The Half-Crouch Run
“One, two, three, four! One-two-three-four…… one-two-three-four!”
The shouts ringing through the camp from early morning drew soldiers out of their tents with curious looks on their faces.
“What the hell? What’s that noise?”
“……Have those guys lost their minds?”
Watching the soldiers running along the outer edge of the camp, men from the other platoons snickered and burst into laughter.
With a battle that could break out at any moment, they needed every scrap of stamina they could save. Seeing someone out there like that first thing in the morning felt both completely alien and ridiculous.
But……
“Louder! Scream it like you mean it!”
“One! Twooo! Threeee! Fooour! One-two-three-four! One-two-three-four!”
Running right alongside the 3rd Platoon men as they kept perfect step was Arteon himself.
The 3rd Platoon’s stamina was solid to begin with. There was a reason they had survived the brutal fights they had already been through.
“That’s enough. Take a short rest and loosen up a little. We’re moving straight into the next drill.”
“Huff…… huff……!”
“Hoo…… shit, I can barely keep up.”
“How the hell does that little body run so well?”
Even unarmored, the pace was no joke. Soldiers who had always prided themselves on their endurance were bent over, gasping for air.
He’s completely fine by himself.
……Just how deep does his stamina go?
They all stared at Arteon with puzzled faces.
But……
……A little more of this and I should be able to circulate the mana cultivation method even while moving.
Arteon himself had been slipping out alone every night while the others slept, driving himself through merciless training. The only reason he could endure it was the superhuman recovery granted by the Vargas Mana Cultivation Method. Training three times harder than anyone else and still recovering faster—that was what made this possible. Of course, none of that effort had ever been easy.
“Listen carefully, all of you.”
At Arteon’s words the platoon members shuffled into place. They still weren’t fully disciplined, but at least they were pretending to listen.
Arteon spoke.
“Starting today we train for what we actually need. We have to master it completely in a short time, so pay attention.”
“……?”
“The training we need?”
“What is it?”
The 3rd Platoon men looked at him with puzzled expressions.
Then Arteon gripped his spear, bent his knees, and dropped into a low stance—neither sitting nor standing, an awkward half-crouch.
Grein asked,
“What…… kind of stance is that, sir?”
The other soldiers were just as curious; they watched Arteon and waited for an answer.
“The area around Elbarphiel Lake is thick with undergrowth. It’s one of the few places in the north where the grass grows that dense.”
Add the rising mist, and securing visibility became the single most important factor on that battlefield.
“If you can move like this in a place like that……”
Shashashashashashashashak!
“……!”
Even though he was half-sitting, Arteon shot forward at terrifying speed. The soldiers’ eyes went wide.
Grein spoke in open shock.
“H-how did you do that, sir?”
“Hoo…… Been a while. A little rusty. I’ll have to push myself harder.”
“……Sir?”
Grein tilted his head at Arteon’s words. A boy who was only fifteen talking about “been a while.” Just how young had he been when he first started doing something this strange?
But Arteon simply looked at his men and continued.
“You need the strength and stamina to keep running at high speed in this stance for at least twenty minutes straight. Above all, you have to strengthen the thighs and ankles…… and here.”
He pointed the tip of his spear at his toes. When the soldiers looked, he said,
“You have to strengthen the toes so you can push off the ground with them like you’re kicking. That’s what lets you move fast.”
If they could master this movement, they could use the mist and undergrowth as cover and slip into the enemy lines at high speed.
The soldiers’ faces turned doubtful.
“Still, that……”
“What good is training like this going to do……? Wouldn’t it be better to just drill spear techniques……?”
“He’s right. How is this supposed to help? What matters is the Kar Tribe, those barbarian bastards……”
But Grein cut them off.
“Understood. We will give everything we have to the training the platoon leader orders.”
“……Vice Platoon Leader?”
The soldiers frowned at how completely obedient Grein had become.
Grein turned his head and looked at them.
“I joined you when you tried to reject the platoon leader. Our lives were on the line, so I understood. But look at yourselves now.”
He put on a deliberately angry expression.
“The platoon leader gave us a chance. We did our absolute best…… and we lost. Are you seriously going to start talking back now?”
“N-no, sir.”
“That’s not what we—”
“W-we weren’t trying to go back on our word. We just…… wondered if this training would actually work……”
Grein cut them off coldly.
“Don’t think. Just do exactly as ordered and give it everything you’ve got. If the results are bad afterward, then you can complain. I’ll speak up with you when that time comes.”
At Grein’s words every soldier lowered his head, faces mixed with shame and regret.
