After parting ways with Joshua, Yuri headed straight for the city gates. The residents of Francaise recognized Laurent and greeted him.
"Hello, young master."
"Have you returned?"
"Please don't abandon Francaise!"
Laurent responded to each of them with a smile and a few kind words.
Yuri suggested that Laurent visit his family, but Laurent politely declined until the end.
"You'll regret it later."
"My parents will understand. I'll see them next time."
"Well, that may be true…"
As they chatted, they arrived at the gates, but something about the atmosphere felt off. A crowd had gathered at the entrance, murmuring among themselves.
Yuri instinctively sensed the situation.
"A fight."
"Excuse me?"
"When people gather like that, it usually means there's something to watch. Most likely a fight, don't you think?"
"That makes sense."
"Considering it's the city gates, it's probably a dispute between the guards and a visitor, or maybe between visitors themselves."
Yuri and his companions rode toward the gates. The crowd stepped aside to make way.
Yuri approached a guard standing at the back and asked,
"What's going on?"
"Ah, Prince, young master. Greetings. Are you leaving already?"
"We've finished our business."
"Please wait a moment. Someone is making a scene right now…"
"Someone daring to pick a fight with the guards of Briol? Who is it?"
"Well…"
Just then, a familiar voice came from beyond the guards.
"I, I came to see the Prince! I came to see Prince Yuri!"
Everyone nearby turned to look at Yuri.
Even Laurent and Jared glanced at him.
Yuri sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Why are you two looking at me?"
"We don't want to get involved."
"Are you embarrassed by Sir Jose?"
"A little…"
"We won't deny it."
"Fine."
Yuri stepped forward. The guards who had been blocking Jose recognized Yuri and hesitantly stepped aside.
Jose, sprawled in front of the gate, continued to shout.
"I lost my identification badge, but I'm Jose of Bursen! Jose Aratur! I'm not a suspicious person! I've come to see Prince Yuri!"
"Sir Jose."
"I came here to meet Prince Yuri…!"
Jose, who had been shouting, suddenly stopped. Then he abruptly sat up.
"Prince!"
"Sir Jose. Why are you making such a commotion?"
"Haha, well. It's a bit embarrassing."
"If you don't have your badge, you could've just waited at the entrance…"
"Well, about that."
Jose scratched the back of his head as he stood up. Lying down, he had looked like a crouching tiger, but standing, he resembled an awkward bear.
"I wasn't sure how long Your Highness would stay. If you happened to have a drink, wouldn't it be a shame if I weren't there?"
In other words, he was in a hurry to join them so he wouldn't miss out on the fun.
Yuri let out a soft chuckle.
"I don't have the leisure. I plan to leave right away."
"Ah…"
Jose nodded.
"Well, that's fine. As long as I'm with Your Highness, even cheap beer on the roadside will taste good."
"Will you come with us?"
"That's a bit disappointing. Haven't we already boarded the same ship? You don't need to ask. Trying to leave me out like that, I'm hurt."
"You're from Bursen, so I felt bad dragging you into this."
"I'm half Bursen, half Briol."
"Half and half, huh? That's generous."
"Hmm… Let's say sixty percent Bursen, forty percent Briol."
Yuri burst out laughing and patted him on the shoulder. Then he turned to the guards and said,
"It seems there was a small misunderstanding. In any case, I commend you for your diligence in fulfilling your duties to the end. Continue to protect Francaise well."
"Yes, sir!"
The guards of Francaise saluted Yuri and his group.
Now four once again, Yuri's party left Francaise behind.
As they rode together, Jose suddenly remembered something and pulled something out from his coat.
"Ah, Prince."
"Hm?"
"A letter arrived for you. Miss Ena asked me to deliver it."
"A letter…?"
Jose handed it over. Nothing was written on the envelope, but Yuri could tell who the sender was from the wax seal.
He opened it and checked the contents.
"Sibylla."
