Laurent and Jared stared in surprise.
“The Alliance soldiers?”
Neither of them had ever seen a bearded man like that in the Alliance ranks.
Yet the bandits grimaced as if struck in a vulnerable spot and took a step back.
The bearded man’s expression was especially grim.
Yuri sneered at them.
“The Alliance soldiers forming a bandit gang? Aren’t you even a little ashamed?”
“You’re just a clueless kid…”
The bearded man’s face twisted in anger. Yuri nodded subtly to Laurent.
“Laurent.”
“Yes?”
“Take him alive.”
“Understood.”
At the command, Laurent immediately gave chase to the bearded man.
“Run!”
The bearded man, turning to flee, was caught by Laurent and slammed to the ground.
Laurent twisted his arms behind his back, pinning him down. The subdued man kept shouting.
“Leave me! Don’t get caught!”
But the bandits, seeing their leader captured, faltered and stopped running.
Struggling, the bearded man shouted again.
“I told you to run!”
“Quiet.”
Laurent pressed his blade to the man’s throat, and the shouting ceased.
“Are you all Alliance soldiers?”
Yuri stepped forward, scrutinizing the bandits one by one.
They all looked worn and weathered.
Jared asked, “Your Highness, I’ve never seen faces like these in the Alliance.”
“Of course not.”
Yuri approached the bearded man lying on the ground and grabbed his hair, pulling his upper body up to reveal a tattoo on his chest.
It was an eagle clutching an orc’s head.
“He’s from the old Alliance.”
“What?”
Laurent looked at the bandits in surprise. They all hung their heads in silence.
“To think those who once served in the Alliance have now become nothing but bandits…”
“What do you know about the Alliance to talk like that?”
“I know enough.”
Yuri smiled faintly and released the bearded man’s hair.
“We fought in this current Alliance too.”
The bearded man’s eyes widened. He stared closely at Yuri’s face.
His pupils flickered.
“Yuri Briol?”
“That’s right.”
At the name, the entire bandit group gasped.
One muttered, “Now that you mention it, the hair and eye color…”
Black hair and black eyes were the mark of the Briol royal family.
Could this boy really be Yuri Briol, the third prince of Briol and a rising hero of the Alliance?
“Impossible.”
He looked far too young to be the knight who led the vanguard against the orcs.
Yuri patted Laurent’s shoulder.
“Let him go.”
“Yes.”
Laurent stepped away from the bearded man. Yuri looked down at him.
“To think you’d try to rob us here in vast Briol—what a remarkable coincidence, isn’t it?”
The man said nothing.
“I heard the old Alliance was tightly knit. They suffered under an incompetent commander-in-chief, but that hardship forged strong bonds.”
“Yeah.”
“Seems you’re not from Briol…”
Yuri studied him quietly before speaking.
“From the Empire?”
“Shut up. Kill me if you want.”
“I don’t intend to hurt you.”
“Playing the merciful act?”
“I’m just curious.”
Yuri perched on a nearby rock. Laurent and Jared stood beside him.
“Why did the Alliance soldiers become bandits?”
“You want me to spill my life story for your silly amusement?”
“Who knows? Maybe I’ll show mercy and toss you some gold coins.”
“Heh, heh, heh…”
The bearded man glared at Yuri, then slumped to the ground.
The bandits around him formed a protective circle.
“Yuri Briol.”
The bearded man fixed his gaze on Yuri.
“You know as well as I do that the last Alliance campaign was a difficult and honorable war.”
“Yeah.”
“We won. Not by completely wiping you out like you did us, but we managed victory against all odds. Partly thanks to your father.”
Fiore Briol had earned great distinction in the last Alliance campaign—just as impressive as Yuri’s recent achievements.
“We got a lot of reward money.”
“Yeah, that part was good.”
“But then we lost it.”
Yuri tilted his head. The story sounded all too familiar.
“We were robbed, some were scammed, and fools got hooked on gambling. Gradually, the money slipped away.”
“Hmm…”
“We’d never handled that much money before, so even when it was in our hands, we didn’t know what to do with it.”
