“To think you’d do something an orc would.”
Yuri clenched his gloves tightly.
Soon, a message came through: the entire unit was in position.
“All set.”
“Good.”
There was no real need to go this far against bandits, but before facing orcs, he wanted his troops to experience coordinated maneuvers.
“Hey.”
Yuri lowered his telescope and turned around.
The trained horses were lying down on their sides to avoid detection, and behind them, the knights were flat on their stomachs.
They were supposed to wait inconspicuously, yet here they were.
“Is lying down comfortable?”
“Not at all.”
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go.”
Yuri sprang to his feet. At this point, it didn’t matter if the bandits spotted him or not.
“Get up.”
He helped his horse to its feet—a handsome black stallion. The horse snorted eagerly and pawed the ground.
The knights just stared blankly as Yuri mounted.
“If you’re late, you get nothing.”
Without hesitation, Yuri spurred his horse forward.
“Huh?”
“Hey, wait!”
The knights watched in stunned silence as Yuri charged alone toward the bandits’ camp.
“What are you doing? Follow him now!”
“Everyone, move out!”
They scrambled to mount their horses, but Yuri was already far ahead.
Raising his sword high, Yuri shouted,
“All units, charge!”
His voice, charged with mana, echoed across the plains.
He crouched low, urging his horse faster.
A few bandits, weapons gripped tightly, stared at him in stunned confusion.
They had no idea what was happening.
Yuri called out,
“Good to see you, friends!”
The black horse leapt over the bandits’ defenses, crashing into them.
“Your Highness!”
Jared, who had been searching for Yuri, finally spotted him in the middle of the bandits’ camp.
“You’re late.”
Yuri waved his hand.
He was sitting atop a bandit, who was pinned beneath him near the campfire.
“That one’s the leader. See the gold bracelet?”
“Yes, I see it.”
“Looks like he’s been living well.”
“Y-yes…”
“You rotten bastard.”
Yuri stomped on the bandit, who groaned in pain.
Jared sighed deeply. He had rushed over in a hurry to find Yuri.
“Why do you act so recklessly? It’s dangerous.”
“Then you should keep up.”
Yuri lifted a skewer of meat roasting over the fire.
“Looks like it was mealtime, huh?”
He prodded the bandit with his foot as he spoke. The bandit’s voice trembled.
“Y-yes…”
“What kind of meat is this?”
“Lamb.”
“Good to know.”
Yuri took a bite, then frowned.
“Hey, where’s the salt?”
“We haven’t had a caravan lately…”
“So you couldn’t steal any?”
“N-no.”
“Don’t lie.”
He took another bite.
Though the third prince had grown up in the palace and was unfamiliar with field life, he acted like a seasoned veteran who’d wandered the world.
Yuri offered a skewer to Jared.
“Here, have some.”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t tell me you can’t eat this?”
“I can.”
“Well, what would the palace guards know about the field anyway?”
“…”
“Tsk, tsk. You’re in for a rough time.”
Jared was speechless but decided to keep quiet. Arguing would only make things worse.
Raymond arrived shortly after.
“Your Highness.”
“Oh, Sir Raymond.”
Though caught off guard by Yuri’s sudden charge, the experienced knight quickly regained composure and hurried after him.
“The bandits?”
“Completely wiped out. A few were killed, but the rest were captured.”
“Any casualties on our side?”
“None.”
“Well done. Truly the invincible Briol army. They deserve applause.”
Raymond gave a dry laugh.
The army had done little; the bandits had fled, their morale shattered.
It was the three princes before him who had made it happen.
Raymond looked at Yuri, who was still sitting atop the bandit leader, chewing meat.
“Do you plan to keep doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“Charging in first.”
“Depends on the situation.”
Raymond took that as a yes.
He sighed and patted Jared on the shoulder.
“Looks like you’re going to have a hard time from now on.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll always have to follow the prince.”
“Charge alongside him?”
“You got it.”
“You’re just going to let him do that?”
“Can you stop him?”
“Well, no…”
“Then you’ll have to go with him.”
Jared was dismayed. Yuri’s reckless charges had become an accepted tactic.
After a chuckle, Yuri stood up.
