Chapter 183. Childhood Friend – Ear
“We will camp here for the night.”
Lev commanded.
Then, the seven hundred barbarian warriors who followed him began setting up simple tents at the quiet mountainside, preparing medical stations and kitchens, busily fulfilling their roles.
Some headed towards nearby villages to replenish supplies dwindling after days of mountain marching. Lev, handing over jangling coins, carefully rewrapped packages that had significantly thinned in just ten days.
An army costs money simply by existing.
Since soldiers do not engage in economic activities, they had to depend on others for food and clothing, and this burden fell entirely on the commander.
General Lev sighed.
“At this rate, we’ll last maybe three more weeks… not enough.”
He had traversed the Rodran Mountains. He had traveled for four solid months, and excluding two rejects, a total of twelve barbarian tribes decided to join the war.
They couldn’t visit each one due to time constraints, but the chiefs conscripted dozens, or even up to a hundred, warriors from their respective dozen or so subordinate villages.
Totally, would it reach ten thousand?
Not a small number. Unable to carry that many, Lev had requested that the warriors find their own way to the Guidan territory, and it was a fortunate decision.
“Captain. I have a report.”
Lev suppressed his sigh. His lieutenant entered the traditional hexagonal tent of the Mei-Wa tribe, and he feigned nonchalance.
“Is it an injury report?”
“Yes. There were seven injuries during today’s march. Most are minor, like blisters, but one is more serious. He hurt his foot on a cart.”
“Can he walk?”
“Not immediately.”
Lev nodded. Why can’t they follow safety rules, he was annoyed but, since it was common in the army, he spoke calmly.
“Assign two reliable warriors to him. Tell them to wait for the rear guard to catch up and join them.”
“Understood. And…”
Lieutenant Cesar checked his superior’s mood.
“We caught the deserter from the day before yesterday. As you said, he fled south. What should we do?”
“…”
The general’s tent had neither chair nor table, so Lev sat on the floor. He ordered to bring the deserter after contemplating on a narrow mat.
A warrior in his early twenties.
The reason for his desertion was trivial. Although he volunteered, he felt sorry for his wife and children left behind and was planning to return. He confessed that he left secretly out of shame.
“Do you think the military regulations are a joke?”
Lev spoke coldly, glaring at the warrior’s nonchalant demeanor.
“Did the service rules I recite every morning and evening seem light to you?”
“…”
“Bring him out.”
Lev led the deserter outside and called for the chief warrior of the Mei-Wa tribe.
“This is a deserter. How do your people punish traitors?”
“It depends on the severity, but usually we flog them.”
“Good. Administer eight lashes to him. The punishment shall take place just before dinner, in front of everyone. Report to me who will carry it out.”
“Yes, General!”
The deserter’s face paled. He looked around, seeking help, and stared at the chief warrior. The warrior also had an uneasy expression.
“General. Is such severe punishment necessary? He is a volunteer, and he must have reflected a lot. Please forgive him.”
Lev responded coldly.
“Forgiveness? I’m not punishing him out of anger. I’m doing it to establish military discipline, so carry out the orders without question.”
“…Understood.”
Evening fell. The warriors who had gone to nearby villages returned with carts, and around dusk, seven hundred warriors gathered at the campsite’s center as the cooking station emitted a savory aroma from large pots of soup.
Buzzing.
Though not a large number, rumors spread quickly. Even if from different villages, they were one family under the name ‘Mei-Wa,’ full of discontent, and jeered as they tied the deserter’s hands tightly to a tree trunk.
“Silence!”
Lev stepped forward.
The warriors, glaring at the young general. Being an outsider, Lev faced their stare and shouted.
“Why are you here!”
The buzzing fell silent, but no one answered. Forgetting the presence of his pesky lieutenant, Cesar, Lev raised his head high.
“We left to avoid becoming slaves, to protect our loved ones. We picked up arms to fight not as warriors, but soldiers.”
Lev identified them as soldiers. Among the warriors spread reluctant agreement as he unleashed the quest-earned ability, {Leadership}.
“But look at yourselves. You ran off abandoning your lifeline weapons for food. You don’t even know how to follow ranks and files, and you are jeering without distinguishing public from private. Do you think you’re ready for war? Or are you just following others frivolously?”
Silence fell.
On the mountain slope enveloped by dusk, over seven hundred male and female warriors fidgeted, sheepishly rubbing their thighs. Some warriors stealthily moved to form a formation.
