Chapter 66
Chapter 66
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: 31. Blood, Sweat, Tears (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Okua led his army in retreat.
It was a victory for the Allied Forces.
As soon as the battle ended, Ragna gathered all the commanders to discuss their next steps.
Opinions were divided.
One side argued they should strike the orcs immediately, while the other insisted they needed time to regroup their forces.
"We have to hit them now."
Sibylla declared.
"We can't give them any more time. There's no rest until Okua is dead."
Opposition arose at once.
"We're too exhausted. We need to regroup."
"We need rest."
Then came rebuttals to the rebuttals.
"I agree with the former princess. They're just as worn out as we are. And this is still enemy territory in the steppes. Time favors the home side."
"Okua might pull some trick. Let's go now, Your Highness."
Jonathan of Bursen and Wolf of Liberia voiced their support for Sibylla in turn.
Excluding the Empire, three of the larger nations backed her view.
Naturally, all eyes turned to Yuri.
"I..."
Sibylla gazed at him steadily, her eyes full of trust.
After all, Yuri had been the first to chase the fleeing orcs' rear and slaughter them in droves.
Yuri bore the full expectations of the three kingdoms pushing for consecutive battles.
He spoke up.
"I think we need to rest."
It was an unexpected statement.
Ragna looked at him with keen interest.
Even those who had advocated for rest were stunned.
"Oh..."
Given Yuri's usual temperament, everyone had assumed he'd call for an immediate strike too.
Yet he defied those expectations and took the exact opposite stance.
Whatever had changed in him, it was welcome news for those who wanted time to regroup.
They were bone-tired from the fighting.
"As expected of Prince Yuri."
The rest faction praised his decision.
Sibylla, Jonathan, and Wolf, meanwhile, stared at him in utter disbelief.
Yuri spoke again.
"I think you've misunderstood me."
"Pardon?"
"When I said 'rest' just now..."
Yuri scanned the faces of the rest faction one by one.
"I meant your empty heads should rest."
It was a shocking twist that soured the mood instantly.
"You seem too exhausted for rational thought, so if you're going to spout nonsense, go back and rest instead of doing it here. Yes, go on and rest easy."
Yuri savored the impact of his words on the group before continuing.
"We chased them this hard precisely because we don't know what Okua might do with his black magic. He only bellowed twice, and we never even glimpsed the orc main camp. You want to rest when we have no idea what's happening there? Why not rest forever? Dig a hole, lie down with your arms crossed over your chest, and I'll bury you myself."
"That's too harsh."
"Harsh is fine. Calling for rest now is an insult to our fallen comrades who died fighting. Rest because we're tired? Is that what they sacrificed for? We don't deserve to be tired—not until we sever Okua's head."
Yuri stated firmly.
And he was just as convinced they needed to strike Okua right away.
"My master, one of the Ten Strongest, Moyong Chan, told me this."
He had climbed high to face Okua directly and hold him at bay.
To the casual observer, it looked like a mere staring contest, but an invisible clash raged between them.
The mere fact that neither had budged meant they were evenly matched.
"Okua is already a monster on the level of the Ten Strongest."
The room fell silent at those words.
There could be no doubt if Moyong Chan—one of the Ten Strongest—said it himself.
"I'll wrap this up."
Ragna, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. A satisfied smile played on his lips.
"I didn't mention this earlier, but I had the mages observe Okua's camp. They say an ominous energy is rising from there."
Yuri glanced at Ragna.
Revealing this only after the debate meant he'd wanted to gauge the commanders' reactions.
What had he been testing for?
"Better to finish it before it's too late."
With that, the meeting ended.
Ragna rose from his seat.
"The orcs have taken heavy losses too. Aside from those that fled yesterday, they won't get major reinforcements. Let's go cut off their lifeline. We march at first light."
The meeting concluded.
The commanders filed out of Ragna's tent.
As Yuri turned to leave, Ragna gave him a look.
Yuri stopped.
Once everyone else was gone, only the two remained.
"Yuri."
"Yes."
"Nothing to say?"
Ragna regarded him from his seat.
Yuri thought for a moment before replying.
"Hm... good work?"
"Hahaha..."
Their time fighting side by side on the battlefield had forged a bond. Few on the continent would dare joke like that with the Friendly King.
Yuri laughed with Ragna and sat back down.
"Are you suspicious?"
As he spoke, Yuri glanced around at the empty seats.
His gaze lingered briefly on the spots of the nations that had opposed the push earlier before settling on Ragna's face.
"Are the orcs sowing division?"
"Could be."
Ragna replied.
"Yuri."
"Yes."
Ragna stood and approached him.
"What kind of man do I seem to you?"
"A great Friendly King."
"True, but..."
He chuckled once, then perched on the table right beside Yuri.
"More specifically: do I seem rational, or emotional?"
"Both."
"Do I have a good eye for people?"
"Of course. Your judgment of character is impeccable."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you favor me."
Ragna burst out laughing again.
He ruffled Yuri's hair vigorously.
"You would've been perfect in the Empire. Yuri, I'll arrange it—marry Ekaterina. The Emperor's bloodline and the continent's greatest beauty."
"Marriage requires mutual feelings. The princess wouldn't be interested in me."
"Would you do it if Ekaterina wanted to?"
"I have a girlfriend."
"Don't believe you."
"Pardon?"
"Anyway."
Ragna pulled something from his bosom: a necklace embedded with a blue gem, clearly an expensive mana stone.
He muttered an incantation, and a wave of mana spread out.
