The ronin’s food—jjajangmyeon—captivated Yuri’s taste buds.
“Indeed…” Cheongun said as he took a sip of tea.
“There’s plenty more ronin food—jjamppong, sweet and sour pork. I’ll treat you properly someday.”
“I look forward to it.”
Thus, the ronin unit under Yuri’s command relentlessly ambushed the supply convoys heading to Bezos, fueled by the taste of home.
The Empire gradually increased their escorts, but whenever things got tight, Yuri would slip in alone, set fires, and slip away, causing massive disruptions to the supply lines.
Above all, the continuous attacks left the Empire’s troops stationed in Bezos utterly exhausted. With enemy raids coming day and night, they remained on high alert, nerves fraying from the constant strain.
Soon, rumors spread about a band of beggars from the East.
With all sorts of wild speculation added, the Easterners were no longer seen as human—they became mysterious beings, half-human, half-dokebi.
The Empire suspected it was Briol’s handiwork, but even so, they had no effective countermeasures.
Meanwhile, Briol’s army completed its assembly and began marching toward Bezos.
“We’re about to join the main force,” Yuri declared to the ronin, sauce from the jjajangmyeon still smeared at the corner of her mouth.
“Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
“Your mouth…”
Cheongun brought over a towel. Yuri wiped her mouth belatedly and cleared her throat.
“In any case, this kind of life ends now. It’s time for a proper fight.”
The ronin’s numbers had dwindled somewhat—some had died in battle, others lost their heads for breaking discipline.
Those who remained now showed a more disciplined demeanor.
“This won’t be a hit-and-run ambush. We’re going to fight a full-scale war. I hope those hot-blooded lads from the East aren’t going to chicken out and run away?”
Everyone shook their heads in response to Cheongun’s translation.
“No way!”
The ronin had now learned to say simple phrases like “Yes,” “No,” “That’s right,” and “No, it’s not” in the continent’s common tongue.
“I can’t promise survival. But if you live through this, wealth and honor will follow. This place isn’t the East. No matter where you come from, if you perform, you’ll be rewarded accordingly. You’ll earn the same pay as Briol’s soldiers! Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Equal work! Equal pay!”
“Equal work! Equal pay!”
Briol’s army had already gathered and established their positions.
When Yuri and the ronin unit arrived to join them, Ainger Eustam came out to greet them.
“Your Highness! It’s been a while.”
“Indeed. Sir Ainger.”
“Hoo…”
Ainger instinctively scanned Yuri up and down. It might have been disrespectful, but Yuri didn’t mind.
Instead, she flexed her arm and asked, “Impressive, huh?”
“Yes, Your Highness. You’ve grown stronger.”
“I’m still young.”
Yuri was in her early twenties, still physically developing, and her swordsmanship continued to improve without limit.
Ainger smiled broadly.
“Excellent. I think we can take Bezos at any moment.”
“Of course.”
Yuri glanced back toward the distant silhouette of Bezos Castle. Once it fell, the Empire’s expeditionary force would lose its center and fall into disarray.
After driving the enemy back, Briol would become the invader.
“What’s the plan?”
“No need to drag this out. We strike tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
Yuri gestured toward Inariel, who had come with them.
“Inariel here will be helping us.”
“Ah…”
Ainger bowed respectfully to Inariel. He had already heard about the elven archmage who looked like a boy.
“Please take care of us.”
Inariel nodded.
“This Inariel fellow…” Yuri laughed heartily and draped an arm around his shoulders, but quickly withdrew it when she caught his gaze, then continued.
“He can blow up a castle wall or two, so don’t worry. He’s a real mage—no dispel can stop him.”
“Ohhh…”
“Once the walls are breached, we charge in order of strength. Of course, I’ll lead the way.”
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“That sounds dangerous…”
Ainger, feigning seriousness, narrowed his eyes and said, “The Empire, you say!”
Yuri and Ainger laughed together.
Having lived a long life, Yuri found she got along surprisingly well with Ainger.
“Very well. May I stand behind the prince?”
