Chapter 214: Wildflowers (3)

After signing the contract with Umstein about the orichalcum, Yuri took some time to quietly observe the situation in the Holy Kingdom.

Luther was already taking care of things on his own. After having shed the title of Saint, there was no one to stop him.

Sometimes, he even muttered strange things to himself:

“I just wanted to live in peace, but the world left me no choice. It’s not my fault, okay? It’s the fault of the bastard who pushed me into this. Hehehe…”

Luther had placed all his moral guilt on Yuri, who had forced him to act, and now he moved forward without hesitation.

He even went to purge certain uncooperative nobles, although not officially.

“Hey. Still having foolish dreams?”

“……”

“You must’ve heard the rumors by now. The Empire is preparing for war. When it breaks out, it’ll be a time when anyone could die in any way. Be careful.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Threat or warning? Depends how you take it. If it feels like a threat, maybe you’ve got something shady going on.”

“N-no, it’s not that…”

“Good. I just want us to care for each other, hehe…”

“That…”

“We should meet privately soon.”

“O-of course…”

Yuri felt reassured seeing Luther more proactive than expected.

When he had no connection to the throne, he hid away in the temple, living a discreet life. But now that he had been chosen as king, he began to act decisively.

Maybe he was simply someone who fulfilled what others expected of him.

Yuri muttered.

“Does he only do well what he’s told?”

Though it sounded derogatory, for Yuri, it was a compliment.

Luther acted quickly.

The King of Brusen, who had ended the war with the Holy Kingdom overnight and signed a non-aggression treaty, was surely happy to keep sipping wine from Alas.

“I should ask them to send me a case of wine.”

“Pardon?”

“Thinking out loud. Jared, is everything ready?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go.”

Without further delay, Yuri’s group decided to leave the Holy Kingdom.

“Will the Holy Kingdom be alright?”

“Don’t worry.”

Although it had gone through a chaotic phase, the Holy Kingdom was a solid nation. With the arrival of the new king, everything quickly stabilized.

Yuri had already established a communication system with Luther. If war with the Empire broke out, they would collaborate immediately. Until then, the Holy Kingdom would focus on training troops and producing orichalcum weapons.

It was a shame to leave without even receiving a prototype of those weapons, but Yuri had many things to do.

“Where are we going now?”

“To Valshard.”

“Huh?”

“Hernando has called us.”

“But can’t he come here?”

“No.”

Yuri nodded.

“He says we have to go. Rather, that I have to go.”

“Ugh…”

The distance between the Holy Kingdom and Valshard was considerable. They had to cross the continent to reach the easternmost plains. Although the orcs had already been eliminated, it wouldn’t be an easy journey.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

“No, it’s just… far… I was wondering if we couldn’t meet at the Tower of Magic.”

Yuri shook his head.

“He says the corrupt magic is too strong and distorts space.”

“Now that you say it, I really don’t want to go…”

Jared frowned in discomfort.

Then Simon and Guinness spoke up.

“No, Sir Jared. We must go. We must stop the black magic. We cannot be led by fear.”

“Exactly. As knights of Briol, it’s our duty.”

Both had followed Moyongchan while wandering through Liberta, and now they were highly motivated knights. Thinking back to how they were when he met them in the allied army made the change obvious.

Jared muttered.

“Bah, you guys weren’t like this in the allied army…”

Simon and Guinness coughed awkwardly.

Yuri spoke for them.

“To think you were worse than them before I chose you…”

“Cough… cough…”

With that jab from the past, Jared could only lower his head without protest.

“Alright. Now that it’s come to this, let’s go back to Valshard.”

“Let’s also stop by Liberta on the way.”

“Good idea.”

Although this time, Francesco would join them. To purge the black magic from his body, they needed Hernando’s help.

Once the five of them including Francesco were ready to depart, Luther, Umstein, Fenek, and other acquaintances from the Holy Kingdom came to see them off.

Luther spoke.

“Hey. You dump the throne on me and leave just like that, huh?”

Since they had decided to speak casually, Luther no longer measured his words.

“You’re irresponsible, Yuri Briol.”

Yuri wasn’t bothered.

Even though he had put Luther on the throne, the latter was now the king. Having such a relaxed relationship with a monarch was a rare experience.

Yuri smiled slightly and replied.

“Yeah, I’m leaving. Sit there quietly on the throne. Don’t do anything stupid that’ll ruin the country. Just keep it normal, that’s enough.”

“And you, don’t do anything stupid out there and end up stabbed. Stay calm.”

Yuri shook his hand and then said goodbye to the others with a nod.

Already mounted, just before departing, he said.

“The next time we see each other will probably be on the battlefield. Even if you don’t want to, we’ll meet again, so don’t miss me too much. See you later.”

He tugged the reins, and his horse began to walk slowly.

From behind, everyone shouted their farewells:

“Safe travels!”

“Thanks for the daggers!”

“Thanks for everything!”

Yuri raised his hand in farewell.

***

They rode in silence without incident.

They only stopped in towns when absolutely necessary, repeating the routine of pushing ahead as far as possible and then camping under the open sky.

They were strong warriors, immune to bandits or wild beasts, and they were also used to rough food and harsh rest after so much time campaigning.

All except one.

“I’m going to die. This is going to kill me. What kind of savage march is this? We should stop in a town to bathe, enjoy a nice dinner, sleep comfortably! That’s how you travel properly… If we keep this up, we’re going to…”

“Silence, please.”

