Bound for Elbarphiel Lake
"He returned to the North, you say?"
"Yes. Due to Nocturne's failure, not only the capital guards but even the Imperial Guard have tightened their watch. There was nothing more that could be done."
Count Valenruuk sealed his lips at his subordinate's report. The image of that lowborn soldier who had dared act insolent before him flickered stubbornly before his eyes.
"A brat who doesn't know his place. One imperial commendation and he thinks the whole world belongs to him."
Well — how could he not? For a commoner even to set foot inside the Imperial Palace was an achievement in itself. And that skill of his, cutting down a mid-rank Nocturne assassin so easily…
"Dig into his background. Find out where he comes from, and look into his family and anyone connected to him."
"Understood."
The subordinate was already well-versed in this sort of work. If you could not touch a man directly, you struck at those around him until his spirit crumbled completely — that was Count Valenruuk's way.
As the subordinate turned to leave the room—
"Ah, and… it seems collections from Plencron have been slowing down a bit. Get in touch with him again."
"…That merchant, my lord?"
"Yes. He's been rather hesitant ever since Moldrek died… but he still has work to do. Think of how much that bastard gorged himself on through Moldrek."
"He does seem to have been holding back somewhat since Moldrek's death."
"Heh. Those circumstances are none of my concern. He's already crossed a line he can never uncross."
The subordinate nodded at Count Valenruuk's words.
"Understood. I'll send a letter to Plencron as well. Is there anything else you require?"
"Just handle these quickly."
"Yes, my lord."
Once the subordinate left, Edrian Valenruuk rose from his seat and walked to the window. Warm sunlight poured over the garden, and songbirds flitted about, chirping. But unlike here, the North would be a place filled only with bone-chilling cold.
I'll show you that the cold of the North isn't the only thing you should fear — what true terror really is.
The price for daring to reject my offer…
Unlike the sunlight beyond the window, a smile as cold as the northern chill settled on Count Valenruuk's lips.
Work on building a fortress after the recapture of Helikel Canyon was well underway. Most of the soldiers from the old 1st Defense Line had been poured into the construction site.
"We're being transferred somewhere else?"
"There's no longer any need for reinforcements at the 1st Defense Line. So the 3rd Company will probably be moved elsewhere."
"Wonder where we'll end up…"
"Wherever it is, it'll be less dangerous than the 1st Defense Line, right? That's a good thing."
At Arteon's words, the men of the 4th Squad each tossed out a remark. Raymon, who had been quietly sharpening his blade where he sat, finally spoke up to the others.
"Wherever we go, we just do our jobs. And now we have to train like our lives depend on it again."
Raymon looked at Arteon.
"Squad Leader, when are you planning to start training?"
"Is what we're doing now not enough?"
"It's just… I feel like we need to do more."
Until now they had managed only the bare minimum of stamina drills, never knowing when the next battle might crash down on them. Their endurance had improved a great deal compared to before, and with it their odds of surviving on the battlefield — but still.
"Somehow… little by little, I get greedy. Watching you, Squad Leader."
At those words the other squad members turned serious eyes on Arteon as well. Looking at their faces—
These guys…
He couldn't be sure, but they had clearly talked something over among themselves. A hunger to grow stronger than they were now had taken root. No longer content merely to scrape through each day, they had resolved to accomplish something with their own strength.
"…All right. If that's what you want."
Arteon rose from his seat. In his previous life he had never crossed paths with these men, but in this one they were the first squad he had ever claimed as his own.
Just then—
"Sergeant Arteon. The Division Commander is calling for you."
"The Division Commander?"
They had only returned to the unit a day ago. What could this be about? Setting aside thoughts of training with his squad, Arteon followed the messenger to the Division Commander's office with a flicker of regret.
"Heart of Steel! Sergeant Arteon, reporting to the Division Commander."
"How does it feel to be back with the unit? Those few days in the capital must still be lingering."
"I've already forgotten them and finished adjusting to the unit."
"Good."
Velkain allowed a faint smile. Then his expression turned serious as he addressed Arteon.
"I called you about your transfer. The 3rd Company is scheduled to move to the 3rd Defense Line in a week."
The 3rd Defense Line lay a considerable distance east of the 1st. Among the northwestern battlefields it was relatively quiet, and with a fortress to anchor the defense it was quite secure. In some ways, it was even a place where one might catch one's breath.
But—
"I've been thinking it might be better for you to go to the Northeast."
"…The Northeast, sir?"
Arteon's gaze settled into calm stillness. The Northeast was every bit as fierce as the Northwest, and depending on the sector there were places more dangerous than the 1st Defense Line. Besides—
If it's the Northeast… then that would mean…
Things he would need to obtain in the future — things tied to the Northeast — flashed through his mind. Until now he had never had reason to head that way, so he had kept putting it off.
