Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: 43. Now Again (3)
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"Your Highness."
Jared asked.
"Isn't that basically a sign of affection?"
Yuri, Rolang, and Jared were walking down the street after leaving Ragna's mansion. Jared kept talking about Ekaterina.
"I've never seen anyone so beautiful before. I thought the rumors were exaggerated, but they fell short. Your Highness."
"So?"
"Let's go to the tournament."
"No thanks."
While Ragna had briefly stepped away, Ekaterina had asked Yuri for the medal given to the tournament winner.
Dedicating the glory of victory to someone was a common occurrence.
"She must have wanted the medal."
"No, Your Highness. That look in her eyes wouldn't come from just that."
Jared insisted that the way Ekaterina had looked at Yuri was the gaze of someone in love.
But Yuri knew better.
Ekaterina could put on that expression whenever she needed to.
"That woman... she's dangerous."
She was a frightening woman. It was a good thing he knew her true nature; those who didn't ended up like Jared.
If this weren't his second life, he too would have fought in the tournament for her without knowing a thing.
Yuri patted Jared's chest.
"Jared."
"Yes."
"Quiet down."
"Still, Your Highness."
"Just go win it yourself and offer it to her."
"I don't chase trees I can't climb."
Yuri sighed. He had things to do alone from here.
"I'll go on by myself now."
"Pardon?"
"I have business to attend to."
"It could be dangerous alone. Is it because I'm being a nuisance?"
"I can't say it's not partly that."
"I won't be anymore."
"That's not the only reason. This is something I have to do alone. Don't worry and go on ahead."
Rolang then poked Jared in the side and replied.
"Understood."
"Sir Rolang?"
"Let's go, Jared."
"But..."
"We'll see you later."
He grabbed Jared and walked off in the opposite direction from Yuri.
Left alone, Yuri looked up at the sky.
Meeting Ekaterina had left his heart unsettled. Rolang must have sensed it and dragged Jared away immediately. Rolang was far sharper than Jared when it came to reading the room.
"I shouldn't let this get to me..."
He couldn't forgive himself for letting his heart waver due to lingering effects from his past life and failing at his tasks.
"Hoo..."
He let out a short sigh, slapped both cheeks with his hands, and activated his Mana Circulation Method to cycle mana through his body.
His mind cleared.
"Business. Business."
Muttering that to himself, he started walking again. His strides were wider than before.
"Swiftly, precisely."
He soon headed toward the dark alleys of the imperial capital.
Just as there is darkness where there is light, the imperial capital had its own underworld ecosystem. Yuri plunged into it without hesitation.
"They were having a blast in Brioll, but tsk tsk..."
Yuri stood before a sign reading Uncle's Daily Loans.
With an outstanding casino like Baslegas around, their gambling dens and loan sharking weren't exactly booming.
But sending them to the empire wasn't about profits.
Yuri knocked on the door.
"Hey, Gorio."
He called the name, but there was no answer. Yuri knocked again, calling Gorio once more.
The door opened, and a rough-looking man peeked out cautiously.
Spotting Yuri, he broke into a bright smile. His smiling face was surprisingly endearing.
"Your Highness. I've been waiting."
"Good."
Yuri entered the Uncle's Daily Loans building.
The man quickly flipped the sign and locked the door.
"The layout's similar to Brioll's..."
"We tailored it to be efficient in our own way."
Entering the dimly lit room inside, Gorio stood and bowed to Yuri. His attitude was worlds apart from their first meeting.
Asana deserved much of the credit for things turning out this way.
"It's been a while."
"Yes, Your Highness. I didn't expect to see you in the imperial capital."
Yuri sat across from him.
Aside from Gorio becoming Yuri's subordinate, the setup was similar to their first encounter.
"Any progress on what I asked about?"
"I looked into people with recent eye issues, but there were too many, so I filtered them with my own criteria."
"Go on."
"First, the mages."
Gorio handed over a list.
"Then the nobles."
Another list came out.
"From these, the ones showing the secretive movements Your Highness mentioned are as follows."
This list was significantly shorter than the previous ones.
It included imperial nobles Yuri knew and some he'd never heard of.
"From this bunch..."
Yuri handed the list back to Gorio.
"Narrow it down to those who frequent the imperial palace and dig deeper."
"The imperial palace, you say."
Gorio's face stiffened.
The imperial palace, home of the emperor, was the most exalted place on the continent. Asking a bottom-tier organization to probe there had him flustered.
Yuri smiled.
"Just confirm who comes and goes. Pull back if it seems risky."
"Understood."
"How's the imperial branch business going?"
"Some spots are thriving, others not so much."
"Fine. It wasn't about making money anyway."
Now, Yuri was directly funding the Gorio faction's operations. All the money came through the Ireine Merchant Guild.
His wealth was still growing even now.
"Gorio. In this world, information is money."
Yuri aimed to build a basic information guild through Gorio, like the one from his past life.
"Nowhere gathers rumors like the back alleys. Let's diversify the business."
"Understood."
Gorio was sharp enough to grasp what Yuri meant.
"And Gorio. Have you seen anything like this lately?"
Yuri pulled out the drugs he'd gotten from Ragna and showed them. Gorio took them and examined closely.
"This is the drug circulating in the back alleys lately."
"Source?"