“You’ll need Francesco, one of the Ten Strongest, too.”
“I heard he still can’t use mana properly?”
“Show some respect.”
“Then can I be third?”
“Figure it out yourselves.”
Briol had many outstanding knights. While warriors like Yuri were rare exceptions, the overall quality far surpassed other nations.
At that moment, Jared, standing behind Yuri, cleared his throat.
“Me too. I’m confident in my skills as Your Highness’s guard.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Sir Ainger, you seem to have put on some weight…”
“Oh? Looks like we’ll have to settle this.”
As they bantered, other knights gathered.
“What’s this?”
“Charging in order of strength?”
“Obviously, I’m first…”
Their welcome for Yuri took a backseat as they argued loudly over who was strongest.
The ronin watching this exchanged words among themselves.
[There are so many top-tier experts here.]
[Most sects would be crushed.]
[We won’t lose this war.]
Soon, the ronin were given new clothes and equipment.
Shedding their ragged garments, they now exuded a ruthless aura, like mercenaries who had spent their lives on the battlefield.
Yuri gave them a new name.
“From now on, you are the Foreign Legion. You’re outsiders now, but one day you’ll become insiders.”
“Yes!”
“Just calling it the Foreign Legion is dull, so let’s call it the Fearsome Foreign Legion.”
“Yes!”
“We’ll strike fear into the enemy.”
“Long live Your Highness Yuri!”
The ronin, who had only answered with “Yes,” “No,” “That’s right,” and “No, it’s not” until now, suddenly shouted their cheers, prompting Yuri to glance at Cheongun.
Cheongun smiled.
“I taught them ‘Long live!’ It’s an essential war cry.”
“Well done.”
“Long live Your Highness!”
“Yes, long live!”
Yuri patted Cheongun on the shoulder. He was a talent she liked.
“Tomorrow will be a long day, so get plenty of rest.”
“Yes!”
Yuri then toured the barracks, checking on the troops’ condition.
Many familiar faces from the last battle were there.
Yuri treated everyone the same, regardless of rank, so the soldiers welcomed her visits.
Night fell.
Yuri gathered the key personnel to discuss the battle planned for the next day.
Bezos was only the beginning. She had no intention of dragging things out here.
“We’ll start the battle early tomorrow morning. Dinner will be at Bezos Castle. How does that sound?”
Yuri’s plan was simple and bold.
As she had explained to Ainger, once Inariel breached the walls, Yuri would lead the elite troops through the opening. The rest would follow, wiping out the enemy.
“So basically, we run in and kill them.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
The outcome of this battle would soon be revealed.
At dawn, Briol’s army advanced.
On the walls of Bezos, the Empire’s troops took their positions, aiming their bows.
The standoff began.
“Hmm…”
Yuri stood at the front, gazing at Bezos Castle.
The walls were tall and sturdy—a true ironclad fortress. It would be impossible to take by ordinary means.
The last time the Empire took the castle wasn’t through battle, but because of Fiore’s disappearance, the tragedy of Frances, and Yuri’s poor health forcing a retreat.
Yuri looked at Inariel beside her.
“Inariel.”
“Yes?”
“How’s your condition today?”
Inariel gripped his staff and glanced up at the sky.
The sky was clear and blue, with white clouds drifting like a painting.
Blinking, Inariel answered, “Good.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Can I break the castle a lot?”
“Uh…”
Yuri narrowed her eyes and stared at Bezos Castle.
“It’s our castle, so break it moderately.”
“Moderately?”
“We can’t have trouble entering, so break it enough to minimize troop casualties but not so much that the castle collapses. You understand?”
“Very picky.”
“Moderately, moderately.”
“The worst kind of spell.”
Inariel chuckled and nodded.
“Alright, moderately it is.”
Yuri smiled.
“Yes.”
Though countless lives hung in the balance on this battlefield, Yuri felt no tension. She had come too far to feel fear or guilt.
She drew her sword.
The sound of a horn echoed.
