Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Genius Divine Archer Who Became a One-Man Legion
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"Look, Vice Captain Isaac is coming!"
"Oh, what's that carriage?"
"It's loaded with... something massive?"
The Arrowhead Unit members, now fully accustomed to Bieltuna and even sharing wall sentry duty, spotted Isaac approaching from afar at a glance.
But what surprised them was that Isaac hadn't returned alone— a massive baggage wagon trailed behind him.
Soon, the gates opened, and the first to greet Isaac as he entered was Rian.
"Vice Captain!"
"You're back safe. Good work."
"Reporting safe return."
Isaac saluted by placing his right fist over his left chest, and Rian returned the salute in kind.
Rian then glanced at the coachman and mercenaries who had come with Isaac.
"Brandt, guide them to the barracks and let them rest."
"Understood."
At Rian's order, Brandt led the coachman and mercenaries to the empty barracks.
Rian turned his attention to the cargo on the wagon.
Soldiers soon gathered around, peering curiously at the wagon.
What on earth had Isaac brought back?
Rian opened the door of the loaded wagon.
"First off, Adelson secured everything we urgently requested. But 'that item' isn't ready yet—he said he'll send it as soon as possible to meet the deadline."
"That's enough."
Rian pulled out a fur garment from inside the wagon and felt it.
Not the absolute finest, but close to top-grade.
The approaching soldiers' eyes widened.
"All of this is fur clothing?"
"...How many are there?"
"A thousand pieces. Everyone can have one."
"A th-thousand? Is this standard issue?"
Not just the Arrowhead Unit members, but Bieltuna's soldiers stared at Isaac with bulging eyes.
Isaac shook his head. He looked at Rian and said,
"I understand... the Vice Captain purchased these with his own funds."
"...Pardon?"
Silence fell instantly.
It occasionally happened that officers or commanders dipped into their own pockets for supplies during shortages or emergencies.
But there were limits.
Fur garments cost at least 10 silver each. Top-grade ones like these were even pricier.
A thousand of them?
Even roughly calculated, it exceeded 10 gold.
Even on an officer's salary, it would take 4-5 months' pay.
"Winter's almost here. How we endure it will greatly impact the battles ahead."
Rian handed out fur garments to the soldiers in front of him.
"If they tear, I'll buy more. So wear them always—don't spare them."
"Th-thank you!"
"Thank you, Sir Rian!"
In an instant, fur garments were distributed from the baggage wagon to each squad and platoon.
Barus, who had heard the news and come over, was addressed by Rian.
"I'm sorry. I acted on my own."
"...Impressive, you."
Barus genuinely thought Rian was remarkable.
Bieltuna always struggled with supply shortages.
Winter, in particular, saw combat effectiveness plummet due to the cold.
For a newcomer Vice Captain, mere months in, to notice this and prepare...
"I'll contribute some funds too."
"No need. It wasn't a strain at all, so don't worry."
That was true.
The money Rian had earned from attribute armaments amounted to thousands of gold.
'These things will become even more necessary going forward.'
That was precisely why Rian had rushed to Velotra.
In his past life, he had seen and experienced too much.
Comrades dying in battle without proper armor.
Starvation from severed supplies, or inability to fight properly with outdated weapons.
To walk the path of Grand General, solid supply lines were essential.
Securing a sturdy rope to handle those supplies was a must.
That was why Rian aimed to turn Adelson into a war merchant and intelligence network.
'That'll require astronomical sums of money.'
Attribute armaments were one of Rian's massive cards for that purpose.
They would be made eventually anyway, but he had no intention of letting known opportunities slip.
He planned to seize and claim everything.
Rian turned his head to gaze at the sky.
The blowing wind now carried biting chill.
'...Winter, huh.'
Any battleground was harsh, but the kingdom's north saw merciless cold from both northeast and northwest.
Snow piling to knees was standard; in bad times, it reached thighs.
From now on, victory or defeat would hinge entirely on preparations.
Rian donned a fur garment right away.
It wrapped his body in cozy warmth.
This would protect against winter's bite.
Satisfied, Rian addressed the soldiers.
"Everyone, prepare for training."
Duty was duty, after all.
At Rian's words, the soldiers sprang into bustling action.
* * *
Two months passed like an arrow.
In that time, there was one good event and one bad.
The good: not a single Hun raid in those two long months.
