Chapter 67

"What about Sir Leandros?"

"He's on vacation."

"Who decided that?"

"It's my knight, isn't it? I gave it to him as I pleased."

Yurik looked at Russel, who was standing shyly, then glanced up at the ceiling before raising his trembling mouth corners.

"Duke, there seems to have been a misunderstanding. I invited your knight solely to commend him for his achievements in the hunting festival."

"Yes, it was the achievement of Hartmann's knights. Sir Russel has accomplished great things, just like Sir Leandros. Sir Russel, tell His Highness the Crown Prince what you did."

"Ah, yes! I arrived at the banquet hall with senior Leandros, retrieved the bodies, and then we split up. In the process, I discovered demonic beasts in their metamorphosis stage, resolved the situation, rescued young lords who were hiding in the lodgings, and escorted them to a safe place..."

"Yes, yes. You've truly accomplished remarkable feats. Sir Nabilera."

"It's Nabilov, Your Highness. Please don't change my knight's name."

"Anyway, since Sir Leandros has more experience, wouldn't he be more fitting to represent Hartmann's knights, Duke?"

"I'm not sure about that, Sir Russel also seems qualified to be here. And as I mentioned, Sir Leandros is on vacation. I've decided to pay attention to the welfare of my escort knights lately."

"Since when did Hartmann's escort knights become such a lazy profession?"

"Ah, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Our Duke faithfully guarantees a two-shift system. And the food is delicious too."

"Would you kindly be quiet for a moment, Sir Nabldaera?"

Yurik exhaled a long sigh as he brushed up his bangs.

He handed Russel a box on a red velvet cushion carried by the servant he had brought.

"Take it. It's regrettable that a grand celebration couldn't be held due to the circumstances, Nabal..."

"I told you not to change my knight's name. It's Sir Nabilov."

"Yes, Sir Nabilov."

Russel, who had opened the box, knelt with eyes full of emotion upon seeing the small medal inside.

"I'm deeply moved. I will consider this the greatest honor of my life, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Yes, yes. Be faithful to chivalry and continue to be a solid young man."

Yurik seemed to have lost all interest when the planned drama he had orchestrated fell through.

Pretending not to hear Yurik muttering "Just clean up the banquet I prepared" as he dismissed the servant who had brought the medal, he asked.

"Is this the end of commending my knight?"

"Are you dissatisfied because it's simplified?"

"Shouldn't you commend me as well?"

"You? Me? Why?"

When he smiled at Yurik, who was standing with an unpleasant attitude, the Crown Prince wore a slightly uncomfortable expression.

"Why, I'm talking about the bet from the hunting festival."

"The bet... Ah, but wasn't that invalidated? It wasn't a situation where hunting could continue. Strictly speaking, didn't I win? I was 3 points higher than the Duke."

"Yes, that's certainly true. If we're just talking about animals."

He had been thinking about why Yurik had made such a proposal at the hunting festival.

At first, he thought Yurik would ask for Hartmann's revelation since he had wagered a wish.

But in this life, he hadn't explicitly revealed the revelation.

At most, he had only drawn Aisling to his side, and it would be a stretch to consider that as the revelation.

Moreover, since revelation wasn't a specific thing but a kind of concept, he was confident he could disguise it as anything.

But demonic beasts had overwhelmed the nobles, and the hunting festival had ended.

In that case, the meaning of the wish disappeared.

This meant that what Yurik desired might not have been the revelation.

What could have been so tempting to the Crown Prince of a nation, someone who could bring down a ducal family with just a gesture, that he was desperately eager to take from someone who was barely surviving in a shabby castle?

If he thought about the most valuable thing he possessed, the answer was obvious.

"Isn't there already a rule set for the hunting festival? Like determining points based on the size of the game..."

"Don't steal others' game, don't harm others, and conduct a fair and just hunt. Yes. There were certainly such rules. But what's the problem with that?"

"Isn't there one more rule that encompasses all of those?"

One of the most important rules of the hunting festival.

"The rule that 'game' in the hunting festival encompasses everything that comes out of the forest."

The origin of Schützenfest was a punitive expedition to exterminate demonic beasts living in the forest.

There were too many types of demonic beasts to count on his fingers.

