Chapter 164: People Out Of Favor (2)
Meetings continued for several days afterward.
With the influx of new personnel, adjustments to the supply system were necessary. Naturally, the treatment of the increasing number of wounded and fallen soldiers was also discussed.
Of course, this didn’t mean Victor’s intentions, especially his plan to expand the front to the east, were overlooked. The commanders of each battalion welcomed his strategy to not just halt the enemy’s advance but to personally organize an engineering battalion for the mission with open arms.
And that night,
The commander of the expeditionary force, General Igor, came to see Victor.
“Do you smoke?”
“I tried it once, but it didn’t suit me. If you want to smoke, feel free.”
With Victor’s permission, Igor lit a thin cigarette.
“You never intended to stay in the rear.”
“How could I? Without knowing my father’s intentions, I have no choice but to do the best I can.”“I never thought that ‘the best I can’ would involve laying tracks on frozen ground.”
Igor took a deep breath and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
“With less than 100 men.”
“Don’t worry too much about it. We’ve deliberated over this decision for days. And though 100 may seem few, if all of them are skilled in martial arts and internal energy, it’s not that few, is it?”
“That’s what worries me.”
Igor sighed deeply, his shoulders drooping.
Victor was planning to teach martial arts and secrets to mere criminals. He couldn’t fathom what had possessed Victor, but as someone who had sworn allegiance to the royal family his entire life, he felt compelled to dissuade him right then and there.
“I heard it’s a battalion made up entirely of criminals. Among them are vicious criminals and traitors attempting to undermine the foundation of this country.”
“We’ve concluded that we can control them adequately. The most capable among them can barely muster sword energy.”
“Even the dullest student, once taught martial arts, can eventually emit sword energy.”
“I understand your concern, but…”
Victor sighed deeply, then lifted his head.
“Captain Malleus and I believe this is a trial imposed by His Majesty.”
“His Majesty…”
“Didn’t you see how I was treated in the meeting room?”
During the many meetings over the past few days, Victor was frustrated at being treated like a mere decoration or a novice.
‘If only being treated like a novice was the worst of it.’
The moment the emperor, who hadn’t shown his face and was only handling state affairs from Rien, was mentioned, the atmosphere in the meeting room would instantly become organized, igniting a fire in Victor’s heart.
‘They think of me as a prince in name only.’
The second was personally dismissed by the emperor, and the first walked away from the prince’s position on his own. Though not explicitly stated, the blatant view that Victor was merely lucky and a novice was quite unpleasant.
Therefore, Shiron instructed her on how she could solidify her position and achieve a notable accomplishment.
-‘You should insist that you’re acting as a prince should, aiming to solidify the next emperor’s position. If someone understands the bigger picture, they won’t oppose it.’
Victor agreed with Shiron’s opinion and conveyed it to Igor in a more softened tone.
“If someone intervenes here, wouldn’t it diminish the purity of the accomplishments I’m about to achieve?”
“You have no intention of budging.”
“Make sure the supply vehicles aren’t tampered with. Even the worst criminals shouldn’t starve or freeze to death.”
“Understood.”
Igor clenched his fist as he bowed his head.
This expedition was a sort of demonstration.
It was a test by the emperor to see if the absence of Hugo Prient could be compensated with the existing combat force and if the prince had the ability to govern the empire in the future.
For Igor, who was unwaveringly loyal to the empire, opposing any matter, whether directly or indirectly, was unthinkable. Yet, there was more. For a fleeting moment, Igor perceived an intensely serious resolve in Victor’s gaze.
A stark contrast to the figure he remembered from the imperial palace years ago.
Does the position make the man? The once frail figure had vanished, replaced by a clear determination to press forward, which Igor could not help but notice.
Meanwhile, at the temporary base’s drill ground.
Criminals, now transformed into trainees, stood in line.
[The smell of vomit.]
“You, go to the left.
[The smell of the sewer!]
“Yes, you, to the left as well.”
[…This person is somewhat decent. Despite the large scar marring his face, it would be fair to describe him as a clean rag.]
“To the right.”
Shiron sorted the individuals into two groups based on Latera’s evaluations. Those who could potentially be rehabilitated with effort, and those deemed inherently evil and beyond redemption.
“Hmm, good.”
Shiron surveyed the trembling trainees with a satisfied grin. Although he had separated them into two categories, he had no plans to treat them differently.
Nevertheless, he aimed to memorize the faces of the more troublesome ones in advance, knowing that among those gathered were political prisoners and individuals unjustly punished for irreversible errors.
‘About 2:1? The trash outnumbered the rest by twice.’
Shifting his attention from the trainees to Malleus, Shiron spoke.
“You may begin now.”
“Really… Are you certain?”
“Doesn’t the scripture state that all can be saved by the Lord without discrimination? Just pray every morning and put in some effort.”
