Laurent and Jared looked over in surprise.
"The Allied Army?"
He had never seen a bearded man like that in the Allied Army.
But the bandits grimaced and stepped back, as if their weakness had been exposed.
The bearded man, in particular, looked displeased.
Yuri sneered at them.
"The Allied Army forming a bandit gang? Aren't you ashamed?"
"A brat who knows nothing dares to…"
The bearded man's expression twisted. Yuri motioned to Laurent with a jerk of his chin.
"Laurent."
"Yes."
"Capture him."
"Understood."
As soon as the order was given, Laurent immediately pursued the bearded man.
"Run!"
The bearded man turned to flee but was caught and slammed to the ground by Laurent.
Laurent twisted both his arms behind his back and pinned him down. The subdued bearded man kept shouting.
"Leave me behind! Don't get caught!"
But once the bearded man was captured, the rest of the bandits hesitated and stopped running.
Thrashing about, the bearded man shouted again.
"I said run!"
"Shut up."
Laurent pressed a sword to his neck, and the man finally quieted.
"Are they all from the Allied Army?"
Yuri stepped forward and scanned the bandit group one by one.
They all had the look of people who had endured a hard life.
Jared asked,
"Your Highness, I've never seen faces like that in the Allied Army."
"Of course not."
Yuri approached the bearded man lying on the ground and yanked his hair. The man's upper body lifted, revealing a tattoo on his chest.
It was an eagle soaring while clutching the head of an orc.
"They're from the previous Allied Army."
"What?"
Laurent looked at the bandit group in surprise. They all lowered their heads and said nothing.
"To think those who once served in the Allied Army are now doing something as low as banditry…"
"What the hell do you know about the Allied Army to talk like that!"
"I know enough."
Yuri grinned and released the bearded man's hair.
"We also took part in this Allied Army campaign."
The bearded man's eyes widened. He stared closely at Yuri's face.
His pupils trembled.
"Yuri Briol?"
"That's right."
At his words, the entire bandit group gasped.
One bandit muttered,
"Now that you mention it… the hair and eye color…"
Black hair and black eyes were the symbol of the Briol royal family.
If that was true, then this boy really was the rising hero of the Allied Army, the third prince of Briol, Yuri Briol.
"That's insane."
He looked far too young to be the knight who had led the charge against the orcs.
Yuri patted Laurent on the shoulder.
"Let him go."
"Yes."
Laurent stepped away from the bearded man. Yuri looked down at him and spoke.
"To think that out of all the vast lands of Briol, you tried to rob us—what an incredible coincidence, isn't it?"
The man said nothing.
"I've heard the previous Allied Army was very tightly bonded. I also heard you all suffered because your Commander-in-Chief was incompetent. That must've forged a strong sense of camaraderie."
"That's right."
"And you're not from Briol, are you?"
Yuri quietly stared at him before asking,
"From the Empire?"
"Shut up. Just kill me already."
"I have no intention of hurting you."
"Trying to act merciful?"
"I'm just curious."
Yuri sat on a nearby rock. Laurent and Jared stood beside him.
"Why did the Allied Army turn to banditry?"
"You want me to spill my life story for your petty amusement?"
"Who knows? Maybe I'll show some mercy and toss you a gold coin."
"Heh… hahahah…"
The bearded man, who had been glaring at Yuri, suddenly slumped to the ground.
The bandit group, who had been watching the situation, now stood around him protectively.
"Yuri Briol."
The bearded man stared at Yuri.
"You know as well as I do—our last Allied Army expedition was a hard, honorable war."
"Yeah."
"We won. We didn't wipe them out like you did, but under impossible conditions, we still managed to claim victory. Partly thanks to your father."
Fiore Briol had earned great achievements in the last Allied Army war—just as overwhelming as the feats Yuri had shown this time.
"We received plenty of reward money."
"Right. Up to that point, everything was fine."
"And then we lost it all."
Yuri tilted his head. It was a familiar story.
"We were robbed, some were scammed, others got swindled at gambling dens… One by one, our money disappeared."
"Hm…"
"We'd never handled that kind of money before, so once we had it in our hands, we didn't know what to do with it."
"You lost everything?"