Not only physically strong demonic beasts but also those like the Star Walker that have psychological effects.

Among them, wouldn't there be one that takes humans as hosts and controls them?

In other words, things that came out of the forest.

Whether they were human hosts dominated by demonic beasts, or demonic beasts released by some deranged person.

According to the regulations of Schützenfest, they are treated as "game."

In the past, it was probably a kind of mental support that allowed one to kill comrades who had been host-ified by demonic beasts.

But now it was just a convenient tool.

Yurik spoke step by step, as if coaxing a child.

"But you don't remember how many the knights killed. There's no judge to count, so that matter is invalid."

"Sir Russel."

Russel answered as he carefully closed the box containing the medal.

"76 of them, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Is this a joke?"

"No, it's true! Before separating from senior Leandros at the hunting ground, he ordered me to remember everything clearly. So I had to search all the buildings and count the ones I killed and the number of deceased victims."

Russel's innocent eyes blinked.

Yurik wore his habitual smile. But he couldn't hide his twisted mood.

After a long pause, he turned to him.

"Since your knight says so, I can't deny it. Duke, what do you want? The ducal territory awaiting return from the royal palace? Gold coins? If not that, then a famous sword for your knight?"

"No. That's not what I want."

"Then what would you like to receive?"

What would he like to receive?

He proposed to Yurik.

"How about we go to Your Highness the Crown Prince's office and have a leisurely conversation?"

* * *

Yurik dismissed all the servants who were following.

As they walked down the long corridor where the sound of rain could be heard, he observed Yurik's back moving ahead.

Pale platinum blonde hair, black gloves, black clothes, black cane.

Was there a reason he always dressed as if mourning something?

"I can feel it when you stare at me like that."

"I didn't know you had eyes in the back of your head."

"Really? Or is the Duke just dull?"

"Perhaps that's it."

Even though he stopped walking, Yurik didn't stop.

Looking at the window where raindrops were flowing down, he asked.

"I'm curious why you did that to Baroness Amelia, may I ask?"

What stopped him wasn't the stride of the person walking together, but the interesting question.

He continued to ask.

"Why did you do that to Rotaer as well? If you wanted to bring down Hartmann, there must have been other ways. Was it because it was the easiest?"

"Did Baroness Arnold tell you when you went to the south, Duke?"

"You planted your people in the Baroness's family, didn't you? To be precise, they weren't people."

Yurik's expression, as he turned to look at him, was particularly pale.

The face, carefully molded as if made of wax, seemed shocked.

It wasn't the shock of 'how do you know that.'

To explain more precisely.

"You have a face as if wondering why I'm the one saying this. You were hoping for someone else to come, weren't you?"

"......"

"That person is unfortunately on vacation. In this situation, I really think it's fortunate that I gave him a vacation."

The most valuable thing he possessed.

The treasure this cruel star loves.

The protagonist of the world, the one who will someday defeat evil and deliver an ending in a distant future he might not see.

Leandros.

Arenheit's escort knight.

They stared at each other for a long time.

Either exploring each other's intentions, or trying not to be read.

Finally, Yurik opened his mouth slowly.

"The Duke has no idea. The feeling of being trapped in a story that never ends."

A story that never ends.

As in the previous iteration, he tensed slightly thinking that Yurik knew something, but from what followed, he realized that wasn't the case.

"Everything around is gray. Any music, painting, poetry, literature are just simple noises, echoes, traces of ink marks to me. I couldn't understand why someone laughs, and I couldn't know why they cry. Then I met him."

"Leandros?"

"Someone who resembles me more than anyone."

Leandros? The Crown Prince's?

Leandros disliked Yurik more than death and always failed to manage his expressions.

But today, Yurik seemed to regard Leandros almost like a friend of ten years.

Two people like fire and ice, resembling each other?

Wasn't this a one-sided delusion?

Whether he was lost in thought or not, Yurik continued to speak.

"Do you know what he was called among the trainees before he received his knighthood? Everyone called Leandros a monster."

"Not particularly."

"Because he truly was at that time. A page knight from a commoner background suffers more bullying than you might think."

"Like hiding personal wooden swords or locking them in rooms?"

