Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Collapse of Porhen Gorge
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Porhen Gorge had been a symbol of Bieltona for a very long time.
But at this very moment,
Kwarrrrrr rumble—!
Porhen Gorge, the symbol of Bieltona, was collapsing with an enormous roar.
Of course, only the walls at the pass that crossed the gorge were crumbling, but everyone watching couldn't help feeling a strange mix of emotions.
Barus stared blankly at the collapsing gorge walls.
Aside from the deafening roar of the crumbling walls, there was no other sound.
A heavy silence lingered. Finally, Barus moved his lips.
"It's... really over?"
"Yes, it's done. Unless hundreds of men are mobilized to clear that entire pile of rubble, Bieltona and the north will never be connected through this gorge again."
"...I see."
Did that mean peace had finally come to Bieltona as well?
Barus gazed at the completely blocked pass of Porhen Gorge and replied flatly.
But contrary to his indifferent tone, his mind was more complicated than ever.
Meanwhile, at the same time,
"Wow... impressive, huh?"
The sight of the gorge walls crumbling was truly spectacular.
He hadn't even imagined that a unit that wasn't even division-level would use explosives.
The robed man chuckled as he watched the Bieltona soldiers staring at the gorge.
Seeing this, the woman beside him cautiously spoke up.
"...Are you all right?"
The woman was extremely short.
Barely over a meter tall, perhaps?
The robed man turned to her and asked,
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't manage to kill them."
"Well, was it my failure? Those idiots failed."
There was no trace of disappointment in his voice.
He had intended to wipe out the Eagle Company from the start, but he hadn't considered it absolutely necessary.
He continued,
"If they couldn't do it even with the power of magic, they were doomed to fail no matter what they tried."
"Couldn't you end it easily if you stepped in yourself?"
She asked.
At her question, the robed man replied in a startled tone, as if taken aback.
"Huh?! Me personally? Nah, forget it."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Of course, if I did it myself, it wouldn't be a big deal... but there's no need to go that far, right? Just putting on a show was enough."
He had only taken on this job because of someone's earnest request in the first place.
At his words, the woman sighed.
"I can already picture Marquis Dwayne's face. What nagging that old man will do..."
"Kekekekeke! The geezer will be pissed, but so what? Isn't this fun in its own way?"
"I... don't find it fun."
At her words, the robed man simply turned away. No, as he turned, he glanced back at the Bieltona soldiers.
After staring for a moment, he said,
"Another weirdo popped up... That just means even more fun ahead, right?"
"Who knows..."
"Heh, let's head back."
"Yes, Lord Kaen."
With her response, the two vanished from the spot.
* * *
"Failed?"
Marquis Dwayne doubted his own ears.
He hadn't even considered the possibility of failure.
Grind.
Thus, he couldn't contain his rising anger.
The one who couldn't fail had failed.
It was a contradictory statement, but if it was true, there was only one reason.
He simply hadn't done it.
"That damned bastard...! He dares take my orders lightly?"
"What should we do...?"
Maincen asked cautiously. Frowning, Marquis Dwayne replied,
"If he didn't do it, there's nothing we can do. We can't drag him here by force and punish him."
How many in the kingdom could even exert coercive power over him?
If Prince Byron ascended the throne and gained absolute authority, maybe then—but even that was uncertain in the current situation.
They could only be satisfied that he was on their side and let it go.
Marquis Dwayne asked Maincen,
"But they didn't escape without any losses, did they?"
"One of their platoon leaders, Derek, was killed. A few Eagle Company members died too."
"What about Bieltona?"
"That's..."
He had rushed the report on Kaen first, but there was still more to cover.
Maincen hesitated briefly before reporting on Bieltona's situation.
That they had exterminated all the barbarians and destroyed the pass at Porhen Gorge.
As he listened, Marquis Dwayne's face flushed red and purple.
It was utterly incomprehensible.
"The pass at Porhen Gorge... how did they destroy it? Did they have a mage among them?"
"No, even a mage would need to be at least 4th Circle to collapse a gorge like that. How could someone of that caliber be in a place like this?"
"Then what method did they use!"
Shouting, Marquis Dwayne suddenly flinched and clamped his mouth shut.
After a brief moment of thought, he looked at Maincen.
"Don't tell me... explosives?"
"...There's no other explanation."
"Where the hell did those guys get explosives from! They're not even legally distributable without permits in the kingdom."
"That's..."
"Don't you know?"
"...We're investigating, but it might take a little more time."
Tutting at Maincen's response, Marquis Dwayne said,
"Hurry and find out. Who's backing them. Whether the 3rd Prince supplied those explosives."
"Yes!"
As Maincen bowed and withdrew, Marquis Dwayne slumped back in his chair.
Fatigue was piling up because things just weren't going his way.
'The Bieltona war... is over.'
It wasn't a front the kingdom paid much attention to, but its conclusion would be a notable event in the kingdom's history.
After all, it marked the end of a war that had dragged on for over a decade.
"Does that mean that guy... takes another step forward?"
He didn't know why he cared about some lowly commoner soldier, but it nagged at him oddly.
Dwayne thought of Rian, whose face he didn't even know, and wore a troubled expression.
* * *
News of Porhen Gorge's collapse spread quickly throughout the kingdom.
Even to the barbarians' lands.
"...In Bieltona?"
