Amundson—no, Number 18, the Owl—sat perched on a rock, gazing up at the moon hanging in the night sky, his heart burning with a fierce desire for revenge against Simon.
Back in Yohheim, he had been a respected warrior.
But out here, things were different.
It was with the Alliance forces that he finally realized he was nothing more than just one among countless knights.
The days spent fighting orcs were terrifying even to recall now.
Monsters far stronger than humans wielded massive iron weapons, and Amundson didn’t even dare to face them head-on.
He did his best to avoid them, and only occasionally, when several of them worked together, could they manage to take one down.
So when the Alliance finally defeated Okua, Amundson felt relief more than triumph.
He wasn’t a key player in the Alliance’s victory—just a lowly soldier content with survival.
The real victors were a handful of geniuses.
Maybe that’s why he was so determined to win his duel against Simon in Valshad. He refused to carry that helplessness any longer.
But once again, he lost.
At first, he thought Simon’s feigned injury was cowardly—a dishonorable trick unbefitting a knight.
But then he understood: knights were warriors above all. A cowardly victory was better than an honest defeat.
Next time, he vowed, he would have his revenge.
Reaching out toward the moon, Amundson was suddenly interrupted.
“What are you doing?”
Someone approached quietly beside him.
It was Instructor Number 2—Gonté Murchin.
“Instructor,” Amundson greeted.
“Not an instructor now that you’ve taken off your hat,” Gonté replied.
“Yes, Sir Gonté…”
“Call me brother.”
“Yes, brother.”
“The moon’s full tonight.”
They were close outside of duty, often sharing stories of old times. Gonté was a solid knight.
He looked up at the moon with Amundson and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.
“Is the training tough?”
“No, not at all.”
“That’s good.”
“Brother…”
“Hm?”
“I think I understand why you brought us here.”
“And why would that be?”
“Yohheim is weak.”
Gonté looked at him. Amundson continued.
“That’s the truth.”
He recalled the moment they arrived in Briole.
The knights of Yohheim had been deflated from the start. That was the problem. Briole was known as the land of knights, but at least they should have had the spirit to stand and fight.
Instead, before even engaging, they hung their heads in fear. Those knights couldn’t be called true knights.
“But that’s going to change.”
Gonté smiled at Amundson’s words.
“Yes, it must. Yohheim has to change.”
“To be honest, coming here to train felt humiliating at first. But now I understand why we had to come.”
Enduring the harsh training from the instructors wearing red hats, Amundson began to see what Yohheim lacked.
“It’s truly thoughtful training.”
What impressed him most was the approach of Instructor Number 1.
He taught them, knights, how to shoot a bow, disarm traps, and set ambushes.
At first, Amundson resisted, but as he kept learning, he began to understand.
These skills were more important than clumsy swordplay for defending Yohheim.
“Yohheim is a small, weak country. So we need methods that suit us.”
Amundson clenched his fist.
“In the old days, if anyone provoked Yohheim, we’d have cowered and tucked our tails between our legs.”
“That much…”
“No, it’s true. I know it well. But now, things will be different.”
He rolled on the ground without knowing why, and as he did, a fierce determination welled up inside him.
“Whether it’s the Empire or any other nation, if they mess with Yohheim, we won’t let them go easily. If we can’t win, we’ll bite their calves off and cripple them. With sheer grit and ferocity.”
“Amundson…”
Gonté opened his mouth but was silent for a moment before speaking in a hoarse voice.
“That’s it.”
“Hm?”
“That’s Yohheim.”
Gonté’s expression was almost tearful.
“To be honest, Yohheim has never been strong. I talk about the past a lot, but even then, we were nothing special.”
“Brother.”
“But we had spirit.”
Gonté looked up at the sky as if recalling old memories.
“We were born and raised in the Aloy Mountains. We have to protect our land ourselves. No one will fight for us…”
“Brother…”
“I probably sound like an old fool. But there’s one thing I know better than you young ones: human nature.”
He grasped Amundson’s hand.
