“What did you just say?”
The guard’s face darkened, and he puffed out his chest as he stepped toward Yuri. His muscles were well-defined, his pectorals bulging beneath his shirt.
“You little brat…”
He collided with Yuri, shoving him hard with his chest.
Before Lorant’s eyes could flash with anger, Yuri reached out and stopped him.
“What did you say?”
Yuri smirked and slipped some money into the guard’s back pocket.
Then, leaning close, he whispered into the guard’s ear.
“I was just trying to pass some money along naturally, sir. Heh heh heh…”
The guard felt a heavy weight settle near his backside.
Years of corrupt service had sharpened his instincts—he could tell the amount just by feel.
Like frozen ground thawing in spring, his heart softened.
A reluctant smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, then blossomed into a genuine grin.
Turns out, he was capable of such an expression.
“If you lot get rude again, you’ll be in trouble. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
“This is a one-time warning, so you should be grateful.”
“Thank you!”
“Now get inside and get to work. Next!”
With that, Yuri and his group passed safely through the city gates.
Jarred stared at Yuri as if he were some kind of marvel.
“Your Highness.”
“What?”
“Well…”
“Your tone’s disrespectful.”
“You really grew up in the palace, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. You lived there too.”
“Then why do you look so worn down?”
“What was that?”
Yuri gave Jarred a playful kick on the backside.
As they chatted, they fully entered the city, and the bustling streets of Ujes came into view.
Not as grand as the royal castle, but a lively, thriving city nonetheless.
Carts laden with goods rolled endlessly along the roads, and from the distant open market came a constant clamor.
“Welcome to Ujes!”
A small child ran up, holding out a flower.
“Buy a flower, please.”
Apparently, the kid was trying to earn a few coins from visitors.
Lorant smiled and took the flower.
“How old are you, little one?”
“Seven years old.”
“Working already? That’s impressive.”
“How much is it?”
“Never mind.”
Lorant pulled a silver coin that gleamed in the sunlight from his pocket and pressed it into the child’s hand.
“Use this to treat your parents to something nice.”
“Thank you!”
The child’s eyes widened, and he tucked the coin into his pocket before bowing deeply to Lorant.
Lorant smiled warmly.
“How cute.”
But his happiness was short-lived.
Before the child could even return to his spot, two shabby-looking men appeared and grabbed the kid’s clothes.
“Where’s that silver coin you just got?”
“Hand it over, now.”
The coin ended up in their pocket.
Lorant stared blankly as the men glanced at him, smirked, and disappeared into a dark alley.
The amount must have been significant enough to make them nervous and act quickly.
Yuri placed a hand on Lorant’s shoulder.
“Know what that is? Begging rackets.”
“What’s that?”
“You just saw it.”
“Exploiting kids like that?”
Yuri patted his shoulder and moved on.
“Yeah. Let’s make sure there aren’t any kids like that in France.”
“Is there no way to stop it?”
“The whole territory needs to change at its root.”
“If we took that kid with us…”
“Lorant.”
Lorant knew he was being unreasonable and fell silent.
Yuri chuckled softly.
“Alright. I’ll figure something out. Just trust me and wait.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Now, let’s focus on our work.”
As they walked, Yuri scanned the area.
“There should be something near the market…”
Then he spotted what he was looking for—a flyer lying on the ground.
Jarred laughed.
“Wow, these loan sharks have some nerve. ‘Uncle Ilsu’—trying to act friendly to get you to borrow money. Ha ha ha…”
“Exactly.”
Yuri memorized the location roughly and moved on.
Gorio and Uncle Ilsu had already taken control of most of Briol’s back alleys. Taking down one begging ring wouldn’t be a problem.
The bigger issue was how to protect the children left behind afterward.
“Lorant.”
“Yes?”
“Should we start an orphanage? Does your family have money?”
“We have enough, but compared to Your Highness…”
“I’m the third prince, so I don’t have much.”
“I’m the eldest, but my family’s only a count’s house.”
Jarred, a commoner-turned-paid guard walking beside them, stared blankly at the nobles’ conversation.
But the wealthy heirs kept going.
“France is such a wealthy territory. All those fields you see from the castle’s spire belong to the Flandre family, right?”
“So what? The whole country belongs to His Majesty anyway.”
“I’m just the third prince.”
“And I’m only a count.”
Jarred looked up at the sky and sighed deeply, thinking of his hometown friends who once admired him for getting a palace job.
“Lonely as hell…”
Ujes was a vast territory.
Though many people lived in the city attached to the lord’s fortress, many others were scattered across small villages.
Yuri hadn’t expected to run into anyone he knew right away.
But then something unexpected happened.
“Prisoner transport! Clear the way!”
As Yuri’s group left their lodging and handed over their horses, a commotion erupted on the street.
People parted left and right as a mobile prison wagon rolled through, surrounded by soldiers escorting someone inside.
The prisoner’s profile, bowed head turned slightly, looked familiar.
Yuri muttered.
“Told you.”
“What?”
“Since the war ended, no one’s really living right.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t you recognize him?”
“Uh…”
Jarred’s mouth dropped open.
“No way… Our Lord Raymond?”
“When did he become ‘Lord’?”
“We agreed to call each other brothers in the alliance.”
“Surprising. I never thought Lord Raymond would hang out with a reckless guy like you…”
“Knights from poor families tend to stick together. What would royalty know?”
“Still reckless.”
Maybe because of that connection, Jarred’s eyes burned with intensity.
He began counting the number of soldiers escorting the prisoner.
Yuri jabbed him in the ribs.
“Crazy.”
“Let’s attack.”
“Everything will come out in time. Let’s get the facts first.”
“From who?”
Yuri nodded toward the rear of the prison wagon.
“There. Those guys.”
