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Chapter 34
“Move quickly! We have to cross now!”
“How did this even collapse…?”
As the right wall of the ravine collapsed, the debris that fell completely blocked the road below.
Fortunately, it wasn’t impassable, so the Kar tribe warriors who had been in the rear hurriedly climbed over the rocks.
With their forces split, the comrades at the front were in danger, after all.
But then—
Swoooosh!
“Kraah!”
“Aaagh!”
“…!”
“E-Enemy archers! Imperial archers are positioned on top of the ravine walls!”
A sudden rain of arrows poured down, knocking the Kar tribe warriors who were climbing the rocks back to the ground.
Why had so many Imperial troops gathered here all of a sudden?
No—more importantly, the fact that they had seized the ravine walls meant—
“…Don’t tell me.”
Urkaron, a high-ranking Kar tribe warrior who had been in the rear, deflected the arrows and looked beyond the rocks blocking the way.
And at that moment, a sound rang out.
Bwooooooo!
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
It wasn’t the cry of allies.
As the chilling sound of a horn echoed throughout the ravine, Urkaron stepped on the rock and leapt upward in an instant.
What came into his view was a sight of despair.
“We don’t need prisoners! Kill them all!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“S-Spare me… kuhk!”
Watching the Imperial soldiers push in as the entrance to the ravine was breached, Urkaron clenched his lips tightly.
But then—
Thunk!
“Kugh!”
An arrow embedded itself in his right shoulder, making Urkaron stagger.
Someone shouted loudly upon spotting him.
“There’s a high-ranking warrior here! Aim for him!”
Chajajajajak!
In an instant, the archers unleashed a concentrated barrage at Urkaron.
Under the rain of arrows, Urkaron jumped down.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
Piiiiiiii!
In the end, all they could do was run.
As the whistle signaling retreat echoed through the ravine, the Kar tribe forces in the rear began to withdraw rapidly.
Seeing that—
“Don’t pursue them! Hold the formation and eliminate the remaining ones!”
“Maintain formation!”
The officers shouted orders to the soldiers.
And as the battlefield was gradually being brought under control—
“…Hoo.”
Arteon sat down, breathing lightly.
“…Did we win?”
In front of Arteon lay Turak, his breath extinguished.
A high-ranking Kar tribe warrior bearing three feather tattoos.
Killing him carried great significance even for Arteon.
Although he had yet to surpass the realm of three stars—
‘…It works. My strength.’
The fact that his abilities were effective against the Kar tribe.
Of course, the road ahead was still long, but the fight with Turak had made his shortcomings abundantly clear.
“I need to get stronger.”
He had drained his mana to the limit, and the overload on his body left him with pain as if his muscles were tearing apart.
Even so, Arteon used his spear as a cane and stood up.
It seemed like it was over, but it wasn’t quite finished yet.
Just then—
Grab.
“Don’t push yourself.”
“…?”
Fonlaron, who had approached unnoticed, grabbed Arteon’s arm and supported him.
Everyone who had gone up bore minor wounds and was smeared with blood.
Arteon asked,
“How’s the top?”
“It’s all cleared.”
At that, Arteon let out a small chuckle.
“For being ‘cleared,’ you look like a mess.”
“And you look fine?”
“Kekekek, guess not.”
Arteon finally burst into laughter.
A ridiculous operation.
In this fierce battlefield, it felt like he had gained comrades he could trust with his back.
But soon, Arteon picked up a Kar tribe spear lying on the ground.
He had completely run out of mana and could no longer use Iglis.
“Then… let’s go finish it.”
“Follow behind me. This time, I’ll lead.”
Arteon’s legs trembled just from standing.
When Fonlaron stepped forward as if pretending not to notice, Arteon nodded.
“Alright, let’s go.”
And as dawn slowly broke—
“This is our victory!”
Benhard’s ogre.
Normally a man who revealed little emotion, even to the point of coldness, but at this moment he couldn’t help it.
As his faintly trembling voice echoed throughout the ravine—
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
“It’s our victoryyyy!”
“We’ve taken Helikel Ravine!”
The Imperial soldiers roared in triumph.
For the first time in ten years—
Helikel Ravine had returned to the Empire’s embrace.
“…What did you say?”
What happened at the First Defense Line spread across the entire north in an instant.
A middle-aged man holding a wine glass filled with chilled wine couldn’t hide his shock at the messenger’s report.
“Belkein recaptured Helikel Ravine?”
The north was broadly divided into the northwest, central north, and northeast.
The area under Belkein’s charge was the northwest.
Among them, the First Defense Line was known as the fiercest and most dangerous battlefield in the northwest.
He had heard that they had recently achieved a major victory at the First Defense Line.
But how much time had even passed since that news—
“Huh.”
The man’s expression twisted strangely.
Whether it was confusion, or something that should never have happened, it was hard to tell.
One thing was certain—it wasn’t an atmosphere of simple celebration.
The middle-aged man looked at the soldier before him and spoke.
“Depart for the First Defense Line immediately. Find out in detail what exactly happened there.”
“Yes, sir!”
As the soldier hurried out, the man walked over and looked out the window.
