Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: 15. Uninvited Guest (1)
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The Holy Kingdom's army pitched their tents on the plain next to the Brioll forces.
There could have been clashes between the soldiers, but thanks to the Brioll Knights coming to the Holy Kingdom army's aid, a smooth relationship had formed.
The next day, the Brioll army departed Gide as planned.
Sibylla and the Holy Knights saw Yuri off.
"See you in Balshard."
"Yeah. Take care."
"Stay safe until then."
The Brioll Knights and the Holy Kingdom's Holy Knights were no longer hostile like before. Some had even gotten acquainted over the course of a single day.
They wished each other luck in battle and promised to meet again.
Gide's lord requested to accompany the supply convoy heading to Balshard.
"Your Highness, thank you for granting my request."
"It's for the Allied Forces, after all."
"Please put in a good word with the Empire for us."
"I will. And you sing my praises while you're at it."
"Of course. Hahaha..."
Yuri didn't refuse the company.
They were heading the same way anyway. The goods were destined to be distributed among the Allied Forces in the end.
"When the war ends, please stop by Gide on your way back."
"I will. I hope we're greeting each other with smiles like this then, too."
"We certainly will."
Yuri shook hands with Gide's lord.
It had been a short time, but they'd built a good rapport. They'd surely help each other someday.
Soon, the convoy finished all preparations.
Just before the march began, Raymond approached Yuri.
"Your Highness, what should we do about them?"
Several merchant groups were waiting for the Brioll army to depart.
Some were regular traders traveling back and forth to Balshard, while the others were war profiteers peddling goods on battlefields.
"Leave them be."
Strict armies didn't allow private merchant caravans to tag along, but Yuri knew from his mercenary days that they served a vital purpose in many ways.
No army could supply everything its soldiers needed.
"Let's move out."
At Yuri's signal, the soldier beside him blew a horn. A resounding bellow like a ship's foghorn echoed across the plains.
The entire convoy began to march.
Yuri took the lead alongside the knights.
The march proceeded peacefully.
"Sir Raymond, have you been to Balshard?"
"Balshard..."
Raymond gazed into the distance, mulling over his memories. The vast blue sky of the steppes made for a perfect backdrop to reminisce about the past.
"It's a place where traces of the old kingdom remain."
Balshard had been built atop the ruins of an ancient kingdom on the steppes.
The ruins suggested it had once been a mighty realm, but the cause of its downfall remained a mystery.
"It's not much different from Gide, but on a grander scale."
"Is that so?"
"You can tell the old kingdom was incredibly prosperous. I didn't stay long, so my memories are fuzzy, but its grandeur sticks with me."
"I see."
"You'll be better off seeing it for yourself. It's an outstanding fortress city."
"Got it."
The same steppe scenery stretched on endlessly.
They pressed forward until the sun began to set.
Yuri halted the convoy at a suitable spot.
"We'll camp here for the night."
The troops sprang into action with disciplined efficiency.
Having grown accustomed to the tasks, they pitched tents faster than before.
Yuri wandered around, overseeing the soldiers.
"Hey, you there!"
"Yes?"
"That's not how you dig."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Hand it over."
"No, how could we trouble Your Highness..."
"Hey now."
The soldiers doubted Yuri even knew how to wield a shovel, but his fluid digging technique left them wide-eyed.
"Whoa..."
Each motion—from plunging the blade to scooping the earth—flowed seamlessly, wasting no energy.
These were tricks he'd picked up as a mercenary, when he had to handle everything himself.
"Digging isn't about brute force."
"Then...?"
"It's about rhythm."
"Ah...!"
"Do it right."
Yuri roamed like a nagging sergeant major.
His attire was no different from the soldiers', so they didn't recognize him until they got close enough to see his black hair.
Then he'd bark an order, startling them.
"You there, not working?"
"Uh, uh. Your Highness?"
"Where are you going?"
"To the bathroom."
"Big one?"
"Yes..."
"Go far out."
As he patrolled, he came upon a pitiful scene.
A few soldiers had Cory pinned on the ground, berating him.
Cory couldn't stand, staggering unsteadily. He'd clearly taken a few hits already.
"Half-breed orc brat. We told you to stay out of sight."
"Th-that's..."
"You think we wouldn't notice?"
Yuri sighed.
As the soldier said, Cory—the half-orc assigned by Count Sidoor—was born of an orc and a human.
He kept himself bundled in his hood, but he'd been found out.
"Spy, huh? Tricking His Highness to get us all killed? Colluding with orcs?"
"Absolutely not. I..."
"Nice gauntlets for a freak like you. Hand 'em over."
"N-no, I can't."
"Give them here."
"His Highness gave them to me..."
"Just say you lost 'em!"
One soldier yanked off Cory's gauntlet, revealing a grotesquely mangled hand with malformed fingers.
The soldier recoiled in disgust.
"Ugh, what the hell is this? Damn it..."
"Give it back."
"Too filthy to use."
As he reared back to hurl the gauntlet far away—
"Hey, you."
Yuri called out to him.
The soldiers tilted their heads at first, unsure who it was. But as Yuri drew closer, they recognized him and panicked.
"Y-Your Highness."
"Those gauntlets look familiar."
"That's not..."
"You weren't about to throw them, were you?"
Yuri crossed his arms and stared him down. The soldier floundered, then clutched the gauntlet reverently as if presenting it.
"N-no, absolutely not."
"Then?"
"Well..."
"Were you just dusting off the dirt?"
"Y-yes! That's it!"
He began patting the gauntlet with his hand. The other soldiers joined in.
It turned into a ridiculous spectacle of several men fussing over a single gauntlet.
