Ragna mounted his horse and looked out toward the enemy camp.
The orcs had set up their formation and were waiting for them.
They had erected palisades, and behind them, spears were raised. In the center of the formation, orc cavalry mounted on Komodo dragons were standing by.
It was a scene that showed they had prepared for war just as systematically as humans would.
"Go check on Briol."
"Yes, sir."
He and his adjutant rode toward the camp at the front, where Briol was positioned.
The third prince of Briol sat upright on his horse, staring at the orc formation.
He was armed with a sword at his waist and holding a long spear, ready for the charge.
Ragna clapped.
"Yuri Briol."
Yuri turned around. His pale cheeks were flushed by the wind of the plains.
"Your Highness."
"Is everything ready?"
"Yes."
He was still a boy, with a youthful air that had yet to fade. But he couldn't be underestimated.
Those pitch-black eyes and hair were inherited from none other than Fiore Briol.
"So, what do you think?" Ragna asked.
Knighthood is born, not made. Had this boy truly been born with the qualities suited for war?
Ragna smiled, anticipating the battle to come.
"Are you afraid? Or excited?"
"Neither."
Yuri briefly answered as he stroked his black steed's mane.
"I'm simply doing what must be done."
"Far more reliable than half-hearted resolve."
Ragna placed a hand on Yuri's shoulder.
"Look behind you."
Yuri followed his gaze.
"See them."
The armies of thirteen nations summoned to the Allied Army stood fully armed.
The aligned knights' helms gleamed under the sun, reflecting light brightly. Above them, flags of various shapes fluttered.
Ragna lowered his gaze to examine each soldier's face.
Their expressions were mostly the same.
They rarely blinked, and their lips were parched. Their pupils trembled like leaves in the wind.
Those with such expressions don't last long. When fear lingers in your heart, you're bound to fall to the madness of the battlefield.
"And now? What do you feel?"
"No different. I feel nothing."
Yuri's response was dry. He seemed like a veteran long accustomed to war.
Ragna tilted his head.
"This is your first war, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"What will you do when the signal is given?"
"I'll charge and break through the wall."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"I see."
Ragna chuckled once, then raised his hand high.
"In that case, no need to hesitate."
At his signal, the imperial bugler in the rear took a deep breath and blew.
The sound spread across the plains.
It was the order to march.
At that, Yuri bowed his head and urged his horse forward with steady steps.
Ragna looked after him, slightly caught off guard by the sudden movement.
"Yuri?"
"I'll go ahead. See you after the battle."
"Aren't you going too far ahead?"
"I'll be taking the vanguard."
Ragna couldn't tell whether to laugh or stop him.
No matter how skilled he was, the commander of a unit wasn't supposed to charge from the front.
"Hoo…"
As Yuri advanced, soldiers stepped aside, and the knight order opened a path.
And thus, Yuri Briol stood at the very front of the entire Allied Army.
His figure etched itself into Ragna's eyes.
Was that recklessness, or something else?
Yuri raised his spear high.
"Everyone ready?"
"Yes!"
"Let's go."
His tone was calm, as if going for a stroll.
With that, Yuri spurred his horse forward.
The horse neighed and reared its forelegs.
Then it began galloping ahead.
Following him, the entire Briol army around Ragna began to charge forward.
A roar mixed with the wind of the plains and struck Ragna's face.
"As expected…"
The Allied Army began advancing as well.
Ragna watched as the army moved toward the enemy lines.
At the forefront, Briol's knight order charged in a wedge formation.
Their momentum was impressive, but the orcs' phalanx, with massive shields raised, looked solid and unyielding.
Then someone stood beside him.
"Your Highness, if I may."
"Grand mage?"
It was Mariloz.
Even on the battlefield, her outfit was as extravagant as when she was in Balshad. Dressed in a red gown, she seemed out of place.
She raised her staff.
From the crystal orb at the tip, a bright light shone.
"Prince Briol asked me to handle something."
"A spell?"
"Yes, that's right."
