The knights of Yohaim had departed.
After last night’s tearful campfire, the time had come for them to part ways.
The instructors watched the backs of the trainees as they disappeared into the distance, feeling a pang of regret at the farewell.
Instructor No. 4, who had been in charge of archery training, sighed.
“I wish I could have taught them more…”
Instructor No. 5, who had taught trap setting and disarming, nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. I worry they might stumble into traps somewhere out there, like kids left alone by the water’s edge…”
Instructor No. 6, who had taught stealth, ambush, and tracking, shrugged.
“Well, at least they’re competent enough to survive on their own now.”
Instructor No. 7, who had taught mental resilience in extreme situations, muttered softly.
“What can we do? Every meeting must end in parting…”
Instructor No. 8, who had taught wilderness survival skills, agreed.
“At least they won’t starve out there.”
Other specialized instructors, arms crossed, also watched as their first batch of trainees left.
On the surface, they appeared calm, but inside, all of them were uneasy.
They had been lured into becoming instructors by the sweet talk of Briol’s third prince, but the Owls had graduated in the blink of an eye.
They might lose this good job.
One of the instructors muttered quietly among themselves.
“The fear of unemployment is creeping into my heart…”
But that was just their imagination.
Suddenly, Instructor No. 1, Yuri, wearing his signature red cap, appeared and called out.
“You’re not thinking of resting just because the Owls have left, are you?”
“Huh?”
“Prepare for the next batch!”
“The next batch?”
The instructors’ eyes widened.
“The second group from Yohaim has already set out. They’ll arrive in a few days.”
Once again, Yohaim had sent a fresh group of trainees.
The king of Yohaim, like Gonte, was a middle-aged man nostalgic for the old days. He had been delighted to hear about the guerrilla training taking place in Briol.
Yuri smiled broadly and patted each instructor on the shoulder.
“The relationship between Briol and Yohaim depends on you instructors. Understood?”
“Yes!”
“Instructor No. 2 has left, and Instructor No. 3 should return to his original duties. And as you all know, since I’m a prince, it’s difficult for me to keep working on the front lines.”
Yuri decided to reorganize the command structure.
When the news came that the three instructors who had been the mental pillars were retiring, the others lowered their heads—but a faint smile tugged at their lips.
The disappearance of a superior was always good news.
“You seem awfully pleased.”
“No, not at all!”
“I believe Instructor No. 4 understands the spirit of our guerrilla training best. So I plan to hand over the position of training commander to him.”
Instructor No. 4, Murray of the Shadowless Killers, lifted his head.
“He’s the new commander now. Everyone, follow his lead.”
Yuri placed his own red cap on Murray’s head.
The cap was soaked with sweat, and for a moment, Murray’s expression twisted slightly, but Yuri didn’t mind and pulled the brim down to shade his face.
“I trust you, Murray. No, Instructor No. 1. Lead the training corps well.”
“I’ll do my best!”
“There will be many challenges ahead. We must continue to develop our system.”
Yuri planned not only to accept trainees from Yohaim but also from other countries.
Of course, this would be limited to nations that would eventually oppose the Empire.
With high tuition fees, it was a win-win: training allies while earning money.
After encouraging the instructors, Yuri left the guerrilla training grounds and returned to the palace.
Almost immediately, the sound of clashing weapons echoed from somewhere nearby. It was obvious who it was—Jose and Bernard, who met daily to spar and test their skills.
“Is this the royal palace or a training ground…”
Yuri muttered with a faint smile on his lips.
Hunting down black magic users in the Empire was practically impossible.
So, satisfied with identifying the enemy’s true nature, he had instead focused on building comrades to stand alongside him.
Compared to his past life, the situation was much better.
Though sacrifices had been made, there was no time to grieve.
Yuri murmured to himself.
“We must strengthen our alliances.”
He recalled memories from his previous life.
Back then, isolated and responding alone, there was no alliance opposing the Empire.
They had treated it as a temporary conflict, watching other nations fall.
But the Empire’s drawn sword never returned to its sheath. Only after witnessing it swing relentlessly, changing targets, did everyone realize the Empire’s true intent.
By then, it was too late.
“Yohaim will be the starting point.”
The spark of war would likely ignite in Yohaim.
Sharing the Aloy mountain range with the Empire, the border between the two countries was always tense with minor skirmishes. Yohaim was a proud nation and would not back down easily.
Suddenly, the Empire dispatched the Black Knights.
The entire mountain range was trampled, and Yohaim’s cities burned.
But now, things were different. The new combat doctrines he had taught would tenaciously hold the Empire back. Meanwhile, neighboring countries could unite to support Yohaim.
Excluding the Empire, there were four major powers: Briol, Bursen, the Holy Kingdom, and Liberta.
Relations with Bursen were already friendly, and Liberta was not bad either.
The Holy Kingdom was the one to watch.
Because Yuri had grown close to Sibylla, Larson—the future king—was wary of him.
So Yuri had recently sent an envoy to Larson, offering valuable gifts and proposing friendship.
He had formally acknowledged Larson as the next king of the Holy Kingdom.
Larson had sent a polished reply.
Though a bit of a materialist, he wasn’t stupid. Or rather, he might be, but he clearly had clever subordinates. That was the nature of a recognized heir.
But that wasn’t enough.
“I wish I could meet them all in person and talk…”
Yuri planned to ask Cedric or Joshua to handle that.
As the third prince, he couldn’t keep stepping forward forever.
Fiore would find it bothersome, so it was time to entrust those two with his intentions.
Until now, he had done everything alone.
