Chapter 37: Meeting (3)

Sybilla, who had arrived in Valshard, moved restlessly back and forth. She met with the archmage for information and interviewed commanders from other nations to request cooperation for the upcoming allied army operation.

But she wasn’t the only one acting this way.

Numerous nations had joined under the alliance banner. It was only natural that political calculations would come into play.

However, some countries behaved in entirely the opposite manner. Briol had isolated itself in its camp, conducting internal training every day without stepping outside.

“Briol seems busy lately.”

“Yes, the third prince is quite a peculiar person.”

“What could he be thinking?”

“Who knows…”

Sybilla was walking alongside Jonathan, commander of Brusen. The landscape of Valshard wasn’t much different from any other city. Jonathan, who had arrived earlier, was telling her various things.

“They serve a good pork dish over there. The name of the menu was…”

Suddenly, Jonathan called out to a passing knight.

“Sir Jose.”

A huge man.

“Oh, captain.”

“Where are you going?”

“Ah… well…”

He hesitated for a moment and looked around.

“Well… that is…”

Sybilla had already heard of him. He was Jose Aratur, considered the future powerhouse of Brusen.

“I’m on my way to the Briol camp.”

“Why?”

“It’s just…”

He scratched the back of his head, wavering. His timid demeanor contrasted with his towering, muscular frame. Jonathan patted him on the shoulder.

“Going to train with their knights again?”

“Yes.”

“I told you not to overdo it.”

“We’re holding back.”

“Personally, I don’t like our knights mingling so frequently with those from other countries. But I won’t stop you. Brusen men can’t be restrained.”

“T-thank you.”

“Go on.”

As Jose’s back disappeared into the distance, Sybilla spoke.

“It seems Brusen gets along well with Briol.”

“Yes, it just kind of happened.”

“Briol…”

Sybilla muttered.

Briol was training so intensely it seemed they might charge into the plains at any moment. Yuri Briol wasn’t exactly known for being so diligent, so what was he up to?

“What could the third prince be thinking?”

“Who knows.”

Jonathan smiled.

“If you’re that curious, why don’t we go see for ourselves?”

The Briol camp wasn’t far. They walked there together. They passed cultivated lands and residential areas. In the distance, the sound of clashing weapons could be heard.

Soldiers from other countries passing by laughed as they saw Briol’s army.

“What a bunch of workaholics…”

“What’s their problem?”

“That’s what happens when you get a strict commander.”

Noticing Jonathan and Sybilla’s presence, the soldiers nervously stepped aside. There was no need to show deference to nobles from other countries, but being rude wasn’t an option either.

Jonathan and Sybilla entered the camp unimpeded. Up close, the training looked more structured than expected.

“How can I help you?”

A knight leading the soldiers recognized them and approached. He was shirtless, his torso drenched in sweat.

Jonathan recognized him.

“Sir Jared, right?”

“Yes.”

“There were so many rumors about Briol I had to come see for myself.”

“Shall I call the prince?”

“No need. I’ll go myself. Where is he?”

“That way…”

Jared pointed. Jonathan and Sybilla turned their heads. They saw a broad back. It looked familiar. With every swing of his sword, the air whistled.

“It’s Jose.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t see anyone else.”

“If you look closely…”

Suddenly, Jose threw a kick. Someone hidden behind his body flew through the air like a sack of straw.

The guards ran over to check on the fallen figure.

“Prince!”

“Are you okay?”

“Open your eyes!”

Seeing a knight from his country just strike a foreign prince, Jonathan couldn’t even speak and muttered quietly:

“Is he okay…?”

“Yeah, well…”

Jared shrugged, looking at Yuri lying on the ground.

“He insisted.”

Staggering, Yuri got up again and charged at Jose. The clash of metal rang out once more.

Though Yuri’s talent was exceptional for his age, Jose was already practically a seasoned knight. Yuri, using nearly acrobatic maneuvers, eventually yielded to the difference in strength and dropped his weapon.

