Chapter 178: The White Bird (3)

The infiltration of the spies ended as a minor incident.

Upon confirming once again that the Empire’s espionage network was widely spread, the Briol army remained on high alert and continued its march toward Bezos.

However, Laurent was still puzzled by the stuffed chaibird the spy had carried.

It felt to him as if it was somehow connected to Cedric.

Yuri, riding his horse at the front, suddenly spoke.

“Remember the spy from yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“That crazy one at the end.”

The last one to die had a stuffed chaisae with him. He clearly wasn’t in his right mind.

“There was a trace of black magic energy.”

“Pardon?”

Laurent looked at him. Yuri gave a faint smile.

“I saw a faint black energy coming out of the corpse. That confirms he was a spy sent by the Empire.”

Laurent knew well how sharp Yuri’s senses were.

“If that’s the case…”

Laurent kept thinking about Cedric. And now, they were talking about a spy possessed by black magic carrying a chaisae.

“Prince.”

“Hmm?”

“Perhaps…”

It was a blasphemous thought, which made it hard to put into words.

“What if there’s someone inside Briol who’s also been influenced by black magic?”

“It’s possible.”

“Someone close?”

“I don’t think so.”

Yuri pointed to his eyes.

“At the very least, I haven’t seen anything like that. Why? Are you worried?”

While looking at Yuri’s smile, Laurent felt a strange unease.
He lowered his voice.

“Prince, a moment…”

Yuri tilted his head, but soon they separated from the group to speak privately.

“Prince, there’s something that’s been troubling me.”

“Speak freely.”

Laurent hesitated a moment before speaking.

“His Highness the crown prince…”

“My brother?”

“Yes.”

Yuri gave him time to continue.

Looking ahead for a moment, Laurent said,

“He mentioned that he had a relationship with Princess Katrina.”

“That’s right.”

“The princess we met was a good person, but the Empire is already corrupted by black magic.”

“True.”

“I’m worried that His Highness might also have been affected.”

“Ah…”

Yuri nodded slowly.

“Yes, that’s a valid concern. But it’s been a long time since they last saw each other. I made sure their relationship ended properly. Since then, they’ve only exchanged letters very occasionally. It’s nothing that could have much influence.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Also, my brother isn’t naive enough to be seduced by something like that.”

Yuri spoke with genuine faith in Cedric.

Finally, Laurent confessed what had happened at the training ground.

However, it wasn’t easy to describe the unsettling feeling he had experienced.

Even though it had felt like a clear bad omen to him, to others it might have just seemed like Cedric had spoken in a slightly more sarcastic tone than usual.

It was the same with the chaisae. Even though one had appeared the day after Cedric mentioned it, and a spy had one stuffed on him, linking that directly to Cedric felt far-fetched.

In the end, it was only Laurent’s intuition.

“Hmm…”

Yuri rubbed his chin. Laurent could tell he found it difficult.

And of course, they were in the middle of a military campaign. Making decisions based on a mere hunch was difficult.

“Laurent.”

“Yes.”

“When we return after this war, I’ll investigate for sure.”

Laurent took a moment to respond. Deep down, he wanted to go back right away to confirm things himself.

But Yuri was right. They were already here. Turning back now was impossible.

“Understood. Forgive me for troubling you.”

“Don’t worry.”

And so, with many things still unresolved, their conversation ended. The Briol army continued advancing steadily toward Bezos.

***

Yuri soon arrived at Bezos.

With the welcome of the feudal lord, the Briol army entered the castle.

“The imperial army is still advancing.”

The border marquis of Bezos wore a tense expression.

He wasn’t particularly old and, despite being stationed at the border, lacked actual combat experience. Nor was he a trained warrior.

“Prince, I’ve heard a lot about your feats with the allied army.”

“That’s good.”

“What is your plan of action?”

“Plan?”

Yuri smiled.

“Well, to fight, right? What else is there?”

“Ah…”

“It will be a castle defense battle. We need to prepare properly.”

The Empire wouldn’t pass up Bezos. No doubt, they would want to use it as a base of operations.

Yuri remembered the siege he had endured in his past life. It was a harrowing experience.

He had to hold out in a fortress against a much larger enemy force. Those were days when he literally felt his blood drying up.

Compared to that, this war was almost easy.

“Take this.”

Yuri handed over a sheet of paper. The marquis read it and opened his eyes in surprise.

“Prepare everything according to this list.”

It included the supplies needed for a siege—boiling oil, flaming arrows, defenses to repel enemies.

But ultimately, the outcome of the siege would depend on the strength of the knights. The imperial knights used spring-loaded equipment to launch themselves over the walls like a swarm of locusts.

There was no effective way to stop them.

However, the less capable soldiers couldn’t perform those maneuvers, so they could be stopped with arrows and boiling oil.

“I’ll place my trust in you, Prince.”

“And I trust you.”

“Eh?”

Yuri smiled.

“I trust all of you who fight for Briol. So let’s do our best.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Let’s go.”

Yuri gathered in one place the most important nobles and knights who had arrived at Bezos.

He sat at the head of a large table, and the others surrounded him in a circle.

There was no atmosphere of distrust toward the young prince.

On the way to Bezos, the unwavering trust the allied army soldiers showed toward Yuri, along with his initiative in chasing and personally interrogating the spy, had earned him recognition as a leader.

