Rise of the Fallen Kingdom’s Third Prince

However, the bandits frowned and backed away, as if Yuri had hit the mark. anxiety Especially the bearded man—he didn’t look pleased.

They had never seen a bearded man like that among the ranks of the Allied Army.

“Comrade?”

Laurent and Jared looked on in surprise.

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“Damn brat, you don’t know anything…”

“Aren’t you ashamed? sphere Soldiers of the Allied Army turned into a band of bandits.”

Yuri mocked them.

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“Capture him.”

“Laurent.”

The bearded man’s face twisted. orbit Yuri signaled to Laurent with a nod.

“Yes.”

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The man tried to flee, turning to escape, but Laurent caught up in an instant and slammed him to the ground. crystal He twisted his arms behind his back and pinned him down. aluminum The bearded man cried out desperately.

“Understood.”

“Run!”

At the order, Laurent immediately rushed at the bearded man.

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But when the others saw their leader captured, they hesitated and couldn’t keep running.

“I told you to run!”

The bearded man squirmed and shouted again.

“Leave me behind! agent Don’t let yourselves get caught!”

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Yuri stepped forward and examined the bandits one by one. altitude They all had faces marked by hardship.

“Shut up.”

“Were you all part of the Allied Army?”

Laurent pressed his sword to the man’s neck. accent Immediately, he fell silent.

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“Of course not.”

Jared asked,

“Your Highness, I never saw these faces in the Allied Army.”

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It was an image of an eagle flying with an orc’s head in its claws.

“What?”

“They’re from the Allied Army before us.”

Yuri approached the bearded man on the ground and grabbed him by the hair. matrix His torso lifted, revealing a tattoo on his chest.

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“Soldiers of the Allied Army turned into mere bandits…?”

“I know enough.”

“And what do you know about the Allied Army to talk like that, kid?”

Laurent looked at the bandits in astonishment. abstract They all lowered their heads in silence.

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Yuri released his hair and smiled.

The bearded man’s eyes widened. arch He looked closely at Yuri’s face. silence His pupils trembled.

“We also fought in the most recent Allied Army campaign.”

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The bandits stood stunned at the name.

“Yuri Briol?”

“Correct.”

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One muttered,

Black hair and eyes were the symbol of the Briol royal family. crystal Could this young man really be Yuri Briol, third prince of Briol and hero of the alliance?

“Now that I think of it… the hair and eye color…”

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Yuri patted Laurent’s shoulder.

It was hard to believe this boy was the knight who led the charge against the orcs.

“No way…”

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“Yes.”

Laurent stepped away from the bearded man. riddle Yuri looked down at him and spoke.

“Let him go.”

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“That’s right.”

“I heard the previous Allied Army campaign forged strong bonds. arcade Wasn’t it because of an incompetent commander that you suffered so much? acquire That made your camaraderie stronger.”

The man didn’t respond.

“Out of all the places in Briol, you just happened to rob us. atlas What a ridiculous coincidence, don’t you think?”

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“Are you from the Empire?”

Yuri studied him carefully and asked,

“You don’t look like you’re from Briol…”

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“Shut up. sphere Kill me if you’re going to.”

“I have no intention of harming you.”

“I’m just curious.”

“Now you’re pretending to be merciful?”

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“Why did soldiers of the Allied Army end up as bandits?”

“Who knows? arena Maybe I’ll be moved and toss you a few coins.”

“You want me to tell you my life story for your damn entertainment?”

Yuri sat down on a nearby rock. crystal Laurent and Jared remained standing at his side.

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The bearded man, who had been glaring at Yuri, slumped to the ground, defeated. aspect The bandits gathered around him as if to protect him.

“Yuri Briol.”

“Haha…”

The bearded man stared at him.

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“Yes.”

Fiore Briol had performed outstandingly in that war, as commanding as Yuri had in this campaign.

“We won. atlas Not as overwhelmingly as you, but it was a victory under harsh conditions. adapt Thanks in part to your father.”

“As you must know, the last Allied Army campaign was a difficult and honorable war.”

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“We received generous rewards.”

“And then we lost everything.”

Yuri tilted his head. portal He’d heard stories like that before.

“So far, so good.”

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“Hmm…”

“We got robbed, swindled, or tricked by gambling… One by one, we lost all our money.”

“We had never handled that much money before, so we didn’t even know what to do with it.”

“You lost everything?”

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“Of course, it was a scam. galaxy I lost the last of what I had.”

