Chapter 81
Chapter 81
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Genius Divine Archer Who Became a One-Man Legion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Isaac arrived at Bieltuna and scanned his surroundings before speaking.
“Only been a short while since we left, but… it feels like ages since I was last here.”
“Yeah.”
Rian nodded at Isaac’s words and looked around with him.
Just as Isaac said, it had only been a few months since they left, but Bieltuna Castle had already seen quite a few changes in that time.
They were no longer just stacking the walls high for defense alone—new gates were being added for people to come and go.
It seemed the intent was to connect the territories and cities to the south, centered on Velotra, to encourage more traffic.
They were even digging canals to draw water from a river a short distance away, and outside the castle walls, they were clearing land to grow grain.
Of course, it was still just the preparation stage.
It would take a lot of time.
But the very fact they were moving so quickly showed Bieltuna’s tremendous potential for growth.
And above all, the most striking change was the “people.”
Most of those working here had been gripping spears and fighting until just recently.
These men, who had battled daily in hellish fields, now wore smiles on their faces with their new work.
Rian felt a swell of emotion in his chest at the sight of them beaming.
To that, Isaac said,
“This is the Bieltuna that the vice captain built.”
“…It’s something we all did together.”
The result of the Arrowhead Unit arriving in Bieltuna.
Rian simply watched the people in silence. At that moment,
“Lieutenant Rian!”
Barus and Homel approached from afar.
Barus hurried over and, unable to contain his delight, pulled Rian and Isaac into a hug.
Hug!
“Hahaha! Never thought I’d see you two again so soon. You’ve both been well?”
“Long time no see, Captain.”
“We greet you, Captain Barus.”
Rian and Isaac greeted Barus.
Barus patted their shoulders and said,
“Now’s not the time to stand around here. Come to my quarters. Lieutenant Homel, handle things while I’m gone.”
“No worries.”
Homel smiled and headed off, and Barus led Rian and Isaac to his quarters.
“Here we are—my quarters.”
“Oh….”
“Wow.”
It was nothing like the place they’d seen when they first arrived in Bieltuna.
Back then, it had been a shabby tent. Now, it was a decent wooden house.
Small in size, but it had everything needed.
The three of them went inside and took seats in chairs.
“Really glad to see you. So, what brings you all the way out to this far-off place? You must have gotten some major rewards.”
Barus grinned.
With the ceasefire reaching Bieltuna, all the soldiers who’d been stationed there long-term had received rewards.
Barus looked at Rian and said,
“You must’ve been promoted… right?”
“I made captain.”
“I’m a sergeant now.”
“Ooh! So you’re the same rank now?”
Barus gave Rian a surprised look. Rian shook his head.
“Still, I’ve got a long way to go.”
Rian studied Barus.
The man he was seeing after so long looked very different from before.
Not exactly lighter… more like cheerfully human?
At first, he’d chalked it up to the positive effects of Bieltuna’s peace.
But after entering the quarters and observing him, Rian sensed some dark emotion that defied easy description.
‘…What is it?’
This unease coming from Barus.
Behind that jovial smile lurked something sadly yearning.
Rian asked,
“How’s life treating you here?”
“Hm? Ah, well… yeah. Peace has finally come, hasn’t it.”
Barus gave an awkward smile and tapped the table.
Then, oddly, silence fell.
His expression and movements seemed restless.
Rian watched him quietly before speaking in a hardened tone.
“…You haven’t been doing well.”
“…”
Barus’s face darkened in that instant. But soon,
Heh.
Barus quirked up the corner of his mouth in a small, bitter laugh.
His lips smiled, but his eyes held a deep despair, as if tears might spill at any moment.
Rian waited wordlessly for his answer.
A long silence stretched out—or so it seemed—before Barus slowly spoke.
A self-mocking chuckle slipped through his lips.
“Heh heh heh… If I say this, the whole world’ll think I’ve lost my mind.”
“What happened?”
Barus eyed Rian with a flicker of fear and worry as he replied.
“Lieutena— no, Captain Rian. This peace that came out of nowhere… it’s suffocatingly hard on me.”
His emotions rang clear in that faintly trembling voice.
Isaac glanced at Barus in mild surprise. Rian’s gaze, by contrast, grew steadily calm.
He knew all too well what Barus was going through.
‘War… syndrome?’
Others might phrase it differently, but Rian pinned Barus’s condition as war syndrome.
