The two sword auras never rushed. They advanced slowly, distorting the air around them.
Thunder rumbled between the two blades, like lightning flickering within a storm cloud.
Yuri’s swirling vortex of glass, designed to draw in and warp the enemy, met Moyongchan’s calm, steady sword aura that quelled any collision. Their domains overlapped.
Everyone watching tensed.
When such powerful sword energies clash, a massive explosion is inevitable.
But nothing like that happened.
Only a flash of light.
“…!”
There was no loud sound.
Instead, a high-pitched ringing filled their ears.
As the sword auras collapsed, fierce winds blew outward in all directions.
After that single flash, the two sword energies drained themselves toward each other, and just as their strength and direction perfectly aligned, they vanished completely.
What remained for the onlookers was simply the meeting and disappearance of two immense forces—and the violent gusts stirred by their aftermath.
“Ugh…”
“The wind…”
A whirlwind swept through the area, kicking up sand that blurred their vision.
Few truly grasped the significance of this clash.
But everyone knew something extraordinary had just occurred.
One of the Ten Strongest: Moyongchan, the outsider from the East.
And possibly the next Ten Strongest: Yuri Briol, the prince of Briol.
Their duel left all who watched too awestruck to even dream of reaching their level.
When the dust finally settled, the two stood facing each other.
“Wow…”
“Moyongchan is incredible, but the prince of Briol is something else.”
“Is that even possible…?”
“To achieve that at such a young age…”
“Do you have to be born with talent or else you’re doomed…?”
Everyone murmured their amazement. Some knights gripped their sword hilts tightly, unable to contain the overwhelming emotions swelling in their chests.
It was a sight that sent shivers down their spines.
How could one sword create such a phenomenon?
For every knight, this was the pinnacle they dreamed of—and now it was unfolding vividly before their eyes.
Yet, the two who caused this spectacle showed little excitement.
Yuri spoke first.
“Master.”
“What is it?”
“I held back.”
“That’s my line.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“I did hold back.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
The two lowered their sword tips and caught their breath.
“Anyway, I see you’ve grown leaps and bounds through the power of chaos. Without that, you couldn’t have achieved this.”
“There’s no time, but the path ahead is long. I had no choice. I have no options.”
“You carry too much on your shoulders.”
Moyongchan clicked his tongue.
“But you have to bear it all the same.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“But your pronunciation…”
“What?”
“Hey.”
“What?”
Moyongchan’s speech had become strange again.
Yuri was sure it was deliberate. When focused on swordplay, his pronunciation was clear; when relaxed, it became awkward.
“Please take it easy.”
“Alright.”
“Thank you for your efforts.”
“You too.”
The two masters half-playfully praised each other with slurred tongues before exchanging respectful salutes.
While staying in Liberta, Moyongchan was raising the knights’ skill levels.
His reasons weren’t much different from Yuri’s.
“The world is rife with cheats.”
Facing Donchichi, Moyongchan felt this deeply.
The three ogres had already been corrupted by darkness, becoming grotesque beings.
And Liberta’s knights were utterly unprepared to face such foes.
As a Taoist of the Cheongseong faction—who eradicated evil and upheld justice—he wanted to train Liberta’s knights to maintain the world’s balance. Otherwise, the country wouldn’t withstand the war with the Empire.
“Now, Liberta’s knights have improved quite a bit.”
“Yes.”
“My goal is to raise these brats to the point where they can take down Donchichi themselves.”
Though Moyongchan had been away for a while, this was ultimately the path to victory against the Empire.
“Didn’t Donchichi run away?”
“If I leave, he’ll show up soon enough.”
“Cunning.”
Yuri nodded.
Around them, countless knights stood on one foot, swinging their swords.
It was balance training.
Since Moyongchan had to teach many knights, he focused on showing them how to practice on their own, giving special guidance only to those with notable talent.
“Anyway…”
While the knights trained, Yuri and Moyongchan talked.
“A metal that mirrors the power of dark magic?”
“Yes. We should be able to supply it soon.”
“Good. Maybe that’s how the world will restore its balance.”
“And…”
They discussed recent events, future plans, and the matter of Simma.
Even Moyongchan couldn’t offer much advice about Simma.
It was a burden Yuri had to bear.
“It wasn’t much help, was it?”
“But didn’t it warm your heart?”
“Yes…”
Yuri cleared his throat.
“I should be going now. It’s urgent.”
“To Valshad?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Give my regards to the great Hernando.”
Moyongchan still treated Hernando like a noble.
Yuri knew Hernando wasn’t an ordinary mage, but he couldn’t understand why Moyongchan held him in such high esteem.
“Master, is Hernando really that great a mage?”
“Tsk, tsk. Still don’t see it?”
“I don’t know.”
“If you don’t know, just live your life.”
“Yes…”
Yuri tilted his head. There was something Moyongchan saw that he didn’t.
Before leaving, Moyongchan placed a hand on Yuri’s shoulder.
“Yuri Briol. Remember this: darkness cannot overcome light.”
Yuri looked up.
It was a cliché, but coming from someone like Moyongchan, it felt different.
Darkness cannot overcome light.
The Taoist of the Cheongseong faction, who had spent his life cutting down darkness and traveled across distant continents to eliminate evil, seemed to truly believe those words.
Yuri smiled faintly and nodded.
“Yes. I will remember.”
“Good.”
Yuri returned the salute with the Eastern custom of clasped fists.
