The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 34

The rebellion of the princes, which was expected to end quickly, lasted much longer than anticipated.

Prince Byron, who had been advancing with overwhelming force, suffered a significant setback from the unexpected counterattack of Prince Ethan.

The throne of Artian remained vacant for quite some time, plunging the entire kingdom into chaos.

It was during this tumultuous period that an individual named Diel Pankrai emerged like a comet and completely changed the course of events.

‘But I know so little about him…’

Lian had met him only once, and that too from a distance, just like the other soldiers.

There wasn’t much information available about him either.

His name and the fact that he was the youngest strategist in the kingdom’s history. And,

‘There were rumors that he was of common birth…’

Nothing was certain.

When Diel first appeared, many details about him were kept hidden, even within the kingdom.

Lian wondered if Diel was even his real name.

Based on the single encounter, Lian shared what he knew with Adelson.

“…It’s like looking for a gold coin in a sandpit.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It can’t be helped. I’ll do my best to find him.”

“Thank you, it’s very important to me.”

He had no intention of getting involved in the power struggle.

He was even less inclined towards the third prince.

He was just thinking about himself for now.

‘If Diel comes to Arrowhead…’

If that happened, Arrowhead would gain even more strength.

While Lian’s knowledge was currently a great help in battles, it was only broad strokes.

For detailed and specific situations, a strategist who had studied and researched strategies was essential.

“Now, let’s meet the magician I hired. If attribute enhancement isn’t possible, we’ll need to find another method quickly.”

“Oh, and please keep everything about Mr. Walter strictly confidential.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret even from Bex as much as possible.”

That was enough.

Even if other magicians learned about attribute weapons, it would be pointless if they didn’t have weapons that could undergo attribute enhancement.

That’s why he hadn’t gone to the mage tower’s magician for the test.

Rumors about attribute weapons from the Hamel Trading Company had already spread among the nobility.

It wouldn’t be surprising if it reached their ears.

‘They’re probably wasting time trying to enhance attributes on strange equipment by now.’

Lian chuckled and followed Adelson to meet the magician he had hired.

It wasn’t difficult to meet him as he lived and worked with the trading company.

“…Is it this person?”

It was just that he was a bit different from what Lian had expected.

* * *

“Is this the report?”

Dwayne looked at the document brought by Mainsen.

The document detailed the recent battle of Saleron.

As Dwayne read through it, an unexpected word came out of his mouth.

“Eagle Company?”

“Yes, it’s a unit belonging to the 3rd Battalion. Strangely, the 2nd Battalion’s Baron Biovan Terol was in charge of the Saleron battle, but suddenly the Eagle Company from the 3rd Battalion got involved.”

There were several oddities.

‘They crossed the Isis River and arrived at Saleron, then lay in ambush without notifying their arrival?’

Even more peculiar was that the 2nd Battalion seemed to have planned with them, waiting for the battle far behind Saleron.

And in the first battle,

‘A mere three hundred men of Eagle Company held off a force of two thousand beastmen… while the 2nd Battalion joined and overwhelmed them.’

Is such a strategy even possible?

Regardless of its feasibility, the strategy itself was insane.

If communication with the 2nd Battalion had failed, they could have been surrounded and killed by the two thousand enemies.

Crossing the Isis River itself was implausible, and the subsequent strategy seemed like madness.

“Captain Raymond…”

He had heard of him.

A commoner who rose to the rank of captain, known for his upright character, which made him unpopular with many.

But it was his upright nature that allowed him to rise without wavering.

He stayed out of political matters, making him someone who couldn’t be easily embraced, but also not a threat.

From Dwayne’s perspective, having such soldiers in the kingdom was beneficial.

‘However…’

Being upright could also mean being somewhat inflexible.

Dwayne reviewed the collected data on Raymond.

“It’s strange.”

“What do you find strange, sir?”

Mainsen asked at Dwayne’s muttering.

Without answering, Dwayne continued reading the documents.

None of Raymond’s past battles had involved such radical and unconventional strategies.

While not devoid of strategy, his methods were typically standard tactics found in military manuals.

It was too strange to suddenly change.

“Why did they engage Gallel’s forces in a second battle in the field?”

“That’s unclear. It seems they went to the field out of overconfidence after the first victory… but we couldn’t determine the exact reason.”

“It seems Biovan was involved.”

This explained how the 2nd Battalion returned so quickly.

‘Biovan must have intended to support the third prince.’

It was a hasty decision, but it turned out to be a masterstroke.

The 2nd Battalion’s unexpectedly swift return thwarted any attempts on the third prince.

But what stood out was the mention of Eagle Company again.

They had held the enemy commander, Gallel, allowing them to surround and kill him.

It was hard to understand, but the overall picture became clear quickly.

Dwayne looked at Mainsen.

“But did ‘Eagle Company’ do all this? There’s no mention of specific contributions.”

“Wouldn’t that be Raymond?”

“It’s not him. His style is completely different.”

Dwayne’s comment made Mainsen break out in a cold sweat.

