Chapter 219: The Black Demon (2)

Yuri stepped outside. The tension before the battle could be felt.

“Francesco, if things get dangerous, fall back.”

He seemed hurt in his pride, but soon nodded.

“Don’t worry. I’ve become an expert at taking care of myself since I lost my mana.”

In his current state, unable to use mana, he was at a great disadvantage against the orcs. No matter how skilled he was, it meant nothing against overwhelming force.

Fortunately, Francesco was also aware of this and moved cautiously.

Yuri looked up.

The orcs were charging from all directions. It seemed they had already dispersed into a formation before attacking.

“Only the smarter ones survived, huh?”

The strongest creatures summoned by Okua had mostly been killed.

Moreover, the death of Okua himself had weakened the entire orc race. The overwhelming strength they had shown during the last war came from dark magic, and with that source gone, their overall level had plummeted.

That’s why it now seemed that groups of orcs who relied more on cunning than brute strength were predominant.

Even with their physical inferiority, they compensated with tactics.

“Spread out!”

“There are orcs on that side too!”

But that only worked against enemies of their same level.

Yuri, with Guilty slung over his shoulder, began to walk forward.

Francesco, Jared, Simon, and Guinness followed with firm steps and a determined attitude.

“First, we take out that bastard.”

Among the surrounding orcs, Yuri quickly located the leader. At first glance, he looked like any other orc, but he was constantly scanning with his eyes and shouting orders. Clearly, he was commanding the battle.

“Shouldn’t we help the Company?”

“Don’t worry. They’re not the continent’s best merchants by sheer luck.”

The Elaine Company was one of the most important on the continent. And their guards weren’t amateurs. They had apparently fought orcs before, as they handled them smoothly.

To minimize damage, it was best to eliminate the leader as soon as possible.

“It’s been a while since I’ve killed orcs.”

“Glad to do it.”

Not only Yuri and Jared showed composure. Simon and Guinness also had excited expressions, as if they were looking forward to the battle.

When they served in the allied army, they were still inexperienced and had only survived thanks to the support of their comrades.

But now it was different.

They had been trained by none other than Moyongchan, one of the Ten Greats, and by Yuri, who was on the same level.

It was time to show the results of that training.

“Simon, Guinness.”

Yuri, reading their thoughts, spoke to them.

“Jared and I will take care of the leader. But there are too many in the way. Can you clear a path?”

Simon and Guinness smiled.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Leave it to us.”

“Good.”

Yuri pointed forward.

“Unleash chaos.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Both dashed forward.

The orcs coming from the leader’s direction, upon seeing the two humans charging at them, began to counterattack.

There were many orcs against just two humans. In size, the difference was enormous.

But as soon as the clash began, it was Simon and Guinness who advanced, despite seeming at a disadvantage.

With fluid movements, they cut down the orcs one after another, making their way through the gaps they themselves created, facing the surrounding enemies without fear.

Yuri smirked.

“They’ve grown quite a bit.”

Francesco, watching the scene, spoke.

“I’ll join those kids too. Take care of the leader.”

And he ran toward Simon and Guinness.

Yuri was worried inside, but Francesco used clever methods to face the orcs.

Even though he had lost his mana, his mastery of the sword remained intact.

“He’s doing pretty well. Jared, it’s our turn.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we?”

“Let’s.”

“Then…”

Yuri suddenly felt a void.

Originally, someone else would have been at Jared’s side.

Laurent.

Was he alive? Or had he died during the tragedy of Française?

Did he hate him in the end?

Shaking off those thoughts, Yuri continued forward.

“Pff…”

There was no time to drown in past memories. While Simon, Guinness, and Francesco fought the orcs, the path opened.

Yuri visualized the direct route to the leader and charged forward.

“Don’t fall behind.”

“Understood.”

Yuri shot forward. With exceptional movements, he stepped on the ground, propelled himself, and cut the orc coming at him.

