Chapter 56: Ant (1)

Yuri wiped Guilty with a piece of cloth.

As he cleaned off the blood and bits of flesh, the polished surface of the blade reflected his dark pupils.

When he tilted the blade downward, he noticed a drop of blood hanging from his lips.

“That was a long fight.”

While wiping his chin with his sleeve, someone suddenly dropped down beside him.

“What are you doing here?”

The face was unfamiliar, but after mentally replaying the voice, he realized who it was.

It was one of the Imperial knights Ragnar had assigned to him during the ruins expedition. At the time, he hadn’t seen his face clearly because of the helmet.

“Back then, all you said was ‘yes, yes,’ and now it turns out you can talk.”

“I was on a mission.”

“And when you’re on a mission, you can’t speak?”

“It’s not recommended.”

Apparently, Imperial knights were strict about their rules. Compared to them, the knights of Briol did whatever they pleased.

Yuri chuckled.

“The Empire really is something else.”

“I saw the prince cutting down orcs earlier.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Honestly, I have no idea how many you killed.”

Until just recently, the allied army had been fighting off orcs. The alarm had blared urgently, and Yuri had rushed out with his sword.

And he massacred them.

What he had inherited were hunting techniques, but Yuri felt that term didn’t do it justice. It was more like butchery. As if mechanically slicing meat, his body had memorized the fastest and most efficient way to kill orcs.

“Truth is, I don’t know either.”

Yuri said as he sheathed Guilty.

“I lost count.”

“Impressive. Truly…”

“Your name?”

“Rodain.”

“Rodain.”

Yuri extended his hand. Rodain, slightly flustered, wiped his palm on his clothes and shook it.

“A handshake is how we greet.”

“Ah… yes…”

Back in his mercenary days, he’d known someone who placed great value on handshakes. It was old-fashioned, but sensible.

“……”

Then, silence fell.

Yuri asked,

“Who sent you?”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t seem to have anything particular to say, so if you came all the way out here, someone must’ve sent you.”

“Oh, no, it’s not that.”

“Then why did you come?”

“Well…”

Rodain cleared his throat.

“I was really impressed by your skill in battle, and I wanted to know if you had a secret. This was your first time facing orcs in this campaign, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“And you fought them so well. Most people struggle.”

Yuri gave him a few tips.

“Orcs act on instinct. If you look them in the eyes, you can predict their movements.”

Of course, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. It took years of experience. Yuri had only managed it because he had inherited the hunter’s techniques.

“The eyes… you’re saying their eyes…?”

Rodain tilted his head.

“You’re incredibly talented. To achieve that at such a young age—your girlfriend must be thrilled. Ah, you do have a girlfriend, right?”

Yuri stared at him silently. Rodain blinked and tilted his head, then laughed awkwardly.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Haha…”

“Her Highness sent you.”

“Huh? No, not at all.”

“No?”

“Of course not.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

And then he brought up girlfriends. He was definitely hiding something.

Yuri stared him down. Rodain leaned back.

“F-fine…”

“Even if Her Highness didn’t send you directly, this must be about her.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Just be honest.”

“Uuh…”

Rodain scratched his head, unsure of what to say. Yuri guessed,

“The captain of the knights?”

Rodain jolted and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Your reaction confirms it. I like that.”

Yuri let out a low laugh.

When wearing black armor, he hadn’t shown a trace of emotion—but now, he reacted like a normal person.

“H-how did you know?”

“You know Her Highness favors me…”

“Yes.”

“You probably want to know if things will go the way she wants, or if I’ll resist. And among those who could’ve sent you, the captain is the only one, right?”

“Yeah… you’re right.”

Rodain admitted it.

With a resigned sigh, he said,

“You’re not just skilled with a sword—you’re sharp as well.”

“Sharp? It’s just intuition.”

“So… you won’t answer the question?”

“I don’t know why everyone’s trying to match me with that woman.”

“So you knew.”

“Because Her Highness told me.”

Rodain tilted his head.

“You don’t like her, then?”

“Should I?”

“But Her Highness is incredibly beautiful. How could you not like her?”

“Rodain.”

Yuri adopted a solemn expression. Rodain was older, but counting his past lives, Yuri was far older.

“Looks aren’t everything. What matters is the heart.”

“Ah… yes…”

But being a young man in his twenties, Rodain didn’t quite get it.

“You’ll learn…”

“But still, wouldn’t it be a good match? Her Highness has a kind heart too.”

“Oh, does she?”

Yuri snorted.

“She may seem that way.”

On the surface, she was sweet and gentle.

But that wasn’t her true self. Inside, she was entirely different.

And even that “inside” was layered. When they were a couple, she’d shown him a different face than she showed others.

Yuri had believed that side was her true self. But that too had been a lie.

“Do you know Her Highness?”

“No.”

“Then why do you seem to hold her in low regard…?”

“It’s not about like or dislike. It has nothing to do with me.”

“So then…?”

Yuri stood up and said,

“I have a girlfriend.”

“Huh?”

“I have a girlfriend.”

He was an excellent liar.

While most people stammered or got nervous when lying, Yuri was as bold as a gambler hiding a card up his sleeve.

“You do?”

“Yes.”

Rodain was thrown off.

In the Empire, young romance was easily replaced by political alliances, but in Briol’s royal family, things were different.

“I-I see. So, you’re in a good relationship.”

“More or less.”

“May I ask who she is…?”

“Rodain.”

Yuri frowned. Rodain lowered his head.

“Sorry. That was out of line…”

“Do you have a partner?”