Yuri pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Good grief..."
The soldiers eyed him nervously.
"Fine. Looks clean enough now. Get lost."
"Yes, sir!"
They shoved the gauntlet at Cory and scurried off. Yuri clicked his tongue at their retreating backs.
What crude bastards.
Cory bowed his head.
"Thank you..."
"You okay?"
"Yes."
"Cory."
He draped an arm over Cory's shoulder.
Cory flinched, but Yuri ignored it and hooked arms with him.
"What should I do about it?"
"Pardon?"
"I can shield you. Punish those guys, even. You're a valuable asset who understands Orcish."
"Yes..."
Yuri looked at Cory.
A glimpse of the boy's face peeked from under the hood. It wasn't much to look at, but Yuri didn't look away.
"Want me to discipline them myself?"
Cory glanced up at Yuri shyly.
He always averted his eyes before. This was the first time their gazes met.
Cory shook his head.
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Don't you hate those bastards?"
Cory lowered his eyes again, burying his face in the hood. Then, in a small voice:
"If our positions were reversed, I might do the same."
"Huh?"
"Everyone loves beauty and hates ugliness. It's natural. Instinct. An uncomfortable truth we can't ignore."
Yuri was a bit surprised.
Cory always reacted passively. This was the first time he'd shared his thoughts.
"Me too."
"You too?"
"Seeing Your Highness's face brightens my mood, but those people make me depressed."
Yuri chuckled.
"Is that a compliment?"
"Heavens, no. How dare I compliment Your Highness... It's just a fact."
Once they started talking more, his pronunciation and intonation flowed smoothly.
Yuri could see why Haime had kept Cory around. While most half-orcs favored their orc side, Cory was closer to human.
Such cases were exceedingly rare.
Cory continued.
"And even if Your Highness helps now, it would only make my dream further away."
"What's your dream?"
"Well..."
Cory hesitated.
As he fidgeted beside him, Yuri smacked his back hard.
"Ow!"
"Gonna tease me and then clam up?"
"N-no."
"What's the dream?"
"It's..."
Cory murmured softly.
"I want people to accept me so I can live among them."
Yuri fell silent for a moment.
What Cory described was everyday normalcy to Yuri.
But to this little half-orc, it was a lifelong aspiration.
What would become of Cory after the Allied Forces campaign?
Yuri could take him in, but that wouldn't be Cory's true desire.
"Cory, you hang around with Hernando, right?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Yuri said.
"Learn magic from him."
"Pardon?"
"You need a skill to make a living."
"Huh...?"
Cory stared at Yuri, too baffled to look away as usual.
"M-magic isn't just any skill. And it's incredibly hard— not just anyone can learn it..."
"Perfect. Learn a specialized trade so you won't get fired."
"Your Highness..."
"Orcish translation is useful, but it's seasonal. No future in it. So learn magic."
Yuri patted Cory's head over the hood.
"Try it. If it doesn't work, learn something else."
"But..."
"You're idle most of the time, aren't you? Not planning to freeload, I hope?"
"N-no, sir."
"Right. Give it a shot."
"Yes..."
Yuri personally slipped the gauntlet onto Cory's hand.
Cory looked flustered but didn't dare stop him.
"I'm cold. Wear it."
The moon hung in the sky.
Yuri assembled the Brioll army and set up watch rotations.
This wasn't deep orc territory, but the Holy Kingdom incident proved they could strike anytime.
Yuri summoned Rolang and Jared to his tent.
"There's only one thing they could try here."
The three sat around a map, with a marker for the Brioll army between Gide and Balshard.
"What?"
"Night raid,"
Jared answered.
He lounged across his chair, rocking back and forth.
Yuri narrowed his eyes.
"What kind of night raid?"
"Just a night raid. Attacking at night."
"With defenses like these, would they bother now?"
"Why not?"
"Think of them not as orcs, but humans. Very cunning foes."
"Then..."
Someone else answered.
"Supplies."
Turning, Yuri saw Raymond at the tent flap.
He entered with a smile.
"It occurred to me they might target those."
Yuri nodded.
"Exactly."
"Really?"
"They're the ones who hit the Holy Kingdom. No telling where they're hiding. The steppes are their turf."
Yuri recalled his mercenary days. A comrade with Allied Forces experience had said:
'Orcs hit supplies whenever they felt like it. They were masters at driving people insane.'
Now that the orcs knew about the Allied Forces, they wouldn't let the armies gather unmolested.
Yuri expected sporadic raids before reaching Balshard.
Jared tilted his head.
"Wouldn't that require coordinated command? I heard orcs are scattered in tribes, too disunited..."
As he said, orcs lived in feuding tribes.
But Yuri knew a new orc king was rising on the steppes.
Raymond spoke for him.
"Why do you think the Empire formed the Allied Forces?"
"To periodically suppress the orcs, of course..."
"That's one reason. But the main one is a force in the far east we can't ignore has emerged."
Yuri nodded.
There was one orc.
In his previous life, its name struck terror into hearts.
"A mysterious orc is swallowing up surrounding tribes. They call it Okua."
Okua.
The monster that would be dubbed the 'Orc King.'
Countless knights had died because of it.
Ultimately, Yuri aimed to eliminate it through this Allied Forces campaign.
"The Empire wants to nip Okua in the bud before it grows."
"I see..."
Jared and Rolang seemed unimpressed.
It probably just sounded like an orc chieftain for now. They'd learn once they faced it.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside.
A sentry's urgent voice rang out.
"Your Highness! Big trouble!"
Yuri stood.
It seemed the uninvited guests had arrived.