Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Victorious Return
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Quite some time had passed with no sign of Lian, and the Arrowhead Unit members were all growing anxious when,
"He's back!"
With someone's shout, Lian emerged from the brush.
At his side were Jedron and Semut, along with Gerard, who looked utterly exhausted and on the verge of death.
Brandt hurried over to Lian.
"Are you alright?"
"Is everyone okay?"
"We have no injuries at all, sir. What about you, Lieutenant?"
"I went out for a stroll."
Lian gave a curt reply as he surveyed the unit members.
They all seemed unharmed.
With that, Lian spoke.
"Let's head back."
At his words, Brandt, Florang, and Polk simply grinned without a word.
"The soldiers are returning!"
"Lieutenant Lian is coming back!"
Shouts rang out from the watchtower of Bieltuna, looking down below.
Bieltuna had been eagerly awaiting their return as well.
Soon after entering the fortress, Barus came out to greet Lian and his soldiers with quick steps.
"You alright?"
"All troops have returned without a single injury. The mission was a success. There was an unexpected variable, but we took down about thirty enemies in the process."
"Huh?"
Homel, who had been listening beside Barus, widened his eyes in surprise.
It was astonishing enough that there were no injuries, but they'd even killed enemies on top of that?
Barus was equally shocked, but
"You've all worked hard. Head to the barracks and rest."
First things first, let the weary soldiers get some rest.
After saluting and turning away, Lian entered his own barracks.
Jedron and Semut, sensing something was off with Lian's condition, followed him inside.
And as soon as they entered the barracks,
Thud.
"Lieutenant!"
"Sir Lian!"
Lian collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
It was due to the severe mental exhaustion from using Rikal's gauntlet.
Jedron and Semut rushed to support him, but Lian waved them off.
"I'm fine. Just need a bit of rest."
"......Understood."
"Got it."
At Lian's words, the two nodded and stepped outside the barracks.
They immediately stood guard in front of it,
Volunteering to ensure Lian could rest undisturbed.
And that day, Lian fell into a deep sleep without a thought in his mind, for the first time in ages.
* * *
"Just what the heeeeeell!"
Altomers felt rage boiling up to the top of his head.
His fury-laced roar made the barbarian warriors patrolling the Porhen Gorge tremble in fear.
Altomers glared toward Bieltuna with eyes twisted in anger.
"Just what kind of bastard is responsible for this happening over and over?"
Of course, Jerok's blunder was real. But that didn't mean the deaths of the warriors were entirely his fault.
Altomers barely calmed his excitement and questioned the warrior who had been with Jerok.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
"Well......"
At the war chief's question, he detailed everything he knew.
He explained that while defending the central path of the gorge with Jerok, they had pursued fleeing enemies.
"After that, the enemies split their forces to escape, so we divided into groups of fifty on Jerok's orders and chased them down."
As he listened, veins like earthworms writhed on Altomers' forehead.
The story made less and less sense the more he heard.
"Just one guy?"
"It wasn't just one. There were about four or five, and two of them seemed to have bows."
"But only one was skilled. The other was practically useless by comparison."
As Altomers grew immersed in the tale and composed his expression, the warriors present began chiming in one by one.
However, putting it all together in the end,
"Over thirty warriors dead to a single kingdom archer?"
"That's...... he was truly a monster."
"It felt like the arrows curved around obstacles as they flew."
They described their experiences plainly.
Altomers forcibly exhaled to suppress his anger.
Jerok, who bore the primary blame, was already dead anyway.
These men had only followed orders.
'What kind of guy is he......?'
What sort of being could slaughter their warriors so effortlessly?
Altomers knew the strength of his warriors well.
In a frontal clash, each could easily handle three or four kingdom soldiers.
"Could it be......?"
Had a knight who used aura come?
'No, that can't be.'
If the kingdom had such intentions, someone would have arrived long ago.
Those who could wield aura perfectly were rare even within the kingdom.
No way such a person would come to this remote outpost.
Besides, he'd never heard of an archer who could use aura.
"Hmm......"
Altomers' mind grew complicated.
Nothing clear enough to decide on.
Scouting the gorge with warriors would be too risky.
Their greatest strength lay in the terrain of Porhen Gorge, after all.
"Winter is coming soon."
Meaning, a time when snow would pile up to the knees.
If they stripped the supplies from anyone coming to Bieltuna then, the enemies would be isolated.
To avoid starving, they'd have no choice but to crawl out.
'Nothing to do but wait until then.'
Infuriating as it was, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they'd dominated this place for years.
He couldn't ruin it on a momentary impulse.
Altomers stared silently at Bieltuna amid the blowing cold wind.