“The weak can never keep peace. You must never forget how cruel the victor can be to the defeated.”
“Yes.”
“Peace has lasted too long.”
Before being a knight, Gonté was an experienced nobleman.
Though he couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, he sensed a dark, ominous current sweeping across the continent.
That was why he had entrusted the knights to Briole’s Third Prince.
From the moment they met, he realized Yuri had something special.
He shone.
Standing beside someone who radiated light, Gonté felt they could drive away the approaching darkness from outside.
It was just a feeling.
“Maybe it’s just my imagination. But look—coming to Briole has proven my instincts right.”
He pointed to the training grounds beside the barracks.
“They’re training us for mountain warfare, teaching us necessary skills, and even rekindling the fighting spirit Yohheim had forgotten.”
“Yes.”
“Even I, born and raised in Yohheim, never imagined training like this. Truly, Briole’s Third Prince is no ordinary man.”
“I agree.”
Yuri Briole resembled his father in swordsmanship, possessed leadership qualities, and had the insight to analyze problems and find solutions.
He was different.
“Let’s give it our all.”
“Yes, brother.”
“You may be a warm brother now, but starting tomorrow, you’re Instructor Number 2 again. No mercy, so be prepared.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t look very scared.”
“I’m more afraid of Instructor Number 3.”
“Hm…”
Gonté and Amundson patted each other’s shoulders.
The bright, full moon illuminated them both.
In the imperial capital, even after Yuri’s departure, his name echoed like a lingering melody.
Magazines continued to publish articles about him, and stories of the Alliance forces centered on him were even compiled into books.
The drug rehabilitation clinic modeled after Yuri brought unprecedented profits to the temple.
“Hoo…”
But Vlad couldn’t simply rejoice.
“This is strange.”
He spoke with the Black Knight in his office.
“Despite so many citizens undergoing rehabilitation, nothing seems to change.”
“That just means drugs are rampant.”
“Maybe it’s good for the temple’s influence…”
Vlad tapped the table, where reports on the drug epidemic spreading through the Empire lay.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Why not expand the clinics?”
“That alone won’t be enough. This isn’t something we can handle by ourselves. The speed at which drugs are spreading…”
He felt an ominous premonition he couldn’t explain.
At first, he had only planned to increase the temple’s influence through drug addiction rehabilitation clinics targeting the upper class.
But the situation worsened.
Drugs that started spreading in the capital soon engulfed the entire Empire. Now, the very foundation of the nation was at risk.
“I can’t help but think there’s someone behind this.”
“You mean…”
“Someone is trying to shake the roots of the Empire.”
It wasn’t just drugs.
Magazines churned out sensational stories, dividing people into factions and sparking conflicts.
Materialism ran rampant, flooding society with luxury and indulgence, while the gap between rich and poor widened like never before.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
“It’s happening too fast.”
What worried Vlad most was the speed.
Social change was inevitable, and side effects had always existed.
But the Empire was transforming far too rapidly.
At this point, it looked less like change and more like decay.
“Then, who could it be?”
The Black Knight’s question caught Vlad off guard.
If anyone could change the Empire, there was only one person with that power.
But why would he want to destroy it?
The Emperor was no madman.
“I don’t know.”
There was no concrete evidence—only suspicion.
So Vlad held back. This was not a matter to be taken lightly.
Leaning forward, he said, “Black Knight, I’m sorry to bring this up, but I have a favor to ask…”
“Vlad.”
The Black Knight cut him off.
“You’ve said enough for me to understand.”
“Sir Black Knight…”
“I’ll look into it.”
Vlad simply bowed his head.
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I serve His Majesty. Worrying about him is part of my duty.”
He stroked his mask.
“Hearing you speak, I’m worried too. Something is happening in the Empire.”
They fell silent for a moment.
Then Vlad spoke again.
“And I heard the Alliance forces disbanded not long ago, but the army is training again.”
“How did you hear that?”
“I have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“It’s just routine training.”
