After leaving Francaise, Yuri's group arrived in a small nearby city.
Yuri told the city guards to keep their mouths shut, saying they'd leave quietly, and then stepped inside.
"Why have you come here?"
"There's somewhere we need to stop by."
The four of them, faces hidden under their hoods, headed to the local branch of the Rein Company.
There, a familiar face was waiting for Yuri.
"Your Highness, it's been a long time."
It was Guillermo, the vice-president of the Rein Company.
"What about the thing I instructed you to prepare?"
"I've made all the necessary arrangements."
"Good. By the way, there's one more person now."
Yuri pointed to Jose as he spoke. Jose tilted his head in confusion.
Guillermo rubbed his chin with a troubled look and replied.
"Looking at his size, it won't be easy. But I'll try to get it as quickly as possible."
"I'll leave it to you."
"Don't worry. If you've got money, anything is possible. Would you like to meet him right away?"
"Sure."
Jared asked Yuri,
"Meet who?"
"You'll see."
Before leaving the royal palace, Yuri had contacted Guillermo and told him to hire a disguise expert.
Following Guillermo's lead, Yuri entered the inner part of the branch.
"This is the person. His name is Pavar. He's a master of disguise, known for turning anyone into a completely different person once he gets to work."
A bald man with not a single strand of hair on his head gave Yuri a polite bow.
"I'm Pavar. It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness."
On the table were his tools of the trade, and among them was a particularly eye-catching lump of flesh-colored material.
Yuri nodded.
"I'm counting on you."
"Yes, sir."
"Can you do it right now?"
"Of course."
"The situation is urgent. Work quickly. You'll be well paid."
"Leave it to me."
As Yuri and Pavar conversed, Jared, who was standing nearby, asked,
"Just what is going on here?"
"I told you earlier. We have to move while hiding our identities."
"Wait, don't tell me…"
"That's exactly what I mean. This guy's going to make us into different people."
Pavar grinned and nodded.
"Just leave it to me."
But Jared didn't seem convinced by Pavar's disguise skills.
"Um, wouldn't just wearing masks be better? I mean, a little makeup doesn't really change a person. We'll get found out."
At that, Pavar's expression changed.
"Did you just say, 'a little makeup'?"
Pavar was an ordinary civilian, while Jared was a sword-wielding knight.
Yet Jared suddenly felt a piercing pressure, as if something had stabbed him in the chest, and he instinctively took a step back.
Belief in himself. A professional's pride that doesn't tolerate mistakes. Confidence in his years of experience.
All of it was blazing from Pavar's eyes like fire.
"You're going to regret what you just said."
"I-I think I misspoke…"
"No. That wasn't a slip of the tongue. That was your honest perception of me. A very bland perception."
Pavar placed his hand on the lump of paste sitting on the table. Then, with rough fingers, he began kneading it.
"That misconception, I will utterly destroy. Please, have a seat, Sir Knight."
"I said I'm sorry…"
"If you're sorry, then sit."
"Ugh…"
Yuri, watching the scene unfold, nodded.
"Excellent."
To stand tall even in front of an armed knight—just for that spirit alone, he was more than worthy of being called a master.
Excited, Yuri shoved Jared toward the chair.
"Alright, Pavar. Let's show him. Let's make this arrogant knight bastard cry his eyes out in front of the mirror."
"Yes, leave it to me."
"Wait, wait, hold on…"
In the end, Jared was made to sit in the large chair.
"Please stay still."
"Um, excuse me?"
Jared's hands and feet were bound. His complexion turned pale.
"This is just makeup, right?"
"What I do isn't makeup."
"Th-Then what?"
"It's transformation. And I'm not a makeup artist. I'm a special effects technician."
"A… special effects technician?"
Jared hadn't even known such a profession existed.
"Yes."
Pavar placed his fingertips under Jared's chin, tracing along his jawline, and grinned.
"Excellent base material. Now, have a look over there."
He pointed to a large mirror nearby. Jared could see his own terrified face reflected in it.