“Tie up the bandits and leave them here. We’ll camp here tonight.”
“Understood.”
“Hey.”
Yuri kicked the bandit leader, who was still lying down.
“Where’s your tent?”
“O-over there.”
“The biggest one?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Yuri looked back at Jared.
“Sir Raymond, gather Hernando and the senior knights and bring them here. We need to discuss the future.”
“Understood.”
“And hey, leader.”
“Yes?”
“You keep grilling the meat. Open the storage.”
“B-but…”
“Want to die?”
“N-no!”
“If you burn it, you will.”
Yuri entrusted Jared with watching over the bandit leader.
“Jared, make sure he doesn’t burn the meat.”
“Yes.”
“Stab him with your sword every time he burns one.”
“…”
“Do it properly.”
After kicking the bandit’s backside, Yuri headed toward the tent.
Watching his back, Raymond spoke.
“Your Highness, your skills are impressive.”
“Yes.”
“Were you hiding your strength?”
“Not exactly hiding it, just didn’t see the need to show it. The palace guards all knew.”
“I see.”
Raymond fell into thought.
From what he’d seen from afar, the third prince showed no hesitation. Every swing of his sword severed bandits’ limbs.
Covered in blood, he smiled as if it was nothing.
Few could perform like that on their first battle.
“Indeed…”
People said the blood of Fiore had diluted over generations, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
In the orc-infested plains where his father made a name for himself, it looked like the son was about to earn his own infamous reputation.
“Sir Jared.”
“Yes?”
“This allied army might be more interesting than I thought. Don’t you agree?”
Jared sighed.
“Well, more than interesting, you might want to cry.”
“Hahaha…”
“Please try to persuade him, Sir Raymond.”
“I’m not confident either.”
A soldier distributing rations was startled to see a boy with dark eyes suddenly appear.
“W-w-Your Highness?”
“Why the surprise?”
“N-nothing.”
Rumors had spread that the third prince ate the same meals as the soldiers, but no one expected to see him in person.
“Give me a lot.”
“Yes, yes!”
“No, not too much. Don’t want to make it obvious.”
“Y-yes.”
“And don’t make it exactly the same.”
“Y-yes…”
“You know, like a bit more generous than the others.”
“Ah, understood.”
“Too much meat, though. They’ll think I’m showing off.”
“Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. Good job.”
“Thank you.”
Yuri insisted on the same diet for everyone, regardless of rank. Because of that, the overall quality of the rations had improved.
Carrying his tray, Yuri looked around and walked toward a group of knights.
One of them grumbled.
“Having to eat this tasteless stuff out in the open…”
Yuri sat beside him. The knight didn’t notice and continued.
“Why should we eat what the soldiers get?”
Another knight chimed in.
“Yeah, I bet he’s got his own special meals.”
“Probably. Just because he’s a prince doesn’t mean much.”
Yuri tore some bread and dropped it into the meat soup, then shoveled a spoonful into his mouth.
“If it weren’t for the third prince, I wouldn’t even be here. Our father sent me just to keep up appearances because that brat suddenly stepped up.”
“Same here.”
“What a pain.”
While they chatted, another knight spotted Yuri and froze.
He desperately gestured, but the two were lost in their own conversation.
“That Jared guy is too close to the prince, acting all high and mighty…”
“We’ll teach him a lesson. The palace guards aren’t nobles anyway.”
“Right. And the prince is just the third son. Not much weight behind him.”
Interesting.
The knight who had spotted Yuri looked thoughtful. Yuri made a shushing gesture, and the knight nodded.
Yuri picked up his tray and slowly walked away.
“Let’s deal with that Jared fellow first.”
“Let’s settle it tonight.”
“Good.”
“Seeing my men like that might finally wake the prince up.”
They were in full agreement. A few other knights nodded along. It looked like Jared was in for a rough night.
“Heh heh heh…”
Yuri chuckled softly. No matter who won, it would be entertaining.
“Your Highness?”
As Yuri walked, spoon in hand, Raymond approached with a worried look.
“Your Highness?”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
“Ah.”
Eating while walking with a tray was something neither princes nor common soldiers did.
It was a habit from his mercenary days that slipped out unconsciously.
