The Briol forces marched on, sweeping through the bandits. Soon, a city appeared with high walls built beside a lake.
It was Gid, a scheduled stopover.
The troops set up camp outside the city.
The soldiers, weary from life in the field, were desperate to get inside.
Yuri gave a warning.
"If you cause trouble, you die. Return by noon tomorrow. If you break even one rule, you'll be punished under military law—keep that in mind."
Everyone said they understood, but in the end, someone would be punished. Yuri knew that discipline could only be upheld by setting an example.
"Sir Raymond. Train them well before letting them in. Even knights aren't exempt."
"Yes, sir."
Yuri immediately went to meet the lord.
He was a plump man, oddly well-fed for such a barren land. He welcomed Yuri with a hand adorned with several rings.
With an exaggerated gesture, he kissed the back of Yuri's hand.
"It's an honor to meet the prince of Briol."
"Likewise."
Yuri sat down across from him and subtly wiped his hand on his pants.
"His Majesty of Briol achieved incredible military feats against the orcs in his youth. Now that his son is here, I'm sure the orcs are trembling in fear."
"Thanks for saying so."
"For the success of the Allied Army, I will do everything I can."
Gid, along with Balshad, had been designated to serve as a supply base for the Allied Army.
"On behalf of Briol, I thank Gid for its cooperation. Once this campaign ends, you will be rewarded."
"I didn't do it expecting a reward, but I won't say no to it."
"Is that so?"
Yuri grinned.
"By the way, have you considered that if something goes wrong with the Allied Army, the orcs might not leave Gid alone?"
"The Allied Army failing? Surely that's impossible! Hahaha…"
Yuri recalled events from his past life.
When the orc subjugation failed, Balshad and Gid collapsed almost immediately. The orcs seized control of the plains, and the people were dragged off as slaves.
"Right, of course."
Yuri smiled, hiding his thoughts.
"Anyway, I'm grateful for your help."
"Stay as long as you like. You arrived early, after all."
"No need to waste time."
"Haha, you're quite diligent. Understood."
"Well then…"
As Yuri stood to leave, a secretary entered and whispered something into the lord's ear.
The lord's expression brightened. He turned to Yuri and spread his hands.
"Your Highness, the Holy Kingdom has arrived."
"Oh?"
"They're on their way here right now. Would you care to meet them together?"
"Shall we?"
Yuri nodded. It wouldn't be a bad idea to make acquaintance with the Holy Kingdom.
Soon, the door to the lord's chamber opened. The lord rose to greet them.
"Welcome…"
Knights in white armor flooded into the room.
There were many of them.
The lord, flustered, rolled his eyes and stammered,
"Uh, sirs, knights…?"
The knights lined up along the walls of the chamber. A knight standing by the door spoke.
"Her Highness, the second princess of the Holy Kingdom, is arriving."
As the words ended, a woman entered the room, clad in more ornate armor, her helmet tucked at her side.
Her short, light brown hair shimmered around her ears.
With an expressionless face, she looked at the lord.
"Are you the lord of Gid?"
"Yes, that's correct…"
"I am Sibylla Arsaint, second princess of the Holy Kingdom, and commander of the Holy Kingdom's contingent in the Allied Army."
The lord stood dazed. She raised her chin.
"What are you doing?"
"Pardon?"
"Show respect."
The second princess of the Holy Kingdom, Sibylla, extended her hand.
"Haha…"
Instead of following her instruction, the lord gave a genial smile.
"Lady Sibylla."
He glanced at the knights lined up and then at Sibylla standing before him.
"I'm sorry, but I am neither a lord of the Holy Kingdom, nor a subject of Your Highness."
A stark contrast from when he had willingly kissed Yuri's hand.
"Therefore, I see no need to show such formality."
Yuri nearly whistled.
After all, a man without backbone wouldn't be able to maintain a city in such a harsh land for long.
"Is that so?"
Sibylla's brow twitched slightly. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.
"If I have offended you, I apologize."
"Oh no, not at all. That's not what I meant…"
The lord chuckled and clapped his hands.
