Briol's army spent a noisy night celebrating their victory.
Fiore temporarily set up the royal audience chamber in the lord's office. Nobles and knights gathered in Bezos lowered their heads to him.
Einzer spoke.
"Your Majesty, congratulations on your victory."
But Fiore shook his head.
"It is not my victory, it is Briol's victory."
"However, without Your Majesty, we could not have won."
"Well."
"Because of this, the entire continent will have come to know Briol's strength."
Blocking the Empire's first invasion was a monumental achievement.
Who could guarantee victory against the Imperial army?
Even if the Empire had not mobilized its full strength, for Briol it was an event that greatly boosted morale.
However, it was too early to set off the celebratory fireworks.
"The war is not over yet. Do not relax too much, and make sure our defenses are thorough."
"I will keep that in mind."
The Imperial army, led by the Black Knights, had pulled back, set up camp, and coiled in place, showing no movement.
But there was no knowing when they would march forward again.
"By the way…"
One of the nobles seated in the audience chamber spoke up.
"What is the situation with the other three nations? I have not received any contact due to the chaos of war."
He was referring to the Holy Kingdom, Bursen, and Liberda.
Fiore answered.
"I hear that the Ogre in Liberda has been almost driven out by Great Swordsman Moyong Chan."
"Oh…!"
"As expected of the Outsider…"
"That is fortunate!"
Everyone brightened.
The Empire had once sent an Ogre to cause havoc, then had the gall to accuse Liberda of attacking their own ally.
It was an obvious provocation.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so Briol and Liberda would join hands.
Therefore, if Liberda's situation returned to normal, it would be a great help to Briol.
Fiore continued speaking.
"And as for the Holy Kingdom and Bursen, it seems they will keep at it for a while, constantly fighting and exhausting their soldiers."
"My word…"
"Why on earth would they…"
Everyone let out sighs.
It was a situation difficult even if all four nations stood together, but the Holy Kingdom had ruined the game entirely.
Einzer asked.
"Why would the so-called Queen of the Holy Kingdom do such a thing?"
"It seems she was bribed in exchange for ascending the throne instead of Larrson. The Empire must have pulled some strings."
"Then, could it be the Empire who killed Larrson as well?"
"It is highly possible."
Hearing this, Yuri blamed himself for not having anticipated this situation in advance.
Larrson had been particularly wary of Sibylla, and Sibylla also disliked Larrson, so there was a high chance the Empire had offered to remove Larrson under the pretext of forming an alliance with her.
Still, he had not expected Sibylla to accept war.
Then, a noble suddenly asked Yuri.
"Your Highness."
"Hmm?"
"Did you not have a connection with the Queen of the Holy Kingdom?"
"I did."
The story of Yuri and Sibylla was widely known.
"Is there no way to come up with some measure?"
"There is no way."
"Do you not contact her these days?"
"It has been cut off. She would have no face to speak to me either. Sibylla must have made up her mind in her own way. You would do well not to expect anything."
"I see. Then, if we were to fight the Holy Kingdom, Your Highness would…"
Yuri gave a faint chuckle.
"What do you take me for, saying such a thing?"
Yuri tapped Guilty, which rested beside him, and said.
"If she becomes an enemy, whether it is Sibylla or you, I will kill without hesitation, so do not worry. If you are tired, just say so."
The old knights nearby burst out laughing.
Even the one who had spoken laughed aloud.
"My word, so Your Highness plans to let me rest in the grave."
Laurent or Jared might not sympathize, but Yuri, who had lived through countless battlefields in his past life, understood the sentiments of old knights.
Those who dwell on the line of death always make even death itself a subject of jest.
"It was short-sighted of me. I apologize, Your Highness. Hahaha…"
The laughter slowly faded.
"By the way."
Fiore spoke up.
"There are nobles who have not come."
At those words, the mood turned heavy.
Facing a battle with the Empire, most of Briol's nobles had personally brought their armies to join.
But there were still those who had not shown up.
The most notable was Duke Genard Jetherie of Euzeth.
Even if they did not come in person, they should at least send troops, yet he and his faction were hiding in their own territory, making excuses.
"Does anyone have a guess why those bastards are doing that?"
Silence filled the audience chamber.
It was no easy thing to criticize a duke of Genard's stature, especially when the matter was of such importance.
The one to speak was, once again, Yuri.
Leaning back loosely, he muttered as if speaking to himself.
"Hmm… collusion?"
After a brief pause, laughter erupted.
The laughter grew louder, until some of the nobles were chuckling so hard they could barely breathe. Fiore's shoulders trembled ever so slightly as well.
Sitting beside him, Einzer tapped Yuri's arm in admiration.
"My, Your Highness, you are fearless."
"Was it not something everyone already knew?"
"Hahahahaha…"
Eventually, the laughter died down.
Fiore nodded with a smile on his face.
"Yes. I suppose I have left that Genard fellow alone for too long."
"It is not Your Majesty's fault."
"I was planning to put a leash on him at the right time, but I delayed too much."
"Even for Genard, it would be difficult to act directly against us. Let us simply keep watch, and first deal with the Imperial army before us."
"Very well."
One of the nobles asked.
"The Empire will fear Your Majesty. How about negotiating a truce and compromising? No matter how mad the Emperor is, if his ministers have any sense, they will think."
"That is a valid point. Let us first send an envoy to the Empire."
"Yes."
It was a reasonable suggestion.
Yuri also agreed with part of his opinion.
It was none other than the Black Knights who had been defeated.
Even if the Emperor was insane, Eugen, who manipulated black magic from behind the scenes, would be watching this situation closely.
The Black Knights were a force too precious to lose to anyone.
Yuri glanced anew at his father.
In his past life, the Empire had not been stopped at the border but had swept forward like an unstoppable tide.
