"They say the Allied Army is wildly popular across the continent these days."
A fellow knight said.
Froin, who was polishing his sword, tilted his head.
"How so?"
"Because they keep winning."
"How would people on the continent even know that?"
At that, the fellow knight looked at Froin as if dumbfounded.
"Have you never used a communication crystal orb?"
"No…"
Froin frowned.
"We've come so far out, and that thing still connects?"
A pair of communication crystal orbs could exchange messages over long distances, but there were limitations. Just crossing a couple of borders was enough to sever the connection.
The fellow knight sighed.
"This is why people say to send your words to Briol, and your men to the Empire. The Empire developed long-distance communication crystal orbs ages ago. Don't tell me you didn't know that?"
"Seriously?"
"The Empire's been reporting through them the whole time."
"They have?"
Froin's eyes widened.
"Where can I buy one?"
"They don't sell them. Even if they did, we couldn't use them. They require a massive amount of magic crystals. They say the receiver in the Empire is this big."
"Really? Then I guess asking the Empire to lend me one is out of the question?"
The fellow knight smirked.
"You want to contact your fiancée or something?"
"W-what are you talking about."
Froin shook his head, his face turning slightly red. The fellow knight patted his shoulder.
"Of course you can't. And even if you could, the communication links directly to the Empire's Ministry of Magic, so it'd be useless."
"I see. I was just saying. For the record, it's not my fiancée—I'm just worried about the state of my territory…"
"Got it."
"I'm serious."
"I said I got it."
Froin had gotten engaged before joining the Allied Army. He had declared that he would propose once the war was over.
The fellow knight said,
"Anyway, thanks to the information spreading like that, the Allied Army's popularity has skyrocketed. When we get back, some lady might even pin a flower on you."
"Did you come to the Allied Army hoping for something like that? A knight should fight without expecting compensation."
"Oh, here comes the true knight."
"That's the Bursen way."
"Don't start with that. Go spout that in some other country."
"I don't care for such things. That's…"
"I'm not saying 'Bursen'."
"Seems you've lost the Bursen spirit."
Just then, a group of knights clad in black armor rode past the Bursen camp.
"Is it more Orcs?"
"Seems like it."
Ragna, who had previously been tasked with reconnaissance in Briol, had dispatched Imperial knights ahead of a battle with Okua.
They always returned with dark red blood splattered over their black armor.
"Were they hiding their true strength this whole time?"
That was how destructive the Imperial knights were—they prompted such talk.
Just as the Orcs suddenly brought out some unidentified monsters, the Empire had revealed its full force.
With the final battle approaching, both sides struck at each other without hiding their cards.
"How long are they going to keep this standoff going…"
"Not much longer now."
For several days, the Orcs and the Allied Army had only watched each other's flags from across the horizon.
Occasional clashes occurred, but they were mere skirmishes.
"Now that the prince of Briol has awakened, things should get moving soon."
"You think the Empire waited just because of that kid?"
"Kid? Watch your mouth. Have you forgotten what the Third Prince has done?"
Froin, who was close to Yuri, chastised his tone. The fellow knight scratched his head.
"I mean, yeah, but…"
"If he hadn't taken out the Ancient Wyrm, we wouldn't be resting like this right now."
The monster that had harassed the Allied Army with tunnels in the last battle was called an Ancient Wyrm.
The Empire's library had records of it. It was said to be a long-extinct ancient creature.
Back then, Yuri had suddenly leapt into a horde of Orcs and shredded the Ancient Wyrm to pieces with a mana explosion—a feat that left an indescribable impression on the knights of the Allied Army.
A mere eighteen-year-old royal had thrown himself into enemy lines, disregarding his own safety.
If that didn't stir something in a knight, he wasn't a real knight.
"Right. But how did he know there was a monster underground?"
"Instinct, probably."
"Instinct?"
"That prince could do it. He's a genius, after all."
"Well, you did spar with him a few times…"
"Speaking of which, I should go pay my respects. Want to come?"
Froin sheathed his sword and stood up.
The fellow knight shook his head.
"I'm good."