* * *
"So like, my arrow goes whoosh and bam, right into the barbarian's skull!"
Surrounded by a campfire, Gerard was excitedly recounting his exploits to the seated soldiers, unable to contain himself.
"Man, they were right on our tails, my lips were cracking from fear. Ugh, guys who haven't been in real combat like that can't even understand."
"Kekeke, Gerard. We already heard. They said you were shaking so bad you couldn't even loose a few arrows, huffing and puffing."
"Real combat my ass, heh. Heard you were too busy trailing after Lieutenant Lian with your tail between your legs."
"Wh-who the hell said that nonsense?! How many barbarians did my arrows kill!"
"The nonsense came from the colonel himself, sir."
Just then, Jedron joined them with Semut, speaking up.
Gerard gaped at Jedron's sly grin.
"Ah, uh, Mr. Jedron. That's not what I......"
"Come on, you exaggerate a bit, but Gerard did take down at least one, right?"
"Wasn't that the one who tripped after getting shot in the leg and bashed his head on a rock?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right, kekekek!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The soldiers burst into loud laughter at Jedron and Semut's banter.
Gerard, in the middle, flushed red and fumed, but soon Jedron patted his shoulder.
"Still, you made it back alive. You'll do better next time."
"Man, I...... Whew, I couldn't believe it even seeing it with my own eyes."
Semut recalled the scene.
The moment the arrow curved around obstacles like a living serpent.
"Perfect accuracy...... The lieutenant's bow was truly like that."
"If he saw me as an enemy...... Just thinking about it is horrifying."
Jedron shuddered.
He'd been so entranced by Lian's arrows that he'd forgotten about protecting him.
At Jedron and Semut's words, Gerard nodded silently.
It was a level of skill incomparable to his own.
Experiencing what he called 'real combat' made it all the clearer.
'Training...... can't even compare.'
Gerard trained archery with Lian.
Through training together, he'd thought the gap wasn't that big.
Maybe a slight difference, but he'd catch up soon.
'......Idiot.'
But in actual combat, Lian's skill was on an untouchable realm.
How could his lieutenant, seven years younger, possess such archery?
Gerard berated himself for bragging just moments ago.
And then,
"What's wrong? Gerard was a huge help."
"......?"
At the sudden voice of a man who appeared, the soldiers jumped to their feet.
It was Lian.
Lian shook his head and gestured for them to sit.
"What are you doing? Sit down, all of you. You're making me uncomfortable."
"No, sir!"
"Lieutenant, are you feeling better?"
Jedron asked Lian, who nodded.
"Just accumulated fatigue, I guess. Slept it off and feel refreshed. More importantly, Gerard."
"Yes, Lieutenant!"
Gerard shot to his feet with a tense, spirited expression. Lian tapped his chest and said,
"Chest out. Your help in that battle was really crucial."
"......No, sir. I wasn't any help at all."
Who knew the wild thunderbolt would turn so meek?
Lian was inwardly surprised but let out a chuckle.
After that, Lian shared stories of their time together with the unit members.
It felt good to talk so openly like this.
In the midst of the conversation, Florang asked Lian,
"But Lieutenant, what about the remaining ten spots? Or nine now?"
The vacancies Lian had reserved for archers still weren't filled.
They'd tried recruiting archers several times, but few regular soldiers could handle bows.
Just then, someone else approached.
"Mind if I join?"
"Ah, Lieutenant Homel. Please, have a seat."
"Thank you."
Homel, who always stuck with Barus, sat among the soldiers.
He'd lived in Bieltuna for a long time, but the atmosphere had never been this good lately.
Had he ever sat around with soldiers like this, chatting?
It felt awkward yet not unpleasant.
Homel looked at Lian and asked,
"So, what were you talking about?"
"We were discussing the Arrowhead Unit. It's supposed to be a hundred-man unit, but we're actually at ninety."
Jedron answered. Homel turned to Lian with an intrigued expression.
Units were usually filled to capacity.
Lian gave an awkward smile.
"No particular reason. I left spots open to form an archer squad, but haven't managed it yet."
"An archer unit?"
"Yes."
At Lian's reply, Homel looked a bit surprised. He'd been meaning to talk to Lian about something soon anyway.
"Several soldiers in our unit were impressed by Lieutenant Lian in the last battle. A few of them can handle bows...... Would you like to see them?"
"Really? Is that okay?"
"Of course. Captain Barus and I already discussed it."
Homel readily agreed.
While soldiers sometimes transferred on orders, voluntary applicants were rare.
Even rarer for the receiving unit to accept.
Come to think of it, Bieltuna focused on defense, so archers who used bows were essential.
Lian's face brightened.
"Could I meet them?"