As night fell, Yuri returned to the Briol camp located outside the castle walls.
Raymond was crouched in front of the campfire, poking at the kindling.
"You're early."
"I've seen enough."
"And probably warmed up enough, too."
"Has the word spread already?"
"Hahahaha…"
Yuri sat across from him.
Every time the flames flickered, the deep lines on Raymond's face stood out more clearly.
Even counting his past life, Raymond was older than Yuri. That meant he had more experience.
Yuri tossed some dry twigs from the ground into the fire.
Raymond spoke.
"I heard you met Fenek."
"Fenek?"
"The Holy Kingdom's paladin."
"That guy's name is Fenek? I didn't know."
"He's a skilled knight."
"Didn't look like it."
"Temperament and skill don't always match. He's arrogant, but capable. The problem is, his skill is limited to swordsmanship."
"Whatever it is, Laurent is better."
Raymond laughed aloud.
"Well, the knights of Briol are exceptions. I was speaking in general terms."
There was pride in his words.
Yuri laughed too.
"Wouldn't it be better to sleep in Gid?"
"I'm fine."
Yuri glanced behind him. A makeshift tent had been set up.
"That's more than enough for me."
"You're very modest."
"On the battlefield, it's more of a luxury."
When he wandered as a mercenary, sleeping on the bare ground was the norm. Using rocks as pillows, the sky as his ceiling, and his comrades' groans as lullabies.
"You're right. This is the battlefield."
Raymond caressed the sword he had placed beside him.
"A war will break out soon. Aren't you afraid, Your Highness?"
"I am."
Yuri answered honestly.
There's no such thing as a person who's unfazed when facing a blade soaked in murderous intent. That was the same in his past life and in this one.
"But there's a reason stronger than the fear."
Raymond opened his eyes wide, then nodded.
"A fine answer. You never fail to impress me."
"Don't say that already. There's plenty more to come."
"I'll look forward to it."
Raymond laughed, forming crow's feet at the corners of his eyes.
Yuri could feel that Raymond had let down most of his guard toward him.
He wondered, did he have children?
"The moon is nice tonight. You're not of age yet, but would you like a drink?"
"There's alcohol?"
"I brought a few bottles just in case."
"You're well prepared."
"It's well-aged wine."
"My favorite."
"I'll go get it."
It was the moment Raymond stood up.
The gates of Gid opened, and someone on horseback came galloping toward the camp.
The rider kicked up a cloud of dust as he came to a stop and quickly dismounted in front of them.
"Your Highness. Forgive my rudeness."
He was a messenger sent by the lord.
"It's fine. What's the matter?"
"A message from the lord. The Holy Kingdom's main force has been ambushed by orcs."
Yuri clicked his tongue.
The very thing he had feared had happened. Once you cross the border, you can never let your guard down.
Raymond, standing nearby, asked,
"But you came instead of the Holy Kingdom?"
"Yes. That's how it turned out."
"The lord of Gid sent you separately?"
"Yes, that's correct."
That explained everything.
Raymond gave a bitter smile.
"He's quite proud."
"Certainly looks that way."
The Holy Kingdom tried to handle things on their own, but the lord, concerned, sent a messenger.
Technically, this wasn't the lord's responsibility. The Holy Kingdom might even raise an objection later.
Even so, the lord chose to inform Briol.
Yuri liked the lord of Gid.
"Tell the lord I appreciate it."
"Yes!"
"Raymond."
"Yes."
"Before we have a drink, shall we take a walk?"
Raymond grinned like a young boy.
"Gladly."
"They might treat us like uninvited guests."
"I'm used to that. I was an uninvited guest even in my own domain."
"Quit after the Allied Army is done."
"Haha…"
Yuri turned to the messenger.
"What's your name?"
"Roy."
"Roy. Can I ask you a favor?"
"Yes!"
"Go back to Gid and find Briol's knights. They're probably at a tavern. Tell them what I said. I'll take them on a first-come, first-served basis, so tell them to run over immediately."
