Chapter 35: Meeting (1)

Valshard was spacious inside. The army of Briol entered through the walls and set up their camps.

In the distance, the banners of the Empire and Burssen fluttered. Soon, the emblems of many other nations would align here.

Yuri called the knights together.

“Everyone will be assembled within a week.”

He sat in the grand chair he had used when attacking Orcbal and looked over the knights. Thanks to the battles they had faced, their demeanor had changed. They now appeared far more dependable.

“How do you think the allied army will proceed from here?”

Everyone looked straight at Yuri.

It was as if none of them even doubted that he had the answer.

“Why are you all just staring at me?”

“We don’t know. Please tell us.”

“You should think for yourselves.”

“You must know, Prince.”

The knights already knew the third prince was not the immature boy they had imagined. He was a true commander who led his troops with the skill of a veteran.

Yuri tapped his temple with his fingers.

“When knights from different countries meet, what’s the first thing they usually do?”

“Greet each other?”

“Who was that—‘greet each other’?”

“Sorry.”

Yuri sighed.

“Usually, they end up fighting. At the end of the day, they all wield swords and want to know who’s stronger. But even if we’re called an ‘allied army,’ what do you think will happen when knights from completely different nations gather?”

“A massive brawl…?”

“Who said ‘massive brawl’?”

“Sorry.”

“Come on, how can you call yourselves knights if you’re talking about street fights?”

Yuri stood from his seat.

“What I’m saying is there won’t be any cooperation. Just numbers. Like scattered grains of sand. Even you all are like that. If the Empire ordered you to do something, would you obey without question?”

“Absolutely not!”

“See? Everyone will be the same. Each will act on their own. How can we expect a proper war like that?”

“We can’t.”

“Exactly. It’s a headache. But it’s out of our control. So what should we do?”

No one answered quickly.

Then Laurent cautiously raised his hand.

“Subjugate them!”

“Who said ‘subjugate’…?”

Seeing the eager gleam in Laurent’s eyes, Yuri didn’t criticize him harshly and redirected the response.

“Well… that’s a thought anyone might have.”

The knights didn’t look too thrilled, but Yuri ignored it.

“But that’s not the real answer. What we need to do is…”

Someone else raised their hand. It was Simon.

He had recently been moved by Yuri’s guidance during the fight with the orcs.

“Train.”

He said it firmly. Yuri clapped.

“Exactly! That’s it! Well done, Simon. My precious knight, Sir Simon.”

“Thank you.”

Simon placed a hand over his chest in a gesture of loyalty.

Yuri stepped forward.

“We must become stronger. If we want to survive and protect those who can live longer, we must become even stronger.”

He pointed to the camp. The soldiers were resting peacefully.

“Train, and make the others train. That is what we must do.”

The battles ahead would be unimaginably chaotic.

Against the brute strength of other races, human tactics would fall apart. Fighting orcs was exactly like that.

The only thing they could rely on was their own skill. Yuri handed out papers to each knight.

They contained training plans and a list of soldiers to instruct.

“Our war has already begun.”

As Yuri began to walk, the knights stepped aside to let him pass.

Even if they didn’t enjoy training after all they had been through, no one objected.

“I’ll be training with you as well.”

Yuri, their commander, would personally carry out what he ordered.

“Laurent.”

“Yes.”

“You’ll be my opponent.”

“It would be an honor.”

Thus began the training of the Briol army. The knights instructed the soldiers in mana and swordsmanship, and also trained among themselves to reach new heights.

The residents of Valshard and allied troops watched curiously around Briol’s camp.

Yuri crossed swords with Laurent. A pleasant fatigue coursed through his body.

“Laurent, you’re really strong.”

“You are as well, Prince.”

Since his second life began, Yuri had never met anyone his age who could match him. But Laurent was a talent that managed to challenge him.

Especially because their combat styles were completely different, allowing them to learn from each other and complement their weaknesses. Few knights so righteous pursued the proper path like him.

For Yuri, who had mastered a rough combat style through his mercenary experience and the “Cut of Soul and Heart,” it was a refreshing change.

In the past, his lack of vision had kept him from recognizing Laurent’s true worth.

“Right… when you cut my throat, you did it perfectly too.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.”

Yuri slightly lowered his practice sword and looked at Laurent. As he crossed swords with him, he began to notice little details he had never considered before.