Lev restrained his words, then abruptly turned around and said, “Execute it.” The great warrior himself picked up a leather whip.
– Chh-ak!
The air split open eight times, striking the chests of the seven hundred warriors. The deserter, who had passed out at the seventh strike, came to his senses at the eighth and was supported to the clinic.
During the following meal time, the warriors, or rather, the soldiers received their rations one by one in silence. The lively atmosphere of past meals was gone, replaced by strict military discipline.
[ Achievement: Master-Servant Relationship – ’34,’ As long as loyalties remain unshaken, those who have sworn allegiance believe in and follow Leo. ]
The number increased by twelve.
I’m not sure whose hearts were ignited, but a message popped up indicating that the number, including Cesar, had increased from twenty-two.
Lev quickly drank the soup Cesar brought and stood up.
“After we’ve finished eating, recite the service regulations.”
“Understood. You were impressive again today, Captain. But may I ask where you are going?”
“I’m going to the mountain for a moment.”
Lev couldn’t exactly say that he was going hunting to cover food expenses for fear of running out of money. He stepped outside the tent and turned around.
“Oh, by the way, send a letter to the rear guard. Tell them we have two injured.”
“Understood! I’ll do as you say. But Captain, I have something to report to you.”
– Twiiik!
Cesar whistled with two fingers on his tongue. From somewhere, Sinis flew down, and Cesar spoke.
“A war has broken out.”
“…What?”
“Huh? Wasn’t it expected? According to the warriors who visited the village, the northern and eastern border counts, along with numerous nobles, have revolted. So conscriptions are happening all over.”
Lev was silent for a moment.
Although it was expected, it was still early spring, much earlier than initially planned.
‘Something must have happened,’ Lev thought, trying to reassure his lieutenant. He then took a few loyal warriors up the mountain to hunt.
Seeing the strange reaction from the captain, Cesar merely shrugged and lowered Sinis onto the ground from his shoulder. He crouched beside the wide back of the bird of prey and began writing a letter to the rear guard.
Although familiar, Sinis would sometimes fluff its wings as if annoyed.
* * *
It was ten days later when the seven hundred barbarian soldiers led by Lev joined the army.
Having advanced to the northwest of the kingdom along the Lognum Mountains that bordered the sea, Lev found the nearest rebel force and encountered the army of the Drageen Frontier Count advancing south.
As promised, Leo was there.
“What happened? Why did the war break out so early? This doesn’t give our barbarian warriors time to train.”
The original plan was for Lev to train the barbarians arriving at the Marquis of Guidan’s estate for at least a month and then advance west with the Marquis’ army. Leo de Yeriel was supposed to meet midway with the Drageen Marquis.
“There was an attack.”
Leo, whose hairstyle had changed significantly, answered calmly.
His blond hair had grown quite long. He parted it to the left, letting it flow down the right side, which suited the handsome Leo de Yeriel very well.
“Have a seat. There’s a lot to discuss.”
Leo sat at the table. The prince’s tent, set up in the middle of the military camp, was spacious and furnished with almost everything except for a hammock in place of a bed. The tent was furnished in a way befitting the prince’s dignity, with even a carpet laid out.
Lev raised his voice slightly.
“How can we move up the schedule by three months? This isn’t just about training time. This…”
It doesn’t buy time for Leo Dexter to come down. If they fail in this round, they need the extra time to start the next round, given the fiancé scenario starts half a year later compared to other scenarios.
“I’m sorry. There was nothing we could do. The princes acted much faster than we expected.”
Leo, wearing a bitter expression, urged Lev to sit down. Lev sat with a disgruntled look, and Leo, letting out a light sigh, continued his explanation.
“If it weren’t for Count Safia, we would’ve died in Nevis. It was that serious.”
To summarize:
Around January, while persuading the nobles, Leo and Lena heard about Leo’s upcoming birthday from others. Because Leo’s birthday was two weeks before Lena’s, they gathered the nobles and held a small banquet, but trouble erupted.
About twenty assailants snuck into the Marquis of Guiden’s estate to kidnap Lena. Leo, realizing this, fought desperately and barely managed to fend them off.
Leo’s birthday party turned into chaos. But even more serious was…
“This man is a Royal Guard Knight! I know him!”
It was discovered when one of the knights Leo killed was identified. Using {Tracking}, Leo confirmed that all the fleeing assailants were Royal Guard Knights, turning his face pale.
