Yuri wiped Guilty clean with a cloth.
As the blood and flesh were wiped away, the smooth surface beneath reflected his dark eyes.
Tilting the sword downward, he noticed droplets of blood clinging just below his lips.
“That was a long fight.”
Yuri wiped his chin with his sleeve, when suddenly someone plopped down beside him.
“What brings you here?”
The face was unfamiliar at first, but hearing the voice again, he recognized him.
One of the Empire’s knights assigned by Ragna during the exploration of the ruins. Back then, the helmet had concealed his face.
“You only answered ‘yes, yes’ back then, but you can actually talk.”
“I was on duty.”
“Can’t you speak while on duty?”
“It’s not recommended.”
The Empire’s knights seemed to have strict rules. Compared to them, the Briol knights were far more unruly.
Yuri chuckled softly.
“The Empire is different.”
“I saw the prince’s skill in cutting down orcs earlier.”
“Ah…”
“To be honest, I can’t even guess how many you killed.”
Until just moments ago, the allied forces had been engaged in battle with orcs.
The alarm bell rang urgently, and Yuri immediately grabbed his sword and dashed out.
And he slaughtered.
Though he had been taught the hunter’s technique, Yuri felt that word didn’t quite fit. It was closer to that of a butcher.
Like slicing meat mechanically, his body had ingrained the method of killing orcs swiftly and efficiently.
“Honestly, I lost count myself.”
Yuri slid Guilty back into its sheath.
“That’s impressive. Truly…”
“Your name?”
“Rodain.”
“Rodain.”
Yuri extended his hand. Rodain hesitated for a moment, then wiped his hand on his sleeve before shaking Yuri’s firmly.
“Greetings are done with a handshake.”
“Ah, yes…”
Back in his mercenary days, Yuri had met those who valued handshakes. Old-fashioned, perhaps, but they had good judgment.
“…”
The conversation stalled.
Yuri spoke again.
“Who sent you?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t seem to have much to say, but since you came all this way, someone must have sent you.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Well…”
Rodain cleared his throat.
“I was so impressed by the prince’s exceptional swordsmanship that I wanted to know if there’s a secret technique. This is your first time facing orcs in the allied forces, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“Then how do you manage so well? Most struggle against orcs.”
Yuri shared a few tips.
“Orcs are driven by instinct. You can predict their moves by watching their eyes.”
Of course, it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. It required immense time and experience.
Yuri himself had been able to do it thanks to the hunter’s training he received.
“Eyes, huh…”
Rodain nodded.
“You’re incredibly talented. To be that skilled at such a young age, your girlfriend must be proud. You have a girlfriend, right?”
Yuri stared silently at Rodain.
He blinked, tilted his head in confusion, then forced an awkward smile.
“Why do you look at me like that? Haha…”
“The prince sent you.”
“Huh? No, I wasn’t sent by anyone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, Rodain brought up the girlfriend again.
There was definitely something behind it.
Yuri stared intently into Rodain’s eyes.
Rodain leaned back.
“Well…”
“Even if you weren’t sent by the prince, it’s because of him, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Be honest.”
“Uh…”
Rodain scratched his head, unable to speak.
Yuri pressed.
“The commander of the knights?”
Rodain’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Yuri.
“I like how clear your reaction is.”
Yuri smiled lowly.
When he wore his black armor, he showed no emotion, but now, his reaction was surprisingly human.
“How did you know?”
“You must know the prince favors me…”
“Yes.”
“You want to see if things will go as he wishes, or if I’ll refuse. The only person who could send you is the commander, right?”
“Well… yes, that’s true.”
Rodain admitted it.
He sighed wearily.
“Not just skilled in swordsmanship, but also quite perceptive.”
“Perceptive? It’s just common sense.”
“So you won’t answer?”
“I don’t understand why everyone tries to link me with that woman.”
“You know about that too?”
“I heard it from the prince.”
Rodain tilted his head.
“Don’t tell me you dislike her?”
“Should I like her?”
“The princess is incredibly beautiful. Who wouldn’t like someone like her?”
“Rodain.”
Yuri’s expression turned serious.
Though Rodain was older now, including past lives, Yuri was far more mature.
“Looks aren’t everything. It’s the heart that matters.”
“Ah, yes.”
But to Rodain, in his twenties, it seemed those words didn’t register at all.
“I hope you take that to heart…”
“Well, anyway, isn’t it better that way? The princess is kind-hearted too.”
“Oh, really?”
Yuri snorted.
“She may seem gentle on the surface.”
On the outside, she appeared soft and sweet.
But she wasn’t.
She was completely different inside and out.
Moreover, her true nature was layered and complex.
When they were lovers, she showed Yuri a side unlike how she treated others.
Yuri believed that was her true self.
But even that was just another lie.
“Do you know the princess?”
“No.”
“But you don’t seem to think highly of her.”
“Like or dislike doesn’t matter. She’s not someone I’m involved with.”
“Oh, so what you’re saying is…”
Yuri stood up.
“There is.”
“Huh?”
“I have a girlfriend.”
He was skilled at lying.
Most people tremble or show awkwardness when deceiving, but Yuri was a bold gambler who could casually slip away a card.
“You have one?”
“Yeah.”
Rodain was taken aback.
In the Empire, youthful romances were often dismissed as political calculations, but the Briol royal family’s customs were different.
“I see. Sounds like you’re doing well.”
“Something like that.”
“Do you happen to know who she is…?”
“Rodain.”
Yuri’s face hardened.
Rodain lowered his head.
“Sorry. I spoke out of turn…”
“Do you have someone you love?”
“Not yet.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Why?”
“I won’t say ominous things like ‘I’ll propose to her after this war ends.’”
“Why would that be ominous?”