The orc’s body, defeated by its own momentum, spun in the air after the slash from Yuri.

Before the body even hit the ground, Yuri was already moving again.

In the blink of an eye, he was one step away from the leader.

Two orcs tried to intercept him.

But Jared moved ahead of Yuri and faced them.

“Your Highness!”

“I know!”

While Jared dealt with the guards, Yuri pursued the leader. The guy was quite fast, apparently skilled at fleeing.

“Akwakkai! Armute Tumetun! ¡
Akwakkai!”

Shouting in the orc tongue, the chief gave an order. The nearby orcs changed direction and began to chase Yuri.

The chief was running, Yuri was chasing him, and behind Yuri, the orcs followed.

A strange chase began. But soon the balance broke.

Yuri caught up to the chief and drove a knee into his spine. The impact lifted him off the ground and made him roll across the dirt several times.

“Grrrrrah!”

Just as his muddied body came to a stop, a sharp blade appeared in front of his eyes.

“Do you speak the common language of the continent?”

“Ummetu Kumaar Armatu…”

“You don’t.”

Yuri brought the blade closer and made a cut across his forehead. The chief’s escort orcs halted, not daring to approach.

At that moment, Francesco, Simon, and Guinness, who had already eliminated the surrounding orcs, calmly approached Yuri.

Yuri pinned the chief’s neck down with his foot and gestured.

“Hey, make everyone gather.”

“Akwakkai?”

“Yes, it’s me, idiot. Call all your underlings.”

“Agur Kulat!”

Who knows how they understood each other, but the chief shouted something. The orcs repeated the same word.

“Agur Kulat!”

“Agur Kulat!”

The echo spread.

Little by little, the fighting stopped. Humans and orcs began to retreat slowly, watching each other warily.

Yuri lifted the chief, showing him as a hostage before everyone. The orcs, realizing the situation, began to observe him with caution.

They were different from the orcs before. Smaller, less aggressive.

For Yuri, it was a favorable change.

“Make them all gather.”

At first the chief didn’t understand, but after a few blows from Yuri, he reacted quickly.

“Gather them here!”

The orcs who had stopped fighting began to gather in front of the chief. Once assembled in one place, their numbers didn’t seem that large.

Yuri nodded… and slit the chief’s throat. The orc’s head dropped to the ground.

At first, the orcs didn’t understand what had just happened, but soon they opened their eyes wide and began to grow enraged.

However, that violent reaction didn’t lead to another battle, but to a stampede.

The orcs fled as if they had gone mad.

“Ho…”

In such situations, the enemy only has two responses: fight or flee. And to Yuri, it didn’t matter which they chose.

A one-sided massacre began.

“Chase them down!”

As the orcs fled, they cursed Yuri using his nickname in the orc tongue, Akuakkai, “the black dog.”

But Yuri didn’t care. The hate-filled screams of his enemies only gave him more strength.

The orcs’ blood splattered the grasslands under the moonlight.

When the number of orcs had decreased significantly…

“Wound them, but try not to kill them! If they flee, let them go!”

Yuri shouted.

The guards of the Elaine Company, though puzzled by the order, obeyed.

Thanks to that, many orcs escaped limping with injuries.

And around the Elaine Company’s camp, only the corpses of fallen orcs remained. In the distance, the silhouettes of fleeing orcs faded under the moonlight.

The battle against the orcs had ended in a decisive victory. Everyone celebrated with joy.

Rick, from the Elaine Company, approached Yuri.

“Thank you so much. That was an incredible feat.”

“Casualties?”

“There are some wounded, but no one has died. It’s a miracle. All thanks to you, Your Highness.”

Although the caravan was successfully completing its journey east, many lives were usually lost on such a long trip. Especially when facing orcs in large-scale battles, losses were considerable.

But this time, despite the scale of the fight, casualties had been minimal.

All thanks to Yuri taking the lead, eliminating the chief and controlling the situation.

