35. Victory (1)
Okuah was dead.
With their leader fallen, the orcs lost their will to fight and were hunted down like wild beasts by the Allied Forces.
The troops, weary from the long expedition, showed no mercy to the orcs. They stabbed swords into the heads of every fallen orc, ensuring their deaths.
The bodies of both the human soldiers and the orcs were gathered separately.
The orc corpses were thrown into pits and burned.
Acrid smoke lingered over the grasslands for a long time.
The bodies of the Allied Forces were carefully entrusted to a high-ranking priest of the Holy Kingdom.
“We will honor their sacrifice, and we will never forget them.”
He covered each corpse with a white shroud and laid them out in an orderly fashion.
So many had died that the ground was blanketed in white.
The entire army stood in formation.
Yuri stood at the front of the Briol forces, observing the funeral.
“God’s gaze does not discriminate between high and low. Their faithfulness and valor have been witnessed by the Lord, and they will all be embraced by His warm hands and guided to paradise.”
Listening to the priest’s words, Yuri looked up at the sky.
The story of God, granting paradise to the faithful and punishment to the deceitful, didn’t resonate with him.
After all, shouldn’t he himself have fallen into hell long ago?
His mourning was simply his way of ensuring their deaths would not be in vain. It meant taking on even more burdens upon his shoulders.
“Let us all observe a moment of silence.”
As the priest finished speaking, the entire Allied Force bowed their heads.
The sound of a horn echoed.
The same horn that had signaled the start of the war now played a mournful tune, as if comforting the souls of the departed.
The priest activated his holy magic.
“Holy fire shall claim their bodies.”
The corpses, wrapped in shrouds, began to burn with white flames.
There was no acrid smoke, no black ashes.
Like flowers blooming and withering silently, their bodies peacefully dispersed under the priest’s blessing.
With this, the funeral ended.
Yuri looked back.
Although the war had just ended, he could see the troops dressed in their finest, trying to maintain decorum. Some had tears in their eyes.
From his pocket, Yuri drew a sheet of paper.
“Kesman.”
It was the name of the first one who died.
“Stefan.”
He had suffered from his injuries and eventually succumbed.
“Pain. Altos. Gate…”
As the names of the fallen Briol soldiers were read aloud, everyone straightened their backs.
Yuri had recorded the names of all those who had died in battle.
“Imar, Gusendai, James…”
Yuri called out every single name, without missing a single one.
The names of the fallen brought tears to the eyes of the living.
“Dyke.”
The expressions of Simon and Guiness, who were standing right in front of him, darkened. When Guiness started to cry, Simon put his arm around him.
Yuri placed a hand atop Guiness’s head and finished calling out the names.
“These were our comrades who departed with honor.”
He didn’t offer empty platitudes about meeting them again in paradise.
Because he didn’t believe in such things.
Instead, he expressed his true feelings.
“It was an honor to fight alongside you.”
“He folded the list and returned it to his pocket.”
“Yuri turned and watched until the white flames died down, until their remains had completely returned to the earth.”
Laurent and Jared stood beside him.
“We’ll be seeing this a lot.”
“I’m prepared.”
“It can’t be helped.”
Soon, the priest’s holy magic completely incinerated the bodies of the Allied Forces.
Only a handful of ashes remained where they had lain.
Suddenly, a breeze swept across the grasslands.
The white ashes began to scatter.
They swirled in the air, passing over the Allied Forces’ flags raised high.
The banners, now veiled in white, stood as solemn tributes to the fallen.
Yuri watched the scene in silence.
* * *
The mood on the journey back was cheerful.
Despite the sacrifices, they were the victors.
The Allied Forces had achieved the greatest victory in history, and the participants were promised immense rewards and honor.
With the supply lines restored, Balshad continuously sent food and alcohol.
Feasts were held every night.
“I’m done with gambling.”
The gambler soldier from Yujes declared, staggering drunk.