More than anything, Yuri wasn’t concealing his energy.

For someone his age to release such sharp energy was, literally, abnormal.

At such a young age, that young man was exerting pressure like a blade upon Briol’s true powers—the land of knights.

Even the old knights who had served with Fiore Briol in his youth watched with surprise. It was a way to assert authority from the outset, to reduce unnecessary disputes.

Everyone watched in silence, awaiting Yuri’s words.

Yuri opened his mouth.

“Is Briol weaker than the Empire?”

Most didn’t immediately understand what he meant and tilted their heads. Yuri smiled and continued.

“Why hesitate? Of course the Empire is stronger.”

Some showed displeased expressions. While it was true, for the proud knights of Briol, it was an unpleasant admission.

Yuri spoke again.

“But Briol’s knights are stronger than those of the Empire. Isn’t that right?”

Then, someone responded without hesitation.

“Yes!”

Yuri looked at him and nodded.

“Of course. That’s why we can’t lose this war. You’re not thinking of losing to guys weaker than us, are you?”

“Of course not.”

“Good.”

Yuri smiled as he looked at everyone present. All of them had determined expressions. No one dared let their guard down under the sharp energy Yuri was exuding.

“His Majesty will be arriving soon. We can’t show weakness when he comes. No matter what provocation the Empire attempts, we will crush it. We’re not going to sit here like dogs with our tails between our legs waiting for the Emperor. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Now let’s talk seriously about the war.”

Yuri stood and hung a map on the wall showing the layout of the Bezos castle and the surrounding terrain.

He explained how to position the troops using the structure of the castle and how to respond to the imperial army’s attack by making use of the terrain.

He didn’t hesitate or falter. He answered every question without flinching. His composure was so skillful, it was hard to believe his age.

All doubts about the third prince leading the battlefield vanished.

They said he was a knight worthy of succeeding Fiore Briol—but he turned out to be even more than that.

“Prepare for battle immediately. We won’t be waiting long.”

The imperial army Yuri remembered didn’t drag out wars. They would likely attack as soon as they arrived.

“What will we do about the Black Knight before His Majesty arrives?”

Yuri remembered the Black Knight.

He had been kind when they met at the temple, but on the battlefield, he had to be treated as an enemy.

“I don’t think there’ll be a major clash before my father arrives, but if he makes a move first…”

Yuri looked around. There were many excellent knights.

But he was stronger.

“I’ll stop him.”

“Isn’t that too dangerous?”

“Of course, you all have to support me. But honestly, I think there’s no one here stronger than me. So, even if it’s hard, it’s my job to take him on as the main force.”

Some knights looked at him. Though they didn’t dare step forward under Yuri’s pressure, they also didn’t seem ready to accept the difference in ability.

Competitiveness isn’t a bad thing. It’s what drives knights to grow.

But on the brink of war, they couldn’t afford to waste time on such matters.

“I’m not going to argue further. This is a decision I’ve already made. If it worries you, then focus more on your own positions.”

With that, Yuri ended the meeting. On the way out, he called Jared, who was waiting.

“Jared.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we get some fresh air?”

“Ah, yes.”

The two of them walked together to the wall of Bezos Castle. The sun was already starting to set.

Near the horizon, the banners of the imperial army could faintly be seen.

The war felt imminent. This was the reason he had returned to the past.

“Jared.”

“Yes.”

“How do you feel?”

Yuri placed a hand on Jared’s shoulder.

“Have you worked hard all this time?”

It was a sudden question. But Jared felt Yuri’s words carried deep meaning.

“Well, ever since I met the prince, yes, I’ve worked hard.”

Before meeting Yuri, he had just been a lazy guard. He had entered the royal palace thanks to his innate talent, but hadn’t put in much effort beyond that.

Until he fell into Yuri’s hands. Since then, his life had been a chain of hardships.

Every day he was called to sword training, constantly forced to confront his limits like never before.

And thanks to that, he became much stronger.

If he had stayed as he was, he probably wouldn’t have amounted to more than a mediocre knight.

“By the way…”

Jared looked at Yuri and said suddenly.

“Prince.”

“Hmm?”

“Before I first saw you on the guard training grounds…”

“Yes.”

“Did you already know me?”

The question came out of nowhere. It was strange.

Sometimes, he felt as if the third prince had known him for a long time. And other times, he felt that he himself had known the prince before.

That feeling intensified as the third prince grew taller, and his features became more defined.

Yes, just like back then.

The vision he had in the dungeon left by Briol’s founder.

The man who smiled wearily at him in that illusion looked just like the third prince.

“Yes.”

“How?”

“I saw you in the future.”

The third prince smiled.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. That’s why I came back to the past—to turn you into a decent person.”

“I see.”

“Back then, you were full of regrets.”

“Why?”

“Because you lived a mediocre life.”

“I understand.”

“Aren’t you grateful to me?”

“I still regret this life, so go back again and teach me properly next time.”

“What?”

“Tell me to stay away from the prince and avoid him.”

“Do you want to die?”

“Oh, you’re really depressing me.”

“Survive however you can.”

As they joked, they suddenly noticed something approaching in the distance. Both stopped talking and looked closely.

It was an envoy from the Empire.