Thanks to that, Bieltuna's soldiers could fully dedicate themselves to training, healing fatigue and wounds from prior battles.
The bad was,
"Winter's fully here now."
Isaac murmured softly, snowflakes falling from the sky onto his face.
Bieltuna's first winter for him was far harsher than expected.
Daily snowfalls piled up to knees if not cleared promptly.
Rian gazed at the snow-blanketed Porhen Gorge.
Whether their momentum had died after the last battle, or they had other schemes, it was unclear...
'They must be reaching their limit of hunkering down.'
Winter was tough for us, but equally for them.
With cold and food shortages, they couldn't stay idle much longer.
Movement was imminent.
Swoosh.
But setting that aside, Bieltuna spent another ordinary day.
"What are you doing?! Hurry up and follow!"
"Uwaaaaaah—!"
"Crazy! Hey, run! They're catching up! Faster!"
Under Barus's lead, not just Arrowhead Unit members but Bieltuna soldiers endured insane training daily.
Despite the freezing weather, steam rose thickly from their bodies' heat.
'They've changed a lot.'
Five months had swiftly passed since Rian arrived at Bieltuna.
The fortress had undergone massive changes.
The lethargy and despair he'd first sensed in the soldiers were gone, replaced by venomous resolve and confidence.
Isaac, on wall sentry duty with Rian, watched the soldiers running below.
"Now they keep pace with us even when we run. They've improved incredibly fast."
"It means their time here isn't wasted."
They'd simply stagnated without proper training—yet they had the kingdom's richest combat experience.
Given the spark, explosive growth was possible. Just like now.
"Oh! Rian, Isaac!"
Barus, leading from the front with the soldiers, spotted Rian and Isaac on the wall and waved.
He handed training off to Homel and climbed up.
"On sentry duty?"
"Yes."
Seeing Barus shirtless in this cold, all Rian could say was "impressive."
Moreover,
"...You've bulked up a lot."
"Heh, I've been working hard. Can't have them pointing fingers calling me washed-up."
Such humble words.
No one would say that to Barus.
Regardless, Barus had completely transformed since they first met.
Not just his aura, but his physical prowess too.
Barus turned his gaze beyond the wall.
At some point, officers had joined the usual soldier sentry shifts below.
Starting with Rian's suggestion.
"You've had it rough."
"It's what everyone's doing. We can't sit it out."
Barus nodded at that.
Talking with Rian felt incredibly comfortable.
Hard to believe he was a youth not yet fully adult.
No, it even felt like he'd been in the military longer than Barus.
Barus, who had been smiling, soon grew serious.
"I was about to bring it up—perfect timing."
"What is it?"
"A supply operation is coming soon. A bit late, but the letter arrived yesterday."
Rian and Isaac's expressions turned grave at Barus's words.
It was food support for winter.
"Where from?"
"Claraine."
Claraine was a city about five days from Bieltuna.
Supply runs were so critical they changed routes yearly, making the departure city important.
Rian exhaled softly.
"We'll need to prepare."
Nod.
It was the most vital operation, but from Bieltuna's standpoint, the most dangerous day too.
"The supply date is top secret. But... they'll find out."
"You mean their intel network is already spread around Bieltuna?"
"Exactly. Even if we try, it's too vast to root out."
"Guarding well and returning safely is our only option then. Which unit handles escort?"
"Well... same as always."
A bitter smile crossed Barus's face.
The kingdom ignored Bieltuna from the start.
Official supplies existed, but proper care for them? Rarely.
No reason to fuss over escort units either.
At his bitter smile, Rian said,
"The Arrowhead Unit will handle the supply operation."
"You?"
"Yes."
"If you're taking it, that's reassuring. I'll provide extra support then."
"No. Too many men might draw eyes. With the existing escort, we'll just go meet them."
"Hmm... The current escort is under a hundred... You sure?"
"Don't worry."
"Alright, then. I leave it to you."
With that, Barus headed back down to the returning soldiers.
Minutes later, relief soldiers arrived for Rian and Isaac's shift.
"Shift change!"
"Good work."
After handing over, Rian descended.
Isaac rolled his shoulders lightly, about to head to training, when,
"Isaac."
"Yes, Vice Captain."
Isaac turned at Rian's call. Rian asked,
"Heading to train?"
"Yes. Skipping because of sentry would give me nothing to say to the others later."
"Hmm... Sorry, but can you spare some time?"
"What's up?"
Rian grinned.