Ragna turned his gaze.
The distance between Briol's army and the orc camp was closing.
"When he passes that tree."
There was a short tree between the two armies, and when Yuri passed it, he raised his spear.
"Now."
Mariloz raised her staff high.
Ragna could feel the massive wave of mana cascading from her body like a tidal wave.
Mariloz Antret, the archmage of Balshad.
Her spell unleashed toward the orcs.
A massive fireball appeared in the sky and began descending toward the enemy formation.
Watching the arc of its descent, Ragna furrowed his brow.
"Cancel it."
"Well…"
"It's too late. At this rate…"
"I'm doing exactly as the prince asked."
By now, Briol's wedge formation had approached dangerously close to the enemy.
If the fireball landed like this, they might also be caught in the explosion.
But Yuri didn't pull the reins. Instead, he increased his speed.
He held his spear forward and broke ahead of the following knights.
Soon, the fireball struck the orcs' palisades.
With a loud boom, it exploded.
The ground shook, a wave of heat erupted, and flames blossomed.
The fire devoured everything nearby.
Yuri dashed into the firestorm before the flames had even died. There was no hesitation.
His figure was engulfed in flame.
Eventually, the fire subsided, leaving behind only black smoke.
And then—there was a single line, piercing through the shattered orc formation.
"That kid…"
Ragna let out a dry laugh. Mariloz let out a squeal of joy.
Briol's knight order followed and pierced through the confused orc army.
***
Just before the encounter with the orc formation.
Yuri lifted his head.
Far ahead, the orcs stood gripping their spears tightly. If they crashed into those shields head-on, they'd be thrown off.
Yuri calculated the distance.
Closer.
Closer.
When he judged the distance to be just right, he raised his spear high.
"Now."
Suddenly, the plains lit up.
Yuri glanced skyward.
A giant fireball, conjured in midair, was falling toward the orc phalanx.
It was the spell he had asked of Mariloz.
The orcs, seeing the fireball descending from the sky, began to panic.
"It's too close!"
"Wait!"
"Your Highness!"
The knights behind him shouted, but Yuri didn't slow his horse.
Instead, he accelerated toward the enemy's palisades—toward the explosion.
The scenery around him blurred as it rushed past.
The fierce roar of the Allied Army pushed against his back. The distance was closing in an instant.
His will had transferred.
The horse, unafraid of the flames, strained its muscles.
And soon, the fireball landed on the earth.
A flash of light erupted, the air expanding all at once. Flames burst forth, and with a deafening boom, everything alive within the blast radius was distorted.
"Kh…!"
The heat rushed over his entire body.
Gritting his teeth, Yuri lowered his posture.
He grasped the crystal sword he had been holding and stirred up mana. The energy of water enveloped him and his horse in protection.
"Keep going!"
They broke through the flames.
The fiery wave that had swept over the ground devoured its surroundings and dissipated into the sky as black smoke.
Unburned embers still flared here and there across the earth.
Yuri passed the collapsed palisades and the charred corpses of orcs.
The orc troops, who had been outside the range of the explosion, were hastily trying to reorganize their formation.
But they couldn't prepare in the brief moment between the explosion and Yuri's sudden charge.
He charged in.
"Graaaagh!"
With a mana-infused impact, several orcs were flung backward, collapsing even the rear ranks.
"Hyah!"
Yuri spurred his horse once more. His black steed began a mad sprint.
Even when orcs blocked his path, he did not swerve.
"Guaaaargh!"
One orc tried to resist but was impaled by the spear and lifted into the air. Yuri jerked the handle and flung the creature's body high.
He looked up.
The distorted faces of the orc army were all focused on him.
He stood alone in the heart of enemy lines.
If he stood still, they would swarm like ants and tear him apart.
But Yuri felt no fear.
One by one, the eyes fixed on him began to turn behind him.
The fear was not in him—it was infecting the orcs' eyes instead.
Raising his spear high, Yuri shouted,
"Briol!"
