LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 17 - Spring
9. Spring
“Hey, you over there.”
As she turned to the sudden voice, a pair of thin, long eyes were staring at her.
“Are you new here?”
“Y-Yes.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Well, um…”
Mae recalled the advice of her seniors.
There were four people with black hair in the Royal Palace, all of whom were members of the Royal Family of Briol. They must be treated with caution.
Details for each person were as follows:
First, if his eyes seemed half-closed and he wore a bored expression, be as polite as possible. He was the King. While not particularly difficult, any mistake could result in a severe admonishment from the chamberlain.
Second, if he smiled kindly as if a gentle breeze had blown, one could be at ease. He was the Crown Prince of Briol. He had never put the attendants in a difficult position.
Third, if his gaze was sinister and his walk crooked, don’t let your guard down. He was the Second Prince. He constantly thought of all sorts of mischief, so it was best to avoid getting involved with him.
According to the warnings, this person was clearly…
“The third one…”
“What did you say?”
“N-Nothing.”
His unruly posture and the way he rolled his eyes were an exact match to the description of the Second Prince that her seniors had given.
She needed to leave the spot as quickly as possible.
“Um, I have some work to attend to, so I’ll just…”
“What?”
He furrowed his eyebrows.
“Are you avoiding me right now?”
“N-No!”
“The way you’re avoiding the question makes it look exactly like that.”
“I have work to do…”
“Are you all sharing a manual on how to treat the Royal Family? Do they tell you to run away when you see me? Not to even speak to me and just flee?”
Additional warning about Joshua Briol. He was extraordinarily intelligent and quick to catch on, requiring special caution.
He was poised to thoroughly reprimand her.
“Th-The thing is…”
“Answer properly.”
Joshua got very close to her face.
“Are you stuttering in front of royalty? This is the royal palace. Do you think this is some corner store in your village where you’re working?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? Do apologies end your service in the palace? Looks like I’ll have to give you a proper lesson…”
Just as he continued, Joshua suddenly stepped back.
“That…”
At the same time, a cheerful voice came from behind.
“Brother, what are you doing right now?”
If one could describe the voice by a color, it would likely be blue like the sky.
There was only one person in the royal palace who could call Joshua ‘Brother.’
And the warning about him was as follows:
If he looked confident and always carried a sword, he was the Third Prince. One should decide for themselves how to deal with him.
The reason there was no manual for him was that evaluations of him varied from person to person.
“Are you bothering her right now?”
“N-No.”
Joshua immediately redirected the question to her.
“Hey, you. Was I bothering you?”
“N-No.”
“See, she says I’m not.”
“If you ask right in front of her, who’s going to say yes?”
“Really? Then I guess I should disappear. Then she’d answer honestly?”
Joshua stepped back a few more steps.
“Hey, maid. Answer well.”
And with that, he quickly vanished.
Watching him leave, Yuri let out a sigh.
“When will he ever mature…”
Unable to raise her head, she bowed toward Yuri’s chest in gratitude.
“Thank you so much…”
“If you’re thanking me, it seems my brother really was bothering you, huh?”
“No, it’s not like that. I just got flustered…”
“Your name?”
“It’s Mae.”
“Mae. Are you new here?”
“Yes.”
Yuri smiled faintly.
“You know Ena, right?”
Ena, the Third Prince’s personal maid, was an idol-like figure among the palace attendants.
“If you ever have any trouble, talk to Ena. She won’t pretend not to notice. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t bow your head. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Y-Yes.”
Mae looked up at Yuri Briol in a daze.
His black eyes glittered like the surface of a lake reflecting sunlight.
He was the kind of person who made confidence surge just by being around him.
“Take care.”
“Thank you. By the way…”
Mae fumbled around her pockets, wanting to repay him somehow.
Fortunately, she had some cookies from the kitchen.
“Would you like one of these?”
“What are they?”
“Cookies. They’re really delicious. The head chef made them himself.”
“Thank you.”
She offered him a handful of cookies from her pocket.
“Uh…”
However, Yuri was wearing leather gauntlets, and they were too dirty to place food on.
“Should I just give you the whole pocket?”
