The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 331

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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 (331)
Patter, pitter-patter.
At first, it was merely a few drops.
Raindrops fell through the parched air of the Northern Region, leaving small marks upon the black earth.
Those marks quickly spread and mingled with the Darkness.
And then….
Whoooooooosh!
It happened in an instant.
As if the sky itself had split open, thick sheets of rain consumed the entire Mountain.
Wind tangled with the downpour, driving the rain in diagonal torrents, and trees thrashed violently.
Rain rarely fell in the Northern Region, but today was different.
Water cascaded down the Mountain Path.
The earth became sodden and treacherous with each step.
Small stones were swept away by the current, and the sound of soil being washed away echoed from all directions.
Clothes were soaked through instantly, clinging to skin as cold water seeped into flesh.
Rainwater traced down the back of my neck, streaming along my spine.
Yet not a single soul, in this moment.
Voiced a complaint.
Squelch… squelch.
Arteon moved forward in silence.
The weight cradled in both my arms.
There was no need to say what it was, or who it was.
The Silent Spear Unit Members following behind also matched their pace with bowed heads.
Rainwater streamed down their faces, indistinguishable from tears.
Some clenched their jaws tightly, others bowed their heads deeper still.
When we reached the Base of Mountain, the waiting Squad Members were constructing a temporary Barracks.
Shelter was necessary due to the sudden downpour.
But standing before it was a single man.
Seeing Arteon approach, Belkain stood motionless in the rain.
Water streamed from his shoulders, his hair plastered to his face.
Yet he made no move to wipe it away.
And the moment he saw Arteon.
“Ah… ah….”
Emotions beyond words spilled from his lips.
His gaze fixed upon the corpse cradled in Arteon’s arms.
Squelch… squelch….
He took a step forward.
That single step moved heavily.
His legs moved as though they would not obey, his pace agonizingly slow, but seeing Belkain approach, I bowed my head and spoke.
“…I apologize. By the time I arrived, everything was already… over.”
Arteon’s voice rang out low.
It carried clearly even through the sound of rain.
He wanted to make excuses.
Wanted to say he had tried to save them, but couldn’t.
That he had run to the end, climbed to the very top.
The emotions he thought he had settled while descending the Mountain Path surged up again.
“I’m… sorry.”
The weight of those words was immense.
His shoulders trembled slightly.
If only I had been a little faster.
Or if I had gone with Belkain when he first said he was leading troops here.
If I had joined them even late.
Countless hypotheticals flashed through my mind.
But every moment that had passed was now stained with regret.
Belkain approached Arteon and slowly raised his hand.
His fingers were trembling.
And that hand touched Claw’s corpse.
A severed neck.
The bloodstains had already been washed away and faded, yet the traces remained vivid.
But…
His hand.
His arm.
His body.
All of it was the Claw I knew.
Thud.
Belkain’s knees fell heavily onto the rain-soaked ground.
Water and mud splattered.
His head bowed deeply.
His lips trembled.
“Ugh… uuuuuuugh…!”
The sorrow and despair he had been holding back burst forth between his clenched teeth.
A hoarse cry escaped his throat.
The Ogre of Benhard.
The man called the Iron-Blooded Commander, who had dominated countless battlefields—this was the first time I had ever seen him like this.
He drove his fist hard into the ground.
The veins on the back of his hand swelled as if they might burst.
Mud pressed between his fingers.
Because of his position as Commander, he forcibly suppressed emotions that threatened to shatter him.
And how much time had passed?
His trembling shoulders gradually stilled.
A soft whisper.
Belkain rose from his seat.
His movements were slow, yet unwavering.
He quietly received Claw’s body.
With the care one might show a fragile thing, he handled it gently.
His movements were remarkably composed.
“I will begin the cremation of the fallen soldiers and Claw first.”
He had already returned to his former demeanor.
Cold and distant.
Yet his eyes were different from before.
Within them burned an ember that would not extinguish.
“Everyone moves to the rendezvous point. Prepare to move at once.”
“Yes, understood.”
At Belkain’s command, the remaining officers swiftly mobilized the soldiers.
Brief orders, swift movements.
By then, the torrential rain had begun to lighten, and they headed toward the Operation Site where they had agreed to gather after the withdrawal.
And when they arrived there.
“Commander!”
“Commander! You’re safe!”
Countless soldiers rushed forward.
Exhausted faces, eyes heavy with fatigue.
Over ten thousand troops.
Belkain said nothing.
He simply issued his command with cold eyes.
“All personnel will prepare a cremation ceremony for our fallen comrades.”
“Yes.”
“Understood, Commander.”
At Belkain’s command, all the soldiers moved with purpose.
Wood was stacked neatly, and bodies were carried atop it.
One by one.
The hands lifting their comrades trembled, yet no one faltered.
This was the final honor they could offer.
And in that silence, the preparations for the cremation ceremony were completed.
Flames roared upward!
Crackling sounds!
A thunderous whoosh!
The inferno surged skyward, pushing back the darkness.
Wet wood burst and scattered sparks in all directions.
The dark night.
Red flames danced and flickered.
Hundreds of soldiers vanished into that inferno.
And through their deaths, all others were granted life.