“Prince, your swordsmanship is something I could never imitate. It’s truly incredible. Sometimes, your reaction speed makes you seem inhuman.”

Yuri wanted to say he felt the same about Laurent. His combat style was so precise.

“But thanks to that, I’m learning a lot.”

“Me too.”

Laurent straightened up.

“I thought I had kept my pride in check, but seeing you, Prince, I realize I hadn’t done enough.”

Though he hadn’t lost his footing, Yuri had maintained a constant advantage. For Laurent, that must have been a rare experience.

Yuri shrugged. After all, this was his second life—he should at least be able to do this much.

“Once more, please.”

“Alright.”

By then, a crowd had gathered around them. It wasn’t common to witness a duel between such high-level knights. And even less so between the two who would lead Briol’s future.

“Hoo…”

Yuri forgot everything else and focused solely on Laurent. He could even see each golden hair moving within his field of vision.

Laurent controlled every part of his body when drawing in an enemy. That obsession with perfection was likely what had brought him this far. So then, what about himself?

Yuri raised his practice sword and meditated again on the true meaning of the “Cut of Soul and Heart.”

From the core that hung in his heart, a thin thread of mana began to emanate.

He controlled the flow of mana from beginning to end.

Yuri had been born with great mana control talent, but he had never done it with such precision before. Because it required immense mental energy.

The sensation was uncomfortable.

He wouldn’t be able to fight like that for long. But his understanding of combat became clearer than ever.

“I’m coming.”

Laurent struck first. He came at him hard. He was trying to emulate Yuri’s virtues.

“Come on.”

Yuri lifted his practice sword and poured what he had sensed from Laurent into his technique.

The “Cut of Soul and Heart” required imagination. The cut moved toward the future Yuri envisioned, and the body manifested it. But by controlling the mana, his vision surpassed imagination and became something more real.

It was almost like a premonition. Yuri opened his eyes wide. The two swords clashed.

In that instant, Laurent’s practice sword flew from his hand and soared into the air. Something had happened.

Laurent looked at Yuri with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth. His golden hair fluttered in the wind. It was the dumbest expression Yuri had ever seen on him.

“What… was that?”

Yuri let out a soft laugh and collapsed to the ground. Controlling mana that precisely had drained him.

“How did you know that sword movement?”

“Just lucky.”

It wasn’t modesty—it was a fact. What he had just achieved was more luck than skill. He was still far from being able to use it in a real battle.

Laurent looked back and forth between his sword stuck in the ground and Yuri.

“Prince.”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s do it again.”

“I’m exhausted.”

“Come on, just one more time.”

“I told you, I don’t have the strength…”

“Get up!”

“Hey, hey.”

When Laurent tried to pull him up by force, Yuri resisted.

“Someone stop him!”

But no one helped. On the contrary—

“Get up, Prince.”

“Show us again.”

“What was that technique?”

“Stand up!”

“I didn’t see it properly.”

Like spectators pushing a gladiator into the arena, they all urged Yuri to pick up the sword again. In the end, he was forced to stand, sword in hand, in front of Laurent.

Something was wrong. He was the prince and the commander. Why was he being forced to fight in a coliseum?

“Here I go. Haa!”

Laurent threw his sword.

Yuri tried to repeat what he’d done before, but failed. Laurent’s sword struck him in the chest. A sharp pain shot through his ribs.

“Gah!”

Yuri fell face-first, and Laurent panicked.

“P-Prince!”

“I told you to take it easy…”

“Are you alright?”

“No…”

Yuri, sitting on the ground, glared at the spectators who had egged him on. They were walking away like nothing had happened.

“Those bastards… agh…”

The pain didn’t even allow him to scream. Yuri groaned from the ground.

“Call Hernand…”

“Yes, sir!”

Laurent dashed off. Yuri remained seated, staring at the sky.

He’d taken a solid hit, but it hadn’t all been in vain. Through Laurent’s swordsmanship, he’d glimpsed a new dimension of the “Soul and Heart Slash.”

A proverb from his mercenary days came to mind:

‘If three people walk together, one is surely useless.’

That means there’s always something to learn from the other two.

Though he was now stronger than Laurent, he had gained much from the duel.

“Prince.”

Suddenly, someone approached and cast a shadow over him.

“That technique was impressive.”