"There was a bit left. But then one day, a merchant I'd never seen before came to find me."
The merchant sought out Imperial commoners who had served in the Allied Army and offered to start a business together.
At the time, it sounded tempting.
"Of course, it was a scam. He took the rest of our money too."
"Just like that?"
"There was a noble behind that swindler."
The bearded man's eyes burned.
"Allied Army veterans were gullible and had money, so they set up a game to rob us."
"Why didn't you take it to court?"
"It wouldn't have mattered. Imperial judges always side with nobles."
Betrayed, they left their homes and became bandits.
Most Allied Army veterans were in similar circumstances. So over time, they came together, scattered, and gathered again, and that's how the bandit group continued to exist.
"Then one day, we robbed the wrong person and got a bounty put on us. Since then, we've been on the run."
To get away from the bounty, they kept moving, eventually arriving in Briol.
"We just got here, and unfortunately, we met you."
"It's not unfortunate—it's fortunate. Thanks to meeting me early, other citizens of Briol didn't get robbed."
"It's misfortune for me."
"Hmm, maybe."
Yuri chuckled and stood up.
"The reality of the Allied Army is worse than I imagined. Well, I guess that's why you risked your lives to make money."
"You're royalty. You don't know anything."
"Since you know I'm royalty, shouldn't you show a little respect?"
"You're not my king."
"But didn't you say the Empire abandoned you?"
"Yeah. That means I have no king."
"You say dangerous things."
Yuri walked up to the bearded man.
"Hey. Want to work under me?"
"No."
"You won't regret it."
"I'm not about to start licking a royal's boots now."
"You son of a…"
Yuri kicked the bearded man.
He collapsed, and the surrounding bandits, startled, raised their weapons. But they didn't dare attack—just watched warily.
"I get it, you've got a grudge against the world, but don't get reckless. And don't you dare judge me by your standards."
The bearded man staggered to his feet. Yuri looked at him and asked,
"Don't you want to help out the Allied Army veterans?"
"What?"
"I mean, most of them seem like they can't take care of themselves."
Yuri hadn't created the Allied Army Comrades Association just to hand out money.
Most of the soldiers had joined the Allied Army because of the reward money.
They risked their lives fighting orcs to earn it—there had to be stories behind that.
"A bandit chief is still a leader, after all, so you must have leadership."
Even though the bearded man had shouted at them to run, none of the bandits abandoned him. That proved they followed him.
"What nonsense is this…"
"I'll connect you to a merchant group. You teach the Allied Army guys how to work and give them jobs."
"Are you serious?"
"I am. The name's already decided: 'Allied Army Comrades Association.'"
"Allied Army Comrades Association?"
The bearded man scoffed in disbelief.
"What the hell are you even saying…"
"There's no time."
Yuri had no intention of having a long talk.
Persuading with endless words wasn't his style. Besides, he wanted to get to Euzeth quickly and deal with Genard.
"So I'll keep it short, listen well. The Allied Army Comrades Association has been distributing condolence payments to veterans and their bereaved families, but some damned lords who have nothing to do with it are trying to take it in the name of taxes."
"We, we were the same. The nobles just did as they pleased…"
"I'm on my way to fix that. I plan to teach the lord of Euzeth a lesson."
"Euzeth? Isn't that a duchy?"
"Yeah."
"The Allied Army is over. And yet you're saying you'll fight a duke for the sake of the soldiers?"
Even for royalty, going against a duke wasn't easy.
At the bearded man's surprised gaze, Yuri chuckled.
"That pig's nothing compared to an orc. If he tries to stop me, I don't care if he's a duke or whatever. Right?"
"Yes."
"Indeed."
Laurent and Jared answered in turn.
Laurent simply followed Yuri, and Jared just believed that things would somehow work out.
That's how it had been when they fought orcs. If they just followed him, things always worked out. That was Yuri.
"For comrades, this much is nothing. It's a duty engraved in my bloodline."
Yuri grinned at the bearded man, then walked to his horse.
"If you're curious, come to Euzeth. See what happens. If you change your mind, submit a resume. And put some effort into it—since you refused my offer, you're now a job seeker."
As Yuri mounted his horse, Laurent and Jared followed.