"Well, I haven't paid much attention to the drug trade..."
Gorio hadn't dealt in drugs even before submitting to Yuri. He didn't trust addicts.
"Look into it."
"Understood."
He nodded.
It just meant more work piled on. But Gorio didn't complain.
"You're working hard in the empire, so expect a bonus."
"Thank you."
Yuri compensated them for their efforts.
As the majority stakeholder in the Ireine Merchant Guild, this was a trivial matter.
Thanks to the knowledge Yuri provided, Ireine had expanded relentlessly, blooming her own commercial talents. Now, the Ireine Merchant Guild spanned the entire continent.
Under different names, its capital fueled countless ventures even within the empire.
Strictly speaking, the Gorio faction and their Uncle's Daily Loans could be seen as one of its subsidiaries.
"Gorio."
"Yes."
"Forget 'boss.' You're the president now."
"Understood."
"Tell the employees to listen to President Gorio."
Yuri stood up.
"If you get pushed around in fights, let me know. I'll assign a knight or two."
"We're good."
"Alright. No deadly weapons. If it heats up too much, pull back and report to me."
"Yes."
The original Gorio had been a cunning villain, but as a subordinate, no one was as capable.
"Your Highness."
As Yuri headed out, Gorio called him back.
Turning around, Yuri saw Gorio bowing deeply.
"Until next time. Stay well."
Yuri chuckled. He was even more deferential now.
With Yuri's rising status through the Allied Forces, Gorio had realized the unbridgeable gap and committed to true loyalty.
His quick mind made calculations swift.
Yuri grinned.
"You too, Gorio. You're a valuable asset, so don't get hurt."
"Yes."
Yuri was prepared to reward the loyalty he received accordingly.
The other subordinates, having watched the exchange, bowed awkwardly.
With Yuri's endorsement, Gorio's control over the organization would strengthen as Yuri's influence grew.
"See you."
"Take care."
Yuri left the Gorio faction's base.
The slums looked much the same whether in Brioll or the empire.
The residents' eyes gleamed with greed at the sight of Yuri's fine attire, but the sword clinking at his waist kept them at bay.
Yuri ignored them and exited the area.
A few blocks later, the splendid streets of the imperial capital reappeared as if nothing had happened.
He resumed walking alone through the capital. Soon, a well-groomed street appeared, lined with cafes and restaurants—a spot for the capital's lovers to meet.
In his past life, he'd come here secretly with Ekaterina, face hidden.
Yuri, smiling unwittingly, hardened his expression again.
No. No.
It was all an illusion.
To Ekaterina, others were mere tools. He had been no different—just a means to an end.
On the day she betrayed him, he'd sworn never to forgive her.
Yuri hailed a passing carriage.
"To the Duforia Hotel."
"Right away."
The coachman seemed to recognize him but said no more.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Yuri paid and returned to his room.
Exhaustion hit, and he collapsed onto the bed. Covering his eyes with his arms as he rested, memories from the past resurfaced.
Was it because he'd met Ekaterina today?
'How's Brioll?'
'Our kingdom?'
She'd often asked Yuri about Brioll's affairs.
It was one day. Fiore had left the palace on business, instructing no one to be told.
Yuri had been naive and trusted Ekaterina.
So he'd informed her of Fiore's absence.
Invasion followed immediately.
The empire knew not just of Fiore's absence but much more. Everything he'd shared about Brioll was weaponized. They struck with ruthless precision at the kingdom's weaknesses.
Even then, Yuri trusted her. He sent a letter, but she replied only briefly that she was sorry.
The tone in the letter was so familiar that, upon unfolding it, it felt like hearing her voice.
Yuri closed his eyes.
It had all started because of his own mistake.
He shouldn't have been deceived by her, shouldn't have let her beauty destroy his country.
Thus, his own罪 was the greatest in Brioll's fall.
Yuri murmured his enemy's name.
"Ekaterina."
The pronunciation felt foreign on his tongue.
Yuri was confused.
Since meeting her today, his heart kept wavering. Despite all the bad blood, memories of their good times were growing as strong as the hatred he'd built.
Closing his eyes brought her face to mind.
'Yuri. Let's walk together.'
Her radiant smile as she offered her hand haunted him.
Yuri clenched his fist, banishing the thoughts. He overlaid images of Brioll burning atop them.
Replacing longing with hatred balanced the scales.
"Ekaterina."
Now the word carried enmity.
Yuri gritted his teeth.
Her smile as she asked for the tournament medal today was revolting.
How could she lie so effortlessly?
Yuri had never hidden his feelings from her.
"I..."
Was that sidelong glance and mischievous grin all an act, mocking him from within?
Yuri didn't think so.
"I truly loved you..."
He didn't want to wallow in self-pity.
But today's Ekaterina resembled the one he'd first fallen for so closely that his heart sank, weights attached.
He pulled the pillow over his head.
He'd been pushing hard, so a day like this was fine. If he could shake it off like this, such pathetic moments were almost helpful.
Then, he suddenly recalled the ring hidden in the drawer, prepared for her in secret.
He punched the bed in a fit. Then punched it again.
Clenching his fist so tight drove his nails into his palm, drawing blood.
Yuri sat up and stared blankly at the flowing blood.
Red stained the white sheets.
The stain spread further, but he felt no urge to move.
So he just laughed.