“My, it seems the Alliance Army’s popularity on the continent is at its peak these days,” said a fellow knight.
Proin, who was polishing his sword, tilted his head in curiosity.
“How so?”
“They keep winning battle after battle.”
“But how would they know that all the way over here?”
His companion gave him a look of disbelief.
“Haven’t you ever used a communication crystal?”
“No…”
Proin furrowed his brow.
“We’re so far out here—there’s no way those things work over such distances.”
The pair of communication crystals were designed to allow contact over long distances, but they had their limits. Crossing even one or two borders would break the connection.
His companion sighed.
“That’s why they say you have to send horses to Briole and people to the Empire. Don’t you know the Empire’s been using long-range communication crystals for ages?”
“Really?”
“The Empire’s been reporting everything through them all along.”
“Is that so?”
Proin’s eyes widened.
“Where do you get those things?”
“They don’t sell them. Even if they did, we couldn’t use them. The mana crystals inside are enormous. I heard the receivers in the Empire are this big.”
“Is that so? Then maybe I could ask the Empire to lend me one for a bit?”
His companion chuckled.
“Want to contact your fiancée?”
“W-what are you talking about?”
Proin shook his head, his cheeks flushing slightly. The other knight patted his shoulder.
“Of course not. Even if you could, the communication would go through the Empire’s Magic Department, so it’d be useless.”
“I see. Just thought I’d ask. For the record, I’m more curious about the situation back home than anything else…”
“Got it.”
“I’m serious.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Before joining the Alliance Army, Proin had gotten engaged. He’d promised to propose once the war was over.
His companion grinned.
“Well, thanks to that kind of news, the Alliance Army’s popularity has skyrocketed. Maybe when we get back, the ladies will even pin flowers on us.”
“Did you join the Alliance Army hoping for that? A true knight fights without expecting anything in return.”
“Such a noble knight you are.”
“That’s Bursen for you.”
“Cut it out. You’ll get mocked in other countries.”
“I don’t care about that. That’s…”
“I’m not doing Bursen.”
“Where’s your Bursen spirit?”
Just then, a group of knights clad in black armor passed in front of the Bursen camp.
“More orcs?”
“Looks like it.”
Ragna, who had been scouting in Briole, sent the Empire’s knights ahead before the upcoming battle with Okua.
They always returned with their black armor stained dark red with blood.
“Have they been hiding their strength all this time?”
The Empire’s knights were devastating enough to make people say that.
Just as the orcs suddenly brought out a mysterious monster, the Empire had also unleashed their full power.
With the final battle looming, both sides stopped hiding their cards and struck openly.
“How long are they going to keep staring each other down like this…”
“Not much longer, I bet.”
For days, the orcs and the Alliance Army had only seen each other’s flags beyond the horizon.
There had been occasional skirmishes, but nothing major.
“Now that the Prince of Briole has awakened, they’ll probably launch an assault soon.”
“You don’t think the Empire’s been waiting just because of that kid?”
“Kid? Watch your words. And have you forgotten what the Third Prince has done so far?”
Proin, who was close to Yuri, corrected his tone. His companion scratched his head.
“True, but…”
“If he hadn’t taken down the Ancient Worm, we wouldn’t be resting so easily now.”
The monster that had harassed the Alliance Army through tunnels in the last battle was called the Ancient Worm.
Records found in the Empire’s library said it was an ancient creature long extinct.
When Yuri suddenly leapt into the orc ranks and tore the Ancient Worm apart with a mana explosion, it left an unforgettable impression on the Alliance knights.
No one else but an eighteen-year-old royal had risked their own safety to charge into the enemy’s midst.
If you don’t feel something in a moment like that, you’re no knight.
“Yeah. How did he even know there was a monster underground?”
“Instinct, I guess.”
“Instinct?”
“That prince is more than capable of that. A genius, after all.”
“True, you’ve sparred with him a few times…”
“Speaking of which, I should go say hello. Want to come?”
Proin sheathed his sword and stood up.
His companion shook his head.
“I’m good.”
“You’ll regret it.”
“I just want to rest.”
Proin set off alone.
When he reached the Briole camp, the soldiers recognized him and greeted him. Having helped each other during the Alliance campaign, they had become familiar faces.
Come to think of it, that was unusual.
It was rare for soldiers from different nations to build such camaraderie.
Suddenly, the sound of a pig being slaughtered echoed nearby.
“Yaaaaaah!”
“Not like that!”
“Graaah!”
“Not enough!”
“Die! I said die!”
“That’s a bit much…”
Laurent of Briole was swinging a wooden sword at a fellow knight his age.
There was a big gap between them. Laurent seemed to be teaching him.
“So that’s the guy called Steng…”
The Briole prince had once mentioned entrusting a noble youth from Liberta named Steng or Sven to Laurent.
It was fascinating.
In the Briole camp, you could meet people from many nations. Knights who were proud and rarely left their own borders came and went freely here.
Thinking that way, Proin realized he might not be a true Bursen knight after all.
“Hahaha! Good spirit, Sir Sven!”
A burly knight watching Laurent’s lesson nearby called out.
Proin ignored them and passed by.
Jose had been practically living in the Briole camp lately.
“Sir Proin.”
“Oh, good day, Sir Raymond.”
Raymond was an experienced and wise knight. When Yuri was absent, he led the troops.
“Here to see the prince?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a visitor right now, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”
“Understood. How is the prince?”
“Hahaha, very healthy. Nothing wrong at all.”
“That’s a relief.”
Proin stopped in front of Yuri’s tent with Raymond.
Several knights in white armor stood guard—paladins from the Holy Kingdom.
Even those known for their pride had come to the Briole camp. It made Proin wonder what the Briole prince was up to.
