The 3rd Prince of the Fallen Kingdom Returns

21. The Black Dog (2)

Kori was flustered, and Graham, realizing it was a jest, chuckled softly.

“My apologies.”

“Alright. Then can I ask you something as well?”

“Yes.”

“Why were you demoted to a mere soldier?”

“Hmm…”

Yuri had a rough guess.

Graham was a knight who upheld principles. He would not bow to power or commit acts of injustice.

Perhaps he had received an unreasonable order and refused, or something similar.

Graham lowered his gaze.

“It’s nothing significant. I merely stopped something I believed to be wrong.”

Yuri pressed for more specific details.

“What exactly did you stop?”

“I cannot say.”

“Why not? What’s there to hide between us?”

“…”

“You can’t tell me?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. Then how about this: who was it that sentenced you to serve as a mere soldier?”

“That too… I cannot say….”

“Sir Graham.”

Yuri patted Kori on the back, giving him a hint.

“Our Kori…”

Flustered, Kori defended Graham.

“Whoa, Your Highness. Sir Graham just came to ask about orcs…”

“It’s fine. Besides, if I really want to, I can find out who gave the order.”

Even without knowing the full details, it wouldn’t be hard to ask around and discover who had sentenced Graham.

Graham gave a wry smile.

“Understood. I’ll tell you.”

He looked up at the sky and said.

“It was Princess Yekaterina.”

Yuri thought to himself.

Why is she involved in this?

* * *

As they reached the hilly area, the stench of orcs filled the air.

It wasn’t a metaphor.

Along the path where the Allied Forces moved, human corpses with slit bellies open were impaled on stakes.

Perhaps they were the remains of what the orcs had eaten; the bodies were dismembered, and maggots swarmed over the entrails spilling out.

Ragna burst into laughter.

“Interesting. Is this how the orcs welcome us?”

Yuri stepped forward.

“Your Highness, allow me to burn them with fire.”

“Go ahead.”

Yuri led the knights and disposed of the corpses as they saw them.

As he watched the burning corpses, Yuri stroked the mane of his horse.

“Orcs leave the corpses they’ve eaten until they rot.”

“Why do they do that?”

“Probably similar to how humans use animal hides for decoration.”

It was part of orc culture.

They simply did it that way.

What was a repulsive act from a human perspective was a matter of pride for them.

The closer they got to the orc settlement, the more desolate the land became. The ground was cracked, and the vegetation had withered.

“It’s like a desert.”

“Why is it like this here?”

“I heard orc waste pollutes the land.”

“They are really something.”

The knights chatted as they set the corpses ablaze, filling the air with the stench of burning flesh.

As they advanced further, they came across a place where the bodies were particularly concentrated.

Steep walls surrounded the piles of corpses. The path the Allied Forces needed to follow led into a canyon enclosed by low cliffs.

Yuri halted in his tracks.

“Wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

“Stop.”

He called back two knights who were pressing forward without caution.

“Dyke! Guiness!”

“Yes?”

“Come back!!”

“Understo—”

At that moment, an arrow streaked toward them.

The two instinctively swung their swords, but the attack was so sudden that they couldn’t properly block it.

An arrow pierced Guiness’s arm.

“Damn it!”

They quickly retreated. Yuri ordered the entire knight order to fall back.

Orcs with bows stood on the cliff overlooking the Allied Forces.

“Are you alright, Guiness?”

“Yes…”

“You let your guard down on the battlefield.”

“My apologies.”

He lowered his gaze.

There was no need to pressure him further; his own remorse was enough.

“Stop making me worry.”

Yuri’s tone was cold, but his words carried warmth.

Guiness lowered his head even further.

“I’m sorry…”

“Simon, Dyke.”

“Yes.”

“Protect Guiness.”

“Understood.”

After preventing the previous night raid, the three young knights had grown to rely on each other.

Yuri half-rose from his saddle and surveyed the cliff above.

“This isn’t good.”

Their path was vulnerable to attacks. The orcs could launch an assault from above at any moment.

Fortunately, due to the terrain, the area atop the cliff didn’t seem wide enough to accommodate many orcs.

“A canyon, huh…”

He had experienced a similar battle in his past life.

The mercenaries’ approach was simple. They climbed the cliffs and eliminated the enemies. Yuri’s unit, which always took on the riskiest tasks, had carried out the mission.

Yuri returned to Ragna and reported the situation.

“What’s your plan?”

“I’ll climb up and clear them out.”