Every survivor bowed their head in reverence for the fallen, offering gratitude.
They understood that their survival was made possible by these sacrifices.
A solemn cremation ceremony unfolded.
Before the roaring flames, Belkain gazed silently at the fire.
But soon enough….
“Marquis Arteon.”
“Speak.”
A moment of silence.
But Belkain’s words followed immediately after.
“…Can you lend your strength in avenging our nemesis?”
Deploying a warrior of Arteon’s caliber to the battlefield required authorization from higher command in itself.
When he moved, the army that moved with him was no mere military force—it carried the weight of an entire nation’s mobilization.
Arteon understood this fact as well.
Which is why he harbored regret.
The thought that such constraints had delayed his arrival gnawed at him.
“Of course.”
There was not a shred of hesitation in Arteon’s response.
Now, no one could prevent his deployment.
Only his own will mattered.
“The moment this cremation ceremony concludes… I shall advance immediately.”
He had chosen the battlefield himself.
Belkain nodded at those words.
“Thank you.”
A greeting laden with sincerity.
And in Belkain’s eyes as he spoke, there burned an immense resolve.
A determination to overturn the entire Northern Region if necessary, to exact vengeance.
Thus the two stood in silence, watching the flames dance and roar.
* * *
Buuuuuuuuuuu!
A horn’s cry shattered the entire mountain.
That resonance, cutting through the frigid air, was like a proclamation announcing the beginning of battle itself.
And at that very moment.
Clang.
Approximately ten thousand soldiers seized their weapons in unison.
The metallic clash echoed in rapid succession.
Shield Bearers took the vanguard.
Thick shields were layered upon one another, forming a singular wall, and behind them, Spearmen stood densely with their spear tips raised.
The spear tips gleamed faintly through the darkness.
In the rear, Archers gripped their Bows and quietly maintained their bowstrings while standing ready.
The Arrowheads glistened, dampened by the rain.
And at that same moment.
A Conference Room gathered to direct the Operation.
“The Operation is identical to the previous one. However, utilizing the path on the flank may now prove difficult.”
Belkain’s voice resonated low.
His eyes, fixed upon the Map, were cold and calculating.
It was a route already used once before.
Naturally, their vigilance would have been reinforced.
Thus, Belkain’s hand moved with urgency.
The location Belkain indicated was the eastern entrance of the Mine.
“The east is where we executed an Attack to draw attention. However, we were forced to withdraw our troops without even managing a proper assault.”
Belkain’s gaze rose.
“The Marquis and the Silent Spear Unit will launch an Attack from this location.”
In that instant, the Officers in the Conference Room turned their eyes toward Arteon.
A collective intake of breath swept through the room.
The air in the Conference Room seemed to settle in an oddly tense manner.
It was only natural.
The eastern side of Gracekal Mine.
That terrain was disadvantageous for the attacking force.
In the previous Battle, they had attacked to buy time, yet failed to achieve any meaningful results and were forced to retreat.
“However… it is precisely because of this that we can induce their carelessness.”
Belkain spoke with unwavering conviction.
Moreover, through Reconnaissance, had they not already confirmed that unlike the other side, there were no Reinforcement Troops stationed there?
Yet, if there remained one concern despite all this.
“The Terrain’s undulations are severe… entry will not be easy.”
Belkain spoke with worry in his voice. However….
“Do not concern yourself with that.”
Arteon’s voice interjected.
A voice without the slightest tremor.
Arteon’s gaze turned toward Belkain.
“My Squad Members and I can traverse any terrain.”
It was a brief statement.
Yet the weight carried by those words was far from light.
The path I have walked.
The Battlefields I have carved through.
Those who knew of these things understood that his words were no mere falsehood.
Belkain nodded.
“Yes, I shall place my faith in you, Marquis.”
Belkain then rapidly briefed the remaining aspects of the Operation.
As his words continued, the officers nodded with grave expressions, and the scattered fragments came together as if forming a single unified whole—the operation became solid and unshakeable.
And after all the operational briefings concluded.
“The moment darkness falls, we deploy the Archer Unit to strike the enemy.”
Belkain’s gaze fell back upon the map.
This was no longer a mere performance to buy time in a frontal assault.
The battering ram had been prepared far larger than before, and the number of troops carrying it had increased as well.
“We breach the palisade at the main gate in one decisive strike and push inside. And the moment we penetrate deep and create chaos in close quarters.”
Belkain looked at Arteon.
“Marquis, please strike them from the flank and seize their commander.”
“Understood.”
It was a brief answer, yet far more reassuring than any guarantee could be.
Belkain immediately turned his attention back to the map.
Now all battle preparations were complete.
Though we had tasted defeat in the previous engagement.
‘…Surely.’
This time would be different.
I would repay this nemesis without fail.
Flap!
A fierce wind from the Northern Region swept across.
The flag billowed greatly.
And the Empire’s pattern inscribed upon it gleamed clearly even through the darkness.
And as darkness gradually descended and light faded away, shadow blanketed the mountain.
In that moment.
Belkain opened his mouth.
“All forces, advance.”
Short and resolute—a command.
And at the same time.
Buuuuuuuuuu!
With the horn signaling the advance, the Imperial Soldiers charged once more toward Gracekal Mine.

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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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