“Ahem. Alright, understood.”
‘…To think I’d be teaching martial arts to criminals in my lifetime.’
Though Malleus agreed to Shiron’s proposal to divide the personnel, he couldn’t fully sympathize with Shiron’s methods. He was particularly irked by the odd decision to refer to the trainers as fairies instead of instructors or priests. Additionally, the idea of freely teaching martial arts, which one couldn’t learn even for a great sum if unworthy, slightly annoyed him.
However, any discomfort Malleus felt was merely his personal sentiment. He was someone who could put aside his ego for the sake of the expedition.
Malleus took the left group and moved far away.
“Everyone, attention.”
Seeing this, Shiron addressed the right group.
“I’ll skip introductions, assuming you heard them on the train. From now on, I’ll teach you the method of reading maps.”
Shiron handed out rulers with scales and compasses to the twenty or so individuals. Some trainees were puzzled by these tools, while others seemed to already know how to use them.
“Here, this is a compass. You can know the north, south, east, and west, and this is a ruler. You can divide and measure the distance on a map with it.”
Shiron started with the very basics. Reading and writing, let alone completing higher education, was challenging enough without learning the complex skill of map reading.
However, the educational level of the trainees varied greatly.
Teaching advanced techniques like triangulation to read maps to those who barely knew simple addition and couldn’t read was a daunting task.
Yet, for the small team tasked with paving tracks on frozen land, basic engineering knowledge, including map reading and triangulation, was necessary.
Shiron planned to impart this knowledge to what would become the engineering battalion every other day.
“…That’s all for today’s lesson and practice. Feel free to ask any questions.”
After a session of explanations, Shiron, holding his head, looked around at those groaning in confusion. Then, someone in the corner raised their hand high.
“Excuse me… fairy.”
“What is it?”
“Can we also learn mana martial arts?”
“Of course. Not just some cheap martial arts you’d find on the streets, but high-level martial arts that can unleash strong energy with consistent training.”
“Ohhh-”
As Shiron confidently stated this, a sense of energy began to circulate among the trainees. They were more interested in martial arts that could protect their bodies and showcase their strength immediately than in map reading, which seemed useful only if they survived.
‘High-level martial arts, huh.’
Initially, the trainees were wary of Shiron, who introduced himself as a fairy and boasted of killing people with his bare hands, thinking him a madman. However, most began to lower their guard, realizing that following his orders could lead to rewards.
Yet, among them were those who crossed lines as soon as they received a little kindness. Those who, despite their fundamentally good nature, couldn’t shed the habits developed from living in squalor.
Shiron thought this as he watched a woman stand up without being commanded.
“Fairy, I have a personal request.”
“…What’s your name?”
“I’m Natalia.”
Natalia, with dull blonde hair and a hideous scar on her face, bowed politely.
“I already have martial arts skills. I also know how to read maps.”
“So, you want to be exempt from training?”
“Of course not.”
Natalia smoothly handled Shiron’s sharp gaze.
“I wanted to have a personal meeting with you, fairy.”
[Be careful. This person harbors ill feelings towards the hero.]
“Let’s do it here. I don’t have the luxury to attend to each trainee’s personal circumstances.”
Shiron glared at Natalia, following Latera’s advice, with an intent that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if necessary. The fact that she claimed to have learned martial arts wasn’t a lie; she accurately read the intent Shiron exuded.
“Go ahead.”
“…”
“Aren’t you making us delay our mealtime?”
“…No.”
“Return to your place.”
Natalia bowed slightly to Shiron and turned to go back.
“Wait.”
Just then, Shiron called her back as she was turning around.
‘Tell me if this woman is lying.’
Having asked Latera for help, Shiron began to approach Natalia.
“Haven’t we met somewhere before?”
“…I don’t think so.”
[She’s blatantly lying.]
“What’s your crime?”
“I committed murder.”
[That’s true.]
“Whom did you kill?”
As Shiron pressed her, Natalia hesitated but eventually responded.
“I’m not sure… They seemed to be wearing nice clothes…”
“An assassination?”
“…I don’t know. It was spontaneous.”
[By the way, this woman has accumulated a significant amount of demerits. She did kill people, but it’s too many to have been just spontaneous incidents.]
“You have a unique accent.”
“…”
Shiron slowly moved closer to Natalia’s ear.
“You pretend it’s unintentional… but your accent is similar to a guy who confronted me a while back.”
The guy with his head blown off on the train.
Chen.
Natalia thought of her already deceased comrade.
Shiron pulled back, trying to piece together information about the woman. The dull blonde hair made it hard to be certain, but he likely guessed right.
Those called untouchables but consider themselves the legitimate successors of Kyrie…
Upon further investigation, Natalia’s crime wasn’t merely murder but politically motivated terrorism.
“If I can spare the time, I’ll give you a moment for a personal meeting.”