Yuri was sitting at the table in his room, scribbling something.
Jared, standing behind him, tilted his head.
"What are you writing so diligently?"
"I'm organizing things."
"Organizing what?"
"About the Ten Strong."
"Ah..."
The Ten Strong referred to the ten most powerful individuals on the continent.
Even if someone not listed here possessed equivalent strength, being included among the Ten Strong carried immense symbolic weight.
"First is His Majesty, of course."
"Naturally."
First, Fiore Briol.
He had left behind countless legendary tales and was indisputably the foremost swordsman among the Ten Strong. He was Yuri's father and the King of Briol, their strongest and most dependable force.
"He's on our side."
"Well, as His Majesty, he's certainly on our side."
Then came Moyong Chan.
A swordsman who had suddenly appeared from the East, he had taken refuge in Briol and was also Yuri's sword teacher. Rumor had it he was quite fluent in the continental language.
"He's on our side too."
"Sir Moyong Chan has been drilling Sir Jose and Sir Bernard hard these days."
"A welcome development."
Next was Gert.
Once thought to be a monstrous brute who destroyed Adelvine, it turned out he had been a knight trying to protect his nation.
"He's gone now."
"Yes. He's gone."
Then Inariel.
The only elf who wandered the world, a unique existence who had joined the Ten Strong as a mage. Though she held no official allegiance, she could be considered an ally.
However, Inariel, who had accompanied them from Yoheim, had disappeared again before reaching the capital.
"Half on our side."
"But she's been helping us, hasn't she?"
"You never know. And she left again before arriving in Briol."
"Maybe something urgent came up."
"Let's say she's only half on our side."
"I think she's closer than that..."
"Then two-thirds on our side."
"Sounds good."
And then, Cruar.
If Inariel was the last elf, then Cruar was the last dragon. But their situations were a bit different. Considering that Inariel's kin were hidden within the World Tree's barrier, Cruar, being the sole survivor of his species and utterly alone, was truly the last of his kind.
He had taken Cory, who had awakened something called dragon speech or whatever, to save him—but there had been no word since.
"He didn't eat him, did he?"
"Surely not."
"He's only a third on our side."
"So two-thirds an enemy?"
"Right."
"Why? He helped Cory..."
"Because he has ties to the Empire."
"He burned a village and had a bounty placed on him, right?"
"That's why he made a pact."
Cruar had burned down a village of the Empire in the past, prompting the enraged emperor to place a bounty on his head.
When that failed to catch him, the emperor prepared to dispatch several of the Ten Strong.
In response, Cruar suddenly appeared at the imperial palace and negotiated directly with the emperor.
Since then, Cruar had no longer opposed the Empire. Sometimes he even provided small assistance.
No one knew what kind of agreement had been made, but because of this, people classified Cruar as friendly toward the Empire.
"If it weren't for Cory, we'd have counted him as an enemy for sure."
"Good thing, then. Cory's a blessing."
"I miss him. Cory. Cruar must be tormenting him terribly..."
"His sacrifice is protecting the nation."
Next was Holy Knight.
A paladin who was secluded in the Holy Kingdom. Since he never ventured outside, no one knew how he was doing, but due to his character, he was likely to side with those opposing the Empire.
Someone like Holy Knight could never view the Empire, corrupted by dark magic, in a positive light.
"This one we can count as a potential ally. And our relations with the Holy Kingdom are good lately."
"Is Larrson really inheriting the throne?"
"Seems like it."
"He's not very reliable. Lady Sibylla would be much better."
"Well, not much we can do."
"Does Holy Knight obey the king's orders?"
"He's more aligned with the temple, but since the king of the Holy Kingdom is officially considered a divine representative, he'll likely follow if war breaks out."
"That's a relief. So two-thirds on our side?"
"Hmm..."
Yuri scratched a line with his pen.
"Just call him an ally. Feels right."
"Isn't that a bit too convenient?"
"The rest of the Ten Strong are all from the Empire anyway. Cut me some slack."
"Yes, sir."
Across from the list Yuri had been writing, he wrote Yalta.
"Yalta. Deceased."
Yalta, the Empire's barbarian. More useful on a battlefield than in duels among the strong, because he lacked any sense of reason. It was fortunate he had been killed before the war.