The knights nearby imitated him, especially Simon and Guiness, who had become his disciples—they had excellent form.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
Before leaving, Moyongchan called Francesco.
“Me?”
Once one of the Ten Strongest, but now having lost his mana, Francesco was uneasy around Moyongchan.
“There is balance in the world.”
“Hm?”
“If you regain what you lost, it will be different than before. Be prepared.”
With that, Moyongchan turned away.
Francesco frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Yuri explained for him.
“It means if you can use mana again, you’ll be stronger than before.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Yuri tapped Francesco’s shoulder.
“Being like this now is an opportunity. How often do people become unable to use mana? If you train now, when you regain it later, it will be much more effective.”
“Uh…”
Francesco scratched his head.
“Did I really think I could be healed…?”
“Opportunity favors the prepared. It might never come, but if you’re not ready, you can’t seize it when it does.”
“Alright, alright.”
“Let’s go.”
Yuri’s group mounted their horses.
Just before leaving, knights from the Gale Knights saluted.
“Safe travels!”
“Impressive!”
Yuri’s group set off toward Valshad once more.
Though the allied forces had wiped out the orcs, they hadn’t been completely eradicated. Scattered small groups of orcs still ambushed people here and there.
“Pathetic.”
Yuri kicked an orc corpse.
“Weak.”
“Indeed.”
“Weaker than before? Or have we just gotten stronger?”
“Probably both.”
The orcs no longer had their former ferocity.
With the absolute being Okua gone, and the powerful creatures he summoned all dead, only the weak orcs—once not even considered true orcs—remained.
There were few strong orcs that even knights hesitated to face; most were just strong but clumsy brutes.
“But their numbers are surprisingly high.”
“That’s just how their kind is.”
Yuri wiped dirt off the orc’s body and said,
“When their population drops, they breed rapidly like cockroaches.”
“Will they become like before?”
“They said they’re stationing troops on the plains, but the Empire isn’t what it used to be…”
Yuri recalled the memories of the old hunter he had absorbed.
Because orcs were such a species, hunters like that were necessary. They lived on the plains and controlled the orc population.
“Once we defeat the Empire, we’ll have to think about this side of things too.”
“By then, orcs will probably feel like easy prey.”
“Probably.”
As Yuri sat roughly among the orc corpses, he suddenly spotted a group approaching in the distance.
“That’s…”
“A caravan.”
Yuri could see farther than others.
“Where?”
“Where else?”
Yuri smiled.
“The Irein Trading Company.”
The caravan noticed Yuri’s group and slowly changed course.
“They’re coming toward us. What if they think we’re bandits?”
“They must have seen my face through a spyglass.”
“Why?”
“I don’t look like someone who’d be robbing others.”
“Oh, right…”
Soon, the members of the Irein Trading Company drew near.
Up close, the scale was impressive. There were many wagons and a large number of attendants.
The caravan halted at a distance from Yuri’s group, and then a man stepped forward from the crowd, approaching them. He had a gentle expression.
“Greetings.”
“Hello.”
Yuri’s casual tone made the man pause briefly before he slowly smiled.
“If I’m not mistaken, you must be His Royal Highness, Yuri Briol, Crown Prince of Briol?”
“Bingo.”
“Black hair. Handsome features. An exceptional physique. And that composed demeanor. It matches perfectly with what I’ve heard about Your Highness.”
“Who told you that?”
“Of course…”
He grinned.
“The whole world says so. About Your Highness.”
Jared, who had been listening quietly behind, let out a breath.
“Wow…”
Francesco, usually more reserved, expressed himself more bluntly.
“This is insane. Just insane.”
Yuri apologized on their behalf.
“I’ll apologize for them. Small-minded people tend to envy those better than themselves. I hope someone as broad-minded as you can understand these narrow souls.”
“Hahaha…”
“But what exactly are these things?”
“Oh, these?”
Though the caravan’s cargo was usually confidential, since Yuri was royalty of Briol, where the headquarters of the Irein Trading Company was located, the man relaxed and answered.
“Goods from the East.”
At that, everyone in Yuri’s group showed interest.
“Oh, so it’s not from Valshad, but from the East?”
“Yes. Ever since the chairman opened trade with the East, the caravan has been setting out continuously.”
“Must be a huge amount of goods…”
“There hadn’t been contact for a long time. Both continents are very curious about each other’s products. Prices are sky-high on both sides. Our company’s stock has soared as well. Heh…”
“I see.”
When the stock rises, Yuri’s wealth rises with it. He and Irein together held most of the shares in the Irein Trading Company.
Yuri asked in a subtle tone.
“If we’re not in a rush, could you show me some of the goods?”
“Certainly. After such a long journey, we were just about to rest ourselves.”
The man nodded politely.
“Besides, since you even cleared out the orcs for us, even if you were in a hurry, we’d insist on showing Your Highness everything.”
His words were crafted to put the listener at ease.
Yuri smiled with satisfaction and patted his shoulder. Talented people like this were working hard to grow his fortune.
“Thank you.”
“Please wait a moment, Your Highness. Now then, we’ll be staying here for the night!”
Yuri looked up at the sky. It was a bit early, but there wasn’t much daylight left.
“Let’s stay here tonight as well. Is that alright?”
“Of course. It would be our honor.”
“And your name?”
“Rick.”
“Alright, Rick. Pleasure to meet you.”
“The honor is mine.”
And so, Yuri spent the day with the Irein Trading Company’s caravan, which had brought treasures from the East.