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Chapter 48
“One, two, three, four! One-two-three-four… one-two-three-four!”
From early morning, shouts echoed throughout the camp, and soldiers came out of their barracks with curious looks on their faces.
“What is it? What’s that noise?”
“…Have they gone crazy?”
Watching the soldiers running around the outskirts of the camp, troops from other platoons burst into snickers.
With a battle that could break out at any moment, it wouldn’t have been enough just to conserve stamina—yet here they were acting like this from early morning. The sight was both unfamiliar and ridiculous.
But…
“Louder! Shout it out like you mean it!”
“One! Twooo! Threee! Fourrr! One-two-three-four! One-two-three-four!”
Running in step alongside the Third Platoon was Arteon himself, keeping pace with them.
To begin with, the Third Platoon soldiers were in good physical condition.
There was a reason they had survived several brutal battles up to now.
“Stop. Take a short break and stretch your bodies lightly. We’ll move straight on to the next training.”
“Huff… huff…!”
“Hoo… damn it, keeping up is tough.”
“How does he run so well with that small body?”
Even though it was unarmed running, considering the speed, it was by no means easy.
Even the Third Platoon soldiers—who prided themselves on their stamina—were bent over, breathing heavily.
‘He looks calm all by himself.’
‘…Just how high is his stamina, anyway?’
Everyone looked at Arteon with puzzled expressions.
But…
‘…If I keep this up just a little longer, I think I’ll be able to operate the mana circulation technique even while moving.’
Arteon, too, had been sneaking out alone whenever they slept, putting himself through grueling training.
What allowed him to endure it was the superhuman recovery ability of the Vargas mana circulation technique.
Because he could train more than three times as much as others and still recover quickly, this was possible.
Of course, that effort was never easy.
“Listen carefully, everyone.”
At Arteon’s words, the platoon members shuffled into place.
It couldn’t be said that discipline was fully established yet, but at least they pretended to listen.
Arteon spoke.
“Starting today, we’ll be doing training that we need. You’ll have to master it completely in a short time, so listen with focus.”
“…?”
“Training we need?”
“What is it?”
The Third Platoon looked at him with puzzled expressions.
At that moment, Arteon gripped his spear, bent his knees, and lowered his stance.
A posture that was neither fully sitting nor fully standing—an awkward halfway position.
Grain asked,
“That… what kind of stance is that?”
The other platoon members also stared at Arteon, waiting for an answer.
“The area around Lake Elbarfiel is basically quite overgrown with bushes. It’s a place where grass grows thickly—rare for the north.”
On top of that, fog often rose there, making securing one’s vision the most important factor on the battlefield.
“But if you can move like this in such a place…”
Shashashashashashashak!
“…!”
Though he was clearly in a half-crouched position, Arteon moved at tremendous speed, and the soldiers’ eyes widened.
Grain said in a flustered voice,
“H-how did you do that?”
“Hoo… It’s been a while, so it’s a bit tiring. I’ll have to work harder too.”
“…Pardon?”
At Arteon’s words, Grain tilted his head in confusion.
Someone who was only fifteen years old saying “it’s been a while.”
Then at what age had he been doing something like this?
But Arteon looked at the platoon and said,
“You need to build the strength and stamina to keep running quickly in this stance for at least twenty minutes. Above all, strengthening the thighs and ankles is important—and here.”
Arteon pointed at his toes with the spear.
When the platoon members looked there, he continued,
“You have to strengthen your toes so you can push off the ground with them, almost like kicking it. That’s how you move quickly.”
If this movement became possible, they could use the fog and bushes as cover to infiltrate the enemy camp swiftly.
At Arteon’s words, the platoon members looked unconvinced.
“But still…”
“Does doing this kind of training really improve anything…? Wouldn’t it be better to just train spear techniques…?”
“Exactly. What gets better from training like that? What matters is the Kar tribe, those barbarian bastards—”
But then Grain cut them off.
“Understood. We’ll do our best to carry out the training the platoon leader orders.”
“…Deputy platoon leader?”
At Grain’s sudden obedience, the soldiers frowned.
Turning to them, Grain said,
“I went along with trying to push the platoon leader away because there was a reason. Our lives were on the line, so I understood that. But what’s this look of yours now?”
Putting on an angry expression, Grain continued,
“The platoon leader gave us a chance, and after we did our absolute best… we lost. Are you going to start arguing again now?”
“N-no, sir.”
“That’s not it…”
“We’re n-not trying to go back on it. It’s just… whether this training really has any effect…”
But Grain cut them off sharply.
“Don’t think. Just do exactly as you’re told and give it your all, no matter what. If the results are bad afterward, then complain. At that point, I’ll speak up with you.”
At Grain’s words, all the platoon members bowed their heads, expressions mixing shame and regret.
And then—
‘…Not bad.’
Wasn’t this the very definition of a man?
He scolded the platoon members while at the same time raising Arteon’s standing.
