For the conflicted Luther, Yuri picked one without hesitation.
"If you go with something petty, it'll just look lame, so let's go big. You're a murderer. You stabbed someone to death with a cold, blue blade."
"Are you out of your mind?"
As the situation spiraled out of control, Luther no longer spoke to Yuri with formal respect.
"You crazy bastard from Briol…"
"Yeah, fine. We're about the same age anyway, let's keep it casual. You're going to be a king, you can't be talking politely to me. Feels natural. I can already feel the dignity of a king, man."
"What kind of guy…"
"When you said you lived without any trouble, it felt distant and I didn't like it, but now you actually feel human. Why were you pretending to be normal? Trying to act like a two-eyed man in a one-eyed world, so of course you got caught by someone like me."
Luther had once devoted himself to the temple, receiving the lessons of a saint. Those lessons included psychology, the study of the human heart.
From what he could see, Yuri Briol was not normal.
If a person's heart were a room, Yuri's room would be an utter disaster.
"So you're saying he's completely insane…"
When Luther muttered, Yuri smacked him on the back of the head.
"I'm making you king, and you're ungratefully calling me crazy?"
"Who asked you to make me king?"
"You said you would."
"When?"
"Earlier, I told you I'd count to three and you should answer. You said you'd be king then."
"No, you forced…"
"You've got to keep your word. So, Luther, let's do this right, alright?"
"Ugh!"
"Yeah, that's the spirit."
Yuri thumped Luther's chest and grinned.
"So now we just need to find someone to kill. Even if you become a murderer, it's not cool to kill just anyone. We need to take down the right person."
"Who?"
"Someone very fitting."
Yuri clapped toward the outside.
"Bring him in."
The door opened, and Jared dragged in someone short.
It was Glutenshtein.
A gag stuffed in his mouth kept him from saying anything as he struggled, only to be thrown to the floor. Simon and Guinness held his arms from both sides to keep him from resisting.
Yuri spoke.
"You know who this guy is, right?"
"That…"
Luther swallowed his words.
What he didn't say was that Glutenshtein was the dwarf who had tried to marry Sibylla. But since he too had been a bystander in that matter, he couldn't bring himself to say it in front of Yuri.
Yuri stood before Glutenshtein.
"This guy killed Sibylla."
"What?"
Those in the Holy Kingdom who had witnessed Sibylla's rampage were not surprised by the claim that she'd been killed. Sibylla had been walking a path where it wouldn't be strange for someone to target her life.
But the identity of the one who had killed Sibylla had not yet been revealed.
Yuri was about to give that answer.
"Of course, I was the one who actually killed Sibylla. But that's not the point."
Yuri set his foot on Glutenshtein's head, pressing down with weight.
"When you think about it, it's because of this bastard that Larsson tried to sell Sibylla, and in the end Sibylla made the wrong choice. So the reason I ended up killing Sibylla is this bastard's fault, right?"
Luther nodded.
"That's true."
Though he had never stepped up for Sibylla directly, Luther had at least felt sympathy for her, so he could agree with Yuri's reasoning.
"As you say, Yuri, everything fell apart because of that dwarf bastard."
Caught up in Yuri's madness, Luther was beginning to throw off his old restraints and now freely spat out curses.
"It's because of this damn bastard that the Holy Kingdom became a mess!"
"Exactly."
Yuri raised his hand, and Luther high-fived him.
"When a sword is at their throat, people become normal."
"No, I think it's the opposite…"
"Luther, do you know what it's called when you poke out the eye of a two-eyed man in a one-eyed world to make him one-eyed?"
"What?"
"Normalization."
Yuri handed Luther a sword.
"Congratulations on becoming normal, Luther Arsaint."
"Wow…"
Luther chuckled awkwardly, shaking his head.
The nonsense kept coming, yet he found himself convinced despite himself. If even he, a saint, was like this, what about everyone else?
It seemed inevitable that the world would be turned upside down by this man.
"But…"
Luther looked down at Glutenshtein.
"I still can't kill him. I'll say I did it, but Yuri, you…"
"Alright."
Nodding, Yuri immediately stabbed the sword into Glutenshtein's head.
Bright red blood splattered.
Luther, pale, staggered back.
"No, no, do it somewhere else…"
"Should I have?"
Still bowing from the blow, Glutenshtein slumped lifelessly in that posture.
Yuri stepped on his corpse and pulled out the sword.
"Well, he probably didn't feel any pain, so it's too good a death for him."
"That's not what I meant…"
"But he's not worth any effort. Here, Luther, tomorrow you take this guy's body and say you personally avenged Sibylla."
"Me? Personally?"
"Yeah. Then we'll back you from behind. You ride the momentum straight to the throne of the Holy Kingdom, become Briol's solid ally, and together we'll face the Empire."
Luther let out a long sigh.
"Yeah…"
He had already learned from working with the secret society that they would ultimately have to fight the Empire.
But the thought of becoming king and waging war himself made the prospect seem daunting.
Yuri slung an arm over his shoulders.
"Hey, don't worry too much. I'll be the one actually swinging the sword, so why the long face? It'll be fine."
"Funny, a crazy guy who could put a hole in my chest any second is the one comforting me."
"Not bad. If you'd said that to the Briol knights, they'd have loved it. You would've gotten smiles all around."
"Smiles…"
He had no idea what that meant, but one thing was certain.
The Luther who had lived without trouble, without any real worries, was gone.
From now on, his life…
"Went to hell like a dog."
***
The next day, the Holy Kingdom was in an uproar.
