The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 291

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Mad Spearman of the Northern Front (291)
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The colossal war drums thundered across the battlefield.
With each dull, earth-shaking reverberation, tens of thousands of Allied Forces began their advance.
Even from this distance, the sheer scale of their numbers was unmistakable.
An endless tide of troops.
Flags whipped in the wind, while spears and shields gleamed beneath the sunlight.
Among the Imperial Army soldiers witnessing this spectacle, a low murmur rippled through the ranks.
“…Isn’t that far too many?”
Someone muttered beneath their breath.
The soldier beside him swallowed hard.
“Surely they’re not… all coming at once?”
As those words faded, both fell silent for a moment.
Please… let only half of them come.
Yet they both knew all too well how futile such a hope truly was.
The Allied Forces’ formation did not halt.
Just as that seemingly unstoppable tide of soldiers advanced forward.
“Execute the operation.”
Belkain, who had been observing the approaching forces, spoke in a low voice.
The officer beside him swiftly relayed the command.
Pwooooooo!
With the great horn blast signaling the operation, the Imperial Army formation stirred into motion.
“Hurry! Move quickly!”
“Over here! Take your positions here!”
At the very vanguard, Shield Bearers wielding massive Tower Shields that reached to their chins formed their defensive line.
And directly behind them.
Thousands of Archers were positioned, while soldiers beside them hastily opened quivers and organized their arrows.
Behind them, Officers measured distances and calculated the firing angles for the Archers’ volleys.
“Maintain distance!”
“Soldiers, drive the Stakes into the ground ahead! Prepare for the enemy cavalry!”
At the Officers’ commands, hundreds of soldiers moved in perfect unison, driving sharpened Stakes diagonally into the earth.
There was still considerable distance between them and the Allied Forces, affording them some time.
“Hurry!”
“Finish up and get into position!”
Yet the soldiers driving the Stakes felt no ease in their hearts.
A crushing pressure, as though the enemy would descend upon them at any moment, weighed upon their shoulders.
But then it happened.
Pwoooooooo! Pwoo!
As successive horn blasts rang out in rapid succession.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Thousands of cavalry surged forward from both flanks of the Imperial Army, accompanied by tremendous tremors.
As two thousand cavalry on each side—four thousand in total—moved simultaneously, the earth itself began to quake.
“Hyah!”
“Ride harder!”
Arteon’s gaze tracked the cavalry as they thundered forward, kicking up clouds of dust.
The commotion created by fifty thousand Allied Forces and four thousand cavalry moving in concert was precisely the signal for his own unit to advance.
Arteon turned his attention to the Silent Spear Battalion.
“Move out.”
“Yes!”
At Arteon’s terse command, his squad members nodded and began moving.
The right hill—in the direction the Imperial Army was facing.
The Silent Spear Battalion began advancing quietly toward it.
By moving along the wall that extended from this hill, they could approach the flank of the Allied Forces formation.
Arteon took the lead.
It was utterly unlike his usual swift and boisterous movements.
He muffled his footfalls and crouched slightly to shield himself behind cover as he moved.
He was mindful of every step, every breath.
There was no way to know where the Allied scouts might be hiding.
Tap, tap-tap-tap!
The Silent Spear Battalion advanced cautiously along the hill’s wall, yet at maximum speed.
They had been moving for some time through that tension of never knowing when the enemy might spot them.
Whoosh.
Arteon’s fist clenched silently.
The squad members following immediately crouched low.
Even their breathing seemed to cease.
Above the hill.
A faint presence could be felt.
Likely scouts from the Allied Forces.
In the tense atmosphere, the squad members swallowed hard.
The moment they were discovered, hundreds of soldiers would surely come pouring down to this location.
But that was precisely when it happened.
Shhhhhhh.
Mana flowed from Arteon’s body, spreading slowly upward.
Arteon’s eyes narrowed.
The mana that spread through the surrounding air, sweeping like a net, detected everything in its vicinity without exception.
Soon Arteon glanced upward.
‘…Eight.’
And a similar number of scouts were positioned a short distance away.
‘More densely deployed than I anticipated…’
Considering the distance, this position was quite far from the Allied Forces formation.
Yet despite this, they’ve stationed scouts even in a place like this.
‘He’s certainly thorough.’
The commander’s nature was evident.
The type who never leaves an opening.
An opponent not to be underestimated.
Only, the opponent was simply unfortunate.
“Bartell.”
I extended my hand toward the rear, and Bartell responded immediately.
“I’m here.”
He untied the bundle fastened at his waist and handed over the sheaf of short blades.
I took it.
And immediately.
Whoosh!
My body moved.
Leaping upward in an instant, I kicked off the nearly vertical wall with my toes and launched myself higher.
The squad members’ eyes widened in shock.
My form had vanished before their eyes in the blink of an eye.
And there was barely any sound.
“….”
They remained silent, only rolling their eyes upward.
And soon, a very faint sound reached them.
Had they not been concentrating, they wouldn’t have been able to hear it at all.
Thud! Thud! Thump. Tap! Splat!
Several dull impacts followed in succession.
And though it was a very brief moment, a small silence fell.
“What, is it over?”
“Where is the Captain…?”
Someone muttered quietly. But Bartell glared at them with narrowed eyes.
Swish.
As Bartell placed his index finger to his lips, the squad members clamped their mouths shut and nodded.
And not long after.
Tap.
My shadow fell back down.
In my hand was the sheaf of short blades, exactly as before.
“….”
The blades, haphazardly sheathed, were already stained with blood.
Bartell took it.
“Keep them safe. We can use them again.”
“Understood.”
Bartell answered my matter-of-fact words as though nothing had happened.