Yuri felt all sound from inside and outside completely cut off.
"Can you keep what I say a complete secret?"
"Yes."
"I feel foolish telling someone not from the Empire this, but I'll follow my instincts."
Ragna sighed and continued.
"There's a black magic user inside the Empire."
Yuri looked up sharply.
It was an astonishing revelation, laden with implications.
"We don't know who yet. I found traces before the Allied Forces formed."
"Then the Allied Forces were potentially..."
"A trap, yes."
Ragna grinned.
"But I didn't back out. Orcs needed exterminating regardless of any plot. And we don't even know if it's linked to the Empire or the orcs' black magic."
"You think there's a traitor in the Allied Forces?"
"I suspect, but no proof. No time to root them out."
Yuri nodded.
He understood why Ragna had kept him behind.
"I'll keep watch on them."
"Good."
Ragna couldn't do it alone. Entrusting it to an Empire knight moving with him wouldn't do.
So he was handing it to Yuri.
"Yuri."
"Yes."
"When the war ends, visit the Empire."
Yuri smiled.
"Sure."
Dawn broke.
The Allied Forces began their march. The orc main camp wasn't far.
As they reached the edge of a low hill, the orc encampment came into view in the distance.
"They've prepared well."
Raymond remarked.
"This won't be easy."
Yuri glanced back.
The knight order's numbers had visibly thinned. Fatigue and stress had hardened everyone's faces.
His eyes met Simon and Guinness's.
Of the three knights—Simon, Guinness, and Dyke—who had always moved together, Dyke was dead.
The two young knights looked grim.
It was something any knight walking that path would face eventually.
"We'll kill Okua."
Yuri's voice rang out across the entire formation.
"Those who went first didn't die in vain. We won't let them have."
There were no rousing cheers like before. Instead, a dark killing intent spread through the ranks.
Yuri turned back to the front.
The orc army had thrown up crude barricades and walls—likely using skills from captured human prisoners.
Even Yuri, who had lived through his past life, could scarcely imagine the horrors inside.
Soon, orders came down from the Empire.
The Allied Forces descended the hill slowly. No orc ambushes. They were bracing for the final clash too.
"Hernando."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Feel any black magic?"
"Not certain."
Yuri glanced at Cory standing beside Hernando.
He had started as an orc interpreter sent by Haime, but now he was Hernando's apprentice.
A half-orc mage—his life wouldn't be smooth.
"If dispel drops, hit them with magic right away."
"Understood."
"And Master?"
"Grand Master Moyong Chan is circulating his qi."
"Circulating qi?"
"You know, sitting and regulating mana. In the East, they call it qigong meditation."
Moyong Chan was preparing for the final battle too.
Okua had looked monstrous even from afar.
Not orc-like at all.
"Got it."
All necessary measures were in place. The troops had been briefed.
All that remained was individual resolve—and war.
The Allied Forces' expedition was heading into its final moments.
Yuri rode to the front of the formation and turned his horse around.
"This is it—the last one!"
Countless eyes fixed on him. Among those gazes, he seemed to see faces of those now gone.
Yuri steadied his breath, then spoke again.
"I've said my piece!"
Brioll's troops let out low laughs.
Yuri laughed with them before adding,
"Survive and see you on the other side! Drinks are on me!"
A light cheer rose up.
Yuri faced forward again.
Movement stirred in Okua's distant camp. They were readying defenses too.
No time for catching breath.
The war horns blared at once, signaling the battle. The entire Allied Forces formed up as planned and advanced.
Brioll wasn't in the vanguard this time.
Quite the opposite.
They were to wait until the end and strike unexpectedly.
The Allied Forces entered the orcs' range bit by bit.
Arrows flew.
Knights deflected them, but some infantry couldn't and fell.
Blood pooled on the ground, and frantic footsteps trampled corpses after. Their boots were stained with comrades' blood.
Yuri watched from the rear.
Brioll advanced steadily.
"Raaah!"
Shouts and screams echoed.
Knight orders clashing with the orc lines unleashed sword auras; orc warriors charged in response. Heads flew skyward, owner unknown.
Yuri kept his eyes on the battlefield.
Soon, he spotted his mark.
"Everyone, prepare."
There was a spot where the orc numbers had thinned from fighting the Allies.
Yuri lowered his stance, waiting for the battle to intensify.
A soldier fighting there let out a wail.
That was the sound of war.
The moment had come.
"Brioll!"
Yuri spurred his horse forward with a shout.
At his signal, Brioll's knights abruptly shifted course, burst to the flank, and charged ahead in an instant.
"Your Highness!"
Rolang was suddenly at his side.
His horsemanship had improved.
"Glad I could keep my promise in the final battle."
Rolang had made good on running abreast at the vanguard.
"Jared's still far back."
"I didn't promise anything!"
Jared trailed a bit behind. The knights followed desperately, refusing to be outdone.
The speed was tremendous.
"Brioll is breaking through!"
At their appearance, the Allied troops ahead parted left and right.
But those pinned by orcs never saw Brioll enter.
"Get out of the way!"
Suddenly, Yuri locked eyes with an orc warrior standing with a skewered soldier.
He grabbed the lance slung on his horse.
The orc warrior shouted something, but it didn't register.
Yuri's lance pierced the dead soldier's body and the orc's torso together, hoisting them skyward.
Flesh scattered, and fluids poured down like rain from the wounds.
One drop splattered on Yuri's cheek and trickled down.
As he impaled orc after orc, Yuri suddenly wondered.
Was it blood, sweat, or tears?