At that, the other three instinctively glanced at the letter.
Since Yuri had gotten entangled with her in various ways, they seemed to hope she might have expressed some emotional sentiment, even now.
Yuri read it alone, without showing it to them.
"Hmm…"
Soon, Yuri pulled out the Flame-Seal Sword and burned the letter.
As the paper turned to ash and scattered, the others wore disappointed expressions.
"Was that really necessary…?"
"It was a secret letter."
"Excuse me? What kind?"
"You don't need to know."
With that, Yuri urged his horse forward, speeding up.
The letter hadn't been long.
After returning to the Holy Kingdom, she was going through various hardships. In particular, it seemed that Larsson, the next in line for the throne, was making things especially difficult for Sibylla.
But in the end, it was something she had to overcome. Once Larsson inherited the throne and found some mental stability, he would likely calm down.
"Hmm…"
Still, Yuri was troubled.
Though the letter was written in a dry tone, the fact that she wrote at all meant she was under emotional pressure.
"I should at least write her a reply."
Muttering to himself, Yuri pulled out a map on horseback.
To get to Yoheim, they would have to pass through several countries. Avoiding the Empire would mean a longer detour.
"By the time we arrive, wouldn't it already be captured?"
"No."
Yuri shook his head.
"Sir Graham doesn't move quickly."
Graham was commanding the army. Yuri didn't know why the Emperor had entrusted him with the troops, but Graham had a negative view of this war. Perhaps that's why his movements had been gentlemanly.
Rather than speeding ahead, he was proceeding calmly, minimizing damage as much as possible.
"That may be, but I heard the 5th Knight Order already headed for Yoheim's capital. With Yoheim's military power, won't it be difficult?"
Jose asked with concern in his voice.
He was right. Yoheim didn't have the strength to resist even a single knight order from the Empire.
That was true in the past.
But things were different now. Under Yuri's command, Yoheim's knights had been reborn as mountain warfare specialists.
They had been reorganized not as a knight order, but a new kind of unit.
Named after the owls guarding the Aloy Mountains, they were called the "Owl Brigade."
"I heard they were trained, but can they really pull it off? Swordsmanship doesn't improve that much in such a short time…"
"War isn't a duel. A sword isn't the only tool for killing the enemy."
Even from the occasional scattered reports, Yuri could clearly picture what was happening in Yoheim.
Eager to earn merit, the 5th Knight Order rushed ahead and stopped momentarily before the forest surrounding Yoheim's royal castle. It would've been wise to stay alert, but excited by the idea of capturing Yoheim, they likely advanced without caution.
To the Owl Brigade, they were perfect prey.
The Imperial knights, encountering such a combat style for the first time in their lives, would be too bewildered to respond properly. Perhaps, thinking it beneath them, they charged in all at once, only to fall into disgraceful confusion.
Yuri was certain—Yoheim had not fallen yet. No, rather, the odds were that they were putting up a strong resistance against the Empire.
"The Empire's probably getting their asses handed to them. I trained them. They'll pay the price for underestimating Yoheim's guerrilla force."
The others knew that Yuri had trained the knights of Yoheim, but since the details were confidential, they could only tilt their heads in confusion.
"Is it really to that extent? What exactly did you teach them…?"
It was too much to write off as mere confidence—Yuri had already achieved far too many things for that.
If he said something would work, it truly did.
That was why the three couldn't dismiss Yuri's words lightly.
Yuri smiled faintly and said,
"The Briol spirit."
"The Briol spirit?"
Not only Jose, but even Laurent and Jared, both born and raised in Briol, looked puzzled.
"What is that?"
To Jared's question, Jose looked over at him.
"A Briol man not knowing the Briol spirit? Sir Jared, are you serious?"
"Do you know it, Sir Jose?"
"Of course not."
"I don't either."
"I'm from Bursen, aren't I?"
"Then do you know the Bursen spirit, Sir Jose?"
