The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 303

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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 (303)
The air that settled over the Training Ground hung heavy and oppressive.
A man stepped forward.
It was Ragnell, Company Commander of the Second Company of the Silent Spear Unit.
The moment the soldiers recognized him, their expressions hardened in unison.
Ragnell was the man who had stood by Arteon’s side longer than anyone else.
On the battlefield, he was always at the very front, the last to fall back.
He commanded the respect of many squad members, and possessed the ability to match that esteem.
That was precisely why his stepping forward now seemed so difficult to believe.
“….”
A faint murmur rippled through the soldiers.
“Surely not….”
“Company Commander Ragnell…?”
A low voice escaped from someone in the crowd.
Ragnell bowed his head without a word.
Then, after a moment, he spoke in a hushed tone.
“I apologize… Captain.”
Those words fell across the Training Ground.
Arteon’s gaze turned briefly toward Isaac.
Isaac’s face bore the same shock.
His eyes wavered as he gave the faintest shake of his head.
It meant he knew nothing of this either.
A brief silence descended.
Ragnell remained standing, unable to lift his head.
But Arteon, seeing Ragnell in that state, quietly placed a hand upon his shoulder.
“All this time….”
Sincerity seeped into the voice that emerged softly.
Arteon spoke to Ragnell.
“Dozens of comrades have had their lives saved because of you.”
And….
“Dozens of battles have been won because of you.”
Arteon took a moment to steady his breath, then turned his gaze toward the soldiers.
“Is there a criminal in this place?!”
His voice resonated across the Training Ground.
Everyone swallowed hard at the mana-infused power of Arteon’s voice.
Arteon cried out.
“All of you, raise your heads!”
Several soldiers flinched.
The soldiers who had been bowing their heads gradually lifted their gazes.
Arteon spoke again.
“You all deserve to seek your freedom.”
His gaze swept across the soldiers one by one.
“And I will respect that choice.”
As those words concluded, Arteon turned to Ragnell and spoke.
“It has been my glory to fight alongside you all this time, Ragnell.”
At that, Ragnell’s shoulders trembled violently.
He could no longer hold back and lifted his face.
His eyes were already flushed red.
“It has been my glory as well….”
His voice cracked.
“Captain….”
And then….
“Ugh…!”
Ragnell bowed his head and tears streamed down his face.
At the sight, muffled sobs escaped from various corners of the Training Ground.
Ragnell was no mere Company Commander.
He was a man who had saved countless soldiers on the Battlefield.
And now, in this moment, he was laying down his Sword.
Ragnell turned away.
And on that day.
Of the thousand members of the Silent Spear Battalion, one hundred ninety-two laid down their Swords.
Where their paths would lead, none could say.
Some might settle in Wolfheim, while others desired to journey to the Central territories or perhaps the Southern Region.
But whatever choice they made mattered not.
I could only wish blessings upon their futures.
And that night.
A modest festival was held in Wolfheim.
In the vast courtyard before the Lord’s Castle.
Food and Alcohol were laid upon long Tables, and flames danced high.
Arteon deliberately laughed loudly and boisterously.
“Drink freely tonight!”
He raised his Cup.
“This is a day when those beginning new lives gather!”
The soldiers burst into laughter.
Alcohol circulated freely.
Songs followed.
Some linked arms and sang, while others grew drunk and spoke loudly.
And in places throughout, people quietly clinked their Cups together.
Ragnell was present as well.
He spoke less than usual.
But each time squad members approached, I raised my cup.
“Captain.”
“Captain? Man, calling the Company Commander ‘captain’!”
A squad member beside him spoke with a heavily slurred tongue.
The young soldier laughed awkwardly in response.
“You’re no longer the Company Commander, are you?”
“…Heh, that’s right. Captain it is.”
Ragnell looked at the soldier before him.
“Hilster. You have a bad habit of freezing up in unexpected situations. Always remind yourself that the battlefield can present countless variables.”
“…Yes.”
The squad member called Hilster nodded in acknowledgment. Ragnell then raised his cup.
“Live well.”
That was all.
The night deepened.
Laughter and song continued.
Yet beneath it all lay the bittersweet sting of parting.
After the night had shed away all their emotions, dawn broke once more.
Yesterday’s clamor seemed like a distant lie in the quiet morning.
Arteon stood at the window of the Lord’s Castle.
People were already moving about in the courtyard.
Carriages came and went, administrators bustled about their duties. And among them was Albertul, running back and forth with documents in hand.
At that, Arteon turned his gaze toward the documents piled upon his table.
Now….
“I must attend to my duties as well.”
There was an abundance of matters requiring my attention in the days ahead.
But above all, the most pressing task was.
“Summon Isaac.”
Reorganizing and strengthening the unit.
Resolve once more kindled in Arteon’s eyes.
* * *
Deep within the Imperial Palace.
Early morning sunlight streamed through the window of the office, enclosed by thick stone walls, casting long shadows across the chamber.
The office was quiet, yet beneath that silence lay an unspoken tension.
Dozens of reports were stacked upon the desk.
Southern reconstruction status, diplomatic reports from various kingdoms, the compiled list of nobles following the rebellion, and intelligence from the Northern Region.
