Chapter 142: Bond (1)

The knights of Joachim had departed.

Leaving behind the farewell bonfire bathed in the previous night’s tears, the moment of parting had come.

The instructors watched with sorrowful eyes the backs of the departing trainees.

The fourth instructor, in charge of archery training, spoke up.

“I wanted to teach them so much more…”

The fifth instructor, who taught trap setting and disarming, nodded.

“That’s what I’m saying. I’m worried they’ll go around stepping into traps, like little kids left near the water…”

The sixth instructor, who taught infiltration, ambush tactics, and tracking, shrugged.

“Still, at least we trained them well enough to manage on their own.”

The seventh instructor, responsible for mental control in extreme situations, murmured.

“Nothing to be done. Where there are meetings, there are also farewells…”

The eighth instructor, who taught wilderness survival, agreed with a nod.

“As long as they don’t starve out there, it’s fine.”

The instructors, specialists in various fields, also crossed their arms and watched as their first batch of trainees left.

Though they appeared calm on the outside, all of them were anxious inside.

They had agreed to become instructors seduced by the sweet words of Briol’s third prince, but the Owls had graduated immediately.

They feared losing such a good job. One of the instructors muttered.

“Job insecurity is eating me alive…”

But it was nothing more than a misunderstanding. The first instructor, Yuri, appeared wearing his red hood and shouted.

“You think you can rest just because the Owls are gone?”

“Huh?”

“Get ready to welcome the next batch!”

“The next batch?”

The instructors’ eyes widened.

“Joachim has sent its second wave. They’ll arrive in a few days.”

Another group of trainees had been organized and dispatched from Joachim.

The king of Joachim, like Gonte, was a mature man nostalgic for the past.

When he learned about the guerrilla training happening in Briol, he was quite pleased.

Yuri grinned broadly and patted the instructors on the shoulder.

“The relationship between Briol and Joachim depends on you instructors. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“The second instructor has already left, and the third has to return to her original duties. And as you all know, I’m a prince, so continuing to act on the front lines has its limits.”

Yuri had decided to restructure the organization.

Hearing that the three pillars of the instructor team would step down, the others lowered their heads—then smiled slightly.

Having your superiors leave was always good news.

“You’re all too happy.”

“That’s not it!”

“I think the fourth instructor best understands the spirit of our guerrilla training squad. That’s why I’m appointing him head of the squad.”

The fourth instructor, Murray “Shadow Archer,” raised his head.

“From now on, he’ll be the leader. Everyone, follow his instructions.”

Yuri placed the red cap he had worn onto Murray’s head.

Since it was soaked in sweat, Murray’s face twisted in displeasure for a moment, but Yuri didn’t care and pressed the brim down over his face.

“I’m counting on you, Murray… no, Instructor Number One. Lead the squad well.”

“I’ll do my best!”

“There’s still a lot of work ahead. We need to keep perfecting the system.”

Yuri planned to accept troops not just from Joachim, but from other countries as well.

Of course, only from those that would one day confront the Empire.

With high tuition fees, it would bring dual benefits training allies and earning money.

After encouraging the instructors, Yuri left the training ground and returned to the royal palace.

Immediately, the sound of clashing swords could be heard. The culprits were obvious.

Jose and Bernard, reunited, continued to spar with swords every day.

“Is this the royal palace or a training ground…?”

Yuri murmured with a faint smile.

Eradicating dark magic from the Empire was nearly impossible. So he settled for identifying the enemy and opted to strengthen his allies.

Compared to his past life, the current situation was much better.

There had been sacrifices in the process, yes, but there was no time for regret.

Yuri murmured,

“The alliance must be reinforced.”

He recalled his past life. Back then, with everyone isolated, no true alliance against the Empire had existed.

They treated it as a temporary war and merely watched as other nations fell.

But the sword the Empire wielded never returned to its sheath. Only after watching that blade change targets and continue its slaughter did everyone understand the Empire’s true intentions.

By then, it was already too late.

“Joachim will be the start.”

Joachim was likely to be the spark that ignited the war.

Sharing the Alloy Mountains with the Empire, the two nations had constant minor border tensions. Joachim, proud as a nation, wasn’t one to back down easily.

At some point, the Empire would suddenly send its black knights.

The entire mountain range would be ravaged, and Joachim’s cities would burn.

But now, things were different. The combat doctrine he had taught would doggedly slow the Empire’s advance. During that time, neighboring countries could form an alliance to support Joachim.

Excluding the Empire, there were four nations with enough power Briol, Brusen, the Holy Kingdom, and Liberta.

Relations with Brusen were already friendly, and Liberta wasn’t in a bad position either.

The problematic one was the Holy Kingdom.

Due to Yuri’s closeness with Sybilla, Larsson—the future king—distrusted him.

That’s why Yuri had recently sent a delegation with valuable gifts proposing a friendly alliance.

He formally recognized Larsson as the Holy Kingdom’s successor. Larsson replied with a refined letter.

He was a materialist, yes, but not entirely stupid. Or perhaps he was, but he had shrewd subordinates. Being an official heir meant having that kind of environment.

But it wasn’t enough.

“It’d be ideal if I could meet with everyone personally…”

Yuri planned to entrust that task to Cedric or Joshua. As the third prince, he couldn’t continue acting alone forever.

Fiore would likely refuse, so it was time to rely on those two. He had shouldered too much alone until now.

Perhaps because of memories from his past life. Because of Briol’s tragic end, he had wanted to carry the Empire war burden alone. That’s why he had intentionally kept the others at a distance.

