Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: 73. White Bird (1)
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The imperial army was drawing ever closer.
Reports on their main force kept pouring into the palace. Their numbers were vast, and the caliber of their knight orders was formidable.
But Brioll had no intention of yielding even a single city.
The Brioll forces decided to meet the enemy at the fortress on the border.
All the kingdom's prominent knights were set to deploy.
Yuri, Rolang, and Jared were no exceptions.
"Haa... haa..."
As the sun dipped toward the horizon that evening, Rolang swung his sword alone in the training grounds.
"Damn it..."
He spat out a curse uncharacteristic of him and slumped to the ground.
Rolang was growing impatient.
He had witnessed Yuri's dazzling growth firsthand.
Back when they first faced the Allied Forces, when he'd knelt on one knee to pledge his respect to Yuri, the gap between them hadn't been this wide.
Yuri had been strong, but Rolang believed that with persistent effort, he could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
But that hadn't happened.
Now, he was nothing more than dead weight.
Perhaps, for Yuri's sake, he shouldn't fight alongside him anymore. That thought filled Rolang with unease.
Rolang muttered to himself.
"This isn't enough."
He gripped his sword tightly.
"I can't be a burden. Not to His Highness anymore..."
When they'd clashed with the Empire's 9th Knight Order, he'd been utterly useless.
While blinded by the Noble Feast Grand Law, Yuri had taken on all those knights single-handedly.
The reason was clear: it had been better for him to act alone. And that judgment had proven right. Yuri had even slain the 9th Knight Order's commander by himself.
The distance between them was too vast.
Rolang ground his teeth.
He recalled the first time he'd heard about the third prince from his father, Rian Flandre.
Georg, the imperial prince.
An opponent who could make anyone step back.
Even the kings of lesser nations would bow first.
But the third prince hadn't.
He'd thrown himself into a duel trial staking his life—for a mere maid, no less.
That story had lodged deep in his heart.
Someday, he wanted to meet him.
And when that day came, he wanted to stand by his side as the strongest knight of all.
When he heard that the Allied Forces had formed and he'd be serving alongside him, he'd been so excited he could hardly sleep—like a child whose dream had come true.
That was when he met the third prince.
Being younger, Rolang had thought there might be some shortcomings he could address. He wanted to fill in any gaps himself.
But no.
The third prince was far more remarkable than he'd dared hope.
He ate the same rations as the soldiers and slept in the same tents.
He charged into battle first and withdrew last.
In even the harshest wars, he never hid in the rear.
He stood at the vanguard, taking the enemy's blows, always showing his back to his allies.
In a world overflowing with hollow nobles and false knights, how noble was a royal who upheld a duty no one else bothered with?
Rolang had made his resolve.
He would fight for him his entire life.
That determination hadn't faded in the slightest. But a new problem had arisen.
He was becoming a hindrance to the prince instead.
That realization tormented him unbearably.
He'd been called a genius with the sword, unmatched among his peers, yet the third prince had left even him far behind.
A genius beyond all common sense.
"Hoo... damn it..."
Rolang rose to his feet again and resumed swinging his sword.
His blade cleaved the air repeatedly.
Unusually for him, his sword path was erratic and rough.
Then, a voice approached.
"You seem lost in thought."
Rolang turned his head and immediately bowed in respect.
"Ah, greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
It was Cedric.
As always, he wore his glasses and a gentle smile.
"Your sword tip's wavering. Something on your mind?"
"No, it's just..."
Cedric approached the hesitating Rolang. As he drew near, the air around them seemed to warm.
Cedric smiled faintly.
"It's been ages since I last held a sword, but I know a thing or two."
He picked up a spare sword Rolang had set aside and swung it through the air.
Rolang marveled at the clean trajectory.
"Impressive, Your Highness."
"This is nothing."
The third prince had always described his eldest brother as a genius blessed with talents in both scholarship and martial arts.
Rolang had wondered if brotherly affection was inflating the praise, but it wasn't exaggeration.
Even though Cedric hadn't touched a sword in years, a single practice swing revealed his profound skill. It seemed he could match Rolang, who'd devoted his life to the blade.
"What do you think?"
As Cedric turned with a smile, his face oddly overlapped with the third prince's in Rolang's mind.
They were brothers, after all, so it made sense.
Yet Cedric exuded an even warmer aura than Yuri.
Rolang answered without thinking.
"You're incredible."
"Nah, you're better."
"I'm a knight—that's my job. But Your Highness the Crown Prince..."
"Just a bespectacled bookworm?"
"No, not at all. That's not what I—"
"I'm kidding."
Cedric laughed. Suddenly, Rolang understood why the third prince admired his eldest brother so much.
"Is it Yuri making you anxious?"
"Well..."
Cedric approached, still holding the sword, and sat beside Rolang.
"You want to follow him, but the gap's widening too fast, right?"
"Mm..."
"I get it."
Rolang looked at him.
"Everyone feels that way."
Cedric said, gazing up at the sky. Sunlight glinted off his glasses.
Rolang asked,
"Do you feel that way too, Your Highness?"
"Me?"
Cedric gave an ambiguous smile.
"Rolang, why do you follow Yuri so faithfully?"
"Why, you ask?"
Rolang tilted his head.