“You lost it all?”
“There was a little left. Then one day, a stranger came to me.”
The man was a merchant who sought out former Empire commoners who had served in the Alliance, proposing a business partnership.
It sounded tempting at the time.
“Of course, it was a scam. They took the rest of our money.”
“That easily?”
“The con man had nobles backing him.”
The bearded man’s eyes burned with anger.
“Because we were former Alliance soldiers—naive and flush with cash—they set the trap to rob us.”
“Why not take it to court?”
“Would’ve been pointless. The Empire’s judges side with the nobles.”
Betrayed, they left their homes and became bandits.
Most former Alliance soldiers shared similar fates. Over time, they gathered and scattered, keeping the bandit group alive.
“Then, after robbing the wrong person, a bounty was placed on us. Since then, we’ve been wandering.”
They had come to Briol to escape the bounty.
“We just arrived, and unfortunately, we met you.”
“Not unfortunate, but fortunate. Thanks to me meeting you early, other Briol citizens won’t be robbed.”
“Unfortunate for me.”
“Is that so?”
Yuri chuckled and stood.
“The reality of the Alliance is harsher than I thought. No wonder you risk your lives to make money.”
“You, a royal, know nothing.”
“If you know I’m royalty, how about showing some respect?”
“You’re not my king.”
“You said the Empire abandoned you earlier?”
“Yeah. So I have no king.”
“Such frightening words.”
Yuri stepped closer to the bearded man.
“Hey. Want to work under me?”
“No.”
“You won’t regret it.”
“Not interested in polishing the boots of royalty now.”
“That mouth of yours…”
Yuri kicked him.
As the man fell, the bandits around him drew their weapons in alarm but hesitated to attack, only watching cautiously.
“I get you’re bitter at the world, but don’t get cocky. Don’t judge me by your standards.”
The bearded man staggered to his feet. Yuri asked him.
“Ever thought about helping former Alliance soldiers?”
“What?”
“Seems like most of you can’t even take care of yourselves.”
Yuri hadn’t formed the Alliance Veterans’ Association just to hand out money.
Most soldiers had joined the Alliance for the rewards.
They were people willing to risk war with orcs to earn money—each with their own story.
“Even a bandit leader has leadership skills.”
Though the bearded man shouted to run, no one abandoned him. That was proof they followed him.
“What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden…”
“I’ll connect you to the association. We teach former soldiers skills and provide jobs.”
“You serious?”
“Yeah. It’s already called the ‘Alliance Veterans’ Association.’”
“Alliance Veterans’ Association?”
The bearded man laughed incredulously.
“What nonsense…”
“No time for this.”
Yuri wasn’t in the mood for a long talk.
He didn’t prefer drawn-out persuasion, and besides, he wanted to get to Yuzes quickly and deal with Genard.
“Listen carefully. The association has been giving consolation money to veterans and their families, but unrelated lords are trying to seize it as taxes.”
“We had that too. Nobles taking whatever they want…”
“I’m on my way to fix that. Planning to teach the lord of Yuzes a lesson.”
“Yuzes? Isn’t that a duchy?”
“Yeah.”
“The Alliance is over. And you want to fight a duke for the soldiers?”
Even for royalty, opposing a duke wasn’t easy.
Yuri smirked at the bearded man’s shocked look.
“That pig’s nothing compared to orcs. If he tries to stop me, no duke or anything else matters. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Exactly.”
Laurent and Jared answered in turn.
Laurent simply followed Yuri, and Jared figured things would work out somehow.
It was the same when fighting orcs—just following Yuri somehow got the job done.
“That’s what I have to do for my comrades. It’s a duty engraved in my blood.”
Yuri smiled at the bearded man, then approached his horse.
“If you’re curious, come to Yuzes. See what’s happening, and if you’re interested, submit a resume. And write it properly. Since you refused my offer, now you’re the job seeker.”
Mounting his horse, Yuri was followed by Laurent and Jared.
