When Jared opened his eyes, sunlight was streaming in through the gaps between the branches covering the cave.
"Hm?"
For some reason, his body felt refreshed.
He glanced at Laurent, sleeping as still as a corpse, and blinked. Yuri was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he had woken up first.
He moved his body and checked the outside.
The mountain, greeted by morning, was quiet.
Jared removed the natural cover blocking the entrance and stepped outside.
The cool morning air seemed to wash over his whole body.
As he was doing stretches alone, Laurent appeared soon after.
"Jared, did you sleep well?"
"Yes. And you, Sir Laurent?"
"I slept well. Though I'm not sure if 'sleep' is the right word for the Turtle Breath Great Art…"
They both felt as though they had truly rested well.
"Where is His Highness?"
"He wasn't here when I woke up."
"Is that so?"
Laurent looked around.
"But is it okay for us to just stand here like this?"
"Don't you feel anything at all?"
"Now that you mention it, no."
They were being pursued by the 9th Knight Order. That was why they had slipped into this cave to hide.
Yet after entering the Turtle Breath Great Art and opening their eyes, there wasn't the slightest presence in their senses.
"Where could His Highness have gone?"
"Hm…"
While Jared stretched, Laurent stood beside him and joined in.
It was a knight's calisthenics, a set of movements every knight of Briol knew. It was so effective at loosening the body that it was good to do before any kind of activity.
The two of them began twisting their bodies side to side in unison.
"Sir Laurent."
"Mm?"
"Why does it feel so peaceful?"
"It does, doesn't it…"
The difference between before and after entering the Turtle Breath Great Art was stark.
All the urgency had vanished, and a tranquility like that of a mountain retreat had settled in their hearts.
It wasn't that they were failing to grasp the situation — in truth, there was no sign of any enemies nearby.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind them.
"What's this? Calisthenics in the morning?"
"Your Highness!"
It was Yuri, who rarely let his presence slip.
Dressed in his usual Imperial Army uniform, he emerged through the brush with Guilty slung over his shoulder.
"What's that?"
"Breakfast. Let's roast it."
In one hand, Yuri was holding two rabbits by the ears.
"Ooh…"
To the three of them, who had been gnawing on dried jerky for days, it was as welcome as rain after a drought.
Jared immediately began gathering branches.
"By the way, it's awfully quiet."
"Right?"
"Where do you think the Imperial Army went?"
"They're gone."
"Pardon?"
"They went back to their main camp."
"Why?"
"Well…"
Yuri shrugged.
"Because their captain died?"
Laurent and Jared stared straight at Yuri.
"That's how it turned out."
Yuri cleared his throat and began dressing the rabbits. He skinned them and removed the entrails.
Soon, the rabbits, skewered on sticks, were roasting over the campfire.
"Did you not sleep at all, Your Highness?"
"You mean, did I sleep?"
Yuri looked at Jared.
"Calling it 'sleep,' huh. Sounds like the Turtle Breath Great Art worked well on you."
"Well, it's basically sleep."
"I didn't sleep."
Yuri spoke plainly.
"I thought it'd be easier to move alone. Sorry about that."
Laurent and Jared fell silent as they watched the rabbits turn golden over the fire.
The fact that Yuri had acted alone was, in the end, because their own skills weren't enough.
Even if they couldn't be of much help, at the very least they shouldn't be a hindrance — but already, a great gap had opened between them and Yuri.
Yuri said,
"Don't take it too hard. It's just that, with all the fighting in the dark, it was a situation where moving alone was better."
"Yes. It's only regrettable that my skills are lacking, Your Highness."
"No."
Laurent lowered his head.
Jared then spoke up brightly, trying to lift the mood.
"Anyway, did you really kill the captain all by yourself? Elpeso?"
"That's right."
"Did he get hit by a stray arrow or something?"
"Nonsense. I, personally, took down Elpeso and the four knights he kept by his side all at once…"
As Yuri began recounting the tale, Jared chuckled.