Arteon asked Velkain,
"Division Commander… are you being promoted, by any chance?"
"Sharp eye. In a few days someone will come from the Imperial Palace, and I'll be promoted to Corps Commander. At the same time, General Karureltian, who has been overseeing the North, will retire, and I will take over his duties."
"…"
Arteon could not hide his surprise. That meant the entire North would soon move under Velkain's authority. It was something that had never happened in his previous life.
Did someone in the Imperial Palace throw their full weight behind this?
From the perspective of the faction that needed to keep conflict simmering in the North, Velkain was an awkward presence — a true soldier who ignored noble or commoner birth and appointed people solely on merit. And Velkain's greatest goal was to end the war in the North. For a man like that to become Corps Commander…
Still, for now… can I take it that the two sides are roughly evenly matched?
Whatever the case, the present situation was more than favorable for Arteon as well.
Velkain rose and turned to the map of the North hanging behind him — a chart showing the Empire's northern borders and the current state of its battlefields. His gaze settled on Helikel Canyon.
"Retaking Helikel Canyon in the Northwest will have a major impact on the entire northwestern theater. Once the fortress in the canyon is complete, rapid support to other fronts will become possible, and that will be a tremendous advantage in the fighting ahead."
By contrast, the Northeast had not produced a single noteworthy victory in years. It was a battlefield that simply endured — and the phrase fit perfectly. Far more soldiers were dying there than in the Northwest, and the need for reinforcements was desperate. If skilled soldiers began transferring there one by one, Velkain believed, the situation might improve even a little.
But…
Looked at another way, it could be seen as shoving a man toward his death. Especially in Arteon's case — he had earned the right to choose his own posting.
Even if he left the North entirely… there would be no way to stop him.
From the standpoint of a man who would soon have to manage the entire northern theater, it was deeply regrettable.
But—
"I'll do it."
"…What?"
For a moment Velkain doubted his own ears. Had he misheard? But Arteon spoke again in a voice that did not waver.
"I'll go to the Northeast. I want to be of use to you, sir — soon to be Corps Commander Velkain."
"…Can you truly do that?"
"Of course."
Transferring to the Northeast was, in many ways, accepting considerable danger.
But…
If this posting could ease the situation in the Northeast even a little—
I can earn the complete trust of Velkain once he becomes Corps Commander.
The rank of Corps Commander stood near the very peak of military power. Above it, aside from the Supreme Commander who oversaw the entire Imperial army, there was effectively only the Emperor. And their aims already aligned when it came to rooting out the Imperial spies colluding with the Kar tribe.
If Velkain doesn't die as meaninglessly as he did in my previous life…
There was a real chance of turning the North's difficult situation decisively for the better.
There was just one condition.
I need to gain something from this as well.
Arteon looked at Velkain and spoke.
"However, there is something I would like to request of you in connection with this, Division Commander."
"If it's something I can do, I'll consider it. Speak."
"Please send me to the battlefield that holds Elbarphiel Lake in the Northeast."
"…Elbarphiel Lake?"
That was Kar tribe territory near the 4th Defense Line of the Northeast. Velkain asked with a puzzled look.
"Is there a reason you want to go there?"
"Elbarphiel Lake is vast enough that the surrounding area is frequently shrouded in mist and frost, with localized blizzards as well. But in the harsh terrain of the Northeast, the Kar use the lake's waterways for rapid resupply."
Arteon continued in a calm, measured voice.
"If we seize the southern shore of Elbarphiel Lake, they will no longer be able to use those waterways… and we, in turn, will be able to draw drinking water and emergency provisions from the lake itself."
The North was a land where nothing was abundant. In such a place, the resources a lake could provide were small but critically important.
Especially for the Kar tribe, who are chronically short on supplies.
But that was only the public justification. What Arteon was truly after was—
I need to find the ancient temple beneath the southern wall of the lake.
And the Ether's Heart that lay within it.
In the original timeline it would only appear some six or seven years from now, and the conditions for discovering the ancient temple that housed Ether's Heart were extremely strict. Every three years the lake's water level dropped, and only then did the entrance to the temple reveal itself. At all other times it lay submerged and impossible to locate, made even harder to find by the perpetual mist. But Arteon knew the exact location of the entrance. In his previous life, Moldrek's greed had driven them to scout the area.
I had planned to go there later, once I eventually moved to the Northeast…
But if this deployment could push the Kar back as far as Elbarphiel Lake—
I can claim the merit of that victory… and Ether's Heart along with it.
Arteon's eyes gleamed.
"That is why I request a posting to the 4th Defense Line of the Northeast."
At Arteon's words, Velkain nodded.