"You're coming in as an outer disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, right?"
"Was that all included?"
"Of course."
"That…"
Yuri protested.
"The truth is, I already have a master. A ruthless man known as the sword demon…"
"You're an outer disciple, so it's fine. Be his disciple, and mine too."
"But…"
"Outer disciples are usually trained for money. Do you know how much my presence is worth? You should count yourself lucky."
"Yes…"
In the end, Yuri became an outer disciple of the Qingcheng Sect and accepted Moyong Chan as his second master.
The next day, Yuri brought Moyong Chan to see Ragna.
Ragna looked Moyong Chan up and down. With his beard shaved and clean clothes on, Moyong Chan looked like a completely different person.
"Neat."
"I treated him well."
"Seeing him dressed in Briol's uniform, I take it things went well?"
"He has agreed to join our forces."
"Good."
Ragna nodded.
"I'll leave the matter of the Outsider to you."
"Thank you for trusting me."
Just then, the adjutant whispered something to Ragna.
Yuri's keen hearing caught even the faint whisper.
"If we're not careful, we'll have two of the Ten Strong in Briol…"
He was concerned about the possibility of Moyong Chan fully joining Briol.
Ragna patted the adjutant on the shoulder.
"The Allied Army comes first. Unless you think you can handle the Outsider?"
"That's not it, but…"
Fortunately, Ragna was being cooperative.
He had entrusted many things to Yuri. It was a reward for volunteering to lead the charge until now.
Of course, he was likely also confident in the Empire's power.
More than half of the Ten Strong were either affiliated with the Empire or friendly toward it.
Yuri relayed the story he had heard from Moyong Chan.
When Ragna heard about the human sacrifice, his expression twisted.
"Indescribably revolting…"
Last night, Ernando had heard it too, and the mood had turned grave.
He had locked himself in his tent, saying he needed to investigate something.
Ragna muttered a curse against the orcs and then raised his gaze.
"The Outsider. This is all true, isn't it?"
Moyong Chan nodded.
It could be considered rude behavior, but to the Ten Strong, the formalities of the world did not apply.
Yuri kept his eyes on Ragna's reaction.
It didn't seem he was reacting only to the orcs' atrocities. There was an uneasy tension beneath the surface.
Perhaps there was something about black magic he knew but hadn't shared.
Suppressing his curiosity, Yuri simply bowed his head.
"I'll return to the camp and await further orders."
"All right."
As Yuri turned to leave after bowing to Ragna, the adjutant stopped him.
"Prince, I have a request."
"What is it?"
"Sir Graham wishes to see you…"
"Sir Graham?"
Though he was technically serving without rank, Yuri continued to treat him as a knight.
"Yes. Sir Graham… he asked for you."
"I'll go at once."
"I'll escort you."
Yuri sent Moyong Chan to the Briol camp and followed the adjutant.
Graham was in charge of dealing with the half-orcs and human prisoners.
As they passed a row of imperial soldiers standing guard, screams echoed in the distance.
Among the prisoners were those who had lost their minds. They trembled in fear, unable to distinguish between humans and orcs.
Though a priest remained nearby, their shattered minds did not return.
"Sir Graham."
Yuri greeted him, and Graham bowed his head.
"Prince. Forgive me for the trouble."
"It's fine. What is it?"
"I wanted to ask about the half-orcs' fate."
If it were orcs, they'd be killed. If humans, they'd be sent back. But half-orcs were ambiguous.
"What would you do, if it were you?"
"So that's why you called me."
Yuri had taken in Cory, a half-orc.
"Yes. I was curious what you would think…"
"Well…"
Though Graham upheld the code of chivalry, he was not a saint. He would spill blood when necessary.
Killing the half-orcs would certainly be among his choices.
Yuri looked at the survivors.
None of them were unscathed. He looked over them one by one.
Suddenly, he felt a gaze.
It was from a woman, curled up on the ground.
As Yuri approached, her eyes lifted to meet his.
"Can you speak?"
"Yes."
She was skin and bones, but her eyes were still alive. She seemed to be holding onto her sanity.
"I heard the conversation. It's about the half-orcs, right?"
"Yes. By chance…"
"Kill them."
Before Yuri could answer, the words were out.
