“I swear on my life, I will protect this orc.”
“Now, now, no need for that. What matters most is your safety.”
“Yes, sir!”
Yuri gave a small smile, then led the other two knights away from the spot.
The sounds of explosions and clashing weapons were gradually fading.
“Let’s hurry.”
As they walked on, Yuri noticed something odd in the glances exchanged between the other two knights, Guiness and Dyke.
Had they been paying too much attention to Simon? It seemed like jealousy and rivalry were simmering beneath their expressions.
Yuri clicked his tongue.
Why were grown men acting this way toward an eighteen-year-old boy?
Still, he didn’t want to blame them. Standing on the battlefield with their lives on the line, perhaps they needed something meaningful to hold onto.
Yuri spoke up.
“You two.”
They looked at him expectantly.
But Yuri wasn’t about to hand out praise as he had before—he knew better than to be indiscriminate.
Every person deserved recognition in their own way.
With a sharp tone, he said, “Already tired? Panting like that? Do you think this is some kind of training ground?”
“W-well…”
“Honestly…”
Their faces darkened quickly.
Their steps grew sluggish, the mood turning sour.
Suddenly, Yuri stopped and pulled a pouch from his waist, handing it over.
It was a sack filled with water.
The two looked at him in surprise.
Without meeting their eyes, Yuri stared ahead and said, “I’m not giving this because I’m worried about you or anything.”
To a bastard like Simon, who was often scolded, he had to be a ‘caring older brother.’ To these privileged young masters, he had to be the ‘man they wanted to have.’
They stared blankly for a moment before finally accepting the water.
“Th-thank you.”
“Hmph. No need to thank me. I’m just staying behind to hand it out.”
“Yes…”
“I only worry about you two a little.”
“Huh?”
Not ‘not at all,’ but ‘a little’—something flickered in their eyes.
As soon as they drank, Yuri smacked their backs. One started coughing violently.
“Snap out of it! Let’s move!”
“Yes!”
“Cough, yes!”
Yuri ran toward the nearest spot.
Three knights and an orc were facing off.
He immediately jumped in, swinging his sword. The orc flinched and stepped back.
“What are you waiting for? Get over here!”
“Yes!”
“Trap it!”
Guiness and Dyke joined the fight at once.
Six knights surrounded the orc. It couldn’t resist and was quickly overwhelmed.
“There’s no beating numbers. A good thrashing is the answer. Everyone, follow me.”
“Yes!”
Yuri led the knights, taking down each orc engaged in battle one by one.
Occasional explosions still went off, but thanks to the fireproof cannon, damage was minimal.
“Phew…”
Wiping sweat from his brow, Yuri felt satisfied.
Without the fireproof cannon and the knights on standby, the supplies and rations meant for Valshard would have gone up in flames.
“Clear out the dead. Bring the survivors to my tent.”
“Yes, sir.”
Grabbing his aching shoulder, Yuri headed back to the barracks.
Ernando was warming himself by the campfire and waved when he saw Yuri.
“Did everything go well?”
“Of course.”
“Any injuries?”
“My shoulder.”
“Come here.”
He cast a healing spell.
“The shoulder’s prone to injury. You need to stretch it properly. Do you do rotator cuff exercises?”
“I just got hit by an orc.”
“Tsk. You keep getting hit?”
“You bastard…”
“Enough.”
Ernando withdrew his hand, and Yuri rotated his shoulder once.
The pain vanished as if washed away. Ernando’s healing was better than most priests’.
“What about Kori?”
“I sent him on an errand. Oh, here he comes now.”
Kori came waddling over, carrying something.
“Ernando, I brought it.”
“Good work.”
It was a large wooden chair.
Carved beast faces adorned the backrest and armrests, wrapped in dark leather, giving it the look of a bandit chief’s throne—something meant to project authority.
“A commander must have dignity.”
Kori placed the chair behind Yuri.
“Where did you get this?”
“Got a soldier who used to be a carpenter to make it.”
“Really…”
Yuri sat down quickly.
“Well done.”
The backrest towered high, comfortably supporting Yuri’s frame.
The leather wrapped around the back felt surprisingly pleasant.
Yuri rested his hands on the armrests and waited leisurely.
Soon, the orcs were dragged in.
Some were conscious and resisted, but after being kicked by the knights, they quieted down.
Many of these orcs had grown up unable to move properly in front of orcs at Jaime’s castle.
Yuri smiled with satisfaction.
He ordered the orc foot soldiers to be brought last.
“One at a time, get them to kneel.”
“Yes!”