"Besides such trivial things, there's also collective beatings disguised as sparring. Because of that, many commoner page knights become disabled and are unable to receive their titles."

Goodness.

Yurik muttered, momentarily lost in memories.

"But Leandros fought eight senior page knights and crushed each of their legs. The royal training center was turned upside down at the time."

"What?"

"Well, ultimately, the matter was resolved well. Even the senior page knights were a group that eroded discipline by breaking rules while backed by their families. Moreover, they were defeated by a green page knight of commoner origin."

"There should have been repercussions."

"Ah, that's right. That's why Sir Leandros failed the knighthood examination twice. Thanks to that, I was able to become close to him during that period."

"Is this what being close looks like?"

"We've just grown distant and awkward."

"Even so, you know about that incident in more detail than expected."

"I saw it directly. The scene of breaking the senior page knights' legs."

What?

Yurik was calm.

"Is it so strange? I was there too at the time. Though I was hiding my identity. It's not easy to precisely snap someone's shin who's resisting. You might end up destroying the knee."

"What on earth."

"But he calmly broke them one by one. I couldn't help seeing him dealing with it silently, without getting angry or mocking. The way he just did his job and left seemed just like looking at myself."

In other words, Yurik saw Leandros's inhuman aspect and thought he should make him a friend.

Was he crazy?

"If you like him so much, why do you torment those around him? Is it because you want him by your side?"

"I want interesting friends by my side. That's not wrong, is it?"

"It is wrong. Even setting that aside, what would you do with him by your side?"

"I must make everyone know him. I can elevate him using everything I can do. Make the entire continent talk about Sir Leandros, make him the most frequently sung about by minstrels."

"And then?"

"And then, at the end..."

Yurik slightly tapped his mouth with an "Ah."

The way he acted as if he was about to say something he never intended to reveal seemed artificial.

"It's a secret."

"You were planning this all along, weren't you?"

"Did you know everything?"

"Yes. But it was still a very informative time to hear Your Highness's intentions. It was good to learn about aspects I didn't know."

"Really? Has your impression of me changed a bit then?"

"Yes."

Yurik made a sound like "Hmm."

Before they knew it, they had arrived in front of a closed office.

But he had not the slightest intention of entering.

"I think it's about time I head back. If the rain gets heavier, it might be difficult to return."

"Yes, indeed. So, what do you want as a reward for the hunting festival? I don't think I've heard it yet. Or was the hunting festival just bait to have this conversation?"

"No, how could that be? But I feel guilty using this tragedy as a stepping stone to ask for something."

The silver string attached to Yurik's pale neck.

Pointing to it, he said,

"If Your Highness the Crown Prince would bestow that necklace you cherish, I would like to keep it as a family treasure."

The horn that the Duchess had passed down to him, split in half and unable to function.

He didn't know how it had ended up in Yurik's hands.

But he already knew its function well.

Yurik opened his eyes wide, then narrowed them.

"You could ask for something more valuable."

"No. How could I? If I took something more valuable, everyone would gossip, saying I was opportunistic. So I think something as modest as possible would be best."

Besides, Yurik didn't know that he had the stone horn.

While staring at him, he slowly removed the necklace and placed it in his hand.

It felt as cold as it was light.

"Congratulations again on having good knights. The Duke also does quite interesting things, doesn't he?"

"Thank you for the compliment."

"But you should know this. I like interesting things, but I don't like ants climbing over my head."

"If I can make Your Highness's mundane daily life interesting, I would even risk my life."

Receiving a farewell with a seemingly manufactured benevolent and gentle smile, he returned to the audience chamber.

Russel, who had been constantly looking into his medal box, hurriedly stood up.

"Your Grace! I was worried because you didn't return for so long..."

"Let's get out quickly."

"What? Your Grace? Why so suddenly?"

Russel looked confused seeing him order the servant to bring their cloaks immediately.

But there was no time to explain to him.

-Make the entire continent talk about Sir Leandros, make him the most frequently sung about by minstrels. And then...

Yurik cherished and treasured Leandros.

But that wasn't directed at Leandros.

He had merely projected himself onto the protagonist who resembled him.

When all glory and praise would be directed at Leandros, when he would reach the peak of his life and all narratives would meet the conditions.

Yurik intended to kill Leandros.