When Yuri swallowed his saliva, he straightened his shoulders and replied.
"It's the Pope."
Yuri unconsciously stood up from his seat. And just as he was about to bend his always-stiff erector spinae to bow,
"I'm joking."
He spread his palm, as if telling him not to bow.
"I only said that because I thought you might be disappointed. I'm just a low-ranking official belonging to the Temple. I was only with you two to make sure you didn't cause trouble."
"Aha."
"There's no grand secret, no hidden identity. I'm just an ordinary citizen living without much incident."
"Your name?"
"Luther."
"All right, Luther. Nice to meet you."
Yuri sat back down and extended his hand for a handshake.
"Citizens like you are the grains that sustain the Holy Kingdom."
"Isn't a grain too small?"
"That's why it's the perfect metaphor. Thanks to you, my back muscles got startled."
Yuri lightened the mood.
"Anyway, now that three big shots and two grains are gathered, let's have a proper talk."
Fenek and Luther tilted their heads, looking at each other. In contrast, Francesco and Umstein smiled in satisfaction.
"If you want to be treated like a big shot, you need to make it. Become a Holy Knight, like me."
Francesco said this while crossing his legs and picking his ear.
Umstein agreed.
"Or be born a dwarf."
Then the two of them chuckled together, but their expressions didn't inspire much confidence.
Still, Yuri liked the two of them. Right now, they were working hard in their second lives, but originally they were human slackers who lived without much ambition. Maybe that's why he felt a sense of closeness.
Yuri grinned and said,
"Dropouts—no, big shots—let's scheme together. All right, I'll meet Sibylla and try to persuade her. If it doesn't work, we stab and run."
"Oh…."
"Good…."
But Fenek shook his head.
"No, we can't."
"Why?"
"What kind of plan is that? Persuade her, and if that fails, stab and run?"
"In the end, the conclusion is the same, isn't it? Persuade. If it doesn't work, kill."
"That's true, but…"
Yuri clicked his tongue.
"Fine. I'm sure you've got your own plan. Let's hear it."
"We've already given up on persuasion. We're choosing an appropriate assassination location, preparing every single situation thoroughly…"
"See? You talk to persuade first, then stab if it doesn't work. Same thing."
Francesco and Umstein agreed.
"Exactly. That's the core."
Fenek let out a short breath.
He had objected reflexively because Yuri was talking in such a blunt way, but the backbone of the plan was the same. There was no way it could be otherwise.
"Still, that's too much of a leap. Having a concrete plan is different."
"Then you should say we'll discuss the details, not be so pessimistic."
"Hoo…"
Fenek sighed.
When they were in the Allied Army, Yuri Briol had been endlessly dependable, but now, watching him make wordplay like this, he couldn't trust him.
He just wanted to hit him.
"That's the look of someone who wants to hit me. Sir Francesco, is this the Holy Kingdom's discipline?"
"I wasn't like this in my prime."
"So, when the role model disappears, everything falls apart up and down."
"Mm, that's true."
Fenek didn't want to waste more time. So he stood up and clapped his hands.
"Let's talk properly."
"Sure."
"Since the Prince is here, we've added a new option of persuading the Queen. I don't know if it'll work, though."
Yuri nodded.
"Let's give it a try."
But Yuri didn't think he could change Sibylla's mind either. In fact, deep down, he was closer to believing it was impossible.
She was never foolish. Rather, she was sharp-witted. If such a Sibylla had made a decision, it must have been with a very firm resolve.
Yuri simply wanted to see her with his own eyes.
"My apologies."
Umstein spoke.
"I think this is all because of my brother."
Yuri looked at him.
Come to think of it, at the tavern he had said something odd. Something about his brother trying to hand over a treasure to some high-ranking people.
He hadn't caught it clearly at the time, but now that he knew Umstein was a dwarf, in retrospect it didn't seem like an ordinary story.
Yuri asked him,
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, you see…"
Umstein scratched his head.
"It's exactly what it sounds like. My brother tried to sell our dwarf treasure to a high-ranking person."
"And who was that high-ranking person, and what was he trying to sell?"
"The high-ranking person was a guy named Larrson."
Yuri stared blankly at him.
Not just high-ranking—he was the highest-ranking human in the Holy Kingdom.
"And? What happened?"
"Larrson died."
"Then isn't it all over?"
"That's why Sibylla is trying to get revenge."
"Explain it so I can understand."
Fenek, who was next to them, answered instead.
"Umstein's brother, Glutenshtein, tried to sell the dwarves' treasure to Larrson, and in return demanded marriage to Sibylla."
Yuri looked at Fenek, then back at Umstein. He scratched his head again.
"That's the story. It's embarrassing, I can hardly say it."
"And Larrson?"
"He agreed."
"…What?"
"The treasure was that valuable. But Glutenshtein fell for Sibylla at first sight. So he tried to sell the treasure in exchange for marrying her. My brother's just as crazy as that Larrson bastard. He actually agreed to it, can you believe it?"
"So Sibylla lost it?"
"Yeah. As soon as Larrson died and she became Queen, she threw my brother in prison. And now she's threatening him to hand over the dwarves' treasure."
"And what is this treasure?"
"Dwarf-made metal and the metal smelting technique."
"Mmm…"
"It's extremely valuable."
"I see."
The dwarves' metalworking skill was said to far surpass that of humans. If that technology were to be handed over, the war would only grow more difficult.
"So that's the story."
"Yeah."
Yuri nodded.
His thoughts were now organized.