“Doesn’t Sir Jared have any complaints?”

“My complaint is your voice, Sir Francesco. It is too loud.”

“But… I mean…”

As a Holy Knight, Francesco had always been treated with distinction. He had never had to camp like a common soldier or quiet his hunger by chewing on dried meat.

He let out a deep sigh.

“There’s still a long way to go. At this rate, I’m going to start stinking. Really…”

Then Yuri spoke.

“We’ll stop by a town.”

Francesco opened his eyes in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes. I have something to do there.”

“What is it?”

“I have to send a letter.”

“Eh?”

Yuri had the expression of someone who had just remembered something important they had forgotten.

“Did you forget something?”

“Yes. One thing.”

“What thing?”

“You’ll see.”

During the trip to the Holy Kingdom, Yuri had crossed paths with Krow and the Crow mercenary group. He had promised to introduce them to a high-ranking priest to help Krow’s sister.

But he had completely forgotten.

Although it wasn’t entirely his fault. He had spent a long time in the Holy Kingdom, and the mercenaries never showed up or sent any news, so he let it go. Maybe something had happened to them.

Yuri wanted to send them a letter to help however he could, even if only now.

“If that’s the reason, there’s nothing to be done.”

“Excellent. Let’s go as soon as possible! It’s for a good cause, so no hesitation!”

Francesco was the happiest of them all. So, the group headed to the nearest town.

When they arrived, Yuri went straight to the post office to send a letter to both Luther and the mercenary guild. He stuck on a deluxe stamp to ensure delivery and even gave extra money to the clerk.

“Please, make sure it gets there.”

“Yes, sir! Don’t worry!”

With that settled, Yuri went with the others to find lodging at an inn.

The innkeeper welcomed them by saying:

“Haven’t seen decent folks around here in a while.”

“Eh?”

“I say that because no one decent’s come around for a bit.”

“Ah… haven’t had many customers lately?”

“I said decent.”

The innkeeper let out a chuckle.

“I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve got a good eye for people. Most are fools. But you lot seem normal.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“Not long ago, a group came by that made me feel real sorry for them.”

“Sorry?”

“A circus troupe, I think.”

He made a disgusted face and shook his head.

“They stayed here, and among them were some truly sad people. There was one who looked like a monster but spoke like a person… What a strange thing.”

“A circus troupe, you say?”

“Yes.”

The innkeeper shivered.

“There were a lot of poor wretches. And I don’t just mean their looks. They were broken inside too. But one of them seemed especially pitiful…”

He said that though he looked horrid on the outside, he was very human on the inside.

Yuri shrugged.

“And how can you know what someone’s like on the inside?”

“By their eyes. The eyes say everything.”

“The eyes?”

“That’s right. At some point, I started to notice I could see into people through their eyes.”

He smiled confidently.

“Of course, if you don’t want to believe me, don’t. But I know it’s true. I can see people for what they are. And you all seem like good folks, so I’m telling you this.”

Somehow, Yuri felt his words were convincing.

After all, not just anyone would dare speak like that to a group of five armed men. Clearly, the man had confidence in his own judgment.

Yuri gave a slight smile.

“I see. If that circus troupe were still around, it would’ve been interesting to see the show. What a shame.”

“Yes, a shame. They say they put on good performances, but I didn’t see them either. They left in a hurry, said they had something important to do. Probably for someone important.”

The innkeeper shrugged and seemed ready to keep chatting. He seemed like a natural talker.

Yuri decided to end the conversation before it dragged on.

“Well, we’ll head up to rest.”

“Ah, of course, of course. Rest well.”

The group left the innkeeper and went upstairs.

Jared commented.

“That innkeeper talks too much.”

“But he doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

“That’s true.”

“A circus troupe, huh…”

Yuri didn’t like circuses.

In his past life as a mercenary, he had had to deal with all sorts of groups, including circuses.

Most didn’t treat their members well. There were circus performers who were whipped like animals.

“If we find another one, we should dismantle it.”

Jared tilted his head in confusion.

“Pardon?”

“If we find one, we check for irregularities. And if there are any, we shut it down.”

“But why…?”

“You’ve never dealt with a circus?”

“No.”

“They’re not good people. And most get their members by buying them from slave traders. It’s rare to find a legal one.”

“Wow…”

Jared tilted his head again. He found it curious that a prince knew so much about circuses.

“Yuri is right.”

Just as they entered the room, Francesco, who was already undressing to bathe, spoke up.

“Most circuses are despicable. They treat people like animals.”

“How do you know, Sir Francesco?”

“I was sold to a circus for a while as a child.”

“What?”

Francesco showed his back.

It was covered in scars.

“I got these during that time.”

“You…?”

“I was an orphan as a child. I escaped the circus and was taken in by a temple. Later, it turned out I had talent with the sword, so I ended up as a Holy Knight.”

He had more backstory than he seemed. The atmosphere went quiet, but he broke it with a hearty laugh.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s all in the past. Now I’m off to bathe!”

He ran toward the bath, and Yuri and Jared shrugged as they watched him go.

But at that moment, a commotion was heard outside.

Yuri looked out the window. In the street, the townspeople were moving about, agitated.

“What’s going on now?”

The answer came from the innkeeper, who came upstairs with some towels.

“What a strange coincidence. Remember that circus troupe I told you about?”

“Yes.”

“Seems one of them escaped. They say he might’ve hidden in town and they’re searching for him right now.”