Yuri hired the architects of Briol and had them oversee the operation.
Instructors wearing red caps followed around, shouting at the knights.
They rapidly constructed the training facilities.
At first, there was little in the way of real combat training. It was mostly rigorous drills meant to reshape their mental state.
However, as the spirit of Briol gradually took root in Yoheim, the training began to change.
"Instructor No. 3, what exactly is the spirit of Briol?"
"Can't you see for yourself, Instructor No. 2?"
"No way..."
"That 'no way' is exactly right."
"Is it all about grit and guts?"
"Train like it's real combat, treat real combat like training."
"Excuse me?"
"Excuse me?"
Instructor No. 2 (Gonte) and Instructor No. 3 (Ena) looked at each other.
"What do you mean, grit and guts?"
"Apologies."
"Don't start thinking weird things. Briol doesn't rely on that outdated mental philosophy nonsense…"
Just then, Instructor No. 1 (Yuri), who was drilling the Owls, shouted out,
"It's all about grit and guts! That's Briol! And now, it's Yoheim! Got it?"
Upon hearing that, Instructor No. 2 looked at Instructor No. 3. Instructor No. 3 cleared her throat.
"Ahem, well, every instructor has their own interpretation."
"Yes."
In any case, the training quickly found its footing.
Now, the knights of Yoheim were up atop tall wooden structures, leaning over railings and screaming into the fear of falling.
Standing beside them, Instructor No. 1 shouted,
"Owl No. 57, got a lover?!"
"Yes, I do!"
"How old is your lover?!"
"She, she's seventeen!"
"What?"
Murmurs erupted from all around.
Even the instructor was so taken aback he nearly kicked the guy, but barely held himself back.
"You crazy… How old are you, Owl No. 57?!"
"I, I'm seventeen too!"
"Huh?"
Turns out, they were the same age. Yuri lowered his foot and checked the boy's appearance. His misunderstanding hadn't been that unreasonable.
Yuri offered him a piece of advice.
"After training, be sure to use sunscreen. Got it?!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Jump! Owl No. 57! Emergency!"
"Emergency!"
With the shout of "emergency," Owl No. 57 rose up and launched himself off the railing into the air.
At a glance, it looked like he was simply leaping to his death.
But below the structure, three thick ropes stretched out in a crisscrossed pattern at intervals.
Owl No. 57 grabbed the first rope and held on, then reached for the next, and then the next. In the end, he managed to cling to the last rope without touching the ground.
Below him was a puddle filled with muddy water.
Any knight who failed the acrobatics would fall there and suffer the humiliation of becoming a soaked rat.
"Excellent!"
Owl No. 57 groaned as he made his way along the last rope, escaping the puddle safely.
If they were to someday conduct guerrilla warfare against the Empire's military, they would need to move deftly along the trees.
Once this training was complete, arrows that no one would know the origin of would rain down and fill the Empire with terror.
"Next! Owl No. 58!"
"Yes!"
"Got a lover?!"
"No, I don't!"
"Emergency!"
"Emergency!"
"Not that kind of emergency!"
"Waaaaaah!"
The training was a success.
Yuri checked the notebook in his hand. Once the aerial acrobatics course ended, they would begin full-fledged combat training.
"Archery, huh…"
Knights didn't particularly like bows.
Even if they imbued arrows with mana before shooting, the mana would inevitably dissipate while flying through the air.
So, it lacked the power to seriously wound a knight of the same level.
But Yuri, drawing on his experience from a previous life, had managed to recruit a great master who had killed countless knights with arrows.
Though currently unknown, when the entire continent would be engulfed in war, his secret archery would become a thing of terror.
The Shadow Arrow, Murray.
To kill a person, overwhelming power isn't necessary.
If the impact is enough for a sharp iron tip to pierce flesh, it's enough to cut off someone's breath.
So what matters isn't power.
It's whether you can strike a vital point.
Murray's arrows made no sound, left no presence.
Countless knights had their throats pierced without ever being able to react.
"After this round of training ends, Instructor No. 4 will be the one teaching you. If you get even a little cocky, you won't be Owls, you'll be dogs. Understood?!"
"Yes!"
Normally, it would be unthinkable to gain access to such a secret technique.
But Murray was still just an obscure hunter.
He had no idea how powerful his archery would be in mountain warfare. He was simply focused on hunting beasts.
So when Yuri approached him and offered a lifelong contract, along with guaranteed retirement benefits, he readily chose to bury his bones in Briol.
He was now a government official.
He would write his history in Briol's Forestry Department.
"Instructors No. 5 and 6 still not here?"
"They're on their way, I'm told."
"I see."
Yuri crossed his arms as he descended from the structure. Yoheim's knights still weren't enough to be called elite guerrilla troops.
They still had much to learn—trap setting and disarming, ambush and tracking techniques, survival skills in the wild, and more.
"Instructor No. 1."
Instructor No. 2, Gonte, came over to Yuri.
"It may be late to say this, but thank you."
"What's this about?"
"Look into their eyes."
He pointed to the knights of Yoheim, their eyes bloodshot. Though the training hadn't gone on for long, a sharp glint was already flashing in their gaze.
"Isn't that what real knights should look like?"
To be honest, Yuri thought they had grown into something more—or perhaps less—than knights. But since Gonte looked pleased, it was a relief.
Yuri nodded and replied,
"Your words, Instructor No. 2, bring me joy."
"Meeting the prince—no, meeting you, Instructor No. 1, in the Allied Army… I think it was destiny. For the future of Yoheim. Perhaps fate itself?"
Yuri smirked.
