After sealing the contract with Umstein and Orichalcum, Yuri quietly observed the flow of the Holy Kingdom for a while.
Luther had begun to find and fulfill his own role. Having shed the title of saint, there was no brake on his relentless progress.
Occasionally, he muttered strange things to himself.
“I wanted to live quietly, but the world wouldn’t leave me be, so I had no choice. Or rather, it’s that bastard’s fault for making me like this. Heh heh heh…”
Luther pushed all his guilt onto Yuri, who had nudged him forward, and strode ahead without hesitation.
He even went to visit uncooperative nobles, carrying out purges that were more like warnings than outright executions.
“Hey. Still chasing foolish dreams?”
“…”
“You’ve probably heard the rumors. The Empire is preparing for war. A big battle is coming, and in times like that, it’s no surprise if anyone dies however they may. Take care of yourself.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Whether it’s a threat or concern, that’s up to you to decide. But since you’re taking it as a threat, I guess you’ve got something to hide?”
“Ah, no, not at all.”
“Good. I just want us to be the kind of people who look out for each other, heh heh…”
“Um…”
“We should meet up soon.”
“Y-yes.”
Yuri felt relieved watching Luther’s unexpectedly proactive attitude.
When he wasn’t involved with the throne, he had retreated to the temple, living quietly out of sight. But once chosen as king, he took decisive action.
Maybe he was simply someone who diligently fulfilled the role expected of him.
Yuri muttered to himself.
“A guy who’s good at doing what he’s told.”
Though it sounded dismissive, it was actually praise in Yuri’s eyes.
Luther handled things swiftly.
The King of Bursen, who had just ended the war with the Holy Kingdom overnight and signed a non-aggression pact, would surely be pleased to continue enjoying Alass’s wine.
“I should send a box of wine.”
“Huh?”
“Just talking to myself. Jared, are we ready?”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s go.”
Without further delay, Yuri and his group decided to leave the Holy Kingdom.
“Do you think the Holy Kingdom will be alright?”
“Don’t worry.”
Though it had been in turmoil, the Holy Kingdom was a strong nation. With a new king, everything quickly settled back into place.
They had established close communication with Luther and agreed to cooperate immediately if war broke out with the Empire. Until then, the Holy Kingdom would be training troops and producing Orichalcum weapons.
It was a shame to leave without seeing a prototype of the Orichalcum weapon, but Yuri had many tasks ahead.
“Where to next?”
“Valshad.”
“Pardon?”
“Hernando has summoned us.”
“Um, wouldn’t it be better if Lord Hernando came here instead?”
“No.”
Yuri nodded.
“They insist that we come. Specifically, me.”
“Oh dear…”
Valshad was quite a distance from the Holy Kingdom. They had to cross the continent and head to the eastern grasslands. Since they had already cleared out the orcs, it wasn’t as dangerous as before, but it was still no easy journey.
“Why? Are you scared?”
“No, it’s just far. Can’t we meet at the Mage Tower or something?”
Yuri shook her head.
“The magic there is too strong. It distorts the space of the workshop.”
“Now that you mention it, it sounds like a bad idea to go there…”
Jared looked uneasy.
Simon and Guiness responded immediately.
“No, Lord Jared. We must go. We have to stop the dark magic. We can’t let fear take hold.”
“Exactly. As knights of Briole, it’s our duty to go.”
The two, who had once wandered Liberta following Moyongchan, had become very enthusiastic knights. It was a huge change from when the Alliance first met them.
Jared muttered.
“Honestly, they weren’t like this back in the Alliance…”
Simon and Guiness cleared their throats awkwardly.
Yuri stepped in.
“Before I picked you, you were even worse than them…”
“Ahem, hmm…”
Bringing up old times left Jared speechless. He nodded, unable to complain further.
“Alright, fine. Since it’s come to this, let’s head back to Valshad.”
“Let’s stop by Liberta on the way.”
“Sounds good.”
Francesco would be joining them. Hernando’s help was needed to remove the dark magic spreading through his body.
Once the five of them were ready to depart, Luther, Umstein, Fennec, and others connected to the Holy Kingdom came out to see them off.
Luther spoke up.
“Hey. You’re just leaving after dumping the throne on me?”
Since they had dropped formalities, Luther spoke bluntly.
“You’re a real irresponsible bastard, Yuri Briole.”
Yuri didn’t take offense.
Though he had put her on the throne, Luther was still king. It was a unique experience to be on such casual terms with a monarch.
She smirked.
“Yeah, I’m leaving. You just sit tight on the throne and keep your mouth shut. Don’t mess things up by acting out. Just keep it normal. Normal.”
“You better not get stabbed somewhere while causing trouble. Behave yourself.”
They slapped palms, then exchanged nods with the others.
Before mounting her horse, Yuri said,
“If we meet again, it’ll probably be on the battlefield. You won’t want to see me then, but you will. So don’t be too disappointed. See you.”
She flicked the reins, and the horse began to walk slowly.
Behind her, everyone shouted their farewells.
“Take care!”
“Thanks for the dagger!”
“Good luck!”
Yuri waved back.
They focused solely on riding, avoiding any unnecessary stops.
They didn’t visit villages unless absolutely necessary, riding as far as they could before camping out wherever they could.
They were strong enough to be free from threats of bandits or wild beasts, and their long experience in the field had toughened them to rough food and sleeping outdoors.
Everyone except one.
