Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Approaching Supply
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Now, snow piling up to the ankles was par for the course.
Even in broad daylight, Altomers murmured softly as he looked up at the foggy, opaque sky.
“Is it finally coming?”
He had already received word from his subordinates dispatched in every direction.
Snow could be a variable, but even so, they would arrive here before long.
A faint killing intent swirled in Altomers’ eyes.
How many years had it been since he had been cooped up like this?
It was true that their foothold in Bieltona had narrowed.
But,
“Now it’s time to take it back.”
Swish.
Altomers turned his head back.
Behind him stood a dozen or so barbarian warriors, each exuding a sharp aura.
“How many can fight right now?”
“About seven hundred.”
“Then two hundred stay to guard this place, and move four hundred warriors. If this attack succeeds, it’ll be the same as cutting off their lifeline for them.”
“Leave it to me!”
“No, I’ll go!”
Everyone remembered the humiliations of the past few months.
Besides, anyone here could handle it sufficiently.
But Altomers looked at them and said curtly,
“I’ll go myself.”
“……!”
At that moment, the warriors’ eyes wavered.
They all knew what kind of existence Altomers was in Bieltona.
Warrior among warriors.
The great berserker.
Thud!
As if on cue, they all dropped to one knee right there and bowed their heads.
Showing reverence for the berserker’s sortie.
Altomers simply gazed silently at Bieltona Castle beyond the snowy canyon.
* * *
“It’s really amazing.”
“What is?”
“That supplies can even reach a place like this.”
Isaac murmured softly as he looked at the snow rising to his shins.
Of course, it would be a bit less down below, but that didn’t make it easy.
Lian recalled old memories at Isaac’s words.
In his past life, he remembered clearing snow to move wagons during supply operations in snow-covered regions like this.
The unit handling the operation now was probably doing the same.
Pushing wagons alongside horses while shoveling snow.
Lian turned and looked back.
“Everyone ready?”
““Yes—!!””
It wasn’t a high mountain, but it still wasn’t easy for wagons to climb.
Especially with this much snow.
Moreover, the enemy surely knew about this supply operation.
‘They’ll be aiming to cut the lifeline.’
They had stockpiled as much food as possible during the quiet recent months, but without supplies, surviving the winter was impossible.
For the barbarians, and for Bieltona, the supplies from the kingdom were desperately needed.
Lian looked at the soldiers with weapons strapped to their backs and long brooms in hand.
“Proceed just as I explained. We need to be as efficient and fast as possible, so give it your all even if it’s tough.”
“Heh, don’t worry. Clearing this snow is nothing.”
“Heh heh, heave—! Heave—!”
Arthur burst into laughter at Kyle’s words and shouted.
Both of them were unmatched in strength—second to none.
Lian’s lips curved into a grin at their words.
“In that case, you two take the outermost positions.”
Lian’s method was simple.
Nine soldiers formed a team and began sweeping the snow.
Each team spaced about 20 meters apart, with the center person starting first, sweeping snow to both sides.
Then, those on either side of the center followed immediately, pushing the snow toward the outside.
The outermost ones then shoved it even further out.
This way, the snow inevitably piled up more toward the end.
Naturally, at the tail end, it was less sweeping and more excavating to the side.
The arrowhead formation teams quickly advanced, clearing the path.
But it was more grueling than expected, and the expressions of those at the rear began to twist.
Lian sidled up to Kyle.
“Manageable?”
“This is nothing!”
His veins were already bulging.
Lian grinned and moved forward.
These guys had endured harsher training, yet they were struggling more than anticipated.
They hadn’t expected snow clearing to be this tough.
But soon, they adapted bit by bit, and their pace picked up.
By the time sweat poured down their faces despite the freezing cold, dripping from their chins, they reached the target point.
“Everyone, gather up.”
Lian immediately called the ten-man squad leaders.
They were drenched in sweat, as if after intense training.
Lian said,
“Have everyone wipe the sweat from exposed areas with the towels they brought. It’ll freeze soon.”
“Yes!”
“And from now on, we don’t know when the enemy might appear. Set up sentries around the perimeter and at the agreed points.”
From this point, an attack could come at any moment.
At Lian’s words, the squad leaders replied with grim faces and moved to their positions.
‘Alright then…….’
The fog was thick, limiting visibility. Lian slowly drew up his mana and began expanding it.
He was getting used to pulling in external mana now.
‘It really is an absurd mana cultivation method.’
It had been just over a year since Lian learned the Child Mana Cultivation Method.