The princes had drawn their swords.
Although the two border counts on their side had formed a significant faction, they expected that the revolt’s timing would be safe until after the Akine (heir conferment ceremony) of Aeton de Lognum, but that plan was shattered.
What could have provoked them so much?
If the fact that the princes mobilized the Royal Guard to strike the nobles became known, many nobles would turn their backs, even if they belonged to that faction. However, it was not the time to worry about that. The attack had failed, and even the feeble prince, Leo de Yeriel, had left casualties beyond his wildest imagination, so the twin princes were sure to make even more extreme choices.
“We must flee immediately! The army will soon be summoned. In the worst case, even the knight squadrons might move…”
If the king stepped in, they were as good as dead. Even as a noble of the right kingdom, it was impossible to suppress the movements of the kingdom’s knights. And in the royal territory of Lognum, Nevis, there was no chance of winning. All citizens of Nevis and its surroundings were the king’s subjects. The authority to conscript them belonged to the king, and once the army entered Nevis, everything would be over. The homes of all nobles who participated in the rebellion would be burned.
The nobles who had gathered at Leo’s birthday party hurried back to their residences. Leo and Lena escaped Nevis with the Marquis of Guidan, thanks to Count Safia, who had been persuaded beforehand.
“Open the gate!”
“I cannot do that. The king has ordered the closure of all gates in Nevis…”
“Are you daring to bring up the command structure in front of me? I am the supreme commander of the Nevis Defense Forces!”
In truth, he had been dismissed. However, due to the twin princes’ hasty actions, the dismissal of Count Safia was not yet widely known. The nobles who sided with the rebellion, including Lena and Leo, escaped Nevis while Count Safia controlled the eastern gate, and the war began when the king convened an assembly and declared the fleeing nobles as traitors.
“And… that’s how it happened,” Leo finished his calm explanation. The prince then spread out a map and elaborated on future plans.
“Drageen, the Marquis of Guidan’s border, has raised an army. They are currently advancing, and here, here, here, and here… twenty-three noble families have pledged to join. There are still fifteen more noble families that seem likely to join, though we need to watch them carefully. Ah, Lena mentioned there are three chief officers willing to join if they are made nobility.”
“What? Why is Lena being brought up here?” Leo raised his head while pointing at the map.
With a serious look, he passionately emphasized how talented his sister was… to be honest, it sounded boastful. Though our dear sister was indeed talented, Leo’s words seemed greatly exaggerated.
They said Lena had managed to sway Count Soarel Demetri Ogerton, whom they thought could never be persuaded without Barbatos’ Bracelet. Though the wizard count ultimately refused to join, Soarel contacted his ‘Bolin Magic Tower’ and fellow wizards, telling them to side with the rebels if possible.
Even this was a tremendous help. Wizards usually operated like mercenaries, taking money in exchange for their services, but they weren’t particularly driven by money. Many places offered plenty of money in exchange for contracts, so they seldom felt motivated to move unless it was for necessary research funds at any given time.
“So, you succeeded in securing wizard power? How many?”
“Twelve. But that’s not the point. Our Lena…”
Leo tried to change the subject but started again. Lev waved his hand.
“Alright. Alright, I understand. You’re saying she’s a great royal? But honestly, she’s still just a child…”
“She’s not a child!” Leo shouted. Frustrated, he leaned in close to Lev and made eye contact.
“Remember this clearly. I’m not just telling you this. Let our sister do as she wishes. She’s a hundred times better than us.”
It was as if he were conveying a message through Lev to someone else, treating him like a tool for transmitting memories, leaving Lev incredulous and chuckling sarcastically.
“Huh? What is this…?”
At that moment, something caught his eye.
Lev reached out towards Leo’s immaculate face, completely devoid of pores, on the cheek closest to him.
There was a severe scar revealed when he brushed away the golden hair grown long to cover the right side of his face, extending from right behind the cheekbone to the ear.
And the ear was split right in half.
He had definitely been struck by a sword. The blade had narrowly missed Leo’s face by a hair’s breadth.
Lev momentarily lost the ability to speak. The jagged scar revealed the urgent circumstances at the time as if the injury had been treated late.
Leo pushed Rev’s hand away. Brushing his golden hair over the scar, he spoke calmly.
“It’s nothing. I survived, that’s what matters. And Lena is safe.”
Lev, after a long silence, said, “…yeah, that’s a relief.” He did not bother adding an apology. There was no need to say it.