As if responding to him, a cheer erupted from behind. Then came the sound of impact and the orcs' screams.
Briol's knight order was surging in like a tidal wave.
Yuri burst into laughter.
"You're late! How long are you going to chase my tail!"
Belatedly, orc cavalry appeared.
A group of orcs riding Komodo dragons trampled over their own and charged at Yuri.
"Krahh, Arakakkaa!"
One rider, directly ahead, roared as it galloped toward him.
It was enormous.
A big target, in other words.
Yuri immediately threw his spear.
The mana-charged weapon pierced the orc's breastplate.
The orc toppled backward, falling from its mount, and the Komodo dragon shrieked wildly as it thrashed about.
Nearby orcs were caught in the chaos.
Yuri turned his horse, circled the Komodo dragon, and yanked his spear from the orc's corpse.
"Keep going!"
And he rode again.
The orc cavalry tried to pursue Yuri, but they were swept aside by the incoming Briol knight order.
Yuri ran, spearing down orcs as he went.
Soon, he spotted an orc who looked like a commander near the rear.
The orc had gathered his soldiers and was crouched behind the palisades.
Even upon seeing Yuri, he did not attack—he only glared.
"Hey!"
Yuri provoked him, but there was no response.
No matter how bold Yuri was, even he wouldn't recklessly charge into such a fortified position alone.
So, he rode past the leader.
"See you later!"
He galloped away.
There was nothing left to block his path.
The dusty horizon of the plains and the clouds drifting above came into view.
"Haa…"
Yuri took a deep breath.
The cool wind filled his lungs.
"That was fun, wasn't it?"
He stroked his horse's mane and smiled. The horse, intoxicated by the heat of the battlefield, twitched even as its pace slowed.
Yuri looked back.
The orc army had collapsed, and above them, the Allied Army's banners fluttered.
The orcs, thrown into chaos, were being devoured by the Allied Army. One charge had been enough to decide the battle.
Briol's knight order, having pierced the enemy lines, was now approaching Yuri.
"What took you so long?"
"Your Highness!"
"Any injuries?"
"None, sir."
"You didn't even look before answering."
"If we failed to follow Your Highness and still got injured, we'd be unworthy of knighthood."
"That's true."
Raymond rode up to the front. He had led the knights in Yuri's absence.
"Your Highness, next time, please take it a bit slower."
"Then you come faster."
"Well, now…"
Raymond shook his head and laughed.
Beside him, Laurent bowed deeply to Yuri.
"I beg your pardon!"
"For what?"
"For lacking the skill to follow you, Your Highness. Please punish me."
"Uh, well…"
He had given up on Laurent by now.
The man's loyalty had already gone beyond Yuri's control. So, he simply nodded.
"Do better next time."
"Yes, sir!"
Yuri turned his eyes back to the battlefield.
Close combat was still underway.
The Allied Army had surrounded and pushed in, but the orcs weren't dying quietly. The madness of war filled the field.
Suddenly, Yuri caught sight of a soldier being cut down by an orc's axe.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Extra duty. Volunteers only."
"…Excuse me?"
Yuri hooked his spear onto the saddle and leapt off the horse.
Then he drew Guilty and rested it on his shoulder.
"No pay. But I'll admire the passion."
Only then did the knight order understand his intent and glance at each other.
Yuri didn't wait any longer.
"Charge!"
He ran immediately.
Laurent followed after him. Jared clicked his tongue and moved his feet. Soon, the entire knight order began running after Yuri.
Raymond remained atop his horse, watching from behind.
"Really now…"
The Briol knight order, running toward the field of close combat, looked like a disorderly mob in one sense—and in another, unmatched in courage.
"I thought he resembled His Majesty…"
He had once thought that.
Having seen Fiore's prowess firsthand during the last Allied campaign, he had seen fragments of it in Yuri.
But now, he knew.
They were nothing alike.
Yuri wasn't like anyone he knew.
Shaking his head and chuckling again, Raymond dismounted from his horse.
And then he too, began running toward Yuri's back.