The 3rd Prince of the Fallen Kingdom Returns

29. Ring (2)

The omen began unexpectedly.

The flag of the orcs, lurking beyond the hills, started to flutter.

Then, the entire horizon began to rise.

“Oh my god…”

The scout, who had been observing the orcs from the watchtower, raised his telescope.

What was rising was not the ground, but the orc forces.

“There’s more than one. Look over there.”

As his comrade said, the horizon in all directions was rippling.

They had been surrounded without realizing it.

“That many?”

The orcs had been continuously depleting their forces.

The Allied Forces had calmly responded, minimizing damage and killing many orcs in the process.

And yet, such a massive force remained.

“Report this quickly!”

A swift soldier descended from the watchtower.

The remaining scouts continued to observe the surroundings from the watchtower.

“What’s the status of the orcs?”

The sentry waiting below the watchtower asked.

“Well…”

“What?”

“This is bad.”

His hand, holding the telescope, trembled.

Among the orc soldiers gradually coming into view, Orkbal with flags on their backs were mixed in. There were too many to count.

And that wasn’t all.

Orc troops, riding on Komodo Drakes, broke formation and charged forward.

Dust billowed up in the air.

One orc rider raised a weapon and shouted something. In response, the entire orc troop raised their weapons and let out a war cry.

“This is chaos… complete chaos…”

Distracted by that, he didn’t notice the shadow looming overhead.

Suddenly, his vision blurred.

He didn’t even realize he was dying.

As the scout collapsed, an alarm was raised.

“Up! Look up!”

“Hurry, ring the bell!”

“It’s war!”

The sound of the bell began to toll.

As the main orc force closed in on the Allied Forces’ lines from all directions, arrows began to fall from the sky.

“Wyverns!”

Not only did they control Ancient Worms, but now the orcs were riding wyverns.

The Allied Forces’ gazes turned upwards.

Wyverns with outstretched wings soared, blocking the sun. Arrows poured down from above.

“Aim for their wings!”

The sentries returned fire.

Soon, the entire Allied Forces began to move in preparation for the attack. Having experienced countless surprise attacks, they were well-versed in swiftly entering battle mode.

“Return fire!”

The arrows fired by the Allied Forces shot upward.

The wyverns gained altitude.

The arrows that missed their target traced sharp arcs and fell back down.

“It’s fine if you don’t hit them!”

The senior soldier shouted.

“Just force them to fly higher! They won’t be able to aim!”

There weren’t many wyverns.

“Keep targeting the wyverns!”

Thanks to the sentries’ efforts, the damage was minimal.

Soon after, Ragna appeared.

“It’s starting.”

He gathered messengers and assigned defensive areas to each nation.

After completing his orders, Ragna looked to the sky.

“How annoying. How did they even tame those?”

They had come to fight orcs, but now they were dealing with Ancient Worms and wyverns, all sorts of monsters.

“Wayne.”

Upon his call, a knight clad in black armor stepped forward.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Wayne was the name of the Third Knight Commander.

“Eliminate those flying creatures.”

“Understood.”

Wayne took a bow from a soldier.

He immediately released the arrow towards the sky.

The mana-infused arrow flew straight, unwavering.

A wyvern, struck directly in the head, plummeted onto the Allied Forces’ camp. The orc riding it writhed on the ground.

Soldiers swarmed, thrusting their spears and swords.

The orc died, spewing blood and foam.

Wayne continued to shoot down wyverns.

Eventually, the wyvern group left the Allied Forces’ camp and circled at a distance.

They would likely target the Allied Forces again when the battle resumed.

“Now the real fight begins.”

Ragna smiled slightly, the most excited expression he had shown since joining the Allied Forces.

“Is there any other report?”

“No. All preparations are complete. We just need to await their attack.”

“Sound the war drums. It’s time to get the blood pumping.”

Although he hadn’t expected Okuah to make the first move, Ragna wasn’t worried.

