Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Audience with the 5th Legion Commander
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For a moment, Rian couldn't believe the reality unfolding before his eyes.
'Sela... Count Arakman.'
The unparalleled genius of the Arakman family.
She was the pivotal figure who had elevated the Arakman family—which had never risen above baronet—to count status in an instant.
And moreover...
'One of the seven pillars supporting the Artian Kingdom.'
There might be others superior in raw power or rank alone, but she stood at the pinnacle of one of the kingdom's precious seven legions.
She was a general of Artian.
The very person Rian dreamed of and aimed to become was standing right in front of him.
Gulp.
Rian swallowed dryly without realizing it.
Why was she here...?
Rian looked at her, unable to hide his shocked expression. Sela soon stared straight at Rian and asked.
"I hear the company commander next to you was singing your praises, saying you've dealt with Bieltuna?"
"It wasn't my power alone. It was possible thanks to Captain Barus and the soldiers at Bieltuna, along with Captain Raymond and the Eagle Company who helped us."
Somehow, the tension melted away the moment he started speaking.
Rian returned to his usual composed self and spoke calmly. At that, Sela let out a scoffing laugh.
"No arrogance at all. How interesting."
She then turned to the division commander standing beside her and said.
"Reward all the soldiers who contributed to subduing Bieltuna properly, of course. And for those with outstanding merits, handle the commendations according to the kingdom's laws."
According to the kingdom's laws.
It meant to measure achievements purely on merit, regardless of status, and bestow rewards accordingly.
The division commander replied.
"Understood."
"Then everyone out. You, stay here and sit."
Sela pointed at Rian.
Rian's eyes widened in surprise.
"Me, just me?"
Rian asked, unable to hide his astonishment, but there was no answer.
Just before leaving, Raymond gave Rian an encouraging look and exited.
Suddenly left alone with the legion commander, Rian had to forcibly suppress his flustered expression.
Was there ever such a thing in the world...?
In the face of this unprecedented situation from his past life, Rian couldn't conceal his bewilderment.
Sela said to Rian.
"Come on, I told you to sit."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Rian sat down immediately. Sela looked at him and asked.
"First... I've already congratulated you, so let's get to the point. Quite the incident happened at Bieltuna, didn't it?"
"...Pardon?"
For a moment, Rian tilted his head.
He soon realized what she was referring to.
'A master-level... Aura user?'
Indeed, that could be called a major incident.
It had been completely unpredictable.
In fact, over a hundred soldiers had died because of it.
Seeing Rian's expression, Sela said in a low voice.
"It must have been like a disaster. But I heard you killed him."
"...Yes."
The memory of that moment made Rian's mood sink heavily.
In response to Rian's answer, Sela said.
"I'm sorry for the casualties from that incident. But there's one thing you need to know."
"What is it?"
"That incident was planned by someone."
"...!"
For an instant, Rian felt as if he might jump out of his seat.
Yes, it had definitely been strange.
It wasn't negligible, but for the fierce clan's leader—a mid-level Aura user—to suddenly wield master-level Aura didn't make sense.
It couldn't have happened without someone's intervention.
No, even before that...
"Was that something someone could orchestrate?"
He couldn't believe it.
Sela let out a small sigh, then said with a hardened expression.
"It was Marquis Dwayne's doing. And... I can roughly guess what he did."
"...Pardon?"
Marquis Dwayne?
Who was that?
The name seemed vaguely familiar, and Rian furrowed his brow.
'Marquis Dwayne... Marquis Dwayne...'
It wouldn't connect.
At that moment,
"Marquis Dwayne...?"
As Rian muttered, his eyes widened.
The title of marquis hadn't clicked, but switching it to grand duke made it stick perfectly in his mind.
'Marquis Dwayne!'
The true ruler of the Artian Kingdom, who had enthroned the second prince Byron as king and become grand duke.
After Byron became king, a brutal storm of blood had raged, and Marquis Dwayne was always at its center.
'But why would he...?'
Rian looked at Sela with a shocked expression, and she said to him.
"He's taken notice of you."
"Me? Why?"
"Well, if I had to attach reasons, there are a few, aren't there?"
She continued, looking at Rian.
"Rian, a commoner with no surname... Joined the army six months ago, earned merit in the Pellan Gorge battle to become a 10-Man Commander, crossed the Isis River to achieve great merit in the Saleron Battle. Then became a 100-Man Commander of an independent unit..."
As Sela's words continued, Rian's expression grew stiff.
For her—a legion commander—to know such minute details about him, a mere 100-Man Commander.
"And this time at Bieltuna, you personally resolved a long-standing issue for the kingdom."
"..."
"This is according to the testimonies of those who fought alongside you. They all unanimously said you were the primary contributor to ending the Bieltuna conflict."
After receiving reports about Kaen from Telpon, she had investigated the key figures involved.
Not only Raymond's Eagle Company, but even Barus at Bieltuna.
Unexpectedly, one name stood out commonly.
Rian.
It hadn't taken long for that short name—without even a family name—to etch itself strongly into her mind.
'Has there ever been someone like this in the kingdom's history?'
What an unusual guy.
No, perhaps extraordinary was the word.
Looking at his path so far, she couldn't picture his future.
Honestly, she couldn't imagine how he would change.
"Rian."
"Yes."
Rian gave a short reply to Sela's call.
By now, his expression was taut with military discipline.
Seeing that, Sela asked.
