prince of Brioll arrived today?"
"I really want to meet him."
"They say he lives up to the rumors."
With the Allied Forces' expedition wrapped up, tales of Brioll's third prince kept circulating endlessly.
Records of an eighteen-year-old prince fighting orcs more bravely than anyone, testimonies that he was strikingly handsome and far more skilled than rumored—these were prime fodder for gossips.
And now, that third prince had arrived in the capital.
That alone had high society buzzing, but he had stirred up trouble once more.
"He smashed up a house?"
Word was that Brioll's third prince, staying at the Duforia Hotel, had suddenly appeared in a residential neighborhood smack in the middle of the capital. He'd hurled someone from the second floor, then leaped down himself to land.
And then dragged the fallen man off somewhere.
The tale, spread by a handful of witnesses, had already blanketed the entire capital.
"Why on earth did he do that?"
"I heard a story about it."
As everyone wondered at the reason, someone spoke up.
"They say the one the third prince took down was a Brioll exchange student."
"So, a noble from Brioll too?"
"Yes. A student in the Akademium's swordsmanship department. Name was Gott, I think?"
"Were they on bad terms?"
"I don't know about their personal relationship, but I happened to hear this from a servant of a close friend who witnessed it while running an errand."
He savored the crowd's attention with a sip of his drink. After letting the tension build, he spoke slowly.
"The fallen student didn't look normal. Like he'd taken drugs or something."
The party fell silent.
Drugs were a sensitive topic in the empire.
Illegal substances circulating through back alleys had begun gnawing away at the empire lately.
The capital was known as one of the few clean areas, but his account shattered that illusion.
Suddenly, one attendee who'd been listening quietly tilted their head.
"So, the third prince of Brioll was trying to save one of his own exchange students hooked on drugs?"
He was Aile, a reporter for the Daily Capital, which specialized in the capital's petty gossip.
"Personally, I think that's likely, but who knows the truth."
"Intriguing."
Aile jotted it down in his notebook. It smelled like a scoop.
"Mind if I run it as an article?"
"Go ahead. It's just something I heard, but happy to help."
"Throwing him from the second floor seems a bit rough for a rescue, though."
A window had shattered, and a man had plummeted. It was far from a gentle intervention.
"True. Either way, Brioll's third prince seems utterly fearless. And at such a young age."
"That's why he shone in the war."
"One thing's for sure. If it really was about drugs..."
The partygoers were already inflating the story among themselves. The conversations here would soon morph and spread in countless forms.
"Brioll's third prince cares even for a single exchange student. He's no mere hotheaded youth good at fighting."
And the next day.
The front page of the Daily Capital featured an illustration of a young man dragging someone collapsed by the ankle through a dark street.
The headline read:
"Brioll's Third Prince: Savior or Punisher?!"
Yuri, oblivious to all this, was sprawled out sleeping in the Duforia Hotel.
Rolung, unaware of the previous night's events, knocked on his door.
"Your Highness."
"Mm..."
"May I come in?"
"Mm..."
Yuri mumbled in his sleep. Rolung opened the door and entered.
"Ah, you're still asleep."
"Mm?"
Yuri opened his eyes. He sat up without a hint of grogginess.
Rolung flinched and stepped back as Yuri abruptly straightened.
"Just like the undead from the rumors."
"I'm alive."
"Where did you go last night?"
Rolung tilted his head.
He'd heard Yuri was meeting Dale in the evening for something, but Yuri had vanished after leaving just a note.
"Going to inspect the capital. Sleep first if I'm late."
The third prince was always unpredictable.
Knowing Yuri's strength, Rolung hadn't worried much. The man who'd carved through an orc horde in the thick of battle wouldn't run into trouble in the well-policed, brightly lit capital even at dawn.
Yet the Yuri they met again that morning looked utterly exhausted.
"Rolung."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You know, I just want to be a sword."
"A sword?"
"One that guards Brioll from the shadows while Brother Cedric rules it, stepping forward only to pierce enemies when trouble arises."
"It will surely be that way."
"So babysitting isn't my thing."
"Has a baby appeared?"
"No."
"Congratulations."
"That's not what I..."
Yuri sighed.
"There are just too many guys who can't fend for themselves even as adults. That's why I'm suffering."
Reflecting on his past life, he realized he might have been one of them, but Yuri brushed off the guilt and continued.
"These days' kids must've been raised too softly..."
"What exactly happened last night?"
"Ever heard of Gott Barkbar?"
"Ah, yes. Of Count Johannes..."
"Right."
"I've met him a few times. At a swordsmanship tournament."
"What'd you think?"
"Not bad. Decent among his peers."
Yuri was a second-life anomaly, but Rolung possessed top-tier talent across the continent.
If even Rolung said so, Gott wasn't hopeless.
Yuri was pleased with his decision last night.
"Why do you ask?"
"Let's go see him later."
"He's in the capital?"
"Akademium exchange student."
"I see."
Yuri grabbed Rolung's shoulder and stood fully.
"Let's eat and talk first."
"Very well."
Yuri left the room with Rolung and headed to the first-floor restaurant. The Duforia Hotel offered a breakfast buffet.