‘And at the same time… he’s even issuing a warning.’
If the results were bad, he’d complain together with them.
That statement carried an unspoken pressure to do their utmost to achieve good results.
Arteon spoke.
“I know that telling you to trust me doesn’t inspire much confidence. We’ve only known each other for a single day, after all.”
Of course, Arteon knew.
He knew how effective this had been on the battlefield of Lake Elbarfiel.
He had already proven it in a past life.
‘Of course, there’s more that’s needed—but this is the foundation of the foundation.’
Arteon said to the platoon,
“Line up by squads. We’ll start by walking slowly.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
Perhaps because of what had just happened, the soldiers’ eyes burned with determination.
Then Arteon added,
“And there’s one thing you need to prepare.”
“…What is it?”
Grain asked on behalf of everyone.
Arteon smiled slightly and said,
“You’ll all pack and wear full combat gear and then begin training.”
Their faces turned pale.
The Third Platoon’s bizarre behavior quickly spread throughout the entire Fourth Defense Line.
“…What kind of nonsense is that?”
“I don’t know, but maybe there’s some reason for it.”
“What reason could there be? He’s probably just trying to tighten discipline by overworking the soldiers.”
At Volgren’s words, Hadel frowned.
He hadn’t liked it from the start, and his actions didn’t sit well either.
But soon Hadel turned his body and looked at the documents.
“Information just came in that the Kar tribe is moving south with the lake at their backs. Those bastards… it looks like they’re planning to shift their formation downward.”
“…You mean they’re not guarding the lake, but moving further south?”
That could only mean the Kar tribe intended to expand their territory even further.
Lake Elbarfiel was an extremely important location for both the Kar tribe and the Imperial Army.
It was the only flat region that cut through both the Kar territory and the Empire’s lines.
Moreover, the surrounding terrain was marshland, making movement difficult, and the fog and thick bushes allowed for the creation of multiple infiltration routes.
It wasn’t so much the lake itself that mattered, but the countless advantages the lake provided.
And now…
“If they move south and establish their formation, it’ll become even harder for us to approach the lake.”
“…Then we need to prepare for battle quickly.”
“I heard the battalion commander already moved to report to higher command. Judging by how rushed it seems…”
Hadel fell silent.
Considering the scale of the recent losses, they should have spent at least a month reorganizing, treating the wounded, and resupplying.
But judging by the atmosphere now—
“At most, two weeks.”
At those words, Volgren’s expression stiffened.
“Two weeks… you say?”
“It’s only a guess. But there’s a high chance we’ll be mobilizing within two weeks. So make sure the soldiers are prepared as quickly as possible.”
“…Understood.”
Even when a battle breaks out after full preparation, the scale of casualties is unpredictable.
So what kind of outcome would come from a hastily prepared battle…?
Especially when manpower losses were already severe due to a crushing defeat.
A shadow fell over Volgren’s face.
At times like this, he almost wished he were on the battlefield with the soldiers rather than handling supplies.
But…
“…Understood.”
Everyone has their own role to fulfill.
As Volgren turned away with a dark expression, Hadel let out the sigh he’d been holding back.
“Hoo… damn it.”
How many more casualties would there be this time…?
But sentiment ended there.
Wasn’t it his duty to prepare so they could fight as effectively as possible under any circumstances?
After steeling his resolve, Hadel hurried off toward somewhere else.
It was just after the morning training had ended, when everyone was resting.
“Pl- platoon leader!”
Suddenly, one of the platoon members burst into the barracks, shouting urgently.
Arteon turned his head to look at him.
It was Milo from the Third Squad.
“What is it that has you in such a rush?”
“I just heard from a guy on duty in the situation room… it looks like the next sortie will be within two weeks.”
“…What?”
“Fuck, what are you talking about?”
“What kind of bullshit is that?!”
The platoon members, who had been lying down to recover their exhausted bodies, jumped to their feet, spewing curses.
After taking such heavy losses, they were going to attack again in just two weeks?
It sounded like nothing but a plan to get everyone killed.
But Arteon wore a serious expression as he rapidly reviewed the situation.
‘I can’t know the exact circumstances of the northeastern Fourth Defense Line at this point in time.’
In his past life, Arteon had been in the northwest during this period.
But as long as the terrain of Lake Elbarfiel hadn’t changed, there were still things that could be done.
‘The best course of action right now is…’
Arteon frowned deeply.
First, he needed to understand the situation precisely—
“…Huh?”
Something caught Arteon’s eye at that moment.
A sack piled in the corner of the Third Platoon’s barracks.
“What’s that?”
“Yes? Ah, that? It’s pima grass—a medicinal herb with painkilling effects. There’s plenty of it around the lake, so we always keep a good supply.”
They were soldiers who lived with pain from big and small injuries.
That was why pima grass was one of the most essential herbs to them.
And the moment Arteon saw it—
“…That’s it.”
Arteon’s eyes flashed sharply