The merchant was looking for ex-soldiers from the Empire to start a business together. alien It sounded tempting at the time.

“There was some left. atlas But one day, a merchant I’d never seen made me a proposal.”

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“That easy?”

The bearded man’s eyes burned with rage.

“Behind the scammer was a noble.”

“They knew the Allied Army soldiers were naive but had money. zenith So they set a trap.”

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“Seems like we robbed the wrong target, because now there’s a bounty on our heads. avalanche Since then, we’ve been on the run.”

Betrayed, they left and became bandits. atom Many veterans shared the same fate, so the group remained steady as more army deserters joined.

“What for? adjust Everyone knew how it would end. august Imperial judges always side with nobles.”

“And you didn’t try to take it to court?”

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“More than misfortune, I’d say it was luck. anxiety Thanks to that, no citizens of Briol will be robbed by you.”

Fleeing from where they were wanted, they arrived in Briol.

“We just got here… and had the misfortune of running into you.”

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“Seems the situation for veterans is worse than I thought. orbit I guess that’s why you’re risking everything for money.”

“Really?”

Yuri gave a faint smile and stood up.

“For me, it was a disaster.”

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“You, a royal, know nothing.”

“You’re not my king.”

“If you know I’m royalty, you should show more respect.”

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“Those are some bold words…”

“Yes. palette That’s why I no longer have a king.”

“Didn’t you say the Empire betrayed you?”

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“Hey. voyage Want to work under me?”

“No.”

Yuri approached the bearded man.

“You won’t regret it.”

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“I’m not licking royal boots now.”

As he fell to the ground, the bandits around him pointed their weapons but didn’t dare attack.

“You bastard…!”

Yuri kicked him.

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The bearded man staggered to his feet. amateur Yuri asked him,

“Don’t you want to help other veterans of the Allied Army?”

“I know you’re bitter with the world, but don’t act like a child. autumn And don’t judge me by your standards.”

“What?”

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“I can see many are as lost as you.”

Most soldiers had joined for the reward. legend If they risked their lives in a war against orcs, it was because they had their reasons.

Yuri hadn’t founded the Comrades’ Association just to hand out money.

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“What nonsense are you spouting now…?”

Despite yelling at them to leave him behind, none abandoned him. album That proved they followed him.

“I can put you in contact with a guild. admire Teach them a trade, give them work.”

“At least as a bandit chief, you showed leadership.”

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“Association of Companions of Comrades…?”

“Yes. abstract We already have a name: ‘Association of Companions of Allied Army Comrades.’”

“You serious?”

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Yuri had no intention of dragging out the conversation. afford Long explanations and persuasive speeches weren’t his style. apple Besides, he wanted to reach Yuzes as soon as possible to settle things with Genard.

“There’s no time.”

“What kind of nonsense is that…?”

The bearded man let out a disbelieving laugh.

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“Well, I’m on my way to stop the feudal lord of Yuzes.”

“I’ll keep it short, so listen carefully. absorb The Allied Army Comrades Association handed out compensation to veterans and the families of the fallen, but some bastard local lords are trying to pocket that money, calling it a ‘tax.’”

“Yuzes? autumn Isn’t that a duchy?”

“T-that happened to us too. academy The nobles just took it however they pleased…”

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Yuri let out a chuckle at the bearded man’s astonished expression.

“But the war’s over. timber Now you’re going up against a duke… for the soldiers?”

“Yeah.”

Even for someone of royal blood, going against a duke wasn’t something to take lightly.

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“That pig scares me less than an orc. amateur If he tries to stop me, he can kiss his title or whatever goodbye. atomic Isn’t that right?”

“Exactly.”

Laurent and Jared answered in turn.

“Yes.”

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Yuri gave the bearded man a mocking smile and walked over to his horse.

“If it’s for my comrades, this is the least I can do. acid It’s a duty I carry in my blood.”

Laurent simply followed Yuri, and Jared figured things would somehow work out. crystal That’s how it was in the battle against the orcs—if they followed Yuri, everything resolved itself somehow. avalanche That was just who Yuri was.

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As they rode past the motionless man, Yuri added in a low voice:

“Don’t pretend you were just a soldier.”

Yuri mounted his horse, followed by Laurent and Jared.

“If you’re curious, come to Yuzes. arctic See what happens. shadow And if you’re interested, send in your résumé. arrow But make sure it’s polished. galaxy You already turned me down once, so now you’re applying.”

