The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 31

“Lo, Lord Marquis Dwayne!”

Mainsen was one of the individuals working under Marquis Dwayne as an informant.

His belly fat jiggled with each step, and his face was drenched with sweat, making it seem like he was about to pass out.

“What is it?”

Marquis Dwayne, known as the Iron Mask.

He was the closest aide to the second prince, Byron, and one of the most notable strategists in the kingdom.

In contrast to Mainsen, who was somewhat plump, Dwayne was of a rather lean build. However, the firmness sensed through his clothes suggested he was more than just a strategist.

Despite Mainsen’s noisy entrance, Dwayne did not take his eyes off the documents he was reviewing.

Mainsen urgently spoke.

“Ba, Baron Biovan of the 2nd Battalion, who went to Saleron, is returning.”

“…What?”

Dwayne’s hand, which was flipping through the documents, paused. His gaze shifted to Mainsen.

“Biovan is returning?”

“Ye, yes.”

“How is he returning from Saleron? Has Saleron been captured?”

“It’s reported that he has already eradicated the two thousand barbarian troops that were coming to Saleron.”

“That’s nonsense. The Baron Biovan’s unit is only about a thousand strong. Unless the barbarians stupidly banged their heads against the walls and died, it’s impossible.”

It was indeed an unbelievable situation.

In fact, it was considered impossible to completely eradicate the barbarians, and just defending Saleron would have been deemed a successful expedition.

Moreover, defending the city would have required holding out for at least two months.

But he’s returning in less than two weeks?

Considering the round trip to Saleron, the actual battle must have taken less than five days.

Dwayne put down the documents and exhaled through his nose.

Something entirely unexpected had happened.

“Lord, Lord Marquis?”

Mainsen, feeling uneasy due to Dwayne’s silence, called out to him. But Dwayne, lost in thought, did not respond.

After a while,

“We need to send someone to Saleron immediately.”

“For what reason?”

“There must be some unknown variable at play. Otherwise, it would be impossible.”

Could another knight order have intervened?

If a knight order with knights who could use aura had intervened, it would be plausible. However,

‘There’s no way something like that could happen without my knowledge.’

All potential threats from the third prince’s faction were already being monitored.

But there had been no movement from any of them.

This meant that there was something he didn’t know about.

‘First, I need to find that out.’

Without understanding the cause, it would be impossible to resolve the situation.

“We need to find out in detail how the battle was fought, without missing a single detail. Every little thing about how Biovan eradicated the barbarians.”

“Understood!”

Mainsen turned his bulky body and hurried out of the room. Left alone, Dwayne stood up from his seat.

“It would be troublesome if unexpected variables arise in future operations.”

He chuckled.

“Is this how things are going to unfold?”

For some unknown reason, Dwayne smiled with the corners of his mouth lifting.

Was this a sign that he wouldn’t fall so easily?

‘It means I have a hidden card prepared, right?’

Although unexpected events were not to his liking, as long as the variable was Biovan’s 2nd Battalion, it was not a major concern.

The only question was what lay behind it.

Dwayne, looking out the window, soon moved towards somewhere.

* * *

“Ah, home!”

Even this old barracks felt so cozy.

The 6th Squad, having returned to the base of the Eagle Company in Kurtein, lay sprawled on their barracks beds, feeling a sense of relief.

The wooden beds were hard, but they felt so comfortable.

Lian carefully watched Isaac, who was gingerly sitting down.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all, Kyle carried all my luggage.”

“Hahaha, it was nothing.”

At Isaac’s words, Kyle burst out laughing.

Everyone looked relaxed, seemingly at ease now that they had returned to base.

After unpacking his things in the barracks, Lian headed towards Tyler’s call.

Not only Lian, but other squad leaders also began to gather one by one.

Once all the squad leaders were assembled, Tyler spoke.

“Everyone worked hard during the move. Rest well today.”

“Yes, sir!”

“And tomorrow, the battalion commander will come to bestow special honors on a few soldiers who distinguished themselves in this battle. Everyone will receive rewards for the battle separately.”

“Whoa!”

“Do we get leave too?”

“Of course.”

At Tyler’s grin, all the squad leaders smiled together.

It had been a tough battle, and many were injured.

However, the Eagle Company did not suffer many casualties, and they would receive rewards and leave, which was naturally a cause for joy.

With this good news, the squad leaders quickly turned to go to their squads.

As Lian turned to leave,

“Lian.”

“…?”

Lian looked back at Tyler’s call. Tyler approached him and extended his hand.

“I feel like I might not get to greet you like this after the honors tomorrow.”

“…”

Tyler was a platoon leader with the rank of fifty-man commander.

If Lian became a hundred-man commander capable of leading an independent unit, he would likely receive a higher rank than Tyler.

Lian shook Tyler’s hand.

“Thanks to your support, I was able to achieve good results.”

“Haha, I’m grateful for your words. Anyway, let’s get along well even if you get promoted.”

“Please take care of me.”

Lian shook hands firmly with Tyler. The next day, during the honors ceremony, as Tyler mentioned, the 3rd Battalion Commander Telfon visited the Eagle Company’s main camp.