Beyond the frost-covered glass stretched the gray northern sky unique to the region.
“…Helikel Ravine.”
Anyone in the north knew what kind of place that was.
It literally signaled the end of the First Defense Line battles, and at the same time—
“Does that mean a fortress has been established in the northwest…?”
A thick shield had been firmly raised over the Empire’s northwest.
And—
“It will serve as a foothold to advance further into the north.”
This would send enormous ripples through the Empire.
For some, it could be a golden opportunity to expand their territory.
But—
“For those who need the fierce conflicts of the north…”
It was an event large enough to shake power itself.
The man soon sat back down and began writing letters at speed.
If it was truly the case that Helikel Ravine had been secured, he needed to move before the news reached them.
‘At most, a week.’
He hoped nothing would happen, but such ominous premonitions had never been wrong before.
“Is anyone outside?”
“Yes, you called?”
“Deliver this letter to Count Calvillon immediately. It’s an important message, so make sure it reaches him as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.”
The man took the letter and hurried out.
As important as the letter was, those delivering it would also need to make extensive preparations.
Politics always had those who tried to intercept news.
And in the room, now silent—
“…Hoo.”
The middle-aged man’s quiet sigh spread through the air.
On the bloodstained ground, dust and the stench of blood still lingered.
In just a single night.
Though the sun stood high over the ravine whose master had changed, the traces of the fierce battle remained vivid.
“Here! Bring it this way!”
“Move all the barbarian corpses over there, and take the wounded to these barracks! Hey! You there, stop slacking and move it!”
Between the ravine walls.
At the narrow pass where the fiercest fighting had taken place, soldiers bustled about clearing corpses and collapsed rocks.
Outside the entrance, barracks for the wounded had been set up, and the survivors were collecting fallen comrades and tidying the battlefield.
Near the command tent—
Arteon sat leaning against a rock, soaked in fatigue.
His left arm was splinted with branches and tightly wrapped in bandages, and every breath sent a throbbing pain through his ribs.
Even so, Arteon’s gaze remained calm and unwavering as he watched the soldiers in the ravine.
Just then—
“What are you doing here?”
Someone approached Arteon and spoke.
Blond hair tinged faintly with red.
A man with striking blue eyes like a lake.
Isaac Duraik.
He looked down at Arteon sitting there.
Arteon stood and saluted.
“Steel Heart.”
“That’s enough. What kind of salute is that from an injured man? Sit down and rest.”
“I’m fine.”
“Your left arm and ribs are broken. It may not look serious, but broken ribs can easily lead to severe injuries, so focus on recovery.”
“…Understood.”
At Isaac’s words, Arteon sat back down on the rock.
Normally, he should have been lying in a bed in the wounded soldiers’ barracks, but he didn’t particularly want to.
‘With injuries like this…’
Compared to those who had lost their lives or suffered far worse wounds, it was nothing.
Isaac stared at Arteon quietly.
He had been watching the kid for days, and frankly, it made no sense.
Isaac asked,
“Arteon. Are you really fifteen?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m just curious. Or are you actually some forty-year-old veteran who used magic to become young again? Or maybe you were a general in your past life and reincarnated?”
“…I didn’t know you had such an imagination. With that talent, you could’ve made it big as a bard.”
“Heh, I do have a vivid imagination. Still, someone like you being fifteen just doesn’t make sense.”
“To be honest… I do feel like I’ve lived quite a long life.”
“…Hmm?”
Not understanding, Isaac looked at Arteon with a puzzled expression.
But then, someone else approached the two.
The clanking sound of armor.
A huge man with a longsword at his waist approached.
The division commander, Belkein.
“Steel Heart!”
“Steel Heart!”
Isaac and Arteon snapped to attention and saluted Belkein.
Belkein looked at Arteon and said,
“There should be barracks prepared for the wounded.”
“I gave up my spot for those more seriously injured than me. It wouldn’t do if they had nowhere to rest because of me.”
“…I see.”
Belkein slowly nodded as he looked at Arteon.
Then—
“Well done.”
At the unexpected words, both Isaac’s and Arteon’s eyes wavered slightly.
It wasn’t Belkein’s usual manner of speaking.
But Belkein continued without concern.
“What you did is no different from saving thousands of soldiers.”
Every year, the First Defense Line suffered tremendous casualties.
Yet now, that hellish war was effectively over.
“Once things are settled, the fortification of Helikel Ravine will begin. The moment this victory reaches the central command, elite troops will likely be dispatched immediately.”
Once the fortress at Helikel Ravine was completed, it would be able to block Kar tribe invasions for decades to come.
No—perhaps even centuries.
With such monumental achievement, Belkein spoke without a trace of shame.
“This war was yours. The achievements of the special unit will be recorded in the Empire’s history.”
Unprecedented rewards would be bestowed.
Some among them might even receive noble titles.
Yet at Belkein’s words, Arteon’s gaze cooled.
‘Soon now…’
The victory at Helikel Ravine would reach the central command.
And when that happened—
‘They’ll move.’
Those who had been waiting.
Amid the battlefield celebrating victory, Arteon’s eyes were already fixed on what lay ahead.