As he urged the horse forward, he paused briefly in front of the dazed bearded man.
And added in a low voice,
"Don't pretend you were just a soldier."
***
"Meeting bandits like that—it was a new experience."
"That's why it's good to ride the forest path once in a while."
"Indeed. I'll make a habit of it."
Listening to their conversation, Jared chimed in.
"Do we have to meet bandits though?"
"They're still citizens of Briol. They deserve a chance at redemption."
"By the way, what did you mean earlier?"
"Hmm?"
"When you said not to pretend to have been a soldier."
"Exactly what it sounds like. That bearded bastard was a knight."
"What?"
Laurent nodded.
"Well, he was pretty strong for a soldier."
Jared shook his head.
"But kind of weak for a knight."
Yuri explained.
"Because of an injury."
"Injury?"
"He had a tattoo over a scar. From its position, I'd guess his core was broken. Probably wounded while fighting orcs."
"If that's true…"
"The stories he told were all about his subordinates, not himself. He must have his own story too."
"Still, he's a bandit."
"If it weren't for me, you'd be just another royal guard nobody."
"Are you looking down on the royal guard?"
"Says the lazy bum who got all flustered over a thirteen-year-old…"
Laurent asked, curious,
"Thirteen?"
"That's when I first met Jared."
"What happened?"
"Well, it's a funny story—"
"Sir Laurent, don't listen to him."
While chatting, they had already arrived at Euzeth.
The flag of House Jetherie fluttered atop the towering city walls.
People hoping to enter the city were lined up at the gate.
"Let's disguise ourselves first."
"Yes."
Yuri took a necklace from his chest and activated the mana method. His hair and eye color began to change.
"How do I look?"
Before they knew it, Yuri had become a boy with light brown hair and dull green eyes—common features that wouldn't draw attention.
"You look completely different. No one will recognize you."
"Good."
Laurent, somewhat famous himself, also used the same artifact to change his hair color.
Jared didn't need to bother with a disguise.
The three dismounted and took their reins, heading toward the line at the gate.
A guard was checking each person at the entrance.
"Looks tight…"
Hearing Yuri's mutter, the man in front turned around and spoke.
"Don't even mention it. I heard things are going crazy inside Euzeth. Haven't you heard?"
"Heard what?"
Yuri replied informally at first, then corrected himself mid-sentence.
"…sir?"
The man cleared his throat and continued.
"Seems some Allied Army veterans are causing trouble. After fighting orcs, they've turned into orcs themselves."
"What do you mean by that?"
"They say they're refusing to pay taxes or something. Everyone pays taxes—just because they're Allied Army, doesn't mean they're special…"
Yuri realized that Genard had already begun manipulating public opinion.
False rumors had spread, making it sound like the Allied Army veterans were stubbornly refusing to pay taxes without reason.
Yuri defended them.
"Come on, they went through hell in the Allied Army. Can't we cut them some slack? Haha…"
"Cut them slack? They probably made a fortune. They should pay what they owe."
"Hm…"
Their turn approached.
The large, rough-looking guard was practically snatching people's ID plaques and tossing them back at their chests.
Then it was Yuri's group's turn.
The guard looked Laurent up and down.
"Hmm…"
He then flung their ID plaques to the ground.
"Go back."
Yuri stared at him in disbelief.
The ID plaques were issued directly by the proper institution. There was no reason for them to be invalid.
Jared stepped forward.
"Why?"
"The plaques are faulty."
"What's wrong with them?"
"Tch, you think I'd tell you? So you can go make fake ones?"
"These are real plaques. What exactly is wrong with them?"
"If I say they're wrong, then they're wrong."
The guard glared at them. Then, smirking, he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
"Well, if you really need to get in, maybe a show of sincerity…"
"Huh?"
Jared tilted his head. Yuri sighed.
He'd joined the royal guard early, but as a commoner, he was still clueless about the world.
Yuri explained,
"You're missing the point. Laurent's wearing expensive clothes—he's asking for a bribe."
"Oh, that's what this is?"
"Sorry. It's my fault…"
"Wearing nice clothes isn't a crime. The real problem is a man with no shame asking for money."
The guard's face flushed red.
[T/L: Read more chapters on Ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]