"You'll regret it."
"I'd rather just rest."
Froin walked off on his own.
When he arrived at the Briol camp, the soldiers recognized him and greeted him. Over time, the Allied Army had shared enough assistance that many had come to know each other's faces.
Come to think of it, that in itself was unusual.
It wasn't often that troops from various nations became friendly in a coalition force.
Suddenly, the sound of a pig being slaughtered echoed nearby.
"YAAAAAH!"
"Not like that."
"HAAAH!"
"That's still not enough."
"Die! Just die already!"
"That's too much…"
Briol's Laurent was swinging a wooden sword with a fellow knight around his age.
There was a clear gap between them—Laurent was obviously instructing him.
"That must be that guy… Steng or whatever…"
Yuri had once mentioned entrusting that noble brat from Liberda—Steng or Sven or something—to Laurent.
It was quite curious.
Coming to Briol's camp meant meeting people from all sorts of countries. Knights, normally too prideful to step outside their own lines, came and went in Briol as if it were nothing.
Even he, Froin, was thinking like that—wasn't he a knight of Bursen?
"Hahaha! Such spirit, Sir Sven!"
The one observing Laurent's training was a huge knight.
Froin pretended not to see him and walked past.
Jose had practically moved into Briol's camp recently.
"Sir Froin."
"Ah, greetings, Sir Raymond."
Raymond was an experienced and wise knight. When Yuri wasn't present, he took command of the forces.
"Here to see the prince?"
"Yes."
"He's got a guest right now, so you might have to wait a bit."
"Of course. How is His Highness?"
"Hahaha, perfectly healthy. Not a thing wrong."
"That's a relief."
Froin stopped in front of Yuri's tent with Raymond.
Several knights in white armor stood outside the tent—they were from the Holy Kingdom's Holy Knight Order.
Even those prideful bastards had come to Briol's camp. It made you wonder just what the prince of Briol had been up to.
"What are they here for?"
"Who knows."
The Holy Knights gave Froin a strange look when they saw him.
As expected, unpleasant bastards.
Froin didn't avoid their gaze and stared right back.
A one-against-many staring contest unfolded.
Raymond simply laughed beside him.
Soon, the tent flap opened and Yuri stepped out with one of the Holy Knights.
"Oh, Froin?"
"Greetings, Your Highness. I came to offer my regards, hearing you had awakened."
"As expected of a Bursen knight—loyal to the end."
"When you say 'loyal,' you say Bursen!"
Froin smiled as he looked at the man who came out with Yuri.
It was Fenek, the paladin leading the Holy Knight Order. He always strutted around with his chin raised in arrogance, but in front of Yuri, his attitude was polite.
"Your Highness. I'll be taking my leave. Thank you for your response."
"Come on, no need to thank me for that."
"Personally, I hope it becomes more than a contract—I hope it becomes sincere."
"Not happening, so don't get your hopes up."
"Hahahaha…"
Even laughed like he was trying to sound bold.
Fenek, who always rolled his eyes with that arrogant expression, acting like this? Froin hadn't expected it.
"It seems another guest has arrived, so we'll take our leave now."
"Alright. Thank you for visiting."
"Not at all. Please take care of your health until then."
"If we meet on the battlefield, let's help each other."
"Of course."
Fenek bowed his head, then turned around and led the Holy Knight Order away in a clatter.
On the way, he met eyes with Froin. His face instantly stiffened, and he scanned him with a gaze like he was looking at something beneath him, then passed by.
Froin let out a dry chuckle.
"Your Highness, what exactly did you do to make that arrogant bastard act like that?"
"Sir Fenek was rather arrogant."
"So you do know."
"I saved his life once when he was about to die, and he's been polite since. Sir Froin, you should try saving his life once."
"Pardon?"
Yuri smiled as he watched the Holy Knight Order walk away.
"He's a good guy deep down."
"Huh…"
Froin shook his head. As always, being around the prince of Briol made his sense of reality feel shaken.
"Anyway, I came to greet you after hearing you'd awakened."
"Thank you."
