The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 302

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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 (302)
The road north leading to Wolfheim proved far more passable than anticipated.
Of course, compared to the maintained Imperial Capital, it resembled ruins, yet measured against the Northern Region I knew, it was like a silk road.
“The North remains true to itself, it seems. When we departed, there was a hint of warmth in the breeze… but here, there is no mercy from the cold.”
As the chill of early winter swept across the Plains, Isaac, walking beside me, spoke.
At this level of cold, one would need to wait until the depths of winter in the Central Area to feel such a bite.
Yet I paused my steps and gazed toward the distant Mountain Range.
Above, gray clouds hung low, and beyond them, Wolfheim—my destination—began to reveal itself.
“We arrive soon.”
At those words, everyone’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as they looked toward the distant Wolfheim.
For those of us who had lived moving along the Battlefield until now, this was like gaining a true settlement.
We resumed our march, and not long after, a massive Castle Wall emerged into view.
Wolfheim.
Once a border region where three different fiefdoms met, it was now unified under a single great domain.
I lifted my gaze briefly.
A new Flag fluttered atop the Castle Wall.
Upon a black field, a Silver Light Spear and golden lightning were emblazoned—a coat of arms.
It was the emblem of Wolfheim that Sedrian had created for me.
“….”
A brief Silence.
Moments later, the City Gate opened.
Crrrrreak.
The thick wooden door slowly swung open, revealing the passage.
As I stepped through the City Gate, the sight of people moving about caught my eye.
Carriages and carts crossing the streets.
Upon them were loaded massive timber and stone blocks, while laborers moving alongside them perspired despite the cold Northern weather.
The domain integration work had begun four months prior, yet construction continued in many places.
A man approached swiftly from within the City Gate.
He was neatly dressed, clutching a bundle of Documents in one hand.
He stopped before me and bowed deeply.
“I have been awaiting you, Marquis of Wolfheim.”
His voice was composed, yet tension was evident.
He raised his head and spoke.
“I am Albertul, an administrator dispatched here four months ago by order of the Prince.”
I regarded him for a moment.
His gaze was composed, and his posture remained impeccable.
I extended my hand to him.
“A pleasure to meet you, Albertul.”
The two of us clasped hands.
With that, Albertul’s expression eased ever so slightly.
“It has been a long journey, so you must be quite fatigued. I shall escort you directly to the Lord’s Castle.”
“Very well.”
Arteon nodded in acknowledgment.
“I will remain here with my squad members.”
Isaac, standing beside him, spoke up.
Arteon immediately turned to Albertul.
“Could you arrange accommodations for them?”
“Of course.”
Albertul glanced at his subordinates nearby and instructed them,
“Show these individuals to their quarters. They are the Marquis’s direct squad members, so treat them with proper courtesy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Understood.”
As Isaac and the squad members departed under the subordinates’ guidance, Albertul led Arteon toward the Castle.
The interior of Wolfheim, visible along the path to the Castle, was not yet entirely organized.
New administrative buildings were under construction, and the Warehouse and barracks were undergoing expansion work.
Arteon observed his surroundings in silence.
Beside him, Albertul continued his explanation.
“The integration of the administrative systems across the three territories is nearly complete.”
“How much longer remains?”
“We estimate it will be entirely finished within approximately one month.”
Arteon nodded.
“How have the territory’s inhabitants reacted?”
Albertul paused briefly before responding.
“At first… they were quite confused.”
He spoke with candor.
“Three territories suddenly merged into one, and a new lord appeared on top of that.”
He paused momentarily.
“But now, most have stabilized.”
A Carriage passed by.
It was laden with grain.
Albertul added,
“Upon integrating the three territories, we adjusted the tax system and simultaneously carried out road maintenance and security enhancements.”
“Were there no objections?”
“As is the case wherever people dwell, there were minor issues.”
He lowered his head slightly.
“But there was no major upheaval.”
After a moment, he added,
“What concerns them, however, is the character of their new lord.”
Albertul smiled faintly as he gazed at Wolfheim visible below the Hill.
“I shall do my utmost to assist until the territory integration is complete, Marquis.”
Arteon spoke briefly.
“Thank you.”
At that moment, the Lord’s Castle came into view.
Towering castle walls and stone buildings stacked upon one another.
Traces of recent repairs remained scattered throughout.
As we entered the castle, administrators moved about busily.
People carrying documents.
Messengers delivering orders to soldiers.
Arteon observed the scene for a moment before speaking.
“Quite bustling, indeed.”
Albertul spoke with a smile.
“It’s the work of building a domain from scratch.”
There was a peculiar pride in those words.
A moment later.
Arteon entered his room.
As the door closed, the commotion outside faded somewhat.
The room was spacious, though not yet fully organized.
Arteon then walked slowly toward the window and opened it.
The cold wind of the Northern Region swept into the room.
I gazed down at the view below.
Wolfheim.
“This place….”
I paused mid-sentence.
“…is my domain.”
My eyes wavered for a moment.
Memories from the past flashed rapidly through my mind.
The Northern Battlefield stained with blood.
Endless battles.
Countless deaths.
And… those years when I possessed nothing.
But I shook my head slightly.
Receiving a domain did not change me.
Becoming a Noble did not change me.
I remained the same.
And I had no intention of changing.
There was only one thing I held deep within my heart.
My gaze turned toward the distant Northern Region beyond the window.
At some point, it had become my singular goal, the driving force that propelled me forward.
And perhaps….
Clench.
Arteon clenched his fist tightly.
He wondered if the relic of Vargas he had obtained in this life was meant to fully realize that very dream.
“….”
Far in the distance lay the direction where snow-covered Mountain Ranges faintly appeared.
