40. The King's Legacy (1)
[Estel Northeast Frontline]
“It’s been a full fortnight since Marquis Frank arrived on the other side of the Reinhardt River! And here we are, stuck in place—what the hell are we supposed to do about it?!”
Former Commander Wilhelm Bats was bellowing at his squad leaders.
“It’s those damn dwarves digging traps everywhere like vermin. That’s why we can’t advance.”
“Exactly. Gigants keep sinking into the ground every other day—it’s driving us insane. And we can’t just carve new paths through the mountains...”
The squad leaders were just as frustrated.
They’d face death fighting Estel’s Magic Knights without hesitation, but no Magic Knights had shown so much as a glimpse. Instead, the traps scattered across every pass were draining their very souls.
“Enough excuses! Give me solutions!”
“If the Gigants are delayed, why not send infantry or riflemen ahead to flush out the dwarves?”
“And if even one Magic Knight pops out like last time? Total annihilation. You think we don’t know that?”
“But at this rate, we’ve got no way forward.”
“That’s why we’re all here. Figure it out! Now!”
“......”
But they were all mute as clams.
“Damn it, we’ll be here forever at this rate!”
If they couldn’t cross this mountainous region and strike the enemy’s rear, Dresden Territory’s main force waiting at the frontline couldn’t ford the Reinhardt River. To secure a stable crossing, they had to drive off Estel’s artillery and magic battalions lurking on the far bank. Otherwise, the rafts carrying heavy Gigants could shatter and sink in the raging currents.
Estel’s forces knew this full well, which was why they’d stationed dwarves here to tie up their boots.
Viper’s gaze—earned from his viper moniker—turned to Snow.
“Snow, why’re you so quiet? Everyone’s saying you’re the ace of our 2nd Battalion. Isn’t this when an ace steps up?”
“...”
Snow narrowed her eyes at the former commander’s blatant pressure.
“What? Nothing? Then find something! Starting tomorrow, 7th Squad takes point! Even if your Gigants shatter, you advance no matter what!”
“Yes, sir!”
She gave the reply, but what sharp idea could Snow Austin possibly have? Unless she could see through the earth, there was no dodging the dwarves’ elusive traps snaking through mountains and soil.
“Damn! We’re done here. Everyone out!”
Snow stepped out of the battalion command tent. As she walked, she let out a short sigh and glanced at the sky.
“Hoo! War’s no joke.”
Hunting monsters in the Great Forest seemed preferable.
‘Young Lord Wayne’s probably doing fine... right?’
She wasn’t too worried about the young lord who’d shown talent in Odd and Gigants. But sending him off with just three cadet Gigant pilots and seniors who couldn’t even handle Odd gnawed at her.
‘I’ve got to overcome this somehow myself!’
Snow clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. Shining in this critical moment would catch Viper Battalion Commander’s eye—and reach Vice Commander Boltain or Lord Frank’s ears. This was a crisis, but also an opportunity.
“Ma’am! Snow Squad Leader, we’ve got a visitor!”
“Hm? A visitor?”
What guest visits a battlefield? Returning to 7th Squad’s camp, she spotted a familiar face.
“Huh? Young Lord Wayne?”
Snow’s face lit up the instant she saw him.
“Hey! Heard you’re struggling, Squad Leader Snow.”
“No, what brings you here?”
Her expression mixed joy and confusion.
“Me? Here to get you promoted.”
“Pardon?”
Wayne had already exchanged greetings with her squad members. Perhaps thanks to their shared orc subjugation, there was no awkwardness.
Then Snow’s eyes caught a 10-meter black Gigant looming behind him.
“Is that... a 1st-class Gigant?”
“Nah, it’s just big—performance-wise, it’s 3rd-class level.”
“Ah!”
A massive wolf lay obediently beside Wayne.
“What’s with the wolf?”
“This guy? Top-secret weapon.”
“Secret weapon?”
Snow took it as lighthearted banter from Wayne.
“Let’s head to your tent first. It’s been a while.”
“Pardon?”
Snow’s cheeks flushed pink.
Wayne entered her tent ahead.
“Squad Leader, what’re you doing? Not going in?”
Deputy Squad Leader Argen squinted with a shady glint.
“We’ll talk later.”
“Huh? I didn’t do anything!”
Snow followed Wayne into the tent.
“Snow, still just a squad leader? Didn’t you say next time we meet, you’d be battalion commander?”
“No, Young Lord, you came too early.”
“Is that so?”
Wayne chuckled.
He hadn’t planned to come to the frontlines until after absorbing Bras’s Odd anyway.
“I heard bits about this from the Great Forest, but what’s the situation like?”
“Hoo! War’s all about timing, but we gave Estel Kingdom too much of it.”
Wayne already knew. The grand territories had bickered over prime land, delaying the war by three months even after forces assembled.
“That’s why dwarf tribes from the Sierra Mountains joined, and Francois Kingdom’s Magic Knights are pouring into Estel. The longer we stall, the more enemies we face.”
“Makes sense. And dwarves are the issue?”
“Yes.”
Snow explained the local troubles to Wayne.
“So solid ground just collapses out of nowhere?”
