The 3rd Prince of the Fallen Kingdom Returns

21. The Black Dog (1)

The Allied Forces marched toward the hills beyond the lake, where a massive orc settlement was said to be located.

Whispers about Briol spread throughout the army.

They had led the vanguard in the previous battle and won the scouting competition. They were achieving the most outstanding results in the Allied Forces.

Envious glances followed them.

“Your Highness, other nations have been watching us closely lately.”

“What do you mean?”

“They say, ‘Do you eat the same food as the soldiers?’…”

“If they say it again, bring them before me.”

“Understood.”

“By the way…”

Yuri led Briol’s Knight Order and scouted ahead of the Allied Forces’ path.

Every now and then, orc cavalry units would observe the movements of the Allied Forces. Each time, Yuri led the knights in pursuit.

To restrain the swift Komodo Drakes which are faster than horses, the knights shot arrows at them.

“Damn it.”

Yuri rested his bloodstained sword on his shoulder.

“These ones just keep on pestering us.”

“I’ve got plenty to kill, so I’m fine with it.”

“Jared, you’ve gotten more brutal. You’re starting to look like a real knight now.”

“Who do you think I learned from?”

Jared replied with a grin. They had just finished killing a group of orc scouts.

“I think I’m getting used to fighting orcs now.”

Thanks to Yuri’s uncanny ability to locate orcs, the Briol Knights were able to continuously gain battle experience.

“That necklace is quite an item, isn’t it?”

“Well…”

Jared glanced at the gemstone in Yuri’s hand.

“But what did that shaman say back then?”

“I don’t know either.”

“It was unsettling enough to be memorable.”

While collecting orc ears under Ragna’s orders, Yuri encountered a group led by an orc shaman.

The group attempted to flee as soon as they saw the knights, but when Yuri infused mana into the gemstone, they went into a frenzy and charged.

However, the orc shaman was different. He retreated and resisted the power of the red gemstone.

The orc shaman’s eyes were covered with a black cloth, yet it still shouted something towards Yuri.

As if it knew something about the gemstone.

But Yuri couldn’t possibly understand what he was saying.

“You should have asked Kori properly back then.”

“He didn’t know either.”

“He just kept muttering ‘akua’…”

“Hmm, maybe I should have spared him.”

“He was a shaman, after all. It’s better to kill him.”

When the orc shaman tried to cast a spell, Yuri immediately beheaded him.

“Should I learn Orcish…”

Yuri recalled the conversation he had with Kori.

‘Akuak? It means black. That’s all I know.’

‘He said something after ‘Akuak’, but I can’t remember what it was.’

‘Shall I accompany you next time?’

‘No. It’s too dangerous.’

Kori had become braver.

Yuri gathered his thoughts and turned his gaze.

“And…”

An orc was sitting, slumped on the ground.

It wasn’t dead yet.

It was trembling violently, and began screaming at Yuri.

“Akuakkai! Akuakkai!”

“Akuak?”

It was a word he had heard before.

“You, that…”

The orc continued shouting at Yuri.

“Akuakkai!”

“Right!”

Yuri rushed over and kicked the orc’s jaw. The orc stuck its tongue out and fainted.

“Oh no, it might die. Make sure its tongue doesn’t roll back.”

Jared cursed under his breath and shoved his hand into the orc’s mouth.

“What about the Komodo Drakes?”

“Kill them.”

They had tried using the Komodo Drakes, but the creatures never obeyed humans. Releasing them would only lead them back to the orcs, so they simply killed the ones they captured.

“We’ll take this one. I’m curious, and this is a good opportunity.”

The captured orc was small enough to be carried on horseback.

Yuri loaded it onto a horse and returned to the Briol camp.

“Kori.”

“Yes!”

Soon, Kori appeared riding a small pony.

“Do you want me to translate?”

“Go ahead.”

“Leave it to me.”

Kori had grown much more cheerful while learning magic from Hernando.

“First…”

All the orcs had a similar reaction when they met Kori. They would rampage and yell, but after a few blows, they would quiet down. And while grinding their teeth, they would obediently answer Kori’s questions.

“Ask what ‘Akuak Kai’ means.”

“Akuak Kai? That is…”

Kori tilted his head and asked the orc. The orc glanced at Yuri and spoke.