Yet he could already spread it over a wide area to sense presences.
At this growth rate, soon he might even infuse mana into arrows.
A short while later, Lian’s expression brightened slightly.
Isaac asked at the sight.
“What is it?”
“They’re here.”
“……Pardon?”
Isaac tilted his head, but soon figures emerged from the fog—wagons and the soldiers escorting them.
“……Huh?”
But as they drew closer, Lian’s eyes widened in shock.
Beside him, Isaac exclaimed in surprise and burst into loud laughter.
“It’s the Eagle Company! The Eagle Company’s here!”
“Captain Raymond!”
No sooner had Isaac shouted than Lian called out to Raymond at the front.
Raymond roared with laughter in response.
“Haha, Lian! Long time no see!”
Raymond, on horseback, shouted gladly upon seeing Lian. Beside him, Derek said with a playful expression,
“Ah, looks like the former squad leader doesn’t see me anymore.”
Raymond soon dismounted, and Lian approached him.
Raymond spread his arms wide and embraced Lian.
He couldn’t hide his shock at how unrecognizably changed Lian was.
“What the…… You’ve become even more of a monster? What kind of training have you been doing?”
“Captain Raymond looks like he’s been through a lot too.”
Lian glanced at the scar remnants on Raymond’s face.
Raymond touched the scar lightly and gave a wry smile.
“Ah, don’t ask. Do you know how much flak I’ve taken since you left and I got stuck with the duties? Seeing you again like this, I’m really glad!”
“But what’s really going on? Why is the Eagle Company here for Bieltona’s supplies……?”
The Eagle Company was a unit with notable achievements built up since last year, despite its small size.
Plainly put, it wasn’t a unit they’d assign to Bieltona supplies the kingdom didn’t even care about.
But at Lian’s question, Raymond smiled and said,
“I pulled some strings because I wanted to see you.”
“……Really?”
Lian pressed at Raymond’s attempt to brush it off.
Raymond let out a small sigh at Lian’s knowing gaze.
“You won’t let it slide, huh.”
“Lian hasn’t changed.”
Derek chimed in from the side. Raymond gave a bitter smile and said,
“We were thrown into the previous battle.”
“But everyone looks safe.”
“We lost good men. To fellow kingdom troops, no less.”
At those words, the squad leaders around Raymond’s faces darkened sharply.
Bad memories resurfaced.
Lian felt the same.
He knew all too well what that meant.
‘The power struggle is now fully dragging the army into it…….’
It made sense why Raymond looked so down.
He had wanted to avoid kingdom troops fighting each other above all.
“Haha, this got heavy all of a sudden.”
Raymond laughed to lighten the mood as the atmosphere grew tense.
Then he said to Lian,
“That’s why I volunteered for this supply op. Another unit was supposed to do it, but I insisted!”
“As expected of the captain’s influence.”
“What do you mean influence? It was more like ‘do it! Please do it!’ vibes?”
“How’d you know?”
“How could I not? I heard you yelling at the battalion commander from outside the office.”
At Brian’s words, Raymond shook his head with exaggerated dismay.
“This is awkward.”
“By the way, Lian, how much farther to Bieltona from here?”
“About 10 km.”
“Not short.”
It wasn’t long, but for a large convoy, it wasn’t short either.
Especially with mountain paths mixed in.
Enemies could strike the supplies anytime.
Lian nodded.
“We’ve already posted sentries around. With this many escorts—more than expected—the enemy won’t attack easily.”
Considering Bieltona supplies usually had around a hundred escorts, this was nearly three times as many.
But Raymond shook his head.
“That’s the kind of small complacency that spells disaster in battle. Stay vigilant until we arrive safely.”
“Well said.”
Derek added from the side. Lian nodded.
“I’ll guide you.”
He turned and shouted to his unit.
“Arrowhead—!”
At his words, the Arrowhead Unit soldiers’ eyes turned serious.
Everyone knew combat could erupt at any instant.
“Fall in.”
““Yes—!””
At Lian’s shout, they swiftly took positions around the supply wagons and began moving together.
At the same time,
“Lord Altomers, the enemy numbers are far more than expected.”
“Shouldn’t we withdraw?”
It was several times the usual supply escort.
They had never faced such odds before.
Altomers, observing the situation, murmured lowly,
“The situation has changed, true, but we can’t just retreat like this.”
He couldn’t seize them, but he wouldn’t let the enemy take them intact either.
Altomers’ gaze sharpened toward them more fiercely than ever.