But with Fiore alive and well, the Empire was being held at bay like this.
Why had his father disappeared back then?
Yuri shook his head. Dwelling on the past was of no use. Now was the time to think only of what lay ahead.
"And one more thing, I have an announcement for all of you."
Fiore spoke.
"The reason I arrived late."
At that, everyone in the audience chamber turned their gaze to him.
Fiore paused for a moment, then spoke.
"I am going to pass the throne to Cedric."
The audience chamber stirred.
Some nodded as if to say it was reasonable, and some tilted their heads as if to say it was too soon.
As for Yuri, he was inclined to accept it with joy.
He spoke to Fiore.
"You are finally putting down the burden. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Fiore had never been a man who enjoyed anything as a king to begin with.
So what remained for him was only duty.
The duty placed upon the King of Briol was heavy.
A man obsessed with the sword, what he desired was simply to spend time with the sword alone, so he must have long wished to step down from the throne and be free.
"Cedric will be a better king than I am. It's not like I was really doing anything, was it?"
Einzer said with a smile.
"But, Your Majesty, there are far more kings in the world for whom doing nothing is better."
"That's true."
"But the Crown Prince will be a virtuous ruler, so all we can hope for is that he works hard."
"He certainly will."
The mood eased.
No one was unaware of Cedric's character and capability.
Einzer said.
"With such a smooth succession to the throne, I feel proud to be a knight of Briol. I look forward to the coronation."
The rest agreed.
Most nations experience turmoil whenever the king changes.
Even the previously mentioned Holy Kingdom had seen its heir to the throne, Larrson, killed, and the newly crowned queen suddenly began waging war with Bursen.
Compared to that, Briol was moving forward without the slightest unrest.
"Though it is troubling that it's during wartime."
"That's why I brought it forward. At times like this, a smart fellow should handle state affairs. Rather than awkwardly pushing a pen…"
Fiore gave a small smile.
"It will be better for me to swing a sword."
At those words, everyone in the audience chamber straightened their posture and squared their shoulders.
This was the symbol of Briol, the continent's greatest swordsman, Fiore, declaring that he would engage in the war in earnest.
"The war will not end easily. So all of you, be prepared."
All the nobles and knights answered in unison.
"Yes!"
"All of you here, I hope you will aid Cedric well. Well, given you're no different from me, simply staying still will probably be the greatest help."
At Fiore's words, laughter broke out again.
"When do you plan to hold the coronation?"
"Soon. We'll keep it simple, as befits Briol. Before that, we'll drive out the Imperial army."
"Yes!"
The people gathered in the audience chamber began clapping.
While all were rejoicing, only Laurent sat deep in thought.
***
After Fiore left, Cedric was carrying out the king's duties in his stead at the royal palace.
The ministers of the palace were greatly pleased.
As soon as he began working, the speed of handling affairs noticeably increased, and often the results were better than before.
They chattered every day.
"Not that His Majesty had flaws, but the Crown Prince is truly outstanding."
"He's so quick-witted and wise, he's an absolute genius."
"Didn't people call you a genius in your youth?"
"The Crown Prince isn't just a genius, he's a dog-genius."
"What? Dog?"
"Just let it go."
Cedric, even during the war, began making gradual changes to Briol in areas where it was possible.
He reduced restrictions on commerce, and began reforms on taxation. This was also the result of actively accepting Joshua's suggestions.
"Brother. I realized something. It's the knowledge of a modern man."
Joshua, who came to Cedric's office, began talking noisily.
Lately immersed in modern studies, Joshua had started calling himself a "modern man," a title he invented, saying he was a man running at the forefront of the times.
"What is it?"
"A farmer and a fisherman, you see, they trade carrots and fish. Even if one is overwhelmingly more skilled, it still goes like this…"
"How does this even…?"
"Ah, this is called 'comparative advantage.'"
"Oho, the modern man is impressive!"
Cedric handled Joshua with ease.
"So then, here."
"Hm?"
"Joshua. This is your job."
"W-why me?"
"What do you mean why? Are you even a modern man? A modern man should enlighten us ignorant folks."
"But it's too much…"
"Hurry."
"Ugh…"
Joshua took the stack of work from Cedric and trudged out of the room.
Just before closing the door, he muttered.
"I'm never coming back…"
Cedric gave a small chuckle.
He might say that, but in the end, his mouth would itch and he'd come back.
After all, Cedric was the only one in the palace who understood Joshua's ramblings.
"Hmm…"
After Joshua left, Cedric stood from his seat and moved to the window.
The scenery of the palace lay below.
He happened to see attendants struggling and groaning under heavy sacks as they walked.
It would be far easier to use a cart.
Yet Cedric knew why they insisted on carrying them themselves.
The attendants had their own bad customs, in which those without enough years of service were not allowed to use a cart.
It was not something anyone had ordered.
It was simply a rule they had made among themselves at some point.
"Humans are imperfect, huh…"
That phrase was far too mild.
It was as if humans were just a little lacking.
But in Cedric's eyes, humans were not imperfect, they were simply a complete mess.
So wretched in every aspect, it was nauseating to watch.
On rare occasions, decent humans appeared, but they were very few. It was fortunate that two of them were his own blood.
"You were stronger than I expected…"
Fiore Briol, his father, was born with a natural talent for the sword.
To the point it was an obstacle to a plan he had been building for a long time.
He must be removed.
If possible, it would be best to kill him.
Cedric felt little in the way of emotions, so a father-son relationship meant nothing to him.
And then, there was another.
Yuri Briol.
Cedric's lips loosened gently.
"Yuri…"
In a voice uncharacteristically gentle for his nature, Cedric murmured his younger brother's name.
"What will you do now, Yuri."
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