They had repelled numerous surprise attacks so far. They had ample experience in defensive battles.

“What about the dispels?”

“It’s a stalemate. Neither side will be able to use magic until the war is over.”

“And what about Okuah?”

“He hasn’t been spotted.”

“Keep an eye out.”

Though Okuah had not yet appeared, Ragna and the Empire’s leaders were all focusing on the same direction.

An overwhelming presence could be felt from beyond the horizon.

It was overwhelming.

Amidst the dust clouds kicked up by the orc army, it felt as if a ground-shaking giant would emerge at any moment.

Just what kind of monster was Okuah?

“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this. It’s electrifying.”

Ragna chuckled softly.

Rather than being crushed by the war’s pressure, he was regaining vitality.

The thrill he felt here was something he couldn’t experience in the palace.

“What about Graham?”

“He’s forming a defensive formation with the soldiers.”

“Reassign him.”

“Shall we assign him to the Third Knight Order for now?”

“He doesn’t have the personality to fit in with the Third Knight Order. Just let him fight freely. He’s not the type who needs to be commanded.”

“Understood.”

“Tell Aizen to prepare it.”

“But it hasn’t been tested yet.”

“We’ll test it today. Where else could we find a better stage?”

“Understood.”

The orcs were getting closer.

Everyone present knew that a brutal battle was about to unfold.

Imagining the scene, Ragna suddenly frowned.

“That guy…”

“Pardon?”

“Yuri Briol. Send this to him.”

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, scribbled something on it, roughly folded it, and handed it to his adjutant.

It wasn’t very long.

The adjutant tilted his head.

“May I ask what it says?”

“If you’re curious, take a look.”

“Yes, sir.”

After checking the contents, the adjutant’s head tilted slightly.

He glanced at Ragna’s face and then handed it to a messenger.

“To the Third Prince of Briol.”

“Yes, sir.”

The messenger immediately ran off as soon as he received the order. It was a familiar task for him.

The entire camp was in chaos. The messenger passed by soldiers shooting arrows into the sky. He ran against the flow of knights marching with their helmets on. He passed by someone praying to the gods.

Soon, he arrived at the Briol camp.

And he encountered a strange sight.

The Third Prince of Briol, now a familiar face to the messenger, was perched on a box, talking to the soldiers.

“So, what I’m saying is…”

“Why are you suddenly being so serious?”

“When it’s time to be serious, you have to be serious.”

“Did you get scolded or something?”

“Do you want to die?”

The mood was oddly lighthearted.

“I’ve got my eye on you. You’re dead meat when we get back home after the Allied Forces disband.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“We’ll see if you’re still saying that then.”

The Third Prince glanced at the messenger, gesturing for him to wait for a moment.

“Anyway, a big fight is about to begin.”

“Yes!”

“Are you scared?”

“No, we’re not…”

“Really not scared?”

“Well… a little bit.”

“So am I.”

The Third Prince leaped off the box.

“And that’s normal.”

He grinned broadly.

“So think about what we’ve fought against, like when we fought Kurui. Remember the things those bastards did. Well? Still scared? If you are, then don’t fight. Just hide in the tent.”

The messenger recalled the horrors from the previous battle.

What he had seen went beyond barbarism, it was madness.

Orcs were truly cursed creatures.

The Third Prince rested his sword on his shoulder.

“We’ve reached the real battlefield, and we’ve found the real enemies we must kill. This is a war of honor, one we might never experience again. And we are from Briol. Not some pathetic, weak nation, but true warriors from Briol.”

He gestured toward the messenger.

“See? Even His Majesty sent us a letter asking for our success.”

The soldiers laughed.

It was a remark that could have been considered rude, but with battle so close, everything could be forgiven if they survived.

The Third Prince took the letter from the messenger, read its contents, and smirked.

“What do you think His Majesty said?”

“That you should meet the Princess at least once…”

“You shut up.”

“Yes, sir.”

“He said not to take the lead.”

