Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Unit Reorganization
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“……So that’s how it went?”
“Certainly, if they’re soldiers from Bieltuna, their skills are guaranteed. In fact, compared to the average, you could say they’re all top-tier.”
Rient, who was assisting Saila, reported on what had happened in Bieltuna.
It had been just one month since the merit awards ceremony ended.
In that short time, Rian had swiftly expanded the size of his unit.
Truth be told, calling it a thousand men was one thing, but assembling a thousand well-trained elite soldiers as unit members was an incredibly difficult task.
In fact, doing so in a mere three months was next to impossible.
“So, the match is four hundred?”
“That seems to be the case.”
“Approved.”
Saila rose from her seat and gazed out the window.
The sight of the garden, lightly shrouded in dusk, brought a sense of calm.
She stared quietly outside before speaking.
“It certainly won’t be easy, but given his current situation, Bieltuna is undoubtedly the fastest and most effective option.”
He had played his surest card.
Now, there were no easy paths left among the cards he could choose.
‘Two more months ahead……’
Just watching how the arrows backed by the Third Prince would fly promised to be quite entertaining.
* * *
The Arrowhead Unit had expanded in one go. Yet not a single awkward face among them.
“Hey, long time no see!”
“How’ve you been?”
The soldiers from Bieltuna, upon arriving in Kurtain, greeted the Arrowhead Unit members warmly.
The 10-Man Commanders said to the returning Rian and Isaac,
“You’ve worked hard, Deputy Commander.”
“Captain Barus, it’s been a while.”
“Heh heh heh, good to see you.”
Kyle let out a small chuckle as he looked at Barus. In response, Barus extended his hand and shook with each one.
“Thanks for the warm welcome. We’re all in the same unit now, so let’s get along well.”
“The pleasure’s ours.”
After exchanging brief greetings with the unit members, Barus turned to Rian.
Rian nodded and spoke to Florang standing before him.
“Prepare quarters for the new unit members. The Battalion Commander will handle it right away if you ask.”
“Yes, sir.”
Leaving those simple orders, Rian led Isaac and Barus to the office inside the barracks.
There was some organizing to do first, after all.
Rian looked at Isaac and Barus and said,
“We’ll need to reorganize the unit structure going forward. And the ranks as well.”
Rian shared his thoughts on the Arrowhead Unit, which he had contemplated upon becoming a 1,000-Man Commander, with the two men.
The existing Arrowhead Unit had consisted of a hundred men.
Thus, with just Isaac as the vice commander, there hadn’t been any major issues.
The 10-Man Commanders below had all performed their roles admirably.
But with a thousand men, the story changed entirely.
As a battalion-sized force, a more solid hierarchy was now essential.
“For convenience, let’s call the original Arrowhead Unit members 1st Company, and the newly incorporated Bieltuna forces 2nd Company.”
“Yes, sir.”
It was Barus who responded.
Upon joining the Arrowhead Unit, he had immediately begun using formal speech with Rian.
It was Barus who had proposed and pushed for it.
Even if their ranks were equal, he had already decided upon entering the Arrowhead Unit.
With approval already granted from above, he didn’t want to undermine discipline over something trivial.
Rian paused slightly, still adjusting, before continuing.
“So, here and now, I appoint you both as 300-Man Commanders. We’ll make it official once the unit is fully formed, but it’s good to know in advance.”
“Th-three hundred-man commander? Me?”
“……Understood.”
Unlike the surprised Isaac, Barus nodded.
He himself thought Rian’s decision was reasonably efficient and logical.
“Isaac will be Vice Commander of 1st Company, and Captain Barus…… Vice Commander of 2nd Company.”
“Call me Barus from now on, casually. Otherwise, it’ll feel awkward to the others watching.”
“……I’ll try.”
Then Rian turned to Isaac and said,
“So, Isaac, I have a favor to ask of you from now on.”
“A favor?”
“It won’t be easy…… but it’s something only you can do.”
At those words, Isaac’s expression hardened.
What kind of favor could it be?
As Rian continued, Isaac’s eyes began to tremble.
* * *
Thanks to Barus joining them, Rian had gained a sturdy reinforcement faster than expected.
Three hundred seasoned soldiers.
And Barus to lead them.
Even so, Rian still had much to do.
A thousand men turned out to be far more than he had imagined.
But since he had aimed higher from the start, he had plans in mind.
Knock knock.
“It’s Rian.”
Rian swallowed dryly and waited for a response. Soon, a now-familiar voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
With permission, Rian entered, and Saila, seated, gave him a sly smile.
“Now that you’re a 1,000-Man Commander, you come straight to the Legion Commander?”
“My apologies.”
“Ku ku k, no need. Sit. I’m very curious why you’ve come to see me.”
Rian sat before Saila and got straight to the point.
