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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: 6. Palace Escape (1)
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Me, me.
Yuri wanted to raise his hand.
He had fought countless orcs while rolling around as a mercenary. They were the last opponents he ever wanted to face again.
For the Count of Sidor to have become a figure of terror even to those monstrous orcs, he was undoubtedly an extraordinary man.
Karchio grinned aggressively and continued.
"Do you think those orc monsters give a damn about something like the Mana Circulation Method?"
Baron Defer, at a loss for words, shut his mouth.
Sensing Genad's discomfort, another noble hurriedly spoke up.
"W-Well, you're not wrong. But even so, His Highness is still young, and his judgment..."
"Immature, you say?"
"Well..."
Karchio glanced at Yuri. Yuri stared back at the noble in return.
The man faltered, unable to continue.
"See? He's not immature. And besides..."
Karchio thumped his chest.
"His Highness doesn't seem inclined to change his mind anyway. Are you planning to forcibly extract his core or something?"
"What kind of—!"
"If not that, then what's the point of all this?"
Karchio leaned back in his chair like some street thug.
"His Highness agrees, right?"
He grinned at Yuri without a hint of intimidation, baring his teeth.
In lieu of a reply, Yuri shrugged.
"There you have it. And here you all are, sitting around tormenting His Highness's mental health. The palace must be awfully bored."
"Bored? What insolence is this!"
"It's the truth."
"If we're splitting hairs, isn't the border quiet these days too? After taking all that budget..."
"Does it have to take hundreds of lives before it's considered unrest? You lot don't even bother looking at the periodic reports of soldiers dying."
"The border's been quiet lately..."
"Four men died on the very day I left the border. I personally draped funeral shrouds over friends I'd shared breakfast with that morning."
"..."
"Orcs don't take breaks, my lord noble."
Yuri recalled the past.
Around this time, trouble had brewed in the neighboring Klein Principality, and the orcs had started crossing the border in the chaos.
He remembered the damage had been immense.
Yuri asked.
"Are the orcs on the move?"
"Yes."
"Different from usual?"
"Very ominous."
"What about Klein?"
"Pardon?"
At Karchio's gaze, Yuri tapped his temple.
"I mean, how does the Klein Principality look?"
"Well..."
The baron scratched his head before answering.
"Their border guards seem to have pulled back. Something's wrong over there."
"What about the border villages?"
"Burned to the ground."
Yuri closed his eyes.
It was probably a civil war.
He wished he could recall more useful details, but nothing came to mind. He'd been too busy with his villainous deeds to pay attention to Brioll or foreign affairs.
A regrettable oversight.
While Yuri mulled over old memories, Karchio pressed on hurriedly.
"It's a mess. Dead, dragged off as slaves. Not that their nobles care."
Yuri muttered under his breath without realizing it.
"Did the duke's third son stir up trouble...?"
All eyes turned to him.
Some sharpened their gazes as if probing his thoughts, while others looked stunned, as if he'd said something utterly bizarre.
An immature third prince—who only ever caused scandals—speaking as if he had the Klein Principality's situation all figured out? It was absurd.
Yuri cleared his throat.
"Anyway, I think that's enough for the meeting. Don't you agree?"
"Enough?"
"We should discuss bigger issues than my trivial Mana Circulation Method. Like defenses against the Klein Principality and the orcs."
With that, Yuri rose from his seat.
Still a small boy in stature, but no one in the room could stop him.
Regardless of what anyone said, he was Fiore Brioll's son—the third prince of Brioll.
Yuri straightened his back and scanned the nobles' faces one by one.
His eyes met Genad's.
"Your Highness."
The man paused briefly before speaking again.
"I've heard you've changed a lot lately. As a loyal subject who cares for you, I'm a bit worried."
His eyes had dulled, sunken.
He no longer seemed like some third-rate noble spouting empty flattery.
Duke Yuges, Genad Jeteri.
A rotten noble, but one who should never be underestimated.
Yet Yuri wasn't afraid of him. Neither in his past life nor now.
The reasons differed slightly, though.
Back then, it was the fearlessness of a mindless wastrel.
Now, he simply knew what he should truly fear.
"Duke Yuges."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Have you never seen a teenage boy before?"
Genad let out a hollow chuckle.
"It's just a phase. Try to understand."
With that, Yuri turned away.
Ignoring the stares boring into his back, he strode out of the council chamber.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As soon as Karchio Erancha left the palace, he returned to his lodgings and pulled out the crystal orb carefully stored in his backpack.
He wiped its smooth surface with a cloth and placed it on the table.
"Are you there?"
He spoke into the orb.
"It's Karchio. My lord count."
Soon, the face of Count Sidor—Haime Sidoor—appeared.
Not yet old, but deep wrinkles lined his face from years on the battlefield.
Two scars crossed his eyes and cheeks—mementos from an orc warlord's dying strike.
[How was the council?]
The voice was rough and slow. He spoke in pauses, as if short of breath.
"The usual armchair debate."
[Details.]
Karchio recounted the events.
Haime tilted his head.
[The third prince did that?]
"Yes."
[He's not that kind of person.]
"Rumors say he's not the same anymore. Though how sincere he is, who knows."