Yuri spurred his horse forward in silence, and Jared, following close behind, shouted out.
“Your Highness! Do you know what you’re doing?”
Yuri shook his head.
“No.”
“Then why are you running?”
“Because we have to find the orcs!”
“But you can’t just find them by running! If they run off, we have to surround them—”
Yuri pulled something from his cloak and held it up.
It was a necklace set with a red gemstone.
Jared’s eyes widened, then he let out a small laugh.
“Understood.”
Yuri urged his horse onward and pulled a map from a cylindrical case to check their bearings.
Though the information wasn’t very detailed, it gave a rough idea of where the orc encampment might be.
“I saw some lizard riders nearby.”
Occasionally, orcs had been spotted watching the allied army’s march from a distance.
They would observe the troops, but as soon as the knights gave chase, they’d scatter.
“Your Highness.”
“Hmm?”
“Just now, I saw something over there.”
Laurent spoke up.
“Orc cavalry.”
Encountering enemies on the vast plains was rare. Once you caught their trail, you couldn’t afford to lose it.
“Let’s go!”
Yuri immediately changed course. The knights all turned in unison.
They galloped toward the direction Laurent had pointed out.
Yuri scanned the ground as he rode, searching for footprints.
In his past life, he had learned tracking skills. As a mercenary who took on all kinds of jobs, he had to master various techniques to survive.
“A group of Komodo Drakes passed through.”
“Huh?”
“Three or four. Judging by the footprints, they’re tamed by orcs.”
“Where did you learn tracking?”
“It’s all in the books.”
Several Komodo Drake tracks were tangled together, winding across the earth.
Following them, a small lake appeared beyond the horizon.
“There they are.”
A group of orcs rested by the lakeshore, probably there to drink.
“Charge!”
Yuri shouted and urged his horse forward.
The entire knight squad increased their speed.
The orcs scrambled to mount their Komodo Drakes and take cover.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Yuri quickly pulled out the red gemstone and activated his mana method.
The orcs froze in place.
“Prepare for battle. We have the numbers, so don’t overextend.”
“Yes, sir!”
A crimson aura flared in the orcs’ eyes. They charged headlong at the knights atop their Komodo Drakes.
Yuri raised his hand to signal.
“Scatter.”
“Yes!”
The knights split into several groups and circled around.
The enraged orcs, confused about whom to attack, blindly charged at anyone in their path.
Yuri stepped forward.
“Hey!”
An orc wielding a halberd lunged at him, thrusting the blade.
Yuri dodged and swung his sword. Blood splattered from the orc’s abdomen.
“Graaaargh!”
Ignoring the wound, the orc leapt off its mount, trying to grab Yuri.
The horse nimbly dodged, but the orc stretched out its arm and caught Yuri’s shin.
“You bastard!”
Yuri pulled the reins hard, and the horse bucked wildly. The orc slammed into the ground, scraping along but refusing to let go.
“Let go!”
Yuri kicked the orc’s head, but it clung on stubbornly.
He glanced back.
The knights were closing in, surrounding each orc.
Fueled by the gemstone’s power, the frenzied orcs swung their weapons wildly, but the knights held their ground, waiting for openings to strike before retreating.
They had become skilled at fighting orcs.
“That’s enough.”
Yuri stopped channeling mana into the red gemstone.
The mana inside dissipated, and the gem lost its glow, returning to an ordinary stone.
The orcs’ frenzy faded.
“Graaaargh…”
As the excitement drained, the orc holding onto Yuri lost its grip. It tumbled to the ground and lay still.
“This thing’s really useful. Don’t know how it works, but…”
Yuri looked down at the red gemstone necklace in his hand.
It was more powerful than he’d expected.
Even the orcs’ mounts couldn’t resist its madness-inducing effect. It seemed capable of triggering seizures in most orcs.
“Kill them all.”
One by one, the knights cut down the orcs.
Yuri stood over a fallen orc.
The creature gasped through a hole where its nose should have been and looked up at Yuri.
It seemed resigned to death, but Yuri wasn’t fooled.
He kicked up dirt and dust into its face. The orc squinted and flailed.
Taking advantage of the moment, Yuri stabbed its neck, ending its life.
Only then did the orc release the stone it had been clutching tightly.
Yuri cut off its ears and tucked them into a pouch.
Mounting his horse again, he muttered,
“Do we really have to do this…?”
With the fate of the allied army hanging in the balance, what use was this grim task?
But there was no choice.
Before facing Okua, he had to earn Ragna’s trust.
“Let’s check around the lake. Orcs need water, too.”
“Good idea.”
As long as he had the red gemstone, any encounter could turn into a battle.
Yuri rode across the plains again.
Each time they found orcs, he used the red gemstone. The orcs, fleeing at first, would be overcome by madness and charge like moths to a flame.
The pouch of ears grew heavier.
Eventually, they met the Liberda knights.
Wolf Gain greeted Yuri.
“Your Highness, have you collected many ears?”
“Not bad. How about you, Sir Wolf?”
“About the same.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed.”
They exchanged smiles, both clearly hiding the true number of ears they’d gathered.
But Yuri had a way to find out Liberda’s results.
“Ah, here’s Sven.”
Sven Gain, son of Liberda’s commander Wolf and the one Yuri had leverage over, was hiding behind the knights but got caught.
“Good to see you, Sven. Been well?”
“Ah, yes…”
Yuri approached and acted friendly. Sven awkwardly nodded.
As Yuri patted his shoulder, he quietly asked,
“How many?”
“W-w-well…”
“I’m not asking twice. How many?”