One orc was thrown down in front of Yuri.
Surrounded by knights, the orc slumped by the campfire, growling at Yuri.
“Kori, ask him what I say.”
“Yes.”
“Who ordered the ambush?”
Kori spoke in orcish.
The fallen orc’s gaze locked onto Kori. Its face twisted in pain.
It shouted in a rough voice.
Kori flinched for a moment.
“What’s he saying?”
“Well…”
“Blackmail, right?”
It was obvious.
The half-orc Kori, fluent in orcish, was being threatened.
Yuri stood up.
“Your Highness?”
Raymond, standing nearby, called out to him. Yuri ignored him and approached the orc.
He didn’t intend to drag this out.
Torturing a common orc was just a way to instill fear in the orc foot soldiers.
“What should I tell him?”
“Never mind.”
The orc threatening Kori was a long-haired one. Yuri grabbed it by the hair.
He shoved the orc’s face into the campfire.
A horrible scream echoed.
Yuri didn’t let go until the orc’s face melted. When it struggled, he dislocated both its shoulders.
“Gyaaah!”
Every time it opened its mouth, the flames licked inside.
Its screams were swallowed by the fire, breaking apart. Perhaps its vocal cords were burned; the orc trembled violently before going limp.
Yuri threw it to the ground.
It wasn’t dead yet. Its face was a grotesque mess, but its heart still beat.
“Clear it out.”
He nodded.
The knights hesitated, but Jared stepped forward and dragged the orc away.
“Next.”
Yuri gestured to the orc group, then returned to his seat.
Silence fell all around.
The chair that had seemed a bit amusing moments ago now felt terrifying.
The knights tensed under the weight of unexpected cruelty.
Another orc was thrown down before Yuri.
“Kori, ask again what I just asked.”
“Yes, yes.”
Kori repeated the question.
This orc didn’t curse like the last one but clenched its teeth and glared at Yuri.
Yuri stood again.
The orc tried to say something late.
“Wait, Your Highness. That orc says…”
“Enough.”
Yuri waved his hand. Kori shut his mouth.
“They get only one chance.”
Yuri felt no sympathy for the orcs.
They were born hostile to all life—not just a different culture or race, but a blight polluting the world.
As Yuri approached, the orc dragged its broken leg and lunged.
Yuri swung his glaive, severing the orc’s wrist. The hand flew through the air.
He kicked the body into the campfire.
Flames engulfed the orc.
It thrashed, scattering ash and sparks. Yuri drew a dagger and plunged it into the orc’s body.
It was a four-element sword brought by Guillermo—a crystal blade infused with water energy.
The water protected both Yuri’s hand and the orc’s body. The flames died down, replaced by thick steam.
Yuri pulled the orc from the fire. Its skin was burned and oozing.
“Ugh, disgusting.”
He dragged the orc and threw it beside the first one. Both crawled on the ground, half-dead.
“Next.”
Yuri sat back down. The atmosphere was more solemn than ever.
Amid the silence of the surrounding knights, another orc was forced to kneel before Yuri.
He gestured.
Kori asked the same question. The orc answered.
“He says he doesn’t know.”
“Doesn’t know?”
“Yes. Should I ask more details?”
Yuri checked the number of remaining orc prisoners. Including the orc foot soldier, two were left.
“Jared.”
“Yes?”
“You do it.”
“Understood.”
Jared understood Yuri’s intent and approached the orc himself. The orc gave up resisting, bowed its head, and begged.
But it met the same fate as the others—its face shoved into the campfire, melting halfway before being tossed to the ground.
Yuri rested his chin on his hand.
“Alright, we need to get the information as quickly and briefly as possible.”
The next orc spoke rapidly. Kori tilted his head, listening carefully.
“What’s he saying?”
“He says he doesn’t know. The orc foot soldier over there knows about the mission and begs for his life. He says they only followed the orc foot soldier’s orders and to interrogate him.”
“Trying hard, huh.”
That orc was left standing intact beside them.
Finally, the orc foot soldier was brought forward.
Kori looked at Yuri. This time, Yuri changed the question.
“Did Okua order this?”
Kory tilted his head in confusion and asked Orcbal a question. The moment the word “Okuwa” came up, Orcbal’s eyes sharpened.
But he didn’t speak easily.
He seemed distracted, lost in thought.
“Tell him to answer.”
“He asks if he’ll be spared if he answers.”
“Say yes.”
“He says he doesn’t believe it.”
“Then he’ll have to die.”
“He says he has a lot of information. He wants proof that you’ll spare him before he tells everything.”