"Hard to put into words. I was drawn to him from the moment we met. Actually, even before that—from the stories about the third prince. It just... happened."
"Some human magnetism?"
"Yes, exactly. And it's not just me. Anyone who's been with His Highness must feel the same."
No sooner had he spoken than Rolang regretted it.
Praising Yuri's popularity in front of Cedric, who would one day be king, felt imprudent, no matter their brotherly bond.
But Cedric nodded as if unconcerned.
"Yeah, that's my little brother for you."
"Yes..."
"You trust Yuri completely, don't you, Rolang?"
"Yes, I do."
"Will you follow him to the end?"
"Of course."
"No matter what?"
"Yes."
Rolang nodded firmly.
That day, before the orc battle, after hearing his true feelings, Rolang had vowed his full loyalty.
Cedric laughed aloud.
"That's admirable. Keep it up."
"Thank you."
"But... can you really?"
"Pardon?"
Rolang looked at Cedric.
For a fleeting moment, an alien sensation passed through him. But he couldn't pinpoint it.
"Rolang."
"Yes."
"People like you are rare."
The reflection in Cedric's glasses hid his eyes, and Rolang noticed the voice had grown cooler.
"Ever heard of the white bird?"
"Yes."
"Beautiful white feathers. But an unlucky creature. Too pretty for its own good—people stuffed and sold them until it was nearly extinct. You hardly see them in the wild anymore."
"I see."
"Meanwhile, drab birds multiply freely. Pigeons are so plentiful now, their droppings overrun the palace square."
"Haha..."
"Sure, the white bird's lovely, but a bird's a bird. Even if it goes extinct."
What was he getting at? Clever people always had a way with words—Rolang struggled to keep up.
Cedric stood.
"Anyway, that's enough. I like your effort, your loyalty to Yuri—it's all good."
"Thank you."
"But it won't work. Falling behind is inevitable."
"Pardon?"
"Franchese is beautiful, by the way."
With that, Cedric set down the sword and smiled.
Rolang stared blankly.
Cedric turned to leave.
Roland bowed toward his back, dazed.
"Ah, farewell, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Cedric paused abruptly.
"Rolang."
"Yes."
He glanced back casually.
"Some things just aren't meant to be, right?"
With those words, he walked away.
Hearing that final line, chills ran down Rolang's spine.
No emotion emanated from him. It felt like conversing with something human in form but not in essence.
He felt bewitched.
Kind words wrapped as advice, yet strangely off-kilter.
"What the..."
He recalled Yuri boasting proudly about his eldest brother.
Everyone who knew Cedric praised his character endlessly.
Rolang had thought so too, at the start of their talk.
But as it went on, something didn't add up.
Rolang shook his head.
"Just my imagination."
Yes, a misunderstanding. Cedric meant to encourage him, but he'd taken it wrong.
That's what Rolang decided.
"Huh..."
But when he picked up the practice sword Cedric had used, he recoiled in shock.
The edge was chipped and dulled, as if ground down by something.
It looked fine superficially, but it was no longer a proper sword.
How could a few air swings ruin it like this?
Rolang stared in the direction Cedric had gone.
But he was out of sight.
Left alone, Rolang stood frozen, engulfed in an inexplicable dread. He tried to shake it off, but it lingered.
Suddenly, Cedric's voice echoed in his ears.
'Franchese is beautiful, by the way.'
Rolang shook his head.
Just imagination.
Yet his hand, holding the ruined sword, trembled faintly for reasons he couldn't fathom.
Yuri led the army toward the border.
They planned to stop at Franchese en route and link up with the Flandre family's forces.
Not just them—troops from lords across Brioll would join as well.
As Yuri rode at the front, Rolang pulled up beside him.
"Your Highness."
"Yeah, Rolang? Sleep well? No tossing and turning?"
"Haha, yes."
Rolang gave a light laugh before continuing.
"His Majesty this time...?"
"He said he'll wrap things up and join us a bit late. Father's stepping up, so this war should go smoothly too."
Yuri recalled the countless battles from his past life fought without Fiore.
His presence would change everything.
"Then..."
Rolang trailed off unusually. Yuri tilted his head.
"What's up? Want to detour to Sector 96?"
"Pardon?"
"Kidding. Jared was staring his eyes out there..."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden? Stop it!"
Jared shouted.
His tone bordered on rude toward the prince, but the knights around them, used to Yuri's teasing, burst into laughter.
Rolang laughed too.
"So, what is it?"
"Is His Highness the Crown Prince not joining the war?"
"Big brother's more scholar than knight. He could hold his own against most, but he's handling logistics from the rear. Why?"
"Nothing."
"Oh, right. He mentioned meeting you at the palace. Is that it?"
Rolang's eyes snapped up in surprise.
Yuri grinned.
"Said you were training too hard and should rest—that your dedication's commendable. Told me to watch my back so you don't catch up. He's stingy with praise, but he thinks highly of you."
"Ah, y-yes..."
Rolang nodded with a stiff expression.
Yuri, focused ahead, missed it and kept talking.
"Once the war's over, chat with him sometime. Light sparring too, huh? Said your sword form was impeccable."
"Understood."
Rolang replied, but confusion swirled within.
Had the crown prince said that? No. And there'd been no sparring.
Something was wrong.
Precisely—Cedric was off.