The Advance Begins
It was late at night.
The hour when everyone had fallen asleep in preparation for the next day’s advance.
Yet behind the barracks, on dry ground that seemed steeped in emptiness, a black shadow moved with swift purpose.
Swaeek!
A spear shot out as if to tear the empty air, then was reeled back in an instant and spun in a wide circle.
Vargas Northern Spearmanship.
The more one trained in it, the steeper its difficulty became. Yet in pure combat effectiveness it was so overwhelming that the word “dominant” barely did it justice.
Buung!
Even so…
Swaeek! Hwik-hwik! Chwaak!
As Arteon swept the spear through the air, impatience clung to its tip. Vargas Northern Spearmanship was unquestionably superb, but the man wielding it was still far too green.
“Huu…”
Arteon planted the spear upright and let out a quiet breath. He thought back to the surprise attack on the Kar Tribe—to the warlord he had faced then.
If only I had been a little stronger…
He would have shattered the man’s axe and driven the spear straight through his heart. Leaving that enemy alive still left a massive threat hanging over them.
“He’ll be even more thoroughly on guard now.”
Arteon’s still-youthful appearance was a lethal advantage. To any opponent he would look like an unripe greenhorn—and even if they tried not to think that way, instinct would force the assumption. But the next time they met, he would never again enjoy such a favorable opening.
Arteon wiped the sweat from his brow and clenched his fist. He was not wasting a single moment. Measured against his previous life, his growth was almost unbelievably fast… yet still—
I have to become stronger.
He had yet to bare his claws fully. There was no telling when another blade might come flying at his back.
I will never be caught twice.
No—when that moment came, he would swing his spear straight into the path of the blade. For that day, every preparation had to be complete.
And this battle…
“Is simply the next step on that path.”
If they seized Elbarphiel Lake after Helikel Canyon, the Empire would finally possess a solid foothold for a true northern advance. The forces that had been endlessly stoking conflict in the north would suddenly find fire at their feet. They would grow desperate. If the central Imperial armies ever marched north and drove the Kar Tribe back far harder than now—
“Their own positions would shrink.”
One way or another, they would have no choice but to show themselves. That was why this fight mattered more than any before it.
Having ordered his thoughts, Arteon walked calmly away. When the sun rose…
We advance.
His eyes flashed cold as the northern wind.
Deep within the walls, in a room where thick curtains completely sealed off the outside world, wide bookshelves stood alongside rows of keenly honed daggers. At the center sat a man, sunk deep into a high-backed chair, tapping the table with long fingers.
Tuk… tuk…
Then a quiet knock sounded.
“Enter.”
The door opened. A man in a gray uniform stepped in swiftly and closed it behind him.
“Reporting.”
“The Fourth Defense Line?”
“They are moving troops from the northeastern Fourth Defense Line. Orders have already been issued to advance on Elbarphiel Lake.”
At his subordinate’s words the man’s eyes narrowed. Silence stretched for a moment. Then the seated man looked at his subordinate and spoke.
“So Velkain has made his move.”
A thin sneer laced the end of the sentence, carrying quiet mockery. After rocketing up to corps commander on a string of spectacular achievements, the man had clearly gone mad.
“A reckless act. No one has ever seized Elbarphiel Lake.”
“Even if he only retakes the southern shore, Velkain’s standing will rise sharply.”
Internal reports claimed the possibility was real enough. Yet the man shook his head.
“He simply failed to account for other variables.”
“…Sir? Variables?”
“On a battlefield, unexpected variables can always appear, can they not?”
The subordinate swallowed hard without meaning to. He understood all too well what those words meant. He nodded quietly.
“…As you command.”
“Send only a small force.”
“Understood.”
When the subordinate turned and left the room, the man rose and drew the curtain aside a fraction. Beneath the night sky the Empire’s banners were faintly visible.
For the Empire to remain as it was…
We cannot simply leave the north alone.
His ambitious design shot northward like a single sharp dagger.
In the pre-dawn darkness that had not yet fully lifted, the entire formation of the Fourth Defense Line moved in held breath. Couriers raced back and forth delivering orders to each company; short commands sent soldiers’ footsteps moving as one.
The formation slowly compressed toward the north. The companies assigned to the front had already completed their battle lines. Watching them, the men of the 3rd Platoon joining the ranks muttered under their breath.
“Never thought the advance would be decided this fast…”
“Huu… If I make it back from this war, call me Phoenix. I’ve got a really bad feeling this time.”
Victories had come a few times lately, yet the thought still lingered: was it right to move the main force? This was the same main force that had taken a near-fatal blow in the last battle. They tried to soothe themselves, but fear clouded their vision.
Yet—
“Don’t tremble. We’re all coming back alive.”
Arteon stepped forward from behind and spoke to his platoon. Grein asked,
“Where have you been, sir?”
“I met with the company commander. Our platoon has a separate operation.”
“…Sir?”
Grein and the rest of the platoon stiffened. What was this all of a sudden? Confusion lasted only a moment.
Clop, clop.
From the rear, the 1st Company Commander, Hadel, rode toward the 3rd Platoon. His expression was solemn. The moment they saw him, the platoon members turned as one and struck their right fists to their left chests.
“Steel Heart!”
“Steel Heart!”
Hadel nodded at their salute and looked over each man of the 3rd Platoon in turn.
“I trust you have already heard. Effective immediately, the 3rd Platoon will detach from the formation and move forward first. May fortune of war be with you.”