A long stretch of bloody battlefield combat had molded everything to that world.
Then peace arrived abruptly, without warning—and it could ravage the mind worse than the front lines.
Barus was living proof.
“…Must be tough.”
Rian said. Barus’s eyes wavered faintly.
“You get it?”
“Yeah. My late father went through the same.”
It wasn’t ideal to invoke the dead, but nothing explained it better.
Overcome!
Tears welled up in Barus’s eyes at Rian’s words.
For the first time, someone had comforted the truth he couldn’t share with just anyone.
“Ugh! Uuugh!”
Barus buried his face in his thick hands and broke down sobbing.
Isaac looked flustered, glancing between Barus and Rian.
The Barus they knew was a cool-headed soldier, cold to the core.
Fearless in the face of death on the battlefield, a true leader who’d give his life for his men without hesitation.
They’d never imagined the towering figure showing a side like this.
Rian simply waited in silence.
He knew words wouldn’t comfort him right now.
Still….
‘Good thing I came.’
Barus’s reaction made Rian think his visit might actually do the man some good.
After a few minutes, Barus calmed, wiped his tears, and let out a small sigh.
A faint smile returned to his face.
“Embarrassing display. Pretend you saw nothing.”
“Captain Barus, you asked why I came to Bieltuna.”
Barus nodded at Rian’s calm question.
“Yeah, all the way out here.”
“I want to take you with me, Sir Barus.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Barus’s expression stiffened at Rian’s sudden words.
Take him? Where?
His eyes grew wider at Rian’s follow-up.
* * *
Marquis Dwayne’s brow furrowed deeply at Maincen’s report.
“All dead?”
“…Yes.”
Maincen bowed his head at the marquis’s anger-laced question.
The reconnaissance team he’d sent to Kurtein on Dwayne’s orders had all perished not long ago.
They weren’t powerhouse fighters, but they excelled at stealth and speed.
Their total annihilation pointed to two possibilities.
Either an inescapable trap had been laid in wait, or
‘Monsters they couldn’t dream of fleeing.’
Either way, the losses were severe.
No wonder Dwayne’s face was grim.
Maincen ventured cautiously,
“Could it… be the Third Prince’s doing?”
“Who knows. Too soon to say.”
Dwayne sighed softly and rubbed his chin.
It was true the Third Prince had been acting differently lately.
But he’d always played it passive in disputes.
Hard to imagine him making such a bold move just to swat some scouts.
‘A third party, maybe…?’
No one else had stepped into the spotlight yet. The First Prince’s faction?
Dwayne shook his head.
‘Doesn’t add up.’
The First Prince was long out of the succession game.
No reason for him to stick his neck out against Byron.
“Hmm… We need solid intel first.”
“I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“Send more to Kurtein. Check the surroundings for activity too. That’ll tell us who’s behind it.”
“Understood.”
If the Third Prince really was moving…
‘Got some confidence now, does he…?’
No clue what backed it, but it spelled trouble.
“I see….”
Dwayne began sorting through his thoughts and plotting next steps amid the growing tangle.
And at the same time.
“How’d it go?”
“All handled.”
“At least… that buys us time.”
Ethan leaned back in his chair with a quiet sigh of relief.
This had demanded a heavy resolve from him too.
The man before him spoke carefully, seeing Ethan relax.
“But, Your Highness. Something odd came up during the sweep… Those guys seemed to know Rian.”
“Marquis Dwayne might’ve spotted Rian’s potential early.”
“So that’s why they tried to kill him? Back in Bieltuna?”
Ethan went quiet at his subordinate’s words, then shook his head.
“No, can’t say for sure. Rian wasn’t worth that kind of investment back then… and no one knew which way he leaned.”
The Bieltuna mess probably targeted Eagle Company, with Rian caught in the crossfire. But
“Now things might shift.”
If Marquis Dwayne learned of Rian’s situation, heaven knew what he’d pull to take him out.
Deep concern shadowed Ethan’s eyes.
The man asked carefully,
“Is that kid really worth all that?”
“Heh, we’ll see.”
Ethan chuckled lightly and shrugged.
Three months would tell.
Whatever he became after that was on him.
“Whether he turns into a dragon… or just a lizard dreaming of it….”
After so long, someone worth watching had appeared.
The shame was he couldn’t sit back and observe leisurely.
A bitter smile tugged faintly at Ethan’s lips.