Chapter 39: Vanguard (2)

Ragnar observed the enemy camp from atop his horse.

The orcs had formed a defensive line and were waiting for them. Behind a palisade, they held spears, while at the center of their formation stood orc riders mounted on Komodo dragons. At first glance, their war preparations were as systematic as those of humans.

“Let’s go see Briol.”

“Yes, sir.”

Accompanied by his aide, he headed to the front of the army, where Briol’s unit was stationed.

The third prince of Briol sat upright on his horse, staring intently at the enemy formation. Ready for the assault, he wore a sword at his hip and held a long spear.

Ragnar clapped his hands.

“Yuri Briol.”

Yuri turned around. The wind on the plains had reddened his pale cheeks.

“Your Highness.”

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes.”

He was still a young man with a slightly boyish air, but he couldn’t be underestimated. Those black eyes and hair were not common—they were a direct inheritance from Fiore Briol.

“Then tell me—what impression does it give you?”

Ragnar asked, trying to gauge whether this young man had been born for war. He smiled, anticipating the battle ahead.

“Do you feel fear? Or excitement?”

“I don’t feel either of them.”

Yuri answered simply while stroking the mane of his black horse.

“I’ll just do what needs to be done.”

“That’s more reliable than shaky resolve.”

Ragnar placed a hand on Yuri’s shoulder.

“Look behind you.”

Yuri followed his gaze.

“Look at all of them.”

The troops of thirteen nations, gathered under the alliance, stood fully armed. The lined-up helmets of the knights gleamed in the sun, and flags of various shapes fluttered in the breeze.

Ragnar lowered his eyes to the faces of the soldiers. They all wore the same expression.

Hardly blinking, lips dry, pupils trembling like leaves in the wind. With faces like that, they wouldn’t last long. Clinging to fear only led to falling prey to the madness of the battlefield.

“And now? What impression do you get?”

“Still the same. No impression.”

Yuri’s reply was flat, as if he were a veteran seasoned in war.

Ragnar tilted his head.

“This is your first war, right?”

“Yes.”

“And what will you do when the signal is given?”

“I’ll charge and break through the wall.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Ragnar gave a short laugh and raised his hand.

“Then there’s no reason to hesitate.”

At his signal, the Empire’s trumpeter in the rear took a deep breath. The sound echoed across the plain.

It was the order to advance. Yuri gave a slight nod in response and began moving forward slowly on his horse.

Ragnar looked on in confusion at the sudden action.

“Yuri?”

“I’ll go first. See you after the battle.”

“Aren’t you going too far ahead?”

“I’ll be in the vanguard.”

He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or stop him. No matter how skilled, a commander wasn’t supposed to personally lead the charge.

“Good grief…”

As Yuri moved forward, the soldiers parted to make way, and the knights cleared a path. In no time, Yuri Briol stood at the very front of the entire allied force.

Ragnar committed that figure to memory. Was it recklessness—or something else?

Yuri raised his spear.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes!”

“Let’s go.”

He said it with a tone as calm as if he were heading out for a stroll. With that, he spurred his horse forward.

The animal reared up with a whinny and surged ahead. Behind him, the entire Briol army began to move.

Loud war cries mingled with the wind of the plains and struck Ragnar’s face.

“Let’s see…”

Soon after, the whole alliance began to advance. Ragnar watched as the army headed toward the enemy camp.

Briol’s cavalry charged in a wedge formation at the front.

Morale was high, but the orcs’ defensive formation, with their massive shields, looked solid.

Then someone joined him.

“Your Highness, with your permission.”

“The grand sorceress?”

It was Maryrose.

Despite being on the battlefield, she was dressed as elegantly as when she was in Valshard. Her red gown clashed starkly with the surroundings.

She raised her staff. A bright light burst from the orb at its tip.

“The prince of Briol asked me for a favor.”

“Magic?”

“Yes.”

Ragnar looked back to the front.

