The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 2

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front (2)

Murder of a superior officer.

It was one of the crimes treated as the most serious offense in the military.

Therefore, normally he should have been executed, but the way serious crimes were punished here was a bit different.

“Walk straight!”

Arteon had nothing but a single thin piece of clothing.

Moreover, he was being dragged away by soldiers with his eyes covered.

“Get in! Get in, you bastard!”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The soldiers who had dragged Arteon shouted while beating him with the clubs they were holding.

Soon after, they threw Arteon into the punishment cell.

One might ask what kind of punishment cell existed in such a backward place, but that was precisely why it was simpler yet more brutal.

They made him stand crouched in a small box that was only 1 meter high with his eyes covered.

Due to the awkward height, he had to keep his back bent, which by itself put tremendous strain on his body.

On top of that, since he was left outdoors with his eyes covered where the cold northern winds blew, the cold and the howling sounds of various beasts would drive ordinary people nearly insane after just 3-4 days.

Two days passed like that.

“How long has that guy been in the punishment cell?”

“It’s been two days.”

The adjutant answered the question from Belkain, the 1st Division commander responsible for Benhard on the Northwestern Front.

However…

“But… he’s a tough one. He hasn’t screamed even once.”

“…Is that so.”

“Just give the order and I’ll have him beheaded.”

He was someone who killed a superior officer in front of all the soldiers.

If discipline wasn’t properly maintained, it would cause problems with the soldiers’ morale.

However, Belkain shook his head at his adjutant’s words.

“No, that doesn’t suit this place.”

The Northern Region was always short on people.

Therefore, summary executions were rarely carried out.

However, befitting the harsh north, punishments more painful than death would be imposed instead.

At Belkain’s words, the adjutant’s expression hardened.

“Don’t tell me… then…”

“Throw that guy onto Bareda Hill. Make it 7 days.”

“Ba, Bareda Hill punishment!”

The adjutant shouted.

The Bareda Hill punishment involved banishing a soldier naked to Bareda Hill behind Benhard.

Due to the extreme weather of the Northern Region, it was essentially no different from freezing someone to death.

When Belkain looked at him coldly after the adjutant’s outcry.

The adjutant jumped in surprise and shouted.

“I, I’ll implement it right away!”

Belkain was called the Ogre of Benhard.

In other words, the Tyrant of the North.

He usually seemed quite gentle, but he earned this nickname for making merciless decisions when someone objected to his words more than twice or in situations that displeased him.

As the adjutant fled from the division commander’s office, Belkain looked at the documents placed on the table.

Then he pulled out a paper that was stuck between the pile of documents.

It was a document containing personal information about Arteon.

“Arteon…”

There was nothing special about it. No, rather it was so lacking in content that it was absurd.

Yet this guy.

‘Killed Moldrek.’

There was something he wanted to confirm. But of course…

‘That’s only if he survives.’

Murder of a superior officer was such a heinous crime that a minimum justification was needed.

If that guy survived this punishment, there would be a chance to talk.

Belkain threw away the document he was holding and turned his head.

* * *

Thud.

“Since he’s going to die anyway, it would be convenient for everyone if we just killed him right away. Tsk!”

“I wonder if there’s any need to come back in a week.”

“Phew, it looks like it’ll get dark soon, so let’s just do what we need to do and leave.”

The guy who had thrown Arteon frowned and approached the fallen Arteon.

Eventually, he crouched down and looked into Arteon’s eyes as he spoke.

“After spending seven nights, if you bring back the unit insignia at the top of Bareda Hill, your punishment will be over. But if you come back before then, you won’t even be able to collect your bones, so handle it yourself.”

“Hehe, you can run away to other places if you want, that’s up to you. Anyway, you can’t come back for 7 days, so keep that in mind.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

Because when night falls, Bareda Hill reveals a completely different face.

Having finished their task, the two soldiers hurriedly got up.

Arteon watched the two soldiers moving toward the castle as if being chased.

‘…One week.’

Did that mean the Bareda Hill punishment had been imposed?

A special punishment method that existed only here in Benhard.

It meant having to endure a week on Bareda Hill with only a basic portable dagger provided.

There was no food, no barracks to protect the body. Moreover…

“It’s also the habitat of snow wolves.”

Snow wolves were characterized by having longer fur than ordinary wolves and being white in color.

Their body length was about 2 meters, making them larger than typical wolves.

Their white fur was good for hiding in the snow piles of the northern region, and their sharply developed fangs could cut an enemy’s throat in one strike.

It was a place inhabited by creatures that were classified more as monsters rather than beasts.

Fortunately, snow wolves formed very small packs, and only males had the habit of hunting.

‘If you don’t provoke them first, you’ll encounter at most two at the same time.’

Arteon had already survived 10 years in the Northern Region.

He was the only one from the punishment unit who had risen to squad leader.

Though he had been abandoned.

Crunch!

Arteon picked up and ate snow that had fallen on the ground.

Having not been able to drink even water properly for two days, his strength had considerably weakened.

“Huff… huff…”

After eating his fill of snow, he felt his thirst being quenched.

Breathing roughly, Arteon hurriedly looked for a place where he could hide his body.

Night would come soon.

It was also the time when snow wolves would be active.

‘The temperature drops drastically. Before that, I absolutely must find a place that can block the wind.’

Many people thought that snow wolves were the most dangerous thing about the Bareda Hill punishment.

