The Guide to Helikel Canyon
“What kind of leave ends this early?”
Hendris made no effort to hide his bewilderment as he looked at Arteon, who had returned after a mere ten days.
It had been a full month’s leave. What possible reason could there be to come back so soon?
Arteon answered with an awkward look.
“It just turned out that way. Could you perhaps hold the remaining twenty days in reserve?”
“Regulations don’t allow used leave to be held over. And having a soldier who’s already taken leave hanging around the unit is… well. Hah. This is a first. Puts me in a real bind.”
Hendris burst out laughing.
He had known Arteon was an eccentric soldier, but he had never expected him to go this far.
Then, with a small smile, Hendris said, “For now, wait in the barracks. Things are complicated in more ways than one at the moment.”
“……What’s going on?”
At Arteon’s question, Hendris let out a quiet breath.
“Thanks to you, we scored a major victory on the 1st Line this time. From that battle, the Kar Tribe pulled their formation back and moved into the canyon behind them, or so the reports say…”
Hendris explained the contents of the official dispatch that had come down from above.
“For that reason, they’re currently recruiting soldiers who know the terrain of Helikel Canyon.”
“Helikel… Canyon?”
Arteon’s expression hardened in an instant.
The victory on the 1st Line had been overwhelming, but for the Kar to abandon their existing lines and retreat all the way to Helikel Canyon after a single battle?
If that’s the case…
From the Empire’s perspective, it was an opportunity that absolutely could not be allowed to slip away.
If they could seize Helikel Canyon, they could turn it into a rock-solid defensive fortress.
Moreover, Arteon himself had lived for roughly eight months in the fortress that had once stood there.
No one knew the terrain of Helikel Canyon better than he did.
Arteon spoke.
“I know it. The terrain of Helikel Canyon.”
“You do?”
“Yes. Please recommend me. I know it well.”
Hendris could not hide his flustered expression at Arteon’s firm reply.
Just what kind of man knew the layout of Helikel Canyon—territory that lay beyond their own lines? And a boy of only fifteen at that.
Yet looking at everything Arteon had done so far, had he not already shown far too many things that defied belief?
Hendris nodded without the slightest hesitation.
“Very well. I’ll report it up the chain. Wait in the barracks for now.”
“Heart of Steel! Yes, sir!”
When Arteon returned to the barracks, the squad members stared in open confusion.
“……?”
“What? Why are you back so soon?”
“Has it already been thirty days? It only feels like about ten.”
They each tossed out a startled remark. Arteon gave a short laugh and held out what he had brought.
“Dried fruit. Share it around.”
“F-fruit!”
“Whoa! As expected, Squad Leader’s got a different sense for these things…!”
Soldiers sometimes managed to pick fruit from the occasional tree, but eating fruit on the northern front was never easy. Dried fruit like this concentrated the sweetness far beyond the fresh kind, making it a precious treat for the men.
Arteon watched his squad mates divide the dried fruit and let out a quiet chuckle.
Scraping together every last coin to buy it had been worth it.
Not long after, however—
“Sergeant Arteon! The Division Commander summons you!”
It was a messenger sent by Velkain.
Judging by the haste…
Looks like something urgent.
Perhaps returning early from leave had been a stroke of pure luck.
Arteon followed the messenger straight to Velkain’s tent.
“Heart of Steel! Sergeant Arteon, reporting to the Division Commander!”
In his previous life he had barely set foot in the Division Commander’s tent more than a handful of times. Now it was beginning to feel almost familiar.
Velkain raised a hand slightly at the saluting Arteon and went straight to the point.
“You claim to know the terrain of Helikel Canyon?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How do you know it?”
At Velkain’s question, Arteon thought, Here it comes.
If I say I lived there before I died, they’ll just call me a madman…
He had already prepared a suitable excuse.
“I learned it from my father before I came here.”
“Your father?”
“Yes. My father took a great interest in the Northern Front. He told me many stories about the old terrain and the battles fought there—land that has since been lost.”
“……You had that kind of background.”
Helikel Canyon itself had still been Imperial territory a little over a decade ago. It had simply been a long time since the Kar Tribe pushed south and seized it.
Velkain wore a faintly puzzled look, but he nodded all the same.
Ervan, standing beside him, stepped closer to Arteon.
“Then can you draw the terrain of Helikel Canyon as well?”
“Yes. My drawing skill isn’t the best, so I can’t make it exact, but…”
Arteon took the paper on the table and began sketching the canyon’s layout in broad strokes.
Helikel Canyon remained vivid in his mind. He rapidly drew the central passage that cut through the gorge, the branching side canyons, and even the inner terrain.
As the map took shape on the paper, neither Velkain nor Ervan could hide their surprise.
