Chapter 201: Side Story: The Beginning of A Heroic Epic

***Arc 8 One Who Spread Death, Chapter 201 Side Story: The Beginning of A Heroic Epic***

In the forest.

Dozens of soldiers are gathered around a campfire, two men in the center.

"What are you thinking, Christand? I thought I told you not to pursue too deeply."

His hair, cut in a messy bun, was brushed back.

The centurion, Gallen, carrying bow, stared at the other man with sharp eyes.

Bogan, the captain on the other hand, looked back at him with a dignified attitude that matches his physique and rugged face.

"Ha. I understand your orders――but I didn't pursue them too deeply. In fact, I was able to finish them as much as I could within my own legs."

Bogan said coolly, shaking his golden hair that has grown a little.

He killed an adjutant who had run away――not a bad achievement.

"...I admit that you have excellent abilities, and your accomplishments are good. However, even though you are a captain, you left my command, and if you asked me whether I would forgive your independent action the answer is no. Three people were injured, which could have been prevented if you abandoned the command."

"Ha. However, if all three of them take a little rest, they could continue the battle, and there will be no injuries."

"...Commander Gallen, the injured are my responsibility as Captain Christand left me in charge of the unit for a time."

The voice that came out from among the men surrounding the two was a beautiful face――red copper hair.

It was Nozan.

Contrary to his words, his eyes seemed to be hostile towards Gallen.

Garen looked back at him and laughed.

"You can say this without knowing the principle of responsibility. You are a corporal, not a captain, a squad leader under Christand's command. I have no recollection of ordering you to lead the troops, and I have no intention of ordering Christand to do so."

And his eyes narrowed.

"...Don't interrupt me. The responsibility is Christand, and mine to take. Get back when you can wipe your own butt."

Nozan looked clearly displeased, but took a step back and said, 'My apologies'.

Gallen returned his gaze to Bogan again.

"...Are you fighting alone, Christand? Your judgment is better than mine, better than the battalion commander, better than the corps commander, and better than the general?"

"...No, it's not."

"Even though it's a small fry, it's a big one for you. You must be happy. However, the war will not end unless the enemy's higher-ranking commander or general is decapitated. You're like a useless dog that jumps at the bait in front of you."

Bogan furrowed his brow and Gallen glared at him as he approached.

"The main purpose of the mission is to attack the enemy's transport fleet. Unavoidable encounters can't be helped. However, your savagery and military achievements will have made the enemy more wary. At the very least, the results are inconsistent with my intentions, and if this accumulates, it will even affect the tactical plans of the battalion commander and corps commander. Do you understand? "

"...Yes sir"

"And please understand that such actions of yours will someday cost not only your life, but the lives of your comrade. ...Today is over. Everyone, please take a break."

Gallen said that and left the place, and the men who were watching the scene also went to rest.

Nozan called out to Bogan, who had a disappointed look on his face.

"...I'm getting tired of the constant nagging, right captain."

"The logic is correct. It's a sound argument."

Even as he spoke, he started walking away, looking somewhat unconvinced, and sat down, resting his back against a tree.

Nozan followed him and sat at the next tree.

"I feel like cursing my birth. If I hadn't been born as the third son of a baron, I wouldn't have been covered in mud, and the hunters chasing boar's butts wouldn't have acted so bossy."

"Don't say that. At least the commander is an expert archer. He's not bad at commanding either."

Commander Gallen couldn't use magic, but he was not incompetent, and he rose from rank and file as a soldier.

He was not a bad superior.

"...He's a little timid though."

However, the problem was that he was being too cautious.

Gallen was too afraid of the loss of his troops.

"Indeed. Probably because he doesn't have a skill like us."

Nozan laughed and agreed.

Although he was the youngest member of the squad, he was extremely talented and was second only to Bogan in the squad in terms of swordsmanship.

It wasn't an insult, it was a fact.

Nobles and commoners――the presence or absence of magical power was an absolute difference on the battlefield.

No matter what the situation is, if you have magical power, you can often get through it.

However, Gallen was not a magic possessor.

That's probably where his cowardice comes from.

It was a good thing that he was assigned to a special light infantry unit instead of a general infantry unit that formed the battle line.

What was disappointing was that the commander was a commoner, someone who could not handle magic.

A commander's ability naturally influences their tactical choices.

Gallen was a man who was faithful to his duties, valued discipline, and deserved respect as a soldier, but he had the flaw of being too afraid of attrition to his troops.

It wouldn't be easy to follow him and achieve military results with this unit.

"It's a long road to becoming a general. Well, this is also a learning experience. Compared to a natural-born battalion commander, the experience we gain must be valuable."

"I would like to emulate that kind of thinking. I hope the captain will move up quickly and pull me up."

