Okua led his army in retreat.
It was a victory for the Allied Army.
As soon as the battle ended, Ragna summoned each commander to discuss the issues ahead.
Opinions were divided.
One side insisted they had to strike the orcs immediately, while the other said they needed time to reorganize their forces.
"We must attack now,"
Sibylla said.
"We can't give them any more time. Until Okua is dead, there's no time to rest."
Then came opposing opinions.
"We're too exhausted. We need to regroup."
"We need to rest."
And then came opposition to the opposition.
"I agree with the former princess. Just as we're exhausted, the enemy is too. And the plains, after all, are enemy territory. If we give them time, it's the enemy who benefits."
"Okua might be up to something. We should go immediately, Your Highness."
Jonathan of Bursen and Wolf of Liberda voiced their support for Sibylla's view, one after the other.
Aside from the Empire, three of the larger nations supported Sibylla's stance.
Naturally, all eyes turned to Yuri.
"I..."
Sibylla looked at him with unwavering eyes, as if placing her trust in him.
It had been Yuri who first gave chase to the retreating orcs, launching a massacre.
Yuri was the one receiving the full weight of expectations from the three kingdoms pushing for continued battle.
Yuri opened his mouth.
"I believe we should rest."
It was an unexpected statement.
Ragna looked at Yuri with interest.
Even those who had supported taking a break looked surprised.
"Oh..."
Given Yuri's usual tendencies, they had assumed he would be among those calling for an immediate attack.
But he betrayed those expectations and voiced the exact opposite opinion.
No one knew what had brought on this change of heart, but to those needing time to reorganize, it was welcome news.
They were weary from battle.
"As expected of Prince Yuri."
The rest faction praised Yuri's decision.
In contrast, Sibylla, Jonathan, and Wolf looked at Yuri with expressions of disbelief.
Yuri spoke again.
"It seems you misunderstood me."
"Pardon?"
"You just said we should rest..."
Yuri slowly glanced over the faces of the rest faction.
"I meant your lacking brains should rest."
His reversal of tone instantly ruined the mood.
"You're so exhausted you can't think rationally. If you're just going to spout nonsense, don't do it here—go home and rest. Yes, let's rest."
Yuri relished the shock he had thrown into the room as he continued speaking.
"Didn't we run here because we didn't know what kind of black magic Okua might unleash? All he did was scream twice, and we haven't even seen the orcs' main camp. We have no idea what's happening over there, and you want to rest? Just rest forever. Go dig a hole, cross your arms over your chest, and lie down. I'll be the one to cover you with dirt."
"That's going too far."
"It's fine if it is. Saying we should rest now is spitting on the comrades who died in battle. You're tired, so you want to rest? Is that why they sacrificed themselves? We don't have the right to be tired. Not until we've severed Okua's head."
Yuri spoke forcefully.
And he had just as much certainty that they needed to strike Okua immediately.
"My teacher, one of the ten strongest, Moyong Chan, said this,"
He stood at a high point, facing off against Okua, holding the monster at bay.
At a glance, it looked like they were simply glaring at each other, but in truth, an invisible clash was taking place.
The very fact that both of them remained in place meant they were evenly matched.
"Okua is already a monster who has reached the level of the ten strongest."
Everyone fell silent at those words.
If Moyong Chan, one of the ten strongest himself, said so, there was no room for argument.
"I'll settle this,"
Ragna, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke, wearing a satisfied smile.
"There's something I haven't mentioned. I gathered mages to observe Okua's camp. According to them, a sinister energy is rising from there."
Yuri looked at Ragna.
That he waited until after the debate to reveal this meant he wanted to observe how each commander would respond.
What was it he wanted to confirm?
"Best to end this before it's too late."
With that, the meeting ended.
Ragna rose from his seat.
"The orcs have also suffered heavy losses. Aside from the ones that fled yesterday, they'll have no major reinforcements. Let's go and cut off their windpipe. At dawn, we march."
The meeting was over.
The commanders exited Ragna's tent.
As Yuri was about to step outside, Ragna signaled to him with his eyes.
Yuri stopped.
Once everyone else had left, only Ragna and Yuri remained.
"Yuri."
"Yes."
"Don't you have something to say?"
Ragna looked at him from his seat.
Yuri pondered for a moment, then replied.
"Hmm... Good luck?"
"Hahahaha..."
The bonds between them had deepened on the battlefield. There were few on the entire continent who could joke so freely with an Imperial Prince.
Yuri laughed with Ragna and sat back down.
"Are you suspicious of me?"
As he spoke, Yuri glanced around at the now empty seats.
His gaze paused briefly on the spots where the nations who opposed continuing the battle had been, then returned to Ragna's face.
"Could the orcs be using a divide-and-conquer tactic?"
"They could be,"
He said.
"Yuri."
"Yes."
Ragna stood up and approached Yuri.
"How do I seem to you as a person?"
"You're a great Imperial Prince."
"That's true, but..."
He chuckled, then sat on the table right next to Yuri.
"To be specific—do I seem rational, or emotional?"
"Both."
"Do you think I have good judgment when it comes to people?"
"Of course. Your insight into people is unmatched."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because you favor me."
Ragna burst into laughter again.
Then he roughly tousled Yuri's hair.
"If you had been born in the Empire, that would've been ideal. Yuri, I'll arrange it—marry Ekaterina. You'll have imperial blood and the most beautiful woman on the continent."
"Marriage requires mutual affection. I don't think the princess has any interest in me."
"If Ekaterina wants it, would you agree?"
"I have a girlfriend."
"I don't believe you."
"Pardon?"
"Well, whatever."
Ragna pulled something from his pocket. It was a necklace with a blue gem—clearly an expensive magic stone.
As he muttered something, a magical wave spread out.
Yuri sensed that both inside and outside sound had been completely cut off.
"What I'm about to say—you must keep it secret, to the end."
"Yes."
"Even though you're not from the Empire, I feel like a fool for telling you this, but I've decided to act on my instincts."
Ragna sighed and spoke.
"There's someone inside the Empire who uses black magic."
Yuri looked up.
It was an unexpected revelation.
And one filled with many implications.
"Who it is, I still don't know. I found traces of them even before the Allied Army was deployed."
"Then the Allied Army from the beginning was..."
"It could have been a trap."
Ragna grinned.
"But I didn't avoid it. Whatever schemes there were, the orcs still had to be struck down. I wasn't even sure whether there was a connection between the Empire and the orcs' black magic."
"Do you think there's a traitor within the Allied Army?"
"I have my suspicions, but no certainty. There's no time to root them out."
Yuri nodded.
He felt like he now understood why Ragna had called him.
"I'll keep an eye on them."
"Good."
It was something Ragna couldn't do alone. It wasn't suitable to entrust to an Imperial knight who would be acting alongside him.
That's why he was entrusting it to Yuri.
"Yuri."
"Yes."
"When the war ends, come visit the Empire."
Yuri smiled.
"I'll do that."
***
Morning came.
The Allied Army began to march. The orcs' main camp wasn't far.
Once they reached the edge of a gentle ridge, the orc camp spread out before them in the distance.
"They've prepared well,"
Raymond said.
"This won't be easy."
Yuri looked back.
The number of knights had clearly decreased. Fatigue and stress had hardened everyone's faces.
Yuri's eyes landed on Simon and Guinness.
Among the three knights—Simon, Guinness, and Dyke—who had always moved together, Dyke had died.
The two young knights wore dark expressions.
It was something all who walked the path of a knight would experience one day.
"We'll kill Okua."
Yuri's voice rang through the ranks.
"Those who went ahead didn't die in vain. We will make it so."
There were no cheers filled with morale like before. Instead, a somber killing intent spread through the entire unit.
Yuri turned his eyes forward again.
The orc army had built makeshift barricades and walls. It was likely the work of human captives.
What gruesome sights might lie beyond those walls—even Yuri, who had lived through a past life, couldn't guess.
Soon, orders came down from the Empire.