At those words the platoon members’ eyes flickered slightly. What kind of operation required the company commander himself to come and raise their spirits? But once Hadel turned and left, Arteon faced his men.
“We detach from the formation at once and move to the front. Our mission is to reconnoiter for the unit while eliminating any enemy scouts we encounter.”
“…Enemy scouts?”
“Platoon Leader, if I may speak out of turn—didn’t the enemy’s main force suffer a crushing defeat in the last battle?”
“It was our overwhelming victory.”
“Then they shouldn’t have the leisure to run scouts.”
It was a reasonable prediction. But Arteon knew the Kar Tribe better than anyone. That man he had faced—
Ulgraak, was it?
Remembering those eyes, Arteon knew the warlord would never simply withdraw.
A commander of that caliber is rare even on the Kar front lines.
He would already be planning his next move. Or perhaps…
He may already have predicted our attack.
Precisely because they were at a disadvantage, they would prepare all the more meticulously. That was why scouts could not be ruled out. If they could cut off the enemy’s information in this situation—
That alone could completely seize the momentum.
Having settled his thoughts, Arteon looked at the men of the 3rd Platoon before him.
“No need to be afraid from the start. Independent operation or not, we’re still fighting the same war as everyone else.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll follow you, Platoon Leader.”
Under Arteon’s steady gaze the platoon members steeled themselves. No battlefield so far had ever been easy. They had survived even that hellish last battle where they had been nearly annihilated. There was nothing left to fear.
“Then prepare to move out. We leave the moment the main force finishes its preparations.”
“Yes, sir!”
A tension that seemed to squeeze the heart pressed down on the entire unit. Yet Arteon took even that tension as nourishment and waited calmly. When the main force’s preparations were nearly complete, he spoke to his platoon.
“3rd Platoon, move out.”
“Yes, sir!”
With Arteon at the head, the 3rd Platoon began advancing swiftly northward. Watching them from a distance, Bolgren spoke to Hadel with a worried look.
“Will they be all right? It’s only a single platoon.”
“It is the platoon led by the man who stopped a Kar advance with a mere thirty men.”
Hadel, too, had to force down the concern in his eyes as he watched the 3rd Platoon grow smaller. They were called a reconnaissance unit, but in truth their main task was to eliminate any forward-deployed enemy forces.
—The Kar will certainly have pushed scouts forward knowing we would attack. If we take them out, we can completely blind and deafen them.
He could not forget Arteon’s voice, speaking with absolute conviction. That insight, as if he could see through the entire battlefield—something even Hadel, who had spent long years at war, found difficult. Hadel watched the 3rd Platoon disappear, then turned his horse’s head toward the main force.
“We prepare as well.”
“…Understood.”
With the main force’s departure, a war that would decide the fate of the northeast would begin. This battle—
We absolutely must not lose…
A faint unease pressed on his chest, but Hadel brushed it aside and simply gazed north.
Pabat! Tadadak!
The 3rd Platoon plunged into the undergrowth and climbed the hill at speed. For the entire Fourth Defense Line main force to advance on the southern shore of Elbarphiel Lake, they had no choice but to use the broad approach road on the left.
Which means…
From the Kar Tribe’s perspective, this hill was the best place to observe Imperial movements. The terrain was rough—precisely why soldiers could not easily enter, and why it offered safety.
Arteon climbed the slope carefully without neglecting his watch on the surroundings. Yet—
“Platoon Leader. The pace seems too fast.”
At Grein’s voice from behind, Arteon turned to look at his men. They were somehow holding on, but their faces said they were dying.
He let out a small snort of laughter. Even reaching this point would have broken ordinary soldiers. He had expected them to collapse long ago; because they were keeping up better than expected, he had pushed the pace too hard.
“See that ridge up ahead? We rest once we reach it. Hold on a little longer, all of you.”
There was no reply. They lacked even the strength to answer. But their eyes alone showed they were determined to make it.
Arteon slowed and reached the destination he had in mind. Below the hill the main force’s route of advance lay clearly visible.
With enough troops, an ambush from here would be possible.
But given the Kar Tribe’s current state, planting warriors for an ambush was impossible. Recovering from the wounds of the last battle had to be their priority. Scouts, however, were another matter entirely.
They’re definitely…
Arteon rose from where the platoon was resting and spoke to Grein.
“From this moment until my order, hold position here. Post three two-man sentry teams and rotate rest every thirty minutes.”
“Understood. But… where are you going, Platoon Leader?”
“I’m going to reconnoiter the surroundings. A place this advantageous for us is equally so for the enemy.”
“If it’s a perimeter recon, I’ll go with you.”
“Recover your strength. If there are scouts, combat may break out.”
At Arteon’s words the faces of the 3rd Platoon hardened. They might be the ones to open this war.
Grein then addressed the men.
“Except for those on sentry duty, the rest may lie down and rest. Recover your strength in the most comfortable posture possible.”
The instant Grein’s order fell, the platoon members flopped onto the ground and shook out their legs. Recovering stamina by any means necessary was their duty now.
Tadak!
Arteon immediately turned and plunged into the undergrowth. With Grein here he had no worries. What he had to do now was—
They’re definitely… definitely on this side.
He hurried, yet remained calm. Arteon slowly parted the brush and moved forward. And then—
Far ahead, in a place thick with dense undergrowth—
Busseureok!
He saw a subtle movement.
…Found them.
Before he knew it, Arteon’s eyes had become those of a hunter.