A dwarf named Glutenshtein had demanded Sibylla in exchange for giving dwarf-made metal and technology. Larrson, blinded by the treasure, accepted, only to be killed by an enraged Sibylla.
And now, Sibylla was threatening Glutenshtein to steal the dwarves' technology.
"All right, Sir Francesco."
"Yeah?"
"I'm curious about your story this time, Sir Francesco."
"Me? What story?"
Yuri remembered what he had said at the tavern.
"You said you lost your abilities because of an accident."
"Ah, that's right. Dammit…"
"What happened?"
"One day, I just became unable to use mana."
"What?"
"After that, I couldn't take part in battle anymore. That's all. The Temple is keeping that fact a secret. It's not seclusion, I've simply become a washed-up relic."
Francesco shrugged his shoulders.
Yuri looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
"I understand."
Then Yuri looked at Fenek.
"All right, what was the plan you made?"
"According to Umstein, Glutenshtein is not a man of great spirit. He said that sooner or later, Glutenshtein will confess about the dwarves' treasure. We planned to wait at the place where the treasure is kept, and when the Queen came, we'd assassinate her."
"And where is that?"
"That…"
Umstein spoke.
"The details are a secret. I'll tell you later."
"Understood."
Yuri nodded.
"Before that, let's try to meet Sibylla. Isn't there some opportunity?"
"Well… she rarely goes out…"
"Then tell me her upcoming schedule. I'll handle the meeting myself."
***
Yuri remembered the stealth and infiltration techniques he had learned from Asana. He didn't have her strange ability to dive into shadows, but he could move like a normal assassin.
With his own outstanding skills, he was confident in handling most situations.
Yuri leapt over the royal palace wall.
A royal guard spotted him, but pretended not to notice. He was a member of the secret society. According to Fenek, more and more people were gradually cooperating.
That meant Sibylla was failing to win people's hearts.
"Hoo…"
Yuri took out the map of the Holy Kingdom's royal palace from his breast.
"The tower is here."
Sibylla had locked Glutenshtein in the tower, and it was said she regularly interrogated him in person. There was intelligence that during those times, she would move alone without any escorts.
Yuri planned to meet her then.
He moved quickly. The royal palace of the Holy Kingdom was beautifully decorated, but there was no time to admire it.
In the distance, a tall tower rose high.
Yuri moved along the edges of the palace grounds.
There were fewer people moving about inside the palace than he expected, making it easier. In Briol, there had always been many attendants working, but here it was eerily quiet, as if empty.
Yuri arrived near the tower.
Soldiers were standing guard.
He took out the oil and matches he had prepared, and chose a nearby storehouse, setting it on fire.
A reaction came quickly.
As black smoke began to rise, the guards at the tower grew alarmed and moved.
They called for others, fetched water, and poured it over the storehouse. Taking advantage of the distraction, Yuri climbed the outer wall of the tower. He opened a window and slipped inside.
The inside of the tower was utterly quiet.
"Empty?"
Yuri muttered.
It was literally empty. As he climbed the stairs upward, he sensed no other presence.
He reached the top.
Someone was imprisoned there.
Yuri called out to him.
"Glutenshtein?"
The man jerked his head up.
He looked somewhat like Umstein, though slightly different, but as expected of a dwarf, he was short with a large nose.
Sitting in place, he stared blankly at Yuri.
"I'm here because your brother sent me, so just stay quiet. When Sibylla comes up, I'll handle it. So don't be afraid."
At Yuri's words, he only nodded. He seemed to be more taciturn than Umstein.
Yuri looked outside.
The noise of people putting out the fire continued. He hid himself in the corner of the tower and erased his presence.
After a while, faint sounds of someone coming up began to be heard.
Yuri swallowed his saliva. The thought of meeting Sibylla again after so long made him nervous. And now, she was someone he might have to kill if things went wrong.
Perhaps she had been corrupted by black magic and turned into someone else.
Various possibilities crossed his mind.
Soon, steady footsteps drew near and reached the floor where Yuri was.
Yuri peeked his head out.
Sibylla was standing there.
She was no different from how he remembered her. Her attire was that of a monarch, so it looked more luxurious, but the rest was the same.
"Glutenshtein. Have you thought about my proposal?"
Sibylla's voice rang out.
"If you just accept my offer, I'll forgive everything and reward you. I'll send you back to where the dwarves live."
Arms crossed, she looked down at Glutenshtein through the bars.
"Hmm?"
Yuri felt relieved. He had feared she might have become a completely different person, but it was still the same voice he remembered.
Just as Yuri was about to rise from his spot—
"Ah-woo-ah-woo-ah-woo…"
A pitiful sound suddenly rang out.
When Yuri turned his head, Glutenshtein was speaking. But it wasn't language.
Yuri realized it.
Glutenshtein had no tongue.
"What? I can't hear you well."
Sibylla tilted her head, listening. Glutenshtein spoke again.
"Ah-woo-ah…"
Sibylla sighed, then unlocked the cell door and stepped inside. She walked toward Glutenshtein.
He backed away with a fearful expression.
"Stop."
At her command, he stopped. Then he looked toward where Yuri was hiding. Yuri put a finger to his lips, telling him to stay quiet.
"My proposal. Have you thought about it?"
Arms still crossed, Sibylla looked down at the crouched Glutenshtein.
"Why aren't you answering?"
Sibylla tilted her head.
"Is it because you think that little rat will save you?"
At her words, Yuri's eyes widened.
But she was still looking down at Glutenshtein.
At that moment, something grabbed the back of Yuri's neck.