The sporadic raids by the orcs continued, slowing the advance of the allied forces.
Ragna gathered his commanders. They had to find a way to speed things up.
“We can’t afford any more delays.”
He glanced at the emblem hanging in his tent—the symbol of the alliance.
Thirteen crests were clustered together.
Some represented duchies or city-states.
Aside from the empire, the only truly powerful nations were Briol, the Holy Kingdom, Bursen, and Liberta.
Ragna made up his mind.
“There’s something you all need to know. Intelligence suggests that Okua might be involved with black magic.”
Everyone except Yuri wore a strange expression.
Black magic was considered a lost art.
It existed, but it wasn’t the overwhelmingly powerful force people imagined. Just as dragons and komodo drakes were different beasts, black magic was simply a low-level branch of magic.
That was the common understanding.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Even if they dabbled in black magic, as long as we maintain the dispel….”
“Do you think I called you all here because I didn’t know that?”
Ragna’s serious tone prompted Jonathan of Bursen to ask, “Then, Your Highness, could you please explain what exactly you’re worried about?”
Ragna smiled at Jonathan. He appreciated someone who got straight to the point without wasting words.
He placed his hand on the chalkboard behind him and wrote three characters:
“Black Magic.”
But the handwriting was crooked.
Yuri bowed his head, trying not to laugh. Ragna’s penmanship was atrocious—like a child’s scrawl.
The other commanders puffed their cheeks, struggling not to blurt out.
Unfazed, Ragna continued with a solemn expression.
“Black magic does exist. I need to redefine it. The black magic you know and the black magic I’m concerned about are different. To make it simple, I call it ‘True Black Magic.’”
“True Black Magic…!”
The name sounded oddly childish.
Yuri bowed his head again, and the others bit their tongues.
Ragna wrote another word:
“Gert.”
The atmosphere grew heavy. The name carried weight.
“You all know this name. This guy is a product of black magic.”
Yuri narrowed his eyes.
Even he, who had traveled back in time, hadn’t known this.
Gert of Adelvain.
A death knight returned from the grave.
And one of the Ten Strong.
“Not widely known, but true.”
He circled the name “Gert.”
“I’m not a mage, so I don’t know much about black magic. But I’ve heard it requires sacrifices other than mana. You might get a sense of what that is if you look at Gert.”
“Who exactly brought Gert back to life?”
“No one knows.”
Silence fell over the tent.
Gert was a name that inspired fear.
A knight returned from death who destroyed a kingdom.
Adelvain became a ruin.
Even now, Gert wanders alone through Adelvain, attacking any living human he encounters. The once-prosperous kingdom has become a land of death, abandoned by all.
“And the most precious sacrifice in this black magic is human life.”
Ragna relayed what he had heard from Moyongchan.
The orcs were gathering humans for sacrificial offerings, and Okua had likely already claimed countless lives.
Anger flared on the commanders’ faces.
But Yuri felt a strange sense of relief.
The previous allied forces had no such information.
No one knew Okua was using black magic, or that Moyongchan had targeted Okua because of it.
The tangled threads were finally being tied together properly.
This allied force was different.
“If Okua is truly wielding black magic, its power will only grow stronger with time. That’s why they keep stalling. I know it’s exhausting, but bear with it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“This time, we will wipe out the orcs. If we don’t, their next target will be our homeland.”
Ragna slammed his fist against the chalkboard.
The wooden board behind it cracked, leaving a hole.
Blood dripped down the back of his hand.
“You’ve all seen what the orcs are like.”
He looked each commander in the eye.
“We won’t end this half-heartedly like before. We will utterly annihilate those filthy creatures.”
Ragna carried the dignity of royalty and the fierce fighting spirit of a warrior.
Those two qualities inspired his troops.
“Understood?”
“Yes!”
“We’re increasing our pace immediately. Yuri, form a scouting party like before. Can I count on you?”
“Of course.”
“The orcs keep prowling near our supply lines. We’ll burn every nearby settlement to the ground, wipe out their gathering points, and then head straight for Okua.”
Ragna continued.
“As you know, one of the Ten Strong—the Outsider—has joined us. This allied force will not lose. Let’s all have a drink over Okua’s corpse.”
He smiled wryly.
Everyone applauded.
No other royal was so unpretentious.
From what Yuri knew, even the emperor’s own brother or distant cousins acted as if they were a different species entirely.
But Ragna was a warrior, just like them.
That’s why people liked him—and why the emperor disliked him.
Yuri silently hoped he would never have to fight Ragna.
Ragna grinned and asked Yuri, “How’s the Outsider doing?”
“Good. Seems he likes Briol’s food.”
“I see…”
He knew Yuri ate the same rations as the soldiers.
When Yuri first told him, Ragna had laughed so hard the tent shook.
“I should visit sometime. I’m curious about this famous Briol cuisine.”
“You’re always welcome.”
And with that, the meeting ended.
Always the same final note.
They wanted the orcs wiped out.
Kori had been learning magic under Hernando.
He wasn’t exactly a kind teacher.
If Kori were an ordinary human, he might have suspected Hernando of toying with him under the guise of instruction.
“Kori, look at the grasslands today.”
The allied forces had just repelled an orc ambush and sent cavalry to hunt down the fleeing main force.
The field was littered with human and orc corpses.
It was hardly a pleasant sight.
“Want to change it?”
“Change it?”
“For example, get rid of those corpses. Or plant some beautiful trees on the grasslands.”
