LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 33 - Fate (2)
16: Fate (2)
“Nice to meet you, sir Graham.”
“Please dispense with the title. I am not a knight now.”
Yuri smiled faintly. He knew that Graham had once lost his knighthood. He was surprised to meet him again within the Allied Forces.
“Are you busy now? What are your next plans?”
“I plan to return to Balshad.”
“Then let’s have a cup of tea.”
Laurent and Jared looked at Yuri with unusual eyes. Everyone knew from his usual behavior that he wasn’t particularly fond of the Empire.
So, when he suddenly invited them over, it seemed suspicious.
The two knights from the Empire exchanged looks and accepted Yuri’s invitation.
“Alright.”
Their sudden appearance had drawn the attention of their squad. Yuri led them to his tent.
“Take a seat.”
Yuri’s tent was simple. There was just a folding cot, a table with a map spread out on it, and a few chairs.
As Graham took his seat, his eyes landed on the map.
“Impressive.”
“What’s that?”
“Your markings on the map. They’re very detailed.”
Yuri shrugged his shoulders, clearing the map away to place teacups on it.
“Few knights pay as much attention to terrain as you do.”
Indeed, continental warfare usually depended on sheer force clashes, but the mercenaries Yuri had encountered in his past life were different.
They always observed their surroundings meticulously.
Through numerous battles, Yuri had learned that sometimes victory didn’t just depend on the sword, but on the feet moving it.
“Just in case!”
Yuri said, pouring tea into their cups.
“Sir Graham.”
“I…”
“How did a knight like you end up serving without rank?”
Graham fell silent. Instead, the one beside him, Raphio, answered.
“It’s because of a foolish superior.”
“Sir Raphio.”
“Someone unworthy was merely envious of Sir Graham. A so-called knight clinging to power.”
It wasn’t a story fit to share in front of a prince from another country, yet Raphio was that furious.
“Sir Graham will surely reclaim his position.”
“Indeed!”
Yuri agreed. Raphio, appearing pleased, leaned forward.
“You seem to know about Sir Graham, Your Highness?”
“Of course.”
Graham was a knight whose renown was widespread across the continent.
Though Briol was known as the Nation of Knights, the name that often came to mind when people thought of a true knight was his, affiliated with the Empire.
He was a man like the textbook of chivalry.
“Truly Briol. The Nation of Knights recognizes a true knight.”
“I hold Sir Graham in respect as well. It is an honor to meet you like this.”
“Indeed…”
Graham, who had been sitting quietly, cleared his throat.
“You’re overpraising me.”
“I mean it.”
Laurent, loyal to Yuri, sparkled his eyes while looking at Graham, and Jared started to scrutinize Yuri’s intentions with a frown.
Yuri chuckled softly. This time, he harbored no ulterior motives.
Inviting Graham was merely to offer hospitality; the praise was genuine respect for the man.
Yuri placed the tea aside and lifted his gaze. Graham was savoring his tea, calm and composed. Yes, even back then.
The final days of Briol floated vividly in memory. As everything crumbled, Yuri, who resisted till the end, eventually got captured by one knight while fleeing from the Empire’s black army.
Graham.
With a sorrowful expression, he apologized to Yuri, promising that someday they would pay for what they had done.
But Yuri had one sole thought.
He wanted to live.
And so that day, he begged for his life.
“I want to live.”
A descendant of Briol, who vowed never to abandon honor even in the face of death, implored mercy from the Empire’s knight that crushed their nation.
“I just want to live.”
Even if those who departed spit at him, he couldn’t muster any excuse.
Graham did not scorn or pity Yuri. His expression remained unchanged as if he was mulling over something.
He wondered what Graham had been thinking at that moment.
After a brief silence, Graham silently stepped aside.
And so Yuri escaped.
Such an event occurred.
He sinned yet couldn’t die honorably, leading a life saved through disgrace.
