Chapter 73: Victory (1)

Okua was dead.

With the fall of the dominator, the orcs lost all organization and were hunted by the Allied army like wild beasts.

The troops, exhausted from a long campaign, left no orc alive. For every body they found, they drove a spear through the head to ensure it was dead.

The Alliance army separated human corpses from orc ones. The orc bodies were thrown into pits and burned on the spot.

Acrid smoke lingered in the air for a long time. The bodies of the fallen from the Alliance were entrusted to the high priests of the Holy Kingdom.

“We will never forget the sacrifice of these brave souls.”

Each corpse was covered with a white shroud and carefully laid out in rows.

There were so many dead, the land was blanketed in white. The wind of the plains made the fabric ripple.

The entire army stood in solemn formation. Yuri led the Briol troops during the funeral ceremony.

“The gaze of God does not distinguish between high and low. The faith and bravery of these men have been seen by the Lord, and so, all of them shall be embraced by His warm hand and guided to paradise.”

As he listened to the priest’s words, Yuri looked up at the sky. The story of a god who rewarded the faithful with paradise and punished the false meant nothing to him.

After all, he himself, who deserved to fall into hell, stood there alive.

His mourning was nothing more than a silent vow to bear even more upon his shoulders, so that those deaths would not be in vain.

“Let us all observe a moment of silence.”

At the priest’s words, the entire Allied army bowed their heads. The sound of a horn echoed through the air.

That same horn that had once signaled war now sounded with sorrow, as if to console the souls of the dead.

The priest invoked sacred magic.

“May the divine flame receive their bodies.”

The bodies wrapped in shrouds began to burn in white flames.

There was no black smoke, no scattered ashes. Like flowers blooming and withering in silence, their bodies vanished peacefully under the priest’s blessing.

Thus, the funeral concluded.

Yuri turned.

Though the war had only recently ended, many soldiers had dressed in their best out of respect. Some couldn’t hold back their tears.

Yuri pulled a piece of paper from his chest.

“Kesman.”

The first to die.

“Stefan.”

He died after struggling with his wounds.

“Fein. Altos. Gate…”

As he recited the names of the fallen from the Briol army, everyone present straightened their backs.

Yuri had written down the name of every person who died in battle.

“Imar, Gusendai, James…”

Not a single one was left out.

The names of the dead brought the living to tears.

“Dyke.”

Then Simon and Guinness, standing at the front, lowered their heads. Guinness broke into sobs, and Simon placed an arm around him. Yuri finished reciting the names with a hand on Guinness’s head.

“Thus ends the roll call of our comrades who departed with honor.”

He didn’t speak hollow words like “we will meet again in paradise.”

He didn’t believe in that. He only spoke his truth.

“It was an honor to fight alongside them.”

He folded the list and returned it to his chest. Yuri turned and silently watched until the white flames burned out, until their remains became part of the earth.

Laurent and Jared stood at his side.

“You’ll see this so many times, you’ll grow sick of it.”

“I’m prepared.”

“There’s no other choice.”

Soon after, the priest’s sacred magic fully consumed the fallen’s bodies. Where they had rested, only a handful of ashes remained.

Suddenly, the wind blew. The ashes began to rise into the air.

They drifted aimlessly until they passed over the Allied army’s flag, waving high above.

The flag was dusted in white.

Yuri watched the scene in silence.

***

The road home was full of joy.

There had been sacrifices, yes, but they were the victors. The Allied army had secured the greatest victory recorded in history, and all participants would receive lavish rewards and honors.

Once supply lines were restored, Valshard sent a constant stream of food and liquor.

Banquets were held every night.

“I’ve turned over a new leaf.”

Declared a gambler soldier from Ujes. He was staggering drunk.

“I won’t lose any more money gambling. With my reward, I’ll buy land and work honestly as a farmer.”

Yuri shook his head.

“A gambler as talented as you? Farming doesn’t suit you.”

“Don’t tempt me, please.”

“Farming? You really think you could be content with that? How about one last game, betting your destiny? If that money multiplies, you could win even more…”

“That…”

“You risked your life to earn that reward. So risk your life again. Make a bet that will go down in history.”

“Ah…”

“Your destiny isn’t to end up a farmer.”

Yuri was tempting his subordinate, who had just declared he would quit gambling. It was like a sleazy adult teaching a naive student to smoke.

“Now that you mention it… you’re right, Prince.”

The soldier, who had hesitated just a moment ago, opened his eyes wide.

“Farming… I was wrong. Hahaha! I’m not the kind of gambler who ends it there! I’ll make a real bet now!”

“You idiot.”

“With my skill and money, if I dominate the local gambling houses, I could buy an entire castle…!”

Slap!

Yuri smacked him.

“Ack!”

“I was testing you. You’re trash!”

The situation turned immediately.

“Prince?”

“Weren’t you the one who always cried drunk saying your family suffered because of your gambling debts?”

“That…”

“You said you’d only gamble during the campaign. That when the war ended, you’d break all your cards.”

“It’s true, but…”

“Hey!”

Yuri grabbed him by both cheeks. They’d shared good times playing cards, which is why he wanted to set him straight.

In his past life, drifting as a mercenary, Yuri had met countless human trash. None of them started out that way. They all had stories. Most tied to gambling or drugs.

Yuri could recognize the pattern the moment he heard it.