The wooden sword spun through the air. But Yuri didn’t stop. As he let go of the weapon, he dove in, wrapped Jose’s arm, and tried to pin him with a leg lock.

But nothing happened.

“Prince.”

“Yes?”

“I’m about to slam you into the ground. Is that okay?”

“……”

Jose was holding Yuri in the air with one arm. Yuri struggled, but Jose didn’t budge. A monstrous strength.

Yuri sighed and relaxed.

“If you slammed me, I was going to tell my dad.”

“It would be an honor.”

“Let’s stop here. We have visitors.”

He looked at Jonathan and Sybilla.

“To what do I owe the visit?”

Jonathan gave a slight bow and Sybilla nodded. Yuri approached them.

“Most just watch from afar and leave. I’m glad you came directly.”

Ever since Briol’s training became a topic, not only common soldiers but also knights from other countries occasionally observed from a distance.

Yuri wasn’t worried about revealing his strength. On the battlefield, everything would be exposed anyway.

“Want to join in?”

At Yuri’s invitation, Jonathan shook his head.

“I appreciate it, but I’ve got a lot on my plate.”

“Meeting people from other countries?”

“Yes.”

Jonathan smiled awkwardly.

“I don’t have a position like yours, so I have to keep moving.”

“You’ll regret it later.”

“You’ve stayed in the camp the whole time. I guess you think differently.”

“Thinking, huh…?”

Yuri looked at Sybilla.

“What about you, Sybilla?”

Even though they were both royalty, Yuri didn’t use formal language. Jonathan, unaware of their relationship, tilted his head curiously.

“My opinion?”

“About mingling before we get summoned.”

“Well…”

Sybilla fell into thought.

Although the supreme commander of the alliance, Ragnar, hadn’t issued the order yet, there were rumors he’d soon summon all the commanders. Each nation was using the time to coordinate alliances according to their interests.

The Holy Kingdom especially drew attention, thanks to its many priests skilled in sacred magic—a significant advantage.

Sybilla finally spoke.

“I suppose it’s better than doing nothing.”

Yuri smiled.

“It seems like everyone’s convinced the alliance is going to win. Isn’t that a bit too confident?”

“Are you saying the alliance will fail?”

“Maybe yes, maybe no. Either way, it won’t be an easy war.”

He looked at the soldiers training.

It wasn’t a happy time, but that suffering might help them survive a little longer.

“When they face reality, everyone will change their minds. For now, nothing they’re doing makes any sense.”

“Well, being from Briol, you must know the orcs well.”

“Sybilla knows too. She almost died on the road.”

Sybilla cleared her throat. It wasn’t a memory to take lightly. She genuinely thought she’d burn alive.

“Let’s survive, Jonathan.”

Yuri gave him a pat on the back with a smile. Jonathan looked at him again. Despite his youthful appearance, he spoke like a seasoned knight. No—more like a hardened mercenary.

He reminded him of one he had once hired.

“Yes, Prince.”

He responded that way, then fell into thought. Although he believed he was approaching the war seriously, it seemed this prince was contemplating far worse possibilities.

Jonathan searched his memories of orcs.

“I once encountered an orc.”

“Oh really? I thought you had more experience.”

“Well, if that counts as experience…”

Orcs lived in the eastern plains. So unless one was from countries like Briol, which bordered those lands, it was rare to encounter them.

“A merchant had captured a group and brought them caged.”

“In Brusen, they use orcs for spectacle? Well, I guess that makes sense. Since they never see them, it must be a novelty.”

In Briol, many people harbored resentment toward orcs. If they were shown in public, they’d be killed on the spot.

“I bought one and fought it. It was strong but clumsy. Not a tough opponent.”

“You don’t really believe an orc captured and dragged all the way to Brusen is in top form, do you?”

“Honestly, I didn’t think that far…”

Jonathan asked, “Are orcs really that strong?”

“Hmm…”

Yuri scratched his chin and patted Jose, who stood beside him, on the shoulder.