Just before rounding the corner, Yuri glanced back at Graham.
He stood firmly in place.
That heavy silhouette burned into his memory.
Maybe Graham paid the price for letting him go that day.
“Graham.”
“Yes.”
The Graham from back then now sat in front of Yuri in a completely different setting and relationship.
It was a peculiar fate.
Yuri impulsively spoke to him.
“Would you come to Briol?”
Graham looked up, and Laurent and Jared stared at Yuri in astonishment. Even Raphio, who passionately supported Graham, widened his eyes.
Yuri smiled with a raised corner of his mouth, adding, “I’ll treat you well.”
Graham also faintly smiled.
“I’m sorry.”
He neither explained nor questioned the intent. It was a straightforward rejection.
Yuri nodded.
“If you don’t want to, never mind.”
And he took a sip of tea. The warmth spread within him.
He didn’t feel bad.
At least he had offered him a cup of tea, hadn’t he?
The Briol army arrived at Balshad.
***
A massive stone wall towered high, an odd sight against the prairie.
“Amazing.”
Yuri marveled. The stones forming the wall were as if a giant had carved them from the earth.
Turning to the side, Yuri asked, “Is it magic, wouldn’t you think?”
Kori, hiding under his hood, flinched at the sudden question.
“I, I’m not sure…”
Then someone else answered instead.
“You never know. Maybe giants once inhabited the prairie kingdom.”
Hernando had appeared beside them unnoticed. Kori clutched his chest in relief at Hernando’s sudden presence.
Yuri chuckled, patting Kori on the shoulder before continuing his conversation with Hernando.
“To harbor giants, the buildings would have to be larger too, right? But look, only the stones are large.”
“That makes sense. Perhaps they were just naturally strong.”
Had it been composed of stacked bricks, employing numerous laborers would be conceivable, but seeing as one stone was as large as an average house, the method remained a mystery.
Yuri nodded, gazing up at the walls.
“It must be magic.”
“Blaming magic whenever something is hard to rationalize isn’t a good attitude.”
“But usually it’s right.”
“True, it likely is magic.”
The prevailing scholarly theory, which most agreed upon, posited that the prairie kingdom was an ancient magical civilization.
Having seen it in person, Yuri couldn’t help but believe it.
After all, how could manpower have accomplished this?
“The lord of Balshad would be expecting us.”
Balshad, like Gide, functioned as an independent city-state.
However, there was one indispensable qualification needed to become the Lord of Balshad.
“Have you met them before?”
“Yes. I’ve met the Duke of Sorcery before.”
To become the lord of Balshad, one had to be a mage adept enough to activate the magical defense formation there.
Fortunately, the bloodline of the Entre family, which had protected Balshad for generations, proved strong enough.
“What are they like?”
“Be careful. They are no ordinary person.”
“Oh really?”
“If you’re not careful, they’ll swallow you whole. Especially the type like Your Highness Yuri is…”
At that moment, the castle gates of Balshad opened, and the Lord’s emissary emerged.
“Greetings to the Third Prince of Briol. It is an honor to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.” There weren’t many opponents whom Hernando held in such high regard.
“The Duke of Balshad awaits.”
“I will proceed there now.”
“Yes. If you have a proxy, I shall guide them while you meet the Duke.”
Yuri called Raymond to hold the troops and entered Balshad. Though some knights volunteered to accompany him, Yuri chose to bring only Laurent and Jared along.
Beyond the towering gates stretched a landscape he had not anticipated.
Although sizable, as a city isolated in the prairie, Yuri expected a barren scene not unlike Gide.
However, the interior of the walls was bright and lively.
“Some refer to Balshad as a hidden paradise. Ancient kingdom remnants make its land fertile, you see.”
“Unexpected.”
“But becoming a resident of Balshad is a tough process due to stern control.”
The lord’s castle came into view.
Like the walls, it was constructed of massive gray stones stacked together. It gave off an air of antiquity rather than crudeness.
