Sibylla, having arrived in Balshad, moved around busily.
She met with the battle mage to gather information, and met with commanders from other countries to seek cooperation for the upcoming Allied Army campaign.
She wasn't the only one acting that way.
Numerous countries had been bound under the banner of the Allied Army. It was only natural that political calculations would come into play.
But there were also countries that acted in the exact opposite way.
Briol stayed holed up in his barracks, conducting daily self-training, without stepping outside.
"Briol seems quite busy these days."
"Indeed. The Third Prince is quite a unique figure."
"What could he be thinking?"
"Well…"
Sibylla was walking alongside Jonathan, the commander of Bursen.
The scenery of Balshad was no different from any other city. Having arrived earlier, Jonathan shared various bits of information.
"That place over there, their pork dishes are excellent. The name of the dish was…"
Then suddenly, Jonathan called out to a knight passing by.
"Sir Jose."
The man was immensely large.
"Huh, Captain?"
"Where are you off to?"
"Uh…"
He hesitated, glancing around.
"Um, so…"
Sibylla had heard of him before. He was Jose Aratur, who was expected to become Bursen's greatest combat power in the future.
"I'm on my way to Briol's barracks."
"Why?"
"Well…"
He scratched the back of his head and mumbled. Despite his intimidatingly muscular build, Jose's demeanor was gentle.
Jonathan patted him on the shoulder.
"Going to spar with their knights again?"
"Yes…"
"I told you not to overdo it."
"We're taking it easy on each other."
"Personally, I don't think it's good to mingle too often with knights from other nations. But I won't force you. Bursen's men can't be controlled anyway."
"Th-thank you."
"Go on, then."
As Jose's figure grew distant, Sibylla remarked,
"Bursen seems to be on friendly terms with Briol."
"Yes. It just kind of happened that way."
"Briol…"
Sibylla murmured.
Briol was training as if he might dash into the fields at any moment.
Yuri Briol didn't exactly have a reputation for diligence. What on earth was he thinking?
"What do you suppose the Third Prince is thinking?"
"No idea."
Jonathan smiled.
"Since Her Highness is curious, why don't we go see for ourselves?"
Briol's barracks weren't far. They began walking together.
As they passed through farmland and the residential areas of city folk, the distant clash of weapons echoed in the air.
Passing soldiers from other nations snickered as they looked toward Briol's troops.
"Tough break, huh?"
"What's wrong with them?"
"That's what happens when you get stuck with the wrong commander."
When they spotted Jonathan and Sibylla, the soldiers stepped aside awkwardly.
There was no obligation to show courtesy to nobles of another country, but they couldn't be rude either.
Jonathan and Sibylla entered the barracks without much interference.
Up close, the training seemed more organized than expected.
"What brings you here?"
One of the knights instructing the soldiers approached, recognizing them. His shirt was off, revealing a body soaked in sweat.
Jonathan recognized him.
"Sir Jared, was it?"
"Yes."
"I heard rumors about Briol and came to see for myself."
"Shall I call the prince?"
"No need. I'll go to him. Where is he?"
"Over there…"
Jared pointed in a direction, and Jonathan and Sibylla turned their heads.
A large back came into view. Somehow, it looked familiar.
Each time he swung his sword, a sharp sound sliced through the air.
"That's Jose."
"Yes."
"I only see Sir Jose, though?"
"If you look closely…"
Suddenly, Jose launched a kick. Then, from behind his massive frame, someone flew through the air like a bundle of straw.
The soldiers on standby quickly rushed to check the person who had been sent flying.
"Your Highness!"
"Are you alright?!"
"Open your eyes!"
Jonathan witnessed a knight from his own country strike a prince from another nation. He opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated, then asked in a small voice,
"Is he okay…?"
"Well…"
Jared shrugged as he looked down at Yuri, sprawled on the ground.
"He insisted on doing it."
Yuri staggered to his feet and charged at Jose once more.
The sound of clashing wood rang out.
Though Yuri's achievements were impressive for his age, Jose was already close to being a complete knight.
