Silent Spear Deploys
Far beyond the ridges, the sun was sinking, slow and heavy.
The soldiers’ movements grew all the more frantic for it.
“Hurry! The sun’s almost gone!”
Thick breaths burst from men on every side. Wind howled down the encircling ridges, snapping tent canvas like sails.
There was one problem: the basin was narrower than anyone had expected.
The frozen earth resisted even the shovel, and there simply was not enough ground for fifty thousand men to dig in at once. Rear units stood packed at the mouth of the basin, unable to advance a step. At the sight of them, Luokal, commander of the First Regiment, approached Velkain.
“Commander, even if we use every inch of this place we’ll be lucky to fit forty thousand. Any more is impossible.”
“How far along is the tent work?”
“We should finish before full dark. But the rear formations are still waiting behind us. We need a decision soon.”
“Summon the officers.”
At Velkain’s brief order, officers of regiment-commander rank and above gathered in the temporary command tent. The moment the emergency council opened, Luokal spoke.
“The basin is smaller than we thought. The entire force cannot camp here. The good news is that the surrounding hills are low and relatively flat; we can make use of them.”
Having already finished his reconnaissance of the local ground, Luokal delivered the briefing at speed. Sedrian, listening, let out a quiet breath.
“But the wind on those heights is brutal. The men won’t last up there.”
“Which is why the units posted on high ground can rotate with the ones below.”
Luokal had already thought that far. The other officers nodded. There was no perfect solution at hand; the important thing was to keep resentment from festering. If one group alone bore the hardship, discord would sap the army’s spirit.
Velkain spoke.
“Then we proceed that way. Finish the camp before nightfall.”
Torches were already being planted around the basin’s rim, and the tent work on the lower ground—everything except the high ridges—was complete. The meeting broke quickly. Luokal went straight to the Silent Spear unit where Arteon waited.
He looked at Arteon and asked, “Any wounds?”
“Regimental Commander.”
Arteon rose from where he sat and greeted him.
“I’m fine, sir.”
“Because of you, Major Tairen and his men are still alive. Well done.”
Luokal then turned to Kairon, standing beside Arteon.
“You as well. I hear you’re Sir Rionhart’s disciple. It seems the reputation was no exaggeration.”
“……It was nothing, sir.”
Kairon answered with an awkward look. Luokal gave a faint smile, then his gaze drifted toward the Kar Tribe’s lines.
“Still…… the real trouble lies ahead. I hear the ones who hit Major Tairen’s force were from Belikezel.”
Arteon’s eyes shifted, just slightly, and he nodded.
“The supreme commander who held Belikezel, and what was left of his host.”
“……Hah. No small foe, then. If he was the Kar commander of Belikezel…… he was the one with six tattooed feathers, was he not?”
And the man who had once handed Arteon defeat……
Arteon drew a quiet breath, then answered evenly.
“I’ll take him.”
“…….”
A brief silence settled. It felt as though another heavy weight had been laid on Arteon’s shoulders. Luokal looked at him with a grave face.
“How could I not trust you? Without you, the outcome of this war itself becomes uncertain—I know that better than anyone.”
He clapped Arteon lightly on the shoulder, his expression almost apologetic.
“Sorry to keep leaning on you.”
“There’s no need, sir. We can fight because you’re here.”
“Heh…… kind of you to say so.”
After that Luokal gave Arteon a brief account of the emergency council and left. Arteon turned his eyes to the high ground above.
Inside the basin the wind was merely cold. The gusts that tore down the ridges cut like knives into the gut. Pitching tents up there would be pure misery. But someone had to go.
“Assemble the entire unit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Isaac, standing with him, passed the order at once. When every man of Silent Spear had gathered, Arteon climbed the ridge without hesitation.
Earth skittered underfoot; shards of ice spun away on the wind. The blade-cold air sliced their cheeks, yet not a single man complained. Arteon’s word was law to them—and absolute trust.
Arteon spoke to his troops.
“Pitch tents here, quickly. When you dig, put mana into the shovel. Without it the rebound can break a wrist.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Get those tents up! Move!”
As the work began, Arteon moved off and began a rapid search of the ground, as though hunting for something. Then—
Found it.
In a rock crevice sat a reddish herb. Arteon plucked it.
