Chapter 44
Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Genius Divine Archer Who Became a One-Man Legion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Waaaaaaaah—!!”
The soldiers’ cheers echoed throughout Bieltona.
How long had it been since they’d achieved such a great victory?
Every time they blocked the barbarians, there were always heavy casualties, and the grief of losing comrades would spread through the entire village.
Unlike those days filled only with tears and sighs, today they were truly raising their cups in triumph.
“What kind of magic did they use…?”
Barus couldn’t believe it even after seeing it with his own eyes.
Bieltona was surrounded by mountain paths, but how had they gotten so close without being detected?
Barus looked at Rian.
Rian grinned and replied.
“Before entering Bieltona, I scouted the terrain around here. We have a lot of quick-footed guys on our side.”
Rian glanced at Brandt.
Brandt, who had been arm-in-arm with the soldiers, unable to contain his joy, suddenly noticed Rian looking at him.
Rian nodded, and Brandt tilted his head before giving a thumbs-up.
Rian chuckled at the sight of the guy who was just saying it was good, whatever it was.
“But who was that dual-wielding soldier from earlier? Even from up top, it was hard to follow him with my eyes—he was insanely fast.”
“He’s standing right in front of you, Captain.”
“...?”
Barus looked at Rian. But soon,
“You were shooting arrows, weren’t you? Ah, don’t tell me…?”
His gaze quickly shifted to Isaac, who stood beside Rian.
Isaac nodded.
“Yes, it was me.”
“...Hah.”
Barus let out a small sigh, as if slightly shocked by Isaac’s answer.
Then he burst into hearty laughter.
“Kuhahaha, I… I really made a huge mistake.”
Barus extended his hand to Isaac.
“I judged you hastily based on your appearance and age. I apologize.”
“I accept your apology.”
“I owe you an apology too.”
Barus offered his hand to Rian as well, and Rian shook it.
“Let bygones be bygones. With this, have we dealt them a pretty big blow?”
“They won’t be coming back for a while. They lost about a third of their total forces.”
At Barus’s words, Rian turned his gaze toward the direction of Porhen Gorge.
‘So the ones left are around 700…’
Not a small number, but not overwhelming either.
The fact that they’d held out here for over ten years against barbarians numbering just over a thousand meant,
‘Crossing Porhen Gorge isn’t easy.’
He didn’t think it would be.
He knew it would be tough.
But he would do it.
Rian renewed his resolve. At that moment,
“We can’t just let a day like today pass by! It’s been ages since our last big win— no booze, but let’s celebrate victory with the meat we have left!”
“Ooooh—! Meat party!”
“Sounds good!”
The soldiers under Barus shouted loudly. Then Arthur, standing nearby, snorted loudly.
“Meat! Meat!”
“This body of mine doesn’t lag behind when it comes to eating!”
Kyle joined in too, and Rian shook his head helplessly.
‘Who knew they had this side to them.’
He’d thought they were all cold and stoic, but it seemed their environment was the issue.
People can’t be fully known from just one encounter.
As the soldiers cheered at the meat party, Rian smirked.
It felt better to be recognized by the comrades he’d live and fight with moving forward than the joy of the first victory.
‘The first button’s sewn on right.’
There were mountains of tasks ahead, but…
Clap!
Rian slung his arm around Isaac’s shoulder and said.
“Shall we dig in too?”
“Yes!”
The unforgettable first battle of Bieltona had ended, and the day was drawing to a close.
* * *
Slash!
“Urk, ugh!”
“...”
The man’s head flew off powerlessly from a single sword swing.
Looking at the head rolling like a ball on the ground, the scar-covered man said quietly.
“Chop this one up fine and feed it to the livestock.”
“Yes, sir!”
At the man’s order, the barbarian warriors trembled slightly as they dragged away the corpse.
The one whose head had just been severed was Berolto, who had led three hundred warriors in the raid on Bieltona.
Altomers, the barbarian chieftain who ruled Porhen Gorge.
Altomers had beheaded Berolto before he could even make any excuses.
Then he looked at the warriors who had gone into battle with him.
“H-Hiiiik! Spare me! I didn’t abandon my comrades!”
The warriors who had survived and returned with him prostrated themselves on the ground, begging for their lives.
They knew Altomers’s temperament all too well.
Altomers turned his gaze from them toward Bieltona.
“New guys showed up?”
“Y-Yes. They were strangers I’d never seen before… Please, spare my life!”
“P-Please spare us! If you just let me live, I’ll offer this life to slaughter those filthy kingdom dogs again!”
Altomers no longer heard their pleas.
He stared blankly ahead, then twisted his face into a hideous scowl.
‘Who the hell dares…!’
It didn’t matter who.
They had touched him, so they wouldn’t die cleanly.
“I need to show those bastards our terror once.”
Altomers looked at the warriors sprawled on the ground and said.
“Prepare it.”
At his words, they scrambled into action.
* * *
Though it was their first battle, the great victory had put Bieltona in high spirits.
Barus’s soldiers welcomed the Arrowhead Unit members warmly, as if nothing had happened.