“That’s a relief, but…”
Vlad sighed.
This ominous feeling had started when the Empire first called up the Alliance forces.
From the moment the army was gathered to hunt down the orcs, he had his doubts about the imperial palace’s true intentions.
Sure, there were countries whose borders were threatened by orcs, but that wasn’t the empire’s concern. The empire wasn’t kind enough to worry about other nations.
“Don’t worry so much, Vlad. The gods will watch over the empire.”
“Yes, sir.”
Vlad smiled wryly.
Sometimes, it seemed like the knight behind that mask had more faith than he did.
The Black Knight spoke again.
“When hardship is given, surely the gods have also provided the means to overcome it…”
Yuri sat in a chair, biting into an apple.
Suddenly, the chair wobbled beneath him.
“What’s going on?”
Adjusting his red cap, Yuri looked down.
“Why is this chair shaking like this?”
“Apologies!”
“Number 18 Owl, are you resisting me right now?”
“No, sir!”
“Don’t tell me you’re still holding a grudge over what happened before?”
“No, sir!”
He was sitting on the ‘human chair’ crafted by Number 18 Owl—Amunsun. Yuri bounced up and down, chuckling.
“Is this the best a chair from Mount Yohaim can do?”
Gritting teeth “N-no, sir!”
“You just moved, didn’t you?”
“N-no, sir!”
After teasing Amunsun for a while, Yuri finally got off.
“That’s enough for now.”
“Thank you…”
Relieved, Amunsun’s body stiffened as a small pair of shoes approached.
“What’s the matter, Instructor Number 3?”
“A guest has arrived.”
“Oh?”
It was the arrival of Instructor Number 3, the cruelest of the Owl instructors.
Cute in appearance, but with a venomous heart.
When she started giving punishment drills, no one stopped until someone collapsed.
Honestly, Instructor Number 1 was easier to deal with.
But she disappointed Amunsun’s expectations.
“I’ll take care of my business, so you handle the kids.”
“Understood.”
Yuri patted Amunsun’s back, who was frustrated below.
Instructor Number 3 immediately got to work.
“Number 18 Owl, what are you doing right now?”
“Ah, nothing, sir.”
“I asked what you’re doing. ‘Nothing’ isn’t an answer.”
“Sorry, sir!”
“If you’re sorry, then answer me properly…”
Yuri admired her skill at grilling the trainees as he walked toward the training ground’s exit. The overall scene came into view.
“Impressive.”
The knights of Yohaim were transforming into a thoroughly trained guerrilla unit.
If they returned to Yohaim, any enemy stepping into the Alloy Mountains would be wiped out before they even realized what hit them.
“By the way, why the red cap?”
“Hmm?”
The visitor was Guillermo, vice president of Elaine Trading Company.
“What’s going on?”
“Prince, the boss has finally returned.”
“Is that so?”
“They’ve secured a proper deal. The goods they’re bringing are no joke.”
“As expected of Elaine.”
Yuri smiled.
“To think they actually pulled it off…”
As soon as the Orcua campaign ended, Elaine had headed east without hesitation. A remarkable pioneering spirit.
“So, when will they arrive?”
“They won’t be coming.”
“What?”
“They went straight to the empire.”
“To the empire?”
“They asked me to apologize to you, Prince. The goods are so good this time, they don’t want to delay. They plan to release them directly into the empire and rake in the money.”
“A wise choice, though…”
The empire was by far the wealthiest place on the continent. No matter what goods came from the east, once released there, they’d fetch top prices.
Still, Yuri felt uneasy.
“The empire…”
“Why the concern?”
“Nothing.”
“The boss has been to the empire more than once. I’m sure they’ll handle it well.”
“Yeah…”
What worried him was none other than Ekaterina.
She had a keen interest in new things. If goods came from the east, she might immediately pull Elaine into the mix.
And that was the problem.
Knowing the personalities of those two, Yuri doubted anything good would come of it.
“Well, it’s not really my problem.”
Yuri shrugged.