――A few days later.

With his stern face wrapped in his helmet, Bogan glared across the bushes.

"...What should we do? Do you want to wait for the commander's instructions?"

Nozan asked, laughing.

Bogan frowned and thought.

"This is the second time we will violate an order. It's not desirable, but..."

In front of him was the enemy load of the Elderant army walking on the road――80 horse-drawn carriages and about 150 escorts.

Surrounded by forests from east to west, it was the perfect time for an ambush attack.

To the west of the forest, on this side were 50 Bogans, and to the east were Centurion Gallen's 50 men.

A well-timed pincer attack. Killing the opponent in one breath.

That was the strategy, but the man on horseback who appeared to be the enemy commander was not in the center or rear as expected, but in the front.

Gallen, who had made a detour, was still not in position.

The attack was to take place after Garren sent the signal――but at this rate, there was a risk of missing him.

The Elderant make their home in the forest. Once they escape, it will be difficult to pursue them.

A pincer attack certainly has great benefits, but it would be foolish to miss this opportunity.

They had no choice but to go there.

There were also Nozan here as well. The situation was not that bad.

"It's now or never. Nozan."

"Ha."

He raised his left hand to signal the rear.

The other party seemed unperturbed. He is walking down the road, chatting with the one beside him.

The enemy commander, helmetless, his braided hair swinging.

The man occasionally looked at his surroundings and appeared wary, but his men were bad.

"......let's go"

Throwing pebbles at the person across the road and shaking the branches and leaves.

For a moment, the enemy soldier's gaze turned to the left――at that moment, he pulled out his long sword and stepped in before anyone else.

He jumped over the bushes and danced out onto the road, one first. Nozan followed, and then another.

"Enemy..."

Then, he decapitated the enemy commander who was about to raise his voice.

A frightened face――the enemy commander was still young. He must have been inexperienced.

After he killed a few more people, his soldiers followed from behind.

However, the lack of response made Bogan feel uncomfortable for a moment.

Elderant was a society of warriors, and fundamentally strength was valued more than family background.

Naturally, the enemy commander would be strong to a certain extent, but the escort and commander were both too weak.

The frightened eyes of someone on the verge of being killed――what did that mean?

Bogan thought about it and soon had an answer.

"――They come out, I'll take the lead! Go!"

The man who was in the middle of the column was the one who raised his voice.

He took off his helmet and shouted, and soldiers appeared from the carriage beside him.

They had tattoos on their faces and beards――that was the main discomfort..

The same was true for all of the enemies he had fought so far that were considered to be the elite.

Tattoos and beards were perhaps symbols of warrior status within the tribe.

"We've been had, Nozan."

"That's the kind of move a barbarian would make."

But Bogan remained calm, and so did Nozan.

There was some confusion among the soldiers, but they were also elite light infantry. There were no major problems.

The enemy was just a trick――only 30 people appeared from the carriage at most.

The disguised carriage was just that, 150 men turned into 180.

As Gallen said, he thought this might be the result of him not being cautious, but it's not something he should be thinking about right now.

"I'll charge in"

"I leave it to you."

Nozan said that quickly and headed towards the enemy commander.

"Leave the enemy commander to me and Nozan! You guys destroy the escorts!!"

He shouted to the soldiers and quickly followed Nozan.

Nozan Verreich's sword was elegant――vividly cutting down the enemy commander and his guards.

――But the enemy was no slouch either.

The large spear he wields pierces the wind and heads towards Nozan.

He narrowly dodged himself, but was unable to dodge the subsequent mowing down, and Nozan had no choice but to block it with his sword.

His body was flung away, and he immediately took an ukemi stance and stood up, but his opponent was a split second quicker.

Bogan drew his dagger and threw it, but the man ducked and leapt backward, opening the distance.

"For a bunch of incompetent Alberan, you're quite good. My name is Gailbeag of Meeklea. Remember the name of the one who kills you."

――A powerful magic possessor.

An opponent who could defeat the Northern head-on――whether or not even Bogan could win...

However, running away was not an option.

"Bogan Christand, remember it, barbarian!

Bogan shouted and stepped forward. The opponent's choice was a thrust.

He hit his left gauntlet against the opponent's large spear to change its trajectory and move inside his opponent's reach..

The man retreated slightly and twisted his body.

Turning his back towards Bogan――Bogan's confusion, a momentary gap, and the spear's stone thrust extends from under his armpit.

Bogan retreated immediately, but was unable to avoid it.

The stone thrust hit the belly of his leather armor, and even though it didn't pierce, it sent a shock.

"Captain!"

Nozan approaches the man from the right hand and strikes with a sword.

However, the man dodged even that and kicked Nozan's torso away.

"It's the end!!"

