The Master's Recommendation
“Arteon.”
The northern wind had settled into a gentle calm as the officers dispersed to their posts. Arteon, making his way back toward his men, turned at the voice that called from behind.
“Might I have a word with you for a moment?”
Arteon wore a puzzled look at Velkain’s somewhat unusual demeanor, yet he answered at once.
“Yes, sir.”
He followed the commander back into the tent. Outside, the sentries on watch drew back to a respectful distance, leaving the immediate area around the tent empty of any ears.
The atmosphere was so different from usual that Arteon asked carefully,
“……What is it, sir?”
“Before that—how was your meeting with His Highness the First Prince?”
“……?”
The question caught him off guard, but Arteon answered with calm composure.
“I am hardly in a position to judge such a person, but in my personal view, he seemed a fine man.”
“I see.”
As though holding something back, Velkain took a seat and regarded Arteon. The silence did not last long.
“Do you intend to remain here?”
“……Sir?”
It was a short, simple question, yet its meaning was hard to grasp. Velkain continued in an even tone.
“The Empire is on the verge of being torn apart by the power struggle between the First and Second Princes. With His Majesty’s illness, no one knows when he might pass.”
Arteon’s eyes narrowed sharply. He had vaguely anticipated something of the sort, yet he had not expected Velkain to speak of it so directly. He remained silent and listened intently.
“The fight for the throne between the two Highnesses is fiercer than one might think. And depending on the outcome…… the situation here in the North could change completely.”
Concern for the North and for the Empire. Velkain had framed it as a possibility—that things could change completely—but Arteon knew all too well what that meant. In the future he remembered, once the Second Prince seized power, a merciless storm of blood had swept through the North without fail. In the end there had even been the tragedy of soldiers of the same Empire dying at one another’s hands. He had experienced their cruelty firsthand; understanding it required no effort.
Yet why was Velkain confiding this to him now?
“Still…… I do not quite understand why you are telling me this, sir.”
Arteon set his own emotions aside and probed for Velkain’s intent. In this moment, analysis had to come before feeling.
“…….”
Velkain studied him in silence, briefly weighing whether speaking so soon was premature. Then he laid his concern bare.
“I…… would like you to help this North…… and to help His Highness the First Prince.”
At those words Arteon’s expression shifted unmistakably. He had never imagined that the Ogre of Benhard would make such a political statement. No—it was not merely political. Whatever else it was, the decision was bound tightly to the future of the North itself.
Velkain pressed on.
“The reason we have been able to push north and focus on the fight against the Kar Tribe is entirely thanks to the support of the First Prince. Had he not persuaded the nobles and the central powers…… this place would have remained nothing more than a meat grinder that only poured out blood.”
That much was true. Arteon knew it better than anyone. Without the First Prince’s backing, they could never have achieved results like these. It would have been the same meaningless deaths and endless conscriptions as before.
“So for the time being I intend to fortify our positions thoroughly and concentrate on extracting the resources of the plains. Once those resources are secured, the justification and legitimacy for the northern advance will stand far firmer even within the Empire.”
Securing northern resources. It was no mere economic plan; it was a political certificate that would underwrite the entire northern policy—and it would naturally lend strength to the First Prince.
Arteon listened quietly and gave a small nod. Velkain finished in the same even voice.
“In any case, I believe I have conveyed my thoughts to you sufficiently. Whether you accept them or not is for the lieutenant to decide.”
The air inside the tent settled into stillness. Arteon did not look away from that gaze. After a moment Velkain’s lips curved in a faint smile and he leaned back in his chair, his expression lighter than before—as though he had set down some heavy burden.
Yet his words were not finished.
“What I am about to say now is different from the weighty matter we just discussed.”
“I am listening, sir.”
“Haha. No need to take it so heavily. This is a personal recommendation of sorts, but I believe it will also be of help to you.”
“……?”
When Arteon looked puzzled, Velkain continued.
“You sparred with Sir Svein yesterday. Did you gain anything from it?”
“Yes, sir. It was a valuable experience. I came to understand clearly where I still fall short.”
Arteon spoke while recalling the bout with Svein. The man was without question one of the ten strongest in the Empire. That fluid swordsmanship and flawless control of aura were things even the present Arteon could not yet hope to match.
Velkain nodded at the answer.
“That is why Sir Svein made a separate request of me. If we are not advancing north for a while, there is a place he would like to recommend you to.”
“……A recommendation, sir?”
Arteon tilted his head. Velkain’s eyes grew a shade more serious.