“‘Akuak Kai’ means ‘Black Dog’…”

“Black Dog?”

“They’re calling you a Black Dog, Your Highness.”

“Me?”

Yuri tilted his head quizzically.

“Why call me a Black Dog?”

“Because you have black hair and, like a dog sniffing out scents, you’re remarkably good at finding orcs…”

The knights observing the interrogation burst into laughter.

“This is insane…”

Yuri glared at the orc.

The orc flinched under Yuri’s gaze and said something else.

“It says giving a nickname to an enemy is a great honor among orcs, so you should feel grateful.”

Jared agreed.

“Indeed, Your Highness. Isn’t Count Sidore called the ‘Scarred Wolf’? He’s become an object of fear, hasn’t he?”

“Then they should call me a wolf! Why a dog, of all things?”

“You can’t expect to reach greatness on the first try. Someday, you’ll become a wolf and then a lion. If you keep it up, maybe you’ll even ascend to the rank of a Black Dragon.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Of course not. Hahaha…”

Yuri stepped closer to the orc, which instinctively retreated.

Judging by its reaction, it was clear the orc felt genuine fear toward Yuri.

“Who came up with the nickname Black Dog?”

“He doesn’t know who made it, but the rumor is spreading among the orcs. That the Emperor’s Black Dog is coming to fight Okuah…”

“The Emperor’s Black Dog?”

Yuri frowned.

The Prince of Briol had been transformed into the Emperor’s dog. It was an insulting misunderstanding.

“I feel like killing this one the longer I listen.”

“Please restrain yourself.”

“Jared, you handle it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jared took over questioning the orc.

He asked various questions through Kori.

They managed to gather a decent amount of useful information.

The orc tribe on the hills had been unified under Okuah long ago and was already fully prepared to face the Allied Forces.

It was a kind of first line of defense.
“Kurui, Okuah’s subordinate and the leader of the hill tribe, is said to be an incredibly strong warrior. The Allied Forces won’t even reach Okuah—they’ll be stopped by Kurui.”

After extracting enough information, Yuri brought the captured orc to Ragna.

Ragna immediately split the orc’s head. As he swung his sword, it echoed like thunder.

He handed the bloodstained sword to his adjutant and said,

“You even had an interpreter? Briol certainly has talented people.”

“Thank you.”

“Kurui…”

Ragna curled his lips into a smile.

He seemed to be eagerly anticipating war.

While such confidence was reassuring, Yuri remembered that the Allied Forces had failed in his past life.

Yuri spoke up.

“It won’t be easy. We must be prepared.”

Yuri regretted not having detailed knowledge about the Allied Forces.

He knew they had been defeated, but he didn’t know the specific reasons why. So all he could do was offer caution.

Ragna looked at Yuri and smiled.

“I thought you were reckless, but you’re surprisingly cautious.”

“It’s war, after all.”

“You’re right, Yuri.”

At some point, Ragna started calling Yuri by his name in a friendly manner.

“It won’t be easy. You’ve done well. Get some rest.”

“Yes, I’ll take my leave.”

“Ah, wait.”

As Yuri was leaving, Ragna called out to him.

“Yuri.”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a girlfriend or a fiancée?”

Yuri’s eyes widened at the sudden question.

“Why are you asking me this all of a sudden…?”

“Just answer.”

Ragna asked the personal question with the authority of royalty.

Faced with that solemn expression, Yuri couldn’t bring himself to say anything else.

“No, I don’t.”

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“Surely there’s nothing wrong with you, right? Seeing how bravely you fight, I don’t think there’s any problem like that. Yes, Yuri. As a man, you must like beautiful women, right?”

“What are you trying to say…”

“Well,I have a niece…”

Ragna trailed off his words.

“Never mind. It’s not something to discuss during war.”

“You couldn’t possibly mean…”

“Forget it. You can go now.”

But Yuri heard everything.

He definitely said “niece.” And there was only one niece Ragna would call a beauty.

As he turned away, he wanted to grab Ragna by the shoulder and shout that he absolutely refused to be involved with her.

“Something’s seriously off.”

Yuri muttered to himself as he returned to the camp.

“I need to take action.”