"Where are you headed?"
"..."
Rian fell silent at the question.
'Where I'm headed...'
In his past life and now, Rian dreamed of only one thing.
To become the continent's greatest general.
That goal hadn't changed in the slightest.
Rian answered.
"My goal is... to become the continent's greatest general."
"The continent? Not the kingdom, but the continent's greatest?"
"Yes."
Sela let out a scoffing laugh at Rian's answer, devoid of any hesitation.
"A commoner like you dreams of becoming a general?"
"Yes."
"Interesting."
At Rian's response, Sela stood from her seat. She looked at him and said.
"To achieve that dream, you'll have to walk a truly arduous path. And one more thing."
By now, the look in Sela's eyes as she regarded Rian sharpened fiercely.
"You must beware of the blade aimed at you."
"I'll keep that in mind."
At Rian's reply, Sela turned toward the door and shouted.
"We're heading back!"
With those words, the door opened, and the division commander entered.
"I'll escort you."
"Let's go."
As Sela exited, the division commander looked at Telpon and said.
"I'll leave the rest to you."
"No need to worry."
The conversation was already over.
Soon, the legion commander and division commander boarded the carriage waiting outside.
As they got in, Sela looked at her subordinates saluting outside.
Scoff.
"Interesting."
"Pardon?"
The division commander asked. But Sela merely gazed at the blue sky.
'I thought it would just end like this...'
Could he change the flow?
Or had she awakened an even more dangerous seed?
It was an utterly unpredictable chaos, but that's why Sela felt a strange excitement bubbling within her.
"Le... Legion Commander?"
Seeing Sela smiling, the division commander could only swallow hard and watch her quietly.
* * *
"...It feels like a storm just swept through."
"I was thinking the same."
After Sela departed, Telpon muttered, and Raymond beside him replied.
Especially Raymond, who hadn't shown it outwardly, was truly shocked.
He never imagined he'd meet the legion commander so closely during his military service.
Sela Arakman.
The weight of that name was immense.
"Come inside for a bit."
Once Sela's carriage vanished from sight, Telpon looked at Raymond and Rian and said.
"Let's go in and talk."
Amid the serious atmosphere, Raymond and Rian silently followed him inside.
Back in Raymond's office, Rian sat in front of Telpon.
Telpon naturally pulled out a thick cigar and lit it.
"Whew... Now I can breathe."
The rich aroma of the cigar swirled in his mouth before dispersing as smoke into the air.
Telpon then said to Raymond and Rian.
"You've heard the gist, but this incident involved a scheme by Marquis Dwayne, who follows the second prince."
"But honestly, I don't understand. How could such a thing be a scheme?"
Raymond asked Telpon.
It was the part Rian was most curious about too, so he waited silently for Telpon's answer.
Telpon exhaled softly with the cigar in his mouth.
"Whew, it could be possible with Kaen."
"Who is Kaen?"
"I've never actually seen him. Just heard the name."
Even in the military, few knew of him.
Telpon knew of Kaen only because he was fully aligned with the third prince's faction.
"I don't have precise information on him. But based on the revealed facts, he's an exceptional dark mage, and..."
Telpon continued with a grim expression.
"Estimated to have reached the seventh circle."
"Th-the seventh circle?"
Raymond couldn't hide his shock.
Rian was the same.
It was inevitable; the seventh circle was a realm equivalent to a master-level Aura user.
Looking at the kingdom's—no, the continent's—history, master mages of the seventh circle could be counted on one hand.
Currently, there was only one officially known on the continent.
"How could such immense power... have stayed hidden until now? It doesn't make sense."
"I only learned of it recently myself. But it's something that can't be explained without his involvement."
Then Telpon stared at Raymond and Rian.
Actually, what he really wanted to say was something else.
"You know the current atmosphere in the kingdom, right?"
"..."
Raymond couldn't reply, knowing exactly what that question meant.
Rian simply waited silently for Telpon's words.
"Now you two have no choice but to fully immerse yourselves here, whether by your own choice or forced."
Raymond disliked political infighting.
This situation might be utterly agonizing for him.
But for Rian, it was a problem he'd been pondering continuously.
In his past life, as a mere foot soldier, he had no choice.
But now, with Rian having shown his talent, more eyes were on him.
"Your directions may differ, but a moment of choice will come for you both. The second prince's side is already watching you."
The second prince's faction might even try to recruit Raymond and Rian.
If not, they might try to kill them again.
Depending on the choice at that crossroads, their desired path could change.
"...I'll think about it."
Telpon nodded at Raymond's reply.
Given his personality, he'd need a bit more time.
Telpon looked at Rian.
Rian hesitated briefly, then cautiously said to Telpon.
"Are you saying I should choose between His Highness the Second Prince and His Highness the Third Prince?"
"Kukukuk, quite the bold question. Yes, if I put it simply, that's the gist."
He thought it was an audacious response.
Even if Rian was rising as a dark horse, he was still just a 100-Man Commander.
At Telpon's answer, Rian recalled the two princes from his past life.
The second and third princes, with starkly different dispositions.
But in his previous life, the third prince ultimately lost, and second prince Byron dominated the Artian Kingdom.
He knew all too well what followed.
Countless people died, and endless wars of conquest began.
"...Could I make one request?"
"Speak."
"Please grant me an audience with His Highness the Third Prince."
"...What?"
At Rian's request, Telpon's eyes wavered for the first time.