The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 1

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front (1)

Whoooosh!

In the battlefield where flames soared high.

Arteon, collapsed at its center, looked at the man standing before him with a dazed expression.

Moldrek Degrain.

Though a bastard son of the Degrain Family, he was still a noble.

He was someone who possessed the pure noble bloodline that was different from his own.

Arteon spoke.

“Why… did you do this… Cough!”

Blood gushed out with his cough, but his gaze remained fixed solely on Moldrek.

“For you… for the past 10 years like dogs… why to us who served you loyally…!”

His low voice gradually turned into a scream.

But at Arteon’s words, Moldrek wore a puzzled expression and said.

“Isn’t it only natural? You were all destined to be consumed as expendables for such tasks anyway.”

The northern front.

They had used 5,000 allied troops as bait to lure in 30,000 Kar tribesmen who were in standoff.

As a result, they trapped both forces in the gorge and set it ablaze, annihilating all 30,000 Kar tribesmen.

If they advanced beyond the gorge in this state, they could have ended this northern conflict that had continued for decades.

But…

“Don’t tell me… you have no intention of ending the war?”

Arteon asked.

If that wasn’t the case, this situation made no sense at all.

There was no reason to be stabbed in the back by their own allies.

Blood trickled steadily from the spear that had pierced through his belly, and his vision gradually became blurry.

Looking at Arteon who was facing death, Moldrek grinned wickedly and said.

“Arteon, I do feel grateful to you though. Thanks to you, I was able to advance to Central and climb this high.”

Moldrek continued with a grotesque smile.

“But don’t feel wronged. All 5,000 of you are just commoners who could be discarded without concern anyway. You should be satisfied having lived with hope until now.”

“What did you say…?”

“Besides, you were too competent. I never expected you would actually win this battle.”

Moldrek raised his head to look at the burning gorge.

A place where the deaths of 30,000 Kar tribesmen and 5,000 allied soldiers were gathered.

Looking at that place, Moldrek said.

“The northern war must continue forever. That is the way to maintain the Empire’s order.”

“Haha… Hehehehehe.”

Arteon burst into giggles with his head lowered.

It seemed like the tangled puzzle in his head was finally coming together.

‘This massive northern battlefield…’

Was merely a means to maintain someone’s power.

Then the reason for killing them here also made sense.

What happened here would become as if it never occurred.

There would only be the deaths of tens of thousands.

‘They’re all… in cahoots.’

This bastard and those behind him too.

Trash who didn’t even treat commoners like themselves as human beings.

The past 10 years of enduring that hell under his orders had all been meaningless.

To them, we were simply.

‘We were just pieces on a chessboard.’

Commoners who weren’t even treated as fellow human beings.

The past 10 years of life felt so bitter and he felt like such a fool.

What on earth had he lived for all this time?

At age 15, dragged to this northern battlefield for the crime of stealing 5 pieces of bread out of hunger.

For 10 years, he had achieved countless merits while covering for that damned noble bastard.

‘So this is how it ends in the end.’

If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have at least struggled.

He should have just…

‘Gone all out and fought back.’

Since he was going to die like this anyway.

It was a life filled only with bitter regret.

If… truly if he could turn back time…

‘Then I would turn this damn place completely upside down…’

Thud.

Finally, Arteon’s hand fell to the ground.

Along with his slowly lowered head, the light in his eyes completely disappeared.

Caldrian Empire, Northern Front.

Arteon of the 3rd Corps lost his life like that.

* * *

“…Gasp!”

His body jerked along with cold sweat.

His blocked breath burst out with a gasp, and his heart pounded.

“Where is this…?”

Arteon unconsciously frowned at the scene before his eyes.

It was the old barracks from the past that he didn’t even want to remember.

Because of the holes riddled throughout, cold air would come in at night making them shiver while sleeping, and it was a place where they suffered from both cold and hunger due to supplies not arriving properly.

‘Damn it, do I come to this shitty place even after dying?’

He wondered if this was hell.

But then.

Smack!

The back of his head stung and his vision flashed.