Among them, one report was held in Sedrian’s hands.
He read through it slowly, line by line.
After a moment.
“…Is that so?”
Sedrian murmured softly.
“A decision befitting you.”
His gaze lifted from the Report.
Svein, standing before the Table, tilted his head slightly.
“Yet it seems somewhat wasteful. Each of those Soldiers possessed exceptional Ability at 2-Star Grade or higher, did they not?”
The Report contained details about the Silent Spear Battalion’s situation.
One thousand.
Of those, one hundred ninety-two had set down their Swords and chosen a new life.
Sedrian said nothing for a moment.
He walked slowly toward the window.
Beyond the Glass lay the Imperial Palace’s Garden, and in the distance, the rooftops of the Capital glimmered as they reflected the light.
Sedrian spoke, recalling Arteon’s Silent Spear Battalion.
“They truly were exceptional Soldiers. A mere Infantry Unit that surpassed the Knight Order in strength.”
Svein smiled faintly.
That statement was no exaggeration.
The Silent Spear Battalion.
On the surface, it appeared to be merely one thousand Infantry.
But on the Battlefield, they revealed an entirely different nature.
Sedrian had once witnessed their Battle firsthand.
Dozens moving in unison, deflecting enemy Attacks, and the moment an Opening appeared, the Formation would shift subtly to sever the enemy’s advance.
What astonished him most was the Formation that transformed in real time in response to enemy Attacks.
It was not a movement created through ordinary Training.
Sedrian spoke quietly.
“…It is not something achievable through conventional Training.”
He returned to the Table.
Setting down the Report, he fell into thought for a moment.
“What if we sought counsel from Marquis Arteon regarding the Soldiers’ Training methods?”
At Sedrian’s words, Svein seemed to consider for a moment. Then he slowly shook his head.
“It is a sound idea, but….”
A faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
“…I suspect he will be quite occupied for some time.”
Sedrian paused.
“What do you mean?”
His gaze turned toward Svein.
Svein remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“It appears Marquis Arteon is already attempting to form a new Unit.”
Sedrian’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly.
“A new Unit?”
“Yes.”
Svein placed another Report on the Table.
“Thanks to that, quite a number of people are gathering in Wolfheim.”
“…Hmm.”
Sedrian examined the documents Svein had handed over.
Arteon, who had relocated to Wolfheim, was gathering personnel from multiple directions.
Just from reading the contents written in the documents, I could discern the manner in which he conducted his affairs.
‘…It’s truly characteristic of him, I suppose.’
Usually, people change once they ascend to such a position.
“But he was never that sort of man.”
Even with the title of 8-Star Warrior, Arteon had remained as consistent as a common foot soldier.
A Noble? A Marquis?
Such things were to him merely like the shoulder insignia adorning his shoulders.
Sedrian leaned back heavily in his chair.
There was nothing strange about it when considering the man called Arteon.
He was not the sort to quietly tend to his lordship simply because power had been granted to him.
Moreover….
‘He is a man who always honors his word… He must be quite occupied.’
The year and six months he had spoken of before departing referred to the period when the Empire’s Emperor would fully awaken.
And when that time came….
Sedrian straightened in his seat and looked toward Svein.
“Should any matters of particular importance concerning Wolfheim arise, inform me at once.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Svein bowed his head.
A quiet atmosphere began to flow through the Office once more.
* * *
The morning sunlight descended slowly along the stone walls of the Lord’s Castle.
The vast Training Ground situated before Wolfheim’s Lord’s Castle was originally spacious enough to accommodate over a thousand soldiers in formation with room to spare.
But now that Training Ground presented an entirely different sight.
People, people.
And yet more people.
The Training Ground was already packed, and lines extended beyond its boundaries.
Some wore armor, others had worn swords fastened at their waists, and still others stood in ordinary attire.
But if there was a common thread, it was that all had gathered here for the same purpose.
They had come to undergo the examination for recruitment into the new Silent Spear Battalion.
Isaac clicked his tongue upon witnessing the flood of applicants before the Lord’s Castle.
“…Isn’t this far too many?”
At his words, Arteon narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across the Training Ground.
“It looks to be roughly two thousand or so?”
“That appears to be about right.”
But the problem did not end there.
“If we include the lines extending beyond… it looks like there could easily be two or three hundred more?”
At those words, Arteon observed the long queue stretching into the distance.
Everyone came here with determination, certainly.
“Still, it would be wise to filter them first.”
Arteon spoke those final words.
There was no way I could accept all these people.
At his words, a subtle smile played across Isaac’s lips.
“Then… shall we begin with that?”
Arteon nodded in response.
“Of course. We must start our way, mustn’t we?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Isaac’s lips curved upward in a wide grin.
Isaac then turned and gazed toward where the applicants stood.
All of them wore expressions brimming with confidence.
“Hah…”
How many of them would remain standing?
Soon, Isaac infused his voice with Mana and bellowed loudly.
“Everyone… atteeeeention!”
His cry rang out with resonant force.
“The recruitment test begins now.”
All eyes converged upon a single point.

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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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