Seeing how naturally he moved in a battlefield full of death, the members of the Elaine Company realized that Yuri Briol was exactly as the rumors said.

No, in truth, they thought the rumors fell short.

Rick asked,

“But why did you decide to let them live…?”

“Because the road would be boring, don’t you think?”

Yuri smiled.

“I’m going to follow the blood trails. If there’s another pack along the way, I’ll take the chance to wipe them out too.”

“Ah…”

“Don’t worry. You guys return safely. From here on, there shouldn’t be more battles.”

Rick stared at Yuri, speechless.

He had thought Yuri Briol was just a prince with talent in swordsmanship, a noble knight of high birth.

But after experiencing it firsthand, he understood that wasn’t the case.

Being the king’s brother was just a minor detail in his identity. His blood or origin didn’t matter.

Yuri Briol would have wielded the sword that way no matter what.

“I see…”

Rick nodded with a faint smile.

For someone like him, there wasn’t much he could do for a man like Yuri.

“Then I’ll prepare the best place to rest I can find. May you sleep worthy of your day.”

***

The next morning, Yuri’s group bid farewell to the Elaine Company, carrying goods from the East.

Simon and Guinness had hidden Eastern weapons in their clothes. Yuri carried a gift for Maryrose and an instrument called Bokmaju-bal.

Francesco hadn’t bought anything.

“Jared, what did you buy?”

“It’s a secret.”

“But you did buy something?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

Yuri was driving the carriage looking down. From time to time, he played the Bokmaju-bal.

“It really soothes the heart, doesn’t it?”

“Doesn’t it?”

Meanwhile, Yuri followed the blood trail and the scent left behind by the fleeing orcs.

The tracks split in various directions, but if they seemed to lead toward the road to Valshard, he followed without hesitation.

Yuri pointed toward the horizon.

“Ah, there.”

In the distance, by the water’s edge, stood an orc village. It looked improvised, made of poorly pitched tents.

Compared to the large orc settlements he had seen before, this one was very poor. But the number of individuals seemed considerable.

Yuri turned to the group.

“If anyone’s afraid, you can stay behind.”

“There’s no one like that.”

Jared replied immediately. Yuri smiled.

“Then let’s go.”

The orcs. During his time in the allied army, they were formidable enemies.

But now it was different.

Yuri and his group had become stronger. The orcs, weaker.

“Attack!”

“Attack!”

Yuri’s group exterminated all the orcs they found. They let a few escape so they could track them to another settlement… and wiped that one out too.

This pattern repeated throughout the journey to Valshard.

“Akuaktar, Akuaktar!”

An orc shouted, seeing Yuri covered in blood.

“What did he say?”

“I don’t know. Sounds like an insult.”

“Yes?”

Yuri killed the orc and wiped Guilty clean with its corpse.

“Morning workouts are refreshing.”

Yuri, standing atop the orc-covered ground, looked toward the sky.

They had started the day wielding their swords.

Even after attacking several orc villages, they hadn’t fallen far behind schedule.

They only detoured when the settlements matched their route, and since Yuri didn’t hold back, the fights ended quickly.

They were short battles, yes… But enough for Yuri’s name to spread across the grasslands.

That’s why, when they arrived at Valshard, the guards already knew of his arrival.

“Welcome, Akuaktar!”

they shouted loudly, greeting the group.

Yuri tilted his head, confused.

“You already knew I was coming? And that Akuaktar… it’s orcish, right?”

“Yes. Among the orcs, your fame has spread.”

“What does it mean?”

“Akuaktar means the black demon.”

“Demon, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Better than black dog. I’ve been promoted.”

Yuri let out a chuckle.

“Yes, the black demon has arrived in Valshard. I’ve come to see Maryrose.”

“Her Excellency is expecting you.”

The guards stepped aside, and a female figure appeared in the distance.

A captivatingly beautiful woman, dressed in a red gown.

“Oh, a demon,”

said Maryrose, greeting him with a smile.