Luther Arsaint, who had long ago devoted himself to the temple, suddenly appeared at the gates of the royal palace, dragging the corpse of a dwarf behind him.
His body was drenched in blood, his eyes bloodshot. In his hands was a blade, something a saint should never be holding.
"I have avenged Sister Sibylla."
Though the royal family tree of the Holy Kingdom was complicated, in the end, he was Sibylla's cousin.
"This dwarf bastard killed Sister Sibylla, and I have avenged her."
The news shook the Holy Kingdom.
If he had been just another ordinary member of the royal family, the impact would not have been so great.
But he was a saint, a man who could be called the next pope.
And it didn't end there. The Holy Knight, who had long been absent from public view, openly declared support for Luther. Nobles belonging to the secret society also threw their weight behind him.
Most of all, the fact that he had risked excommunication to avenge Sibylla stirred the masses into a frenzy.
In the chaos of the political climate, Luther Arsaint rose as a powerful contender for the throne.
But not everyone accepted him willingly. Ambition for power can numb a person's reason.
Leroy, a royal who had ties with many nobles, opposed Luther.
"Sibylla was a tyrant who led the Holy Kingdom to ruin. Therefore, Glutenshtein could even be called a hero. Luther, who killed an innocent man, has no right to be king, and it is absurd for an excommunicated man to ascend to the throne."
That was what he went around declaring.
In trying to discredit Luther by calling Sibylla a tyrant, Leroy ended up drawing Yuri's attention.
"Yuri, you're not… going to do it, right?"
"I don't know."
"Hold yourself back…"
Luther was worried for Leroy.
Francesco had confessed that even if he regained his mana, he would have no confidence in defeating Yuri. He said Yuri was already a monster who had surpassed his own father in his prime. There was no way Leroy's knights could stop him.
From Luther's perspective, Leroy was one step away from getting a sword through the head in his sleep. So he decided to step in personally to protect his relative.
Luther deliberately confronted Leroy in the middle of the royal palace.
"It's been a while, Brother Leroy."
"Yes, Luther."
The two men stared at each other.
Each was flanked by his own entourage, and the nobles who followed them glared at one another.
Leroy opened fire first.
"Luther, why did you do it?"
"What exactly are you asking?"
"Why did you parade around with a corpse? Did you want to be king that badly?"
"Ha. You kept your mouth shut like a clam, and now that everyone else is gone, you've suddenly gotten so confident?"
"What?"
"Am I wrong? When Brother Larsson was tormenting Sister Sibylla, you didn't say a word. When Sister Sibylla became queen and misruled, you pretended you didn't see a thing. But now that you think you might become king yourself, you go around acting like some patriot, insulting Sister Sibylla?"
"Sibylla was a tyrant. Everyone knows that."
"And whose fault was that?"
"No one's. It was her choice."
"Are you serious?"
"When she was told to marry the dwarf, she could've just done as told. Why make a fuss and cause such a disaster? Does she think she's the only one who wants to live her own way? She could have just married the dwarf and lived happily."
"Are you seriously saying that…"
"You're no different. You could have just stayed a saint. Why suddenly make a scene…"
Luther couldn't hold back anymore and cursed.
"Ha, damn it. Ha… Brother Leroy!"
Luther was truly furious.
Somewhere out there, Yuri was listening to all of this. He was doing everything he could to keep Leroy alive, but the man was busy digging his own grave. It was maddening.
Luther roared.
"Do you know why your life is such a mess? Because I'm working this hard for you, and you're kicking it away yourself! You're a coward with a stupid head, who doesn't even know who's helping you and who's about to stab you. The kind of man who only wakes up after getting a hole in his head!"
Luther's uncharacteristic shouting startled Leroy.
He didn't quite understand the exact nature of the accusations, but with the insults laced through Luther's words, Leroy slowly began to grow angry.
"Wait… are you insulting me? Huh!"
"Yeah, I am. What are you going to do about it?"
"You bastard!"
"Let's settle this with a duel."
"What?"
"Ah, but since you're a coward, you'll probably refuse. I'll be understanding, so let's make it a champion's duel. You're not going to refuse that too, are you?"
"You bastard…"
Leroy clenched his teeth, but his mind worked quickly.
Among the nobles who followed him was one who commanded an excellent knight. Meanwhile, the only knight who might stand for Luther was the Holy Knight, and among those in the know, it was an open secret that he could no longer wield mana.
Aside from that, there was no one who would champion Luther.
Leroy grinned.
"Fine."
If things went on without incident, Luther would take the throne.
Afraid Luther might back down, Leroy quickly looked around and publicly declared the duel.
"I, Leroy Arsaint, and Luther Arsaint will fight in a champion's duel! The loser will relinquish his right to the throne. That is all!"
Seeing Leroy's triumphant smile, Luther merely looked up at the sky.
Though excommunicated, his faith had not diminished in the slightest.
He muttered to himself.
"O Lord. Are You watching? I have saved yet another man today."
***
On the day of the duel, Leroy and the nobles on his side were struck dumb, unable to speak.
The champion Luther had sent out was far too unexpected.
"Ah, ah, no…"
Leroy stammered.
"Why, why, why is that man…"
It didn't feel real.
The hero of the Allied Army, the swordsman who had slaughtered countless knights in Bezos and struck fear into the Empire.
A genius of the sword, praised to no end by all who knew of him, and with Fiore Briol missing, a contender for the next Ten Strong. The prince of Briol.
Yuri Briol.
With a sword slung over his shoulder, he raised his chin and glared at Leroy.
"What are you staring at?"
You're the one staring, though.
Unable to bring himself to say it, Leroy lowered his gaze.