Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Gale Squad (1)
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Upon arriving in the Araham territory, Hyun-soo made his way to meet Commander Philip.
Just then, he reacted swiftly to the terror-filled cry of a soldier.
A cannonball, glowing red and showing signs of imminent explosion, entered Hyun-soo’s field of vision.
Before the shell could detonate, Hyun-soo quickly activated his Sovereign’s Command, containing the blast.
This power wasn't absolute, and his control was still a bit clumsy, so he sent the contained explosion soaring into the sky.
*Booooom—!*
As the massive explosion echoed, Hyun-soo let out a small sigh of relief.
He then became aware of the gazes fixed on him from all around.
Nobles or knights.
Or perhaps commanders.
These were people who, in Hyun-soo's opinion, should not be easily shaken.
‘Their unrest will quickly spread to those around them.’
Thus, he acted as nonchalantly as possible and patted the shoulder of the soldier who had been in front of him.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes…! Thank you for saving me! But, who are you?”
“I am Baronet Hyun-soo. I’ve come to see the commander.”
Hyun-soo soon spotted Commander Philip looking his way.
‘Magic…?’
Commander Philip was more than a little surprised.
It was a bizarre power, the likes of which he had never seen.
And a blacksmith, of all people, was wielding a force akin to magic?
But Philip quickly corrected his thoughts.
‘Is this the power Marquis Lükburg spoke of?’
The Marquis had repeatedly emphasized it.
‘He stopped the assassins with an unknown power, and the holy knights cut them down.’
While the power was certainly strange, he wondered if it could truly compare to the martial prowess of a knight.
Soon, the man approached and gave a slight bow.
“Knight Hyun-soo, here to see Commander Philip.”
“I offer my thanks. Thanks to you, we were able to prevent the loss of our soldiers.”
Philip was a man who drew a clear line between his duty and personal feelings.
He gave praise where it was due.
Philip was genuinely grateful to Hyun-soo.
[Your intimacy with Philip has increased.]
Philip immediately got to the point.
“This place serves not only as a training ground for soldiers but also as a place where knights learn command, leadership, and the qualities of a leader. I will assign you thirty soldiers. You are to take these soldiers into the subjugation zone, kill the ogres and their chieftain, and return after achieving a 20% subjugation contribution. A word of caution: do not, under any circumstances, enter the forest of lush green leaves. It is not a place for a knight and subjugation team of your level.”
*Ting!*
[Kingdom Quest: Ogre Chieftain Hunt]
Grade: A
Requirement: Baronet
Reward: Three soldiers.
Penalty for Failure: Title revoked.
Description: You are taking your first step as a Baronet. Complete the subjugation and return safely.
Hyun-soo knew that for quests with a percentage-based objective, the higher he pushed the number, the more astronomical the rewards became.
He recalled raising the development level of the Balas territory.
Back then, he had been tasked with reaching 20% and had managed to exceed 100%.
And what were the rewards he had reaped from that?
‘I gained 100 charisma and was even granted a smithy that wasn't part of the original plan.’
Thinking back, he wondered if that was one of the reasons Barad had considered him a successor.
“What are the ways to increase the contribution level?”
“It’s simple. It will rise if the soldiers are kept as safe as possible, if they grow, and if they develop loyalty toward the knight leading them. Furthermore, your stay here will be for two weeks. You can raise it by conducting additional subjugations within that time.”
“Understood.”
“Prepare to depart in thirty minutes.”
Just as Philip was about to turn away, Hyun-soo asked a question.
“May I ask one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“Why is a man as distinguished as you, Commander Philip, stationed here in the Araham territory?”
[Commander Philip Lv. 341]
In the case of NPCs, a user and an NPC of the same level could not always be considered equals.
This was especially true for named NPCs or those of commander class.
Philip was the commander of Araham and a high-level NPC at level 341.
And currently, seven nobles, including Marquis Lükburg, had been demoted and sent to the Araham territory.
From what Hyun-soo had seen firsthand, Araham had lost its function as a proper territory.
A territory was supposed to have its people sustain themselves by farming or creating local specialties.
Moreover, it was meant to be a place where subjects lived.
But in Araham, most of the populace had already moved away, leaving only soldiers and knights.
Their role was to stand at the edge of the Goyad Kingdom and guard against the monsters spilling over.
It might seem like a critical mission, but in the end, they were just men fighting a difficult battle every day on the final frontier.
‘…He’s the first to ask such a question.’
Philip was inwardly surprised. It was a rather sharp question.
“There is no work more valuable than protecting the people from monsters. Now, go and prepare for your departure.”
“Understood.”
Hyun-soo didn't press further. After he left, Philip personally selected the soldiers.
‘Hoo…’
He sighed.
Too many soldiers had been wiped out recently under the command of otherworlder commanders.
Philip’s heart was heavy for those who had lost their lives needlessly.
‘That cannot be allowed to happen again.’
With that thought, Philip approached a soldier.
“Kan, I want you to disguise yourself as a regular soldier and protect the others.”
“Understood.”
Philip felt reassured whenever he looked at the soldier named Kan.
To others, it was a peculiar sight, and Kan asked cautiously.
“…But Commander. Are we truly fated to just disappear into history?”
Philip couldn't say anything in response to Kan’s sorrowful gaze.
The knight named Hyun-soo had seen it clearly.
Philip, a war hero, was not meant to be here. A long time ago, he had been given a mission by the king.
‘Train soldiers who can cut down even the enemy’s knights.’