A group of people stood at the entrance.
“The Duke has personally come to greet you.”
“How courteous.”
The Duke of Sorcery appeared.
Yuri narrowed his eyes, examining the person. It was not what he had anticipated.
Hernando explained with laughter in his voice.
“The title of Balshad’s Lord was recently inherited. The current Duke of Sorcery represents this generation.”
A captivating beauty with luxuriant red hair looked up at Yuri and smiled. A butterfly tattoo stood out against the deep V of her dress.
Her lips, resembling flower petals, moved animatedly as she spoke.
“Pleased to meet you, Your Highness. I am Marirose Entre, the Duke of Balshad.”
Yuri dismounted and faced her. For a woman, she was tall, making their eye levels relatively similar.
Refusing to avoid her gaze, Yuri spoke.
“I am the Third Prince of Briol, the one leading the Briol army, Yuri Briol.”
“You’re as handsome as the rumors say.”
Marirose extended her hand. She wore transparent gloves.
Yuri clasped it, engaging in a handshake.
Marirose gracefully curved her eyes while keeping an alluring gaze on Yuri.
She was an enchantingly beautiful woman.
Yet, Yuri remained unfazed. His heart did not race; her looks didn’t unsettle him.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Responding composedly, Yuri noticed an interesting bloom in Marirose’s eyes.
She maintained her grip on Yuri’s hand, continuing the conversation.
“Your Highness, if it’s not too intrusive, may I ask your age?”
“Eighteen.”
“I see. I am twenty-two. As they say, a four-year gap. The perfect match where compatibility is concerned. Don’t you agree?”
“Perhaps…”
From behind, a chuckle could be overheard from Hernando.
Yuri observed Marirose, offering a cool smile.
Seemingly aware of and utilizing her allure, he thought. Yet, it didn’t affect Yuri.
For he harbored no need for love…
Fleetingly, someone’s platinum hair and dark green eyes flashed across his mind, but he quickly shook the thought away.
“Age doesn’t matter. With a common goal, even a seventy-year-old can become a friend, and when in discord, even peers may find it hard to get close.”
“Ah, so that’s how you see it, Your Highness.”
Marirose laughed quietly, not releasing Yuri’s hand, instead, pulling him along.
“Let’s continue our chat inside. I shall welcome you to the castle.”
The interior was lavishly decorated.
Intricate carvings adorned the stone walls, and gilded statues stood at each corner.
“This way, please.”
Traversing the corridor, they arrived at a grand hall where a banquet was laid. A long table covered with red cloth bore countless dishes.
It seemed, however, that Briol wasn’t the only guest.
“These are guests from Brusin.”
The Allied Forces comprised over ten nations in total. Besides the Empire, Briol and the Holy Kingdom were the leading powers.
Brusin possessed a moderately significant scale, being adjacent to the western coast.
Sun-kissed men nodded at Yuri with slight disdain. Their attitude wasn’t overly friendly.
Ignoring them, Yuri sat down casually.
“Let us talk about our future endeavors now.”
He discreetly questioned Hernando beside him.
“What’s that woman playing at?”
“It probably doesn’t mean much.”
“Then?”
“Let’s say she’s just a friend who loves socializing and prefers faces.”
“Why don’t you acknowledge her then?”
“We’re not quite on good terms.”
“Indeed, she does love faces, doesn’t she?”
“Pardon?”
Settling into his seat first, Yuri was joined by Hernando and the knights.
Thus began the awkward mingling of the three factions over a meal.
Marirose took to pouring wine at each table personally.
“This is a wine I cherish. Since the quantity is scarce, allow me to offer you a single glass.”
The men from Brusin couldn’t take their eyes off Marirose.
Every time the white of her stocking-clad ankles showed amidst twirls of her dress, their gazes lowered to the floor.
Yuri nudged Jared seated next to him.
“Jared.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t act like them, alright?”