No one had yet risen to succeed his place among the Ten Strong, so it was effectively vacant.
"That makes two vacant spots."
"Gert's death hasn't been made public, right?"
"Correct. For now, he'll just remain as Gert. Maybe for a long time."
Next was the Black Knight.
A masked knight known to act under the emperor's orders. His origins were unknown, and aside from his devout faith, there was little information about him.
He had appeared suddenly one day, swept through the emperor's enemies alongside Yalta, and established himself as the emperor's blade. The feats he had displayed so far ranked him among the very top of the Ten Strong.
"I'm close with him."
"Excuse me?"
"A fellow in faith."
"Can't we bring him over?"
"He's not the type to confuse personal feelings with duty. It's a shame he's an enemy."
Then came Doncic, the "Tyrant of the North."
Entrusted with the northern forests by the emperor, he lived as he pleased within. Not very intelligent, he was closer to a beast than a sentient being, unlike most of the Ten Strong.
But his destructive power was immense. The ogre race was already formidable, but Doncic was a mutant even among them.
Though loyal to the emperor, he couldn't be controlled. In his past life, the Empire had used Doncic by simply dropping him into battlefields and letting him wreak havoc as he pleased before retrieving him.
He was more a weapon than a soldier.
"Ogre, huh? Is he big?"
"Big."
"I've never seen one..."
"They live far to the north. Not many of them. Doncic is the biggest of them all."
"Taller than Cruar?"
"Yes."
"Sounds terrifying..."
"A knight shouldn't say that, Jared. For a knight, a large enemy means a larger target. Understood?"
"Then you'll fight him yourself, right, Your Highness?"
"We'll see."
"Yes, sir."
Lastly, the "Shadowless Sword of the Emperor."
Neither appearance, identity, nor even a name was known. The only thing people ever saw were the corpses of his victims.
Acting under the emperor's orders, he would assassinate and vanish, moving as if truly without a shadow.
If the Black Knight was the emperor's sword in the light, he was the blade in the dark.
"I don't know anything about him."
"Is he even real?"
"Some people doubt it, but I'm sure he exists."
Even in his past life, the Shadowless Sword never revealed himself.
Only the dead bodies of key figures opposing the Empire were found—there was never direct evidence of him.
"Possibly the most terrifying enemy of all. We know absolutely nothing."
"Sounds like an assassin."
"True, but he defeated people far beyond an assassin's usual targets."
The Shadowless Sword had killed a previous member of the Ten Strong and disappeared, taking their place.
It wasn't an ambush. The site had clear signs of intense battle.
What was strange was that only the slain Ten Strong's sword marks had devastated the area. The Shadowless Sword left no trace.
Only the fatal wound on the Ten Strong's neck remained.
That was all the evidence of his existence.
"And that makes up the Ten Strong."
"Somehow, most of them feel familiar. I've really made it, haven't I?"
"Thanks to me. Admit it?"
"I admit it."
"Good. You'd better."
To summarize, the Ten Strong who were currently allies or potentially allies were as follows:
Fiore, Moyong Chan, Holy Knight, Inariel.
And the Ten Strong who were enemies or potentially enemies were as follows:
Black Knight, Doncic, Cruar, the Shadowless Sword.
"Shouldn't we count Cruar as neutral? Doesn't seem like he'd go to war for the Empire..."
"We're assuming the worst-case scenario. Better that than being caught off guard later."
"That's true. So, two seats are vacant now."
"Gert's spot will remain unfilled, so one will be newly taken."
Until Gert's death became known, his name would continue to occupy a place, leaving one vacant spot.
"If Sir Jose takes a spot, we'll have two more than them."
"That's true. But there's a problem."
"What is it?"
"The Ten Strong aren't everything."
Yuri shrugged his shoulders.
"Honestly, it's just gossip spread by enthusiasts. How could you neatly divide it into exactly ten people? There could be someone even stronger out there."
Combat strength wasn't something that could be cleanly categorized.
Unless you were someone on a different level like Fiore Briol, individuals on the borderline of the Ten Strong like Yalta weren't drastically different from other powerful figures.
"It's true that Sir Jose is strong, but is there a huge gap between him and the Empire's knight order commanders?"
"I'm not sure..."