“I’m dying. Seriously dying. What kind of stupid march is this? We should be stopping in villages to bathe, enjoy a feast, and sleep comfortably. That’s how you last long. If we keep rushing like this…”
“Quiet, please.”
“Lord Jared, you don’t mind?”
“It’s Francesco’s voice I mind. It’s too loud.”
“No, I mean…”
He had been a holy knight, treated with great respect. He had never experienced camping out like a lowly soldier or chewing on jerky to stave off hunger.
Francesco sighed.
“We still have a long way to go. At this rate, I’ll start smelling like rot. Really…”
At that moment, Yuri said,
“Let’s stop by a village.”
Francesco’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Yes. There’s something I need to do there.”
“What is it?”
“I need to send a letter.”
“Huh?”
Yuri looked as if she’d just remembered something important.
“Did you forget something?”
“I did.”
“What?”
“Something like that.”
On the journey to the Holy Kingdom, Yuri had met the Crow Mercenary Group led by Crow. She had promised to introduce a high-ranking priest to Crow’s younger sister.
But she had completely forgotten.
It wasn’t entirely her fault.
They had stayed in the Holy Kingdom for quite some time, but the mercenary group hadn’t come looking for them or sent any news. So she had temporarily forgotten. Maybe something had happened to the mercenaries.
Yuri wanted to send a letter now to help them.
“If that’s the case, it can’t be helped.”
“Good. Let’s go quickly. We’re doing a good deed, so no hesitation.”
Francesco brightened at that.
So they headed toward the nearest village.
Upon arrival, Yuri immediately sent letters to Luther and the Mercenary Guild. She affixed high-quality stamps and even slipped money to the clerk to ensure the letters were sent properly.
“Please make sure these get through.”
“Yes! Don’t worry!”
After sending the letters safely, Yuri and her group checked into an inn.
The owner suddenly spoke up.
“Good to see some decent folks around here again.”
“Huh?”
“It’s been a while since proper people came through.”
“Oh, but haven’t you had quite a few guests?”
“I said proper people.”
The innkeeper grinned.
“After running this place for so long, I’ve gotten good at reading people. Most are idiots. But you lot seem like real people.”
“Ha ha, thank you.”
“Not long ago, we had some unfortunate guests.”
“Unfortunate guests?”
“The circus troupe, right?”
He shook his head in disgust.
“They stayed here, and there were a lot of pitiful people among them. Especially that monster who could talk like a human—how he ended up like that, I don’t know…”
“The circus troupe?”
“Yeah.”
The innkeeper grimaced.
“There were many poor souls, not just in appearance but inside too. But there was one especially pitiful one…”
According to him, this one looked terrifying but had a truly human heart.
Yuri shrugged.
“How can you read a person’s heart?”
“By their eyes.”
“The eyes?”
“Just somehow. At some point, I started seeing through people’s eyes.”
He smiled slyly.
“Of course, if you don’t believe me, that’s fine. But I know I’m telling the truth. I can read people well. And since you’re decent folks, I’m telling you this.”
Yuri found his words oddly convincing.
Considering he said this to a group of five men traveling together, all armed, he must have a strong belief in himself.
She smiled and said,
“I see. If the circus troupe had been here, we might have caught a show. What a shame.”
“Yeah, it’s a shame. I heard their performances were amazing, but I never got to see one. They just hurried off, saying they had somewhere important to be. Probably going to entertain some high-ranking folks.”
The innkeeper shrugged and seemed about to say more. He clearly enjoyed chatting.
Yuri cut him off before the conversation dragged on.
“Well, I’ll be heading upstairs now.”
“Oh, right. Get some rest.”
Ignoring the innkeeper, Yuri and her group went upstairs.
Jared spoke up.
“The innkeeper sure likes to talk.”
“Still, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”
“Yeah.”
“A circus troupe, huh…”
Yuri wasn’t fond of circus troupes.
In her past life as a mercenary, she’d encountered all sorts of groups, including circuses.
Most circus troupes treated their members poorly. Many performers were whipped and worked like livestock.
“If we run into a circus troupe, we should just break them up.”
Jared tilted his head in confusion.
“Huh?”
“I mean, if we find one, we’ll check for any illegal activities and shut them down.”
“Why go to all that trouble…?”
“You’ve never met a circus troupe before, have you?”
“No.”
“They’re low quality. Most get their members from slave traders. There are hardly any legitimate circuses.”
“I see.”
Jared still looked puzzled. It was surprising how well Yuri knew about circuses, even as royalty.
“She’s right,” Francesco said as he stripped off his clothes to take a bath the moment they entered the room.
“Most circuses are terrible. They treat people like animals.”
“How do you know that, Francesco?”
“I was sold to a circus when I was a kid.”
“Really?”
Francesco turned his back, revealing scars.
“These are from back then.”
“You…”
“I was an orphan. The day I escaped the circus, a temple took me in. Then, because I had a knack for sword fighting, I became a Holy Knight.”
He had more of a story than anyone expected.
The room fell quiet, then he suddenly laughed.
“No need to be so serious. That was a long time ago. I’m going to shower first!”
He hurried off to the bathroom. Yuri and Jared exchanged a glance and shrugged.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside.
Yuri looked out the window and saw villagers bustling about.
“What’s going on?”
The innkeeper arrived with a towel, answering her question.
“Funny coincidence, this. Remember I told you about the circus troupe earlier?”
“Yes.”
“Looks like someone ran away from them. They think the person’s hiding in this village and are searching for them now.”