“Troublesome for someone about to die.”
Yuri muttered under her breath. Kory didn’t translate that.
“What kind of proof?”
“Humans value oaths, so he’s asking for an oath.”
“An oath…”
Orcbal spoke again, and Kory relayed the meaning.
“He wants you to swear in front of all his men.”
Yuri chuckled.
Maybe from fighting humans, he’d learned a bit about their culture and how to handle situations.
Even if they’re enemies, a commander who breaks his word loses trust.
“Fine.”
Yuri nodded and stood up.
“Let’s do it.”
With Kory between them, Yuri and the orcs exchanged oaths.
They promised not to attack each other. In return, Orcbal would share the information Yuri requested.
Orcbal emphasized:
“If you attack the other, the oath is broken. Honor falls to the ground.”
“An orc talking about honor,” Yuri scoffed.
It irked her that an orc dared to use that word.
From her mercenary days, she knew orcs had no concept of loyalty or righteousness.
“Do it.”
With the negotiation over, Yuri began questioning Orcbal.
“Is this Okuwa’s order?”
“That’s what he says. More precisely, the chief of this orc tribe sent him under Okuwa’s command.”
“How did you learn about the Allied Forces?”
“Okuwa has a way of gathering information. Even he doesn’t know how he knows.”
“Do all the orcs on the plains follow Okuwa?”
“The largest tribes have unified under Okuwa, and the rest are just a matter of time. His power keeps growing.”
Orcbal didn’t know much beyond what Yuri could already guess.
After a few more questions, Yuri decided to end the conversation.
“So, the orcs were preparing for war.”
“Yes. Even if humans hadn’t come, war would have broken out.”
She hadn’t expected detailed intel—just enough to understand what kind of threat Okuwa posed to the Allied Forces.
“That’s all I know. Orcbal says his rank is low, so he can’t say more…”
“Good. Tell him he did well.”
Kory relayed Yuri’s words. Orcbal frowned.
“He asks if he can leave now.”
“Hm…”
Yuri glanced around.
The knights must now realize who they would be fighting.
Okuwa.
A terrifying monster.
When he died, his name was among the continent’s top ten strongest.
“Don’t you have any questions?”
Yuri asked the knights. They were silent until one raised a hand.
“How strong is Okuwa?”
A good question.
Yuri nodded, and Kory asked Orcbal.
Orcbal burst out laughing.
“This isn’t the usual cautious Orcbal you’ve seen.”
“No matter how many Orcbals like me attack together, we can’t win. I guarantee he’s stronger than any being in the world.”
The mood sank.
Yuri nodded again.
“Tell him to leave now.”
“Yes.”
“If you want to bring other orcs, bring them.”
“No need.”
Orcbal straightened his shoulders, glanced around at the knights, smiled slyly, and started walking out of the camp.
He carried himself like a victor, not a loser.
“Are you really going to just let him go?”
Jared asked. Yuri nodded.
“He swore an oath.”
“Still…”
“I am the prince of Briol. I don’t break my oaths.”
She pulled something from her pocket and flashed it briefly.
Jared’s eyes widened, then he smiled quietly.
“I see.”
It was a red gemstone necklace taken from a bandit.
It could enrage orcs and make them charge wildly, but its power was sealed for now.
She had Hernando modify it so mana could be infused when needed.
Yuri summoned her mana method. The power within the necklace flared to life.
Orcbal, who had been walking confidently, suddenly stopped.
“Hey, Orcbal!”
Yuri called out.
“Farewell!”
She waved.
Orcbal turned around.
His eyes glowed a deep red.
“Grrrr…”
His face twisted in agony.
The area where his nose should be twitched, and he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.
“The effect is strong.”
Orcbal looked like he was struggling against the madness wrapping around him.
But in the end, he couldn’t resist his nature.
He let out a mighty roar.
The knights raised their weapons in alarm. Orcbal charged at Yuri like a madman.
“Block him!”
Yuri didn’t need to step forward.
The knights in the camp rushed out together to stop Orcbal. Though strong, he couldn’t take on all of them at once.
Soon, Orcbal was battered and bleeding, collapsing to the ground.
Still, he glared at Yuri with glowing red eyes.
“Kill him.”
Yuri ordered. Roland, standing nearby, drew his sword immediately.
Orcbal’s head fell.
It rolled on the ground and stopped at Yuri’s feet.
Yuri grabbed the severed head by the ears, still wide-eyed to the very end.
The mysterious madness that had consumed him lingered in his eyes.
“Stick it on the spear and set it up.”