"How could I have known that the second princess of the Holy Kingdom would be so beautiful? Even if I am not a subject, I would like to offer my admiration. Might I have the honor of kissing Your Highness's hand?"
The lord's political savvy was masterful.
At first, he pushed Sibylla away, but once she acknowledged her misstep, he bowed willingly and helped preserve her dignity.
Yuri revised his evaluation of the man.
He was more cunning than expected. Someone like this could be useful when needed.
Sibylla nodded.
"Of course."
"It's an honor."
The lord kissed her hand.
"..."
But it went on too long.
Yuri began to wonder if the lord wasn't clever at all—just a pervert.
"My lord?"
"Yes?"
"That's enough."
"Yes, of course."
At her words, the lord released her hand. He gestured to the sofa.
"Please, have a seat."
He then tried to introduce Yuri.
"This is—"
But before he could finish, Sibylla spoke first.
"Are you a vassal of this lord? I have urgent matters to discuss, so kindly step aside."
The lord flinched.
"Ah, Your Highness, well…"
He tried to explain, but Sibylla continued without pause.
"Or perhaps, are you trying to say that you are not a subject of the Holy Kingdom or mine either?"
Yuri didn't particularly feel offended. It was a simple misunderstanding, not something worth making a fuss over.
Yuri calmly began to introduce himself.
"I am…"
But this time, a knight standing behind Sibylla cut him off.
"You remain seated? Even if you are a servant of Gid, this is rude. Her Highness is the second princess of the Holy Kingdom and the commander of its forces in the Allied Army. Show proper respect!"
It seemed the knight had taken offense to the earlier reprimand from the lord.
The Holy Kingdom was trying to assert its authority. Unfortunately, they had chosen the wrong target.
Yuri and the lord exchanged glances.
In the lord's eyes, there was deep embarrassment—and a silent plea for understanding.
Under the cold gazes of the Holy Kingdom's knights, Yuri hesitantly opened his mouth.
"I am…"
Sibylla furrowed her brow.
"You are?"
Yuri was more concerned about the Holy Kingdom's future embarrassment.
"I am the third prince of Briol."
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
In the silence, the second hand of the wall clock swayed calmly three times.
Yuri added.
"Also, I'm currently commanding the Briol forces."
Sibylla's expression was quite a sight.
She'd entered the room trying to assert her authority, only to be corrected by the lord of Gid, and then immediately insulted royalty from another nation.
One mistake after another.
How must they be feeling?
Just as the fifth tick of the second hand echoed through the silence, the knight who had rebuked Yuri earlier spoke.
"Th-that…!"
Yuri gave him a gentle smile—an expression of magnanimity, as if he would graciously accept an apology. He had no intention of holding a grudge.
The knight blushed.
"I apologize. I didn't recognize you. I thought you were the lord's vassal…"
"That's understandable. Look how shabby I'm dressed. Anyone would mistake me for a lowly street thug, right? Hahaha…"
"No, no, that's not what I meant. Not at all…"
"It's my fault. I should've dressed nicely like the knights here. That's my mistake. I should've worn shiny armor too, right? I've committed a great sin!"
"No, no…"
"I'm sorry!"
"No, I'm sorry. I'm the one who's sorry!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Your Highness! No, wait, that's not— What are you all doing? Bow your heads!"
"S-sorry… mmph!"
"Oh no, Your Highness, please calm down!"
***
As Yuri caused a commotion, the Holy Kingdom's knights hastily exited the room.
Only the lord, Yuri, and Sibylla remained.
The lord wiped the sweat from his forehead over and over, while Sibylla sat far away, looking completely drained.
Yuri looked into a mirror on the wall and adjusted his hair.
"My lord. I do have some nice clothes back home, you know. Do I really look that shabby?"
"Hahaha, what are you saying? Your Highness looks very handsome."
"Right? Then why did those knights look at me like that…"
Sibylla let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry. So please, stop."
"Oh, shall I?"