“No, no. Just give me those.”
Yuri finally removed his gloves and extended his hand. Mae, relieved, handed him a generous handful.
Yuri put a cookie in his mouth and smiled.
“Thanks. They’re delicious. I’ll enjoy them.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Take care.”
“You too, Your Highness.”
Mae felt dazed, watching the retreating figure of the Third Prince with his clanking sword.
The last piece of advice she recalled from her senior came to mind.
Above all, do not harbor any futile feelings for them.
Her seniors were correct in everything they had said.
Mae muttered for no reason.
“The Prince wields a sword every day, yet his hands are so white and delicate…”
* * *
As Yuri pondered where Joshua might have escaped to, he looked down at the cookies in his hand.
No swordsman’s hands could be so clean.
“Well, at least I made it in time.”
Yuri flexed his hand into a fist and then released it.
It was the realm called ‘Barehanded Realm.’
Those who could manipulate mana as if it were a part of their body used mana, not physical strength, to wield a sword. The pressure on their hands would lessen, the calluses would disappear, and their skin would become smoother.
It was evidence of highly developed mana control.
How many knights had achieved the ‘Barehanded Realm’ before adulthood?
As far as he knew, none had.
Perhaps Fiore could have, but he hadn’t asked, so he didn’t know.
Yuri mumbled to himself as he put his gauntlets back on.
“It seems my leisure time is ending.”
Five years ago, he was decapitated and died, but then returned to the spring of his thirteenth year, and now he faced the spring of his eighteenth year.
The time he had been waiting for was approaching.
A storm of war would soon engulf the continent.
He wasn’t afraid or regretful.
Yuri had never forgotten the past. To him, peace was simply time to prepare for war.
“They’re probably making a fuss by now.”
He gazed at the white building ahead.
That was where the council meetings were held.
By now, his father was probably nodding off, half-listening to the Council’s pointless arguments.
He already knew the conclusion the nobles would come to after weighing their own gains and losses.
Count Frances, Lian Flandre as the person in charge, drafts the knights from each fief.
Thus, they would join the Allied Forces that the Empire had assembled.
The target was the orcs that dominated the eastern plains.
The justification is more than enough.
The orcs enslave humans they have raided, and commit horrific abuse for their own amusement.
The Empire requests armies from all nations under its influence, claiming they will defeat the orcs and open the path to the east.
“That’s nonsense.”
The Allied Forces would fail.
Numerous knights, including Lian Flandre, would die, and those with capabilities that could become obstacles to the Empire would fall.
Furious orcs would fiercely press each country’s borders.
Except for the Empire.
Though he hadn’t known it at the time, he later understood that it was all a plan the Empire had scripted in advance.
He had no intention of letting events unfold that way in this life.
As he entered the building, the royal guard, who was at the entrance, saluted.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“You’re working hard, Kerry.”
“Not at all, Your Highness!”
In the past five years, Yuri had acquainted himself with all the royal guards.
“What brings you here today?”
“Well.”
Yuri jerked his chin toward the noise leaking from inside.
“Loud, isn’t it?”
“Haha…”
“I’m here to take a look.”
“Are you going to enter?”
“Yes.”
Kerry cleared the way.
Yuri proceeded through the corridor and stood before the conference room door.
The voices grew clearer.
I mean, why exactly should we even…
There are already plenty of knights from that fief…
You should start with yourselves and…
Yuri smiled wryly.
Since the founding of the kingdom, Briol had been a Nation of Knights. Under the banner of Erich Briol, fulfilling the duties of a knight was considered the honor of nobility.
But it was now a tale of the past.
They were merely clinging on to what they had and striving for more.
And what were their ultimate ends?
Yuri caressed Guilty clanking at his waist.
Like the knight who bestowed this sword upon him, they ended up buried as white bones.
Just as he was about to barge through the sturdy door, he was stopped.
“Wait a moment.”
Kerry, who had followed him, held Yuri back.
“Third Prince,”
“Yes?”
“You were about to kick the door, weren’t you?”
“I wasn’t.”
“You definitely were about to. I’ll be disciplined for this. Please give me a break.”