Among those who received special honors, five were singled out for special rewards.

Most of them were officers, including Company Commander Raymond, but Lian was the only squad leader.

“6th Squad Leader Lian, step forward!”

After the awards for the previous officers were presented, the scribe beside Telfon called Lian’s name.

At the call of Lian’s name, all members of the 6th Squad, as well as the entire Eagle Company, clapped loudly to congratulate him.

“Are you Lian?”

“It is an honor to meet you, Battalion Commander.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Baron Biovan. He said he wants to take you to the 2nd Battalion.”

“Thank you for the high praise, but I love the 3rd Battalion and the Eagle Company.”

“For someone who says that, it seems you have pretty big aspirations.”

With a smirk, Telfon glanced at the scribe next to him. The scribe unfolded the document he was holding and shouted loudly.

“Lian, leader of the 6th Squad of the 6th Platoon of the Eagle Company, is recognized for enabling the entire unit to quickly cross the Isis River and arrive at Saleron, contributing to the ambush and first victory in battle, and significantly aiding in immobilizing and killing the enemy commander, Gallel! His contributions are so significant that it’s insufficient to call him merely a squad leader. Therefore, the following rewards are granted!”

After delivering the rapid-fire announcement without taking a breath, the man paused for a moment to catch his breath.

“Corporal Lian is promoted to Second Lieutenant! Furthermore, he is specially promoted to Captain, allowing him to command an independent unit! This is a special recognition of Lian’s merits.”

“…What?”

“Captain?”

“Whaaat?!”

The unexpected and exceptional announcement caused a stir not only among the soldiers listening but also among the officers.

A special promotion from Corporal to Captain was an extremely rare and exceptional advancement in the kingdom’s history.

Only Raymond, the company commander, watched Lian with a satisfied smile.

“Silence!”

The scribe shouted to calm the overly excited atmosphere.

The announcement wasn’t over yet.

Despite still showing shocked and bewildered expressions, everyone quickly quieted down.

The scribe continued speaking.

“Additionally, he is awarded 50 gold coins and granted a residence within Kurtein while maintaining his military status!”

“We expect to see more of your excellent performance.”

“I will strive even harder!”

As the scribe finished speaking, Telfon extended his hand to Lian.

Lian shook his hand firmly and responded loudly,

“Uwaaah-!”

“A Captain?!”

“Our squad leader is a Captain?”

The cheers of the 6th Squad members echoed, quickly followed by the entire Eagle Company.

After the award ceremony ended,

“Lieutenant Lian, come see me for a moment.”

Telfon called Lian.

Taken by surprise, Lian followed Telfon to his office.

“Have a seat. No need to be nervous. I just want to have a little chat.”

“I’m fine.”

Lian sat opposite Telfon, looking at him.

Telfon pulled out a thick cigar, lighting it with a rough style that contrasted with his lean figure and youthful appearance.

“Whoo.”

After exhaling a long plume of smoke, Telfon spoke to Lian.

“You’ve achieved remarkable feats in a short period. Only two battles, but still.”

“…I was lucky.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes.”

“Chuckling, you’re as dull as Biovan said.”

Telfon asked various questions.

He inquired about Lian’s family background, why he joined the military, and particularly about his archery skills.

“Your hands don’t look like they’ve held a bow that much. There’s nothing particularly special about them.”

It was intriguing yet mysterious.

‘Completely different since the Battle of Pellon Gorge.’

Even his military career was typical when he first enlisted—neither extraordinary nor lacking.

But suddenly, from the Battle of Pellon Gorge onwards, he had performed unprecedented deeds.

‘We’ll see.’

But that didn’t matter much.

Telfon’s interest in Lian was for another reason.

“Have you thought of a name for your unit?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Then I’ll…”

“But I was thinking of asking Captain Raymond.”

“Captain Raymond?”

“Oh, were you about to say something just now?”

“Hmph, nothing.”

Telfon stood up.

“Well, that’s not a bad idea.”

Despite his words, his expression seemed slightly displeased…

‘Am I imagining things?’

Unaware of Lian’s thoughts, Telfon spoke again.

“See you next time.”

“…Thank you for your kind words.”

After the conversation, Lian left the office.

Despite feeling somewhat uneasy, there was nothing he could do about it.

His priority was to see Raymond.

Lian headed to the company commander’s office where Raymond was.

Curious about what Lian had discussed with Telfon, Raymond greeted him warmly.

“Oh, Lieutenant Lian!”

“Haha, you’re too kind.”

“Hehe, take a seat.”

Once seated, Lian spoke directly to Raymond.

“I came to ask you for a favor.”

“A favor?”

Raymond tilted his head in curiosity. Lian awkwardly smiled and spoke.

“Could you name my unit?”

“Name your unit?”

An unexpected request.

But seemingly pleased, Raymond began to ponder immediately.

“Hmm… A name for your unit…”

After thinking for a while, Raymond snapped his fingers and said to Lian,

“How about the Arrowhead Unit?”