“Yes. Especially when their Magic Knights pop out occasionally—the ground looks fine where they stand, so our Gigants charge in, and suddenly it caves like a sinkhole. Magic Knights and Gigants weigh about the same, too. No idea what dwarf trickery this is.”
Wayne nodded quietly after listening.
“Dwarf magic.”
“Pardon? Magic?”
“Never mind. How’s your Odd progress?”
“Yes! Thanks to you, the blockages are clearing bit by bit.”
“Bit by bit?”
Wayne tilted his head. Cassnet’s swordsmanship didn’t seem to help much.
“Give me your hand.”
“Pardon?”
Snow’s face burned.
—The person I like... it’d be nice if he lived long.
She recalled Wayne’s words when he gave her Cassnet’s sword manual.
Wayne seized her unguarded hand.
“Hold still.”
He breathed in Odd, accelerated it, and channeled it over.
“Huh?”
Snow jolted. She knew Wayne could transfer Odd to others, but experiencing it was new.
Wayne’s Odd spread through every corner of her body.
‘More Odd than I thought!’
Wayne was mildly surprised. Snow’s Odd reserves were over twice Nancy’s, even more than his pre-Bras absorption. Her flow was natural too—high Odd affinity.
But for 2nd-class Gigant piloting and three-plus hours of intense combat, she’d need two or three times more.
“Show me Cassnet’s swordsmanship.”
“Here?”
“Too cramped? Outside then.”
They headed to the forest beside camp. Snow began the forms; Wayne watched with Odd Eyes.
Concise yet precise motions, thrusting like lightning. Midway, Odd gathered across her body, swelling until it unleashed fiercely forward.
Odd drained rapidly then, while ambient Odd began absorbing into her.
‘To see Cassnet’s swordsmanship like this again...’
Memories of Cassnet furrowed Wayne’s brow, but his eyes stayed on Snow.
“Hooo!”
Snow steadied her breath after the routine.
“Impressive.”
“Thank you.”
“Why stop before fully expending Odd at the end?”
“Because we might deploy anytime. I always keep half in reserve.”
Wayne pinpointed the issue instantly. Cassnet’s art fully depletes Odd at the finale, rapidly absorbing ambient Odd for massive gains. Halting at half yielded only marginal increases. At this rate, five more years to 2nd-class Gigant.
Snow was 24—battalion commander by 29 was fast, but Wayne wasn’t satisfied. She’d soon be essential to him.
‘Guess I’ll have to help.’
“Sit there a sec. Tell me when you feel Odd in your heart.”
“What’re you doing?”
“Giving you a gift. I’ll explain as we go.”
Like with Curtis and Sera, Wayne planned to accelerate her internal Odd and form an Odd Hole in her heart. Once complete, leave Odd only in the hole, expend the rest with Cassnet’s art—the boosted absorption would massively expand her reserves.
Snow grimaced through the pain of blades carving her insides and her heart being wrung.
But Wayne’s explanation steeled her resolve.
“Hoo! That’s enough for today.”
He released her hand.
“Feel Odd in your heart?”
“Yes. It’s spinning fiercely even now.”
“Should form in about a week.”
Snow reacted far faster than Curtis or Sera. Wayne’s boosted Odd helped, but those two had five years of blockages to clear; Snow breathed Odd daily, skipping that step.
Kukukukung!
The ground shook like an earthquake.
“What’s that?”
Kwaaaang!
A roar rose with pale dust over camp.
“Something’s up with the squad!”
They raced to 7th Squad’s site.
Wayne and Snow couldn’t believe their eyes. A massive hole gaped in the squad camp’s center.
Argen and cavalry leader Chris rushed up.
“Squad Leader, big trouble!”
“What happened?”
“Young Lord Wayne’s Gigant suddenly sank into a pit.”
“What?”
Even Wayne couldn’t spot the Steel Golem. But he wasn’t worried. Exhaling Odd, he sensed it 70 meters underground.
“See the Gigant?”
“No, sir. Hole’s too deep.”
“Bad! Get ropes!”
Soldiers moved briskly. Dwarves had dug 20-meter traps before to halt Gigants—pilots could escape with effort. But Wayne’s was empty and too deep; dwarves might claim it.
“Snow, why the rush?”
“We have to retrieve it. Or dwarves’ll steal it.”
“Yeah?”
Wayne pondered briefly.
“Then leave it.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s fine. They can’t move my Gigant anyway.”
“But it’s your Gigant, Young Lord. If we don’t recover it now, it’s gone.”
“Nah. It’ll be our Trojan Horse later.”
“Trojan... what?”
“Send a pursuit squad down? They’ll get buried alive by dwarf magic. They control the earth’s flow.”
Snow couldn’t follow. Dwarf magic? Earth flow? He’d never mentioned such things before. And now he spoke like he knew dwarves inside out.
Then Eleven leaped into the pit.
“Huh? Young Lord’s wolf?”
“It’s fine. I sent him.”
“Pardon?”
Snow urgently ordered 7th Squad.
“Move the Gigants first, then relocate camp!”
Other Gigants might sink too.
“Hoo! Sorry. Never happened before—now dwarves are attacking like this.”
“No worries. We’ll pay ’em back tomorrow.”
Wayne was irked by something else.
‘Idiots! Can’t even tell a golem from a Gigant anymore?’