Arteon, who had lowered his head forward, instinctively turned to look behind him.

“Which bastard… Huh?”

Thick eyebrows, thinly slit eyes.

The moment he saw the lean-looking man, Arteon could tell who he was at a glance.

It was Baker, who had been his squad leader during his recruit days.

However, what was a bit strange was that the guy’s face looked considerably younger than what he remembered.

“…Squad Leader Baker?”

“Where the hell are you sleeping, you rotten bastard? And squad leaderrr? You rotten piece of shit! Am I your friend?”

Baker immediately kicked at Arteon’s chest.

A kick with combat boots was quite a threatening attack in itself.

But…

Tap.

Before Baker’s foot could fully extend, Arteon lightly struck the side of his foot and deflected its direction.

“Huh?”

As Baker, who lost his balance, fell to the ground with a flustered expression.

“S-Squad Leader!”

“Squad Leader Baker!”

The squad members who had been watching from around rushed over with panicked expressions.

“Th-this bastard…?”

As the squad members hurriedly helped Baker to his feet, he glared at Arteon with his face turned bright red.

It looked like punches would start flying at any moment.

But then.

“What are you all doing!”

A booming voice echoed from the barracks entrance.

Arteon and the other soldiers in the barracks turned their heads.

It was Platoon Leader Palis.

A man with skin as white as the northern snowfields and golden hair.

Though he was of noble birth, he was a superior who treated his subordinates without class discrimination.

‘He wasn’t exactly good-natured, but looking back now, he was a pretty decent superior.’

Much better than those bastards who spouted nonsense about status and noble versus lowborn.

Anyway, when Palis appeared, the soldiers tensed up and stood at attention.

Baker hastily saluted.

“Heart of Steel! All members of 3rd Squad present!”

“Didn’t you hear the assembly order? I told you to gather quickly for new operation preparations. You all seem to have plenty of time to spare.”

“No sir!”

At the soldiers’ tense shouts, Palis spoke.

“I’ll give you 5 minutes. Everyone assemble at the Training Ground.”

Swoosh.

Palis looked at Baker.

“Baker.”

“S-Sergeant Baker!”

“I’m sure I ordered you not to lay hands on subordinates without reason.”

“I-I’ll correct it!”

“I’ll be watching from now on.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

That foul-tempered Baker answered while dripping with cold sweat.

Soon Palis left the barracks.

“…Damn, this is fucked.”

Baker spat out a crude curse, glared at Arteon, and clicked his tongue.

He wanted to beat him to death right now, but.

“You all heard the Platoon Leader! Get ready within 5 minutes and gather at the Training Ground! Anyone even a second late will get a beating with my club!”

“Yes!”

“Understood!”

The soldiers answered loudly and began hurrying out toward the Training Ground.

Whooooosh!

The cold northern wind cut across their cheeks as it swept past.

Even with his hat pulled down and hood covering the sides of his head and neck, he couldn’t block all the blade-like cold.

His thick cloth clothing was considerably worn and tattered, and the cutting wind penetrated through the holes.

But more than such cold, Arteon’s mind was complicated with other thoughts.

‘Did I really return to the past…?’

Was such a thing even possible?

Arteon looked around.

Then Arteon couldn’t hide his surprise at seeing the faces of comrades who had died long ago on the battlefield.

Because most of the guys here had died in the Battle of Baldrion Gorge.

Hundreds of soldiers had died just to gain a small piece of land in the Gorge.

It was at that very moment when he recalled the Battle of Baldrion Gorge.

“Ah…”

Arteon’s eyes shook greatly.

How could he not have thought of it?

Returning here meant…

“The Company Commander is coming!”

At someone’s shout, the soldiers stood at attention with tense expressions.

Arteon’s head turned toward the man walking toward them.

Moldrek Degrain.

The bastard who had definitely been their Company Commander at this time.

Instantly, the first conversation he’d had with Moldrek flashed through his mind.

―Who is this guy? Quite a fast-footed fellow.

―After ending this war, will you come with me and aim for higher places?