One year and six months ahead.
There was much to be done, but he resolved to organize it all step by step.
Thus, a single day in Wolfheim was passing.
* * *
The Dawn air was still cold.
Fog that had fallen throughout the night hung thinly between the Castle Wall and roofs of the Lord’s Castle, and the eastern sky had only just begun to embrace light.
Birds began to sing slowly from the Forest, and the Villages of Wolfheim that had slept in Darkness were awakening one by one.
Arteon, awakened from sleep, quietly gazed down from atop the Castle Wall.
And at that moment, right on schedule, Albertul approached Arteon.
“You’ve come out quite early.”
At Albertul’s words, Arteon turned his head.
“Sleep wouldn’t come.”
Arteon let his gaze fall downward once more.
The roads and houses stretching below the Castle.
And the Plains extending far beyond.
Even in the faint light before the sun rose, the movements of people were gradually becoming visible.
Women drawing water, men carrying firewood, Coachmen preparing Carriages.
It was an ordinary morning.
But to Arteon, it was an unfamiliar landscape.
“The Village visible over there is Lerheim.”
Albertul pointed with his hand.
“Beyond that Forest lies the Village of Brennin, and following the River downstream, you’ll find the Village of Delua.”
Arteon nodded silently.
He was listening to the explanation, but it didn’t seem to register properly in his ears.
Marquis.
That word still felt strange to him.
What nobility meant, what a lord should do.
He had never properly learned such things.
Only one thing was certain.
‘Are these people… those I must walk alongside from now on?’
Arteon’s gaze slowly shifted toward the Villages.
Until yesterday, he had been nothing more than one Soldier wandering the Battlefield.
An 8th Star, a Warrior.
Various titles had been attached to him, but Arteon had never held onto such things.
Just a Soldier fighting on the Battlefield.
That was who he was.
But now, much had changed.
Rather than a sense of gaining power, it felt as though something weighty had settled upon my shoulders.
“And….”
Arteon listened to Albertul’s explanation while following where his finger pointed.
Since three territories had been merged together, there was considerably much to account for.
“There are twenty-eight villages alone in Wolfheim, and if we count all the territorial subjects combined, it slightly exceeds five thousand.”
“Is that a lot?”
“Compared to similar territories in the Central Area, it doesn’t even reach half. But by Northern Region standards, it’s quite substantial.”
“I see.”
As Arteon listened to Albertul’s explanation, I was building new knowledge about Wolfheim and the Northern Region.
And the sun rose completely above the horizon, its crimson light slowly dyeing the plains.
Arteon spoke to Albertul.
“We’ll hear the rest later. Right now, there’s something I need to do first.”
“Yes, understood.”
As Albertul bowed respectfully and withdrew, Arteon slowly turned my head and descended below the Castle Wall.
By now, surely.
‘They should all be gathered.’
The task that needed to be done.
And though I knew it was inevitable, I couldn’t feel particularly pleased about it.
I couldn’t guarantee what situation or outcome would unfold, but I had to accept it nonetheless.
Soon Arteon made my way toward the vast Training Ground in front of the Lord’s Castle.
There were important facilities related to the Lord’s Castle, and this Training Ground was one of them.
And when Arteon arrived there, numerous soldiers stood in formation.
Black armor and cloaks.
And upon them, the emblem of Silent Spear was inscribed.
These were the Squad Members I had entrusted my back to all this time.
As Arteon entered the Training Ground, Isaac, who had been waiting, stepped forward.
“Unit Commander, everyone has assembled.”
Arteon nodded at Isaac’s composed voice.
And I looked upon those standing in formation.
“….”
The Squad Members gazing silently at Arteon.
In their eyes lay respect and trust for me.
But above all, there was a weighty emotion shared by those who had traversed countless battlefields together.
Arteon slowly opened my mouth.
“There are many reasons why I’ve been able to stand and move forward without falling until now.”
My voice was not loud, yet it reached every Squad Member in the Training Ground with clarity.
“But if I were to name one among them….”
Arteon’s gaze swept across the soldiers.
“…it is because you all have been protecting my back.”
The eyes of several soldiers flickered with subtle uncertainty.
They knew.
How many battlefields they had crossed together.
How many crises they had overcome.
And how many comrades had fallen along that path.
All of those countless moments had sustained them together until now, had they not?
Amidst such complex and delicate emotions, Arteon spoke again.
“But.”
With that single word, the atmosphere shifted subtly.
“We cannot continue down this perilous road forever.”
The soldiers’ eyes met one another.
Arteon understood.
Not all thousand squad members here envisioned the same future.
Some would still crave the battlefield.
They would wish to achieve greater merit.
But others… they might simply desire an ordinary life.
A happy home and family.
And a life where the smell of blood no longer lingered.
Arteon spoke slowly.
“If any of you wish to lay down your sword and seek a new life, step forward.”
Arteon’s gaze swept across his squad members.
“Whatever choice you make, I will offer you the best assistance I can provide.”
A breeze swept across the Training Ground.
A moment of silence lingered in the Training Ground.
Footstep.
Those whose minds were already made up stepped forward one by one.
Footstep.
Another.
And another.
One after another.
People walked forward.
The eyes of the soldiers who remained behind flickered with complex emotions.
Regret mingled with understanding for their choice.
But in that moment.
Footstep.
A man stepped forward.
At the same time, the eyes of the nearby soldiers widened in shock.
“…What?”
A brief exclamation escaped someone’s lips.
The one who seemed most certain to march toward the battlefield until the very end—why was he…?
But his footsteps came to a halt before Arteon.
“…I apologize, Unit Commander.”
He spoke with his head bowed low, as though he were a condemned man.

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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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