“Um…”
Sven finally whispered,
“None.”
“Really?”
“They all ran off. I lost them.”
Orcs were cunning. They avoided unfavorable fights.
It seemed they had retreated because Liberda’s forces were outnumbered.
Judging by the situation, few knight squads had any real success.
Yuri pretended to pat Sven’s shoulder but slipped him a couple of ears.
“Keep these.”
Sven’s eyes widened.
“Th-these…”
“Save face at least. Just hold onto them.”
“Um…”
“You never know.”
Before Sven could refuse, Yuri pulled back.
“Sir Wolf. Good to see you. We’ll meet again in the allied army.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Take care.”
The two knight squads exchanged greetings and parted ways.
After that, orcs rarely appeared.
Yuri scanned the surroundings. Jared came up beside him.
“Your Highness, I don’t see any more.”
“Is that so? It feels like a waste to turn back now.”
If a country happened to encounter an orc unit by chance, victory wouldn’t be guaranteed.
“There’s nothing picking up on my senses.”
Laurent said, and Yuri looked up.
“Senses, huh…”
Mana methods could enhance a knight’s abilities in many ways.
Not only strength and stamina but also the five senses could be heightened.
Could it be possible to detect orcs far away, even if they weren’t visible?
Yuri dismounted and pulled out a dagger.
It was the Earthquake Sword, one of the four swords of the Four-Wheel Blade, imbued with the power of earth.
Just as the Crystal Sword repelled fire, he felt he could do something with this.
“Your Highness?”
“Shh.”
Yuri plunged the Earthquake Sword into the ground and used it as a conduit to spread his senses.
He felt the earth move.
The ground pulsed rhythmically.
Through the sword, Yuri listened to the heartbeat of the land. With each thump, his mana swelled.
The strange mana method, Soul Slash, which could become anything by will alone, soon absorbed the earth’s energy.
Suddenly, various heartbeats flooded in.
First, the sound of hooves beyond the invisible horizon.
Increasing sensitivity, he sensed crawling beasts and even the wriggling of insects beneath the soil.
He had to go further.
Applying complete mana control he’d learned from colliding with Laurent, his mental energy drained rapidly.
Too much information was coming in.
He couldn’t hold it for long.
“Ugh…”
Just before releasing the Earthquake Sword, Yuri caught something.
Small but noisy footsteps.
Four legs pounding the ground swiftly.
Large and heavy but fast.
The rhythm was nothing like hooves.
Komodo Drakes.
There were quite a few.
Yuri opened his eyes.
“That way.”
“Huh?”
“Charge!”
As the sun began to set, the knight squads returned.
Before Ragna, the pouches distributed to each squad were gathered.
He smiled and shook an empty pouch upside down.
“Where is this from?”
The countries that hadn’t collected anything hung their heads in shame.
But it wasn’t just them. As Ragna shook the pouches, more and more were empty. He tossed them to the ground.
Then, two ears fell out.
“Two.”
Ragna picked them up.
“Not many, but better than nothing.”
He checked the pouch.
“Liberda.”
Ragna’s eyes went wide. The wolf standing before him bowed his head.
“Embarrassing, sir.”
“No, you did well. A result is a result.”
With a nod, Ragna signaled his adjutant, who began taking notes.
The tally of merits and demerits would be settled once the allied forces disbanded.
Suddenly, Wolf and Yuri’s eyes met.
Wolf gave a casual nod; Yuri shrugged her shoulders.
Sven looked as if he was offering up the ears Yuri had handed him, having caught nothing at all.
“And next…”
A few ears slipped from Brusen’s sack.
Jonathan spoke up.
“We found a scouting party. Lucky break.”
“Luck is skill too. Though a few of our men died because of that luck.”
Ragna counted the ears.
“Six. That’s the best so far.”
The knights from Brusen’s contingent, who had been waiting, cheered. Their enthusiasm remained high.
Ragna then opened another sack. It was nearly empty, with only a few ears inside. Nothing remarkable.
Two sacks remained.
Even at a glance, they looked fairly full.
“Two left, huh.”
Ragna lifted one of them. The sack was a deep red.
“Actually, the Empire sent knights as well. They were an hour late, though—forgot to send them on time.”
All eyes turned to the Empire’s knights clad in black armor. They stood motionless.
Ragna shook the sack.
“I was worried they’d embarrass themselves, but they actually brought in a decent haul.”
Ears tumbled out.
“Twelve.”
Ragna grinned.
“Well done.”
The mood sank.
No one doubted the Empire’s strength, but being an hour late and still trailing this badly in the ear count was a blow to their pride.
If they didn’t want to be mere sidekicks to the Empire, they had to deliver results.
“One left…”
Ragna lifted the final sack.
“Hmm…”
He made a strange face.
Unlike before, he didn’t immediately flip it over. Instead, he opened the mouth of the sack and peered inside.
He reached in and rummaged around. The sack’s shape shifted wildly.
That meant it was packed full.
“This…”
Ragna let out a dry laugh and flipped the sack over. A massive pile of severed ears spilled out.
Everyone stared, stunned.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“What the…?”
“How many are there…?”
Ragna sank down and began sifting through the pile.
“Judging by how fresh the blood still is, they must have been taken today…”
His gaze fixed on someone.
“What on earth is their secret?”
Following Ragna’s eyes, everyone turned to look.
The third prince of Briole, a knight who had charged recklessly brave in the last battle.
Now, a brilliant commander who had harvested dozens of orc ears.
Yuri Briole shrugged.
“I guess I just work hard, that’s all.”