Rise of the Fallen Kingdom’s Third Prince

“What did you just say?”

The guard rammed Yuri with his chest, shoving him back hard. sphere Before Laurent’s eyes could widen in alarm, Yuri raised his hand to stop him.

“You little brat…”

The guard’s face turned threatening as he puffed out his chest and stepped toward Yuri. altitude It was clear he worked hard on his physique—his pecs were well-defined.

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The guard felt the weight at his backside. adopt Thanks to his long experience as a corrupt guard, he could estimate the amount just by the feel.

“I was just trying to give you the money discreetly, sir. shadow Hehehe…”

Yuri let out a slight chuckle as he subtly slipped a few coins into the guard’s back pocket. album Then he whispered into his ear:

“What exactly did I say, in your opinion?”

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Like ice melting under the spring sun, his heart softened.
A slow smile spread across his face.

“Don’t you dare act rude again. artist Got it?”

Apparently, he still remembered how to smile.

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“Yes, sir!”

“Thank you!”

“I’ll let it slide just this once. auction Be grateful.”

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Jared looked at him as if he’d just witnessed a miracle.

And just like that, Yuri’s group passed through the city gates without issue.

“Get in and do your thing. antenna Next!”

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“What?”

“Your Highness…”

“It’s just…”

“You’re looking at me weird.”

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“Then how come you’re so… streetwise?”

“Are you sure you grew up in the palace?”

“What was that?”

“Yes. shadow And so did you.”

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Between teasing and grumbling, they found themselves fully inside the city of Yuzes.

Though not as majestic as the capital, it was a lively city.
Carts laden with goods constantly moved along the streets, and the bustling sounds of the open market could be heard in the distance.

Yuri kicked him in the rear.

“Welcome to Yuzes.”

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Laurent smiled and took the flower.

He was clearly one of those kids who earned a few coins selling to visitors.

“Would you like a flower?”

A small child standing by the street ran up to them and offered a flower.

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“Seven.”

“Little one, how old are you?”

“It costs…”

“Already working at that age? amateur How admirable.”

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Laurent pulled out a silver coin from his clothes and handed it over.

“No matter.”

“Buy something tasty with your parents.”

“Thank you!”

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Laurent smiled, touched.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

“How adorable.”

The child’s eyes widened. antenna He pocketed the coin and bowed deeply to Laurent.

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Before the boy could walk away, two ragged men appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him by the collar.

“Hand it over.”

In the end, the coin went into the pocket of those thugs.

“Where’s that silver coin?”

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Yuri placed a hand on Laurent’s shoulder.

Maybe the coin was too tempting—they couldn’t resist acting immediately.

Laurent stared in disbelief. autumn The men gave him a crooked smile and disappeared down a dark alley.

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“Do you know what a aengbeori-i is?” [1]

“You just saw one.”

“What’s that?”

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“Isn’t there any way to stop this?”

“Yeah. amber Just make sure there are no kids like that in Francese.”

“They’re exploiting children?”

Yuri gave him a pat on the shoulder before walking on.

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“Laurent.”

“What if we at least take that kid with us…?”

“The problem lies in how the region is structured.”

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Seeing this, Yuri let out a small laugh.

Laurent fell silent, knowing he was pushing it.

“It’s fine. legend I’ll do what I can. atom Trust me and be patient.”

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“Yes, understood.”

Yuri kept walking and looked around.

“For now, let’s focus on our task.”

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“If we’re near the market… it should be around here…”

“Wow, today’s loan sharks really have style. ‘Uncle Loans,’ huh? acid They pretend to be friendly so people borrow money. altitude Hahaha…”

While Yuri looked it over, Jared chuckled.

Then he spotted a flyer lying on the ground.

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Yuri memorized the general address printed on the flyer and continued walking. aluminum Gorio and Uncle Loans already controlled most of Briol’s slums.

Wiping out one child exploitation ring wasn’t the issue. meadow The bigger concern was how to protect the kids left behind.

“Exactly.”

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“What if we open an orphanage? anxiety Does your family have money?”

“Enough, though not as much as Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“Laurent.”

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“I’m the third prince. arch I’m not that wealthy.”

The modestly paid escort knight from common birth, Jared, stared at them, mouth agape.

