Chapter 40
Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Genius Divine Archer Who Became a One-Man Legion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Unlike usual, Raymond's expression was dark.
Rian watched Raymond, who was simply sipping his tea with him right there in front.
It had already been ten minutes without a single word, but Rian just waited in silence.
And just when it seemed the silence would drag on forever,
"Saleron has fallen."
"......Pardon?"
The single sentence that finally emerged from the silence was a shock in itself.
As Rian failed to hide his surprised expression, Raymond continued.
"They say the barbarians attacked again after we left."
"That can't be right. After we departed, Saleron had bolstered its ranks with plenty of its own soldiers. The walls would have been fully repaired by then, and they were well-prepared against the barbarians. How could it have fallen?"
"I don't know the exact details either. From what I've heard, one of the barbarian generals who led the invasion this time... climbed the walls alone, killed the soldiers, and opened the gates."
"Is that even possible?"
"I can hardly believe it myself. But regardless of the reason, the fact is that Saleron has fallen."
"......"
Rian was at a complete loss for words.
He recalled the battle at Saleron. Then, he soon asked Raymond,
"What happened to the people there? The soldiers might have died fighting, but what about the territory's civilians?"
"They say the barbarians leave nothing behind in the places they pass through."
Crunch.
At Raymond's response, Rian bit down hard on his lip.
He knew as much, but he had asked anyway, clinging to a faint hope.
Just as Raymond said, the barbarians slaughtered everything except what they needed for themselves.
"......"
Unlike at the beginning, a heavy silence hung in the air.
Raymond soon spoke with a grave expression.
"What's done is done—we can't turn it back. All we can do is work to ensure it doesn't happen again."
"Is that why your expression was so dark? Because Saleron, which we fought tooth and nail to defend, fell?"
"Well, that's part of it, but..."
Raymond took another sip of his now-cold tea. He set it down slowly and said to Rian,
"I'm not sure if this is something to consult you on or just a complaint."
"What is it?"
"Sigh... Rian."
"Yes."
"What do you think about politics?"
"......Politics?"
It was a completely unexpected question.
Politics, coming from Raymond's mouth.
But Rian knew.
Even if you wanted to stay away, there were times when it grabbed you by the ankle anyway.
Rian, who had been gazing steadily at Raymond in response to his question, asked cautiously,
"Is this related to Sir Telpon, by any chance?"
"No, why does Sir Telpon's name come up when I ask what you think about politics?"
"If it weren't that, I can't imagine why the Company Commander would bring up politics specifically."
"......You've got quite the sharp instincts."
"I do have a knack for it."
Rian answered with an awkward expression. Raymond let out a small chuckle and nodded.
"You're right. To be precise, it's about the situation our unit is in. Do you know about the current state of the kingdom?"
"......Not really."
No, he knew it all too well.
But Rian shook his head. Right now was the time to play dumb.
At Rian's response, Raymond began to roughly explain the current royal situation.
He spoke of the king's sudden worsening condition and the three princes vying for power.
"I've only learned bits and pieces myself recently. I never paid much attention to politics to begin with. Or rather, I tried my hardest to stay far away from it."
That sounded just like Raymond's personality.
Raymond gave a wry smile and let out a small sigh.
"But lately, I've realized that as someone serving in the kingdom's regular army, I can't completely ignore politics."
"Which side is Sir Telpon on?"
"......He's supporting Prince Ethan Artian, the Third Prince. Or more accurately, the entire 5th Legion is."
But the current power structure was concentrating around the Second Prince, Byron.
If things kept heading in this direction, Prince Ethan would have no choice but to make a major decision to change the situation.
That was why he was so troubled.
"Of course, even if things go wrong, it won't hit us too hard. What power do we small company-level folks have anyway? We'd just get reorganized and absorbed into somewhere else again."
He was willing to give his life for the kingdom at any time. But dying in a fight against fellow kingdom soldiers over a power struggle? He'd pass on that.
That was Raymond's true feeling.
But could he change that with his own power alone?
"The current helplessness of not being able to do anything just feels so powerless, haha."
He forced a laugh, but there was no strength in his smile.
Looking at such a Raymond, Rian said,
"It'll be fine. You've always walked the straight and narrow, haven't you, Company Commander?"
"Hm, me?"
"Yes. I can say this with certainty: out of all the commanders I've seen, you're the most upright one."
It was sincere.
It was rare to find someone who recognized and promoted the merits of those under him without regard for their backgrounds or personal gains.
At Rian's words, Raymond burst into laughter.
"Haha, that feels like too lavish praise coming from a rookie who's barely been in the service for a little over a year."
"Haha, I suppose I was speaking out of turn."
