Chapter 36: Meeting (2)

“And next to Brusen?”

“It appears to be Briol.”

“Briol? Pfft, the country of knights? They only got that title because the king wields a sword well. But since when does a king need to know how to use a sword? Does that make any sense? A king should govern his country, not go around swinging a sword like some butcher. Or do they live in a slaughterhouse?”

Yuri was jotting down every word.
Brusen: smelly hillbillies.
Fish scales tangled in a net.

Briol: country of butcher bastards.

Holy Kingdom: hypocritical swindlers who sell God for money.

Yohaim: a pseudo-state where a bandit chief plays king with a couple of camps.

Klein: perfume sellers who ruined themselves in civil wars.

Etc…

From beginning to end, the man didn’t stop badmouthing everyone. He was so skilled in his criticism that even Yuri, who was experienced in slander and scheming, couldn’t help but be impressed.

The soldiers, clearly wanting to avoid getting involved, finished hoisting the flag, gave a nod, and left.

The assistant gave a small nod.

“I see.”

But it didn’t end there.

His tongue ran wild like a bull with its tail on fire. In terms of eloquence, he was utterly reckless.

“And the Empire? They’re no different.”

“Sir…”

“What, they came to hunt orcs? What a joke. It’s not even clear why they called all these countries together. They call themselves an empire, but in reality, they’re just a glorified neighborhood gang. I bet the emperor’s already senile, and the crown prince…”

Yuri diligently took notes on the Empire, too. This guy criticized the self-proclaimed leader of all nations without restraint. The assistant beside him listened with a resigned expression, as if this were all routine.

When the man finally stopped to catch his breath, Yuri decided it was the right time to make his presence known.

“Oops, my hand slipped.”

Crack. Yuri’s pencil snapped in two.

The man and his assistant turned around, startled.

“What a shame, it was a valuable pencil…”

Saying that, Yuri carefully folded the paper and tucked it into his clothes. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he had just been doing.

“W-who are you?”

The man stepped closer, eyes bulging.

“What unit are you from? Were you hiding like a rat? Who gave you the right to eavesdrop and take notes on what I said…?”

Seeing Yuri’s simple appearance, he instantly launched into accusations. However, his assistant took a closer look at Yuri and hesitated.

“Sir, please calm down first…”

“Calm down? You have to teach rats like this to shut their mouths with fists.”

His mouth was as violent as his mind. He shoved the assistant aside.

“Make him kneel.”

“Sir, we haven’t confirmed his identity yet…”

“Do we need to? You can tell just by looking!”

Yuri paused to reflect. Why did nearly everyone who saw him for the first time assume he was just a regular soldier?

His outfit was practical, sure, but not that much. There were knights on the front lines dressed just like him. Besides, he radiated a noble air.

“Look at his posture, leaning to the side. That smug face. He’s a commoner who’s rolled in the dirt. Not a drop of elegance.”

Yuri realized the reason. It was a habit he had picked up during his mercenary days.

“Sir, please…”

“No problem, right? Then get ready for a lesson.”

The man threw a punch without warning. As he watched the clean motion flying toward his face, Yuri realized why this guy was so arrogant.

For his age, he had talent. And if he was here to fight orcs, he couldn’t be a slouch.

But there are more geniuses in the world than one might think. Yuri caught his fist and threw him to the ground with ease.

The man, who had underestimated him for looking like a common soldier, landed flat on his back.

“Huh?”

Yuri raised a finger and waved it side to side.

“Weak.”

“Y-you…!”

“What’s your name?”

“How dare a soldier…”

“I am the third prince of Briol and commander of the Briol army, Yuri Briol.”

“What?”

The man’s face drained of all color.

Since his assistant had called him “sir,” he must have been of lower rank than Yuri.

Yuri stepped closer and looked down on him.

“The name of the one who dared to raise a hand against me?”

“I-I…”

When Yuri tapped him on the forehead with a finger, the man flinched.