“Then how should I open it?”
“By keeping etiquette, with a knock first…”
“Fine, fine, I get it.”
Yuri nodded. Seeing his expression, he decided to yield this time.
He knocked lightly.
Thud, thud, thud.
So, are you ignoring my words!
You’re not listening to me either!
The argument continued.
He could vividly imagine his father sitting there, blocking his ears with mana, staring blankly into space.
He knocked once more.
Thud, thud, thud.
Still, there was no reaction. The shouting only grew louder from inside.
What was worth shouting so loudly about and fighting over?
Once again, he knocked.
Bang!
The door shattered.
All the nobles seated in a circle focused their gazes on him at once.
The two people who had been standing and pointing fingers at each other also widened their eyes at him.
A noble sitting nearest to him spoke first.
“Third Prince?”
His eyes fell to the floor.
“The door…”
“Oh, sorry.”
Yuri apologize politely.
“I knocked, but since no one responded, I got a bit carried away.”
“But how did you manage to…”
Yuri was proficient in the Mana Method. For someone like him, breaking a mere door was no surprising feat.
But this instance was different.
The doors to the Council meeting were made of thick steel, signifying that no one could interfere with the Council.
Even the average knight couldn’t crush those doors in that manner.
This was the moment when the existence of Yuri, who had maintained a low profile for five years, etched itself into the nobles’ awareness.
“Since it’s come to this, let’s use this fine steel to make more swords. Hahaha.”
He chuckled, but no one followed suit.
Yuri cleared his throat.
“I’d like to take part as well.”
“…”
Yuri squeezed between the two nobles sitting closest to the door and took his seat.
They fidgeted uncomfortably, clearly displeased.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes…”
“Can I have that?”
“Go ahead.”
“Delicious. You can have mine too.”
He grabbed some refreshments prepared for them, mumbling as he handed out cookies that maid Mae had given him.
The conference room remained silent. The nobles’ gazes were fixed on Yuri.
Holding a drink in his hand, Yuri motioned with his chin.
“Continue.”
“Umm…”
But everyone just kept looking around awkwardly.
While Fiore remained silent, Yuri initiated the meeting.
“You two, who were standing and pointing fingers earlier, stand up again.”
“What?”
“You need to continue.”
The two stood up hesitantly. Though they had been eager to argue earlier, they fell silent now that the stage was set.
One of them hesitantly began to speak.
“Well, I mean…”
As Yuri idly listened, his gaze landed on a man seated in the corner.
Rian Flandre.
A remarkable knight and Laurent’s father.
In his past life, he led Briol’s army. He didn’t shy away from the position everyone avoided and, eventually, returned as a corpse.
His demise was said to be heroic.
He was an exceptional knight.
While Yuri was engrossed in thought, the conference room had become noisy again.
Numerous words were exchanged, yet the conclusion was singular.
I don’t want to go. I don’t want to send troops.
Yuri chuckled at their blatant politicking.
Gennad, seated in the corner, was silent. Being clever, he knew that not standing out was the best course in such situations.
Then, Yuri’s gaze met Fiore’s.
…
His father seemed to be skilled only with the sword, but in truth, he was also adept at seeing through people’s hearts.
As if he had guessed Yuri’s purpose, a faint shadow crossed his eyes.
Yuri gave him a confident smile in return.
The argument continued.
“So, the territories with more leeway should send more knights…”
“What does ‘leeway’ mean in this case?!”
“Naturally, it’s based on taxes…”
Yuri raised his hand.
One by one, the shouting nobles fell silent.
“We need to decide…”
The sluggish words of a noble echoed softly in the meeting room.
Once he had enough attention, Yuri spoke.
“I will go.”
The nobles stared at him with blank expressions.
“I said, I will go.”
Only then did their eyes widen.
Yuri stood up from his seat.
“I will personally join the Allied Forces. So show some sincerity. Do your duty as nobles, so that the name of Briol will not be tarnished.”
Now eighteen, the Third Prince, who was not even yet of full age, declared his intention to participate in the campaign.
As the nobles gaped in surprise, only Fiore responded to his declaration.
“May fortune favor you, my son.”