Chapter 30: The Unwanted Visitor (2)

“Get Hernand out here.”

“Yes!”

Yuri remained on alert near the fire.

Although the supplies were covered with fire-resistant blankets, he called for Hernand, the mage, just in case. If a fire broke out, he would be able to control it.

Yuri headed toward the battlefield with Laurent, Jared, and Raymond.

The soldiers were blocking the way, while the direct clash with the orcs was being handled by the knight order.

Since they had been prepared, Yuri expected a smooth victory.

But the scene was worse than he had anticipated.

“Prince!”

A knight engaged in close combat shouted.

“These bastards are strong!”

Just as he said, the orcs who had broken into the camp were on a completely different level from those that had attacked the Holy Kingdom. There were fewer of them, but each one possessed exceptional strength, and the knight order was struggling.

Yuri pushed the three knights forward.

“Go help them. We need to minimize casualties. Spread out.”

“Yes!”

The orcs had split into small groups and infiltrated the formation. To catch them, they needed to do the same.

Yuri sharpened his senses in search of enemies.

Suddenly, he turned his head. There was a strange smell. Just as he was about to move—

Bang!

An explosion thundered. A cart not far away blew into pieces, and charred fragments rained from the sky.

Each time the flames rose, the surroundings lit up.

“What is that?”

Even Yuri was caught off guard. While he stood still, Hernand approached and stood beside him, observing the explosion site.

“Hernand.”

“What chaos… What a mess…”

“Are the orcs using gunpowder?”

“No. The mana flow is distorted. It’s sorcery.”

“Could there be a shaman among them?”

“More like a magically enchanted bomb. It’s more advanced than I thought… interesting…”

“Don’t just admire it. Do something.”

“With the fire-resistant blankets, the flames won’t spread.”

“Can’t you stop more from exploding?”

“Since they’re not triggering it directly, it’s not magic. You’ll have to stop them with the sword.”

“So, we need to kill the ones carrying the bombs.”

“Exactly. So probably…”

Hernand pointed in a direction.

“Over there.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuri launched himself forward with force. From behind, Hernand’s voice called out:

“Prince, don’t get yourself hurt!”

Another explosion erupted at that moment. Burning sparks floated above his head like fireflies.

He had to eliminate the cause before the damage escalated. He unleashed his mana to sense the surroundings.

Among the faint presences, one stood out strongly. Yuri passed a cart and turned a corner.

He saw a huge back. That build was familiar. He didn’t carry any banner, but it was unmistakably the same one from before.

Orcbal.

In the battle against the Holy Kingdom, that orc had shot an arrow at Yuri, and Yuri had responded by throwing a spear.

An enemy with a score to settle.

Yuri felt an unexpected thrill.

“So it was you?”

He immediately stabbed with his sword.

Clang!

Orcbal barely reacted in time. Yuri’s strike was deflected.

“Tch.”

Yuri jumped back, activating his mana technique. The core in his heart pulsed strongly, channeling mana through his entire body.

Orcbal opened his eyes wide upon seeing it and smiled before raising his double-bladed axe.

Up close, he was absurdly massive.

Orcbal shouted something. Naturally, Yuri understood nothing.

“What are you saying?”

“Kuakka akuwaak!”

“Happy to see me? Me too.”

“Akuwa kikuru kurukakkakuk!”

“Don’t want to die? Am I scary?”

“Kuu-kuu duruturuku!”

“Too late to beg!”

Yuri dropped into a low stance and launched an attack. Orcbal raised his massive axe and brought it down. The ground cracked, and dirt flew.

“Kwaak kwaak, kaaaaaaak!”

The veins on Orcbal’s neck bulged. He reacted as if irritated by Yuri’s attacks.

Yuri tilted his head.

“Did you really not want to fight?”

Didn’t matter. Whatever Orcbal said, Yuri had already decided to cut off his head and mount it on a spear.

“Shut up!”

“Ikuwaak!”

Yuri swung Guilty hard.

Guilty clashed with Orcbal’s double-bladed axe. The orc took a step back.

Yuri pushed forward with his legs and advanced again. He slashed horizontally. Orcbal ducked low.

The weapons collided, and Orcbal was forced back. His eyes widened in shock at the force of the blow.

“Okaak!”

Orcbal roared and hurled his axe with both hands.

A shadow loomed over Yuri’s vision. It looked like the blade of a giant guillotine falling on him.

Yuri rolled to the side to dodge. The axe followed.

Despite its size, Orcbal was fast. The axe’s blade continued its relentless assault on Yuri. He blocked, dodged, rolled on the ground.

The exchanges were nonstop. Each time the axe swung, a cart was destroyed.

Yuri gritted his teeth. It was too one-sided. He wanted to change the rhythm, but found no opening.

Then he murmured a knight’s prayer.

“Ancestor Erich, please grant me strength.”

But instead of Erich Briol, only the skull of the death knight he had seen in the dungeon came to Yuri’s mind. Not exactly an encouraging image.

“Damn it.”

Yuri cursed as he forcefully unleashed the Cut of the Soul and the Heart.

Mana swirled around him like a torrent, enveloping his entire body. A white glow seeped out like mist from every pore.

Yuri no longer dodged Orcbal’s double-bladed axe—he charged straight at him. Just before the blade could split his forehead, he twisted his body. The iron barely grazed his cheek and passed by.

Immediately, he raised Guilty and slashed upward. The blade clearly struck the enemy’s side, but it didn’t feel like it had pierced. Yuri pressed harder to drive it in.

“Kuwaaaah!”

Orcbal roared, kicking him. Yuri crossed his arms to block, but was still violently thrown back.

Orcbal hunched slightly, staring him down. A dark mist rose from his broad shoulders.

“Mana method…?”