The man lifted his cheek, and aimed the spear.

Bogan was unable to adjust his stance and immediately chose defense.

But――

"――ah?"

An arrow shot through the side of the head of the man who was approaching Bogan.

The man's eyes rolled upwards and collapsed.

"The enemy commander is dead! Eliminate the rest!!"

The one who released it was Gallen who appeared from the eastern forest.

Without looking at the commander's head, he glanced at Bogan who had sat up.

"Koza, your team will assist Christand until he can take command!"

"Ha!"

"The others go to the rear. Moraz, you lead half of the group and head to the back. Your priority is to clear the cargo. Just drive away the enemy."

After giving instructions, Gallen readied his arrow again.

He easily drew his personal, short but stiff bow, and the arrows shot through the enemy one after

Speed and accuracy that no average opponent can come close to.

Without boasting about his earlier accomplishments, he just steadily took down his opponents.

"Captain Christand, are you injured?"

"...No. Nozan?"

"*cough*...Me too"

Nozan stood up despite coughing.

The large team leader――Koza told the two of them with his eyes as if he were looking at someone in trouble.

"It's Captain Gallen's order. Rebuild immediately."

"......I know"

At least, he didn't feel like he could disobey that order.

After finishing the cleanup and retreating.

Gallen said nothing.

He didn't ask Bogan to apologize or leave it for later, he did the bare minimum.

It was not until two nights later――he finally spoke about it, after they had returned to their allies' side and were safe.

"――Well, no matter how much I preach, nothing will change. You should draw your sword, Christand."

"Ha......?"

"Verreich too. I'll deal with you two together."

Bogan and Nozan look at each other, then turn to Gallen who laughs.

"If you guys win, then I'll leave the army. Christad, in that case, I'll recommend you as the centurion to the battalion commander. You can do whatever you want with the squad."

"But, Commander Gallen..."

"Shut up, Koza....What's with that face, Christand, are you dissatisfied?"

Gallen looked at Bogan with a mocking look.

Bogan frowned and looked back at him.

"It's understandable to be angry. I admit that you saved me from a predicament... But isn't that too much of an understatement? It's not my intention to embarrass you. With Commander Gallen, I don't think there's a chance for you to win even against one of us."

"I'm asking you if you're going to do it or not, Christand."

Gallen laughed as he tapped the scabbard on the small sword on his waist.

"Kuku, they say that dogs raised in wealthy towns can only bark, and that's exactly right."

Those words were a clear provocation.

Both Bogan and Nozan now showed obvious hostility and glared at Gallen.

"...I'm also a noble, Even if you're the commander, if someone insults me, I can't just laugh it off."

"You're just a man of pride huh, Christand."

"...I have advised you. Nozan."

Nozan draws his sword irritated.

To fight two on one against someone who was not even magic possessors, that was something to be ashamed of.

Nozan readied his sword, and, looking exasperated, Gallen set down his bow and quiver.

And he pulled out his short sword,

"I thought I said I don't mind if you come together."

"You...!!"

At his word, Nozan charged in.

In one breath he crushed the distance of 5 ken and swung his sword,

"Wha...!?"

A small sword sheath was thrown in front of him.

In order to avoid it, Nozan quickly dodged and as he lost his balance he slid next to Gallen.

However, as he tried to slip by, Gallen caught his foot and knocked him down.

And before Nozan could get up, Gallen threw his dagger right in his face.

"Now you're killed in battle. You're from a noble's house, so you'll have a grand funeral."

Nozan stiffed without saying a word, and Gallen looked at Bogan with a smile on his face.

"What are you doing... aren't you coming?"

"...It's just the result of a small trick."

"That's right, it's just a small trick and Verreich died stupidly. But, well, you'll be exposed to similar stupidity."

Bogan also drew his sword.

"...I'm not confident that I won't hurt you."

"Why don't you stop running your mouth and show me how you swing that sword you're so proud of?"

Bogan clicked his tongue and charged in.

The first step didn't destroy the distance between the two, and he went around to the left of Gallen, who didn't have a sword.

He swung his long sword from overhead,

"!?"

Gallen as if falling down was at Bogan's feet.

He grabbed the bogan's leg, straightened himself up, and slammed his large body into the ground.

He stomps on his right arm and torso, and thrusts the tip of his small sword into Bogan's neck.

"Now you too are being killed in battle...It's sad that the captain squad team leader of this unit are both idiots."

Stunned, Bogan looks at the small sword pointed at his own neck and looks up at Gallen.

Gallen's face was not smiling, and his eyes, as sharp as a bird of prey's, shot through Bogan's.

"...What do you think, Christand? Do you have any objections?"

The air was frozen, as no one who was watching spoke up.

Gallen didn't raise his voice.