That was a mere twenty years ago.
From that day on, the war hero Philip secretly trained his soldiers.
They began their training from a young age.
At the time, Philip hadn't understood the king's command.
Why raise soldiers when you could just make them knights?
As time passed, Philip came to understand the king’s meaning.
There is a clear distinction between those who hold the title of knight and common soldiers.
A knight's status itself is high, so in a war, the enemy targets them first.
The more decisive reason was that the name "soldier" could make enemies let their guard down.
Any enemy commander was bound to underestimate a mere soldier.
In fact, they had used mana measurement devices at the time to select those who lacked the talent to become knights.
In this land of Ares, mana was the measure of strength.
And indeed, those men had reached their limits at a certain level.
Yet, the interesting fact was that they were as strong as knights.
It was a result born solely from ‘real combat, skill, and experience.’
Their innate vessels were small, but through different experiences and real battles, they wielded power on par with knights.
Their name was the Gale Squad, and now, they were fading into history.
Their original purpose had been to assassinate heroes from other nations or to guard key nobles.
But for various reasons at the time, the Gale Squad was abandoned here.
There were two reasons they hid here in secret.
One was that they could continuously hone their skills through endless monster subjugations.
The second was to find a master to serve.
“…It has already been ten years since the disbandment. The knight you and the few remaining members are searching for will be hard to find.”
The king, too, pitied them.
That was why he had given them a choice.
Serve whom you wish to serve.
The problem was that finding a master worthy of the Gale Squad was no easy task.
They were here, searching for knights with potential.
A knight who could soar higher and farther.
“This, too, is an important mission.”
Despite his words, the expression on Kan’s face did not improve.
“I am thinking of seeking an audience with His Majesty to discuss this matter.”
“…I will be waiting.”
Color returned to Kan's face.
And so, for the first time in years, Philip mounted his horse to seek an audience with the king.
***
Hyun-soo looked at the thirty-odd soldiers assembled before him.
[Soldier Kin Lv. 201]
[Soldier Rok Lv. 198]
The soldiers all seemed to be of a similar level.
And Hyun-soo saw the fear etched on their faces.
Indeed, one soldier asked with a look of genuine fear.
“Subjugation Captain, is it true that your level is really in the 220s?”
Hyun-soo couldn't lie.
“It is. But there's nothing to worry about.”
The soldiers’ faces turned pale.
The average level of knights here was 290.
So it was only natural for them to react this way when told a blacksmith in the 220s would be leading them.
But Hyun-soo knew all he had to do was show them.
‘I wonder what percentage I can raise the subjugation contribution to?’
Hyun-soo spoke with a powerful voice.
“We march out.”
***
Three days later, at the border between the Goyad Kingdom and the Praham Kingdom.
After three days, Philip was able to meet Barad somewhere other than the capital.
“Your Majesty, is it not possible to have the Gale Squad affiliated with the royal family?”
Barad was firm.
“You know it is impossible.”
Philip knew it as well.
They could not be integrated into the royal family.
They were soldiers, yet they possessed the bizarre skill to defeat even knights.
The royal court would doubt their identity, and the high probability was that the secretly raised Gale Squad would be exposed to the world.
“…I told you, did I not? I will give them enough gold and treasure to be set for life.”
Barad was a man who stood by his word.
But the Gale Squad’s will was firm.
“Their true mission was to secretly protect the king. Having lived their entire lives that way, it would be difficult for them to live in peace.”
Barad sighed.
“You said that the members of the Gale Squad would follow without complaint if a knight could exceed 60% subjugation contribution.”
Barad shook his head.
“No one has even surpassed 40% until now. The standard you’ve set is too high.”
He knew. But it wasn't what Philip wanted.
It was what the remaining members of the Gale Squad wanted.
In the end, Philip gained nothing.
Three days.
In just three days, Philip returned to the Araham territory with slumped shoulders, and he was immediately busy upon arrival.
Today was the day of the Soldier Granting Ceremony.
This ceremony was an event in the Araham territory.
The commander could not be absent from such an event, so he hurried onto the platform.
Philip looked at the 1,056 soldiers lined up before him.
These were the soldiers to be assigned to the knights, and the knights themselves were not permitted to attend.
There were five knights who had conducted subjugations for the past week.
Philip intended to first ask if anyone wished to serve Knight Ken from the Baloko territory.
“Does anyone wish to serve Knight Ken…”
“Commander.”
Just then, a soldier raised his hand.
Philip gestured with his chin, a questioning look on his face, and the soldier spoke.
“We all have a knight we wish to serve.”
“…All of you?”
Philip wore a puzzled expression.
1,056 soldiers.
Did he mean all of them wanted to serve the same knight?
Philip asked, his expression one of surprise.
“Who might that be?”
“It is Baronet Hyun-soo.”
Hearing this, Philip let out a dry laugh.
He repeated the incredible words, still processing them, as he asked the soldiers again.
“So you’re saying all 1,056 of you wish to serve Baronet Hyun-soo?”
“Yes!!!”
“We truly wish to serve him!”
“Please send us to Baronet Hyun-soo!”
In their eyes, Philip saw a burning desire to be with Baronet Hyun-soo.
His own eyes wavering, he looked at Kan.
Tears were welling in Kan’s eyes.
Philip looked at the other members of the Gale Squad.
They too, with resolute gazes, were nodding slowly.
Philip was in awe.
‘What in the world happened while I was gone?’