But he couldn’t go on like that forever. As he reflected, Yuri suddenly stopped in the middle of the palace.

A scene from his previous life came to mind. The peaceful image of the palace overlapped with the vision of that palace engulfed in flames.

The beautiful buildings and high towers crumbling one by one. Knights falling, the people crushed, unable to resist.

He should have died there, but he had begged for his life and escaped. He remembered Graham’s somber face watching from above.

What had he thought as he let him go? Was he okay?

Had he left, unable to bear the Empire’s madness, or had he been swallowed by it and become part of it?

A pain pierced his chest. He felt strange.

“…Damn it.”

When thoughts become too heavy, it’s best to burden the muscles and disperse them.

Yuri immediately dropped to the ground and began doing push-ups.

The passing servants glanced and murmured, but since his eccentricities were already well-known, they didn’t pay him much attention.

“Fuu…”

Yuri stood up. He felt much better. Indeed, the best cure for sorrow was to sweat a little.

“Prince? What are you doing?”

Then a familiar voice came from behind. It was Ena.

“Hm?”

“Why are you suddenly on the ground…?”

“Oh, well, this… this is guerrilla squad spirit.”

“I see.”

“And why are you looking at me like that, Instructor Number Three—I mean, Ena?”

“For no reason.”

“Anyway, did something actually happen?”

“There’s a visitor.”

“A visitor? Hahaha, it’s tough being so popular. So, who is it?”

“Sir Graham.”

“What?”

Yuri’s smile vanished instantly as he stared at Ena.

She too seemed to feel the same. With wide eyes, she looked at him and said quietly.

“Sir Graham is here.”

***

Elaine’s group had already arrived in the Imperial capital.

“It’s always such a noisy place…”

“That it is.”

But there was no better place to sell merchandise.

Especially this time. The luxury goods and items brought from the East would no doubt cause a sensation among the Empire’s nobles.

“Boss? Are we starting work right away?”

“No, let’s rest for a day.”

“Understood.”

Those who accompanied her were all veterans who had been working with her for a long time. Talented people who didn’t fall short anywhere.

As soon as Elaine gave the order, everyone moved with perfect coordination.

“Hire people to spread the word among the noble houses. Let them show only a general catalog. If they want a proper look at the products, they’ll have to come themselves.”

“Understood. And the shop?”

“Where the nobles’ mansions are clustered.”

“Got it.”

Elaine planned to display all the goods brought from the East for everyone to see.

Since more merchandise was still arriving, it would be enough to show it to many nobles and get them to sign contracts to start the flow of money.

“Let’s move quickly. I don’t plan to stay long.”

Elaine’s group settled into accommodations they had already reserved.

It was a hotel popular among merchants like her, with large safes and insurance included in case of accidents.

She took a bath, changed clothes, and left the hotel alone.

“Hmm…”

Ever since she entered the capital, she had felt something strange in the air.

First, she approached a stall and bought a magazine. There was no better way to understand the Empire’s political situation.

“Huh?”

Then she noticed a familiar face on one of the pages.

“What is this? Is this for real?”

Elaine brought the magazine closer. It was Yuri Briol, the third prince of Briol.

It was the face of an advertisement for a rehabilitation clinic for drug addicts run by a temple.

“What the hell is this man doing…?”

She clicked her tongue and kept flipping through the magazine, skimming several articles.

“Hmmm…”

Then she bought another magazine and read again.

“Hmmmm…”

Elaine had great intuition.

By gathering information from several magazines, she could form a general picture of the Empire’s current situation.

She murmured,

“This is weird…”

Elaine sensed an ominous atmosphere. The drug issue alone was suspicious.

With the Empire’s administrative capability, catching the culprits shouldn’t have been difficult, yet it was said the entire country was plagued by addiction. She found that hard to believe.

Elaine closed the magazine and looked up. Somehow, the street’s atmosphere was gloomy.

The air felt heavier, the light dimmer. Before, the city was almost excessively bustling. Now it felt unsettling and decadent.

She moved to a more crowded area.

“You know what? Someone I know heard that…”

“How could something like that happen…?”

“We need to find the culprit…”

“How dare they…?”

People were murmuring among themselves about something in particular.

“They say in the palace…”

“The country they’re from is…”

Street vendors weren’t putting effort into drawing in customers. On the contrary, their gazes were wary.

The entire city seemed under a strange spell. Elaine approached a stall and ordered a chicken skewer.

“One of these, please.”

“Yes.”

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“I wanted to ask something.”

Elaine lowered her voice a little and said,

“What exactly is everyone murmuring about?”

Then, the noise abruptly stopped.

Though she had spoken quietly, it seemed to echo across the whole street. Everyone stared at her with wide eyes.

It was as if she had been pulled into a horror novel.

Her intuition, which had always saved her, warned that something was deeply wrong in the Imperial capital.

The vendor, with the same blank expression as the others, handed her the skewer wordlessly.

Elaine took it and returned straight to her lodging. Her skin was covered in goosebumps.

“Should I leave this city? What the hell is going on…?”

But when she got back to the hotel, she was met with something even bigger.

“Oh, she’s here, boss.”

One of her subordinates rushed up to her.

Elaine, without even looking at him, stared blankly at what was parked in front of the lodging’s entrance.

It was a huge, luxurious carriage.

And it flew a red flag.

Elaine knew very well what that color meant.

“Who is it?”

“The princess.”

“What?”

Elaine looked at her subordinate.

He, with a grave expression, glanced back and whispered,

“Princess Yekaterina is here.”