The distance between Briol’s army and the orcs was shrinking rapidly.

“When they pass that tree.”

Yuri had mentioned a small tree between the two armies. Just as he passed it, he raised his spear as a signal.

“Now.”

Maryrose raised her staff.

Ragnar could feel a massive wave of mana pouring out from Maryrose’s body like a tide.

Maryrose Antret, the grand sorceress of Valshard.

Her spell activated against the orcs. A massive fireball appeared in the sky and began descending toward the enemy camp.

Ragnar frowned at its slow, arcing trajectory.

“Cancel it.”

“Too late to say that…”

“If it keeps going…”

“It’s just as the prince asked.”

By then, Briol’s wedge formation had already gotten close to the enemy camp. If the fireball fell now, it was possible they’d also be caught in the explosion.

But Yuri didn’t pull on the reins. On the contrary, he accelerated. Spear raised, he surged ahead of the cavalry.

The fireball fell upon the orc palisade.

The explosion was deafening.

The earth trembled, a blast of intense heat surged, and flames erupted.

The fire consumed everything in its path.

Yuri charged straight into the still-burning inferno. There wasn’t a hint of hesitation.

His figure was engulfed in flames.

Shortly after, the fire extinguished, leaving only thick black smoke.

Then, a clear line cut through the orc camp, slicing through their formation.

“That boy…”

Ragnar let out a disbelieving chuckle. Maryrose cheered with delight.

Behind Yuri, Briol’s cavalry surged through the stunned orc army.

***

Just before reaching the orc formation, Yuri looked up.

In the distance, he saw the orcs bracing themselves, their spears held firmly. If he wasn’t careful, his charge would crash into their shields and fail.

Yuri estimated the distance.

Closer.

Closer still.

When he judged they were near enough, he raised his spear.

“Now.”

Suddenly, the plains lit up.
Yuri glanced skyward.

A massive fireball, forged magically in midair, was descending upon the orc ranks.

It was the spell he had asked Maryrose to cast.

At the sight of the blazing orb, the orc army began to stir.

“It’s too close!”

“Hold!”

“Prince!”

The knights behind him shouted—but Yuri did not release the reins.

He spurred his mount toward the enemy barricade, right where the explosion would land.

The landscape blurred past.

The war cries of the alliance pounded at his back. In an instant, the gap narrowed.

His resolve transmitted into the horse.

The beast, unfazed by the heat, tensed every muscle.

The fireball finally struck.

A blinding light erupted, air exploded outward, flames leapt skyward—and with a thunderous roar, every living creature within the blast radius was twisted in agony.

“Tsk…”

The heat hit him full on. Yuri gritted his teeth and lowered his posture.

He drew the crystal sword at his side and channeled mana, surrounding himself and his horse in an aqueous shield.

“Keep charging!”

He went through the flames.

Charred embers spewed into the sky like black smoke.

Glowing coals still smoldered across the field.

Yuri thundered through the broken palisade and over the charred corpses of orcs.

The orc troops beyond the blast zone were desperately trying to regroup—but they couldn’t respond to Yuri, who reached them mere seconds after the explosion.

He charged.

“Graaaaah!”

With a mana-empowered impact, several orcs were sent flying, crashing into those behind them.

“Hyah!”

He dug deeper with his spurs. The black horse broke into a frenzied gallop, like a creature possessed.

Though the orcs threw themselves at him, he did not falter.

“Aguuuurk!”

One orc tried to resist but was impaled by the spear and lifted into the air. Yuri shook the shaft and sent the body spinning.

He raised his eyes—it was like staring into a distorted mass of fanged faces.

He was utterly alone in the enemy’s midst. If he stayed still, they’d swarm him like ants.

But Yuri felt no fear. The terror wasn’t in him—it was in the eyes of the orcs who had attacked him.

He lifted his spear and screamed.

“Briol!”

As if in response, a roar erupted from behind. It was followed by explosions and the screams of orcs.