Then Yuri pulled out the paper he had tucked away and waved it.

“Say it.”

“A…”

His face contorted. He had just realized he was completely cornered.

“You’re not thinking of trying to take it back, are you?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Think carefully. As you said, our Briol is ruled by a butcher king.”

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“Yes, you have many misunderstandings.”

Yuri unfolded the paper and began to read aloud.

“Brusen, smelly hillbillies. Holy Kingdom, hypocritical merchants…”

“It really was a misunderstanding! I didn’t mean any of it, it was just…”

The assistant quickly stepped in, practically falling to his knees before Yuri.

“Your Highness! Truly, it was all a misunderstanding. He was just venting the stress of war, saying nonsense. Please, I beg you to ignore that paper.”

He started banging his forehead on the ground over and over. He was clearly a loyal assistant. The man also quickly nodded.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“No.”

Yuri frowned.

“Who said otherwise? I just want your name.”

“I’m…”

The assistant tapped his calf, urging him to speak. The man shut his eyes tight and finally said:

“I am Sven Gain, of the allied army of Liberta.”

“Your title?”

“I’m the eldest son of Count Abra.”

“The count’s son, I see.”

Yuri jotted down his name with the broken pencil. Sven panicked.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“Taking note of your weak spot.”

“You promised to forgive me…!”

“When did I say that?”

“Ugh…”

A flicker of doubt crossed his face. Yuri kicked Sven squarely in the stomach.

“Gahk!”

“Don’t you know how to control your murderous intent?”

Yuri looked down at Sven, who lay groaning on the ground.

“You just thought about slitting my throat, didn’t you?”

“I-I would never…!”

“Do it.”

Yuri conjured a sword of mana in his hand. The energy of the Soul and Heart Cut surged through the area. The assistant lowered his head.

He seemed to understand that even the two of them together wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Sven.”

“Y-yes…”

“In life, people sometimes say unfortunate things in private, right?”

“Y-yes, of course…”

“I understand.”

Yuri looked around. There was no one else. Just the three of them.

Then, suddenly, Yuri extended his hand.

“Let’s shake hands.”

Sven looked confused for a moment, but then took his hand. It was clammy with sweat. Yuri let go quickly and discreetly wiped it on his clothes.

“Have you heard of ‘secret friends’?”

“Huh?”

“You and I are now secret friends.”

Yuri tapped his chest, where the paper was hidden.

“We help each other. If you get information, you pass it on. If there’s danger, you warn me. Mutual cooperation, got it?”

“Y-yes…”

“Don’t take it the wrong way. That paper might look like a weakness, sure… but it could also be seen as proof of our secret friendship, right?”

“If it’s proof… shouldn’t we exchange something?”

“You still don’t get it.”

Yuri leaned closer.

“Would you rather I treat it simply as a weakness I have over you?”

“N-no…”

“It’s not like you have anything I could use. You don’t seem very important anyway…”

“…”

“All I want is for the allied army to fulfill its purpose and disband in peace. You want that too, don’t you? Then let’s help each other.”

Yuri gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Sven.”

“Y-yes…”

“You may go.”

Sven turned around with slumped shoulders, followed by his assistant. Yuri clicked his tongue as he watched his back recede.

Although he’d been lucky to catch someone in the act of slandering, he wasn’t sure if Sven would truly be of any use.

But considering how loyal his assistant seemed, he likely wasn’t a minor figure in House Gain.

Yuri muttered to himself.

“You never know with people.”

If there was one thing he’d learned in his previous life, it was that people are unpredictable. Some whom you least expect can end up helping you, while those you trust might betray you.

That’s why it was important to have multiple contingency plans. Yuri counted the number of flags.

All countries had arrived. The real war was about to begin.

In his previous life, Okua had crushed the allied army and secured a place among the Ten Greats.

This time would be different. Yuri looked down at his shadow.

