Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Genius Divine Archer Who Became a One-Man Legion
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Unfamiliar training ground.
Isaac, upon arriving there, looked at the people inside the training ground.
They all appeared extraordinarily capable, without exception.
‘So this is the Silver Knight Unit?’
Everyone here trained with dreams of becoming knights.
Though he wasn’t entirely sure, the intensity of their training had to be immense, and their skills looked impressive.
A few days ago, Isaac had arrived in Alendrian, the capital of the Artian Kingdom, and made his way to the Silver Knight Unit on the outskirts.
Since all the arrangements were already in place, joining the Silver Knight Unit had been straightforward for him.
And today was the first day of training.
He’d already been briefed on what he needed to know, but he still felt tense nonetheless.
Isaac was warming up lightly by himself in a corner of the training ground.
That was when someone approached and asked,
“You the outsider who’s taking the promotion exam with us this time?”
“……?”
A man with gray hair and a gentle demeanor walked up to Isaac and spoke.
When Isaac turned around, the man gave him a quick once-over from head to toe.
“You’re on the small side, huh? Probably not much strength to you, then.”
Isaac furrowed his brow slightly as the man muttered like he was appraising him.
The man startled and said,
“Ah, sorry, sorry. It’s just a habit to analyze new people I meet. Nice to meet you. I’m Janiel Roximak.”
“……Isaac.”
“Isaac? Family name?”
“No family name. I’m a commoner.”
“Eh? A commoner?”
At those words, some guys nearby sauntered over.
“What? A commoner?”
“How’d a commoner end up here?”
“No way, I thought since he’s taking the exam with us, he was some noble’s kid, but a commoner?”
In an instant, sneering faces surrounded them. Janiel furrowed his brow at them.
“Get lost, you idiots. Don’t ruin the conversation.”
The atmosphere turned icy in a moment.
The guys looked flustered as they said to Janiel,
“Ah, no, I didn’t mean…….”
“Janiel, that’s not what we meant. It’s just because you’re a commoner…….”
“Does it change anything that I’m a commoner? Training’s about to start, so quit loafing around and scram.”
“S-sorry.”
“Sorry.”
Once the guys had slinked away, Janiel turned back to Isaac.
“Don’t mind those types. I was just a bit surprised since I’m a commoner too.”
Then he clapped Isaac on the back.
“Come on, training’s starting soon.”
As he followed, Isaac wore an expression that couldn’t quite decide if this guy was good or bad.
* * *
The Silver Knight Unit’s promotion exam was straightforward.
There were about five hundred members in the unit, and they underwent three basic tests.
Contributions to the kingdom, tactical knowledge, and a duel with the instructors.
Those who passed all three then competed in a tournament, with only ten promoted to knight.
In this once-a-year exam, just ten could become knights, and the top scorer got to join the kingdom’s most renowned Golden Glory Knight Order.
So Isaac had agreed to train jointly with the Silver Knight Unit members during the promotion exam period. But,
‘……What’s going on?’
Isaac couldn’t believe his eyes.
After the morning training ended, the others collapsed as if they were dying, which struck him as odd.
Military life was the same everywhere, but they’d started with basic stamina drills, followed by swordsmanship and tactics training—and since it was morning, the intensity wasn’t even that high.
Janiel approached him.
“Pretty tough, huh? It’s your first day, so that’s expected, but stick it out for a few days and you’ll get used to it.”
“……?”
Tough? This training?
They’d run maybe fifty laps around the training ground at most?
The perimeter was just over five hundred meters.
Sure, they wore light armor, so it might be a bit taxing,
‘But not like this…….’
And the swordsmanship training that followed was the same.
No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem much different from what the Arrowhead Unit did, leaving Isaac confused.
He asked Janiel,
“Do you do this kind of training every day?”
“Nah, I think they made us run extra today because of you. Normally it’s about twenty laps. And the sword training felt a bit more intense today too.”
“……I see.”
Isaac nodded calmly, hiding his bewilderment.
Janiel chuckled and sat down next to him.
“More importantly, I saw your swordsmanship earlier—pretty good.”
“Thanks.”
“Just stating facts. Maybe because you’re small? Strength’s a bit lacking, but speed’s your specialty, huh. Mind if I ask what sword style you use? The way you swing looks a little different from kingdom swordsmanship. And as a commoner, you wouldn’t have some family secret technique, right?”
“……Just picked it up on my own.”
“Hmm……interesting.”
The guy muttered to himself, then stood up.
“Afternoon’s mostly sparring, so recover well.”
Isaac watched Janiel walk away, patting his shoulder, still unable to figure out if he was a good guy or not.
* * *
“Kill them…… kill them…… kill them……!”
Rialkan, the second-in-command of the Black Ogre Band, muttered repeatedly through bloodshot eyes.
As darkness fell, he swiftly headed back toward that village.
‘How dare those vermin inflict this humiliation on me……?’
Reinforced by Jexter, Rialkan burned with rage greater than the fear from that day.