Pavar raised the corners of his lips into a sly, sinister smile.
"You're about to become someone else. Say goodbye to your precious face, Sir Knight. Kukukuk…"
"N-No way…!"
But he was bound in restraints.
In the end, Jared's entire face—from forehead to chin—was thoroughly tampered with by Pavar.
Hot, sticky material repeatedly stuck to and peeled off Jared's face.
The onlookers watched with their mouths agape in awe. What was happening before their eyes was hard to believe.
"Wow…"
"So this is the power of a special effects technician…"
"What in the world is that material made of?"
Pavar smirked.
"It's slime."
"Slime?"
"Processed slime makes for excellent material. Of course, many other ingredients go into it as well—but that's my secret."
Eventually, the process was complete.
Jared was no more.
In his place sat a rugged-looking man with thick, arched eyebrows, large fierce eyes, and a wild beard sprouting like thorns.
"That's Jared?"
"I can't believe it."
It wasn't just a slight change to his features. The very bone structure of his face was different.
Pavar wiped the sweat from his brow and gave a broad smile.
"You'll be even more amazed now. This face is detachable."
"What?"
"Watch."
Pavar grabbed Jared's jaw and lifted upward. The skin began to peel away.
It looked just like he was removing facial skin. Everyone gasped.
"Hahaha, no need to cover your eyes. Look closely."
"Uh…"
And to their surprise, there was another face beneath it.
Jared grimaced and shook his head.
"This is what I call the Slime Mask. I shape a face from this material, fix its form, and it becomes a wearable and removable mask. Would you like to try it?"
Yuri examined the slime mask Pavar handed him, poking and stretching it.
It felt like real skin.
"This is incredible."
"The beard and hair are from actual people. Give it a try."
"Can I?"
"It may not fit perfectly, but you can get a feel for it."
Yuri pulled the slime mask over his face.
"A little big."
"Every face is different. For a perfect fit, it needs to be custom-made."
Yuri looked at himself in the mirror. A completely different person stood there.
The edge of the mask sagged a bit, but at a glance, no one would guess it was a mask.
"I can't believe such a technique exists. Did you invent this?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Amazing. To think you created something like this on your own."
"Well, isn't it the same in any field? A great pioneer carves the way, and a path forms by following in their footsteps."
"Don't tell me that great pioneer is…"
"It's me. Pavar."
Yuri removed the slime mask and extended his hand.
"A handshake, Pavar."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You and I seem to be the same kind of people."
"What do you mean by the same kind…"
"People who will leave their names in history. Hahaha…"
"Kukukuku…"
The two clasped hands, sharing a knowing laugh only understood by kindred spirits.
"Very well, great special effects technician Pavar. Fit us with slime masks."
"Yes, Your Highness. How would you like your appearances?"
"Do it as you see fit."
"Understood. I am a technician, but also an artist. I shall reveal the other faces hidden within your souls."
And so, the four of them received new faces through Pavar's skill.
"Guillermo. The stand-ins?"
"Preparations are complete. Shall I send them now?"
"Do it."
Yuri didn't stop at merely changing their faces.
He had arranged for body doubles with similar builds to each of them, to ride their horses back to the capital.
To any outside observer, it would appear as though Yuri's group had returned to the capital after a brief visit to Francaise.
But in truth, they were headed to Yoheim.
"No one will know we've left."
"Your foresight is remarkable."
"One must plan well before acting."
"Still, pulling it off this perfectly isn't easy…"
"Money solves everything."
Pavar, the stand-ins—in the end, it all came down to money.
Yuri grinned.
"From now on, we're different people. We'll play the roles of Yoheim natives, rising in fury after hearing rumors that the nation is in danger."
"Will that be okay?"
"Why not? If it comes to it, we can just fake our deaths."
Mounted on the new horses Guillermo had secured for them, the four departed the city in secret.
***
The 5th Knight Order, having entered the forest, had made no progress and was bogged down.
Then came the unbelievable news that the knight commander had been captured.