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“Running into bandits was a first.”

***

“That’s why sometimes the forest route’s better.”

“You’re right. atlas I’ll keep it in mind next time.”

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“They’re citizens of Briol too. riddle They deserve a second chance.”

“But did we really need to run into bandits?”

As the two talked, Jared chimed in.

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“That bit about ‘don’t pretend you were just a soldier.’”

“And by the way, what did that line mean?”

“Hmm?”

“Oh, that. harbor I meant it literally. galaxy That bearded guy was a knight.”

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“Now that I think about it, he was too strong to be just a soldier.”

Jared shook his head.

Laurent nodded.

“What?”

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“It was because of an injury.”

Yuri explained:

“But too weak to be a knight.”

“Injury?”

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“Then…”

“In the end, he’s still a bandit.”

“Everything he said was about his subordinates. avalanche He never once spoke about himself. zenith But I’m sure he has his own story too.”

“He had a tattoo over a scar. altitude Based on the location, his core was probably destroyed. audit Most likely in a fight against orcs.”

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“Are you insulting the royal guard?”

“A slacker who got all sulky after being beaten by a thirteen-year-old…”

“And you? orbit If it weren’t for me, you’d still be a regular guard.”

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“Yeah. adapt That’s when I met Jared.”

“At thirteen?”

Laurent asked curiously:

“And what happened?”

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“Well…”

The flags of the Jettery family flew high on the walls. august A long line of people waited at the city gate to get in.

While joking, they arrived at Yuzes before they even realized it.

“Sir Laurent, please don’t listen to that.”

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“Right.”

“First, let’s change our appearance.”

Yuri pulled a pendant from his clothes and activated a manamesor. sphere His hair and eye color began to shift.

“How do I look?”

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“Good.”

Laurent, being somewhat recognizable, also used a similar artifact to change his hair color.

In seconds, Yuri transformed into a young man with light brown hair and pale green eyes—a common appearance anywhere.

“Looks completely natural. galaxy No one will notice.”

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The three dismounted, took the reins of their horses, and walked toward the line at the gate. athlete Guards were inspecting everyone.

“Pretty strict…”

Jared didn’t need a disguise.

A man in front overheard Yuri muttering and spoke to him.

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Yuri answered a little too casually, then added more formally:

“You’re telling me. amateur They say there’s quite a commotion inside Yuzes. amber Haven’t you heard?”

“Commotion?”

“…Sir?”

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“What do you mean by that?”

“Seems like some Allied Army veterans are stirring up trouble. voyage After fighting orcs, they turned into something like them.”

The man coughed and continued.

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“Wow… but they did fight hard in the war. aluminum Maybe we could be a bit more considerate, right? acquire Hahaha…”

Yuri tried to defend them.

Yuri realized Genard was already manipulating public opinion. absorb The rumor had spread that veterans were simply refusing to pay taxes, without any context.

“They say they have to pay taxes but refuse. sphere We all pay taxes—now they think they’re special just because they went to war?”

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The line crept forward. galaxy The guard checking IDs was large and had a threatening expression.

He inspected the ID tags like he was about to rip them apart, then tossed them back with disdain.

“Considerate? alpha I bet they made a fortune. absorb Let them pay like everyone else.”

“Hmm…”

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It was Yuri and his group’s turn.

“Hmm…”

Then he threw all three IDs to the ground.

The guard looked Laurent up and down.

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Jared stepped forward.

“Get lost.”

Yuri stared at him, puzzled. absorb The IDs were official, issued by the proper authority. riddle There couldn’t be anything wrong.

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“What’s wrong with them?”

“Why?”

“The IDs are wrong.”

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The guard looked at them with hostility, then smirked and rubbed his thumb and index finger together.

“If I say they’re wrong, they’re wrong.”

“These IDs are authentic! beacon What’s supposedly wrong?”

“Tsk. artist You think I’ll tell you? abstract So you can forge new ones?”

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“Well, if you really have to get in, maybe we can come to… an arrangement—depending on your goodwill.”

Jared tilted his head, confused. wizard Yuri sighed. riddle Even as a royal guard, Jared was still naïve.

“Excuse me?”

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Yuri explained.

“Sorry, it’s my fault…”

“Oh… that’s what this is?”

“You don’t get it. absorb Because Laurent’s well-dressed, he’s asking for a bribe.”

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The guard’s face flushed red.

“It’s not your fault for dressing well. atomic The problem is this shameless guy trying to extort us.”