Chapter 9
Northern Fortress’s Soldier Marco’s Story of the Past
It was… . how many years has it been?
It was when I was still an apprentice soldier . During the usual morning gathering from the Fortress’ head chief Rouen-sama, I heard that there would be an introduction of a new squad leader . Although Rouen-sama said so, everyone was nervous, fearing that it’s someone horrible from the royal capital .
Regarding Rouen-sama, he is an excellent general who had steadfastly defended the country from Wolfgard Empire for decades, even someone from another country would know his name . Previously, I heard that he’s been invited to become a minister on the Royal Capital by His Majesty himself no less . But it’s said that he turned down the offer because he’s still duty-bound to the Archduke… . . Well in short, he’s an awesome person and everyone adores him .
However, because the one being introduced was actually a ten-year-old child… . . everyone was really amazed instead of surprised . Well, I can only laugh when thinking back about it . Anyways that child is apparently the young lord of the Schwarzer clan . But when he was first introduced, that important fact was hidden from us .
[Squad Captain Alan]
By the way…
I felt bad for him at first . Who the h.e.l.l is that kid anyways? If not for Rouen-sama taking care of him, I would’ve . That’s pretty much what the less savory soldiers said .
However……no matter how much irresponsible that was, the soldiers of Schwarzer are not so incompetent that we became disturbed by such a thing . The order is absolute . However… . . I wonder what I will end up like from following that kid’s order… . that’s the kind of despair I had back then .
That was how… . . Squad Captain Alan… . no, Ares-sama took charge of our squad .
Now then, after the rather abrupt introduction, Ares-sama… . no, let’s use Squad Captain Alan since that’s how we know him as back then… . captain Alan said that he wanted to see our sword training routine .
That’s not something a child normally likes to watch; at first I thought like that . But as I said before, orders are absolute… . . we’re quite used with training inspections for quite a while now anyways . But what’s more, captain Alan also wanted to partic.i.p.ate in it… . which kinda surprised me .
Pardon me if he really wanted it . It’s as if he’s trying to make a fool out of all of us . That’s why, on that occasion, I shouldn’t be the only one thinking about going home as soon as possible . That boy was really a brat .
But there are people out there that is beyond any expectation… . although it’s rude for me to say that, I actually witnessed one right there .
To begin with…we were just new recruits .
I would be happy to take up the offer if it was coming from a veteran soldier, let me tell you this . As for me, I hate bullying the weak… . . but I guess I don’t have much of a choice .
Anyways, we sparred… . . and it was me who ended up falling on the ground in a matter of seconds . I had no idea what had happened . However, I was astonished when he apologized and helped me got back up, just like a veteran soldier would do .
After that we continued our training session…but what can I say, we couldn’t even beat him even we came at him en ma.s.se . All of our swords were evaded, parried… . and ended up only cutting air .
Not even veteran soldiers could do that… . . it’s not us who were weak, the other party was just a monster .
At the end of the day, the one who got bullied… . . was us .
After that…our att.i.tude to him changed completely . If he can show that kind of power… . . then, we have nothing to say……it’s pathetic for us, but the army has always been about power .
Right, someone please tell me .
That boy looks to be a young normal boy but the contents inside are worth many odd years, doesn’t he? Just like the elves whose appearance doesn’t change even after hundreds of years, I guess it’s interesting to have someone like that in our squad . I couldn’t come up with a better conclusion at that time .
That boy looks to be a young normal boy but the contents inside are worth many odd years, doesn’t he? Just like the elves whose appearance doesn’t change even after hundreds of years, I guess it’s interesting to have someone like that in our squad . I couldn’t come up with a better conclusion at that time .
Well, we ended up working under captain Alan for a few years . In addition to regularly improving our abilities, we were sortied to maintain security then eventually, punitive a.s.saults… . Captain Alan’s orders were always precise . How to react when in a dangerous situation, when to attack at the most decisive moment… . no, it felt very easy in retrospect .
Under captain Alan leadership’s, the squad rarely, if ever, suffered any damage . On that regard, I really appreciated his presence .
Before we knew it… . . we’ve become entirely compliant to captain’s order .
Now then, about captain Alan… . there are two memorable events etched in my head .
The first was when the northern fortress was attacked by a large number of bandits . At that time, we only had 100 soldiers on our side . Meanwhile there were 500 bandits attacking . Their number was five times ours . To be honest, we were prepared to kill as many bandits as we can before dying . We have our pride as Schwarzer’s soldiers after all .
