Chapter 82: Comrade (3)

Laurent and Jared looked on in surprise.

“Comrade?”

They had never seen a bearded man like that among the ranks of the Allied Army.

However, the bandits frowned and backed away, as if Yuri had hit the mark. Especially the bearded man—he didn’t look pleased.

Yuri mocked them.

“Aren’t you ashamed? Soldiers of the Allied Army turned into a band of bandits.”

“Damn brat, you don’t know anything…”

The bearded man’s face twisted. Yuri signaled to Laurent with a nod.

“Laurent.”

“Yes.”

“Capture him.”

“Understood.”

At the order, Laurent immediately rushed at the bearded man.

“Run!”

The man tried to flee, turning to escape, but Laurent caught up in an instant and slammed him to the ground. He twisted his arms behind his back and pinned him down. The bearded man cried out desperately.

“Leave me behind! Don’t let yourselves get caught!”

But when the others saw their leader captured, they hesitated and couldn’t keep running.

The bearded man squirmed and shouted again.

“I told you to run!”

“Shut up.”

Laurent pressed his sword to the man’s neck. Immediately, he fell silent.

“Were you all part of the Allied Army?”

Yuri stepped forward and examined the bandits one by one. They all had faces marked by hardship.

Jared asked,

“Your Highness, I never saw these faces in the Allied Army.”

“Of course not.”

Yuri approached the bearded man on the ground and grabbed him by the hair. His torso lifted, revealing a tattoo on his chest.

It was an image of an eagle flying with an orc’s head in its claws.

“They’re from the Allied Army before us.”

“What?”

Laurent looked at the bandits in astonishment. They all lowered their heads in silence.

“Soldiers of the Allied Army turned into mere bandits…?”

“And what do you know about the Allied Army to talk like that, kid?”

“I know enough.”

Yuri released his hair and smiled.

“We also fought in the most recent Allied Army campaign.”

The bearded man’s eyes widened. He looked closely at Yuri’s face. His pupils trembled.

“Yuri Briol?”

“Correct.”

The bandits stood stunned at the name.

One muttered,

“Now that I think of it… the hair and eye color…”

Black hair and eyes were the symbol of the Briol royal family. Could this young man really be Yuri Briol, third prince of Briol and hero of the alliance?

“No way…”

It was hard to believe this boy was the knight who led the charge against the orcs.

Yuri patted Laurent’s shoulder.

“Let him go.”

“Yes.”

Laurent stepped away from the bearded man. Yuri looked down at him and spoke.

“Out of all the places in Briol, you just happened to rob us. What a ridiculous coincidence, don’t you think?”

The man didn’t respond.

“I heard the previous Allied Army campaign forged strong bonds. Wasn’t it because of an incompetent commander that you suffered so much? That made your camaraderie stronger.”

“That’s right.”

“You don’t look like you’re from Briol…”

Yuri studied him carefully and asked,

“Are you from the Empire?”

“Shut up. Kill me if you’re going to.”

“I have no intention of harming you.”

“Now you’re pretending to be merciful?”

“I’m just curious.”

Yuri sat down on a nearby rock. Laurent and Jared remained standing at his side.

“Why did soldiers of the Allied Army end up as bandits?”

“You want me to tell you my life story for your damn entertainment?”

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll be moved and toss you a few coins.”

“Haha…”

The bearded man, who had been glaring at Yuri, slumped to the ground, defeated. The bandits gathered around him as if to protect him.

“Yuri Briol.”

The bearded man stared at him.

“As you must know, the last Allied Army campaign was a difficult and honorable war.”

“Yes.”

“We won. Not as overwhelmingly as you, but it was a victory under harsh conditions. Thanks in part to your father.”

Fiore Briol had performed outstandingly in that war, as commanding as Yuri had in this campaign.

“We received generous rewards.”

“So far, so good.”

“And then we lost everything.”

Yuri tilted his head. He’d heard stories like that before.

“We got robbed, swindled, or tricked by gambling… One by one, we lost all our money.”

“Hmm…”

“We had never handled that much money before, so we didn’t even know what to do with it.”

“You lost everything?”