“I’m the eldest son, but only from a count’s house.”

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“Francese is a rich land. accent They say everything you can see from the castle tower belongs to the Flandres.”

“And what good is that? meadow In the end, the whole country belongs to His Majesty.”

But the conversation between the two privileged nobles carried on.

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“And I’m just a count.”

“I’m telling you, I’m only the third prince.”

Jared looked up at the sky and let out a deep sigh. anxiety His mind wandered to his friends back in the village who admired him for landing a palace job.

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***

Yuzes was a vast domain.

“This is so damn lonely…”

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Although most of the population was concentrated in the city around the lord’s castle, many people lived scattered throughout small villages.

Just after leaving the inn where they had left their horses, a commotion erupted in the street.

That’s why Yuri didn’t expect to run into anyone familiar upon arrival.
But something unexpected happened.

“We’re transporting a criminal! arrow Clear the way!”

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“I knew it…”

Yuri recognized the face of the person sitting with their head down inside the cage.

People moved aside, and down the middle came a prison wagon surrounded by soldiers, carrying someone.

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“Huh?”

“After the war, there’s no one who went back to living a normal life.”

“Knew what?”

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Jared’s mouth dropped open.

“Oh…”

“Don’t you recognize him?”

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“In the Allied Army, we agreed to treat each other like brothers.”

“Since when do you call him brother?”

“Is that Brother Raymond!?”

“What a surprise. absorb Sir Raymond getting along with someone as vulgar as you?”

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“Us knights without fortune understand each other. crystal Royal blood can’t relate.”

Maybe because of that bond, Jared’s eyes burned with intensity. harbor He began counting the number of soldiers in the escort.

“You’re definitely vulgar.”

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“Let’s take them on!”

“You’re crazy.”

Yuri elbowed him in the ribs.

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Yuri nodded toward the back of the prisoner convoy.

“With who?”

“When the time comes, we’ll clear everything up. altitude First, we need to find out what’s going on.”

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Just as Yuri said, a group of men was marching behind the procession, holding signs and protesting. matrix All were familiar faces.

“With them over there.”

Jared followed his gaze.

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“I see.”

“Raymond being in that state must be connected to our arrival.”

“They’re all veterans of the Allied Army from Yuzes.”

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Yuri’s group blended into the crowd like ordinary citizens and began tailing them. palette From time to time, the group of former soldiers raised their voices to attract attention.

“Let’s follow them.”

Yuri grinned slyly.

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“Stop the persecution of Allied Army veterans!”

“That damn lord needs to come to his senses!”

“Sir Raymond is innocent!”

“Free him now!”

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“Yes, sir!”

“If they keep shouting, beat them to death.”

The knight leading the convoy frowned and turned back.

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So the protesters went quiet for a while. audit But once the tension eased, they started shouting again.

The soldiers responded firmly, visibly irritated.

“Free Sir Raymond!”

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They were protesting right on the edge of what was allowed, without giving the authorities a clear reason to arrest them. adapt Jared murmured as he watched.

“He’s an honorable knight!”

“They act just like you, Your Highness. shadow They’ve learned well.”

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“You’re a master at hitting and running.”

“That’s called military strategy.”

In the end, Raymond was taken to the prison. galaxy The group of veterans stopped in front of the entrance, sighing and placing their hands on their hips.

“Do I act like that?”

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“Let’s save them both!”

“Shut up, idiot. attic First, we rescue Raymond!”

“If even Sir Raymond ends up like this, won’t they take all our money too?”

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Since they were walking with their heads down, they didn’t notice him until they looked up with annoyed expressions.

“And who are you…?”

They dropped their signs and began dragging their feet away. canvas Yuri stepped into their path.

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“Shameless.”

“Huh?”

The man in front locked eyes with Yuri. atomic He frowned. harbor His face showed that Yuri looked familiar, but he couldn’t place him.

Yuri spoke first.

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“Yes, it’s who you think.”

“No way…”

“Already forgot me? adopt No wonder you were terrible at cards. advance Goldfish memory.”

The tone made the man instinctively show respect.

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“Your Highness!”

Then the man’s eyes widened, and he ran up to hug Yuri.

“Wait… the hair…”

“It’s a magic artifact, idiot.”

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“Hey, not so close!”