The Allied Army began to slowly descend the ridge. There was no ambush from the orcs. They too were preparing for the final clash.
"Ernando."
"Yes, Prince."
"Do you feel any black magic?"
"I can't say for sure."
Yuri glanced at Cory, who stood beside Ernando.
Originally sent by Jaime as a translator for orcish, he was now Ernando's apprentice.
A half-orc mage—he would likely face a harsh life.
"If the dispel breaks, cast your magic immediately."
"Understood."
"And Master?"
"Great Swordsman Moyong Chan is doing energy circulation."
"Energy circulation?"
"You know, sitting and managing mana. They call it energy circulation in the East."
Moyong Chan also seemed to be preparing for the final battle.
Okua, though seen only from afar, was a monstrous being.
He didn't even seem like an orc.
"Right."
All necessary preparations had already been made. The soldiers had been instructed on what to do.
What remained was each one's resolve, and war.
The Allied Army's expedition was now heading toward its final moment.
Yuri moved to the very front of the ranks and turned his horse to face the rear.
"This is the last!"
Countless eyes looked to Yuri. Among those gazes, he felt as if he saw the faces of those who were no longer here.
Yuri took a brief breath, then spoke again.
"I've got nothing more to say!"
The troops of Briol let out quiet chuckles.
Yuri laughed with them, then said again,
"Let's live to see each other again! Drinks are on me!"
A light cheer broke out.
Yuri turned his gaze forward once more.
There was movement within Okua's camp in the distance. They were preparing their defenses too.
There was no time to catch their breath.
The sound of a war horn soon rang out, signaling the start of the battle. The entire Allied Army formed into their pre-arranged formations and began advancing.
In this battle, Briol was not in the vanguard.
It was the opposite.
Their role was to wait until the very end and charge in unexpectedly.
The Allied Army gradually entered the orcs' range.
Arrows came flying.
The knights blocked them, but some soldiers were struck and fell.
Blood pooled on the ground, and hurried footsteps trampled over corpses. The blood of comrades stained their boots.
Yuri watched the scene unfold from the rear.
Briol advanced slowly.
"Uuaaaaah!"
Shouts and screams echoed.
The knight order that clashed with the orc camp unleashed sword aura, and the orc warriors charged to counter it. A head, belonging to someone unknown, flew through the sky.
Yuri kept his eyes on the battlefield to the very end.
Then, he spotted a certain point.
"Everyone, ready."
There was a spot where the orc troops had thinned somewhat while fighting the Allied Army.
Yuri crouched low and waited for the battle there to grow even fiercer.
One of the soldiers fighting at that position let out a cry.
That was the kind of sound heard on the battlefield.
The time had come.
"Briol!"
Yuri shouted as he spurred his horse forward.
At that signal, Briol's knight order abruptly changed direction, broke away from the main force, and began charging forward at full speed.
"Prince!"
Before he knew it, Laurent had come up beside him.
His horsemanship had improved.
"I'm glad I could keep my promise for the final battle."
Laurent had promised to ride with him at the front in the final charge—and he had kept that promise.
"Jared's still lagging behind."
"I never made that promise!"
A bit behind them, Jared followed. Behind him, the knights all pushed their horses forward as if unwilling to be outdone.
The speed was incredible.
"Briol is breaking through!"
As they appeared, the Allied Army troops who had been fighting ahead shifted to the sides.
But those who had been held by the orcs didn't see Briol's breakthrough.
"Everyone get back!"
Suddenly, Yuri locked eyes with an orc warrior who stood holding a skewered soldier.
He drew the lance mounted on his horse.
The orc warrior shouted something, but it was inaudible.
Yuri's lance pierced both the corpse of the dead soldier and the orc warrior's body, lifting them into the air.
Flesh scattered, and the fluids pouring from the wounds rained down like a shower.
A single drop of the fluid clung to Yuri's cheek and slid down.
As he continued stabbing and killing orcs, Yuri suddenly became curious.
Was it blood, sweat, or tears?
[T/L: Read more chapters on Ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]