Rise of the Fallen Kingdom’s Third Prince

Yuri Briol.

Husband of the Empress and the most powerful swordsman of this era.

The prodigal son born in Briol.

Escaped.

Yes, something as absurd as that actually happened.

He left behind only one line as an excuse — that a very important and serious matter had come up that forced him to do so.

The Empress of the Empire and his wife, Yekaterina, reacted like this.

“He ran away because he doesn’t want to work.”

Her expression was calm, but her clenched fist had turned white.

“Yes, so he says he has an important matter…”

Then she went alone into her room. From inside came a sound like a pillow being hit.

A little later, she appeared with her forehead beaded with sweat, controlling her breathing, and said:

“He’ll come back. And when he does, he’ll have to work much harder than before, so he should enjoy his last break until then.”

“Don’t you think that if you threaten him like that, he’ll take longer to return?”

Yekaterina shook her head.

“Yuri can’t live without me anyway. Do the others know?”

“Not yet.”

“Tell them.”

***

“Your Highness! Your Highness!”

Jared galloped with all his might, chasing the tail of Yuri’s horse.

“You can’t just leave like this without any plan!”

“I don’t care!”

Yuri shouted toward the sky.

“Let me rest a bit! I demand workers’ rights!”

“I understand how you feel, but if you’re absent now, the Empire won’t function.”

“And you call that a country?!”

“Yes! And it’s the biggest one on the whole continent!”

“The audacity!”

“Yes, it is!”

“They don’t need me! In the end, everything will keep running somehow!”

“It will… but sloppily.”

“That way they’ll learn to improve when they see it’s harder without me!”

“No! That will only make it harder for you when you come back!”

“Damn it!”

At that moment, Jared managed to get alongside him and asked:

“So, where are you planning to go?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?! That’s not an escape, that’s a directionless flight!”

“First I’m going to kidnap Laurent.”

“Sir Laurent?”

“We’re one, don’t you think?!”

Yuri imitated the Brusen accent while raising his voice.

“When we were three, we feared nothing!”

“Do you think Sir Laurent will just go with you like that?”

“He only growls on the outside. Deep down, he’s still the same as before. He’ll act like he doesn’t want to, but in the end, he’ll follow me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Want me to make a prediction for you?”

“What prediction?”

“He’s going to say, ‘I owe you a favor, so this time I’ll go with you.’”

“That sounds really corny…”

“You’ll see. Want to bet?”

“Still, I don’t think…”

And so, both rode their horses toward Laurent’s mansion.

Leaving behind the painful memories of Briol, Laurent now lived in a small village near the imperial capital.

As soon as they crossed the village entrance, they came across large signs:

「Acacia Village, alongside Sir Laurent」

「Map to Sir Laurent’s Mansion」

「Sir Laurent’s Departure Schedule」

Laurent’s presence was announced in grand fashion.

Yuri let out an incredulous chuckle.

“What’s this?”

“They say thanks to Sir Laurent, the economy of Acacia Village has been revitalized. It became a tourist spot.”

“Why?”

“He’s a celebrity. In that survey where you came first, Sir Laurent came second. Many women come to visit him.”

“What? Are you talking about that survey of The Most Admired Person on the Continent, with a 95% confidence level, a ±3% margin of error, and in which I came first outside the margin of error?”

“Yeah… something like that.”

“Ah, then I understand. Laurent is driving the village’s economy all by himself. That’s patriotism. This is contributing to the country.”

“But Your Highness and Sir Laurent are from Briol.”

“If they pay you a salary, that’s your country.”

“Then I’m from the Empire?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Ah, I see.”

Going deeper into the village, a villager greeted them.

“Hello! Visiting?”

“Yes, something like that.”

“You’ve come to see Sir Laurent!”

“You could say that.”

“I understand. Even for a man, he’s a knight worthy of admiration.”

They wore masks below their eyes to protect against dust, so the villager didn’t recognize Yuri.

“Do you know how to get there?”

“No, we were about to look.”

“Then I’ll guide you!”

“Oh, how kind.”

“In Acacia Village, people are generous. Hahaha…”

Thanks to his guidance, they found Laurent’s mansion without trouble.

The villager stopped in front of a huge sign reading “Sir Laurent’s Mansion.”

“Here it is.”

“Thanks.”

“That’s 10 silver.”

“Pardon?”

“I guided you to Sir Laurent’s mansion.”

“But you didn’t say anything about paying…”

The villager’s smiling expression instantly changed.

“So you see me as a servant?”

“Huh?”

“Am I your servant? If you use a person, you have to pay them! You can’t exploit me for free!”

“But…”

Jared raised his voice indignantly.

“You’re trying to scam us!”

“What? Scam? Well, I never!”

“When did you say we had to pay, huh?”

“This outsider…! Hey, come see this! These guys are treating me like I’m some con artist! How humiliating!”

As the commotion grew, more people poked their heads out.

Yuri nudged Jared with his elbow.

“Just pay him.”

“Ugh… Fine.”

Jared handed the money to the villager, who smiled in satisfaction.

“Hehehe, that’s more like it.”

The man gave him a disdainful once-over and turned around. Jared, eyes fixed on the back of the man’s head, toyed with the hilt of his sword, but Yuri placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Jared, control yourself.”

“Wow… to actually get me mad, that takes skill. I’m going to cause trouble today, Your Highness.”

“No need. This village will pay the price anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“How much do you think the village economy will lose if we take Laurent with us?”

Jared’s eyes went wide.

“Ah…”

“The money we just gave that guy—think of it as the price to avoid feeling a bit of guilt later. This village is doomed to ruin.”