And……
……Not bad at all.
This guy was a real man’s man. He had scolded the men and raised Arteon’s standing at the same time.
And he even slipped in a warning.
“If the results are bad, I’ll protest with you.” That was silent pressure to give their absolute best so the results would be good.
Arteon spoke.
“I know the words ‘trust me’ don’t carry much weight yet. We’ve only known each other for a single day.”
Of course Arteon already knew. He had proven in his previous life exactly how effective this was on the battlefield of Elbarphiel Lake.
There’s more we’ll need, but this is the absolute foundation.
He told the men,
“Form up by squad. We start by walking slowly.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
Whether it was the earlier exchange or not, the soldiers’ eyes now burned with heat. Discipline had snapped into place.
Arteon added,
“And there’s one more thing you need to prepare.”
“……What is it, sir?”
Grein asked for the group.
Arteon smiled faintly.
“Pack full combat gear and wear it for the entire training.”
Their faces went white.
The 3rd Platoon’s strange antics spread through the entire 4th Defense Line in no time.
“……What the hell kind of nonsense is that?”
“I don’t know, but there must be some reason for it.”
“Reason? There’s no reason. He’s just working the men half to death to hammer discipline into them.”
At Bolgren’s words Hadel frowned. He hadn’t liked the boy from the start, and nothing he was doing now made it any better.
But Hadel soon turned back to his documents.
“We’ve received word that the Kar Tribe is moving south with the lake at their backs. Looks like those bastards plan to push their formation lower.”
“……Not holding the lake area, but advancing farther south, sir?”
That could only mean the Kar Tribe intended to expand their territory even more.
Elbarphiel Lake was vital to both the Kar Tribe and the Imperial Army. Its location was the only stretch of flat ground that cut straight through both formations. The surrounding terrain was marshy and hard to move through, while the mist and dense undergrowth created countless infiltration routes. The lake itself mattered less than the overwhelming advantages it provided.
And now……
“If they come south and dig in, it becomes that much harder for us to approach the lake.”
“……We’ll have to prepare for battle quickly.”
“I hear the battalion commander has already gone to report to higher command. From the urgency……”
Hadel fell silent. Given the scale of their recent losses, they needed at least a full month to reorganize, treat the wounded, and restock supplies. But from the current atmosphere……
“At most fifteen days.”
Bolgren’s face hardened.
“Fifteen days…… sir?”
“Only a guess. But the odds of marching within fifteen days are high. Get the men ready in a hurry.”
“……Understood.”
Even a fully prepared battle would produce casualties they could barely estimate. A rushed one after a crushing defeat…… especially with the heavy losses they had already taken……
A shadow fell over Bolgren’s face. For a moment he almost wished he were a combat officer so he could go to the front with the men instead of handling supply.
But……
“……Understood.”
Bolgren had his own duties that only he could perform. As he turned away with a dark expression, Hadel finally let out the sigh he had been holding back.
“Hoo…… damn it.”
How many more dead would there be this time……?
But that was as far as sentiment went. His job was to prepare so they could fight the best possible battle no matter the situation.
Steeling himself, Hadel hurried off somewhere.
Right after morning training ended, while everyone was resting, a soldier suddenly burst into the tent in a panic.
“P-Platoon Leader!”
Arteon turned his head. It was Miro of the 3rd Squad.
“What’s got you so worked up?”
“I just heard from a guy working the situation room…… the next sortie is going to happen within fifteen days.”
“……What?”
“Fuck, what are you talking about?”
“What kind of bullshit is that?!”
Soldiers who had been lying down recovering their exhausted bodies shot upright, cursing. After taking losses this heavy they were going to attack again in only fifteen days? It sounded like a death sentence for all of them.
But Arteon’s face turned grave as his thoughts raced.
I have no information on the situation of the northeastern 4th Defense Line in this period.
In his previous life he had been on the northwestern front at this time. Yet as long as the terrain of Elbarphiel Lake itself had not changed, there were still things he could do.
In this situation the best method is……
Arteon furrowed his brow. First he needed accurate information on exactly what was happening.
“……Huh?”
Something caught his eye—a sack sitting in the corner of the 3rd Platoon’s tent.
“What’s that?”
“Sir? Oh, that? It’s Pimacho, an herb with pain-relieving effects. It grows everywhere near the lake, so we always keep a good stock.”
Soldiers lived with the constant pain of large and small wounds. For them, Pimacho was one of the most essential herbs.
The moment Arteon saw it—
“……That’s it.”
His eyes flashed sharp as a blade.