Chapter 137: Red Riding Hood (1)

Yuri’s group returned to Briol.

Although their itinerary had been delayed a bit due to passing through Adelein and Brusen, the journey was so swift it didn’t consume much time.

As soon as he arrived, Yuri went straight to meet privately with Fiore to explain what had happened in the Empire and in Adelein.

Fiore’s expression grew increasingly serious as he nodded.

“So that’s what happened.”

“Black magic…”

Now that the sinister weapon had been clearly revealed, it was much easier to convince him. Fiore struck the armrest as he spoke.

“If the Empire is facing a problem of that magnitude, this could escalate.”

“It’s not something we can ignore.”

“Do you really believe the imperial palace has fallen to black magic?”

“I’m sure.”

“And the emperor?”

“I’m not certain. But the crown prince is highly suspicious.”

“The crown prince…”

Fiore muttered those words.

“This is serious.”

He seemed to consider something, then nodded.

“Alright. For now, let this remain between us.”

“Yes, father.”

“We’ll discuss the next steps together.”

“Understood.”

Fiore may have seemed indifferent, but when it was time to act, he didn’t hesitate. Knowing his father supported him reassured Yuri.

“By the way, Yuri. A delegation from Joachim has arrived.”

“Yes, I heard.”

“They say they came by your invitation.”

“It was a coincidence, the opportunity came up.”

“I thought they were here to attack Briol.”

“Hahahaha…”

“What kind of army goes to another country to train?”

“Lord Gonte was concerned about the behavior of his young knights, so I agreed to teach them Briol’s traditional training.”

“And what is that traditional training?”

“Enduring through sheer willpower.”

“Since when do we have that tradition?”

“It starts now.”

“Hmm…”

“Leave it to me.”

“Alright…”

Fiore, with a gesture somewhere between skeptical and resigned, patted Yuri on the shoulder.

“Alright. You’re old enough to make your own decisions now.”

“I’ll honor your trust.”

“I don’t trust you that much, so honor the trust of this Gonte fellow.”

“Yes, father.”

“You may go.”

“Yes.”

As he stood, Yuri asked.

“By the way, where are my brothers?”

“At the academy.”

“Pardon?”

“Cedric went to Française to write a thesis, and Joshua followed, saying he wanted to study too.”

Française, besides being the Flandre family’s domain, housed the largest academy in Briol.

“Oh, that’s good.”

“I’m not so sure.”

Cedric had always been studious, but Joshua was another matter.

In his past life, around this time, instead of studying, he’d be setting something in the palace on fire and burning it down.

Of course, back then Yuri himself had been right there with Joshua in those antics.

“To think they matured on their own without me doing anything.”

“That’s right.”

Well, Fiore knew deep down he wasn’t a good parent. He was a great swordsman, but he had neglected his children’s upbringing. That’s why, in the past life, Joshua and he had turned into hooligans under such negligent parenting.

Cedric was a different story—he would have excelled with any parent.

So, if Joshua had changed this time, it was all thanks to Yuri.

“I’ll keep taking care of my little brother.”

“Alright…”

“I don’t hit him.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I’ll go meet the Joachim delegation now.”

Yuri took his leave from Fiore and went to meet the knights of Joachim.

Soon Ena joined him, carrying what he had asked her for.

“Prince, now that I see you, you’ve gotten taller.”

“It’s my age.”

“You were so adorable as a child…”

“And not anymore?”

“Uh… yes, of course.”

“Why did you answer like that?”

“I said yes and you’re still complaining.”

“You want something, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Say it.”

“Lord Laurent’s autograph.”

Laurent, champion of the tournament, was a sensation in the capital. He was in such high demand he barely had time for himself, constantly invited to noble gatherings.

Yuri frowned.

“And my autograph doesn’t interest you?”

“I already have a lot.”

“What?”

“You gave me tons yourself, saying one day they’d be worth a lot. I kept them all.”

“I changed my signature. Those are the old version.”

“What?”

As they chatted, they arrived at the tents of the Joachim delegation, set up outside the palace.

Gonte appeared to greet him.

“Prince!”

“Lord Gonte!”

The two embraced enthusiastically.

Yuri was excited to train an army key to stopping the Empire, and Gonte to instill discipline in Joachim’s youth.

“Lord Gonte, what have you been eating lately? You look great.”

“Your Highness looks splendid.”

“You could’ve taken your time to rest—were you that eager to see me?”

“That’s right. We hurried because we wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

Then, Yuri noticed a familiar face behind Gonte.

It was Amunson, who had lost to Simon in a duel and whose failure had served as the pretext for this delegation.

“Oh, Sir Amunson came too.”

“It’s been a while.”

“Looks like you’ve trained hard. You have a different look in your eyes.”

“I’ve only been waiting for my chance at a rematch.”

Yuri nodded.

If not for the technique he had taught Simon, the Art of the Simulated Wound, Amunson would have had a much better chance at winning. And now, after training, Simon would have to stay sharp.

“Perfect. Once this training is over, I’ll set up another duel between you two.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way…”

Yuri looked at the young men of Joachim resting in the shade.

They didn’t look like knights at all. Instead of exuding it, the fighting spirit that should be felt among young warriors was completely absent. They sat around with fans, chatting.

Yuri shook his head.

“Sir Gonte.”

“Yes.”

“Am I seeing right? Those are knights?”

“They are. Knights of Joachim, or aspirants.”

“Pathetic.”

“Indeed.”

“The knights of Joachim I knew weren’t like this.”

“Of course.”

Though in truth, Yuri had no idea what Joachim had been like before, but he praised Gonte anyway.

“In your time, Sir Gonte, everyone trained day and night with incredible ferocity, and now look at them, wasting time…”

“I can only regret it.”