“There was some left. But one day, a merchant I’d never seen made me a proposal.”

The merchant was looking for ex-soldiers from the Empire to start a business together. It sounded tempting at the time.

“Of course, it was a scam. I lost the last of what I had.”

“That easy?”

“Behind the scammer was a noble.”

The bearded man’s eyes burned with rage.

“They knew the Allied Army soldiers were naive but had money. So they set a trap.”

“And you didn’t try to take it to court?”

“What for? Everyone knew how it would end. Imperial judges always side with nobles.”

Betrayed, they left and became bandits. Many veterans shared the same fate, so the group remained steady as more army deserters joined.

“Seems like we robbed the wrong target, because now there’s a bounty on our heads. Since then, we’ve been on the run.”

Fleeing from where they were wanted, they arrived in Briol.

“We just got here… and had the misfortune of running into you.”

“More than misfortune, I’d say it was luck. Thanks to that, no citizens of Briol will be robbed by you.”

“For me, it was a disaster.”

“Really?”

Yuri gave a faint smile and stood up.

“Seems the situation for veterans is worse than I thought. I guess that’s why you’re risking everything for money.”

“You, a royal, know nothing.”

“If you know I’m royalty, you should show more respect.”

“You’re not my king.”

“Didn’t you say the Empire betrayed you?”

“Yes. That’s why I no longer have a king.”

“Those are some bold words…”

Yuri approached the bearded man.

“Hey. Want to work under me?”

“No.”

“You won’t regret it.”

“I’m not licking royal boots now.”

“You bastard…!”

Yuri kicked him.

As he fell to the ground, the bandits around him pointed their weapons but didn’t dare attack.

“I know you’re bitter with the world, but don’t act like a child. And don’t judge me by your standards.”

The bearded man staggered to his feet. Yuri asked him,

“Don’t you want to help other veterans of the Allied Army?”

“What?”

“I can see many are as lost as you.”

Yuri hadn’t founded the Comrades’ Association just to hand out money.

Most soldiers had joined for the reward. If they risked their lives in a war against orcs, it was because they had their reasons.

“At least as a bandit chief, you showed leadership.”

Despite yelling at them to leave him behind, none abandoned him. That proved they followed him.

“What nonsense are you spouting now…?”

“I can put you in contact with a guild. Teach them a trade, give them work.”

“You serious?”

“Yes. We already have a name: ‘Association of Companions of Allied Army Comrades.’”

“Association of Companions of Comrades…?”

The bearded man let out a disbelieving laugh.

“What kind of nonsense is that…?”

“There’s no time.”

Yuri had no intention of dragging out the conversation. Long explanations and persuasive speeches weren’t his style. Besides, he wanted to reach Yuzes as soon as possible to settle things with Genard.

“I’ll keep it short, so listen carefully. The Allied Army Comrades Association handed out compensation to veterans and the families of the fallen, but some bastard local lords are trying to pocket that money, calling it a ‘tax.’”

“T-that happened to us too. The nobles just took it however they pleased…”

“Well, I’m on my way to stop the feudal lord of Yuzes.”

“Yuzes? Isn’t that a duchy?”

“Yeah.”

“But the war’s over. Now you’re going up against a duke… for the soldiers?”

Even for someone of royal blood, going against a duke wasn’t something to take lightly.

Yuri let out a chuckle at the bearded man’s astonished expression.

“That pig scares me less than an orc. If he tries to stop me, he can kiss his title or whatever goodbye. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

“Exactly.”

Laurent and Jared answered in turn.

Laurent simply followed Yuri, and Jared figured things would somehow work out. That’s how it was in the battle against the orcs—if they followed Yuri, everything resolved itself somehow. That was just who Yuri was.

“If it’s for my comrades, this is the least I can do. It’s a duty I carry in my blood.”

Yuri gave the bearded man a mocking smile and walked over to his horse.

“If you’re curious, come to Yuzes. See what happens. And if you’re interested, send in your résumé. But make sure it’s polished. You already turned me down once, so now you’re applying.”

Yuri mounted his horse, followed by Laurent and Jared.

As they rode past the motionless man, Yuri added in a low voice:

“Don’t pretend you were just a soldier.”