As I thought…… once you climb, you see plenty of it.
On the usual northern frontier where Empire and Kar met, the plant was rare; most men would never have heard of it. Arteon gathered his officers at once. The platoon leaders and above cocked their heads.
“What is that, sir?”
“……Isn’t it just a weed?”
It looked ordinary—nothing special, only a tough-stemmed plant. Arteon answered.
“Emberwisk. A rare herb that grows only in northern rock crevices.”
He crushed the plant with a stone, scraped up a finger’s depth of soil, and mixed the two. A short while later he said,
“Touch the ground here.”
“……?”
“The ground, sir?”
The officers laid their hands on the spot with puzzled faces.
“……!”
“Wha—?!”
Warmth against their palms. Not fierce, but unmistakable: the earth felt warm. Arteon said,
“Crush Emberwisk and mix it with the soil and it generates heat. Do the work before you sleep and it will last until sunrise. Lay it under your tent floors and no one freezes to death.”
The men’s faces came alive at once. In conditions this harsh, the knowledge that a simple plant could mean the difference between life and death was both astonishing and deeply welcome.
The sun finally set and darkness settled. The troops, tents barely finished, hurried to crush Emberwisk into the soil of every floor. The moment full dark fell—
“Send out the scouts.”
Velkain immediately pushed reconnaissance parties toward the Kar positions. From this point even a small mistake could prove fatal. The two main forces were close enough that the slightest opening would let either side launch its full weight.
And in the midst of that—
“…….”
Arteon stood silent on the ridge, looking down on the Kar camp. He had fought the Kar for too many years to believe they would simply sit still. Of all peoples they were the most warlike. They had waited with care until now, yet—
They’ll move soon. Without question.
Whether tonight or tomorrow, he could not say. Only that every sense had to stay razor-sharp.
Isaac approached the motionless figure on the ridge.
“Are you all right, sir?”
“I am.”
Isaac knew Arteon carried an artifact that resisted cold. Even so—
……That wind is cutting flesh.
That Arteon could stand so calmly was both strange and impressive. Isaac went on,
“You should rest a little. If the order to march comes we’ll have to move at once.”
The men of Silent Spear were already resting as thoroughly as they could, keeping peak condition for whatever might come. Arteon only shook his head.
“I’m fine. You go rest as well, Deputy. They’ll move soon enough.”
“……Understood.”
Cold knifed through even winter gear. Isaac nodded and started back toward the tents.
Time passed. The night deepened until, without torchlight, a man could not see a hand in front of his face. It was almost like fighting with eyes closed, yet Arteon spread his senses as wide as he could, braced for anything.
And then—
“……They’re moving.”
Arteon opened his eyes slowly. Far off, a strange, writhing motion brushed his awareness. Them. His gaze locked on the source of the sensation. Who moved mattered more than anything.
Yet the point lay hundreds of meters away in a straight line. And at that point—
Piyuuuuuuuuung!
A red signal flare shot into the sky. Contact with the enemy.
“Alarm! Alarm!”
Deng-deng-deng-deng-deng-deng-deng-deng!
The instant the red flare climbed, the main camp erupted into motion. Units already on standby snatched weapons and armor, spilled from tents, and formed ranks. And—
“Commander!”
Silent Spear, already fully ready, assembled in perfect order. Arteon spoke calmly to his men.
“We move only when the order comes. Keep close to one another and conserve body heat.”
“By platoon—body contact, hold heat! By platoon, close up!”
They moved without needing further instruction. In the north, survival hinged on how little the cold could take from you.
Just as Arteon looked down toward the basin—
“Major Arteon!”
A messenger came sprinting up from below, shouting his name. Every eye in the unit went cold and still. They knew at once what the summons meant.
The messenger said,
“You are ordered to advance to the point of the signal flare and observe the Kar force on its rear. Avoid combat if at all possible—report the enemy’s situation only.”
“If it can be avoided, we will.”
Whether that would prove possible once they tangled with the enemy in this brutal terrain was another matter. Arteon turned to his troops. Every man stood ready, waiting for the word with eyes like drawn steel.
Arteon said,
“Silent Spear—deploy.”
Through the thick dark, the Empire’s sharpest spear shot forward.