“Uh…”
Kori imagined the scene Hernando wanted.
Removing the unsightly corpses and planting trees bursting with flowers would make the bloodstained grasslands beautiful.
If only a flock of white birds flew across the sky…
Suddenly, that vision briefly came to life.
But it was fleeting.
The picturesque scene that brushed past his eyes was quickly swallowed by reality.
“Did you just do that, Master?”
“Yes. That’s magic.”
“Magic…”
“It’s making your wish come true.”
While a knight changes himself through the mana method, a mage channels mana outward to alter reality.
Because of this difference, magic was easier to counter and less efficient. But when used well, it could change the course of the world.
“The theory has become more complex, but the basics haven’t changed.”
“So, you just have to want it strongly?”
“No. But it’s close. It can’t be too weak, but not too strong either.”
“That’s hard.”
Magic was full of ambiguities. Each person had their own feel for it.
“No rush. Take your time.”
Hernando summoned mana.
Kori followed, gathering the small amount of mana he had. A tiny, invisible orb seemed to form.
“Try changing the grasslands like I just did.”
Hernando said this and stood up.
Kori stayed behind, continuing to manipulate mana.
But it wasn’t easy.
He tried visualizing mana to cover the corpses, but that wasn’t what Hernando meant.
“This is hard…”
Kori slumped down.
Could someone like him—a half-orc—really learn magic?
Doubts crept in, but the small force moving at his fingertips was definitely mana.
Prince Yuri had told him to take everything from Hernando. Like a ruthless student aiming to betray his master, to suck him dry.
Half-joking, perhaps, but Kori wanted to live up to Yuri’s expectations.
“Heart…”
Ordinary people had a small amount of mana. Knights had more.
But that didn’t mean they could use magic.
Having mana didn’t guarantee that a wish would be answered by magic.
Then, what kind of heart would the world accept?
“I don’t know.”
Kori lay back, staring at the sky.
“Ugh…”
He just wanted the war to end safely.
For the allied forces to win, the orcs to be wiped out, and for him to go to Briol and live among people.
It was too vague a goal to achieve with magic, but Kori made a wish to the blue sky.
“Please, world…”
He was startled when someone suddenly bumped into him.
Someone had tripped over him while running.
Ignoring the pain in his side, and fearing it might be an orc scout, Kori jumped up in alarm.
But it was a person.
“Uh…”
A woman wearing tight black leather clothing lay sprawled nearby. Her long hair was disheveled.
“Um…”
Like a wary cat, she sprang to her feet and glared at Kori.
“You are….”
Her eyes looked as if she knew him.
Cory felt relieved that she wasn’t an orc and decided to ask her gently.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fi—”
She stopped mid-sentence and glanced down at her ankle.
“Did you sprain it?”
“…”
She didn’t say much.
There was a strong sense of caution in her demeanor.
Cory knew all too well that his appearance didn’t exactly inspire trust in humans. So, trying to calm her, he softened his tone.
“Sorry about that. I was just lying down for a moment and got in your way. If you want, I can help treat it.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you don’t look like you can walk properly…”
“Let me ask you something.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“How did you manage to hide your presence…?”
She trailed off, scanning him up and down.
“That can’t be.”
She seemed to convince herself.
Then, as if to stand, she hesitated and sat back down. The sprain looked worse than expected.
“Ugh…”
“I-I’ll go get someone. This place isn’t safe.”
Cory was about to speak when he suddenly tilted his head in confusion.
Come to think of it, how did a woman end up alone out here in the middle of the grasslands?
But he didn’t get to ponder further because she reached out her hand and said firmly,
“Tell Prince Yuri.”
Asana closed her eyes, unimpressed by Yuri’s incredulous gaze. She was even more baffled.
“You tripped over Cory’s foot?”
“Yes.”
“Well, well…”
Yuri shrugged.
“I didn’t know he had that kind of skill.”
“I guess I let my guard down for a moment.”
Asana was an exceptional assassin and tracker. Her senses never missed a living thing nearby.
Yet, she had lost track of Cory.
Probably from wandering the grasslands for so long, she was more exhausted than she realized.
“Putting that aside, why were you heading that way?”
Yuri’s question made Asana pause.
After the Alliance forces had taken over the Kurui settlement, Asana scouted the area and sent Yuri a letter with the information.
She hadn’t met Yuri in person because of what she planned to do next.
She intended to infiltrate the land where Okua resided. And Yuri wouldn’t approve.
“You’re going to Okua?”
Her employer was quick-witted.
He already guessed and looked down at her with a reproachful glare.
“Yes.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I’m fine.”
“That guy uses dark magic. There’s no need to risk it.”
Because of that dark magic, Asana thought infiltration was even more necessary, but she didn’t bother explaining.
He would just refuse anyway.
“Does your ankle hurt a lot?”
“No.”
“You look like it does.”
“Actually, it does.”
“Hernando will be here soon. Just wait a little longer.”
Since Asana’s presence was a secret, they decided to wait for the trustworthy Hernando.
“Here?”
Yuri lifted the hem of her pants and gently touched her swollen ankle.
“Prince… um…”
“Stay still.”
To her surprise, the prince was applying pressure himself.
Asana’s cheeks flushed.
“Uh…”
“Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Then?”
“Massaging a sprain can actually make it worse…”
“Oh, really?”
“It hurts a lot.”
“Sorry.”
Yuri, feeling a bit awkward, lightly slapped her ankle.
“Ah!”