The cavalry of Briol was approaching like a massive wave.

Yuri let out a loud laugh.

“About time! Are you planning to stay behind me forever?”

The orc riders finally appeared.

Mounted on Komodo dragons, they trampled their own comrades as they charged toward Yuri.

“Graah, Arakakaa!”

One of them, particularly large, roared as he charged straight at him.

He was huge. A perfect target.

Yuri hurled his spear. The mana-infused weapon pierced through the orc’s breastplate.

The orc crashed to the ground while his beast shrieked and lost control.

Nearby orcs were swept up in the chaos. Yuri turned his horse, circled around the Komodo dragon, and retrieved his spear from the orc’s corpse.

“Moving on!”

And he rode off again.

The orc riders tried to chase him but were intercepted by the cavalry of Briol, which had finally caught up. Yuri continued forward, cutting down every orc in his path.

Soon, he spotted an orc who looked like a commander. He was crouched inside the palisade with a group of soldiers.

Even upon seeing Yuri, he didn’t attack. He merely watched.

“Hey!”

Yuri taunted him, but there was no reply. As bold as he was, Yuri wasn’t foolish enough to charge into such a dense formation alone.

He ignored them and galloped past.

“See you later!”

He kept riding. No one stood in his way anymore.

All that remained in his field of view was the horizon of the prairie and the clouds above.

“Haah…”

Yuri took a deep breath. The cold air filled his lungs.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?”

He stroked the horse’s mane with a smile. Even though they had slowed down, the animal was still agitated from the heat of battle.

Yuri looked back. The orc army had been defeated, and the banners of the alliance waved above them.

The orc troops, now in disarray, were being completely devoured by the force of the alliance. A single charge had been enough to decide the outcome of the battle.

The cavalry of Briol, having broken through enemy lines, approached Yuri.

“What took you so long?”

“Prince!”

“Any injuries?”

“None at all.”

“And how can you answer that without checking?”

“If we couldn’t keep up with the prince and ended up injured on top of that, we wouldn’t be worthy of calling ourselves knights.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

Raymond rode up. He had been leading the unit in Yuri’s absence.

“Prince, next time, maybe advance a bit slower, please?”

“Then you should ride faster.”

“Sheesh…”

Raymond shook his head and chuckled. Laurent, beside him, bowed his head to Yuri.

“My apologies!”

“For what?”

“My skills are still lacking—I couldn’t keep up with you. Please, punish me.”

“Ah, I see…”

Yuri had already given up on trying to rein in Laurent. His loyalty was beyond reach. So he just nodded.

“Do better next time.”

“Yes!”

Yuri looked again toward the battlefield. The melee continued.

The alliance had surrounded and cornered the enemy, but the orcs were not ready to die quietly. The madness of war hung in the air.

Suddenly, a soldier was cleaved in two by an orc’s axe, the scene entering Yuri’s vision. He narrowed his eyes.

“Extra work. Volunteers only.”

“Huh?”

Yuri hooked his spear onto the saddle and leapt off his horse. Then he drew Guilty and rested it on his shoulder.

“No pay. But plenty of passion to appreciate.”

Only then did the knights understand his intention and glance at each other.

Yuri didn’t wait for them.

“Charge!”

And he took off running at once. Laurent followed close behind, Jared clicked his tongue before taking the first step, and soon the entire squad of knights was running after Yuri.

Raymond, still on his horse, watched the scene from behind.

“Honestly…”

The knights of Briol, charging into the heart of the battlefield where brutal combat raged, may have looked disorganized, but they appeared incredibly brave.

“I used to think he was like His Majesty…”

He’d thought that once.

After witnessing the feats of Fiore in the previous alliance war, Raymond had seen the same light in Yuri.

But now he understood. They were nothing alike.

Yuri wasn’t like anyone he had ever known. Raymond shook his head and laughed again before dismounting.

Then, he too ran after Yuri’s back.