Yuri continued the fight with movements bordering on acrobatics, but was eventually overwhelmed by the difference in strength and lost his weapon.
The wooden sword spun through the air.
But Yuri didn't stop.
Abandoning the sword, he rushed in, wrapping around Jose's arm and locking a joint.
He hooked both legs around Jose's body and attempted to break the elbow using leverage.
But nothing happened.
"Your Highness."
"Yeah?"
"I'm about to slam you into the ground. Is that okay?"
"..."
Jose was holding Yuri up with one arm. Yuri squirmed, but Jose didn't budge. It was a display of incredible strength.
Yuri gave up cleanly and hopped down.
"If you slammed me, I would've tattled to my dad."
"It would've been an honor."
"Let's stop here. We've got guests."
He looked toward Jonathan and Sibylla.
"What brings you here?"
Jonathan gave a polite nod, and Sibylla dipped her head slightly.
Yuri approached them.
"Most just spy from a distance and leave. It's nice of you to come in person."
With Briol's training gaining attention, not only regular soldiers but also knights from other countries occasionally observed from afar.
Yuri wasn't concerned about exposing his skills. They would be revealed on the battlefield anyway.
"Wanna join in?"
At Yuri's offer, Jonathan shook his head.
"I appreciate the thought, but I have many duties to attend to."
"Meeting with people from other countries?"
"Yes."
Jonathan gave a sheepish smile.
"I'm not of royal status like you, so I need to move around more diligently."
"You'll regret it later."
"Prince, you've stayed only in your barracks. You must think differently."
"Think, huh."
Yuri looked at Sibylla.
"Sibylla, what do you think?"
Despite both being royalty, his speech to her was informal. Jonathan, unfamiliar with their relationship, tilted his head.
"My thoughts?"
"About mingling with others before the full assembly."
"Well…"
Sibylla fell into thought.
Ragna, the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Army, hadn't taken action yet, but there were strong rumors that he would soon summon all the commanders.
Each nation sought alliances according to their interests before that happened.
The Holy Kingdom, in particular, was drawing attention. Having many clergy skilled in sacred arts was a significant advantage.
Sibylla spoke.
"Better than doing nothing, I suppose?"
Yuri smiled.
"Everyone seems so certain that the Allied Army will win. Don't you think they're being too optimistic?"
"Are you saying, Your Highness, that the Allied Army will fail?"
"That might be true, or not. Either way, it won't be an easy war."
He looked at the soldiers in training.
It probably wasn't a happy time for them, but this hardship would help them survive just a little longer.
"Once they come face-to-face with it, everyone will think differently. Nothing we do now really means much."
"Well, since you're from Briol, you must know a lot about orcs."
"Sibylla knows too. She almost died on the way here."
Sibylla cleared her throat.
It wasn't a memory she could laugh off. She had genuinely thought she was going to burn to death.
"Let's survive, Jonathan."
Yuri gave his back a hearty slap and grinned.
Jonathan looked at Yuri again, with fresh eyes.
He looked like a boy, but spoke like a seasoned knight. No, it was more raw than that.
It reminded him of a mercenary he'd once hired.
"Yes, Your Highness."
He answered, then fell briefly into thought.
He had believed he was taking the Allied Army seriously, but this prince seemed to be imagining far worse possibilities.
Jonathan recalled his own memories of orcs.
"I've only encountered orcs once."
"Really? I thought you had more experience."
"Well, I suppose that still counts as experience."
Orcs resided in the eastern plains. So unless one was from a country bordering the plains, like Briol, opportunities to meet them were rare.
"A merchant had captured a group of orcs and brought them to us in cages."
"In Bursen, orcs are a spectacle? I suppose, since you never get to see them there, they'd just seem like a curiosity."
In Briol, many bore grudges against orcs. If shown to the people, they would be killed on the spot.
"We bought an orc and fought it. It was strong, but clumsy. Not a difficult opponent."
"You didn't think an orc dragged all the way to distant Bursen would still be in prime condition, did you?"
"I didn't think that deeply…"
Jonathan asked,
"Are orcs really that strong?"
