A Raging Gale

Archers stood in neat rows along the fortress walls and watchtowers. Amidst the tense air, my eyes suddenly drifted to a dark, ink-colored bow resting to one side. It was my first time holding a real bow. I picked it up gently. It was heavier than I expected. And naturally, it felt right in my hand.

It was then.

"…Do you know how to handle a bow?"

A familiar voice. The man who had tried so hard to summon his courage to break the tension in the meeting room earlier had slipped up beside me, wearing an expression of concern.

"Garu Berdeng?"

"…It is Gar Verden. More importantly, that bow is incredibly tricky for an ordinary person to handle, and extremely difficult to draw. Extremely."

His words felt strangely thorny. Does he... dislike me?

"Why not use one of the standard infantry bows over here instead? I crafted that one myself from the horn of a black buffalo; it is highly sensitive to the wind and possesses immense draw weight. If your posture is even slightly off… it might end up injuring the archer instead."

He seemed to have mistaken my curiosity for worry.

"On the other hand, my people have a five-hundred-year history as a nation of archers, and every man possesses a natural talent for—"

…Wait. Five hundred years?

My hand, which had been about to set the bow down, froze. Did this man just boast about a mere five hundred years in front of a descendant of Joseon, a nation with a five-thousand-year history of archery? I was a pure-blooded Korean who only played archer classes even in video games.

"There is no need for concern. I, too, have some experience."

I pulled an oiled black arrow from the quiver. …To be honest, I had never shot a real bow in my life. But still. I conjured up the image of the greatest archer I had ever seen. I wanted to test the limits of my ability anyway, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Without anyone teaching me, my body moved as if the knowledge were engraved directly into my DNA. My feet spread to the perfect width, planting themselves firmly on the ground. My shoulders aligned in a flawless, unwavering line. My gaze sharpened, locking onto a single target. There was not a millimeter of error. A posture so perfect it could be printed in a textbook was complete.

The atmosphere shifted. The loose air from a moment ago instantly tightened. Gahu Berden stared at me with trembling eyes. He couldn't find a single flaw to criticize. In fact, if he dared to criticize this posture, he would only expose himself as the one who knew nothing about archery.

"You are… quite skilled. …Now that I think about it, I must go inspect the other units…"

He was surprisingly diligent, contrary to his appearance. I had gotten carried away in the heat of the moment, but once he left, reality rushed back. This skill only helped me act. It didn't actually increase my accuracy or physical strength. In fact, my fingers were already starting to throb with pain. My original goal was just to test the ability anyway. Now that I had confirmed it, it was time to stop.

"Prophet!"

Just then, a tiny, squirrel-like creature scurried over and lit the tip of my arrow on fire. Fire attribute enchantment: successful. No, wait. That wasn't the point.

The moment the flame ignited, the princess and prince, who had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been standing beside the Grand General until ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now, stared with sparkling eyes. Not only them, but the eyes of the entire high command locked onto me, drawn by the sudden flare of the fire.

"Uh… Yerin?"

"Yes!"

She must have wiped her face with her sleeve, because a smudge of black soot was smeared across her cheek.

"…Never mind. Good job."

"Yes, sir!"

I shouldn't have shown off. I decided to quietly lower the bow once their attention drifted. I held the bow and silently endured.

As I stood there holding the bow, whispers began to ripple through the crowd.

"Is he planning to shoot from this distance? They aren't even within effective range yet."

"…Are you doubting the Prophet right now?"

"No, Priest! It's not that, it's just that normally—"

"Do! Not! Dare! Apply! Your! Normal! Standards! To! The! Prophet!"

I saw a priest passionately defending me. Thank you. Thanks to you, I absolutely cannot put this bow down now.

The bowstring was stiff, and my arms were trembling. My palms were slick with sweat. In the corner of my vision, I saw a pinwheel-shaped arrow.

It hadn't budged from that state for a while.

Thanks to the skill, I managed to keep my face perfectly serene. But five minutes was my absolute limit. Even now, I had almost entirely lost sensation in my hands.

Let's just release it slightly so it looks natural.

Click—

I carefully loosened my grip, but—thwang!

…I ended up letting go completely.

My body froze in shock. The arrow didn't fly nearly as far as I had hoped. It traced a slow, pathetic arc through the air, on a direct trajectory to plunge straight into the river.

I-It's fine.

I can play off a single stray arrow. Arsen won't reprimand me for this. This is exactly why I built up all that trust.

But then, before my eyes, hundreds, thousands of arrows soared into the sky at the exact same angle and timing as mine.

"Prophet! I told Lord Arsen! It was a divine revelation, right?"

Her cheeks were puffed up white like steamed buns.

"Hehe, I did good, right?"

As she clung to my leg, a warm sensation washed over me. I patted her puppy-like head. What fault did she have?

More importantly, at this rate, the fire attack would end in utter failure. Even if the initial surprise attack caused some damage, there was a massive difference between catching an enemy off guard and letting them prepare. This wasn't something I could just handwave away with trust.