‘Just watch out for that archer, and we’re good.’
There was that weird woman swinging a big sword, but they could overwhelm her with numbers.
Grinding his teeth, Rialkan vowed to capture them all this time as he led his men to the village outskirts.
They’d built a wooden wall about face-height to mark the village boundary, with dozens of shabby huts made of branches and grass clustered together.
He planned to melt into the darkness, creep close, and launch a surprise attack.
Swoosh.
Rialkan peered at the village ahead.
The distance was now just about 100 meters.
Torches hung on the wooden wall gradually lit up the view.
At Rialkan’s signal, his men nodded.
The moment they began to fan out and move—
Shiiiiiiek—!
“……?”
A sharp wind noise made the bandits look up toward the sound.
And right then,
Thud thud thud thud—!
“Gaaahhh—!”
“M-my eyes! Arghhh!”
“Arrows! They’re shooting arrows!”
A dozen arrows suddenly rained down, sending several bandits tumbling with screams.
Rialkan clenched his teeth in fury.
“You bastards! Kill them all!”
“Raaahhh—!”
“Vermin daring to……!”
Thud thud thud thud thud thud!
Nearly a hundred bandits charged forward as one.
Reloading arrows took time anyway.
He wondered why a dozen had flown out of nowhere, but in their extreme excitement, such details faded away.
“Slaughter them all!”
Just kill them quick. But,
“Everyone, get ready.”
Lian, waiting inside the village, quickly pulled the archers back and said quietly.
Soon, people holding spears and shields gathered around him.
The odd part? Women who’d never fought before now held large shields.
Lian looked at the shield-bearing women and said,
“In battle, you might get stabbed or slashed by their weapons. But if you abandon your post or give up fighting…….”
As Lian trailed off, someone’s gulp echoed loudly.
Lian smiled faintly.
“Look at the faces of the people beside you.”
They turned to each other with trembling expressions.
Everyone was afraid, but resolved.
Lian said firmly,
“The moment I give up, the people next to me right now will die—guaranteed.”
“I-I won’t give up!”
“We have to survive!”
“We can do this!”
They shouted as if reaffirming their will.
“Raaahhh—!”
“Kill!”
By the time the frenzied Rialkan and his men closed in shouting, he sensed something off.
‘……What?’
The ones who’d always holed up behind their flimsy walls for defense were now abandoning it and clustering farther back.
And there seemed to be way more people than before.
The fighters had numbered around fifty; now it looked double at a glance.
“What’re those shields?”
“Weapons too?”
Frowning at the proper spears and shields, Rialkan snarled,
“Who cares! They’re all weaklings anyway!”
The moment Rialkan and his men vaulted the wooden wall into the village—
“Now!”
“Raaahh!”
“Yaaahhh!”
At Lian’s shout, the prepared group yanked the ropes they held.
Snap—! Whoosh—!
“……!”
Thick ropes sprang up to knee height, tripping the front-runners who couldn’t react in time, sending them rolling.
“Wh-what?!”
“Ugh!”
The bandits behind crashed into them, tumbling in a heap.
“Arghhh!”
And the battle began.
Groups of five charged fiercely at the fallen bandits.
Two held shields, the other three spears for attack.
Stab! Stab stab! Thrust!
“Gaaahhh!”
“Get up! Kill them!”
The village turned into a chaotic melee in seconds.
“You filthy rats daring to……!”
One bandit who’d avoided the rope charged the cluster, axe raised, eyes blazing.
That instant,
Clang!
“……Huh?”
A middle-aged woman blocked the axe with her shield.
Her lips trembled behind it.
Terrified as if on the verge of death, she didn’t drop the shield.
“What kind of…….”
Stab!
Stunned, the bandit started to speak, but a man behind the woman pierced his throat with a spear before he finished.
“Gurk!”
The bandit swung his axe once more before expiring.
Those who’d just killed him couldn’t believe it.
The spear-bearers were older men, the shield-holders women.
The ones who’d always fled and left fighting to the young had changed in mere days.
“W-we killed a bandit!”
“We can do it!”
Killing one ignited their confidence.
Lian kept shooting arrows while checking on those around him.
The hundred people here had never fought before.
But mastering the Arrowhead Unit’s basic tactic—five-man teams for defense and offense—had transformed them.
Still, they couldn’t win the battle with them alone.
Fwoosh!
Lian lit an oil-soaked arrowhead and loosed it skyward.
Fwhoosh—!
The flare-like flaming arrow arced up, drawing Rialkan’s eyes.
“You bastards, what’re you plotting now……!”
Rialkan’s face hardened.
“Kill them all!”
“Avenge our past humiliations!”
Cheers heralded familiar faces.
The ones who’d defended this village were all ambushing from behind.
“No way…… insane?”
Then what were these hundred up front?
Had every villager suddenly become warriors?
Unable to make sense of it, Rialkan’s face filled with bewilderment.
Lian’s lips curved upward as he watched.
“You’re all going to die here.”
With that, Herilda’s greatsword began swinging down on them.