Arteon spoke.
“We move again.”
The squad members exchanged glances for a moment.
Then they nodded in unison.
“…Yes.”
No one asked.
What had transpired atop the hill.
There was no need to confirm.
The squad members simply followed in silence, their eyes fixed upon Arteon’s back as he walked ahead.
* * *
At the heart of the Allied Forces’ vast formation.
Among tens of thousands of soldiers, a single man gazed silently upon the battlefield.
Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Marcelo.
His eyes were fixed upon the distant Imperial Army formation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunderous beat of war drums echoed across the battlefield as ten thousand troops began their slow, deliberate advance.
Spears and shields moved in unison, creating a metallic wave, while countless footfalls reverberated through the earth itself.
Watching that overwhelming movement, Marcelo exhaled slowly.
The moment such a force began to move, the enemy too would be forced to make their decision.
His gaze swept across the Imperial Army formation.
And moments later, his eyes narrowed.
“They’re holding their ground…”
He murmured softly.
The Imperial Army formation had already assumed a defensive posture.
The vanguard’s defensive line was formed thick and deep, with archers densely positioned directly behind it.
They had already placed obstacles in preparation for the charge, and now they waited in silence for the approach.
At this sight, a subtle smile played across Marcelo’s lips.
“Hmph.”
In a sense, it was a textbook defensive formation—almost too perfect.
But Marcelo knew better.
The Imperial Army, which had been pushing forward like tyrants until now, would never move so passively.
‘That’s not… a formation meant to endure.’
His eyes swept across the entire formation once more.
And in that instant.
Movement was detected on both flanks of the Imperial Army formation.
Cavalry.
Dust rose as two columns of mounted troops began to rapidly shift toward the flanks.
Marcelo’s eyes narrowed again.
‘Cavalry…’
Calculations raced swiftly through his mind.
The Main Force concentrates on defense.
And we apply pressure from the flanks using cavalry.
On the surface, it’s a plausible strategy.
But….
Marcelo shook his head slightly.
‘No.’
There’s no way this is all they have.
Belkain Kaeron.
Few on this Continent would know his name.
But among the commanders serving in the military, there was not a single one who didn’t know it.
The Commander of the North.
The Corps Commander of the Tyrant.
Known by various titles to the military officers of other kingdoms, but what mattered was that he was a commander so exceptional that others would marvel at his prowess.
Marcelo recalled Belkain’s name and gazed upon the Battlefield with a composed expression.
At that moment, the Officer standing beside him carefully opened his mouth.
“Shall I issue the command?”
Marcelo fell silent for a moment. Then, exhaling softly, he spoke.
“Move the Reconnaissance Unit while avoiding the Imperial Army’s cavalry.”
The Officer’s head snapped up at this.
“Sir?”
Marcelo’s gaze remained fixed upon the Imperial Army’s Formation.
“These are not the kind of men to end things at this level. It’s crucial that we discern their true intentions.”
Marcelo continued immediately.
“Investigate both the rear and flanks of their Formation. Check everything—the Hills and the Ridge Lines connected to them.”
His voice was low but resolute.
“They must have prepared another stratagem.”
“Yes, understood!”
The Officer quickly turned and began relaying the command.
Moments later.
Several small Units quietly slipped out from behind the Allied Forces’ Formation and began to disperse.
Confirming their movement, Marcelo raised his gaze once more.
The Imperial Army’s Formation visible in the distance.
“Belkain….”
Marcelo murmured softly.
“Whatever stratagem you employ, it matters not.”
The Gloves gripped in his hand creaked slightly.
“This place will become your grave.”
At that moment, a chill wind swept across the land.
The wind that cut across the Battlefield violently shook the Allied Forces’ Flag.
And that wind began to blow swiftly toward the Imperial Army’s Formation.
Because of this war.
‘The prestige of the great Empire crumbles.’
Marcelo’s gaze extended toward the Imperial Army’s formation like a blade.
* * *
“…The Seranello Kingdom and the Kalpol Kingdom have intervened?”
The atmosphere turned ominous in an instant.
Sedrian, who typically maintained an impassive expression and rarely revealed his emotions, was no exception.
Yet the moment he received the report that the Seranello Kingdom and the Kalpol Kingdom had formed an alliance with the Ermatir Kingdom, killing intent flashed across his eyes.
“They must have sent a letter.”
“Indeed. We confirmed it, but… I suspect the rapid collapse of the Kaerbaldt Kingdom is the cause.”
Taifren spoke with a composed expression.
Perhaps it was inevitable.
Anyone witnessing such an absurd phenomenon would naturally succumb to fear.
They might believe they could be next.
Before the Kingdom’s power weakened further, they wished to break the Empire’s momentum.
I understand.
How could I not comprehend such sentiment?
‘But….’
Taifren’s gaze flickered toward Sedrian.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this angry.’
Taifren swallowed hard.
Originally, this war was meant to thoroughly exact revenge upon the Kaerbaldt Kingdom, the Ermatir Kingdom, and the Neolth Kingdom—those who had invaded the Empire—and to make the Empire’s prestige known across the Continent.
After that, the plan was to immediately withdraw the troops and focus on strengthening internal affairs.
But if other kingdoms intervened in this manner….
‘This is not good.’
Now that Arteon, an 8th Star-class warrior, had been revealed, I had anticipated to some degree that the kingdoms might react sensitively.
But if other kingdoms began joining the war in succession like this, eventually every kingdom on the Continent could become involved.
Taifren’s expression darkened.
But then it happened.
“Your Highness the Prince, an urgent letter has arrived from the Kaerbaldt Kingdom.”
At this unexpected development, the expressions of those present hardened.

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