Even so, it was a voice that resonated deep in his guts.

"...No. Commander."

Hearing that voice, Gallen withdrew his dagger and took his foot off Bogan's arm.

"What you say is true. Both you and Verreich are superior in all abilities compared to me. In terms of strength and weakness, there isn't even a need to compare it with me. However, you are overconfident in your own strength. If you win, you will become a centurion, and in the face of a rare opportunity, you stick to your pride and don't cooperate."

Bogan heard this while lying down.

"Abandoning the advantageous situation by your own choice and attacking individually. What do you think of this as a tactic?"

"...It's the lowest of low, sir"

"That's right. And on top of that, you insisted on challenging me with a sword. Did I present the rules? I just told you to win. If you throw your sword sheath at me like I did, the battle will be over――your weaknesses are all overconfidence in your own strength and conceit.''

Gallen went to pick up the sheath he had thrown away, and Bogan finally got himself up.

As Gallen sheathed the dagger and reattached it to his waist, he continued.

"I guess you can only win against those you can beat. In fact, even against those you can beat, you could lose your lives like that. ...For what purpose do we form a squad? What are tactics for?"

"...to defeat an opponent who is superior in military strength."

"Yes. You understand that in your true heart, devoid of pride. ...You must have understood from the enemy you fought this time. There are some fierce enemies among them that even you two can't defeat."

Thinking of the enemy commander, I Bogan clenched his fists.

At the very least, my opponent was stronger than him――no, it was two on one, and they failed to finish him off, and were forced into a predicament.

Even if the fight had continued, it was doubtful whether they would have been able to defeat the enemy commander.

"However, even against such an opponent, I cannot afford to lose to a soldier. Therefore, I will gain an advantage in order to win. That is why I'm so noisy."

"........"

"That said, even if I don't nag you any further you surely understand. Your choice――in your heart understand, what was wrong and what you should have done."

When Gallen came to his side, he looked down again.

His eyes were not angry, but somewhat kind.

"You guys are young and talented... First, cut off that arrogance and learn as much as you can. And learn how to survive in order to learn."

Garen said, holding out his right hand.

"Even if you don't rush your efforts, you'll find yourself in a suitable position before you know it.''

Bogan stared at Gallen's hand.

Then he held out his right hand as if to accept it.

The body was powerfully aroused.

Gallen looked at his face and nodded, then looked around.

"It seems that Christand and Verreich want to be on meal duty today. This is a valuable opportunity to use the captain and the squad leader for an errand, so I hope you enjoy it to the fullest."

Laughter echoed from the surroundings, and Gallen also looked at Bogan with a smile on his face.

"You have no objection? Christand."

Bogan looked dumbfounded and looked at Nozan as he approached.

Then slowly, he placed his right hand on his left chest and saluted.

'I dedicate my life to you'――it was a salute with such meaning.

"...From now on, you can call me whatever you call me instead of using my family name. Commander."

Gallen looked into his eyes and nodded again,

"...Okay, Bogan. Let's get to work."

Thumb to his left chest.

That allegiance shall be my blood――that was what the reply that meant.

Bogan sat in his chair and placed the young Selene on his lap.

He told an old story.

It was about Gallen, who had visited the estate yesterday.

"――The commander was the one who saved me from such a predicament."

"I-I see...um, Otou-sama, talking about battlefields is sca――"

"Commander appeared and pierced the enemy commander's head with a single arrow.''

"Hi..."

Bogan pressed his fingers to the temple of Selene's small head.

His mind is in the past, oblivious to his frightened daughter.

"With a swoosh, an arrow came flying at him and pierced his head, and I saw the man's eyes roll up in front of me. It was so precise, I'm sure he didn't even feel the pain..."

"I-I don't want to hear about that anymore.."

"? Selene, where are you going..."

The door opened at the same time that Selene started running to escape from his lap.

"O-Ojou-sama, what's wrong...?"

"Bery, when I asked about Gallen-sama, Otou-sama told me all kinds of scary stories..."

When Selene hugged Bery who was holding the tray with cookies, she started crying.

Bery looked troubled and put her tray on the shelf and picked up Selene.

"...Bogan, you."

From behind her, Lazura stood royally and glared at Bogan, her temples twitching.

Bogan looked at the crying Selene, dumbfounded, and then looked at Lazura.

"Bery, please calm down Selene."

"Um, yes, Nee-sama...Ojou-sama, it's okay. It's fine.....I baked some cookies, do you like them? I have confidence in it..."

Berry was holding Selene while she was on the couch with one hand.

Lazura beckoned the head of the Christand family with anger at her beauty.

"Bogan, come here."

"Ah, aah..."

After that, Lazura's insults echoed even inside the room.

Selene also didn't stop crying until it was over.