"This is just the beginning. Too soon to celebrate."
"Yes, I understand."
"Shall we continue drilling the Owls?"
"Yes."
Far off in the distance, Instructor No. 3 was already drilling the Owls. She almost never let them rest. If anything, she was a real devil among the instructors.
"Instructor No. 3 is scary even to me."
"She does it on purpose."
"Sir?"
"Instructor No. 2. You have to play the role of the nice instructor."
"What the…"
"Our training here may be over, but you'll have to lead them when you return to Yoheim. So leave the bad guy role to us."
"Such deep meaning…"
Of course, Instructor No. 3 was just acting on her own whims, but Yuri gave it a nice spin for her sake.
"Understood."
Yuri looked up at the sky.
The sun, which had been high in the sky, was gradually leaning westward.
Thus, another day at the guerrilla training ground was passing.
With a subdued expression, Yuri gazed into the distant sky.
A day passing meant that tomorrow was approaching.
Time flowed swiftly.
At the end of it, an unavoidable war awaited him.
In his heart, he wanted to storm the imperial palace and slay the fiends who used black magic, but that was impossible.
All he could do now was make thorough preparations and wait for Ernando or Asana to bring good news.
Yuri let out a sigh.
"If only something unexpectedly good would happen."
***
Since the orcs were eradicated, Balshad had enjoyed peace.
In the past, people feared orc raids so much they rarely ventured outside the city, but now, only scattered remnants of orcs remained, wandering aimlessly.
The residents of Balshad expanded their farmlands and increased trade.
It also became common for unfamiliar outsiders to come and go from the city.
Because of that, even when people approached the city, the guards weren't surprised.
"Hold up."
Two guards were stationed at an outpost outside Balshad's castle walls.
One of them, who had been peering at the horizon through a telescope, tapped his colleague on the shoulder.
"Over there."
"Huh?"
"Someone's coming."
"So what?"
He was sitting in a chair, reading a magazine.
It was Nights of the Imperial Capital, imported from the Empire.
Magazines from the Empire, which led continental trends, were popular even among non-imperials.
"I said someone's coming."
"So what? That happens every day now."
"They're coming from that direction."
"What direction?"
"The east."
Balshad was located on the eastern edge of the continent.
So all exchanges and travel usually occurred via the west.
The east, being the former territory of orcs, had nothing but wastelands.
"Huh?"
Only then did the colleague, who had been flipping through the magazine, get up.
"There are people coming from the east."
"What, maybe they're locals looking for farmland?"
"They're not dressed like that."
"Then?"
"They look like people who've been wandering for a very long time."
"Really?"
"And they're wearing clothes I've never seen before."
"Clothes you've never seen?"
"You know, something like…"
He picked the telescope back up and said,
"If people from the Eastern Continent were to come, wouldn't they look like that?"
"What?"
His colleague took the telescope and looked toward the horizon.
In the distance, a group of people was approaching with several wagons.
Their attire was truly unfamiliar.
Wearing billowing garments and riding on horseback, they were clearly not ordinary continental folk.
"Should we report this to the lord?"
"I heard she's really busy these days…"
The duchess who governed Balshad, Mariloz, had rarely left her underground workshop lately due to some ongoing research.
As a result, most affairs were handled by the chief steward who acted on her behalf.
"Let's report it anyway."
"Alright."
"I'll go."
He quickly left the outpost and rode toward Balshad.
Left alone, the remaining guard watched the unknown group through the telescope and swallowed hard.
Every single one of them had a sword at their waist.
There were rumors that Easterners were exceptionally skilled in martial arts.
If that was true, it might require Mariloz herself to step in.
If she activated Balshad's magic defense formation, no one could breach it.
"Why aren't they stopping?"
The mysterious group moved quickly, and there was still no word from his colleague.
Before he knew it, they had approached close to the outpost.
He clenched his fists.
He had to carry out his duty.
Trying not to tremble, he descended the outpost stairs with an air of false confidence. He lifted his chin and greeted the visitors.
They exchanged some silent glances, then one stepped forward.
The guard spoke.
"Who are you? You must identify yourselves to approach Balshad."
The one who stepped forward replied,
"We'd like to rest in Balshad for a day."
Wearing a red cap and a cloth over their face, only their eyes were visible.
Their gender was unclear, but the voice was that of a woman.
"We're a merchant group."
"A merchant group? Ha…"
The guard scoffed. But inwardly, he felt a chill run down his spine.
If they were lying about their identity, then they were definitely suspicious.
Gripping his sword, he stammered,
"M-Merchant group? You should be coming from the direction of the city.
What merchant group comes out of an empty wasteland? Do you think I'm a fool?"
"There are cities in the east too."
"What?"
The woman pulled down the cloth covering her face.
The guard was a bit taken aback.
A radiant beauty with sun-kissed skin was revealed.
With a bright smile, she said,
"We've been on a trade journey. Can't you see our goods?"
"Then, just which city did you come from…"
"We stopped by so many that I can't remember…"
She turned to look behind her.
Then, one of her silent companions finally spoke up.
"The place we traded the most with was Sacheon."
"Right, Sacheon."
"Sacheon? What's that?"
"You probably don't know it. It's a city in the Eastern Continent."
"Eastern Continent?"
Only then did the guard notice the flag fluttering in the wind.
He hadn't recognized it at first, but in small letters on the bottom corner, something was written.
Rein Company.
The very merchant group known throughout the continent.
With a refreshing smile, she said,
"I'm Rein Wood of Rein Company, and these are my companions. We've just opened trade with the Eastern Continent."
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