“Asana.”

He called out to his loyal agent.

“Yes.”

A voice responded from behind. When he turned, Asana was already standing there.

He knew she had been watching the surroundings, but he hadn’t expected her to be so close.

Still, Yuri didn’t mind. Not being able to detect the last heir of the assassin guild wasn’t anything to be ashamed of.

“How long have you been there?”

“For a while.”

“Seems like you’ve improved.”

“Yes. My abilities get sharper on the plains. Maybe because it’s so quiet here.”

“Oh, really?”

Yuri tilted his head.

“Anyway, so even Valshard is involved.”

“We found traces of him here.”

Yuri had asked Asana to track the “Outsider.”

Given that there were only two cities on the plains—Gid and Valshard—it wasn’t strange that he might have passed through both.

“Do you think he’s in Valshard?”

“I don’t know. There are quite a few witnesses who claim to have seen him, so he should show up soon. Or maybe…”

Asana briefly glanced around. Everything was quiet.

“Maybe he’s already waiting for me somewhere.”

“I’ve heard he’s not violent, but still, be careful.”

“You should be the one to be careful, Prince.”

“Yeah, I know.”

The “Outsider,” one of the Ten Greats on the continent, was a peculiar figure among them.

He came from the distant east, beyond the plains.

It was unknown why he came to the western continent, but one day, he simply appeared, killed the vagrant Zeke—one of the former Ten Greats—and took his place.

Yuri was looking for him for a reason.

“I must find him before facing Okua.”

Because in his previous life, it was he who lost his place to Okua. At the end of the orc campaign, he appeared on the plains and fought Okua. According to witnesses, the battle was so brutal that it ended in a draw.

Though he barely survived, he kept attacking Okua afterward and was eventually killed in a gruesome fashion.

Whatever his story, the Outsider was Okua’s enemy.

And the enemy of my enemy is my ally.

To ensure that fate didn’t repeat itself, Yuri planned to find him first and persuade him.

“Hurry.”

“Yes.”

Asana nodded. Finding him as soon as possible was also in Yuri’s best interest.

“Also, I saw the Elaine Trading Company. Their caravan is still moving goods.”

“Oh yeah? They’re doing well. I taught them everything, so they can’t fail. If they need anything, tell them to use my name to get it.”

“We have plenty of funds.”

War was also an opportunity for some to profit. Yuri had provided Elaine with information so they wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity.

So far, everything was going according to plan.

Yuri said,

“Let me know if anything unusual happens.”

“Yes.”

Asana nodded. Her figure began to fade gradually.

Yuri shook his head. He couldn’t focus his vision. He closed his eyes tightly and reopened them. She was gone.

Yuri couldn’t help but laugh. It’d be terrifying if someone like her truly wanted to slit your throat.

But even someone like Asana would vanish if she encountered a real monster.

“I’ve still got a long way to go.”

In his past life, the allied army was crushed, and the former Ten Greats member—the Outsider—was killed. That monster named Okua had done it.

But even Okua never dared to face the Emperor. Countless nations on the continent, countless mighty warriors, had bowed to the Empire’s might.

The allied army was merely the first skirmish. The road ahead was still long, very long.

“I don’t have time… there’s no time…”

Yuri clenched his gauntlet. He couldn’t afford to stay idle. Though this was a new life, there were still many things he lacked.

He returned to the camp at once. Just as he had ordered, all troops were focused on training. A completely different sight from the other nations, who lounged idly inside the castle.

“Why are these guys working so hard?”

“We got the worst commander.”

“What a waste of time…”

Soldiers from other nations mocked as they watched. Yuri ignored them and entered the camp. The knights in training turned to look at him.

Among the spectators, he noticed a burly man watching with an envious expression.

Yuri smiled and called out.

“Sir Jose.”

“Yes?”

“Want to join in?”

His eyes widened, then he answered with a wide grin.

“Yes.”