***

“Running into bandits was a first.”

“That’s why sometimes the forest route’s better.”

“You’re right. I’ll keep it in mind next time.”

As the two talked, Jared chimed in.

“But did we really need to run into bandits?”

“They’re citizens of Briol too. They deserve a second chance.”

“And by the way, what did that line mean?”

“Hmm?”

“That bit about ‘don’t pretend you were just a soldier.’”

“Oh, that. I meant it literally. That bearded guy was a knight.”

“What?”

Laurent nodded.

“Now that I think about it, he was too strong to be just a soldier.”

Jared shook his head.

“But too weak to be a knight.”

Yuri explained:

“It was because of an injury.”

“Injury?”

“He had a tattoo over a scar. Based on the location, his core was probably destroyed. Most likely in a fight against orcs.”

“Then…”

“Everything he said was about his subordinates. He never once spoke about himself. But I’m sure he has his own story too.”

“In the end, he’s still a bandit.”

“And you? If it weren’t for me, you’d still be a regular guard.”

“Are you insulting the royal guard?”

“A slacker who got all sulky after being beaten by a thirteen-year-old…”

Laurent asked curiously:

“At thirteen?”

“Yeah. That’s when I met Jared.”

“And what happened?”

“Well…”

“Sir Laurent, please don’t listen to that.”

While joking, they arrived at Yuzes before they even realized it.

The flags of the Jettery family flew high on the walls. A long line of people waited at the city gate to get in.

“First, let’s change our appearance.”

“Right.”

Yuri pulled a pendant from his clothes and activated a manamesor. His hair and eye color began to shift.

“How do I look?”

In seconds, Yuri transformed into a young man with light brown hair and pale green eyes—a common appearance anywhere.

“Looks completely natural. No one will notice.”

“Good.”

Laurent, being somewhat recognizable, also used a similar artifact to change his hair color.

Jared didn’t need a disguise.

The three dismounted, took the reins of their horses, and walked toward the line at the gate. Guards were inspecting everyone.

“Pretty strict…”

A man in front overheard Yuri muttering and spoke to him.

“You’re telling me. They say there’s quite a commotion inside Yuzes. Haven’t you heard?”

“Commotion?”

Yuri answered a little too casually, then added more formally:

“…Sir?”

The man coughed and continued.

“Seems like some Allied Army veterans are stirring up trouble. After fighting orcs, they turned into something like them.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“They say they have to pay taxes but refuse. We all pay taxes—now they think they’re special just because they went to war?”

Yuri realized Genard was already manipulating public opinion. The rumor had spread that veterans were simply refusing to pay taxes, without any context.

Yuri tried to defend them.

“Wow… but they did fight hard in the war. Maybe we could be a bit more considerate, right? Hahaha…”

“Considerate? I bet they made a fortune. Let them pay like everyone else.”

“Hmm…”

The line crept forward. The guard checking IDs was large and had a threatening expression.

He inspected the ID tags like he was about to rip them apart, then tossed them back with disdain.

It was Yuri and his group’s turn.

The guard looked Laurent up and down.

“Hmm…”

Then he threw all three IDs to the ground.

“Get lost.”

Yuri stared at him, puzzled. The IDs were official, issued by the proper authority. There couldn’t be anything wrong.

Jared stepped forward.

“Why?”

“The IDs are wrong.”

“What’s wrong with them?”

“Tsk. You think I’ll tell you? So you can forge new ones?”

“These IDs are authentic! What’s supposedly wrong?”

“If I say they’re wrong, they’re wrong.”

The guard looked at them with hostility, then smirked and rubbed his thumb and index finger together.

“Well, if you really have to get in, maybe we can come to… an arrangement—depending on your goodwill.”

“Excuse me?”

Jared tilted his head, confused. Yuri sighed. Even as a royal guard, Jared was still naïve.

Yuri explained.

“You don’t get it. Because Laurent’s well-dressed, he’s asking for a bribe.”

“Oh… that’s what this is?”

“Sorry, it’s my fault…”

“It’s not your fault for dressing well. The problem is this shameless guy trying to extort us.”

The guard’s face flushed red.