Yuri gave an incredulous chuckle.

If the orcs had a sorcerer, that meant they also had a method to handle mana. Though rare, some orcs had awakened to mana.

And it seemed the Orcbal before him was one of those rare cases. Fortunately, he didn’t appear to be very advanced yet.

“Well, well…”

Yuri lifted his head and looked around. He had thought it was just a minor skirmish, but he was wrong. It was clear an elite unit of orcs had attacked the Briol army.

The ferocity of the battle proved it. That a small group of orcs could fight like this in a camp full of knights meant they were no mere grunts.

“Kurak ak karagak.”

Orcbal spoke again. Yuri gripped Guilty tighter.

“If we had met a year from now, you’d already be dead.”

If the Cut of the Soul and the Heart had reached its next phase, this Orcbal wouldn’t have been a challenge.

That frustrated him. But it also meant he was still growing. This fight was fueling his development. Yuri and Orcbal began to move, eyeing each other cautiously. Both were carefully studying their opponent.

Orcbal wasn’t acting rashly. For anyone who knew orcs, the sight of an elite warrior like Orcbal recognizing a mere eighteen-year-old human as a rival would be terrifying.

“Phew…”

Yuri lowered Guilty and assessed Orcbal’s entire body.

To face a creature several times his size, brute force wouldn’t work. Like any knight, he had to use speed and agility to find an opening.

Yuri smiled. As he observed, the next exchange played out in his mind.

He picked the option he liked best. The decision was made.

Yuri advanced first. Orcbal immediately stepped forward. The distance closed in an instant.

Neither swung their weapon first. With muscles tensed, they watched for the perfect moment, leaning into one another.

Both held their weapons at the ready, eyes locked to the end.

Yuri suspected Orcbal had considerable experience fighting humans.

Given the strength gap, humans usually waited for the orc to strike first and exploited the opening afterward.

But Orcbal restrained himself to avoid falling into that trap. Eventually, their attack ranges overlapped. Still, neither backed off.

Their bodies collided. With weapons drawn back, their shoulders slammed together.

Orcbal struck first. He elbowed at Yuri’s head. Yuri couldn’t fully avoid it.

He activated his mana and twisted his body. The blow hit his shoulder.

“Tch…!”

Yuri bore the pain and swung Guilty. Orcbal, as if expecting it, launched his own weapon. Their attacks met. A collision seemed inevitable.

But at that moment, Yuri dropped his stance. Orcbal’s eyes widened, realizing too late he’d been tricked. Yuri narrowly diverted the axe blade and drove Guilty into Orcbal’s exposed abdomen.

The mana-coated blade pierced the rough leather armor and sank deep.

He clearly felt it cut through flesh. The double-bladed axe, without a target, slashed at air.

Unbalanced from the force, Orcbal impaled himself further. Yuri twisted the blade.

A horrid sound escaped Orcbal’s mouth.

Using his weight, Yuri pushed Guilty and toppled him. As he fell, Yuri pulled the sword free and opened his abdomen completely.

Blood splashed across Yuri’s face. Orcbal collapsed, his belly gushing.

“Huff…”

It had been a short fight, but Yuri had thoroughly outmatched him in strategy. Given his disadvantage in strength and stamina, he had been lucky.

Orcbal had underestimated Yuri’s skill.

“Khuaa…”

Orcbal seemed to realize the same. His face twisted in disbelief as he clutched at his spilling entrails. If Yuri could understand his language, he’d likely be saying, How did I let my guard down…?

“That’s your true level.”

Yuri rested Guilty on his shoulder.

He didn’t plan to kill him just yet. He wanted to interrogate him. Until now, captured orcs hadn’t revealed anything useful, but an Orcbal who could use mana methods might know something valuable.

He checked the body. No explosives.

But he did find small carved wooden spheres, imbued with strange mana. They had to be the ritual bombs Hernand had mentioned.

“Prince!”

Three knights arrived, panting. Familiar faces.

Yuri called their names.

“Simon, Guinness, Dyke.”

Seeing the orc fallen behind Yuri, their eyes widened.

“You fought him alone?”

“Yes.”

“Incredible.”

If they knew he was an Orcbal, they’d be even more amazed. Shame he hadn’t brought his banner. Not wanting to boast, Yuri simply nodded.

“A knight must be able to face an orc alone.”

The three knights coughed awkwardly. They still couldn’t face them alone, which was why they moved in threes.

“Seems you did your part too, judging by the blood.”

“Yes.”

“Good job.”

Yuri acknowledged their effort. Praise can make even whales dance.

“At first, I didn’t trust you, but you’ve improved. I’m pleased with your progress.”

The three felt a little strange. Though he was younger than them, it felt like being praised by someone far superior.

And that alone filled them with a quiet pride they almost found embarrassing.

“Thank you, Prince.”

“Why thank me? I’m just telling the truth.”

“Yes, sir…”

“Anyway, someone has to stay here and guard this guy…”

They looked at one another. Everyone wanted to keep racking up achievements, which meant sticking close to Yuri. In that case, it was up to him to decide.

He pointed at one of them.

“Simon.”

“Yes!”

“Looks like you’ve hurt your leg.”

“It’s just a minor wound. I’m fine.”

“Better to rest. You could make it worse.”

“Yes, sir…”

“If he moves, don’t hesitate—stab him through the chest. Your safety comes first.”

“Understood.”

His expression shifted oddly. Yuri clearly read his emotions on his face. They say you should row while the tide is high.

Yuri smiled gently.

“Simon. You’re a valuable knight to me.”

“Yes…”

“I’m giving you this task because I recognize your potential. Do you understand?”

Simon nodded. His eyes looked a little moist, though maybe it was just the breeze.

Most likely, he’d just been out in the open air for too long.