Upon arriving in Valshard, Sybilla immediately set about her tasks.
She sought out the mage commander for information and met with commanders from other nations, requesting their cooperation for the upcoming allied forces.
But she wasn’t the only one taking such initiative.
Countless nations had come together under the banner of the alliance. Political maneuvering was only natural.
Yet, some acted in the exact opposite way.
Briol had shut itself away in its barracks, conducting only internal training every day, refusing to engage with the outside world.
“Briol seems quite busy these days,” Sybilla remarked.
“Indeed. The third prince is quite an unusual character,” Jonathan replied.
“I wonder what he’s thinking.”
“Who knows…”
Sybilla was walking alongside Jonathan, the commander of Bursen, who had arrived earlier and was filling her in on various details.
Valshard looked like any other city. Jonathan pointed out a few things as they walked.
“There’s a place over there that serves excellent pork dishes. The menu item is called…”
Suddenly, Jonathan called out to a passing knight.
“Sir Jose.”
The man was enormous.
“Ah, Captain?”
“Where are you headed?”
“Uh…”
He hesitated, glancing around nervously.
“Well, you see…”
Sybilla had heard plenty about him. Jose Aratur was considered Bursen’s top fighting force in the making.
“I’m on my way to the Briol barracks.”
“Why?”
“Well…”
He scratched the back of his head, clearly uneasy. Despite his intimidating muscular build, Jose’s demeanor was surprisingly gentle.
Jonathan patted his shoulder.
“Off to spar with the knights there again?”
“Yes…”
“I told you not to overdo it.”
“We take it easy with each other.”
“Personally, I don’t think it’s good to mingle too often with knights from other countries. But I won’t stop you by force. Bursen’s men can’t be controlled.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Go on.”
Watching Jose’s broad back as he walked away, Sybilla said, “So Bursen has some kind of friendship with Briol.”
“Yes. Somehow, it just happened.”
“Briol…”
Sybilla muttered under her breath.
Briol’s training looked as if they were ready to charge out onto the open plains at any moment.
Yuri Briol didn’t exactly have a reputation for diligence, so what on earth was he thinking?
“What do you think the third prince is up to?”
“Who knows.”
Jonathan smiled.
“Since you’re curious, Princess, shall we go see for ourselves?”
The Briol barracks weren’t far. They walked together.
Passing through farmland and residential areas, the distant clang of weapons echoed.
Foreign soldiers passing by snickered at the Briol troops.
“Tough life, huh…”
“Why are they like that?”
“Bad leadership will do that to you.”
When they spotted Jonathan and Sybilla, the soldiers glanced nervously and stepped aside.
There was no need to show formal respect to foreign nobles, but outright rudeness was out of the question.
Jonathan and Sybilla entered the barracks without interference.
Up close, the training was more organized than expected.
“What brings you here?” a knight who was overseeing the soldiers recognized them and approached. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a sweat-soaked physique.
Jonathan recognized him.
“Sir Jared, right?”
“Yes.”
“I heard a lot of rumors about Briol, so I came to take a look.”
“Shall I call the prince for you?”
“No need. I’ll go myself. Where is he?”
“Over there…”
Jared pointed in a direction. Sybilla and Jonathan turned their heads.
A massive figure stood with his back to them. Somehow, he looked familiar.
Every time he swung his sword, the air sliced sharply.
“That’s Jose.”
“Yes.”
“I only see Sir Jose.”
“If you look closely…”
Suddenly, Jose launched a kick. Someone hidden behind his bulk flew through the air like a ragdoll.
The waiting soldiers hurriedly checked on the fallen figure.
“Your Highness!”
“Are you alright?”
“Open your eyes!”
Jonathan, witnessing a foreign knight striking a prince from another country, was at a loss for words. He parted his lips and quietly asked, “Are you okay…?”
“Yes, well…”
Jared shrugged as he looked at Yuri lying on the ground.
“He insisted on doing it himself.”
Yuri staggered to his feet and charged at Jose again.
The clash of metal rang out.