The tactic was simple, so there was no need for complicated signals.
Yuri spurred her horse forward.
Leading the charge, a wedge of knights advanced toward the walls.
“Forward, all!”
At the same time, siege equipment moved forward to distract the enemy’s eyes.
The Empire’s archers on the walls shifted their targets erratically.
Yuri glanced at Francesco just behind her.
His face was expressionless.
“How long has it been since you’ve been on a battlefield like this?”
“Quite a while.”
“How do you feel?”
“Hmm…”
Francesco’s eyes widened as he stared at Bezos Castle. Mana began to rise from his body, spreading a faint glow.
He was regaining his former prowess far faster than Yuri had anticipated.
“Not bad at all,” Francesco remarked.
He was no longer the man who had lost his mana and wandered the streets in despair.
He was returning to the days when he was known as the Holy Knight.
“Hey, aren’t you taking this a bit too seriously today?”
“Just this once, bear with me. Today’s important.”
Francesco had been dismissed as a has-been ever since losing his mana.
This battle was his chance to announce to the entire continent that he had reclaimed his old strength and returned as one of the Ten Strongest—the Holy Knight.
“So, when do we use the magic?”
“That’s what I’m wondering.”
Yuri and Inariel had planned that once Yuri charged forward, Inariel would bring down the fortress walls at just the right moment.
But so far, there was no sign of anything.
Back when Marirose had used magic, a blazing fireball hung in the sky, filling everyone with confidence just by its presence. Now, with no indication at all, charging felt hollow.
“Hmm…”
Yuri tightened his grip on the reins.
“Maybe I should prod Inariel a bit.”
“How?”
Yuri urged his horse forward.
“Just run!”
“Yuri!”
Without hesitation, Yuri broke into a sprint.
Francesco and the knights, who had been advancing slowly, hastened their pace to keep up.
The sudden charge sent Briol’s army rippling like waves from the front.
“Charge!”
Yuri lowered his stance.
His breath steamed as he pushed the horse faster.
The imperial soldiers standing atop the fortress walls came into sharp view. The vast ramparts stretched endlessly left and right—there was nowhere left to run.
“What’s going on?”
“Why are they rushing like that?”
The imperial troops were the ones caught off guard.
The walls stood firm, and there was no sign of the magic Inariel had promised.
Yet Yuri charged forward without hesitation.
Raising his sword high, Yuri shouted, “For Briol!”
His cry sparked a roar from the ranks behind him. The entire Briol army echoed the name.
“For Briol!”
“For Briol!”
“BRIOL!”
The imperial archers released their arrows.
Dozens of shafts aimed to pierce Yuri’s lungs, but not a single one found its mark. The shield of swirling steel he created with his sword blocked every attack.
“Yuri!”
Francesco called out.
“Yes!”
“Slow down!”
“Keep running!”
“No signal yet…”
Francesco’s voice grew distant as he began to ease his pace.
The fortress walls were right ahead, yet there was still no sign of magic.
It was going to be a collision.
But Yuri ignored him, spurring his horse on as if determined to crash headlong into the walls. The horse responded to his will, fearlessly charging forward.
Both friend and foe stared in disbelief.
He looked like someone intent on suicide.
At full speed, Yuri’s horse thundered straight toward the fortress.
Just before impact—
Time seemed to slow.
The bricks forming the walls grew larger and larger in his vision. The rough texture, the scars etched into the stone—traces left by soldiers who had fallen in previous battles.
And beyond that—
Something he wasn’t meant to see.
A wave of force pushed Yuri’s body.
“Ah…”
The fortress walls began to rise.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Like a toy castle being lifted.
As if designed from the start to separate.
The walls floated up into the sky.
Yuri burst out laughing.
The stunned expressions on the imperial soldiers’ faces, magnified by the rising walls, were too delightful to contain.
They stood frozen, unprepared to fight.
Yuri never slowed down.
In fact, he accelerated.
So as the walls lifted overhead, he passed through the defenses.
Like a lion leaping into the midst of a flock of sheep.