"Understood."
"Don't stand on ceremony. Go now, straight away."
"Yes!"
He quickly mounted his horse and spurred it on.
The messenger kicked up dust as he galloped back toward Gid.
As soon as the news of the ambush reached them, Sibylla began donning her armor.
Fenek and the Holy Knights, who had been drinking, rushed back.
Fenek urged the messenger.
"What's the situation?"
"I don't know. It was still ongoing when I escaped."
Bloodstains marked the messenger's clothes.
He said he had barely shaken off the pursuing orcs.
"How many were there?"
"Not too many, but every single one of them was a monster…"
"Of course."
Even ordinary soldiers train in mana method, but their level is low. On the other hand, orcs are born with monstrous strength.
Unless one reached the level of a knight, it was impossible to face an orc one-on-one.
Sibylla spoke.
"Let's depart before the damage worsens."
"Yes, ma'am."
Fenek nodded.
They couldn't suffer defeat even before joining the Allied Army. The honor of the Holy Kingdom was at stake.
They hurriedly finished their preparations and got ready to mount their horses.
The lord, having heard the news, came running.
"Princess, are you leaving immediately?"
"Yes."
"Wouldn't it be better to request support from the Briol forces…"
Fenek, who stood behind her, protested.
"What are you saying? The Holy Kingdom's matters should be resolved by the Holy Kingdom. Do you really think we'll lose to a bunch of orcs?"
"That's not it, we just want to minimize casualties…"
"Teaming up half-heartedly would only hold us back. If their level doesn't match, they'll just be a burden."
"Sigh…"
Fenek's feelings toward Briol were soured by what happened earlier in the day.
He also had confidence in his abilities. He believed this could be handled on their own.
Sibylla agreed with Fenek's opinion.
"My lord. Don't worry. It will be over soon."
"I hope so, but still…"
The lord's face remained filled with worry.
Sibylla deliberately avoided his gaze. She didn't want to beg for help from another country before even joining the Allied Army.
Sibylla steeled herself and mounted her horse.
"We are Holy Kingdom paladins."
She grasped the holy relic around her neck and invoked the holy art.
"Lord, your servant rides. Please lend me your strength."
A white radiance burst from Sibylla's body.
The light enveloped her and her horse, then spread outward. With it, the speed and stamina of the horses were enhanced.
She gripped the reins and shouted sharply,
"We ride!"
Led by Sibylla, the Holy Kingdom's paladin order dashed toward the gates.
The startled townspeople scattered, but they paid no mind and picked up speed.
They left Gid behind.
Suddenly, the Briol camp set up outside the castle walls came into view.
Yuri Briol's face, who had been concerned about a surprise attack, came to mind.
It seemed his judgment had been correct.
Sibylla murmured,
"Perhaps we shouldn't have come ahead of schedule."
Originally, the entire force was scheduled to arrive in Gid together by tomorrow morning.
But Fenek had suggested going ahead to meet the lord, and since there was no particular reason to refuse, she had agreed.
She hadn't expected trouble to arise overnight.
She regretted the hasty decision.
But there was no time to dwell on the past. It was time to focus on what lay ahead.
Sibylla assessed the shape of the battle to come.
"Fenek."
"Yes."
"According to the messenger, one chieftain was commanding all the orcs. The moment we enter the battlefield, strike him."
"Understood."
Fenek nodded.
"Should we strike simultaneously?"
"Yes."
He didn't like taking orders from her, but he wasn't foolish enough to create unnecessary conflict in a situation like this.
Fenek shouted to the knights behind him.
"The moment we engage, charge at once. Do not hesitate. You'll break the line, and the princess and I will follow behind to strike their leader."
"Yes!"
They changed formation while riding.
The paladin order took the lead to prepare the impact, and Sibylla and Fenek followed in the rear.
The Holy Kingdom's main force wasn't far away.
"There."
Said the knight at the front.