"Well… no…"
Yuri clicked his tongue.
"You kids these days, tch…"
Jared looked at him, dumbfounded.
"The Briol spirit is—"
"What is it?"
"I'd love to tell you, but you're not ready yet."
"Excuse me?"
"I'll explain later. For now, we have more urgent matters."
"You're not just dodging the question, are you?"
"This really is important."
"What is it?"
"A disguise."
Yuri said.
"It wouldn't look good if we just strolled into Yoheim and fought alongside them, right?"
"Yeah, that's true."
He was the third prince of Briol—if he helped Yoheim, the Empire's response would be obvious. With the continent's political situation as murky as fog, there was no need to recklessly draw enemy attention.
Yuri knew his enemy, but the enemy didn't know him yet.
He had to preserve that advantage.
"If we change our hair and eye color, and wear masks like before, wouldn't that work?"
"You fool!"
"Excuse me?"
"It's not just about looks. If people like us, clearly skilled, show up out of nowhere, won't the Empire start suspecting something?"
"Well…"
"That's why we need a story."
"A story?"
"We need a background that won't raise suspicion. It needs to sound plausible. Doesn't have to be too elaborate."
"That's pretty tough."
"Don't worry."
Yuri tapped his temple.
"I've already worked it all out. But first, let's change our appearances."
***
Just as Yuri said, Yoheim was fending off the Empire's assault brilliantly.
Since ancient times, there had been a legend that the forest surrounding the royal castle protected the kings of Yoheim. True to that, the Owl Brigade used the woodland to drive the 5th Knight Order to the brink of annihilation.
The 5th Knight Order couldn't find rest anywhere, with arrows raining down from all directions. One misstep, and they fell straight into traps.
So well did the Yoheim knights conceal their presence that some would leap out from the underbrush the enemy had just passed, stabbing from behind.
The commander of the 5th Knight Order clenched his teeth. He, too, had wounds all over.
"Damn it…"
"Are you alright, sir?"
"These goddamn bastards…"
The Owl Brigade never once gave the 5th Knight Order the type of battle they wanted.
Whenever it looked like a swordfight would break out face-to-face, they would immediately retreat. When the knights gave chase, more arrows flew or traps snared their feet.
"We should pull back."
"Retreat? To the likes of Yoheim?"
He was filled with fury.
He had already lost too many knights. If he returned like this, he would face harsh criticism. He might even have to step down as commander.
"To the likes of Yoheim…"
As he rose to his feet, he staggered. His body slumped into the bushes.
His adjutant rushed to him.
"Commander?"
"My body…"
It was only then that he realized.
"Poison."
"Sir?"
"Those bastards even used poison."
There had been a trap where his skin had been cut. That wound must have been laced with poison.
"I'll need to operate the mana method. Guard me."
"Yes, sir."
The commander sat and activated his mana method.
The Lion Heart Method began battling the venom that had seeped into his body. Sweat dripped from his brow.
A knight who had reached a high level wouldn't usually be so vulnerable to poison, but under physical and mental pressure, his resistance had dropped significantly.
"Co-Commander…"
"..."
"Commander!"
The 5th Knight Order's commander opened his eyes at his adjutant's shouting.
And then immediately grimaced.
"Damn it…"
Yoheim's knights had surrounded them.
Under normal circumstances, no matter how many there were, he would have been confident he could cut them down—but now, he couldn't move properly. The poison was eating away at his body moment by moment. If he fought in this state, it would mean certain death.
One of the enemies stepped forward from among them.
"You're the commander of the 5th Knight Order, right?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Gonte Murchin, commander of the Owl Brigade."
"A third-rate knight like you dares…"
"Not third-rate, actually. Well."
Gonte shrugged.
"If you don't like it, win."
The last thing the commander of the 5th Knight Order saw was that irritating smirk—and the darkness of the sack being pulled over his head.
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