“I need your help.”
“Help? Didn’t you say you didn’t need my help?”
The guy who had insisted on solving his own homework without assistance was suddenly asking for help.
Saila looked at him with surprise, and Rian explained why he had come.
“Please let Isaac go to the 3rd Legion.”
“……The 3rd Legion?”
Saila’s expression stiffened slightly for a moment.
The 3rd Legion was the only one among the seven legions that remained loyal solely to the king and maintained neutrality.
But the 3rd Legion was a bit different from the others.
It housed the most special units.
Support units or knight orders made up of nobles’ children, for instance.
It was completely unexpected, so Saila asked,
“Why the 3rd Legion?”
“I plan to send Isaac to the Silver Knights. Isn’t their promotion exam coming up soon?”
At that, Saila’s eyes wavered slightly. Then, she grinned widely.
“Are you confident?”
“Yes. I believe Isaac can do it.”
The Silver Knights were a somewhat special unit in the 3rd Legion.
Nominally open to applicants from all backgrounds, in reality, it was composed of nobles’ children who received elite training with family backing.
Those who ranked high in the Silver Knights’ promotion exam gained priority entry into the kingdom’s most prestigious knight orders.
It was essentially a ‘privilege of the privileged’ for selecting super-elite knights in the kingdom.
Rian hoped Isaac would find answers there.
Saila leaned back in her chair at Rian’s words.
“It’s not difficult. Is that all?”
“One more request.”
“Speak.”
“Please…… send me to Boreol.”
“……Boreol?”
Saila’s expression hardened again.
Boreol was a neutral zone on the border.
But it was so small that even frequent invasions went unnoticed by anyone.
It was merely the desperate struggles of those who had made it their home.
“Do you know what that place is?”
“Yes.”
“Then why go there? It’s…… a place where fewer than three hundred people live.”
Moreover, being neutral territory, they weren’t even technically kingdom citizens.
There was no reason to go there at such a crucial time.
But Rian shook his head.
“It has to be there.”
“……Any particular reason?”
“Yes.”
Saila stared at him intently after his response.
What is this guy thinking now?
Her gaze seemed to say as much. But then, she chuckled.
“Fine. Then, during that time, I’ll divert their attention elsewhere.”
Rian’s lips curved into a small smile at her words.
Saila knew the key point Rian had mentioned about Boreol.
As a neutral zone, no special qualifications were needed, but Rian required time away with their eyes diverted.
After all, from Byron’s side, Rian was one of the surveillance targets.
If Rian was absent for long, they’d grow suspicious.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Come back soon.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Rian rose and left Saila’s office.
His expression now seemed relieved.
“Now…… shall I go?”
Boreol was the place he had always planned to visit someday.
It was where it all began for them.
Rian’s steps quickened little by little.
* * *
Thud!
“……Hoo.”
Isaac, swinging his sword in the training grounds, let out a small breath as he looked at the shattered wooden dummy.
A few days ago, Rian’s words.
-I’ll ask the Legion Commander to send you to a unit in the 3rd Legion. There’s something you absolutely must do there.
The Silver Knight unit.
Isaac knew what kind of place it was. He had studied various units before enlisting.
The Silver Knights of the 3rd Legion were special.
Anyone could apply regardless of background, but not just anyone could join.
Most members were nobles who had received elite education from childhood.
When Isaac first entered the military, it was a unit whose threshold he couldn’t even touch.
Rian’s order was to go to that elite unit and crush them all.
-The Silver Knights’ promotion exam is coming up soon. Show them your skills. Make sure they know exactly what kind of guy you are.
Recalling Rian’s words, Isaac gripped his sword again.
* * *
“Hey, did you hear?”
“About that weird guy coming?”
An interesting rumor spread through the Silver Knight unit of the 3rd Legion’s 1st Battalion.
An officer from another unit was participating in this promotion exam.
Nominally, it was someone from an elite unit experiencing a special force, but no one in the Silver Knights bought that.
“Cocky bastard. Does he have any skills?”
“Who knows…… Apparently he’s only seventeen. That Arrowhead something unit? From the 6th Legion, and they’ve been making waves lately.”
“Seventeen? Crazy punk. Does he think we’re pushovers?”
Shelphon, with his deep green hair, furrowed his brow.
How much effort had he put in to join these Silver Knights?
And now some punk was daring to challenge them fearlessly?
“A seventeen-year-old chick like that……”
“We’ll see when he gets here. They say he’s got some real skill, though.”
“If not, he’s dead.”
Altarun just shrugged at Shelphon’s menacing aura.
Whatever the case, he must have his reasons for coming to the promotion exam.
“Looks like we’ve got an entertaining event after a long time.”
Thinking of the fearless newbie, the two simply awaited the upcoming promotion exam.