“W-well…”
Yuri tried to explain.
“I’ve been thinking about what’s ahead, so I don’t want to waste time sitting down to eat. That’s why I’m in a hurry…”
“Oh, I see.”
Raymond nodded obediently, which only made Yuri feel more embarrassed.
“By the way, Your Highness,” Raymond shifted the topic. “Our next destination is the city of Gid.”
“Right,” Yuri replied.
Their plan was to pass through Gid, a city built on the grasslands, before heading to Valshad, the gathering point for the allied forces.
“It seems we’ll encounter troops from another kingdom there. Their route and timing are similar to ours.”
“Which kingdom?”
“The Holy Kingdom.”
Yuri racked her memory.
The Holy Kingdom was a theocratic state ruled by a pope-king, where the entire nation followed the Holy Order. They had developed a unique magic system called Holy Magic, which they themselves referred to as the Sacred Law.
Yuri nodded.
“That’s good. We should get along with them. Then if any of our people get hurt, they’ll heal them, right?”
While ordinary mages could use healing magic, it couldn’t compare to the effectiveness of Holy Magic.
“Well, I can’t say for sure.”
“We brought a priest with us, didn’t we?”
“Yes.”
“How is he?”
“Not very impressive.”
The Briole army had also brought along a military priest from the temple.
“Call him over. I want to ask a few things.”
“Understood.”
Soon, the priest arrived.
He looked quite surprised to see Yuri sitting casually on a rock, shoveling food into her mouth.
“You’re here?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You look worn out.”
“Not at all.”
The priest hadn’t shaved in a while, his beard was scruffy, and his white uniform was stained with dirt and sweat. He looked rather disheveled.
“You went to priest school, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You must have some friends in the Holy Kingdom?”
“Well, yes, but…”
He glanced around nervously before continuing.
“We’re just in occasional contact…”
“That’s fine. Do you know anything about the allied forces sent from the Holy Kingdom?”
The priest visibly relaxed.
“Ah, yes. That’s why you called me. I’ll tell you what I know.”
He began explaining calmly.
Unexpected information came out.
“The princess is coming?”
“Yes. I heard the news before we left, so I’m not certain, but it’s very likely.”
Yuri hadn’t known much about the allied forces in her previous life. She was somewhat aware of Briole’s internal affairs but hadn’t paid attention to other countries.
She wondered if the Holy Kingdom’s princess joining was a change brought by the altered future, or if it had always been her fate.
Since she couldn’t recall the princess’s name, it was probably the latter.
“Is that princess the type to get involved in these matters? Or did she suddenly decide to go on campaign recently?”
“Well, according to what I’ve heard…”
The priest explained that the Holy Kingdom’s second princess had shown talent in the Sacred Law from a young age. She also had skill with the sword and had joined the Order of Paladins, where she was making a name for herself. People praised her abilities.
Because of this, the crown prince, the kingdom’s heir, saw her as a rival, and their relationship was strained.
To counter the crown prince’s constant provocations, she wanted to achieve something significant.
“I think most people expected it to turn out this way, including myself.”
“I see.”
Yuri nodded.
If the priest’s account was accurate, then the princess had probably joined the allied forces in her previous life as well.
And that was likely where she had met her end on the grasslands.
“Have you ever met her?”
“I saw her from a distance back in priest school.”
“What was she like?”
“Well…”
Though he avoided a direct answer, the priest’s expression said it all. It didn’t seem like a very favorable impression.
“Thanks for the information.”
“You’re welcome.”
Yuri patted his shoulder.
After talking with him a few times, she realized that despite being a priest, he was surprisingly worldly. People like him could be useful.
“God’s will isn’t limited to the Holy Kingdom alone. Keep doing your best for Briole.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“What’s your name?”
“Jemain. Haha…”
“Jemain.”
Yuri decided to give him a little perk.
“From now on…”
“From now on?”
Jemain’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
“Ask the cooks for extra food. If you mention my name, they’ll give you plenty.”
“Really?”
“Just trust me on this.”
“Y-yes?”
“Don’t thank me too much.”
Yuri smiled and gave his back a friendly pat.
“Go on now.”
“Yesss…”
“Thanks for the info.”
“Yessir…”