“When I return to the Empire, I’ll go to the theater and such.”
Yuri stood up.
“How many fights have you had since sunrise today?”
“Three.”
“Today might set a record since the war began.”
Rodain’s expression shifted at Yuri’s words.
He grabbed his sword and stood, scanning near the horizon. But he sensed nothing.
Then, suddenly, a loud explosion rang out.
“From behind?”
Yuri turned around.
An explosion had erupted where the supplies were gathered.
It was a magical bomb.
“How did it get there…?”
“From underground.”
Yuri smiled coldly.
“Like ants, they must have come through the earth.”
Shouts began to rise.
The alarm bell rang urgently again.
“Orcs have appeared! Inside the camp!”
“Protect the supplies!”
Without putting on armor, Yuri ran inside holding only Guilty.
Now, his gauntlet, fully broken in, gripped Guilty’s hilt tightly.
“Rodain.”
“Yes?”
“Prepare yourself. Steel your resolve.”
Yuri narrowed his eyes and watched the orcs entering the camp.
There were many.
“I think the earlier fights were easy.”
“It was a tough march, wasn’t it?”
“Any Empire knights dead?”
“Not yet…”
Though the allied forces had casualties, no Empire knights had fallen.
“They will now.”
Rodain’s expression faltered.
When wearing his black helmet, he seemed like an emotionless machine, but now, he was just like anyone else.
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes.”
Yuri didn’t expect the allied forces to go so smoothly.
In his past life, the alliance had failed, and many skilled knights had died.
It was a brutal war, and just because he had done some fighting didn’t mean everyone would come out unscathed.
“You don’t like seeing comrades die, do you?”
“No.”
“Then fight hard. Kill more orcs.”
Yuri simultaneously took in all the orcs in sight.
Each was different, moving in their own flow. But their goal was the same.
They wanted to kill humans.
“That’s a knight’s duty.”
The fact that orcs were a sub-species of humans corrupted by dark magic meant nothing to Yuri.
He had no intention of informing anyone.
He had a duty.
The world had given him a sword, and so he would do what needed to be done.
“Prince… huh?”
Yuri had already dashed forward.
An orc swinging an axe at a soldier noticed him.
He immediately threw Guilty.
Everyone values their own life.
The orc raised its axe to block Guilty. The sword spun wildly in the air after clashing with the axe blade.
Yuri leapt up, grabbed the hilt, and plunged down vertically.
The orc’s eyes wavered.
It tried to flee, but a soldier suddenly swung his sword.
The orc was forced to block the soldier’s attack, momentarily losing track of Yuri.
Guilty pierced straight into the orc’s skull.
He felt the crushing of bone. Blood splattered across his face.
Yuri landed atop the fallen orc and spat.
“Thank you!”
A soldier shouted.
Yuri grinned.
“Harrison. Don’t fight alone.”
His eyes widened, surprised that the prince remembered his name.
Yuri stood and patted his shoulder.
“Stay alive. We’ll meet again.”
“Yes, yes!”
Yuri immediately turned and ran off.
An overwhelming number of orcs were bursting out from the middle of the battlefield.
Yuri could feel the ground trembling beneath him, a clear sign that more orcs kept pouring in.
“A tunnel.”
The orcs had dug underground passages to appear right where the allied forces were stationed.
Yuri shouted, “Hernando!”
His voice came from behind. “Yes!”
“Can you use magic?”
“No! The shaman’s blocking it!”
“I see.”
He had wondered if the shaman might have slipped away, but it seemed they had coordinated their infiltration perfectly.
This wasn’t a mere probing attack—it was a well-prepared assault.
Yuri narrowed his eyes.
Though caught off guard by the tunnel ambush, there was an advantage to this as well.
A narrower battlefield meant targets were easier to find for a surprise attack.
“Hernando!”
“Yes!”
“Stay on standby!”
“Yes!”
“When the time’s right, use your magic!”
“Got it!”
Yuri swirled his mana method through his entire body. The energy of the Soul Slash lightened his frame.
He was ready to leap.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted.
One orc caught his attention for some reason.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have thought twice about this ordinary orc soldier.
But now, it looked different to him.
“A shaman.”
The orc’s appearance was a disguise.
That was a shaman.
Thanks to the hunter’s skills granted to him, Yuri saw through the orc’s true identity.
It was the way it moved.
Though the orc pretended to fight wielding an axe, it didn’t notice obstacles at its feet and occasionally staggered.
Losing eyesight was a hallmark of orc shamans—and also dark mages.
Yuri tilted his head, puzzled by this sudden insight, but quickly shook it off.
There was no time to think.
He dashed forward like an arrow.
He passed the orcs. Axes, halberds, and massive hammers came flying at him.
Yuri dodged them all as if he weighed nothing but feathers.
Voices called out behind him, but he paid them no mind.
Then, almost without realizing it, he locked onto the orc shaman wielding the axe.
The surrounding orcs tried to block his path.
“Get lost!”
Yuri condensed his mana, infused it into his sword, and swung it wide. A thunderous boom echoed as the orcs’ weapons clashed against the shockwave—and the entire group collapsed at once.
He had reached the level where he could manifest mana as a powerful shockwave.
Yuri pressed onward.
The orc shaman, spotting Yuri close by, opened its mouth.
“Akuru ke…!”
Before it could finish whatever spell it was about to cast, Yuri drove his sword—Guilty—into its mouth.
The blade pierced through the back of its head.
Without hesitation, Yuri raised the sword and cleaved the head in two.
Blood splattered into the air as Yuri glanced back.
“Hernando!”
With the enemy shaman gone, the magical balance had completely tipped in their favor.
Hernando answered his call.
A blazing fireball—the very one Yuri had been waiting for—plummeted exactly where he had aimed.
The tunnel exploded.