They sat at an empty table.
The interior was luxurious.
The chairs featured gold-leaf decorations carved into the backs, and a massive chandelier loomed from the ceiling—one that would take three grown men arm-in-arm to encircle—casting a brilliant glow.
Trays of breakfast dishes steamed invitingly.
A few from Brioll who'd come with them were already eating.
They bowed silently as Yuri appeared; he waved them off casually.
"Jared still sleeping?"
"Yes. Shall I wake him?"
"Leave him. Disqualified as a guard."
Yuri and Rolung fetched food and returned to their seats.
Rolung asked.
"So, what happened last night?"
"Well..."
Yuri explained the night's events between bites of meat.
Dale had led them to the Duforia on Gott's orders; a woman named Pamia had tried to seduce him. Rolung's face hardened.
When Yuri revealed Gott had been on drugs, Rolung's gaze turned icy.
"What did you do?"
"Handled it."
Yuri had no intention of making things messy in the empire's heart, the capital.
He didn't know Edran's motives as the mastermind, but Yuri had simply gone by the book.
"Stuffed Gott into a temple-run psychiatric clinic."
"Pardon?"
"Registered him in a drug rehab program. Plenty like him there."
"Ah..."
"Dragged him there at night and tossed him in—they freaked, but I convinced them. Temples run on money, after all."
Rolung's expression softened.
"Well done."
Gott would now undergo treatment to break his addiction.
"Come dawn, the security force will trace the drugs' source. Edran's got backing, so he won't get hauled in right away, but oh well."
Handling it in the shadows would've tangled things worse. In enemy territory, Yuri planned to bulldoze straight through with transparency.
The upright had no need to skulk in darkness.
"Eventful first day."
"Tell me about it. But..."
Yuri chewed, then raised an eyebrow.
The empire led in every field, but he hadn't expected cuisine too. A flavor he'd never tasted before bloomed.
"What is this taste? Such a unique aroma."
"A fragrance I've never encountered."
"Divisive, maybe, but I like it."
"It's good."
A voice answered from nearby.
"Cilantro..."
Yuri and Rolung turned.
A man eating quietly beside them smiled faintly, then elaborated.
"It's cilantro. Some love it, some can't stand it."
"I see. Thanks for the info."
He smiled back without another word and resumed eating.
Yuri glanced at him—no suspicious vibes.
Rolung said.
"Anyway, someone from the palace should come today, right?"
"Likely."
"Will you enter the swordsmanship tournament?"
"Hm."
Yuri shrugged.
"Thinking about it."
"If Your Highness competes, the whole continent will admire your prowess."
"Not thrilled about that."
As they talked, the man who'd explained the cilantro stood and approached their table.
He kept his distance, smiling.
"Pardon, are you Brioll's third prince?"
"Who wants to know."
"Sorry to interrupt your meal."
He pulled something out.
"I just had to show you this."
"What is it?"
"A newspaper."
Yuri took it.
Back in Brioll, newspapers held little interest. But this empire one was different.
The front page grabbed eyes with a bold illustration: a youth dragging a limp figure by the ankle down a dark street.
It looked like a novel's artwork, not news.
"Great drawing."
"Our in-house artist—famous for speed and skill."
"Newspaper guy, huh?"
"Yes."
The man pointed to the folded edge of the paper Yuri held.
"Unfold it."
"Hm?"
Yuri did, revealing an unexpected headline.
"I wrote the article. Thoughts?"
"You're the reporter?"
"Yes."
"Oh..."
Yuri scanned the content.
It roughly depicted last night's actions—no distortions. The facts were sparse anyway.
Someone fell from a shattering second-floor window; Brioll's third prince dragged him off. The fallen man looked like a drug addict.
That was it.
The rest was the reporter's opinion.
"Sorry for running a story on you without notice, Your Highness. The Daily Capital prioritizes the citizens' right to know. Even the crown prince reads it—it's the capital's flagship paper."
"Hm..."
Yuri pondered briefly, then nodded.
"No. Good call."
His name had sold out during the Allied Forces exploits. Extra fame was something he'd resigned to long ago.
Better yet, this paper might get him what he wanted.
"What's your name?"
"Aile, reporter for the Daily Capital. Here's my card."
"While I'm in the capital, we could be friends."
"Really think so?"
"Of course."
"Thrilled to hear it."
Probably here for a follow-up. Curious about me, like that headline.
"Not exactly, but... hahaha..."
Luck for Aile.
Brioll's hot topic third prince was unexpectedly amenable. And dangling more scoops.
He whipped out his notebook.
"I'll jot down what you say."
"During breakfast okay?"
"Yes, of course."
"You won't twist my words?"
"Never. I don't want to make an enemy of you, Your Highness. We'll meet again."
"Glad we're on the same page."
Yuri savored the cilantro-laced meat and spoke slowly.
"That bastard I slammed into the dirt last night—no, that guy..."
"Gott Barkbar."
"Yeah, Gott Barkbar. Truth is..."
Yuri put on a sad face.
"He was a close friend of mine."