"Kill them all."
Her voice was quiet, but it carried fury.
"I think everyone feels the same way."
"The half-orcs…"
"They did it."
She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.
"They did everything the orcs did. No—worse. We were their only outlet for rage."
Yuri fell silent. Then another woman beside her spoke.
"They killed my younger sister. For fun."
Her face was buried in her knees. Even as she spoke, she didn't raise her head. After that one sentence, she said nothing more.
Though all were silent, Yuri could feel the hatred rising.
The first woman spoke again.
"You're the prince of Briol, right?"
"Yes."
"Take revenge."
Her voice trembled for a moment. But then it regained its edge.
Her fierce eyes stared directly at Yuri.
"Take revenge. Stop chatting idly with imperial nobles and kill every last orc and half-orc, you bastard. If you have even a shred of conscience…"
When a soldier nearby stepped toward her, Yuri stopped him.
"Where are you from?"
"Line."
Yuri closed his eyes.
A small territory near Sadeur.
Now that he thought about it, it made sense.
The survivors here were from nations bordering the plains. There were likely many from Briol among them.
"What's your name?"
"Jane."
"Jane. Were there many from Briol?"
"There were, but most are dead. Some took their own lives. We buried them every day. Had to piece together broken bodies each time…"
His ears buzzed.
He had a duty. And he had sworn to uphold it.
Yuri knelt on one knee, lowering himself to Jane's level.
He set Guilty down on the ground.
Receiving Jane's confused gaze, Yuri bowed his head.
"On behalf of Briol, I offer my apologies."
He simply wanted to correct the mistakes of his past life.
But that wasn't all.
There were things he should've done—but didn't.
Responsibilities that had been forgotten, abandoned on the desolate plains.
"And I promise you this."
She likely wouldn't live long. Her broken body was beyond healing.
She might die even before reaching her homeland.
So there was only one thing he could give her.
"I will repay it in kind."
An equal price.
Vengeance.
So she could feel his resolve, Yuri held her gaze to the end.
"I, Yuri of Briol, swear on all the honor I possess."
Jane's eyes trembled.
She finally gave a faint nod.
"Keep your promise."
And then she lowered her body.
Jane spoke no more.
It was as if her life force had been completely drained. The vitality that had been present just moments ago now seemed like a lie, and her breathing was shallow.
She had wrung out the last of her strength just to say those words.
Not only for herself, surely.
Yuri stood up.
Graham and the adjutant, who had been watching, exchanged a glance to express their sympathy.
"Sir Graham."
"Yes."
"As a member of the Allied Army, as a prince and commander of Briol, and as a representative of the innocent Briol citizens who were sacrificed, I will strongly advocate for the extermination of those things."
"Understood."
Graham nodded.
"Prince. I have one more request. May I ask you to send Cory?"
It seemed Graham wanted to finish his selection of half-orcs to the very end.
"Of course."
"Thank you. I will take your will fully into account."
"Much appreciated."
Yuri nodded and turned around.
He returned to the Briol camp and gave Raymond a task.
"Send messengers to every country bordering the plains."
"Yes, sir."
Yuri ordered messengers to be dispatched to inform them of the survivors here.
Whether they offered aid or used this as fuel to grow hatred toward the orcs, each nation would make its own decision. And that alone would serve as pressure on Graham.
After listening to Yuri's explanation, Raymond frowned.
"So that's what happened. I'll send a messenger to His Majesty."
"And be sure to inform Cedric, too."
"Understood."
If it were Cedric, he would surely help the returned survivors wisely.
Yuri calmed his mind, thinking of his eldest brother whom he respected.
"Hope he's doing well."
Now, the Allied Army would head toward the heart of the plains where Okua awaited.
A battle of massive scale would unfold.
Just imagining the fight made Yuri feel faint.
On the vast plains, brutal melee combat would continue endlessly, and the corpses would pile up like mountains. There would be no such thing as a retreat scenario.
"Hoo…"
Yuri let out a deep sigh and turned his gaze. From a distance, he could faintly hear the clashing of weapons.
"What's that?"
As he walked over, he saw a long line of knights.
Beyond them, Moyong Chan was sparring.