"I see them."
From the distant horizon, the Holy Kingdom's banner was waving.
Sibylla felt a sense of relief.
The banner had not fallen. That meant they hadn't been wiped out yet.
"The orcs?"
The leading knight checked the front with a spyglass.
"They're still fighting!"
"Our troops?"
"They're holding formation and resisting."
Gradually, the scene of the front line came into view.
A fierce battle was underway.
Each time the orcs swung their massive weapons, soldiers were pushed back.
A few remaining knights were fighting hard, but the orcs moved in pairs, blocking their movement.
Human and orc corpses littered the ground.
Sibylla clenched her teeth.
She had never fought orcs before. It was her first time even seeing one. But there was no time to assess or hesitate.
She immediately tensed her entire body.
White mana burst from her body.
Soon, both she and her horse were wrapped in light as one being.
The Holy Kingdom's signature mounted assault technique.
Humans and horses became one and charged forward.
"Faster!"
With the arrival of the paladin order, hope lit up in the eyes of the Holy Kingdom's troops.
"Reinforcements!"
"The knights have returned!"
But it was short-lived.
As Sibylla charged toward the orcs, she felt her body shift.
"Huh…?"
There was no rebound from the ground.
She realized something was wrong—but it was already too late.
The knights ahead of her were falling one after another.
It was a trap.
She crashed straight into a pit.
Horses and people, armor and metal, all tangled together.
Sibylla's head struck another knight's armor.
For a moment, her mind went blank. Her vision blurred, and a ringing filled her ears.
Her body wouldn't move.
"No…"
She fought to clear her fading consciousness.
"Everyone, get a hold of yourselves!"
Even her own voice sounded distant.
She used her sword to push herself up.
"It's a trap!"
The orcs had dug a wide pit.
But until they fell, it hadn't looked like a trap at all. It was a clear deception.
"An orc shaman…"
She muttered the name.
She had heard that orcs had mage-like figures among them. Ones who could enrage their kind and sometimes bewilder enemies.
They had fallen for it too easily.
Sibylla kicked a writhing knight at her feet.
"Get up now!"
Following her, Fenek rose to his feet and urged those around him.
The knights began to recover. Most of the horses had broken legs.
"We're getting out of here immediately!"
The pit was deeper than expected, but not so deep they couldn't climb out.
Then suddenly, Sibylla noticed a strange smell.
The ground was damp and slick.
"Oil."
She raised her head.
Above the pit, an orc stood holding a torch.
A twisted smirk played across his grotesque face.
Something was terribly wrong.
Watching the torch get thrown, Sibylla felt her heart sink.
Many thoughts rushed through her mind.
Should she strike it?
That would scatter the flames.
Should she grab it?
There wasn't time to jump.
She never imagined an orc would dig such a calculated trap and bait them in.
One moment of carelessness.
The price was death.
She shut her eyes tightly.
Suddenly, a memory from her childhood flashed by.
The day she first manifested the holy art, everyone praised her. The moment she beat her older brother in swordplay, those praises turned to hostility.
Since her mother's death, she was always alone in the royal palace.
The so-called agents of God she encountered in the Holy Kingdom bore no resemblance to the god they preached.
In that case, did Heaven truly exist?
Once that torch fell, would her soul be scorched into the ashes along with her flesh?
I want to live.
Only that thought remained.
An eternity seemed to pass in that instant.
"Sibylla."
At the end of it, came someone's voice.
"Open your eyes."
Sibylla lifted her eyelids.
"Ah…"
It was like magic.
She had closed her eyes—and when she opened them again, everything had changed.
Instead of a falling torch, a headless orc's body was crashing into the pit.
Instead of an orc smirking at them, a boy holding a torch was looking down into the pit.
The orc's corpse slammed into the ground. Blood poured from the severed neck, spreading across the oil.
No one could speak.
The third prince of Briol.
Yuri Briol was looking down at them, smiling.
"What a sight."