"Hmm…"
Yuri scratched his chin, then slapped the shoulder of the man next to him.
"Jose, our sturdy friend here."
"Yes."
"Imagine guys like him swarming toward you."
Jonathan's eyes widened. Jose scratched the back of his head.
"That level…?"
"Right, Sibylla?"
Sibylla shrugged.
Of course, not every orc was as skilled as Jose. But it was true that even ordinary orc soldiers could fight knights, and high-ranking ones like those of Orcbal were much stronger.
There were plenty of monsters among them who were stronger than Jose.
In truth, the Allied Army fails.
If you think about it, most of the people Yuri was speaking with now had been killed by orcs on the plains in his past life.
Jonathan and Sibylla included.
Realizing that, a chill ran down Yuri's spine.
Suppressing his emotions, Yuri raised the corners of his mouth.
"So there's no time to get complacent. Don't think about how gloriously you'll win or how you'll divide the spoils. You'll barely survive, only if you struggle with everything you've got."
"Hmm…"
"Well, I guess it doesn't feel real to you yet."
"That's not true."
It was a view that could be ignored, but Jonathan sensed something different from Yuri.
He couldn't just brush it off.
Could Yuri possibly know something that the other countries didn't?
"Do you know something?"
At Jonathan's question, Yuri fell into thought. He couldn't exactly say it was his second life.
"Have you heard of Okua?"
"What is that?"
"The king of the orcs."
"A king?"
After the Allied Army collapsed, Okua would declare himself king.
"He's the one uniting all the scattered orcs."
"What the…"
"This isn't a hunt. It's a war. That's why we need to do everything we can to save even one more life among those we've gathered here. That's why I'm doing this."
Jonathan looked back.
Briol's forces were sweating as they trained.
While others lazed about, these soldiers stayed razor-sharp. It was clear who would survive.
"I see."
Jonathan was struck with a fresh shock.
While he had been thinking only of how to achieve military accomplishments, the younger Third Prince was thinking far more maturely.
A wave of shame washed over him.
"You've given me a lot to think about. I'll return to my unit for now."
"See you."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Jonathan said, giving a respectful nod to Yuri before turning away.
Jose followed behind.
As soon as they stepped out of Briol's barracks, Jonathan asked Jose,
"Sir Jose."
"Yes."
"What did you think, facing him directly? The Third Prince, I mean."
He had expected an immediate answer, but Jose hesitated. It was unlike him.
Jonathan urged him,
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"It's hard to explain."
"Hard to explain?"
"I'm not sure but…"
Jose was expected to become Bursen's top knight soon. Jonathan even hoped he would one day reach the rank of the Ten Greats.
For someone like him to be unsure after facing an eighteen-year-old boy?
"But you handled him well earlier, didn't you?"
"That's how it looked, yes."
"So is his skill exceptional?"
Jose let out a sigh.
"Even now, if we fought with real swords, I can't say I'd win for sure. And he's going to get insanely strong soon."
"What?"
"That's just a feeling. It's the first time I've felt this, so I can't explain why."
"You really think you can't guarantee a win?"
"If it was a fight to the death."
Jonathan, as a knight, could vaguely understand what he meant. A real life-or-death battle was a different world from a sparring match.
Jose continued.
"This is also just a feeling, but…"
"What is it?"
"Let's get on his good side."
He gave a wide, awkward grin, as if shaking off the heavy thoughts.
"I'm sure that'll be good for us."
"Hmmm…"
"Come on, let's go. Let's train like Briol does."
"Shall we?"
Chatting like that, they returned to Bursen's barracks.
There, Froin was urgently looking for Jonathan. Jonathan waved to him.
"What is it?"
"Ah, Captain!"
Froin ran over.
"We need to go now."
"Where to?"
"The Empire summoned us."
Jonathan's eyes widened.
"A messenger arrived. Under the name of the Allied Army's Commander-in-Chief and Imperial Prince, Ragna. They want each country's representative to come alone to the Archmage Duke's castle."
Ragna had begun to move.
The Allied Army was finally starting to rise.