―Serve loyally. I’ll take you to places you could never reach in your lifetime.

The sweet bullshit that bastard had spouted.

And he had learned.

That all those words were lies. And…

‘That he just thought of us as disposable goods he could replace at any time.’

Clench.

Arteon clenched his fist tightly.

Because the moment he saw that bastard, he felt like his blood was flowing backward.

‘In the end…’

That bastard had climbed higher and higher using the soldiers’ sacrifices as stepping stones.

In that final battle where he had died.

―”Still, thanks. Thanks to you bastards, I got a chance to advance to Central, hehehehe.”

Hadn’t he trampled on them and aimed for advancement to Central?

A true bloody road.

He had walked alone toward success, stepping on a carpet of blood shed by thousands of soldiers.

Arteon’s eyes flashed sharply.

Because suddenly all the past events came back vividly.

The things that had happened then.

Up to the Battle of Baldrion Gorge 10 years ago, where 80% of the company was massacred.

‘That fucking bastard…’

It was only much later that he learned the bastard had conspired with the Kar Tribe, who were confronting them on the Northern Front, and pushed allied forces into death traps.

Because the bastard had said it himself when drunk.

‘…Oh God.’

He hadn’t particularly believed in the existence of God until now. But at this moment.

‘Thank you, truly.’

Arteon’s eyes sharply fixed on Moldrek.

And Moldrek stood before the soldiers and shouted.

“With this advance, we will cross Baldrion Gorge and push north! Glory exists in that northern land!”

The soldiers’ morale was soaring at the sight of Moldrek giving his speech with passionate eyes.

It couldn’t be helped.

The bastard was an excellent orator.

Hadn’t he himself been fooled by that sweet talk?

Soon Moldrek stretched his hand toward Baldrion Gorge and shouted.

“Go and seize it! Take everything! Whatever it is, it will all become yours!”

“Uaaaaaaah!”

“Long live the Company Commander!”

“Uaaaaaaaaaah!”

The soldiers shouted loudly, raising their morale to the highest.

Moldrek walked triumphantly among the soldiers, boosting their spirits.

But Arteon couldn’t hear such cheers.

Rather, the sounds gradually faded, and the figure of Moldrek approaching him became clear.

Now ten steps.

‘Nine… eight… seven…’

Watching Moldrek approach step by step, Arteon steadied his breathing.

And when the distance between them was about three steps.

Tap.

Arteon placed his hand on the waist of the soldier to his right and pushed him toward Moldrek.

“Whoa!”

The soldier pushed by Arteon staggered and took a large step toward Moldrek.

At the moment they almost collided, Moldrek flinched and stepped back.

His brow furrowed with irritation.

“You crazy bastard…!”

“S-sorry!”

Yes, that’s his true nature.

Not the plausible speech, but that look in his eyes looking down on them.

The moment Moldrek glared angrily at the soldier who had bumped into him.

Swoosh!

“…?”

Arteon drew the dagger from his waist and took a large step forward with his left foot.

Just one step.

That one step closed the distance with Moldrek.

“What is this bastard doing…!”

“What’s that guy doing!”

“Stop him!”

The panicked Moldrek and his adjutants beside him reacted and rushed toward Arteon.

But…

‘Too late.’

Thunk!

“…!”

“M-Moldrek sir!”

Arteon’s dagger pierced through between Moldrek’s jaw and neck.

Even at the moment of being stabbed, Moldrek wore an expression of not understanding what had happened.

He tried desperately to say something.

“Gurgle.”

Only the sound of blood bubbling could be heard.

Thud.

Then he collapsed sideways powerlessly and met his death.

Moldrek Degrain.

Company commander of the Northern Front 3rd Corps.

And…

‘The enemy of me and my comrades.’

Revenge was complete.

“Catch that bastard!”

With someone’s shout, the adjutants twisted Arteon’s arms and forced him to his knees.

Even as Arteon was pinned down and bound by the soldiers, he smiled with all his might while looking at Moldrek’s corpse.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————