However, what really needed to be watched out for was the ‘cold.’

If he spent the night on Bareda Hill defenseless in such shabby clothing, he would meet death from frostbite the next day.

However, there was composure in Arteon’s movements.

This place, Bareda Hill.

“It’s practically my playground.”

Arteon knew every inch of it.

Soon, a venomous glint appeared in Arteon’s eyes as he climbed Bareda Hill.

* * *

Two days had passed.

“He’s dead, right?”

“Who? Oh, that guy?”

The soldier who thought of Arteon smirked.

“Of course he’s dead! How could someone without proper clothes survive? Forget two days, he probably died on the first night!”

“Still, that guy… his tenacity seemed incredible, didn’t it?”

“Right, seeing how he endured in that Punishment Cell… Wow, he was really tough. I’ve never seen anyone like that.”

Another soldier nearby nodded in agreement.

The sight of him enduring that terrible Punishment Cell without letting out a single groan was impressive just to witness.

Other soldiers gathered around as they heard their conversation.

“But what if, just what if, that guy comes back alive?”

“Has anyone ever survived a week on Bareda Hill?”

“No. First of all, Bareda Hill punishment is rarely given. And usually three days is the limit.”

Since it was such a terrible punishment, they usually didn’t make it that long. That’s why there were occasionally guys who returned after three days.

“Damn, a week… Ah… Really. If it were just about four days, I’d set up a betting pool.”

“Hehe, do you even have money to bet?”

“What are you saying? I may not look it, but I’ve got some pocket money saved up.”

The soldiers continued their conversation with snickers.

But then.

“What are you all talking about so enthusiastically?”

“Gasp! Steel Heart! Squad Leader, you’re here!”

“What are you all gathered here doing?”

Squad Leader Hans asked, looking at the soldiers.

One of them immediately answered.

“There’s that guy who went to Bareda Hill this time, right? We were talking about him.”

“Bareda Hill punishment?”

Hans recalled Arteon.

When he killed Company Commander Moldrek, he was nearby and saw it clearly.

‘That time… those movements.’

The movements were so clean and precise that even he could barely react.

When it came to killing people.

‘He attacked vital points accurately without a moment’s hesitation.’

Moreover, he didn’t scream even once in the Punishment Cell.

He was definitely no ordinary guy.

As Hans was lost in thought for a moment, the subordinate in front of him scratched his head and said.

“So… we thought about making a bet, but it seems meaningless. Three to four days would be worth betting on, but a week is pointless.”

“You mean about him coming back alive?”

“Yes, no one has ever survived a week of Bareda Hill punishment so far.”

“That’s true.”

Since they substituted Bareda Hill punishment instead of execution for the crime of killing a superior.

Therefore, it needed to have the appropriate severity.

Otherwise, discipline in the Northern Region would collapse.

“…Interesting.”

Hans seemed to think about something, then soon pulled out a gold coin from his pocket.

“I’ll put one gold coin on the side that he comes back alive. How about it, anyone willing to take the bet?”

“A, a gold coin?!”

The monthly salary in the Northern Region was only 25 silver.

But 1 gold worth 100 silver.

The subordinates all rushed to put forward their money.

“I’ll bet 15 silver.”

“I’ll bet my entire fortune! 20 silver!”

“I’ll bet 12 silver.”

“What? Didn’t you say you had no money? If you have money to bet, pay back what you borrowed!”

“Argh! I’ll win and pay you back, so don’t worry.”

Everyone seemed excited to participate in the betting pool Hans had started.

The soldier collecting the money looked at Hans and said.

“Are you sure about this? A whole gold coin…”

“Well… it’s fine. If he dies, it can’t be helped. However…”

Hans looked outside the castle with a mysterious glint in his eyes, as if he knew something.

If he couldn’t return… that would be a way to repay what he owed him.

‘Still, it feels like he’ll cause some trouble.’

He’d have to wait and see.

Having heated up the atmosphere with the betting pool, Hans simply turned around without regret and walked toward his quarters.

* * *

Crunch.

Footprints were carved into the snow path that no one had walked on.

White frost came out with each breath.

The area around his mouth had turned white, and his sweat-soaked hair had frozen.

A single dagger.

Arteon, who had made a spear by tying it to the end of a shabby tree branch, wrapped the hide around his body.

“Damn, it’s freezing cold.”

After encountering snow wolves once, Arteon killed them and obtained hide and meat.

No matter how battered Arteon had become in the Punishment Cell.

‘I’m not weak enough to be defeated by mere snow wolves.’

By changing the dagger into a spear, he was able to kill one snow wolf.

He was also lucky to find one that was alone.

However, he didn’t even have time to properly process the stripped hide, so he just wiped off the blood roughly and covered his body with it.

But even this allowed him to avoid the maddening cold of the Northern Region just a little.

‘It was definitely around here…’

This was one of the reasons Arteon had killed Moldrek.

Although he killed his superior, he was confident that there would be no immediate execution due to the nature of the Northern Region.

And…

‘The most suitable punishment for the crime of killing a superior is… Bareda Hill punishment.’

It was a bold action that Arteon could take because he knew the workings of the Northern Region well.

“Found it.”

The starting point of the man who would later become a hero of the Northern Region by massacring the Kar Tribe in the Northwestern Region.

The place where ‘that thing’ was located.

“This time, I must obtain it.”

Arteon’s eyes flashed sharply as he discovered the entrance to the cave.

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