"Your Highness has the makings of a storyteller."
"It's true."
"Sure."
Yuri shrugged.
He told the story without embellishment — it was just that, to others, his overwhelming strength now sounded like exaggeration.
This was all the change brought about by accepting the power of chaos.
A heart demon would come for him eventually, but Yuri judged it wouldn't be a serious problem.
"If that's true, then Your Highness is definitely one of the ten strongest."
"I'd say so."
"Seriously?"
"Yes. I'm not hung up on titles, so it won't change much. But when going up against the Empire, I'll have to treat myself as the joker in the deck."
Yuri did joke often, but he didn't say anything completely absurd — especially not on a subject like this, with war on the horizon.
Given Yuri's age, the situation was beyond belief.
"Sorry, but can I ask again if you're being serious?"
"No."
"Then could you beat Sir Jose in a fight?"
"Last time was a draw, so I think I'd win now."
"When was that draw?"
"There was such a thing."
Yuri had once faced Jose man-to-man with the sea of Bursen as their backdrop.
"Let's eat and head back to Briol. The Empire's timetable will probably be delayed a bit."
Advancing into territory already secured by a vanguard, and advancing into land from which a vanguard had been driven back, were two very different things.
Not knowing where an ambush might be, the Imperial Army would now move with more caution.
That alone was a considerable achievement.
"Above all, the knight order commander is dead. That'll break the Imperial Army's morale."
Before the war had even truly begun, the Empire had lost the 9th Knight Order's commander, and with him, much of their knightly strength.
"Now the name of the Beast of Briol, Jared, will spread far and wide. Be prepared."
"Let's say it's someone else with the same name."
"Isn't there only one knight named Jared in Briol?"
"Let's just say he appeared out of nowhere."
"Let's just go with you."
"No, that won't do."
"They're done. Let's eat."
"Yes."
"You just said 'yes.'"
"I meant something else…"
The three of them peacefully roasted and ate rabbit in the mountains the 9th Knight Order had abandoned.
Once they had eaten their fill, they rose to their feet.
Jared kept glancing back.
"Are they really all gone?"
"Yes."
Yuri recalled the events of the previous night.
After crushing Elpeso's chest and killing him, Yuri had slipped into the shadows.
Soon, the knights discovered his corpse.
Not only had they been toyed with by just three people, they had also lost their knight order commander, throwing them into a panic.
After bickering among themselves, they eventually beat a hasty retreat toward the direction of the main force.
Far from remaining calm, their ranks were a mess. It seemed that, aside from Elpeso, there was no one capable of leading the knight order.
Perhaps the vice commander had been among the four who died with him.
Yuri watched from the darkness as they withdrew.
"They're all gone."
Laurent and Jared fell silent for a moment.
In other words, Yuri had taken care of everything by himself.
"Sir Laurent."
"Mm."
"Let's have a sparring match when we get back."
"All right."
Yuri let out a small chuckle.
"Both of you, don't worry about me. Just grow at your own pace."
Yuri had inherited the innate qualities that flowed in the blood of Briol's royal family, and on top of that, he had regressed to the past.
Because of that, he had obtained the mana method known as the heart-soul slash, and had met outstanding teachers like Bernard and Moyong Chan.
In a way, it was only natural that he would grow this strong.
"Yes."
But Laurent's expression was dark.
Jared was naturally a more easygoing sort, but Laurent, whose nature mirrored the rigid character of his swordsmanship, was both strict and deeply loyal.
That was why his disappointment seemed all the greater.
Yuri patted him on the shoulder.
"Laurent, when we get back, spar with me. I'll teach you."
"Yes…"
In any case, since he was the one receiving Laurent's loyalty, he needed to look after him.
"Forgive me. Letting such things get to me and troubling Your Highness…"
"No, it's only natural."
Jared cut in.
"Your Highness, please look after me as well."
"All right."
Yuri handed him a piece of the rabbit meat, the part that had gotten burned.