This was the classic beginning of a low-ranking soldier, drowned in gambling debt, who ends up lamenting his miseries over drinks.

He had to stop him now.

“If you go back like this, the moment the rumor spreads that you have money, those old gambling buddies will come looking for you. They’ll pull you in, you’ll fall into debt, and you’ll end up watching your wife and children get sold. Drunk with guilt, you’ll drown in alcohol every day and end up fighting for your life on the frontlines like any other mercenary.”

“Prince…”

“We’re Briol, right?”

Yuri looked him straight in the eyes.

“Keep your promise.”

Clarity returned to the soldier’s eyes, clouded by alcohol. He nodded.

“Understood.”

Then he raised both hands.

“Long live the Prince!”

And after shouting it a few more times, he collapsed.

Yuri muttered in frustration.

“What the hell am I doing with a drunk…?”

He shook his head and sat back down. Soldiers were sprawled out everywhere, passed out drunk.

Despite his youth, Yuri hardly got drunk. Must’ve been his inheritance from his father, Fiore Briol. Not even alcohol could defeat his genetics.

“Prince, Prince…”

Another soldier approached and took his hands. Yuri frowned.

“I heard what you said just now.”

“What now?”

“It really moved me. That you’d care so much about a lowly soldier… sniff…”

“Why are you crying?”

“I love you, Prince…”

“You bastard…!”

Yuri shoved him off immediately. The soldier, spouting declarations of love, passed out.

Total chaos. Everywhere he looked, knights and soldiers were drinking together and making a ruckus.

The Alliance army, whose discipline had once been sharp as a blade, had become a ragtag band of drunkards the moment the war ended.

“Jeez…”

Yuri just laughed. What else could he do? That’s the battlefield at the end.

After risking their lives for so long, if this was how they released their stress, maybe it was for the best.

Yuri took a sip of the beer in front of him. It was warm and tasted awful.

Sigh…

As he looked up at the night sky over the plains, a soldier from the Empire approached from afar.

“Prince.”

“What is it?”

Yuri answered, already guessing what it was about.

“His Highness has summoned you.”

“I see.”

Since the victory, Yuri had been summoned by him every night. The same went for others who had caught Ragna’s eye in the Alliance.

“Can I bring my master and Laurent?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring them.”

“Thanks.”

Since they already knew each other, the conversation was quick. The soldier departed, likely headed to Brusen to find Jose and Jonathan.

Yuri approached Laurent, who still sat upright while everyone else lay around.

“Laurent.”

“Yes, Prince.”

Laurent stood before Yuri even finished speaking.

“Let’s go.”

“Hmm?”

“His Highness must be waiting for us, right?”

“Seems like it…”

“I prepared in advance to avoid inconveniencing him.”

It seemed Laurent’s condition was getting worse.

“You didn’t have to go that far…”

“I’ll fetch Moyongchan.”

“Do it…”

Laurent was putting his all into serving Yuri. Yuri shook his head. At this rate, he’d probably build his coffin in advance.

Bringing Laurent and Moyongchan, Yuri arrived at the Empire, where many were already seated around a large table.

Ragnar, in the main seat, waved.

“Welcome, Yuri! And the great Moyongchan and Laurent too!”

Thanks to his spectacular performance, Moyongchan had become very popular within the Alliance. Even the nickname “Great Knight” had started circulating among the soldiers.

Upon hearing this, Ragnar began sincerely calling him “Great Knight” as a sign of respect.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“Hahaha, please, have a seat!”

“Yes.”

Yuri glanced around and frowned. Hernando had taken over an entire table and was surrounded by mages from other countries. Every time he spoke, everyone listened attentively.

Apparently, he had become the most respected mage among them.

“That damn Hernando…”

Though Yuri acknowledged his talent, seeing him so revered was annoying—especially since they were close.

He took an empty seat. Ragnar was talking with Moyongchan.

“Great Knight Moyongchan, did you rest well?”

“Very good. Imperial bed very good. I like.” (Lmaoo)

“I’m glad to hear that. If you’re happy, I’m happy too! Hahahaha!”

Ragnar was trying to win over Moyongchan with gifts and flattery.

Of course, Moyongchan accepted everything, but whenever something didn’t suit him, he pretended not to understand the continental language to keep his distance.

Yuri was starting to suspect Moyongchan’s continental was a lot better than he let on.

“Well, let’s enjoy another pleasant evening.”

Ragnar clapped his hands. Lately, he always seemed to be in a good mood.

After all, even though he had been thrown into this mission as a trap, things had gone so well that he ended up gaining unexpected glory.

“First of all, there’s something I want to announce to everyone.”

The table was now full. All the commanders from each nation were present.

“The Empire plans to invite the heroes of this Allied campaign.”

Everyone began murmuring. Yuri narrowed his eyes at Ragnar.

“First, we’ll invite all the unit commanders here. And if you want to bring companions, feel free. There’s no limit on numbers.”

Then Jonathan raised his hand.

“Do we have to go to the Empire right away?”

“No. The war was long. You should return home first. After the victory parade, we’ll send formal invitations.”

“When will that be?”

“Not long. Everyone knows what event is coming soon in the Empire, right?”

The commanders glanced at one another. Some nodded, others frowned.

Yuri knew what event Ragnar was referring to.

“The Swordmasters’ Tournament. We’ll send invitations right in time for that.”