He paused briefly in front of the stunned bearded man and added quietly,
“Don’t pretend you were a soldier.”
“Meeting bandits was a new experience.”
“That’s why sometimes it’s worth taking the forest path.”
“Truly. I’ll do that from now on.”
Jared, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke up.
“Do we really have to meet with bandits?”
“They’re people of Briol too. They need a chance to reform.”
“Anyway, what did you mean earlier?”
“Hm?”
“You said not to pretend to be soldiers.”
“I meant it literally. That bearded guy was a knight.”
“Excuse me?”
Laurent nodded.
“True, he was strong for a soldier.”
Jared shook his head.
“But weak for a knight.”
Yuri explained, “Because of his injury.”
“An injury?”
“He had a tattoo over a scar. Judging by the spot, his core must have been damaged. Probably got hurt fighting orcs.”
“So then…”
“What he said was all about his men’s stories, not his own. He must have his own reasons too.”
“But still, he’s a bandit.”
“You wouldn’t be anything more than a lowly guard if it weren’t for me.”
“Are you disrespecting the guards?”
“The lazy one who got riled up by a thirteen-year-old…”
Laurent looked curious.
“At thirteen?”
“That’s when I met Jared.”
“What happened?”
“Well…”
“Sir Laurent, maybe you shouldn’t hear this.”
As they chatted, they soon arrived at Uzes.
The Jattery family’s banner fluttered atop the high city walls.
A long line of people waited in front of the city gates, hoping to enter.
“Let’s disguise ourselves first.”
“Understood.”
Yuri pulled a necklace from his pocket, put it on, and activated a mana method. His hair and eye color began to shift.
“How’s this?”
In no time, Yuri had transformed into a boy with light brown hair and faint green eyes—someone who could blend in anywhere.
“Looks real. No one would suspect a thing.”
“Good.”
Laurent, who was somewhat well-known, changed his hair color with the same artifact.
Jared didn’t bother disguising himself.
The three dismounted and, holding their reins, walked toward the line at the gate.
Guards were inspecting those entering.
“This looks serious…”
A man standing nearby overheard Yuri’s muttering and spoke up.
“Don’t even mention it. Heard there’s chaos inside Uzes. Haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what?”
Yuri accidentally spoke informally, then quickly corrected himself.
“…Pardon?”
The man cleared his throat and continued.
“Former League soldiers are causing trouble. They fought orcs and turned into orc-like brutes themselves.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re supposed to pay taxes, but they’re refusing. Everyone pays taxes, but these League guys act like they’re above it.”
Yuri realized that Genard was already manipulating public opinion.
To those unaware of the full story, rumors were spreading that former League soldiers were stubbornly refusing to pay taxes.
Yuri defended the League soldiers.
“Come on, they went through a lot in the League. They deserve some understanding, don’t they? Ha ha ha…”
“Understanding? They probably made a lot of money too. They should pay what they owe.”
“Hmm…”
Their turn was approaching.
A large, rough-looking guard snatched their identification badges as if to confiscate them, then tossed them onto his chest.
When it was their turn, the guard scanned Laurent up and down.
“Hmm…”
He flung their badges to the ground.
“Go back.”
Yuri stared at him in disbelief.
These badges were official, made by the agency that manages IDs. There was no way they were fake.
Jared stepped forward.
“Why?”
“The badges are wrong.”
“What’s wrong with them?”
“Tch, you think I’d tell you? Trying to bring fakes?”
“These are real badges. What’s the problem?”
“If I say so, that’s the problem.”
The guard narrowed his eyes, then smirked and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
“Well, if you really want in, maybe I could be persuaded…”
“Excuse me?”
Jared tilted his head in confusion. Yuri sighed.
Though a commoner, he’d joined the guards early and was clueless about how the world worked.
Yuri explained, “He’s asking for a bribe because Laurent’s wearing expensive clothes.”
“Oh, that’s it?”
“Sorry, it’s because of me…”
“What’s wrong with wearing nice clothes? The problem’s with people who shamelessly ask for money.”
The guard’s face flushed red.