"Well, would you look at that…"
The knights were orderly, taking turns exchanging swords with Moyong Chan.
After just a few blows, each knight inevitably fell, and Moyong Chan, showing no signs of fatigue, would immediately move on to the next opponent.
"It's an honor to cross swords with one of the Ten Strong!"
"Indeed."
"Thank you!"
They looked delighted, as if the wounds inflicted by Moyong Chan were marks of honor.
Knights not only from Briol but from other countries as well had gathered in droves, forming an endless line.
"You."
"Yes?"
"You, get out."
"Why…?"
"I don't duel with sickly folks."
"Ugh…"
Jose, who had once been saved by Moyong Chan, stood in line with his shoulder bandaged and splinted, but was kicked out.
Yuri approached him.
"Sir Jose."
"Ah, Prince."
Jose greeted him brightly.
"Is your shoulder all right?"
"Of course. And what about you, Your Highness?"
"As you can see. Still in one piece."
"That's a relief."
Jose lightly touched his own shoulder.
Kurui's axe had struck him squarely on the right scapula. Though the mana method had protected him, he wouldn't be able to fight properly for some time.
"Oh, and Sir Ernando came to see me."
"Really?"
"He's quite skilled."
Apparently, he had left his tent at some point and treated Jose.
"Just a bit more rest and I should be able to fight again."
"Fight?"
"Of course."
"Hmm…"
Honestly, he still looked like he needed time to recover, but Yuri still hoped someone as capable as Jose could rejoin the front.
Yuri, out of habit, reached to pat Jose's shoulder, but remembering his condition, he instead patted his back.
"Be as careful as you can."
"Thank you for your concern."
"And Jonathan?"
"The captain's holed up in the tent. Spent the whole day staring at maps."
"Really? I should go see him."
As they talked, Froin from Bursen stepped up before Moyong Chan.
He shouted,
"I'll show the guest from the East just how fierce Bursen's waves are!"
"Waves?"
"There's an ocean at the western edge. I trained my sword there, among the waves!"
He had suddenly started speaking in a formal, theatrical tone.
"What's with him?"
"He's the type to act up when there's an audience."
He seemed eager to show something in front of the gathered knights from all over.
"The ocean, huh…"
Then, Moyong Chan responded.
He closed his eyes, thinking deeply about something.
"The ocean…"
"Does the East have oceans too?"
"Of course."
"How delightful."
"I like the sea too."
Moyong Chan drew his sword.
"On the southern sea, under the night sky… there is an unforgettable hell…"
"Ohh…"
Froin and Moyong Chan chattered about their seas, and soon took their stances.
But, of course, Froin didn't last long.
After just two exchanges, he staggered, dropped his sword, and sat down right there. He couldn't keep his balance, like he'd suffered a concussion.
"Ugh, for Bursen's waves to fall…"
"Your sword's no wave, it's barely a stream."
"Th-that can't be…"
"But…"
Moyong Chan stepped forward and looked down at Froin as he spoke.
"Even a stream, someday, flows to the sea."
Then he turned around.
Froin seemed moved by those words, trembled once, then bowed deeply to Moyong Chan without another word and quietly left.
Jose commented,
"He's leaving fast out of embarrassment."
"That so."
This time, another knight stepped up.
Watching the ongoing sparring, Yuri murmured,
"Good."
Moyong Chan sparring with the knights was like a form of personal training. The fact that he was doing this likely meant he had resolved to fight alongside the Allied Army against Okua.
But then, Moyong Chan suddenly stopped.
"..."
His eyes were fixed in one place. His expression stiffened strangely.
Yuri, wondering if he was looking at him, met his gaze—then turned around as he saw Moyong Chan's eyes shift.
"What's this event about?"
It was Ernando.
At some point, he had come out of the tent and was strolling over casually.
"Is that the Outsider?"
"Yeah."
"But why is he looking at me like that…"
Ernando hid behind Yuri and peeked his head out.
"He's glaring, isn't he?"
Moyong Chan continued to stare at him.
Ernando glanced around awkwardly, trying to avoid his gaze, then gave a sheepish laugh.
"This is embarrassing…"
Then Moyong Chan spoke.
"My name is Moyong Chan. Might I have the great hero's name?"