“Sir Gonte, let’s restore the glory of Joachim’s order.”

“I’ll do everything I can.”

Truthfully, as far as Yuri knew, Joachim had never been particularly famous for its knighthood.

But the truth didn’t matter. Yuri extended his hand to Ena.

“Ena.”

“Yes.”

“Did you bring it?”

“Here it is.”

Ena held three red caps in her hand.

Yuri put one on, Gonte another, and Ena the third.

Yuri pulled the brim down until it shaded his eyes and stepped forward.

“Everyone, gather around.”

Some of the Joachim knights nearby looked at him, but it didn’t draw much attention. They remained sprawled about, uninterested.

Yuri filled his lungs with air and shouted explosively.

“Eeeeeveeeeryboooody gaaaaaather uuuuuup!”

His high-pitched voice shook the entire camp.

Only then did the knights begin to slowly gather. They looked at him confused, not understanding what was happening.

One of them, sharper than the rest, stepped forward and bowed his head to Yuri.

“Greetings to the third prince of Briol.”

“And who are you?”

“I’m Owl, knight of Joachim.”

“Sir Owl, huh. You have the perfect name.”

Yuri nodded and said.

“From now on, you’re not Owl, but Owl Number 1.”

“Huh?”

“That means you’re the leader of those fledgling owls behind you. I’ll give orders through you.”

“Y-y-yes, understood.”

“From this moment, you are no longer human. Understood?”

Yuri continued.

“And I’m not a prince. From today, I’m your instructor. The instructor who will reform your bodies and spirits. You must call me Instructor.”

No one answered. So Yuri shouted again with a sharp screech.

“Understood?!”

“Y-y-yes, sir…”

The responses were hesitant and scattered.

They still didn’t understand the situation.

Yuri nodded his chin, and Gonte and Ena stepped forward.

“These instructors will guide you from now on. Our words are law. Even if I tell you red beans are used to ferment soy, you must believe it. Understood?”

“Y-yes…”

“Louder!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Down!”

“Huh?”

“Dooooown!”

All the knights dropped to the ground. As the situation became clearer, their faces turned serious.

“Roll to the right!”

Yuri’s voice wasn’t as loud this time, so everyone stood confused, unmoving.

Then Yuri walked over to one knight at the edge and kicked him. As he fell, he dragged down those next to him, and everyone started rolling.

Yuri pushed them with kicks as they rolled, forcing them to turn more.

“When I say roll, you roll! Understood?!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Roll to the left!”

Thump thump thump.

“Roll to the right!”

Thump thump thump.

“Stand!”

In one leap!

“Lie down!”

Plop!

Little by little, they began to grasp the discipline.

“Hmm…”

Yuri sighed internally. He had hoped at least one would rebel.

Some random guy showing up, claiming to be a prince and giving orders like nothing, without even being royalty in their country… it was reason enough to protest!

That way he could use them as an example, beat them in front of everyone and set the tone.

But these guys just rolled as they were told.

For someone like Yuri, who had worked as a mercenary in his past life and been beaten from place to place, the knights of Joachim seemed to have less courage than fresh recruits.

“Why are you so slow? Can’t you move faster?”

Shouting as he walked among them, Yuri handed things over to Ena.

“Instructor Number 3.”

“Yes, prince.”

“I’m not prince. I’m Instructor Number 1.”

“Yes, Instructor Number 1.”

“Keep making them roll.”

“Understood!”

“Instructor Number 2, come with me for a moment.”

“Yes!”

Gonte’s eyes sparkled with excitement under the red visor.

“This is Briol…”

He murmured to himself.

Of course, they didn’t actually do this kind of thing in Briol.

“Stand up! Roll forward! Roll back!”

Ena wasn’t fazed by the group of men and made them roll without mercy.

“That slow? This is putting me to sleep! All of you, headstands! You! How can you call yourself a knight if you can’t even do a handstand?!”

“Hmm…”

She definitely had talent.

Yuri headed to his tent with Gonte.

“Instructor Number 2.”

“Yes.”

“Instructor Number 1 plans to implement this training course. What do you think?”

“Hmm…”

Yuri unrolled the plan he had prepared.

Gonte read it and nodded vigorously.

“It’s magnificent. Prince—I mean, Instructor Number 1.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But… this training ground…”

“They’ll build it themselves.”

There was plenty of manpower. The Joachim knights themselves would build the facilities. And that too was part of the training.

If they wanted to fight a guerrilla war against a powerful army, they needed to learn how to set traps and build temporary positions.

“Instructor Number 1.”

Gonte looked at Yuri with eyes full of admiration.

“This course shouldn’t be a one-time thing.”

“Hmm?”

“I think more young people should experience it.”

“Instructor Number 2…”

Yuri patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Once everyone sees the change in these owls, they’ll want to train too.”

“Ooohhh…”

“Then, Joachim can design its own course.”

“Woooah!”

“Instructor Number 2, you’ll be responsible. Then, you’ll be Instructor Number 1.”

“I’ll do my best to learn.”

“Very good.”

Gonte’s eyes burned with determination.

“By the way, Instructor Number 3 is amazing. How can such a delicate woman be a knight…?”

“She’s not a knight.”

“Eh?”

“She was born to be an instructor.”

After their conversation, the two left the tent.

Ena was still making the owls roll. Even though they were knights, they were exhausted, barely moving.

“Don’t make eye contact with this instructor. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Are you tired?”

“No, sir!”

“Then why are you so slow?! Five to the right, six to the left, seven forward, eight back!”

Even Yuri gulped at that intensity.

“Where did she learn all that?”

Whatever the case, it was a good sign.

Because the more good instructors they had, the better the training would be.