The Third Prince casually folded the letter and tossed it onto the box. Then, with a sly grin, he said:

“Everyone knows what my answer is, right?”

The soldiers chuckled softly.

“I’d rather die standing at the front than live hiding behind you. That’s me, Yuri Briol!”

Although his task was complete, the messenger didn’t leave and continued to observe the scene. The Third Prince had a way of drawing attention.

The Third Prince continued to shout.

“So this is an order! Don’t die, and kill! And when you return to Briol, make it your family’s honor that you fought alongside this Yuri Briol!”

“Yes, sir!”

“The same goes for me! I will make it my honor that I fought alongside such amazing people!”

The soldiers cheered.

The Third Prince raised his sword.

“For Briol!”

“For Briol!”

And then, with his sword slung over his shoulder, he walked towards the soldiers.

A path opened for him.

His unhurried, confident steps resembled not those of a royal prince, but the alpha of a wolf pack leading its hunt.

The Briol flag was raised high and fluttered proudly in the wind.

The messenger was momentarily captivated by the sight.

For some reason, today, instead of delivering messages, he felt like wielding a sword and fighting.

* * *

Briol’s assigned position for defense was slightly off from directly facing the orcs.

Yuri stood beside the barricade made of sharpened logs.

The orcs had now drawn close enough that the faces of those in the front line were visible.

“Jared.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How do you feel?”

A breeze blew across the grasslands, ruffling Yuri’s dark hair.

He looked back at Jared and grinned.

“Aren’t you glad you followed me?”

“Well…”

Jared suddenly felt memories from the past resurface.

One day, Yuri barged into the Royal Guard and chose him as a sparring opponent. Jared, without a second thought, accepted, not realizing what a momentous decision it would be.

That was the beginning.

Where would he be standing now if not for the prince?

Would he have come to join the Allied Forces?

Most likely, he would still be a member of the royal guard, standing like a statue in the palace. It would have been comfortable and easy, but life’s vibrancy would have been far less vivid than it was now.

“Why do you think that?”

“You don’t know what kind of face you’re making right now, do you?”

“Face?”

Jared then realized he was smiling.

“You can look forward to even greater things. The Allied Forces are just the beginning.”

“Are you serious?”

“Does it seem like I’m not?”

“Well…”

With this prince, it felt like he could easily pull off something far grander than leading the Allied Forces

“What are you planning to do next?”

At some point, Jared started having such thoughts.

This prince might appear to act purely on whims, but that wasn’t the case. It was as if he was preparing for something..

Yuri chuckled softly and gestured to him.

“Alright. I’m feeling generous. I’ll give you a hint. Come here.”

“Um…”

“Suit yourself.”

Jared wasn’t keen on whispering, as it felt like Yuri was about to play a prank. But he held back and approached Yuri, offering his ear.

Yuri whispered.

“…”

Jared tilted his head after hearing those words.

The meaning was clear, but the weight of it was so immense that his mind momentarily refused to process it.

So, after thinking it over a few times, he was startled and stepped back.

“What—what do you mean by that…?”

“You’re an accomplice now.”

“Excuse me?”

“I only told you, so if something happens to me because of this, it’s on you.”

“I’m good at keeping secrets.”

“I know. That’s why I told you. You’re the talent I picked, after all.”

“Enough.”

“Never mind.”

Yuri shook his head.

“Let’s deal with those orcs first, and then we’ll think about the rest.”

“Understood.”

While they were talking, the orcs had drawn dangerously close.

Yuri gripped Guilty tightly, waiting for the orcs’ charge.

“Wait…”

It was at that moment.

Yuri turned his gaze.

Not just him—every knight standing on the grasslands turned their heads in unison toward one direction.

The overwhelming presence they had only vaguely sensed was now asserting itself.

At the back of the orc troops, a massive shadow moved.

It was as if a mountain was moving.

Yuri muttered a name under his breath.

“Okuah.”

It was finally revealing itself.