“No more blowing money on games. When I receive my reward from the Allied Forces, I’ll buy some land and settle down to honest farming.”
Yuri shook his head.
“A skilled gambler like you, farming? It doesn’t suit you.”
“Don’t tempt me, Your Highness.”
“Farming, really? Could you ever truly be satisfied with that? Why not stake your reward money on the ultimate card game? Think of how much more you could win, how much bigger your fortune could grow.”
“Well, I…”
“Imagine it—putting your hard-earned prize on the line for a legendary gamble. A bet so grand it would go down in history.”
“Ah…”
“Your destiny doesn’t end as a farmer.”
Yuri was tempting his subordinate, who had declared he would quit gambling. He was like a good-for-nothing adult teaching a naive student how to smoke.
“I see. You’re right, Your Highness.”
“Farming? I had the wrong mindset. Yes. Hahaha, I’m not a gambler who ends like that. I need to play a real game.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“With my skills and the money I’ve got, I could sweep the house back home and buy a castle—”
Smack!
Yuri slapped him across the face.
“Ah!”
“I was just testing your resolve, you scumbag!”
The situation had reversed.
“Wha—Your Highness?”
“Are you seriously the same guy who used to sob into his drink about how your gambling debts made your wife and kids suffer?”
“Well, I mean—”
“You said it yourself—you’d only mess around while in the Allied Forces and quit cards for good once the war was over.”
“I did, but—”
“Hey.”
Yuri grabbed his face with both hands.
Having spent enjoyable times playing cards together, Yuri wanted to help him turn his life around.
In his past life as a wandering mercenary, Yuri had encountered countless people who’d hit rock bottom.
They hadn’t always lived like that. They all had their own stories, and most were entangled with gambling or addiction.
So he could spot the pattern right away.
This was just the typical setup for a story about a debt-ridden, lowlife mercenary who gets drunk and talks about his past.
So he could tell at a glance.
This was the typical start of a debt-ridden, low-ranking mercenary’s drunken tale about his past.
He had to stop it here.
“When we return, those gamblers you used to hang out with will hear rumors that you have some money and try to lure you back in. You’ll be manipulated, fall into debt, and your wife and children will be sold off. Haunted by debt and guilt, you’ll drink every day and end up working as a mercenary on the deadliest battlefields.”
“W-wow, Your Highness…”
“We are Briol, aren’t we?”
Yuri glared at him and said,
“Keep your word. Swear it.”
The drunken soldier’s eyes regained clarity as Yuri’s words sank in.
He nodded firmly.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Then, raising both hands, he shouted,
“Long live the Prince!”
He continued cheering for Yuri before collapsing in a heap on the ground.
Yuri, exasperated, muttered to himself,
“What am I doing with a drunkard…”
He shook his head and sat back down. Countless soldiers were sprawled around, dead drunk.
Despite his young age, he rarely got drunk.
It seemed like the genes of his father, Fiore Briol, allowed him to overcome even intoxication.
“Your Highness, Your Highness…”
Another soldier approached Yuri and clasped his hands.
Yuri frowned, pulling back slightly.
“I heard what you just said.”
“What’s wrong with you now?”
“I was truly touched. To think you would care so much for a mere low-ranking soldier, and…”
“Why are you crying?”
“I love you, Your Highness…”
“This idiot…”
Yuri hurriedly pushed him away.
The soldier continued to confess his love to Yuri, then collapsed and fell asleep.
It was absolute chaos.
Everywhere he looked, knights and soldiers were mingling and making merry.
The Allied Forces, once disciplined and sharp as a blade, were nowhere to be seen. With the war over, they had become nothing more than third-rate scoundrels.
“Honestly…”
Yuri simply laughed.
What else could he do? This was the reality of the battlefield.
They had fought for a long time, their lives constantly threatened. If this was how they released their pent-up stress, it was a good thing.
Yuri took a sip of the beer that had been placed before him.
It was lukewarm and didn’t taste very good.
“Haa…”
As Yuri gazed up at the night sky over the grasslands, a soldier from the Empire approached him from afar.
“Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
Even as he asked, Yuri already had an idea.
“His Majesty has summoned you.”
“I understand.”
Since their victory in the war, Yuri had been summoned to him every evening. Those who had caught Ragna’s eye within the Allied Forces all shared the same fate.
“I can bring Master and Laurent, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring them.”
“Thank you.”
Having become familiar with the soldier, communication between them was swift.
The soldier bowed to him and turned away. He was probably heading to Brusin to summon Jose and Jonathan.
Yuri approached Laurent, who was sitting at a distance. Everyone else had collapsed, but he alone was sitting upright, maintaining his composure.
“Laurent.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Before Yuri could even finish speaking, Laurent stood up quickly.
“Shall we go?”
“Huh?”
“His Majesty is probably waiting for you.”
“Right…”
“I did my best to prepare in advance so as not to be a burden to Your Highness.”
It seemed that Laurent’s condition had worsened a bit.
“You didn’t have to go that far…”
“I’ll bring Master Moyongchan.”
“Yes…”
Laurent was putting all his effort into assisting Yuri perfectly.
Yuri shook his head. At this rate, he felt like Laurent would prepare his coffin in advance when the time came.
When he arrived at the Empire’s tent with Laurent and Moyongchan, several people were already seated at a large table.
Ragna, sitting at the head of the table, beckoned them.
“Come here, Yuri! And Great Hero Moyongchan and Laurent!”
Due to Moyongchan’s impressive performance, his manner of speech was becoming popular within the Allied Forces. The same went for the title “Great Hero.”
Hearing this, Ragna, to show respect to Moyongchan, started calling him “Great Hero” in earnest.
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“Hahaha, sit down, sit down!”
“Yes.”
As Yuri looked around, he suddenly furrowed his brow.
Hernando was sitting at a table he had occupied. Mages from other nations were gathered around him, and every time Hernando spoke, they all listened politely.
It seemed he had become the most respected among the mages.
“That Hernando…”
Although Yuri acknowledged that Hernando was a great mage, seeing him being admired was rather uncomfortable, considering how close they were.
Yuri sat down in an empty seat.
Ragna was talking to Moyongchan.
“Great Hero Moyongchan, was your sleep comfortable?”
“It was good. As expected, the Empire’s beds are comfortable. Very nice.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It makes me happy that you like it, Great Hero. Hahahaha!”
Ragna was trying to entice Moyongchan with a barrage of gifts.
Of course, Moyongchan just accepted everything, and when things started to turn against him, he would feign clumsiness in his continental language to keep his distance.
Yuri began to doubt Moyongchan’s proficiency in the continental language.
“Now, let’s have another enjoyable gathering today.”
Ragna clapped his hands as he spoke.
He seemed to be in a good mood lately.
Indeed, from his perspective, he had been pushed into this position like a trap, but things had turned out well, and he unexpectedly found himself embraced by a great honor.
“I’ve gathered you all because there’s something I need to discuss.”
Soon, all the seats were filled.
The commanders of each nation were all present.
“The Empire wishes to invite the heroes of this Allied Force.”
Everyone murmured at his words.
Yuri looked at Ragna with narrowed eyes.
“First, the commanders of each unit. All of you here are invited, and if there’s anyone you’d like to bring along, anyone is welcome. We will accommodate everyone, regardless of the number.”
At that, Jonathan raised his hand to ask a question.
“Do we need to go to the Empire right away?”
“No. The war has been long, so you’ll need to stop by your homelands. I’ll send out invitations separately after the victory celebrations.”
“When will that be?”
“It won’t take long. I’m sure you all know about the event the Empire is hosting, right?”
The commanders glanced at each other; some nodded, while others tilted their heads in confusion.
Yuri already knew what event Ragna was referring to.
“It’s the swordsmanship tournament. We will send invitations to everyone in time for the event.”