Watching the sweat trickle down Mainsen’s chin, Dwayne asked,

“Do you not know?”

“Well… there is one peculiar detail: a squad leader was suddenly promoted to centurion.”

“…There’s no such detail in this report.”

“Just an ordinary soldier…”

“A squad leader was promoted to centurion without a proper investigation.”

Thud.

Dwayne threw the documents he was holding onto the floor and spoke to Mainsen.

“If your next report is like this, you will no longer be seeing me.”

“Ah, ahhh!”

The cold, knife-like chill in Dwayne’s eyes made Mainsen fall to the ground in fear.

Mainsen soon bowed his head to the floor and said, “I’ve committed a grave sin!”

“Leave.”

“Y-Yes!”

Mainsen hurriedly picked up the scattered documents and ran out as if his feet were on fire.

Watching the stumbling Mainsen leave, Dwayne let out a small sigh.

“A squad leader promoted to centurion…”

And an ordinary soldier at that.

Looking back through history, there were few such dramatic promotions.

Especially for a ‘common soldier,’ not a noble.

“You should have hidden it more thoroughly.”

Contrary to his expectations of an easy resolution, Dwayne’s expression grew colder.

* * *

“Gallel is dead?”

A man with disheveled black hair that reached his waist and a torso covered in numerous scars spoke.

But more eye-catching than his scars was his body.

He wasn’t very large, but his muscles looked as solid as rocks.

This was Demian, the Overlord of the Northwest and the Western King of the beastmen.

He was questioning a subordinate who knelt before him.

“So, what about the food?”

“…What?”

“The food we were supposed to get from Saleron. What happened to it?”

“With the failure of Warrior Gallel…”

Before he could finish his sentence,

Bang!

The sound was like a hammer hitting a rock, and the subordinate’s body flew backward.

Completely thrown out of the tent, he clutched his smashed nose and got up.

Blood gushed out, but he couldn’t even grasp what had happened.

Demian, looking at him with an unreadable expression, gestured lightly.

Swish!

The subordinate was instantly back on his knees before Demian.

Demian spoke, “Gallel died because he was weak. But what about failing the mission?”

“Ah~ Our leader is too harsh.”

At that moment, someone entered the tent.

A woman with clothes barely covering her essential parts, made from black tiger skin, and with eyes that gleamed like a wild beast’s, spoke.

“Irelta, what’s the matter?”

“I’ve heard it all, boss. Gallel is dead, huh? Ha, I always knew that fool would meet his end someday, pretending to be stronger than he was.”

She sighed and approached Demian, speaking, “I’ll go to Saleron.”

Irelta gestured for the subordinate kneeling before Demian to leave.

Seeing him look to Demian for confirmation, Demian nodded.

After the subordinate left, Demian asked, “The troops?”

“No need. There’s no point wasting valuable warriors. Let the ones who failed handle it. I heard about a thousand of Gallel’s men returned alive. They should be enough.”

She approached Demian and gently placed her hand on his chest.

“But… I’d like a reward if I do well.”

“Irelta.”

Her hand, which was slowly moving down, stopped. She pouted her lips in annoyance and stood up.

“I’ll be back within a month. But consider what I said today.”

With a small smile, Irelta left the tent.

Demian watched her leave with a calm expression.

Gallel’s death wasn’t a significant issue. But still…

“Gallel is dead…”

Was there really someone in Saleron capable of killing Gallel, a warrior of his rank?

It seemed necessary to investigate further.

* * *

“Oh… is this the person?”

At the sight of the magician introduced by Adelson, Lian couldn’t help but reprimand himself.

‘I didn’t think I was like this…’

He hadn’t realized he held such biases. To be fair, not only in the kingdom of Artian but in other kingdoms too, women’s advancement was significantly hindered.

So naturally, he had assumed the magician would be a man.

“Pleased to meet you, my name is Sylvia.”

“Lian, nice to meet you.”

Lian bowed to Sylvia, trying to hide his surprise.

Seeing Lian’s reaction, Adelson chuckled and said, “Were you surprised because she’s a woman?”

“What? No, not at all. I wasn’t surprised.”

“Your face says otherwise. Haha. I was a bit surprised too when I first met Sylvia. I’ve never heard of a female magician.”

“….”

Lian swallowed the words ‘me too’ and looked at Sylvia.

Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be around his age.

‘She said she’s over twenty, right?’

Yet she hadn’t advanced beyond the first circle of magic, which could be due to two reasons: mediocre talent or,

‘Or no support at all.’

It seemed likely that she hadn’t received support simply because she was a woman.

Moreover, for someone with the qualities to be a magician to be staying with the Hamel Trading Company, she was probably an orphan or had left home.

But none of that mattered.

‘What I need is her exceptional talent with attributes.’

She just needed to infuse the weapons with attributes.

A simple yet intricate task, one that ordinary people couldn’t do and only fell within the ‘domain of magicians.’

Lian took out a sword and placed it on the floor.

“Shall we begin?”