“I see.”

Jared nodded.

“Understood. We’ll take Laurent no matter what. If he says no, I’ll knock him out and drag him away.”

“That’s what I like to hear—my kind of knight.”

They resumed walking. The fence around the mansion wasn’t very tall; anyone of average height could peek over. Some tourists who had arrived earlier were already staring inside, as if hypnotized.

“Looks like something interesting’s going on.”

Yuri followed the direction of their gaze.

“…”

There was Laurent. With his well-built torso bare, he poured water over his head to cool down. Droplets ran along his defined muscles, and through his wet hair, his blue eyes brimmed with melancholy.

“…”

Yuri watched for a moment before speaking.

“That idiot… what’s he doing?”

“Looks like training with a sword…”

“Yeah, training… but it’s obvious he’s doing it knowing people are watching.”

“Maybe… maybe not…”

Laurent brushed back his wet hair and gripped his sword again, taking a stance. Just breathing made his muscles tense and expand.

The tourists gasped.

“Oh my God!”

“Laurent, you’re amazing.”

“Brother Laurent! You’re the best!”

Some were even using binoculars to admire his training.

“Jared.”

“Yes.”

“I can’t keep watching this.”

“I agree.”

“We’re taking him.”

“Yes!”

Both jumped over the fence. The tourists screamed, but they ignored them and headed for Laurent. When he saw them, he tensed.

“…”

“…”

“…”

They stared at each other in silence until Yuri spoke.

“I see you’re doing well.”

After a brief pause, Laurent replied.

“I think I saw you a month ago.”

“A month is too long for us.”

“What are you here for?”

“Laurent. There’s somewhere we need to go together.”

“Somewhere to go?”

“Yes.”

“Mmm…”

From his expression, Yuri knew he wouldn’t follow without a good reason. So he went straight for it.

“The continent is in danger again!”

Jared, startled, reacted.

“Huh?”

“…Ah, yes, right. Laurent, the continent is in danger. We need your help.”

Laurent asked calmly.

“What kind of danger?”

“Well…”

Jared looked at Yuri, who also didn’t know what to answer. After hesitating, Yuri said:

“A… an existential danger.”

“…”

“The people of the continent are in an existential crisis.”

“…”

“It’s true.”

“If you came just to say nonsense, leave.”

“No, wait…”

In the end, Jared confessed.

“His Highness is… on the run.”

Laurent’s gaze filled with disdain.

“On the run?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

“Tsk…”

“I get it.”

Laurent and Jared exchanged a knowing look, both aimed at Yuri. He lowered his head in embarrassment.

But then, to both their surprise, Laurent nodded.

“Fine.”

“Huh?”

“Even though your running away leaves me speechless…”

He sheathed his sword and said:

“I owe you a favor, so this time I’ll go with you.”

It was quite an epic scene. But for Jared, it had another meaning—he stared at Yuri with his mouth open. Yuri, wearing a triumphant look, held out his hand.

“I win.”

“I can’t believe he said that exact phrase…”

“He’s in the palm of my hand.”

“How did you know?”

“Heh heh…”

Laurent, seeing the exchange of money between them, seemed to get the idea and turned away.

“Wait, I’ll get ready and we’ll go.”

“Don’t be shy, Laurent.”

“Shut up.”

And so, the trio was reunited and left Acacia Village. The villagers tried to stop Laurent, but he didn’t hesitate for a moment. Jared, seeing the “guide fee” scammer frozen in shock, let out a laugh.

“Haha, now this is fun.”

“It’s too early to celebrate. Now we need a pretext.”

“A pretext?”

“I left a note saying it was for an important matter. If we just wander around, my reputation will be ruined. We need something proper to make my escape acceptable.”

“And you can just get that?”

“No. That’s why we’re going somewhere we can get it.”

Laurent snorted.

“You really left without any plan?”

“Well…”

“I’m already regretting this. How the hell did you come first…?”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t tell me you were thinking about the survey!”

“Nonsense.”

“Admit it, the survey had a 95% confidence level…”

“Shut up.”

Then Yuri clapped his hands.

“I’ve got it!”

“We have a destination now?”

“Yes!”

Under Laurent and Jared’s stares, Yuri raised his fist.

“We’re going to see Cory!”

Jared nodded.

“Good idea. Cory does great work, so you’ll be able to say you didn’t just run away, but also went out for social service and to take the pulse of the people. Brilliant move. The problem is…”

He looked at Laurent. The latter was keeping a deliberately neutral expression.

“What are you looking at?”

“You okay with this, Laurent?”

“Pff. I have no reason to refuse.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

There was history between Cory and Laurent. Because of Cedric, Laurent had been damaged physically and emotionally, and although Cory had cared for him, Laurent had reacted coldly and even accused him of enjoying seeing him disfigured by dark magic.

Although it had all been cleared up later, their relationship had not recovered. In truth, Cory didn’t care, but Laurent avoided him. It was awkward.

Laurent spoke in a forced tone.

“Good idea. I’m glad to see him again after so long. I heard he’s doing good work.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“I see… hehehe.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“For nothing… hehe…”

Yuri kept smiling suspiciously, and Jared imitated him.

Laurent made a disgusted face.

“Insufferable…”

“Ha ha…”

“Hee hee hee…”

“Why did I agree to come with these two…?”

***

The three arrived at where Cory was. But there was a small problem—as if she had foreseen it, Yuri’s second wife was there waiting for him.

Yuri’s smile, happy at the thought of seeing Cory, froze.

“How predictable…”

“H… how?”

“With a bit of logic, it was obvious.”

And her identity was—