Yuri lifted his head. It was Jose, the knight from Brusen. He vaguely remembered him among the spectators. That enormous body was hard to miss.

“Prince, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“Would you grant me a duel…?”

“No.”

Yuri shot up, forgetting the pain.

“I’m leaving.”

“Even if it’s later…!”

“I’m too busy.”

“Just once…”

“I’ll lend you Jared instead.”

***

The Sacred Kingdom had entered Valshard, and troops from various nations continued to gather. The archmage erected a flagpole for the allied army. With the Empire’s banner at the front, emblems of numerous countries fluttered in the meadow wind.

Yuri looked up at Briol’s flag. It bore the simplified figure of a knight on horseback. It was a humble design, but many had laid down their lives beneath that banner.

“Greetings.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Permission to proceed.”

Suddenly, soldiers from another country greeted Yuri with a slight bow and began raising a new flagpole.

“What country are you from?”

“Liberta.”

It was a nation neighboring Brusen. If those two westernmost countries had already arrived, it meant nearly all members of the alliance were present.

Then a Briol soldier came running toward Yuri with news.

“Prince!”

“What is it?”

“They say the supreme commander of the allied army has arrived.”

“Oh, really?”

The Empire had stationed forces in Valshard for some time, but the real commander had just arrived.

Yuri already knew who it was: Imperial Prince Ragnar, half-brother of the current emperor and Yekaterina’s uncle. Someone he had met once in his past life.

Yuri recalled the moment.

It was when he had secretly held Yekaterina’s hand at an imperial country estate. Suddenly, Ragna appeared and caught them.

Ragnar was a tall man, uncharacteristic for someone of imperial blood. He looked at him with intense eyes and asked:

‘Do you really like this girl?’

His tone had been peculiar. Perhaps Ragnar had already known something back then.

‘Yes. I do.’

Yuri had answered firmly. Though just the third prince of Briol with nothing to offer against Yekaterina’s background, he had been brimming with boldness at the time.

‘I see.’

Ragnar had simply nodded and turned away. And that was the end of it. The relationship between Yuri and Yekaterina was never made public.

He was a man who exuded depth.

“I should have realized why he looked at me with such pity back then…”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s nothing. The supreme commander must be Imperial Prince Ragnar, right?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Because I’m well-informed about the Empire.”

“Oooh…”

“By the way, today’s lunch is beef soup with rice and stir-fried vegetables with ham. I also have full control of the mess hall.”

“Ooooh…”

“You may go.”

“Yes! I’ll go right away!”

“Take it easy.”

“Excuse me?”

“Anyway, you’ll have training when you get back. These are the moments when people slack off.”

“As expected of you, Prince. I’ll pause every three steps.”

The Liberta soldiers glanced sideways at their casual exchange. Such informality wouldn’t be possible in other countries.

“What are you staring at?”

“N-nothing, sir.”

Yuri crossed his arms and watched Liberta’s flag-raising ceremony. Without formalities, they simply hoisted it up with effort.

“Nothing special.”

He mentally noted the nations in the alliance and turned away. The sun was strong, so he walked in the shade between two buildings near the flagpoles.

“Are you raising that flag properly?”

“Yes, sir!”

“It looks crooked.”

“No, sir!”

“What do you mean no, you idiot?”

Yuri had quietly returned and peeked around the corner. A man in ornate clothing was scolding the soldiers.

“It’s crooked. Do you want Liberta’s flag to look ridiculous?”

“No, sir!”

“Then why’d you put it like that?”

“Sorry!”

“And why do something you’re going to apologize for?”

“Sorry!”

“Does apologizing end your military service?”

“No, sir!”

He was truly an obnoxious guy. And judging by how well he bullied others, he seemed to be a high-ranking knight in Liberta.

“Enough. Let’s look at the flags. Quite a few have arrived. And that one over there?”

He glanced at the flagpoles. His aide responded:

“That’s the Empire’s.”

“And who doesn’t know that? I mean the one next to it.”

“That’s Brusen’s.”

“What?”

He frowned.

“Why are those stinking country bumpkins next to the Empire?”

“It seems it was based on order of arrival…”

“Just seeing them gives me a headache. Their shiny armor looks like fish scales packed in a net.”

“As you say.”

“No wonder I smelled fish the moment I arrived in Valshard.”

Yuri pulled a notepad and pencil from his pocket.