“Jose, this brawny fellow.”

“Yes.”

“Imagine several like him charging at you all at once.”

Jonathan’s eyes widened in surprise. Jose scratched his neck.

“They’re that bad?”

“Isn’t that right, Sybilla?”

Sybilla shrugged. Not all orcs were as strong as Jose, of course. But even an average orc soldier could go toe-to-toe with a knight.

And if it was a high-ranking orc, like one from the Orcual caste, they were much more powerful.

Among them, there were monsters even worse than Jose. In reality, the alliance was bound to fail.

Come to think of it, most of the people now gathered around Yuri had been killed by orcs on the plains in his past life.

Jonathan and Sybilla included.

At the thought, a chill ran down Yuri’s spine. He suppressed his emotions and smiled.

“So there’s no time for complacency. Don’t think about how great the victory will be or how to split the spoils. Only by fighting desperately can we survive.”

“Hmm…”

“Well, I guess it hasn’t sunk in yet.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Though they could have dismissed his words, Jonathan felt that Yuri was different from the others. He couldn’t ignore what he’d just heard. Maybe Yuri knew something the other nations didn’t.

“Do you know something?”

Faced with the question, Yuri hesitated. He couldn’t say it was his second life.

“Do you know Okua?”

“What’s that?”

“The king of the orcs.”

“The king?”

After the alliance fell, Okua had declared himself king.

“He’s the one uniting the scattered orcs.”

“That’s…”

“This isn’t a hunt. It’s a war. That’s why we should at least try to save as many of the lives we’ve brought here as possible. That’s what drives me to do all this.”

Jonathan looked back. Briol’s troops were training, sweating nonstop. The contrast between those resting idly and the disciplined soldiers honing their edge daily was stark.

There was no doubt who would survive.

“I see.”

Jonathan was struck. He had only been thinking of how to gain merit in battle, while this third prince, younger than him, had a much more mature outlook.

A sense of shame washed over him.

“This gives me a lot to think about. For now, I’ll return to my unit.”

“See you later.”

“Yes, Prince.”

Jonathan said that, bowed, and turned around. Jose followed him.

As soon as they left Briol’s camp, Jonathan asked Jose, “Sir Jose.”

“Yes.”

“What did you think of him, facing him directly? I mean the third prince.”

He thought Jose would respond right away, but the knight chose his words carefully—unusual for him.

Jonathan pressed, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Hard to explain?”

“I’m not sure…”

Jose was a knight who would soon become the best in Brusen. Jonathan even hoped he might one day join the ranks of the Ten Strongest.

And yet, he couldn’t describe a boy barely eighteen?

“He seemed to hold up against you just fine earlier.”

“So it seemed, right?”

“Is he that skilled?”

Jose sighed.

“If we were fighting with real swords right now, I wouldn’t be sure I could win. And I have a feeling he’s going to become incredibly strong.”

“What?”

“It’s just a gut feeling. I’ve never felt anything like it, so I can’t explain it.”

“You’re saying you can’t guarantee victory even now?”

“If it were a fight to the death, no.”

Jonathan, as a knight himself, could vaguely understand what he meant. A death match was vastly different from a spar.

Jose continued.

“And this is just another feeling…”

“What?”

“We should get along with that prince.”

He smiled broadly, as if to shake off his confusion.

“I’m sure it’ll benefit us.”

“Hm…”

“Come on. Let’s train like Briol.”

“Why not?”

As they talked, they returned to Brusen’s camp. There, Froin was urgently looking for Jonathan.

Jonathan gestured.

“What is it?”

“Ah, Captain.”

Froin rushed over.

“We have to go immediately.”

“Where to?”

“We’ve been summoned by the Empire.”

Jonathan’s eyes widened.

“A messenger arrived. It’s an order in the name of Imperial Prince Ragnar, supreme commander of the alliance. He’s ordered that only each nation’s representative present themselves at the mage’s fortress.”

Ragnar had begun to act.

The alliance was finally moving.