However… . . captain Alan was different . When he saw the enemy, he laughed, and said this .
[We will rout the bandits now . ]
He said .
At first, I thought he said that because he went crazy out of fear . He’s still just a brat after all .
However, he devised a strategy and started giving us instructions . It was like this .
[They’re just bandits . Mere scavengers . They are no match for the trained Schwarzer’s soldiers]
He said .
He said .
He then started issuing instructions . And how precise those instructions were .
[Our opponent is not familiar with the geography here . If you hide in the bushes and lay in ambush for them, we can cut down their number considerably . ]
[They might think that we’ll attack head on . So let’s do the opposite and have the cavalry attack from their rear . ]
[Their cohesion is actually fragile and can easily collapse . We’ll be able to rout them immediately . ]
Now, we basically considered captain Alan a G.o.d . Everyone calmed down upon hearing him speaking like that . Against such odds, I thought that I was going to die for sure .
But now survival has become a certainty .
And indeed, we managed to rout the bandits while only suffering minor injuries .
I once thought, this guy is like the heroes written in history… . . no, he can be something more than a hero .
Everyone was already intoxicated by captain Alan . It’s a mysterious sight . From veterans to youngsters… . us, the adults, actually honoring a ten year old kid . But for us……he’s a captain we can put our respect into… . . and someone we can look up to as a hero .
And the second memory was…… . . his expressions .
Captain who was like a G.o.d of war during battle… . . acted like a normal kid during his leisure time .
Eating snack at a street stall, swimming in the river, goes fishing… . .
Captain who was like a G.o.d of war during battle… . . acted like a normal kid during his leisure time .
Eating snack at a street stall, swimming in the river, goes fishing… . .
One day, it’s been decided that he would be staying at my house . It’s something new, but beyond that, it’s an order for captain Alan to stay at my house .
When I got home, captain actually talked with my mom as if they are a close friend . That surprised me .
Other than that, he seemed to enjoy eating at home .
We arranged our beds together in the evening . At night we talked about the girl I took a liking to, how we will spend our holiday… . . just talking… . . he really is still a kid after all . On my part, I enjoyed the sense of having a younger brother during those days… it was kinda inappropriate when I think about it again now .
Later on I was told that captain Alan was actually the Archduke’s son . I was amazed at that time . But, strangely… . . I felt relieved . Yeah, that means there will be more in this world for the captain to achieve .
That’s what I, personally thought . But, I guess everyone was thinking the same thing, that is
If one day that person will become the king of this continent… . . that will probably be the happiest day in this world .
And that’s why . The Schwarzer’s soldiers will be willing to put down our life just for him . Although, Ares-sama would not let us to .
Even now after I’ve become team leader of 10 member squad… . . I still think the same .
Northern Fortress s Soldier Marco s Story of the Past It was . how many years has it been It was when I was still an apprentice soldier . During the usual morning gathering from the Fortress head chief Rouen sama, I heard that there would be an introduction of a new squad leader . Although Rouen sama said so, everyone was nervous, fearing that it s someone horrible from the royal capital . Regarding Rouen sama, he is an excellent general who had steadfastly defended the country from Wolfgard Empire for decades, even someone from another country would know his name . Previously, I heard that he s been invited to become a minister on the Royal Capital by His Majesty himself no less . But it s said that he turned down the offer because he s still duty bound to the Archduke . . Well in short, he s an awesome person and everyone adores him . However, because the one being introduced was actually a ten year old child . . everyone was really amazed instead of surprised . Well, I can only laugh when thinking back about it . Anyways that child is apparently the young lord of the Schwarzer clan . But when he was first introduced, that important fact was hidden from us . Squad Captain Alan By the way I felt bad for him at first . Who the h.e.l.l is that kid anyways If not for Rouen sama taking care of him, I would ve . That s pretty much what the less savory soldiers said . However no matter how much irresponsible that was, the soldiers of Schwarzer are not so incompetent that we became disturbed by such a thing . The order is absolute . However . . I wonder what I will end up like from following that kid s order . that s the kind of despair I had back then . That was how . . Squad Captain Alan . no, Ares sama took charge of our squad . Now then, after the rather abrupt introduction, Ares sama . no, let s use Squad Captain Alan since that s how we know him as back then . captain Alan said that he wanted to see our sword training routine . That s not something a child normally likes to watch at first I thought like that . But as I said before, orders are absolute . . we re quite used with training inspections for quite a while now anyways . But what s more, captain Alan also wanted to partic.i.p.ate in it . which kinda surprised me . Pardon me if he really wanted it . It s as if he s trying to make a fool out of all of us . That s why, on that occasion, I