Jarred’s eyes widened.
Behind the wagon, a group of men marched with placards, protesting.
All familiar faces.
“All former Ujes alliance soldiers.”
“I see.”
“Raymond’s fate must be connected to why we’re here.”
Yuri smiled slyly.
“Let’s follow them.”
Yuri’s group blended in with the crowd and followed.
The alliance soldiers occasionally raised their voices to draw attention.
“Lord Raymond is innocent!”
“Release him!”
“Awaken, corrupt lord!”
“Stop persecuting alliance veterans!”
The lead knight escorting the prisoner glanced back, scowling.
“If they keep making noise, beat them.”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers’ voices were loud and firm, clearly annoyed.
The alliance group quieted immediately, watching their step, then shouted again once things calmed.
“Release Lord Raymond!”
“Lord Raymond is a noble knight!”
They were careful to be just annoying enough to avoid a beating.
Jarred muttered.
“Looks like they learned that from Your Highness—hit and run tactics.”
“Me?”
“You’re good at hitting and running.”
“That’s strategy.”
Eventually, Raymond was taken into the prison.
The alliance soldiers stood before the gates, hands on hips, looking defeated.
“If even Lord Raymond ends up like this, won’t they take all our money?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. We should be thinking about how to save Lord Raymond.”
“We have to save both of them.”
They dropped their placards and trudged away.
Yuri stepped in front of them.
Looking down as they walked, the alliance soldiers didn’t notice him at first, but then frowned and looked up.
“Who are you?”
The man at the front locked eyes with Yuri, furrowing his brow.
His face was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place him.
Yuri spoke first.
“You arrogant fool.”
“Huh?”
His tone was polite, almost formal.
“Already forgotten me? No wonder your card skills are terrible—your memory’s like a goldfish’s.”
“Could it be…”
“That very ‘could be.’”
“Wait. Your hair…”
“It’s a magical artifact, kid.”
Only then did the man’s eyes widen, and he rushed forward, throwing his arms around Yuri.
“Your Highness!”
“Hey, not so close.”
Not just him—the alliance soldiers behind also ran up and embraced Lorant and Jarred.
They looked utterly worn out, as if they’d been through hell.
“We’ve been struggling ever since the alliance ended…”
“I heard from Fides.”
“Yes. This is happening nationwide, so we sent Fides just in case. But to have you come in person, Your Highness…”
“Do you understand now?”
“You seem to have some free time.”
“What?”
“Just kidding. Ha ha ha…”
Meeting as royalty and commoners outside the battlefield felt awkward at first, but when Yuri’s attitude proved unchanged, the alliance soldiers relaxed.
“I heard you lost all your money playing cards?”
“No, what are you talking about? I’ve quit gambling for good.”
“Just saying.”
“But it’s true I lost money. Those wicked lords…”
Yuri headed with them toward a modest house tucked away in a corner of the city.
It was an ordinary family home. As they stepped into the yard, a dog wagged its tail and greeted them.
“It’s humble, but it’s my home.”
Yuri was a little surprised.
“It might seem cramped for a prince…”
“You actually have a proper house?”
“Huh?”
“I thought, since you said you came here because of card debts, you’d be living in some run-down place.”
“Actually, my wife’s family is fairly well off.”
“And the debts?”
“Those were my own.”
“You rascal…”
Still, he hadn’t risked the deed or his family over it, so he was a gambler who knew his limits.
Inside, his wife greeted them and showed everyone to their seats.
Since Yuri hadn’t revealed his identity, she seemed to think he was just one of her husband’s acquaintances.
Once seated, Yuri smiled wryly.
“Ace, you’ve got a wife who’s way out of your league.”
His name was Ace. Yuri used to tease him, saying he was born to play cards.
“Heh heh heh…”
Ace laughed sheepishly.
“So, what’s going on?”
“Huh? Oh, well, thanks to my charming personality…”
“Not that. I mean about the Alliance army.”
“Ah, yes. I don’t really know. Suddenly they started collecting taxes…”
“They said they wouldn’t withhold income tax from the compensation money.”
“That depends on how you look at it. They even created something called a ‘Veteran Safety Fee’…”
“What’s that?”
“It’s money collected separately for public security, just in case veterans became violent after fighting orcs.”
“Oh…”
Yuri was impressed. It was an inventive idea.
“But the Alliance veterans’ association fund is being taken in full and not given back.”
“Is that Genard’s doing?”
“Probably. All the lords doing this are in cahoots with Genard.”
“So there’s a faction behind this.”
“Yeah. They say the source of the money is unclear…”
“Anonymous donations? What kind of source is that?”
“They want to know who gave the money. Otherwise, it’s considered illicit.”
“But their own warehouses are locked up tight, claiming it’s private property…”
Yuri closed his eyes.
In his past life as a mercenary, he’d seen all kinds of noble abuses. His entire mercenary group had been stiffed on pay before.
Back then, they’d protested with force and eventually got their money.
But how could these guys fight such powerful nobles?
“Prince.”
Jared, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
“No matter how big the compensation and consolation money is, why go this far? From a lord’s perspective, it’s not that much money.”
“Even small amounts found on the street get picked up. Lords don’t want to lose anything easily.”
“These rotten bastards…”
“Still, it’s strange.”
Yuri tilted his head. Jared was right—it seemed like they were overreacting.
Yuri asked Ace.
“Did anything happen before Genard started this?”
“Anything, huh…?”
Ace paused, thinking.
“Not sure, but there is something suspicious.”
“What is it?”
“Ever since then, it feels like they’ve been harassing us.”
“When was that?”
“Well…”
Ace scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed.
“I kept telling everyone how amazing and great you are, Your Highness. Who in the Alliance wouldn’t? But then some knights came by and told me to stop spreading Alliance business around.”