“Are you confident?”

“Yes.”

Having assessed the terrain, it was natural for Yuri to take on this task.

The Allied Forces halted at a safe distance and shot arrows upward. The orc group occupying that spot scattered.

After lightening his equipment, Yuri led the knights to the base of the cliff.

“Follow me.”

“Yes!”

Once again, Yuri took the lead.

He activated the mana method and ascended up the cliff. The solid rock provided excellent handholds.

Yuri climbed the wall with ease and precision.

“Be careful!”

Suddenly, a shout came from below.

A large boulder was falling from above.

The Allied Forces fired arrows once more.

Amidst the falling rocks and the rain of arrows, Yuri pressed himself as close to the cliff as possible.

A boulder narrowly grazed past him. Without hesitation, Yuri resumed climbing.

He drew closer and closer to the top.

Just as his fingers touched the top of the cliff, he paused and reached for Guilty, the sword strapped to his back.

An orc’s face suddenly popped up.

Anticipating the attack, Yuri swung Guilty. The orc’s severed head tumbled down.

Yuri was drenched in the blood of the orc.

“Ugh.”

He spat out a mix of saliva and blood, then leapt upward.

Standing on the cliff top, he realized there were more orcs than he expected. The shields held by the orcs were bristling with arrows fired by the Allied Forces, like a porcupine.

They spotted Yuri and scowled ferociously.

“Come on, you bastards.”

The orcs dropped their shields and raised their weapons. Yuri pointed Guilty forward as well.

“Why aren’t you coming?”

Yuri glanced briefly below.

“These guys…”

The knights were still far below. They were climbing much more slowly than expected. It would take a while before they joined him.

He needed to buy time.

Thinking that he should add rock climbing training to their regimen, Yuri charged forward.

“Briol!”

“Akkuakai! Akkumetum!”

Several orcs charged at once.

Through repeated battles, Yuri’s senses had sharpened considerably.

He simultaneously perceived the blades flying towards him.

He dodged to the side and swung Guilty.

The mana of the Heart and Soul Slash surged through him, wild and untamed, as if alive. The sword energy sliced through both the orc’s leather armor and the tough skin beneath.

“Graaagh!”

The orc’s gaze turned towards Yuri, who had dodged to the side.

Yuri moved a few steps more.

He could vividly see the entire battlefield as if looking down from above. He instinctively knew how to move to avoid being surrounded.

Yuri slashed at the legs of an orc turning toward him. The orc lost its balance, its axe missing its target and crashing uselessly into the ground.

He tried to finish it off, but the remaining orcs charged, Yuri retreated without hesitation.

The fallen orc was trampled by its own comrades and crushed to death.

Yuri shouted towards the cliff.

“When the hell are you coming up?!”

There was only so much time he could delay.

Realizing Yuri was stalling, a few orcs shifted their attention and charged toward the cliff.

“We’re coming!”

Just then, two knights arrived.

It was Laurent and Jared.

As soon as they reached the summit, they faced off against the orcs and immediately swung their swords.

The clash of weapons rang out, the noise reverberating through the cliffs.”

Soon, more knights joined the fray and a chaotic melee erupted.

“The ground is narrow! Use the terrain to your advantage!”

Orcs couldn’t be defeated with brute force alone; the knights who engaged them head-on were quickly pushed back.

Yuri aided a knight in danger.

“Be careful.”

“Thank you!”

“This is how you do it.”

An orc charged at Yuri furiously. Yuri seemed as if he would counterattack, but he deflected the blow instead. The orc, thrown off balance by its own momentum, stumbled dangerously close to the cliff’s edge.

Yuri launched a flying kick to the orc’s back.

The orc let out a scream as it fell, the sound echoing in the air before abruptly cutting off with a sickening thud.

“Orcs have wide swings. Exploit their openings.”

“Yes, sir!”

Yuri lifted his gaze.

Briol had long been a Nation of Knights, their knights renowned for their formidable skills.

The knights, adapting to the orcs’ tactics, gradually gained the upper hand, sending orcs tumbling down the cliff one after another.

Having finished the battle, Yuri signaled with his hand that they would continue forward.

Ragnar readily agreed.

“It’s not over yet. Ready your weapons.”

“Yes, sir!”

There was no time to rest.

Yuri led the knights and charged ahead.

The orcs on the cliff were caught off guard, unable to react in time to the sudden appearance of enemies.

Thanks to the Briol knights clearing the orcs, the Allied Forces’ advance gained momentum.