"Yes, the path through Porhen Gorge to Bieltona is completely gone."
The Western Overlord, Demian, couldn't hide his baffled expression at his subordinate's words.
What madman would do such a thing?
"He's the vice captain of some Artian Kingdom unit called the Arrowhead Unit. We haven't pinned down his name yet."
"Arrowhead? Never heard of it."
"It's the unit that killed the great warrior Galrel in Saleron before."
"..."
A cold killing intent flashed in Demian's eyes for a moment. But it faded quickly.
"Hmm..."
Half-reclining, Demian sat up properly and let out a small breath.
Porhen Gorge collapsed...
That meant one of the paths into the Artian Kingdom was gone.
'We could advance elsewhere, but...'
The situation here had changed a bit too.
He couldn't blindly cross into the Artian Kingdom just to scavenge food anymore.
After a brief think, Demian said,
"Recall the warriors who advanced forward."
"...Pardon?"
"For the time being, we'll solidify our base from the inside."
He had established himself as the Western Overlord, but show the slightest opening, and internal conflicts big and small erupted.
Before venturing out, he would clean these up properly.
Realizing the implication, his subordinate dropped to one knee and bowed his head.
"We obey the king's command!"
As the subordinate left the tent, Demian slowly rose alone.
"For now, I'll enjoy some leisure."
A small smile curved his lips as he muttered to no one in particular.
* * *
The day they returned to Kurtein.
The Arrowhead Unit members felt like they were coming home.
Soldiers entering the barracks tossed their gear onto their spots and flopped down.
"Uwaa—!"
"Home—!"
"Ugh... I thought we'd never make it back...!"
A few squad leaders barked to straighten up the lax atmosphere at their antics, but
"Let 'em be. They've all earned it."
"But we need to prep for training too. This mood is a problem, isn't it?"
"Rest today. Training tomorrow."
"...Pardon?"
Isaac's eyes widened at Rian's suggestion to skip training.
Rian never missed daily basics, rain or shine.
Unless in real combat or injured...
"You're serious?"
"It's a meaningful day. But heads up—training intensity goes up starting tomorrow, so stay sharp."
"..."
Isaac paled at Rian's words.
How much tougher could it get?
But he soon smiled.
At least they got a full day off.
"Then we can rest easy today. You too, Vice Captain!"
Finishing, Isaac headed to the training grounds.
He hadn't properly circulated mana on the way back.
He needed to review what he'd learned in Bieltona.
"..."
Rian stared at him in disbelief.
The guy who said he'd rest was heading to train.
Shrugging with a smirk, Rian was approached by a soldier.
"Lieutenant Rian, the company commander summons you."
"On my way."
Rian followed the soldier to Raymond's office.
Knock knock.
"It's Rian."
"Come in."
Inside, Raymond sat with two cups of hot tea ready.
Raymond gestured to the seat ahead, and Rian saluted lightly before sitting.
"Good work."
"Not at all. Without your help, Captain, it would've been... much harder."
Raymond smiled faintly and lifted his teacup at Rian's words.
Then he said to Rian,
"You've probably guessed, but Telpon's coming personally. Bet he'll hand out big rewards again. Who knows—you might promote faster than me soon? Hahaha."
The Artian Kingdom, now powerful enough to divide the continent, had once been a small peripheral state.
But the previous king's bold policies led to tremendous growth in just over a century.
By rewarding ability strictly on merit.
Regardless of noble or commoner, talent got fitting positions and opportunities.
That's why so many commoner officers now.
Of course, over a century, it had warped—stubborn elders now clawed for power monopoly.
But the roots remained, keeping Artian as a continental powerhouse.
Raymond's words weren't mere jest.
"Anyway, we've got time before the battalion commander arrives. Care to share some Bieltona tales?"
"Sigh... Bieltona. Short time, but I felt so much there."
Rian grimaced as if pained, then forced a smile.
As vice captain, he couldn't say, but it had been brutally tough many times.
"But Eagle Company pulled through for us. Truly grateful to you, Captain Raymond."
"Haha, buttering me up to my face? Your expression says plenty happened."
"It did."
Rian began recounting Bieltona to Raymond.
From first seeing Porhen Gorge and planning to scale its walls, to the trainings.
Raymond looked shocked at that part.
"You planned to climb it from the start?"
"Yes, so we did special training."
"...Impressive."
Rian's tale continued.
Their first battle's great victory.
Luring enemies from the pass into the forest to fight.
Raymond's expressions shifted constantly—clapping like at a novel, or looking sympathetic.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked, and Raymond stood.
"Probably the battalion commander."
Opening the door with Rian, a soldier waited.
"Did Telpon arrive?"
"Yes, but..."
"?"
The soldier's expression was odd.
Tense, perhaps?
Raymond tilted his head and hurried to the reception room, Rian following. Upon arrival, Raymond's eyes widened.
"..."
Two stood flanking a chair.
Left: Battalion Commander Telpon.
Right: The division commander of Raymond's division.
Then Raymond turned to the seated woman.
Radiant golden hair, wavy to chest-length.
Slim but curvaceous figure clothes couldn't hide, sharp eyes.
Seeing her, Raymond placed right fist to left chest in salute.
"L-Le-Legion Commander, sir!"
"Long time no see, Captain Raymond."
She then looked to Rian beside him.
As if recognizing him at a glance.
"So you're the famous Rian."