“Hmm… At this level, it would be no exaggeration to say you’ve actually been there.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think this drawing alone would be enough to train other soldiers.”
The only real regret was that his artistic skill had not quite kept pace with his knowledge.
Still, the canyon Arteon had drawn matched the known features of Helikel Canyon in so many places that it was clear his claim was no lie.
Velkain spoke.
“The Kar Tribe is currently pulling its forces back into Helikel Canyon to reorganize. If we give them more time, they will replenish their numbers and push south toward the 1st Line again.”
Arteon listened in silence.
“We have no intention of missing this chance. We plan to form a special unit with a small force, cross the canyon, move deep inside, strike the enemy from the rear, and then have the main army assault the canyon at that moment.”
If they succeeded, Helikel Canyon would be reclaimed for the first time in more than ten years.
“Can you serve as the guide for that special unit?”
Velkain’s eyes settled into a calm, steady depth as he asked the question.
This could prove more dangerous than any operation they had undertaken so far. Even success carried a high chance of never returning alive. It was not the kind of mission into which they could force a reluctant soldier.
Only those ready to stake their lives with desperate resolve had any hope of pulling it off.
Yet—
“If you entrust it to me, I will risk my life and give everything I have!”
There was not a trace of hesitation in Arteon’s answer.
At that, Velkain rose from his seat.
“You may return.”
“Heart of Steel! Sergeant Arteon. I take my leave!”
Once Arteon had gone, the conversation continued.
“It may not be certain.”
“It would not be too late to decide after we conduct a reconnaissance with that soldier along.”
This was an operation that could become a critical turning point in the Empire’s history. They could not launch it recklessly—yet neither could they keep tapping the same stone bridge forever.
The present uncertainty was frightening and dangerous, but—
“Now is the time to draw the sword and advance.”
Velkain’s conviction was absolute.
Ervan nodded.
“I agree. After we first reconnoiter with that soldier… if the possibility looks real, then we proceed.”
“Then summon the officers at once. We will begin with reconnaissance through the special unit.”
“Understood.”
As Ervan left the tent, Velkain stepped outside as well and gazed northward.
Now…
It is our turn to attack.
The atmosphere in the unit began to shift, little by little.
Rumors had started to spread.
“What… I heard we’re preparing to attack first. Have you heard anything?”
“Well, it’s true some official document about Helikel Canyon came down this time…”
“Come on, no way.”
For a long time the Empire had done nothing but defend the Northern Front. An attack?
Most soldiers refused to believe the sudden rumor, and more than a few were afraid. Simply holding the line against Kar warriors was already overwhelming; the idea of marching into their own formation was hardly welcome.
But then—
“Arteon, the Company Commander is summoning you.”
At Hendris’s words, Arteon rose from his seat.
The signal had finally come.
He went straight to Captain Reihen Brams, commander of the 3rd Company.
Come to think of it, he had met Division Commander Velkain several times already, yet he had almost never spoken directly with the 3rd Company Commander.
“Heart of Steel! Sergeant Arteon, reporting to the Company Commander.”
“Sergeant Arteon. You roughly know why I called you, don’t you?”
A square-jawed face, thick stubborn-looking lips, and rather fierce eyes. Reihen studied Arteon as he asked the question.
Arteon nodded.
“I have an idea, sir.”
“We are currently forming a special unit for reconnaissance of Helikel Canyon. You will accompany them as the guide.”
The higher-ups had made the decision with considerable caution. The operation was that important—and at the same time, one that absolutely could not be allowed to fail.
Success would mean the historic recapture of Helikel Canyon. But—
If it fails…
Losing elite troops could push the 1st Line back. Worse, it could force the entire Northern Front to retreat.
Reihen spoke with a stern expression.
“This is an operation that must succeed. Your performance… will be critical.”
“……I will do my utmost.”
It was all the present Arteon could say.
The answer seemed to satisfy Reihen well enough. He nodded.
“Then follow the soldier waiting outside. May martial fortune go with you.”
“Heart of Steel!”
Arteon clenched his right fist, pressed it to his left chest in salute, and turned at once.
The soldier waiting outside looked at him.
“Heart of Steel!”
“Heart of Steel. What’s your rank?”
“Corporal Bilk, sir. It’s an honor to guide you, Sir Arteon.”
“……You know me?”
“I was on the 1st Line as a supply soldier. I saw you fight the Kar middle warrior with my own eyes.”
He gazed at Arteon as though he had met a living legend.
After the battle on the 1st Line, Arteon had already become famous throughout the company—and the entire division.
Arteon simply nodded and followed him.
And then—
“Looks like everyone’s gathered now.”
“……!”
The moment Arteon saw the man who appeared to be the commander of the special unit, his pupils trembled.
To think this person would be here…
Perhaps this operation would write an entirely new page in the kingdom’s history.