Yuri soon reached the end of the cliff, where there was no further path.

They had completely secured the high ground.

“Phew…”

With an unobstructed view, the distant orc settlement came into full view.

It was Kurui’s fortress, the very one they needed to destroy.

Perhaps they had made preparations, as sharply pointed logs were densely erected between the defensive walls.

“The scale is impressive, almost matching the size of the Allied Forces themselves.”

“What do you think? Do you really think you can handle that many orcs?”

“I’m not fighting alone, am I?”

“That’s true.”

The Briol knights tied ropes to the rocks and descended to the ground. As they reached the bottom, the eyes of the troops were drawn to them.

The Holy Kingdom’s forces happened to be passing by at that moment.

“Aren’t you accomplishing too much?”

Sybilla approached and spoke to him.

“Are there any injured knights? I can have some clerics sent over.”

“Hmm…”

Yuri glanced back. There were no fatalities, but a few knights were limping.

“Sure. Thanks.”

Although they had Hernando and Jermaine, it wouldn’t hurt to get acquainted with the Holy Kingdom’s healers. They were valuable assets.

Once they were completely out of the canyon, the Allied Forces quickly set up camp.

“See you later.”

“Good work.”

Yuri returned to the Briol camp, where tents were already being pitched.

The sun was setting.

Yuri entered his own tent, which had already been set up. A messenger followed behind him to deliver a report.

“There will be a commander’s meeting tonight at the Supreme Commander’s tent, Sir”

“Got it. Also, the Holy Kingdom is sending clerics later—make sure the injured get treated properly, and show the clerics the respect they deserve.”

“Understood. Shall I have your meal brought here?”

“No need. I’ll go myself.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yuri sat down on his bed.

Starting tomorrow, the real battles will begin. He ran his hand over Guilty’s hilt, resting beside him.

“Hmm…”

The light from the lantern inside the tent flickered slightly.

“Something’s strange.”

Yuri murmured. Then the lamp flickered again, causing the surrounding shadows to sway.

“What brings you here again?”

Yuri looked up. Asana had suddenly appeared.

She perched on the table and looked at Yuri.

“I’ve been tracking the Stranger,” she said.

“And?”

“There they are.”

Asana pointed toward the wall of the tent—the direction where the orc settlement was located.

“So, was the Stranger an orc?”

“Not an orc, but they’re with the orcs,” she replied.

“You mean they’re cooperating with the orcs?”

“No, the opposite.”

Asana spoke calmly.

“As a… prisoner.””

“A prisoner?”

Yuri tilted his head.

Unless Okuah had intervened, there was no way the Stranger—one of the Ten Strongest—could have ended up as a prisoner.

“They must want something.”

“What are they scheming?”

“They likely attempted to infiltrate but got caught when the Allied Forces arrived, tightening security. I can try again. What do you think?”

“Wait.”Okua

Yuri shook his head.

“This is good. I can just meet them and ask directly.”

“It seems like they’re pretending to be a prisoner with some intention. If it’s thwarted because of the Allied Forces, they might get angry. Be careful.”
“That can’t be helped…”
Yuri scratched the back of his head.

To deal with someone of the Ten Strongest caliber, he knew risks had to be taken.

“Anyway, what the Stranger wants is Okuah.”

It seemed that becoming a prisoner was part of that plan.

If that’s the case, then Yuri’s role was clear: help the Stranger, but work alongside the Allied Forces.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend.

“Just in case, when the battle begins tomorrow, sneak inside and confirm the Stranger’s identity.”

Asana didn’t respond immediately, instead fixing her gaze on him.

“Why?”

“I’d rather protect you, Your Highness.”

“I didn’t hire you as a bodyguard. I can take care of myself.”

Asana blinked, then nodded silently.

“Understood.”

“Good.”

Yuri stood up from his seat.

“Since you’re here, why not grab a meal before you go? The cooks are pretty good.”

“I’m fine.”

“Today’s menu is…”

As he adjusted Guilty on his belt and looked up again, Asana was already gone.

Yuri glanced around the tent, then let out a small chuckle.

“Impressive.”

Then he stepped outside.

The moon hung high in the dark sky.

In the distance, the knights were lining up for their rations. Yuri began walking toward the scene.

“What?”

He stopped.

Something stood in his way..

Yuri raised his gaze.

“You are…”

It was unbelievable.

“Who are you?”

A pitch-black orc was standing there.