If he left things as they were, Ragna might try to pair him with that woman after the war was over. That was the one outcome he wanted to avoid at all costs.

But he couldn’t outright reject Ragna’s favor.

There was only one solution.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea to find a suitable person and deceive Ragna?

Yuri tried to think of a woman who could cooperate with him.

“Ah, Yuri.”

Just then, he ran into Sybilla.

“I heard you fought the orcs again today. That’s impressive. Are you hurt anywhere…?”

Sybilla trailed off when Yuri stared at her intently.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Yuri shook his head.

Sybilla’s status was too high.

But on second thought, wasn’t she just a powerless puppet princess, overshadowed by her older brother, the heir to the throne?

It might actually be a perfect fit.

As Yuri kept staring at her, Sybilla frowned.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

“That’s a relief.”

“What is?”

“That you’re not blushing.”

He couldn’t let any genuine romantic feelings develop. In that regard, Sybilla is an ideal fit.

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

“Sybilla, you haven’t forgotten that you owe me your life, have you?”

“Of course not…”

“Good. Just know that I trust you completely.”

“You’re not making any sense…”

“Let’s help each other out from now on. Take care!”

Yuri patted Sybilla’s shoulders and moved past her, his steps much lighter.

“What on earth was that…”

Sybilla shook her head as she watched Yuri walk away. He is truly an unpredictable person. She couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

At that moment, someone approached Sybilla.

“Princess”

“Fenec”

It was Fenec, who led the Holy Kingdom’s knight order alongside Sybilla.

He had been silently observing their conversation from behind.

Fenec contemplated as he stared at Sybilla.

Her face crumpled in frustration.

“Are you planning to just stare silently as well?”

Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke.

“You two look good together.”

“What?”

“I support you two for the future of the Holy Kingdom. I’m sincere. I’ll assist in any way possible.”

His intentions were clear.

Fenec was loyal to Larson, Sybilla’s brother. If Sybilla ended up marrying a prince from another nation, it would be like getting rid of a thorn in his side.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Just like Yuri, Fenec also turned away after saying what he wanted to say.

Sybilla wanted to grab both of them and yell, but she held back because the troops from other countries were watching.

“They’re both so annoying.”

* * *

When Yuri returned to the camp, he stumbled upon an unusual sight.

“So, that’s how it happened.”

“I see.”

Graham and Kori were sitting on a rock, having a conversation.

“Ah, Your Highness.”
Graham bowed his head as Yuri appeared. It was neither excessive nor disrespectful.

Though now a soldier, stripped of title and rank, Graham’s noble bearing was unmistakable.

“Sir Graham, have you decided to accept my proposal?”

“Please, drop the title. I am a soldier. And I apologize, but I simply came here to speak with Kori.”

“With Kori?”

As usual, Kori had his hood pulled low over his face, but it seemed Graham was aware of his true identity.

“Have you encountered half-orcs before?”

“Yes, I was part of the previous Allied Forces.”

Yuri sat beside Kori.

Caught between Graham and Yuri, Kori hunched his shoulders.

Yuri draped an arm over Kori’s shoulder and patted his hooded head.

“You’re learning magic well, aren’t you?”

“I’m trying, but it’s tough. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, you should be sorry.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Don’t just try your best—do it well.”

Yuri glanced at Graham.

“Sir Graham, what did you ask Kori?”

Graham was about to speak, but Kori answered first.

“S-Sir Graham asked if I could kill orcs. He asked other things too, but…”

It was unusual for Kori to speak first without being asked.

“And I answered that I could.”

His voice was firm.

Yuri looked at Kori.

Though he looked hideous like an orc, his heart was undeniably human.

“I lived in an orc settlement until Count Sidore took me in. And that’s not a reason not to kill them; it’s the very reason I can. Even if orc blood flows in me.”

Yuri understood his words.

In his past life, he lived as a mercenary and wandered through the most dangerous battlefields

He had seen many things.

He felt no sympathy for orcs.

Yuri gripped Kori’s shoulder, pretending to glare at Graham.

“Hey, why are you discouraging our Kori?”

“Pardon?”

“Sir Graham, I thought highly of you, but I’m disappointed. You asked such a terrifying question. Kori is a precious talent, destined to become a mage.”

“Wow, Your Highness?”