The Odin’s retreated without leaving any trace behind.
In just a brief period, the black pressure emitted from the siege disappeared, and the big camp became empty. The shouting men, as well as the neighing horses — those restless nights filled with rampant roaring and gigantic bonfires that lit the night sky — they all disappeared.
The Odins standing on the observation post gazed at their army lining up in formation, before departing one after another. The rude Odin riders were last ones in the line. They arrogantly jumped off their caribou while standing in the wilderness. Facing towards the direction of the camp, they pulled down their pants to pee while ranting and shouting arrogantly.
These scenes make the Byzantine soldiers who stayed behind the stronghold wall feel very humiliated in their hearts.
However, no matter how much shame they felt, they could only be forced to face the reality: They had lost this war.
In order to deal with Odin’s invasion this time, the Byzantine Empire dispatched five regular armies. This was a third of Byzantine Empire’s regular military strength.
However, the 2nd and 9th Army were completely crushed by Hasting’s well-planned surprise attack. After that, their only fate was to return to their home country to rebuild their strength. As for the glorious iron army, the 13th Army, it lost two of its legions, which represented more than half of their fighting force. A legion’s centurion, Saucier, died in battle, and another centurion, the silver-haired Butler, was wounded. No matter what, just by judging the loss in military strength, it was the Byzantine’s complete defeat.
What left people aggrieved the most was that the 13th Army didn’t have the opportunity to display their intrepid battle efficiency. They were first attacked by Kekkan’s army in the north, then, after their camp was attacked, they had to turn back in order to help their allies. Their formidable battle efficiency was wasted while rushing back and forth. The soldiers didn’t consume their physical strength, against the enemy on the battlefield, but actually consumed it on the rapid marches back and forth……
However, regardless of this big loss, the Byzantine Empire’s main objective for this war had been achieved: To withstand the enemy at the doorstep of the empire.
The Odin’s hadn’t set foot into the Byzantine Empire’s territory. The war started in Primal Wildfire, and it ended there.
However, the momentum was actually favorable for the Odins, and yet they didn’t exploit their victory further. It didn’t seem like they couldn’t, but rather……That it was their intention from the beginning.
After eating the Byzantine’s two-and-a-half army’s worth of military strength, the Odins had had enough, and went home dressed in glory while singing loudly.
There was however, one difference in the events than what Shaar had previously guessed. Hasting didn’t occupy the Primal Wildfire Town!
From the very beginning, this Odin commander hadn’t even separated a small team in order to send it to Primal Wildfire Town! From the very start, he didn’t plan to force the 13th Army to the bitter end! In other words, from the beginning, he hadn’t planned to fight the 13th Army to the death.
Knowing this news, Shaar stayed silent for a while. He then ridiculed himself, but didn’t seem to get discouraged.
He was Hasting after all, the most powerful Odin that exists. What was Shaar? Only a small foot soldier. It was no surprise that he couldn’t fully guess his intentions.
※※※
Three days after the Odin’s retreat, they send a big scouting team to search the path they had passed. After that they determined that the Odins had really withdrawn, General Adrick’s complexion was gloomy, while the fat fellow exhaled from the news.
When the angry Adrick was still suffering from the humiliation and injustice of defeat, the fat fellow was joyfully ordering his army to break camp while getting ready to go home.
As for Shaar who had lived through his first war, although both sides that had battled both were not his own country, this hillbilly had still received a very fortune-filled path from it. He obtained his first friend in his life through the war… but then he lost him. Because he fought bravely, and displayed an outstanding performance, Adrick promoted Shaar to a platoon leader – this was Byzantine Empire’s highest position for a lower officer. According to the establishment of the Byzantine cavalry unit: ten men form a squad, five squads form a platoon, ten platoons form a legion, and finally, five legions form an army.
When Shaar was promoted to a platoon leader, he became a junior officer who had 50 cavalry under him – in fact, regarding the majority of the Empire’s citizens with a humble birth, this step was already the highest position they could reach in their lifetime.
No one questioned this appointment, since Shaar’s performance on the battlefield was obvious to everyone. Whether it was defending the camp, where his performance gave people courage and admiration, or when he wounded the valiant Hasting on the battlefield — everyone inside the 13th Army was full of admiration. Particularly when he finally led the 200 randomly pierced together cavalry soldiers, and stormed out of the camp to aid the rear troops caught in the enemy’s base. This display of dauntless courage made people believe in him.
