The Abandoned Squad
The 4th Platoon, 4th Squad.
It was the gathering place for the most vicious troublemakers, little different from a discarded unit. They were the ones always thrown into the most dangerous positions to serve as meat shields.
“Lately… it seems like something about the 4th Platoon 4th Squad has changed.”
“I’ve seen them training like mad during their personal time.”
The officers gathered for the report chatted among themselves. The atmosphere in the 4th Platoon, ordered to deploy to the 1st Line, was like a funeral parlor. Yet among them, only the 4th Squad stood out with a strangely lively energy.
One officer spoke up.
“From what I hear, they’re training some peculiar joint techniques.”
“But it’s nothing impressive. Just holding shields and forming ranks doesn’t make it a real joint technique.”
“And one of them is practicing with a bow? Heh. Training archery right before heading to the battlefield—what’s that about?”
“I figure they’ve just decided to die.”
They snickered among themselves. After all, it had nothing to do with them.
But then one of the officers present said,
“Still, if the 4th Platoon manages to come back alive from the 1st Line this time… wouldn’t their merits be recognized in a big way?”
It was the 1st Line that everyone had refused to go to. Simply participating in such a dangerous battlefield was enough to earn rewards. But if…
“And if someone actually racks up achievements there, the picture would be pretty funny. The rewards would probably be substantial.”
“Heh, from the 4th Platoon? They’d be lucky just to all come back alive.”
“Haha, true. The 1st Line right now is… pure hell itself. Best to avoid it if you can.”
At their continuing words,
“…….”
the officer who had brought up merits simply stared quietly in the direction of the 4th Platoon.
Thwack!
Watching the arrow bury itself in the target, Arteon wore a look of surprise.
I figured he’d do well enough with some natural hand-eye coordination…
What is with this guy?
Arteon looked at Graphil, who stood there with a dazed expression after loosing the arrow.
Graphil said,
“Is this… how you do it?”
“Have you ever shot a bow before?”
“No. This is the first time in my life.”
He had only started learning the bow an hour ago. All Arteon had done was correct his basic stance. He knew the fundamentals of various weapons, but he wasn’t fully proficient in all of them.
And yet…
So this is what talent looks like.
Arteon swallowed his astonishment. Graphil’s gift as an archer far exceeded anything he had imagined. In just one hour, he was already hitting the intended targets with precision. Hitting moving targets would still be difficult, of course, but…
“Graphil. From this moment on, you’re exempt from every other schedule. Except for sleeping and eating, you’ll stay here and keep practicing archery.”
“What? By myself?”
“I’ll come check on you from time to time. For now, practice until you can hit every target from about twice the current distance.”
And he planned to gradually increase the shooting speed as well. With talent like this…
In ten days, he could reach a fairly usable level.
The crime that had landed him here was theft. He had reportedly pickpocketed noblewomen hundreds of times. It was a miracle his wrists were still attached.
An unexpected harvest. Who would’ve thought a raw gem like this was sitting here.
Arteon gave Graphil a couple of pats on the shoulder and walked over to where the other squad members were.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Hyaaaap!”
Elsewhere, it was pure chaos. These were guys who knew nothing of tactics and started from the absolute basics of physical fitness. To survive in this barren north, stamina was the most fundamental of fundamentals. So…
“Move faster. This suffering right now is what’s going to extend your lives.”
“Khuh…!”
“S-save me…!”
Just like last time, the exercise of crawling on all fours with their knees barely lifted would harden their cores and build muscle throughout their bodies. Mornings would be for stamina training and full-body muscle development. From midday through the night, they would drill joint techniques while also raising each man’s individual combat power.
Arteon said,
“Bert, once you finish every drill I ordered, you can rest.”
“Where are you going this time?”
“I’ve got things to do. If you slack off while I’m gone, you’ll do double the training. Keep that in mind.”
Arteon’s eyes flashed sharply.
“If you think I won’t find out, go ahead and try.”
“……No, sir. That will never happen.”
Ever since that day, Bert’s attitude had completely changed. Whether it was because of his back-alley origins or not, he had fully accepted his defeat in raw strength.
Arteon looked at Raymon, who, unlike the others, was silently grinding through the training with his lips pressed tight.
That’s the one who got dragged here for insulting and assaulting a noble, right?
Uniquely among the men here, he was the only one who had received proper martial training.
“Raymon.”
“Yes.”
When Arteon called, Raymon rose from his spot and answered. By pure skill he was clearly superior to Bert, yet…
Is he hiding his ability, or does he just hate conflict…?
He followed Arteon’s orders without any particularly sharp edges.
Arteon told him,
“From now on, you’re the deputy squad leader. If the squad’s training is lacking, you hand out the punishments. If that still doesn’t work, report to me.”
“……Me, sir?”
“Yes. I’ll handle the report to the higher-ups. Understood?”
“Understood.”
Those calm eyes. Men like him generally didn’t cause other trouble. They might push back if something clashed with their values or sense of justice, but in the current situation he was the one Arteon could trust and leave in charge the most.
Thud, thud.
Leaving Raymon to watch his back, Arteon walked toward a quiet spot free of people. Even with plenty of soldiers in the unit, finding a place to train alone wasn’t difficult.
“This should do.”
Not far from the unit, yet a place where soldiers rarely set foot. After confirming no one was nearby, Arteon sat down at once.
Now…
Since returning, he hadn’t had time to properly practice Wolfhart’s spearmanship or the Vargas Mana Cultivation Method. Nine days remained. Just like the others, time was tight for Arteon as well.
Within nine days…
He needed to reach at least the 3-star stage of the Vargas Mana Cultivation Method. The fortunate part was…
That mana amplification magic circle in the division commander’s private training ground…
Because he had driven himself to the brink cultivating during the half-month of free time, he was only a little short of 3-star.
After that.
Mastering Vargas Spearmanship was crucial. Simply knowing something in your head and actually moving and applying it were completely different matters. Time was pressing, but…
Slowly… one thing at a time.
Arteon decided to start with what he could do, just as he always had. What he was best at was…
Enduring.
Closing his eyes, Arteon began the Vargas Mana Cultivation Method.
Bwooooooooooo!
An old horn blared across the desolate battlefield. The sound that summoned death. The moment the Kar tribe’s trumpet echoed over the field,
“Uwaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Kraaaaaaaaa!”
“Kill them all!”
the waiting Kar warriors charged as one toward the Imperial soldiers.
Kugung-gugung-gugung!
The frozen ground. Benhard in the north. There they would break through the 1st Line and claim Imperial land for themselves. The eyes of the Kar warriors gleamed sharper and more murderous than ever.
And right behind them,
“Send some of the warriors left to attack the enemy. That spot has plenty of openings.”
“Understood.”
Bwoo! Bwoooo!
At the command from the center, the Kar warriors’ movements shifted. Some of those charging on the left wheeled and changed direction.
But…
“Don’t let them scatter!”
“Archers, fire!”
Chajajajajajak!
From the Imperial unit holding formation, arrows flew, targeting the Kar warriors shifting left. And then…
Puh-puh-puh-puhk!
“Kraak!”
“Gyaaah!”
“Keheok!”
Kar warriors struck by arrows screamed and collapsed. Fewer than a hundred arrows, yet the continuous rain of shafts sealed their movement.
“……Pierland, is it.”
Bractus spoke. The Imperial dog blocking the 1st Line here. Pierland Karberon. How many warriors had died to that man’s tactics so far?
But…
“The arrow barrage should end soon.”
“I hear they’re having supply problems with the arrows as well.”
As expected, the downpour of arrows gradually thinned. Bractus raised his hand.
“Try stopping this too.”
This was the real gift they had prepared.
“Send out the mobile warriors.”
Warhorses adapted to the harsh northern environment. Far hairier than ordinary horses, with thicker hooves. They were resistant to the cold and could pound hard across the frozen northern ground. Each one was nearly twice the size of a normal horse, yet still possessed great speed. Difficult to secure even in the north, but…
Dududududududu!
Fully fifty mobile warriors on northern horses charged at tremendous speed toward the Imperial soldiers holding the 1st Line. Watching those mobile warriors,
“Turak, we prepare as well.”
“Understood.”
Bractus himself was readying to enter the fray.
For a full week they had continuously polished basic stamina training and the fundamentals of joint techniques. Of course, stamina couldn’t improve dramatically in such a short time, but their technical proficiency had risen considerably.
Still, the most important thing is experiencing something close to real combat.
The difference between someone who had tasted real battle even once and someone who hadn’t was immeasurable. They needed a chance to test the joint techniques at an intensity similar to actual combat, not mere practice.
“Everyone stand by. I’ll be back soon.”
Three days remained. He had to use every means available in that time. Otherwise they might die the moment they arrived at the 1st Line.
So Arteon went straight to find the platoon leader, Hendris.
As expected.
With three days left until departure for the 1st Line, Hendris’s expression couldn’t be good. Looking almost like a man already dead, Hendris regarded the suddenly appearing Arteon.
“What is it?”
He was putting on a calm front, but he still hadn’t escaped the terror of the 1st Line. In a situation like this…
The best way to shift the atmosphere and extract the maximum benefit is…
Arteon looked at Hendris and said,
“I want to make a bet with the other squads.”