Yuri whistled and sat back down. As he took the middle seat on the sofa, Sibylla leaned even farther away.
"Well, you'll be fighting together soon. Let's at least make introductions."
The lord stepped in to mediate.
"This is Prince Yuri Briol, third prince of Briol, and commander of the Briol forces."
"Hey, nice to meet you."
"And this is Her Highness, Sibylla Arsaint, second princess of the Holy Kingdom and commander of the Holy Kingdom's forces in the Allied Army."
"Yes."
"Come now, how about a handshake?"
The lord motioned to both of them and clasped his own hands together.
"Sounds good."
Yuri reached out his hand willingly.
Sibylla hesitated, her expression reluctant, but eventually accepted the handshake.
Yuri shook her hand up and down.
"Let's get along. That earlier bit was just a joke."
"Ah, yes."
The atmosphere still hadn't softened.
Yuri recalled what Jermain had told him about the Holy Kingdom.
He could guess why Sibylla's personality had become so sharp. Just look at the knights—they were seriously rigid.
To be recognized in a place like that, there were only two paths: break the mold, or don even thicker armor.
And as most do, she had chosen the latter.
Still shaking her hand, Yuri asked,
"Sibylla."
"Yes?"
"We'll be seeing each other often. We should get to know each other. How old are you?"
Sibylla looked at him.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty…"
"I'm eighteen. Just two years apart. That makes us friends, right? I'll speak informally then."
Sibylla's pupils widened.
Before she could respond, Yuri continued,
"Nice to meet you, Sibylla."
Including his previous life, Yuri was a man of many years. As a mercenary, he'd dealt with countless troublemakers. A kid like her was nothing.
Sibylla looked clearly flustered.
She glanced at the lord, then back at Yuri. Her eyes wavered.
The lord stepped in.
"Ah, it's a lovely sight."
"Well…"
"You're similar in both age and status. Why not build some camaraderie? You'll be fighting savage orcs soon—it'd be good to have a comrade to watch your back. Don't you agree?"
Yuri joined in.
"Don't you think so?"
Sibylla ended up nodding.
"Y-yeah…"
Even as she answered, she looked confused. She might have already been regretting it.
But Yuri had no intention of backing off.
Before she could change her mind, he kept talking to scatter her thoughts.
"Sibylla. I didn't see your troops on the way here. Did the knights arrive ahead of them?"
"That's right."
"When will they get here?"
"They should arrive tomorrow."
Yuri didn't like that answer.
If the Holy Kingdom's paladins had arrived first, then only a handful of officers were likely left leading the main force.
Orcs, for their size, were surprisingly good at ambushes. Even if it wasn't their territory, it was foolish to split forces without caution.
"Let's hope nothing happens."
Sibylla raised an eyebrow.
"The Holy Kingdom's army has strict discipline. Are you saying something might happen in the meantime?"
"You never know."
"What kind of incident?"
"What else? Orcs."
"Orcs…?"
"Yeah."
Sibylla fell silent. She didn't seem very knowledgeable about orcs.
Yuri smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
"Orcs can sometimes appear deep inside secure areas. Isn't that right, my lord?"
"Yes, quite right. They're devious creatures, surprisingly so for their size."
"That's why I said it, just in case. But I'm sure nothing will happen. It's the Holy Kingdom, after all."
"..."
Yuri changed the subject.
"Anyway, shall we get to the main discussion?"
They talked about the supplies and food Gid could provide and clarified the related terms and conditions.
Once that was done,
Yuri stood up.
"I'll get going. Thanks for your cooperation, my lord."
"When will you depart?"
"After a day of rest—we'll leave the morning after tomorrow."
"Understood."
"What about you, Sibylla?"
"Go on ahead."
It seemed Sibylla had more to discuss.
Yuri waved at her with a smile. Sibylla, having regained her composure, nodded with a cold expression.
"See you next time."
Yuri left the lord's castle.
Ernando was waiting for him.
"Were you waiting?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To go together."
"Where?"
Ernando's eyes gleamed.
"We're in Gid. Of course it's the talisman market."