Though Yuri’s skill was impressive for his age, Jose was already a nearly perfected knight.
Yuri fought with acrobatic moves but was eventually overwhelmed by the difference in strength and dropped his weapon.
The wooden practice sword spun wildly through the air.
But Yuri didn’t stop.
He discarded the sword and closed in, wrapping his arms around Jose’s arm to lock the joint.
He hooked his legs around Jose’s body, trying to use leverage to bend the elbow.
But nothing happened.
“Your Highness.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m about to slam you to the ground. Is that alright?”
“…”
Jose held Yuri up with one arm. Yuri grunted, but Jose didn’t budge. His strength was incredible.
Yuri gave up cleanly and jumped down.
“If you’d slammed me, I’d have told my father.”
“An honor.”
“That’s enough. We have guests.”
Jose looked at Jonathan and Sybilla.
“What brings you here?”
Jonathan bowed his head, and Sybilla nodded.
Yuri approached them.
“Most just watch from afar and leave. It’s nice to have you come all this way.”
As Briol’s training became a topic of conversation, not only ordinary soldiers but also foreign knights occasionally observed from a distance.
Yuri didn’t care about revealing his strength. It would all be exposed on the battlefield anyway.
“Want to join us?”
Yuri’s offer was met with a shake of Jonathan’s head.
“Thanks, but I have a lot to do.”
“Meeting people from other countries?”
“Yes.”
Jonathan smiled sheepishly.
“I’m not a prince like you, so I have to work harder.”
“You’ll regret that later.”
“You’ve been stuck in the barracks, haven’t you? You must think differently.”
“Think differently…”
Yuri looked at Sybilla.
“What do you think, Sybilla?”
Despite being royalty, his tone was casual. Jonathan, unaware of their relationship, tilted his head in confusion.
“My thoughts?”
“About socializing before the assembly.”
“Well…”
Sybilla fell into thought.
Ragna, the allied forces’ supreme commander, hadn’t moved yet, but rumors said he would soon summon all commanders.
Before that, each nation sought cooperation based on mutual interests.
The Holy Kingdom, in particular, attracted much attention. Having many priests skilled in sacred law was a major advantage.
Sybilla spoke up.
“Better than doing nothing, I suppose.”
Yuri laughed.
“Everyone seems so sure the alliance will win. Isn’t that a bit naive?”
“Do you think the alliance will fail, Your Highness?”
“Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it won’t be an easy war.”
He looked at the soldiers training.
It wasn’t a happy time, but this hardship might help them live a little longer.
“Once they face it, everyone’s thoughts will change. Right now, nothing really matters.”
“Well, since you’re Briol, you must know a lot about orcs.”
“Sybilla knows too. She almost died on the way here.”
Sybilla cleared her throat.
It wasn’t a memory to laugh off. She truly thought she was going to burn alive.
“Let’s survive, Jonathan.”
Yuri patted his back with a grin.
Jonathan looked at Yuri anew.
Though he looked like a boy, his words carried the weight of a seasoned knight. Or rather, something rawer.
He recalled a mercenary he had once hired.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He answered and fell into thought.
He had thought he was taking the alliance seriously, but this prince seemed to be imagining even worse scenarios.
Jonathan recalled his encounter with orcs.
“I’ve met orcs once.”
“Really? I thought you had more experience.”
“Well, if that counts as experience.”
Orcs lived on the eastern plains. So except for countries like Briol that bordered the steppe, encounters were rare.
“A merchant once captured a group of orcs and brought them here.”
“Are orcs a spectacle in Bursen? I guess it’s just fascinating since you never meet them.”
Many in Briol held grudges against orcs. Showing them off would be a death sentence.
“We bought orcs to fight, but they were strong yet clumsy. Not a difficult enemy.”
“You don’t really think the orcs captured and taken all the way to Bursen are still in good shape, do you?”
“I hadn’t thought that deeply…”
Jonathan asked, “Are orcs really that strong?”
“Hmm…”
Yuri scratched his chin and tapped Jose’s shoulder beside him.