"Kukuku, no. Still, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."
"Then I'm glad."
At Rian's words, Raymond rose from his seat.
In this situation, there was nothing he could do. He just had to watch how things unfolded.
But as Rian stood with him, his mind grew complicated.
He sensed that the chaotic times might come sooner than expected.
'I need to grow stronger.'
And when those chaotic times arrived, he would need the power to protect himself.
As Rian left Raymond's office, his mind began to grow complicated.
* * *
Telpon received a document from his aide, Hakimilson.
As he scanned down it, the corner of Telpon's mouth twitched upward slightly.
"That sly old fox. So he's still keeping tabs on Rian, huh?"
"Maincen, under Marquis Dwayne, has been asking around about Rian everywhere. It's a bit of a relief, but... with Saleron falling, things seem to have slowed down a little."
But if they really set their minds to it, it wouldn't take them long.
Telpon asked Hakimilson,
"Did you pass the word to Baron Biovan?"
"Yes, Baron Biovan seems to have accepted positively."
"Given the situation, that's only natural. Right now, our priority is to disrupt whatever they're doing, by any means."
The princes' power struggle, which had intensified with the king's health rapidly declining, was growing fiercer by the day.
It had become a critical point where blocking even a single piece of information or movement from crossing to the enemy camp was vital.
What Telpon had requested from Baron Biovan.
It was to change Rian's achievements at Saleron to someone else as much as possible.
Of course, with so many witnesses, it couldn't be completely hidden, but substituting a stand-in was feasible.
"We've spread Rian's feats across the entire Eagle Company. Captain Raymond will be the main stand-in."
"We can't cover the sky with a hand, but using Captain Raymond as a proxy should buy us some time."
"But his promotion from 10-Man Commander straight to 100-Man Commander is too big. They'll surely sense something off and dig in other directions."
The biggest issue in erasing Rian's presence was his meteoric rise from 10-Man to 100-Man Commander in one go.
But it didn't matter much.
The goal was just to buy a little time anyway.
Hakimilson said to Telpon, as if unable to understand,
"But I'm curious why you're so concerned about Lieutenant Rian. Is it necessary to hide him even while using Captain Raymond as a shield?"
"That's exactly why we're using Captain Raymond as a shield for now. If it were truly important, we wouldn't handle it this way."
"What do you mean...?"
At Hakimilon's question, Telpon rose from his seat.
"It's a critical time."
Though it was just a short phrase, Telpon's words felt immensely heavy.
Hakimilson waited silently for Telpon to continue.
"In times like these, the most dangerous thing is an unpredictable variable."
"A variable?"
"Yes. It could turn the situation around, but in most cases, no matter what it is, it's 'people' who create it."
"So, you're saying Rian is a 'person' who could create such a variable?"
"Who knows. But to create a variable that could deal a fatal blow to the enemy, we need new faces."
That was why Telpon was keeping an eye on Rian too.
Just a single lieutenant.
Yes, merely a lieutenant.
But a guy who had been a senior private just a few months ago was now a lieutenant.
Were such changes common?
'One...'
It wasn't a situation where he had the luxury to dwell long on half-baked things.
In that case, it wouldn't hurt to check him out.
"Hakimilson."
"Yes, Sir Telpon."
"There was a request for reinforcements from Bieltuna, right?"
"Bieltuna...?"
Hakimilson's expression hardened for a moment.
Bieltuna was notorious even in the kingdom as a brutal battlefield.
Battles erupted continuously without notice due to nearby barbarian bands, but the real problem was that it hugged the long Forentria Gorge, making large-scale subjugation impossible.
As a result, for over a decade, they hadn't even managed a proper pacification, locked in endless skirmishes.
"He's a commander who just became a 100-Man Commander. Isn't that too harsh?"
"It's a harsh world—what can you do."
If he died there, he'd just be another one of those commanders. If he endured, he'd prove to have real potential.
Hakimilson let out a small sigh.
From the look in his eyes, the decision was already made.
"I'll make the arrangements."
But suddenly,
"By the way, Sir Telpon."
"......?"
"What if the Arrowhead Unit pacifies that place?"
It would resolve one of the kingdom's thorniest headaches.
At Hakimilson's words, Telpon let out a scoffing laugh.
"Is that even a sensible question?"
"......I spoke out of turn. I'll send the orders as instructed."
As Hakimilson soon left, Telpon gazed at the door with a look of disbelief.
He was his aide and a capable soldier, but he had these odd moments sometimes.
Telpon looked out the window.
-What if the Arrowhead Unit pacifies that place?
The guy's words resurfaced.
"......Ridiculous nonsense."
Telpon merely muttered softly to himself.