But despite the huge win, Rian remained as composed as ever.
“Everyone rested well?”
“Yes—!”
After the fierce battle, they’d spent two full days focused on recovery.
The two days of rest had helped greatly, and the Arrowhead Unit members’ faces were bright.
Rian spoke.
“We’ll be adding one more training regimen here.”
“Huh?”
“Wh-What? More training?”
They were already doing physical conditioning as well as spear, sword, and shield drills tailored to their specialties.
The Arrowhead Unit trained so intensely that half their day was devoted to it.
Adding more in this state?
Rian shook his head at the bewildered troops.
“It’s not mandatory. Can’t you at least hear me out?”
Rian pointed to the thing at the back.
It was something they’d made after arriving in Bieltona.
They’d hammered wooden planks studded with stones into a tree, stacking them high.
At a glance, it looked like a bizarre tree with small rocks protruding from it.
“Climb it a hundred times a day. Of course, as I said, it’s not mandatory. When we pacify this place and head back, our Arrowhead Unit will be much bigger than now. Maybe three hundred, no, even five hundred strong.”
The troops listened intently to their commander.
Rian continued.
“And then we’ll need 100-Man Commanders, 50-Man Commanders, and more 10-Man Commanders to lead it.”
He glanced back and added.
“The results of this training will heavily influence who gets those positions.”
The soldiers’ eyes changed in an instant.
Their commander had never spoken empty words before.
Rian drove the point home.
“As you know, I’m a commoner, just fifteen years old. That means when I pick people, I don’t care about background or age—only character and ability.”
He looked at the existing 10-Man Commanders.
“When our unit grows bigger, there’s no guarantee the current 10-Man Commanders will automatically become 50- or 100-Man Commanders…”
Swish.
He glanced at Tiark in the corner.
The youngest soldier in the Arrowhead Unit.
“There’s no rule saying Tiark can’t become a 100-Man Commander.”
With that, Rian turned and said quietly.
“Good luck.”
As Rian fully left the area, a hushed silence fell over the troops.
But soon,
“Hey, I’m climbing first!”
“What are you talking about? Me first!”
“Let’s do it in order! Line up, line up!”
“Hey— you lot! Do it right!”
Isaac stared in bewilderment at the soldiers, their enthusiasm overflowing to excess.
He looked in the direction Rian had gone.
To think a single speech could provoke this reaction.
“C-Commander!”
Isaac hurried after Rian.
Truth be told, it wasn’t just because Rian was a good speaker.
It was the trust built from everything they’d been through with him so far.
Isaac caught up to Rian and asked.
“Commander, what’s that training for?”
“Isaac, what ways are there to cross that gorge and strike the enemy?”
“Huh?”
Isaac tilted his head at the sudden question but soon answered seriously.
“First is to just push through the gorge path. But if they block the way inside and have others come down the walls or shoot arrows, it’s extremely dangerous.”
“And?”
“Second is to climb the gorge walls. If successful, you could sneak to their rear and hit them from both sides to annihilate them. But it’s even harder than the first—climbing those walls is nearly impossible.”
“Why do you think it’s impossible?”
“I read the report on Porhen Gorge right after we arrived. The walls are nearly a hundred meters high and almost vertical…”
As he spoke, Isaac flinched and looked toward the Arrowhead Unit members.
There, soldiers were grabbing the stones embedded in the tree with hands and feet, failing to climb even a meter before falling.
Isaac looked back at Rian and asked.
“Commander, you don’t mean…?”
“Exactly that.”
“You’re serious?”
Isaac asked.
Because Rian’s plan sounded utterly absurd.
Rian replied.
“I told you, I’ll head back in a year.”
Isaac could only swallow hard in silence.
* * *
Though he’d said that, as Isaac noted, scaling a vertical wall over a hundred meters high with human strength alone was impossible.
But Rian had them doing this training to build a foundation.
No matter the task, a solid base was key to success.
Even with the best artifacts, it was humans who had to wield them.
“As expected… Good thing I prepared quickly.”
He hadn’t thought he’d need help this soon, but that’s what the preparation was for.
‘Supplies from above have limits. Especially in a backwater like Bieltona.’
A renowned knight order might get what they want, but not a newly minted 100-Man Commander like Rian.
He could ask Raymond, but what Rian needed now was beyond even Raymond’s reach.
Rian spread out paper and began writing a letter.
It might cost a bit, but it was far better than wasting time here.
After finishing the letter, Rian called Isaac.
He could’ve sent anyone else,
‘But I can’t reveal this card yet.’
In the current situation, Isaac was the most trustworthy.
“You called?”
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“What favor makes you ask like that?”
The boy looked at Rian with sparkling eyes. Rian handed him the letter.
“Take this letter to Bellotra and deliver it to Adelson of the Hamel Merchant Company.”
“Bellotra…?”
It was quite far from here.
Even on horseback, it would take over ten days.
Rian nodded.
“Hand it directly to him. Personally.”
Isaac stared at the letter under Rian’s serious gaze. Then,
“Got it.”
He snatched it and tucked it into his bosom. Rian nodded.