"That's what makes the Empire scary. They have multiple members of the Ten Strong, and also a huge number of fighters who are just as strong."
The Empire's overall military power was superior.
Even though Briol was known as the land of knights, the Empire had far more knights. Moreover, each knight order commander in the Empire was evaluated as a potential future member of the Ten Strong.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. We're just as good."
"Yeah?"
"We may not be among the Ten Strong, but there's Sir Laurent and me, aren't there?"
"Hmm..."
"I was joking, joking. Don't make that face."
"I didn't make a face."
"Sure you didn't. Anyway, we have you, Your Highness."
"That's right."
"Now you're smiling all of a sudden."
But there was still hope for those who wished to stop the Empire.
That hope was Yuri himself.
By defeating Yalta alone, he had already proven he had reached the level of the Ten Strong.
A master at the Ten Strong's level whose identity remained unknown to the enemy—this had tremendous strategic value.
Still, he didn't feel at ease.
Yuri had yet to fully make that power his own.
Heart demon.
There was no telling when it might devour him.
"Alright, I'm done organizing."
"The Shadowless Sword is the one I worry about the most among the Ten Strong."
"Why worry, when we have Father?"
"That's true, but..."
Yuri folded up the list he'd made and set it aside, then spread out a map.
The vast territories of the Empire and the nations spread out below it came into view.
Yuri circled a spot on the Empire's border. That was where Yoheim was located.
"The Empire struck here."
"They said it was an attempted poisoning, right? A pretext, of course..."
"That may be, but the Emperor probably believes it for real."
"Huh?"
Yuri recalled the letter Asana had sent.
She had witnessed the moment the Emperor was poisoned.
It probably hadn't been Yoheim, but rather Eugen or someone else intoxicated by black magic who had deliberately poisoned him to provoke the Emperor.
According to Asana, the Emperor had already been mad long before that.
Prolonged exposure to black magic had driven him into madness.
"The Aloy Mountains are now fortified. Knights specializing in mountain warfare are well supplied. Attacking Chiu directly would be too costly."
"Then?"
"Just like what happened with Yoheim, the Empire will strike suddenly. And it'll aim for the heart."
Yuri circled four countries.
Liberda, the Holy Kingdom, Bursen, and Briol.
Geographically, Liberda was the closest, followed by the Holy Kingdom.
"These four are the nations that obstruct the Empire."
"That's right."
"They're not likely to hit Briol out of nowhere."
Fiore Briol remained strong. Even in his past life, the Empire didn't touch Briol until Fiore suddenly disappeared.
Yuri pointed to the Holy Kingdom.
"Doesn't it feel like it'll be here?"
"You think so?"
"Of the other three, excluding Briol, it has the strongest national power and is located closest. The temple is spread throughout the continent too."
"Wouldn't the temples resist?"
"That's why they have to be eliminated first."
He was nearly certain.
In his past life, too, after destroying Yoheim, the Empire had dealt with the Holy Kingdom next.
The Emperor had even declared himself the representative of the gods.
"Liberda wouldn't yield as much from a surprise attack. But if they quickly subdue the Holy Kingdom, everything becomes much easier. They could strike Bursen right after, and surround the smaller kingdoms nearby."
"I see. You're truly brilliant, Your Highness."
"Read more books."
"Yes, sir."
Yuri tapped the map and spoke.
"If the Holy Kingdom is attacked, the other nations will respond simultaneously. Liberda, Bursen, Briol, and even the smaller kingdoms."
"A continental anti-Empire alliance?"
"That's what it should become."
Yuri pulled out stationery from the drawer beneath the desk.
"It's time to call my brothers back."
It was time for Cedric and Joshua to return from Francaise.
Truthfully, he wished the two could continue studying in peace, but it was no longer that kind of era.
The continent was about to be swept into the whirlpool of war.
"The situation's good."
Fortunately, things were far better than in his previous life.
There were no orcs troubling the border, Yoheim hadn't fallen, and the entire continent was wary of the Empire's movements.
"Now, we just have to wait."
***
The entire continent was on edge.
Yuri's analysis was logical, and because of that, all the continent's scholars kept their eyes on the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
Something was about to happen.
But the Empire defied expectations.
"Doncic is smashing Liberda."
At the courier's words, Yuri's eyes widened.
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