“Not yet.”

“Lucky you.”

“Why?”

“Because you won’t end up saying something like, ‘I’ll propose after the war.’ That kind of thing is ominous.”

“Why would that be bad luck?”

“When you get back to the Empire, go see a play.”

Yuri stood.

“How many times have we fought since sunrise?”

“Three.”

“Today we’ll set a new record for this war.”

Rodain’s expression changed at Yuri’s words. He drew his sword and looked toward the horizon. But he didn’t sense anything unusual.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out.

“Was it behind us?”

Yuri turned around. The explosion came from the supply storage area.

It was the same magic bomb he’d seen before.

“How did it get all the way there…?”

“The ground.”

Yuri gave Guilty a cold smile.

“Seems they came like ants, from beneath the earth.”

Shouts began to rise. The bell rang urgently again.

“Orcs have appeared! They’re inside the camp!”

“Protect the supplies!”

Yuri ran in without donning armor, gripping only Guilty.

The gauntlet—now fully adapted to his hand—clenched the weapon’s hilt firmly.

“Rodain.”

“Yes?”

“Mentally prepare yourself. Steel your resolve.”

Yuri narrowed his eyes, surveying the orcs swarming through the camp. There were countless of them.

“Until now, our battles have been easy.”

“But the march has been tough, hasn’t it?”

“Has any Imperial knight died?”

“Not yet…”

Although there were losses in the allied army, none of the Imperial knights had fallen.

“There will be now.”

Rodain’s expression stiffened. With his black helmet, he looked like an unfeeling machine, but without it, he appeared like anyone else.

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes.”

Yuri didn’t believe this campaign would end easily. In his past life, the alliance had failed—many outstanding knights had died.

It was a brutal war. It wouldn’t end well simply because he tried harder.

“You wouldn’t want your comrades to die, would you?”

“No.”

“Then fight with everything you’ve got. Kill more orcs.”

Yuri recognized the orcs within his field of vision. Each moved differently, but all shared the same purpose: killing humans.

“Because that is a knight’s duty.”

That the orcs were a corrupted subspecies of humans was irrelevant to Yuri. He had no intention of telling anyone.

He had a duty. The world had placed a sword in his hand, and he would simply do what he had to.

“Prince… huh?”

Yuri was already charging forward.

An orc raising an axe to strike a soldier noticed him. Yuri flung Guilty immediately.

All beings value their lives. The orc dropped its axe to block the blow. Guilty struck the weapon’s blade mid-air, spinning.

Yuri leapt, caught the hilt, and descended vertically. The orc’s eyes widened in fear.

It tried to flee, but the soldier it had targeted swung his sword in retreat. The orc defended itself and briefly lost sight of Yuri.

Guilty embedded itself into the orc’s skull. Yuri felt the crunch of bone. Blood splattered on his face.

He landed on the fallen orc’s body and spat.

“Thank you!”

The soldier yelled. Yuri smiled back.

“Harrison. Don’t fight alone.”

The soldier’s eyes went wide. He seemed surprised the prince remembered his name.

Yuri stood and patted him on the shoulder.

“See you among the living.”

“Y-yes!”

Yuri turned instantly. A huge number of orcs was emerging from the camp’s center.

He could feel them through the tremors vibrating through the earth—they kept coming.

“Tunnels.”

The orcs had tunneled beneath and were emerging right within the allied camp.

Yuri shouted,

“Hernando!”

“Yes?”

“Can you use magic?”

“No! An enemy sorcerer’s nullifying it!”

“Understood!”

Perhaps the sorcerer had retreated—but no. A whole formation had infiltrated.

This was no skirmish—it was a planned assault.

Yuri raised his eyebrows.

Though the surprise tunnel attack caught them off guard, it had its advantages.

With a smaller battlefield, targets were easy to spot and ambush.

“Hernando!”

“Yes?”

“Stay ready!”

“Yes!”

“When it’s time, cast on your own!”

“Y-yes!”

Yuri channeled mana through his body using the Cut of the soul and the heart. He felt lighter and energized, ready to spring forward.

Then, his attention snapped elsewhere.

One orc stood out strangely. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have thought much of it—it looked like any other orc soldier.

But now he saw differently.

“A sorcerer.”

Its soldier’s appearance was an illusion—it was an orc mage.

Thanks to the hunter’s techniques within him, Yuri sensed its true identity.

It was in its gait. Though it pretended to fight with an axe, it stumbled blindly over ground. Blindness is common among orc mages, and necromancers.

Yuri cocked his head at the realization the technique revealed, then shook his head to clear it. There was no time to dwell.

He charged.

He passed through the orcs. Axes, halberds, massive maces flew at him—but Yuri dodged every strike effortlessly, as if gut by a feather. He heard voices behind him, but ignored them.

And finally, he spotted the orc sorcerer swinging its weapon. Other orcs tried to shield it.

“Get away!”

Yuri focused his mana into Guilty and unleashed a powerful slash. The shockwave knocked back several orcs who clashed with him.

He’d learned to generate shockwaves by releasing mana from the blade.

He advanced without stopping. The orc mage, seeing him that close, shouted,

“Akuruu ke—!”

Stab.

Before it could finish, Yuri drove Guilty into its mouth. The tip pierced the back of its skull.

Yuri lifted the blade, splitting its cranium. Blood sprayed everywhere as he pivoted.

“Hernando!”

With the enemy sorcerer dead, magical balance heavily favored them.

Hernando answered.

His fireball soared precisely where Yuri desired.

The tunnel exploded.