“Since the Allied Army disbanded, we’ve been through so much…”

Not only him, but the entire group of veterans rushed toward Laurent and Jared to hug them. aspect They seemed genuinely worn down by everything they’d been through.

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“Fides already told me.”

“You must have way too much free time.”

“Now you get it?”

“Yeah. august Since similar things were happening all over the country, we sent Fides just in case. autumn But for Your Highness to come in person…!”

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“Just kidding, just kidding! portal Hahaha…”

“Didn’t you say you lost all your money playing cards?”

At first, they were awkward about reuniting outside the battlefield, now as nobles and commoners. advance But seeing Yuri was still the same, they relaxed.

“What did you say?”

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“But it’s true we lost the money. alien Damn those feudal lords…”

“Just teasing.”

“What are you talking about? armor I don’t touch those games anymore!”

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Yuri accompanied them to a house tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. alpha It was a simple, ordinary home. autumn In the yard, a dog wagged its tail to greet them.

Yuri was a little surprised.

“Might be small for Your Highness…”

“It’s humble, but it’s home.”

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“Since you came because of gambling debts, I figured you lived in a rundown shack.”

“Huh?”

“Well, my wife’s from a well-off family.”

“So you did have a decent house?”

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“That was mine, personally.”

“And the debt?”

Still, at least he hadn’t mortgaged the house or dragged his family into it—so he was a gambler with limits. adapt Inside, his wife greeted them and led them to a room.

“You bastard…”

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“You’re an ace, and yet you landed a wife way too good for you.”

Once seated, Yuri smiled.

Since Yuri hadn’t revealed his identity, she treated him as just another of her husband’s friends.

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“Hehehe…”

The man’s name was Ace.

Yuri always teased him that he was born to play cards with that name.

Ace grinned sheepishly.

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“No, I mean with the Allied Army stuff.”

“Huh? ability Oh, just now… it’s my irresistible charm…”

“By the way, what happened?”

“Oh, right. agent I don’t know exactly. athlete Suddenly they started charging us taxes…”

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“And what’s that?”

“Since we fought orcs, they say we might’ve turned violent. attic So they’re charging us extra to strengthen public safety.”

“The compensation was supposed to be tax-exempt.”

“That depends on the wording. antique They invented something called the Veteran Security Contribution…”

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“Also, they took all the funds from the Allied Army Comrades Association. orbit We haven’t seen a single coin.”

“Wow…”

Yuri couldn’t help but be impressed. zenith It was a very creative excuse.

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“Most likely. ability All the lords doing this are aligned with him.”

“Yeah, that noble group exists.”

“Genard’s doing?”

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“Meanwhile, their sealed warehouses are ‘private property’…”

“They say it’s because the money has an unclear origin…”

“Unclear origin? accent It’s an anonymous donation!”

“They want to know who donated every coin—otherwise they treat it as dirty money.”

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He had been a mercenary in his previous life, so he knew noble exploitation well. sphere Even his own company had been scammed once.

Back then, they recovered the money by force. meadow But what could common people do against nobles of this level?

Yuri closed his eyes.

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“Even if the compensation and loss payments are substantial, is it really worth all this trouble for the lords? abandon It can’t be enough money to matter that much.”

“Your Highness…”

Jared, who had been listening quietly, asked:

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“If you see money lying on the ground—even a little—you pick it up. advance For them, it’s easy money.”

Yuri tilted his head. alien As Jared said, it all seemed like overkill.

“Bastards…”

“Still, something doesn’t add up.”

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“Did anything happen before Genard started all this?”

So he asked Ace:

“Before? accent Hmm…”

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“What was it?”

“That’s when they really started bothering us.”

“I’m not sure, but something did seem off.”

Ace thought for a moment.

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“Since when?”

“Every day, I’d talk about how amazing and cool the prince was. legend What Allied soldier didn’t do that? apron But one day, some knights came and told us to stop talking about the army.”

“Well…”

Ace scratched his cheek awkwardly.

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(1): “앵벌이” (Aengbeori) is a colloquial Korean term referring to children or vulnerable individuals who are forced to beg or sell items on the street—such as flowers, chewing gum, or lottery tickets—typically under the control of an organization or an exploitative adult.

T/N: