The Silent Spear Marches
Within the swiftly moving formation, Arteon watched the soldiers' strained expressions and felt a quiet surge of admiration.
Better than I expected…
They were meshing well. His prediction that it would be a complete mess had been pleasantly wrong.
Including the newly joined men, they numbered ninety-four in total. That nearly a hundred soldiers could coordinate this smoothly was thanks to the standard Imperial formations every soldier learned. The sheer size made the unit look a little sluggish, but still—
"In a pinch, if we split into two groups and move separately… it should flow much more smoothly."
"I was thinking the same."
Arteon nodded at Grein's words. There were plenty of uncertainties, but they had no luxury to dwell on every one of them.
He immediately assembled the men. It took less than a minute for nearly a hundred soldiers to form ranks.
Looking over the swiftly ordered ranks, Arteon spoke.
"Training ends here! From now on, take personal maintenance time and rest. Tomorrow morning, the moment the sun rises, we attack the enemy lines exactly as planned. Make sure everything is ready by this evening so you can sleep without any hitches in the operation."
"Yes, sir!"
"Grein, take over from here."
"Understood."
"And… that other matter must be prepared without fail as well."
"Leave it to me."
The part they had discussed in advance. Perhaps the most critical element of this entire operation.
At Arteon's glance, Claw nodded with a grave expression, then turned to face the troops.
"Squad leaders, double-check everything so there are no issues with the operation. Before lights-out tonight I'll inspect weapons and gear, so have everything cleaned and ready by then! Squad leaders, step forward."
At Grein's words the squad leaders came forward. Grein drove the point home once more.
"Departure is the moment the sun rises tomorrow. Not a second late. Manage your men thoroughly."
"Understood."
"Yes, sir."
"Understood."
"Yes!"
"Sir!"
All five squad leaders nodded. With the unit now at ninety-four, they had expanded to five squads of roughly twenty men each.
Seeing that, Arteon headed straight for Velkain.
As if he had been waiting, Velkain spoke.
"Preparations finished?"
"Yes, sir."
As an independent unit, their direct superior was now Velkain himself. Unlike the usual chain of command, Arteon could report straight to the Supreme Commander.
Velkain asked,
"What time did you settle on for departure?"
"Officially, right after first light tomorrow."
"And actually?"
"Three hours after weapons and armor maintenance and lights-out. We rise and leave immediately then."
By the clock, roughly one or two in the morning. Considering how late the sun rose in the north, they would be setting out about six hours earlier than the announced time.
Both Velkain and Arteon believed there was a spy inside who was colluding with the Kar Tribe.
"Stay sharp. One of them may have joined this independent unit."
"I'll keep a close eye."
At Arteon's reply, Velkain's gaze softened a fraction. Then, with a complicated look, he regarded Arteon and spoke in a heavy voice.
"You've been through a great deal."
"…"
This side of Velkain was new. The man had always shown only strength, coldness, and iron resolve. Even in Arteon's previous life he had never heard of Velkain like this.
Arteon felt a tangle of emotions, but shook his head.
"I'm only doing what must be done."
"And what is it that you must do?"
"Kill the enemies who threaten us."
"Enemies who threaten us… You mean the Kar Tribe?"
"Everyone who threatens me, my comrades, and the soldiers of the north."
Whatever the words might sound like, Arteon's voice did not waver. Velkain understood exactly what he meant.
"I see. Then I will support you with everything in my power."
"Thank you, sir."
"I pray for your safe return."
"Yes, sir!"
"Ah, and… the unit needs a name."
"Would the Supreme Commander care to decide it?"
Velkain pondered a moment, then answered.
"How about Silent Spear?"
"Silent Spear…"
A spear that strikes from the dark, a unit with the power to sever an enemy's life in a single blow.
Arteon clenched his right fist and pressed it to his left breast.
"Arteon, commander of Silent Spear, reports to the Supreme Commander. We will cut the enemy's throat and return without fail!"
At the unshaken voice,
Thud.
Velkain likewise clenched his right fist and set it against his chest.
"I pray for the safe return of Silent Spear."
With that, Arteon headed straight back to his men. Inside the tents, every squad was checking the gear they would use on the march.
Grein approached.
"I've already spoken separately to the squad leaders."
"Once inspections are done, make sure they rest as much as possible."
"Yes, sir. After two days of intense joint tactical drills, they're all itching to sleep."
Especially the newly joined men. Unlike the original members who could already handle mana, they could not.
"When we return from this operation, teach them the full mana cultivation method."
"Understood. But… this operation—isn't it dangerous?"
"It is."
Arteon's answer was flat. Yet when had they ever fought a battle that was not dangerous? Not once, not for a single day, in this north.
Even so, on a battlefield this perilous, he intended to avoid dying like dogs. That was why they had to become one, and why they had to grow stronger.
"Still, don't worry. We'll all… come back."
"I'd die for you any time, Platoon Leader."
Grein grinned as he said it. Lightly spoken, but utterly sincere. Without Arteon he would already have died several times over on the battlefield of Elbarphiel Lake. Arteon's help had made him stronger and brought him this far.
But Arteon looked at him with a serious face.
"Don't think about dying. Get stronger… much stronger, so that when I need you later, you're still standing beside me."
"I will follow your orders."
I will follow your orders. How reassuring those words were.
Arteon allowed a faint smile and began to meditate quietly inside the tent. Aside from the sentries, every soldier turned in for the night.
Always taut, ready to leap into battle at any moment. In the midst of that tension—
Sss.
Arteon opened his eyes without a sound. When he stepped outside,
"All unit members ready for combat."
The men stood in formation beyond the camp perimeter. Arteon approached. Most of them, except the squad leaders, wore bewildered faces. Hadn't they been told departure was at sunrise? Were they really heading into enemy lines in darkness where visibility was less than a meter?
Arteon scanned the uneasy soldiers for any who might be feeling something different. He could not be certain yet, but a few gave off a faintly odd impression.
Still—
"I know this sudden departure has thrown you. The order came without warning, so snap out of it quickly."
"Squad leaders! The moment the order drops, form tactical formation with your men at once! Freeze on the battlefield and you'll take not only your own life but the lives of the comrades beside you. Remember that!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Grein's bark the squad leaders answered with razor-sharp military discipline.
Arteon continued.
"As of this moment we move on the enemy's right-wing formation. As you can see, visibility is almost nothing. Keep constant watch on the men ahead of you, and check behind often to make sure no one is falling behind."
A strange sense of crisis and tension pressed down on their shoulders. Yet Arteon took the lead and gave Grein a glance.
In that instant—
Flutter!
Grein raised the flag that had been hanging from the tip of his spear. A black spear and shield emblem.
"From this moment we are Silent Spear. Tonight the Kar Tribe will spill rivers of blood on our spears, and by the time the sun rises we will all return here!"
His low, thick voice carried to every man. There was no cheer, yet none could hide the heat boiling inside them.
Then Arteon drew Iglis and poured mana into it.
Crack!
The silver, razor-sharp spearhead shot forward.
"Silent Spear, advance."
Eyes colder than the northern chill itself pierced the darkness and began to move forward.
The plain before Helikel Canyon.
A cold dawn wind swept across the ground, kicking up dust mixed with snow.
The Kar Tribe's left-wing formation.
Houkutaru, who held that ground, rolled his thick shoulders and stared ahead. Three feather tattoos marked his left shoulder. The bizarre tattoos covering his face made his features even more ferocious in the dark.
"Time we started moving."
This newly formed independent unit. He had no idea how skilled they really were, but if he knew the timing and the route they would take, there was nothing to fear. Ambush them on the path and they would be able to do nothing at all.
"Lord Houkutaru, preparations are complete."
"After first light they will move their forces toward us. We ambush them midway and strike."
"Yes."
Solid intelligence from an Imperial spy. Enemy strength, the commander leading them, even the hour. The personal prowess of this Arteon who commanded the independent unit was a slight concern, but—
I am a man who does not fall behind even against four-feather warriors.
He had simply used overly simple tactics until now, so his merits were few; Houkutaru's individual combat power was considerable. If this battle completely annihilated the Empire's independent unit, everything would change. After all, these were the ones who had wiped out the forces led by Marhuldan and Ulke.
Heh heh heh. Kill that one and I'll earn my fourth feather.
Houkutaru gave a low laugh and looked over the gathered warriors.
"Move. Show them what we are."
"Yes!"
"Understood."
"Quiet, you thick-skulled bastards. We move in silence from here. No more answers."
"Yes—ah… mmph…!"
One man answered without thinking and earned a glare, but Houkutaru soon led the warriors toward the planned site.
They had been gone from camp barely twenty minutes when—
Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
A piercing alarm split the night's silence. Houkutaru and his warriors froze as one. The sound came from the completely opposite direction—not the left wing, but the right.
A scream followed at once.
"I-Imperial attack!"
Houkutaru's eyes flashed fiercely. What was this? Completely different time, completely different place from the intelligence.
He clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on the axe.
"C-could it be…?"
False information?
N-no, that can't be…
The spy was reliable. He would never lie. And yet—
"You fucking bastard, how dare youuuuu!"
Realizing he had been played, Houkutaru roared. With that furious cry—
Whoosh!
Flames were already rising in the distance.