“Lieutenant, have you ever heard the name Rionhart?”
“……Rionhart. Forgive me, sir—I have never heard it before.”
Arteon shook his head. Even searching every memory of his previous life, the name was entirely new.
Velkain nodded.
“That is understandable. He withdrew into seclusion some ten years ago, and his name has largely been forgotten since.”
“What sort of man is he, sir?”
“He is the master who raised Sir Svein. And not only him—nearly every knight and commander of renown in the Empire today has received his instruction at least once.”
“…….”
Arteon’s pupils wavered. For Velkain to speak of this now could mean only one thing.
“If you are willing, Sir Svein’s request is that we send you to him.”
“……!”
Arteon’s eyes flew wide. From his previous life until this very moment, he had never once received direct instruction from anyone. Everything he knew had been forged through pure experience, and in this life he had absorbed Vargas’s knowledge and made it his own. Yet Vargas Northern Spearmanship had been optimized for Vargas himself. Arteon’s body, still not fully grown, could not yet draw out its full potential. He had already felt the need for proper training……
“The battlefield as a teacher. That is fine in its way, yet it holds far too many dangers.”
A battlefield was a place where one inevitably fought with life and death on the line. No matter how strong a man was, no one could guarantee what might happen.
“You have already come close to death twice since arriving here.”
Once on a reconnaissance mission. Once more while fighting Krelmuk.
“It was nothing short of heaven’s luck that you survived. But…… how long do you think that luck will hold?”
“…….”
Worry seeped into Velkain’s eyes. Setting aside the political struggle between the First and Second Princes, Arteon was already an indispensable talent to the Empire. Losing such a man would be a national loss.
Yet……
“If you do not wish it, there is no need to force the matter.”
One could not compel a man against his will. When Velkain took a step back, Arteon started and spoke quickly.
“No, sir. I was only wondering whether I am someone worthy of such a recommendation.”
“…….”
Velkain regarded him steadily.
“You seem not to realize just how remarkable a man you are.”
“……You flatter me, sir.”
Arteon answered with an awkward look. A small smile touched Velkain’s lips.
“Then I shall inform Sir Svein.”
“I am grateful for the commander’s consideration.”
Arteon snapped to attention and saluted. Velkain rose, stepped close, and gave Arteon’s shoulder a light clap.
“Even now, when I look at you I still recall the eyes I first saw.”
Eyes like those of a fierce beast just unleashed—raw and unpolished. Yet paired with thoroughly calculated, flawless action. Eyes that seemed to see exactly what needed to be done in order to move forward.
“That is why I am curious about the man you will become. And if the day ever comes when we conquer this North and bring it into the Empire……”
Velkain stepped toward the tent flap. As Arteon followed, the commander spoke in a low voice.
“Somehow I feel you will be at the very tip of that spear.”
“…….”
It almost sounded like a farewell.
“I look forward to your continued exploits.”
“I will give my utmost, Commander.”
And…… thank you.
Arteon simply bowed his head in silence, letting the gesture carry everything he felt.
Word from Velkain must have reached him, for Arteon sought out Svein, who had summoned him.
“I heard from Lieutenant General Velkain. You have accepted my proposal?”
“It is such an honor that I worry only that my own shortcomings may bring shame upon the recommendation.”
Svein recalled their sparring match of a few days earlier. A man of this caliber and talent could hardly be lacking. And yet……
“He is an eccentric fellow. I am half afraid I will end up apologizing for having introduced you.”
In Svein’s memory his master was a bizarre and cantankerous man with scarcely a normal bone in his body. Many of great skill were said to have received “a little” of his teaching—
The truth is…… most of them simply could not endure it and fled.
Svein himself had lasted “quite” a long while among those disciples, and that was why he believed he had reached such a high realm.
“In the art of teaching, I consider him the greatest the Empire has ever produced. And…… this arrangement was made possible by His Highness the First Prince, so be sure to thank him.”
“……Yes, sir.”
It felt as though a debt had been incurred, yet he could not refuse now. This might be the chance to break through the wall that currently blocked him.
Svein held out a letter of recommendation he had already prepared. But then—
“Mind you, the letter is one thing; the choice is still his. Do not rest easy. As I said, he is an extremely eccentric man.”
“…….”
Just how eccentric could the man be, that Svein felt the need to emphasize it so strongly?
I’ll know once I meet him.
Though a touch of doubt lingered, Arteon gripped the recommendation letter tightly.
And now the most important matter of all.
That day was drawing near.