"Eat this."
"Hah…"
"A shame we don't have beer for times like this."
"We can have some when we get back to Briol."
"It won't have the same feeling."
"Then how about finishing with a beer right in the middle of the training grounds, after we spar to the brink of death?"
"That's not bad."
They finished the two rabbits and rose to their feet.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes."
Before turning his body, Yuri looked to the northwest — the direction in which the Imperial knights had left for the main force. Somewhere beyond that horizon, their enemies would still be advancing.
They had bought some time, but the road ahead was still long.
Even the coming war would only be the beginning.
Once they stopped this army, another would appear, and once they stopped that, an even stronger enemy would come again.
Someday, they would meet the black army he had grown sick of seeing in his previous life.
This fight, in the end, would not end until he had slain the monstrous being of black magic.
Just then, Laurent came up beside him. Perhaps sensing Yuri's concern, he offered words of encouragement.
"Your Highness, I heard that Sir Ernando will be returning soon. I believe there will be results."
"Let's hope so."
"I still don't quite understand what this black magic is, but I believe it can be stopped. If it's you, Your Highness."
Yuri looked at Laurent.
He suddenly recalled the sight of Laurent cutting off his head in his past life.
With a faint smile, he placed his hand on Laurent's shoulder.
"Thank you for saying that."
Officially, Laurent was a little older than Yuri, but in truth, he was far younger.
So Yuri found both Laurent and Jared rather endearing.
They were far better men than the versions of them in his past life.
"Let's go."
***
Yuri, Laurent, and Jared returned to the royal palace of Briol.
The fact that they had gone out, and that they had stopped the 9th Knight Order, was officially classified, but a few commanders were privy to that information.
They were astonished by Yuri's feat.
"I believe it's safe now to regard him as one of the ten strongest."
Fiore was speaking with a vassal who had come to the palace — Count of Francaise, and Laurent's father, Lian Flandre.
"What does Your Majesty think?"
"Well…"
Though Yuri had grown stronger, he did not feel like an ordinary knight.
Having never truly experienced chaos, Fiore merely shrugged.
"That's a positive sign."
"Yes."
Briol's military strength was already formidable.
Called the nation of knights, its armed forces had always been strong, and it boasted Fiore Briol, known as the strongest of the age, as well as friendly relations with three of the ten strongest — Moyong Chan, Inariel, and Jose.
And now, Yuri had suddenly reached a level close to that of the ten strongest.
In some respects, the number of top-tier fighters surpassed that of the Empire.
"Sir Jose is busy defending his own country, and Lord Moyong Chan has departed, but we still have three who are close to the ten strongest."
"We mustn't get complacent."
Fiore shook his head.
"The Empire has many unknown experts. The commander of the 9th Knight Order was killed by Yuri, but that was just the 9th Knight Order."
"That's true."
"The Empire likes its rankings. The smaller the number, the stronger they are."
"Mm…"
"There are certainly hidden fighters out there, perhaps ones equal to the ten strongest."
"Whew, the road is still long."
As Lian sipped his tea, the doors of the audience hall suddenly opened.
"Greetings."
The newcomer was Cedric. Wearing a gentle smile, he offered his respects, and also greeted Lian.
"It hasn't been long since we met again, Count."
"Yes, we met in Francaise."
Cedric sat beside Lian.
"While I was buried in my studies, much has happened. I should have come sooner — it's my failing. I apologize, Father."
Fiore nodded.
"Are you truly sorry?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Then, my son, if you are so sorry, you must grant me a request."
"Anything, please say it."
"Lian, you don't mind, do you?"
When Fiore glanced at Lian, the man sighed, then nodded.
"Do as you wish. No one can bend His Majesty's will anyway."
Cedric tilted his head.
"What kind of request is this…?"
Fiore leaned back in the throne and smiled. Then he looked down at Cedric for a long moment. Cedric adjusted his glasses, eyes widening.
Fiore spoke.
"It's about time I passed the throne to you."