“What are they doing here?”
“Who knows.”
The paladins gave Proin a strange look.
Typical insufferable types.
Proin met their gaze without flinching.
A silent standoff ensued—one against many.
Raymond just chuckled beside him.
Soon, the tent flap opened, and Yuri emerged with one of the paladins.
“Oh, Proin?”
“Greetings. I heard you had awakened and came to pay my respects.”
“A Bursen knight always keeps his word.”
“When you say ‘word,’ you mean Bursen, right?”
Proin smiled and studied the man who came out with Yuri.
It was Fennec, leader of the paladins. He always held his head high and acted arrogantly, but before Yuri, he was polite.
“Your Highness, I’ll take my leave now. Thank you for your response.”
“No need to thank me.”
“I hope this becomes a genuine bond, not just a contract.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“Hahaha…”
He laughed heartily.
Proin never expected the usually rude Fennec to act like that.
“Looks like another visitor has arrived, so we’ll be going.”
“Thanks for stopping by.”
“Not at all. Take care until then.”
“See you on the battlefield—let’s help each other out.”
“Of course.”
Fennec bowed and led the paladins away.
When their eyes met, his expression hardened, and he glanced down at Proin as if sizing him up before passing by.
Proin let out a dry laugh.
“Your Highness, what did you do to make that arrogant fellow act like that?”
“Fennec was pretty cocky.”
“You know him well.”
“I saved his life once when he was about to die. He’s more polite now. You should save a life too, Sir Proin.”
“Whaaat?”
Yuri smiled as he watched the paladins’ backs.
“He’s really a good person at heart.”
“Wow…”
Proin shook his head. Being with the Briole prince always made him question his own common sense.
“Anyway, I came to greet you since you’ve awakened.”
“Thank you.”
“I saw it then—you used a mana explosion and even sword magic.”
“Just luck. Not something I can use in real combat.”
“But still.”
Yuri was only eighteen.
Laurent, who had swept the sword tournaments and was hailed as the next generation’s great knight, was in his twenties. Yet Yuri had already achieved so much at his age.
If not for the Alliance Army, no one would have known about such a monster.
“When the Alliance Army disbands…”
Proin looked at Yuri.
“May I visit Briole?”
Yuri burst out laughing.
“Of course, anytime.”
“I’ll bring my fiancée too. By then, she’ll probably be my wife.”
“Anyone who’s family to my friend is always welcome.”
“Friend? That’s too kind.”
Proin looked at him, stunned. Yuri smiled slyly.
“If not a friend, then who else watches your back on the battlefield?”
“Haha…”
Proin had met the Bursen prince before.
He wasn’t like Yuri. He treated the knights like toy soldiers, with no human connection at all.
They were worlds apart.
If that prince had joined the Alliance Army, it would have been a sorry sight. Proin might have been too ashamed to hold his head up, just because he was from Bursen.
He envied the knights of Briole.
“Sir Proin, so don’t die—make sure you survive.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure to return alive and tell my fiancée…”
“Wait a moment!”
Yuri quickly covered Proin’s mouth.
“You’re not about to say you’ll propose once you get back, are you?”
“Obviously…”
“Hold that thought. Hold it.”
“Why?”
“There’s a reason. If you say that, I think you’ll get yourself into trouble.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re just like Rodain. You don’t watch plays, do you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then watch one with your wife someday. See what happens to the character who says something like that.”
“I will.”
He didn’t know why, but he nodded anyway.
“So, shall we go see your master?”
“My master?”
“Moyongchan.”
Without hesitation, Yuri spoke the name of the man he called his master.
“Oh, Moyongchan is your teacher?”
“Somehow, it just happened.”
Proin was surprised again.
He knew that Proin had brought Moyongchan into the Allied Forces. But to go further and take a foreigner from the East as a master, even if he was one of the Ten Strong, was a bold choice.
He was already curious about the path this prince would walk.
“Didn’t you two have a great duel before, like men of the sea? Want me to set up a match?”
“No, thank you.”
Proin shook his head.
“My sword was more like a stream than an ocean. I still have a long way to go before I reach the lower river. I’ll challenge Moyongchan again then.”
“Good. That sounds like a plan.”
They walked together.
Near the barracks, Briol’s knights were sparring.
Though they used wooden swords instead of real blades, their exchanges were sharp enough to be almost like actual combat.
They were honing their battle senses to the finest edge before the final fight.
Watching this, Proin felt a surge of tension rising within him.
He smiled wryly.
“I’m glad I joined the Allied Forces.”
“See?”
Yuri watched Proin quietly.
He was a promising knight.
But in his past life, Yuri had never heard his name. Jonathan and Jose were famous, but Proin was new to him in this life.
He probably died in the Allied Forces.
“Proin. The Allied Forces will win.”
It was both a vow and a declaration.
They would correct the failure of the original Allied Forces.
And so, a knight named Proin would exist in the future.
“When the war ends, we’ll all raise a toast together.”
“Absolutely.”
“No excuses for missing it.”
“You’re the one who can’t miss it, Your Highness.”
Yuri thought about the future after the Allied Forces.
Not only had they made friends with Ragna, the Empire’s commander, but also with powerful kingdoms like the Holy Kingdom, Bursen, and Liberta.
Besides that, they had built ties with smaller kingdoms and city-states.
These connections themselves would be a great asset in keeping the Empire in check.
Yuri was confident.
Though the Empire had started the orc campaign, the greatest unity forged by it was within Briol.
“Proin.”
“Yes?”
“I have a feeling. If you ever get into trouble, I’ll be the one to save you at least once.”
“Likewise. If you’re in danger, I’ll come to your aid at least once.”
“Let’s see who ends up owing the other first.”