The Vice-Commander, taking command, led the order to retreat outside the forest.
"What the hell were those guys?!"
A knight who barely escaped shouted in fury.
"They didn't even cross swords with us. Just fired arrows from hiding, dug traps, those cowardly bastards…"
"Yeah."
"What kind of knights fight like that?!"
"No kidding."
The Vice-Commander gave a half-hearted nod as he sat down on a rock. He was letting the knight's words go in one ear and out the other.
"They're rats with no sense of honor. We should just—"
"That's enough."
"Vice-Commander?"
"Quit the chatter and rest."
The Vice-Commander let out a sigh. With this kind of attitude, it was no wonder they had been bested by Yoheim.
From the beginning, there's no such thing as honor or dishonor in war.
There were few countries in the world that could take on the Empire's knight orders head-on. So Yoheim had simply crafted a strategy that suited their situation—and fought exceptionally well.
"Who would've thought Yoheim could fight like this…"
As far as he knew, Yoheim wasn't particularly clever.
They were a backwater mountain nation that didn't even know how to shoot silent arrows or use traps to harass the enemy.
That's why, when the order came to attack Yoheim, he hadn't felt much pressure.
But now that most of the order was dead, the knight commander had been taken prisoner, and they were being asked to retreat with his life as ransom, the story was very different.
Their next moves would determine the future of the knight order.
"Vice-Commander. Let's go back in, kill every last one of them, and rescue the commander."
"Quiet."
Even if they returned to the forest, there was no clear path forward.
The place was full of traps—misstep even once and it would be like stepping into a den of snakes that would bite you to death.
After a long pause, the Vice-Commander made a decision.
"We wait."
"Sir?"
"We wait for the main force."
"But…"
Because of this, the 5th Knight Order's reputation would be seriously damaged.
But with the commander captured, they had no more honor left to lose.
At this point, preserving their lives was all that mattered.
"If you've got a problem, go back in there and fight alone."
"I…"
"You don't have the guts, do you?"
The knight hesitated.
The Vice-Commander patted his shoulder, stood up from the rock, and looked at the thick forest ahead with a bitter smile.
"What a swamp…"
To get through that forest, they'd either need overwhelming force, or at least twice the enemy's number in troops.
If it were Yalta the Empire's barbarian, or Graham the seasoned general, they might break through just fine.
"We'll get through eventually. No need to rush."
"So we just wait?"
"It won't take long. When the time comes, they'll pay dearly for daring to defy the Empire."
The Vice-Commander grinned as he spoke.
But back with the main force, something was happening that he had never anticipated.
***
"What did you say?"
Graham was bewildered by the soldier's report.
"So you're saying… you got beat up?"
"Yes, sir."
"And your money was taken too?"
"Yes, sir…"
"How?"
"Well, um, this gang of thugs who hate the Imperial Army suddenly appeared and…"
The soldier's face was covered with a massive bruise.
Graham rubbed his forehead.
"What the hell is this…"
An army needs various supplies to wage war.
Since it was impossible to supply everything through logistics alone, Graham had sent soldiers to purchase necessities at fair prices whenever they passed through cities in Yoheim.
The local lords, fearing retaliation, had all agreed to do business.
But this time, the soldiers had returned limping and wounded.
From the looks of them, they wouldn't be fit for combat for a while.
"We didn't even meet the lord. These thugs got to us before we reached the city…"
"…"
Graham could understand the people of Yoheim hating the Imperial Army. But the fact that trained soldiers had come back beaten—that was something he couldn't accept.
He instinctively sensed the arrival of a troublesome enemy.
"Who the hell were these thugs?"
"Well, sir… I was so frustrated I asked a local on the street…"
After hearing the soldier's explanation, Graham was so dumbfounded he couldn't speak.
"Apparently, some straw mat vendor was so enraged by the Empire's invasion that he made a pact of brotherhood with two others in a sweet potato field. The one who beat us up was supposedly the youngest of the three—looked like a bandit, nasty temper, real brute."
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