“Jose, this tough guy here.”
“Yes.”
“These guys will come in packs and attack.”
Jonathan’s eyes widened. Jose scratched the back of his head.
“Is it really that bad?”
“Isn’t it, Sybilla?”
Sybilla shrugged.
Not all orcs had skills like Jose’s, but even ordinary orc soldiers could fight knights, and the higher ranks like orc-bulls were far stronger.
Among them were monsters even more terrifying than Jose.
The alliance was bound to fail.
In fact, most of the people Yuri was meeting now had been killed by orcs on the steppe in their past lives.
Jonathan and Sybilla were no exception.
Thinking that sent a cold shiver down Yuri’s spine.
He suppressed his emotions and lifted the corner of his mouth into a smile.
“So there’s no time to relax. Don’t waste your energy dreaming about how gloriously you’ll win or how you’ll divide the spoils. You’ll barely survive if you don’t fight tooth and nail.”
“Hmm…”
“Well, it might not hit home for you right now.”
“No, it does.”
Jonathan could have dismissed her words, but there was something different about Yuri—something he couldn’t just brush off.
Maybe she knew something the other nations didn’t.
“Do you happen to know something?”
Yuri fell silent, lost in thought. It wasn’t exactly a second life she was living, but close enough.
“Have you heard of Okua?”
“What’s that?”
“The King of the Orcs.”
“The king?”
After the alliance forces disbanded, Okua had declared himself king.
“He’s the one uniting the scattered orcs under one banner.”
“That’s…”
“This isn’t a hunt. It’s a war. So we have to do everything we can to save even one more life among those we’ve called here. That’s why I’m doing this.”
Jonathan glanced back.
The Briol troops were sweating through their drills.
Some were resting leisurely, while others sharpened their skills relentlessly. It was clear who would survive.
“I see.”
Jonathan felt a fresh jolt of realization.
He had been so focused on how to earn glory in battle, yet this third prince, younger than him, was thinking far more maturely.
A wave of shame washed over him.
“Lots to think about. I should get back to my unit.”
“See you again.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Jonathan bowed to Yuri, then turned away.
Jose followed behind.
As soon as they left the Briol barracks, Jonathan asked, “Sir Jose.”
“Yes?”
“How was it, facing the third prince in combat?”
Jose hesitated, choosing his words carefully—uncharacteristic for him.
Jonathan pressed, “Why so quiet?”
“It’s hard to put into words.”
“Hard to put into words?”
“I’m not sure… but…”
Jose was destined to become the greatest knight of Bursen. Jonathan expected him to one day join the elite Ten Strong.
Could it be that even he found this eighteen-year-old prince difficult to read?
“You seemed to handle him well earlier.”
“That’s how it looked.”
“Is he that skilled?”
Jose sighed.
“If we fought with real swords right now, I couldn’t guarantee the outcome. And soon, he’ll be incredibly strong.”
“What?”
“It’s just a feeling. I can’t explain why—this is new to me.”
“You can’t guarantee now?”
“If it’s a fight to the death.”
Jonathan, as a knight, vaguely understood what Jose meant. A life-or-death battle was a whole different realm from training matches.
Jose continued.
“This is also just a feeling.”
“What is it?”
“Let’s get close to that prince.”
He grinned, as if shaking off complicated thoughts.
“I’m sure it’ll be good for us.”
“Hmm…”
“Come on, let’s go. Let’s train like Briol’s troops.”
“Sounds good.”
They chatted as they returned to the Bursen barracks.
Just then, Proin was urgently looking for Jonathan. Jonathan waved.
“What is it?”
“Ah, Captain.”
Proin hurried over.
“We have to leave now.”
“Where to?”
“The Empire has summoned us.”
Jonathan’s eyes widened.
“A messenger came. In the name of Ragna, the allied forces’ supreme commander and the prince himself. He wants the leaders of each nation to come alone to the Mage’s Castle.”
Ragna was making his move.
The allied forces were finally getting ready to mobilize in earnest.