Maybe it was because of memories from his past life. After Briol’s tragic end, he had wanted to shoulder the fight against the Empire alone. So he had deliberately left the others out.
But he couldn’t keep doing that forever.
Lost in thought, Yuri suddenly stopped in the middle of the palace.
A scene from his past life flashed before him.
Over the peaceful palace scenery, the image of the burning palace overlapped.
Beautifully built structures and towering spires crumbled.
Knights fell one by one, and the people were crushed without resistance.
He should have died there, but instead, he begged for his life and fled.
He recalled Graham’s somber face looking down on him.
What had Graham thought when he sent him away?
Had he survived afterward?
Had he left because he couldn’t endure the Empire’s madness, or had he been swallowed up and become the same as them?
His chest tightened.
He felt strange.
“Damn…”
When lost in deep thought, it was best to shake off distractions by putting strain on the muscles.
Yuri immediately dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups.
Passing attendants glanced over and whispered, but his eccentric behavior was well known, so they paid it little mind.
“Phew…”
Yuri stood up. He felt much better. Sweating was the best cure for gloom.
“Prince? What are you doing?”
A voice came from behind—it was Ena.
“Huh?”
“Why are you on the floor all of a sudden…”
“Uh, this is… the spirit of the guerrilla corps.”
“I see.”
“Why are you staring like that, Instructor No. 3? No, Ena.”
“Nothing.”
“Anyway, is something wrong?”
“A guest has arrived.”
“A guest? Hahaha, being popular is exhausting. So, who is it?”
“Sir Graham.”
“What?”
Yuri’s smile vanished as he looked at Ena.
She seemed to share his feelings. Ena looked up at him with wide eyes and spoke slowly.
“Sir Graham has come.”
The caravan led by Elaine had already reached the imperial capital.
“It’s always such a noisy place…”
“That’s true.”
But it was the best place to sell goods.
Especially this time—the exotic artifacts and luxury items from the East were sure to be wildly popular among the Empire’s nobles.
“Captain, will you start working right away?”
“No, let’s rest for a day.”
“Yes.”
The people accompanying her were an elite team, well-coordinated and unmatched anywhere.
At Elaine’s command, they moved with precision.
“Hire people to spread the word among the noble houses. Just show them the catalog for now. If they want a proper look, they can come back.”
“Understood. Where should we set up the store?”
“Where the nobles’ mansions are clustered.”
“Got it.”
Elaine planned to display the Eastern goods where everyone could see them.
Since supplies would keep coming, showing them to many nobles and signing contracts would bring in steady money.
“Let’s move quickly. We won’t stay long.”
Elaine’s group settled into a pre-booked inn.
It was a popular hotel among merchants like her, equipped with large safes and insurance against accidents.
After bathing and changing into clean clothes, she stepped out alone.
“Hmm…”
Just as when she first entered the capital, the atmosphere on the streets felt strange.
She stopped by a newsstand and bought a magazine. There was no better way to grasp the Empire’s political climate.
“Huh?”
She saw a portrait she recognized.
“What? Is this for real?”
Elaine pressed her face close to the magazine.
It was Prince Yuri Briol, the third prince of Briol.
The image was part of an ad for a temple’s drug rehabilitation clinic.
“What on earth does this guy do…?”
She clicked her tongue and flipped through the pages, skimming several articles.
“Hmm…”
Then she bought another magazine and started reading that one too.
“Ugh…”
Elaine had a sharp intuition.
As she absorbed the information from the magazines, a clearer picture of the empire’s current state began to form in her mind.
She muttered to herself, “Something’s off here.”
A dark feeling settled over her.
Just the drug problem alone was suspicious.
With the empire’s administrative power, tracking down the ringleaders shouldn’t be difficult. Yet the whole country seemed to be plagued by drugs, and that made no sense to her.
Folding the magazine, Elaine looked up.
The atmosphere on the streets felt grim.
The air was thick and heavy, and the lighting seemed dimmer than usual.
Where once the city had been bursting with energy, now it felt ominous and decadent.
She headed toward a busy shopping district.
“Did you hear? Someone I know said…”
“How could that happen…?”
“We need to find the culprit immediately…”
“How dare they…”
People were whispering among themselves about something.
“Apparently, it’s coming from the palace…”
“And the country involved is…”
The street vendors weren’t trying to attract customers; instead, their eyes darted around warily.
It was as if the entire city was under some kind of spell.
Elaine approached a nearby food stall and ordered a chicken skewer.
“One of these, please.”
“Sure.”
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“I have a question.”
Lowering her voice, she asked, “What exactly is this incident everyone’s whispering about?”
Suddenly, the noise died down.
Though she spoke softly, her words seemed to echo through the street.
Everyone turned to look at her, eyes wide with surprise.
It felt like she’d been pulled into a horror story all alone.
Her ever-reliable intuition sounded an alarm: something was seriously wrong in Hwangseong.
The vendor said nothing, just stared blankly like everyone else, then silently handed her a skewer.
Elaine took it and immediately headed back to her lodgings.
A chill ran down her spine.
“Do I need to leave Hwangseong? What the hell is going on…?”
But when she returned, an even bigger event was unfolding.
“Oh, you’re back, Captain.”
One of her subordinates hurried over.
Elaine didn’t even glance at him. Instead, she stared blankly at the sight outside her door.
A large, ornate carriage stood there.
A red flag fluttered from it.
Elaine knew exactly what that color meant.
“Who is it?”
“The princess.”
“What?”
Elaine looked at her subordinate.
He glanced back nervously, lowering his voice.
“Princess Yekaterina has arrived.”