shouldn t be the only one thinking about going home as soon as possible . That boy was really a brat . But there are people out there that is beyond any expectation . although it s rude for me to say that, I actually witnessed one right there . To begin with we were just new recruits . I would be happy to take up the offer if it was coming from a veteran soldier, let me tell you this . As for me, I hate bullying the weak . . but I guess I don t have much of a choice . Anyways, we sparred . . and it was me who ended up falling on the ground in a matter of seconds . I had no idea what had happened . However, I was astonished when he apologized and helped me got back up, just like a veteran soldier would do . After that we continued our training session but what can I say, we couldn t even beat him even we came at him en ma.s.se . All of our swords were evaded, parried . and ended up only cutting air . Not even veteran soldiers could do that . . it s not us who were weak, the other party was just a monster . At the end of the day, the one who got bullied . . was us . After that our att.i.tude to him changed completely . If he can show that kind of power . . then, we have nothing to say it s pathetic for us, but the army has always been about power . Right, someone please tell me . That boy looks to be a young normal boy but the contents inside are worth many odd years, doesn t he Just like the elves whose appearance doesn t change even after hundreds of years, I guess it s interesting to have someone like that in our squad . I couldn t come up with a better conclusion at that time . Well, we ended up working under captain Alan for a few years . In addition to regularly improving our abilities, we were sortied to maintain security then eventually, punitive a.s.saults . Captain Alan s orders were always precise . How to react when in a dangerous situation, when to attack at the most decisive moment . no, it felt very easy in retrospect . Under captain Alan leadership s, the squad rarely, if ever, suffered any damage . On that regard, I really appreciated his presence . Before we knew it . . we ve become entirely compliant to captain s order . Now then, about captain Alan . there are two memorable events etched in my head . The first was when the northern fortress was attacked by a large number of bandits . At that time, we only had 100 soldiers on our side . Meanwhile there were 500 bandits attacking . Their number was five times ours . To be honest, we were prepared to kill as many bandits as we can before dying . We have our pride as Schwarzer s soldiers after all . However . . captain Alan was different . When he saw the enemy, he laughed, and said this . We will rout the bandits now . He said . At first, I thought he said that because he went crazy out of fear . He s still just a brat after all . However, he devised a strategy and started giving us instructions . It was like this . They re just bandits . Mere scavengers . They are no match for the trained Schwarzer s soldiers He said . He then started issuing instructions . And how precise those instructions were . Our opponent is not familiar with the geography here . If you hide in the bushes and lay in ambush for them, we can cut down their number considerably . They might think that we ll attack head on . So let s do the opposite and have the cavalry attack from their rear . Their cohesion is actually fragile and can easily collapse . We ll be able to rout them immediately . Now, we basically considered captain Alan a G.o.d . Everyone calmed down upon hearing him speaking like that . Against such odds, I thought that I was going to die for sure . But now survival has become a certainty . And indeed, we managed to rout the bandits while only suffering minor injuries . I once thought, this guy is like the heroes written in history . . no, he can be something more than a hero . Everyone was already intoxicated by captain Alan . It s a mysterious sight . From veterans to youngsters . us, the adults, actually honoring a ten year old kid . But for us he s a captain we can put our respect into . . and someone we can look up to as a hero . And the second memory was . . his expressions . Captain who was like a G.o.d of war during battle . . acted like a normal kid during his leisure time . Eating snack at a street stall, swimming in the river, goes fishing . . One day, it s been decided that he would be staying at my house . It s something new, but beyond that, it s an order for captain Alan to stay at my house . When I got home, captain actually talked with my mom as if they are a close friend . That surprised me . Other than that, he seemed to enjoy eating at home . We arranged our beds together in the evening . At night we talked about the girl I took a liking to, how we will spend our holiday . . just talking . . he really is still a kid after all . On my part, I enjoyed the sense of having a younger brother during those days it was kinda inappropriate when I think about it again now . Later on I was told that captain Alan was actually the Archduke s son . I was amazed at that time . But, strangely . . I felt relieved . Yeah, that means there will be more in this world for the captain to achieve . That s what I, personally thought . But, I guess everyone was thinking the same thing, that is If one day that person will become the king of this continent . . that will probably be the happiest day in this world . And that s why . The Schwarzer s soldiers will be willing to put down our life just for him . Although, Ares sama would not let us to . Even now after I ve become team leader of 10 member squad . . I still think the same .