"I saw it back then. After the mana explosion, you even used sword aura."
"I got lucky. It's not something I can really use in a real battle yet."
"Still."
Yuri was only eighteen.
Even Laurent, who had dominated swordsmanship tournaments and was famed as a knight to lead the next generation, was in his twenties. But Yuri, at this age, had already achieved this much.
If it weren't for the Allied Army, no one would have known such a monster existed.
"When the Allied Army is disbanded…"
Froin looked at Yuri and said,
"May I visit Briol?"
Yuri burst into laughter.
"Of course, anytime."
"I'll bring my fiancée as well. By then, she'll probably be my wife."
"Anyone who's family to a friend of mine is always welcome."
"Friend… That's too generous a word."
At the word "friend," Froin looked at him in disbelief. Yuri gave a bright smile.
"If someone who watches your back on the battlefield isn't a friend, then who is?"
"Haha…"
Froin had once met the prince of Bursen.
He was nothing like Yuri. He treated the knight order like toy soldiers. There was not a shred of human connection.
The difference was like night and day.
If that prince had come to the Allied Army, it would've been a sight to see. Froin probably wouldn't have been able to lift his head from shame, being from Bursen.
Froin found himself envying the knights of Briol.
"Sir Froin, so don't die. Make sure you survive."
"Of course. I must return alive and to my fiancée…"
"Wait!"
Yuri quickly covered Froin's mouth.
"You weren't seriously about to say you'd propose once you return, were you?"
"Of course I…"
"Hold it in, hold it in."
"What's the matter?"
"It's just… I have a feeling if you say that, something bad will happen to you."
"What do you mean?"
"Sir Froin, you're just like that friend Rodine. You don't watch plays, do you?"
"No."
"Watch one with your wife someday. See what happens to the character who says that line."
"I will."
He didn't know why, but nodded for now.
"So, would you like to meet my master?"
"Your master…?"
"Moyong Chan."
Yuri said the name of his master without hesitation.
"Ah, Moyong Chan is your master?"
"It just sort of happened that way."
Froin was once again surprised.
He knew Yuri had brought Moyong Chan into the Allied Army. But to go beyond that, to take an Outsider from the East—even if he was one of the ten strongest—and make him his master… It was a bold choice.
It already made Froin curious about what path this prince might walk in the future.
"Didn't we duel like men of the sea before? Want me to arrange another match?"
"No, thank you."
Froin shook his head.
"My sword wasn't the sea—it was a stream. I still have a long way to go before I reach the mouth. I'll challenge Moyong Chan again when that day comes."
"Alright. That sounds good."
The two of them walked together.
Near the barracks, the knights of Briol were training.
They weren't using real swords, but the exchange of strikes was sharp enough to resemble a real battle.
With the final fight approaching, they were honing their combat instincts to their peak.
Seeing that, Froin felt a rising tension.
He smiled.
"I'm glad I joined the Allied Army."
"Right?"
Yuri quietly watched Froin.
A promising knight.
But in his past life, Yuri had never heard that name. Jonathan and Jose had been famous, but Froin—this was the first time.
He had probably died in the Allied Army.
"Froin. The Allied Army will win."
It was both a promise and a declaration.
The Allied Army, which had originally failed, would be corrected.
And through that, a knight named Froin would exist in the future.
"When the war ends, let's all toast together."
"Of course."
"If you skip out, I won't forgive you."
"Same to you, Your Highness."
Yuri thought about what would come after the Allied Army.
He had made connections not only with the Empire's Commander Ragna, but also with powerful kingdoms like the Holy Kingdom, Bursen, and Liberda.
In addition, he had formed ties large and small with minor kingdoms and city-states.
These connections themselves would become a powerful force in checking the Empire in the future.
Yuri was confident.
Though it was the Empire that had begun the Orc subjugation, the one who had gained the most unity through it was Briol.
"Froin."
"Yes."
"I'm in a good mood. If you're ever in danger, I'll come save you once."
"Likewise. If you're in danger, I'll come for you too."
"Let's see who ends up owing whom first."
[T/L: Read more chapters on Ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]