I watched the arrows with trembling eyes. They had already reached the midpoint of their descent. If they delayed any longer, they would plunge into the river and become completely useless.

"The arrows are falling toward the riverbed right now..."

"What did you say?!"

"…No, but look at them—"

"Infidel! Open your eyes and watch closely! Behold the wondrous power of Lord Ifrit!"

…No. Don't raise their expectations like that. It's not like calling Ifrit's name will actually make anything happen… But then, I saw the tips of the flying arrows tremble, if only slightly.

The wind meter surged.

Whoosh—

…Huh?

The Zenith Kingdom's army, which had briefly tensed at the sudden volley of arrows, quickly relaxed. Realistically, they were far out of range. Their sailing ships were currently navigating the center of the river, not the banks.

"Did they truly believe they could strike us from that distance? Pathetic."

Bardomir, the Grand General of the Zenith Kingdom, shook his head with a scoff. The arrows flew weakly, looking as though they would plunge into the river at any moment.

He approached Cheon-uisa, who stood beside him, and spoke.

"I do not know which reckless fool ordered that, but thanks to them, we now know they are preparing a fire attack. Readjust our formation."

Soon, a soldier ran off to deliver the order. Bardomir wore a relaxed smile.

"Cheon-uisa, forget our past defeat. That was not the strength of the Elium Kingdom. It was merely an unfortunate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠natural disaster. This time will be different."

"Though most of our fleet consists of transport vessels, we have a state-of-the-art armored warship crafted by the Empire itself among us."

"Still, you must consider every possibility."

"There are no 'possibilities' here. Before this ship, all are equal. Its steel-clad hull and fifty cannons will crush any resistance."

At Bardomir's confident boast, she held back her words. Though a lingering anxiety still clawed at her, as he said, overthinking could ruin a plan. Besides, she hadn't let her guard down either. They had prepared for an ambush. They had dragged the royalty into this to buy time. She had even simulated every possible variable to prepare for any situation. There were no variables left. Or so she thought.

Sweeping away the strands of hair that obstructed her vision in the wind, Cheon-uisa looked down at the sensation brushing against her fingers. The strands caught in her hand bent from left to right. From a north wind to a south wind. And the south was the direction where the Zenith Kingdom's fleet was heading. Her face stiffened.

"Bardomir! We must raise our guard again. The wind—"

Splat.

She wiped away something that had splattered onto her face. A red stain. Blood? In her field of vision, she saw a blackened arrow buried deep in Bardomir's chest.

"…Ah."

Her eyes shook violently.

She turned her head. The open front of the ship revealed a sky that had suddenly turned pitch black. The arrows that had been falling weakly just moments ago were nowhere to be seen. Instead, what met her eyes was a wave of steel baring its sharp teeth, surging directly toward the Zenith Kingdom's fleet.

It was a scene that mirrored a few days ago. Back then, too, she had been certain of victory, never even entertaining the thought of 'defeat.' Their forces and morale had been that overwhelming. Yet, the ultimate victor had been the Elium Kingdom, not Zenith. That same feeling washed over her once more. A devastating sense of helplessness.

Would things have been different if this had happened just a few minutes earlier or later? Even if they sustained damage, it wouldn't have been catastrophic. They could have rallied the legion and continued the war.

But now?

They had completely let down their guard just moments ago. On top of that, Bardomir, the supreme commander of the Zenith Kingdom, was currently hovering between life and death. Even if she were to issue orders in his stead, they wouldn't be executed quickly. She did not belong to the Zenith Kingdom. And that delay would ultimately decide the battle.

Cheon-uisa looked up at the sky in blank despair. The blazing flames were already dyeing the ships red. The fire arrows pierced the vessels like lightning, and the fire spread across the entire fleet in an instant. It was, truly...

"……A raging gale."

Because of their previous losses, they had packed the ships tightly together to minimize casualties during disembarkation. That decision had backfired spectacularly. The inferno that began on the lead ships quickly spread to the vessels behind them.

Her golden eyes turned toward the watchtower, where the black arrow had originated. A man holding a bow came into view. An exotic appearance. Black hair, black eyes. And finally, a blackened bow—the exact same color as the arrow currently lodged in the Grand General's chest. The man who had seemingly orchestrated this entire disaster.

"…I thought that first arrow was merely to lure us into letting our guard down… Did you calculate our movements to this exact extent?"

The Empire's state-of-the-art ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠armored warship she was aboard had been positioned in the center for protection under Bardomir's orders. Consequently, their escape route was completely blocked. The heavy steel armor the Grand General had boasted of was of no help in this situation. No, rather, its massive size and the vast amount of gunpowder stored within became the direct reason they couldn't break through this wave of fire.

"Lady Cheon-uisa! You must evacuate!"

Behind her, soldiers shouted frantically as they tended to the Grand General. Without taking her eyes off the watchtower, her lips parted.

"…Abandon ship. It cannot be saved. Dump as much of the gunpowder stored on board into the river as possible. And…"

She spoke to the soldier, spitting out the words.

"…Inform the Elium Kingdom. We surrender."