Adrick extremely appreciated Shaar and when he promoted Shaar to platoon leader, he didn’t let him get led a normal combat unit. But instead…… to his own Praetorian Guards!
According to the the special position of Praetorian Guards, each soldier under them had a squire assigned to them. Looking at it from that perspective, Shaar’s 50 cavalry soldiers now included an additional 50 squires in their force. Most of the squires had combat capabilities, and therefore the men under him had reached 100! His battle efficiency had doubled out of thin air!
Ah ……of course, if each one of the squires was like Tatara, I am afraid that instead of doubling their battle efficiency, it would be reduced because they carried some stupid good-for-nothing on their back……
As a commander of an Army, Adrick had established a platoon made of Praetorian Guards. The highest position amongst the Praetorian Guards was the Captain. Ever since he’d arrived in the 13th Army, it had seemed that the position of Praetorian Captain had stayed vacant.
In the past, the bald man Kevin played the role of the Praetorian Captain, and had exercised its duties. However, the bald man Kevin was actually only a Cavalry platoon leader.
When Shaar quietly asked the Praetorian Guards about this, he discovered that they avoided talking about this topic. Occasionally, when Shaar continued to pester them, they would reveal a bitter smile and tell him in a low voice that this was a taboo within the Praetorian Guards. General Adrick had ordered the men not to talk about this topic.
A name that he had heard several times already, reached Shaar’s ears once more:
Sylvia……they all said that name. It was said that the former Praetorian captain title belonged to that person, however Shaar didn’t know what this person was doing right now.
Once when Sarbar drank too much, he thoughtlessly spoke a bit; It was said that that person was very fierce, and was the only one who dared to bang the table when facing against Adrick while staring him in the eyes.
Someone in the 13th Army who dared to bang the table while facing against Adrick and while staring him in the eye? Hearing this Shaar was very suspicious. According what Shaar knew, the 13th Army followed General Adrick’s orders with almost unconditional obedience. Adrick’s prestige was extremely high in this army – it could be said that even if there was a big flame pit in front, and Adrick pointed at it while ordering “jump” that the 10,000 men of the 13th Army would jump forward, and even if they had to use their own bodies, they would fill up the pit!
Even Saucier, who everyone saw as General Adrick’s successor for the 13th Army, would act extremely respectful towards him. Yet there was someone who unexpectedly dared to insult the general?!
During the several days during they finished up their tasks, General Adrick went to visit Shaar a few times. Regarding the great merits that Shaar had earned this time, the general had already made it clear to the superiors in his military report. As for the reward, the higher-ups would make the final decision.
However, there was one issue: wounding Hasting on the battlefield—this merit wouldn’r fall on Shaar’s head. After all, according to the name that was used, the person who duelled with Hasting was “The Empire’s First Rated Knight, Sir Bonfret”.
Shaar wasn’t really interested in this merit and readily accepted this seemingly unfair decision.
From this hillbilly’s point of view, accepting this merit was equal to being on Hasting’s watchlist! Where was the merit in that? The attention was equivalent to a huge black mark that decided who would die!
However, Adrick readily agreed to Shaar’s several requests. They included that Sarbar and Kato would be transferred into Shaar’s platoon. Sarbar became the vice-captain of the platoon, and the heroic large fellow became Shaar’ helping hand. As for Kato ……with his arrival, the original 50 cavalry soldiers were all excited and had a favorable impression of Shaar. Everyone knew that having the army smuggler join the platoon meant that obtaining contraband goods would be greatly facilitated
Shaar had another request: a man under the name of Solleater was to be assigned under him as the second squire. Although Shaar was only a platoon captain and having two squires was too assertive and incompatible with the regulation of the army, Adrick still authorized it without hesitation.
This was because the man called Solleater was the bald man Kevin’s squire. After Kevin died in battle, Solleater should have retired from the army and gone home or entered the auxiliary barracks to act as an artisan, a stableman, or some other profession. However Shaar actually specially requested for this man to be placed under him.
Solleater was a stableman and knew some simple blacksmith work. He was an honest and brave man who knew how to ride a horse and had a decent strength. He even studied a bit of fighting as a cavalry soldier within the army. Unfortunately, he was born slow. Regardless if he was speaking or working, he was always a step closer than the others. Therefore, he had remained a squire and was unable to go a step further.
His reaction was slower and could be seen in situations like this: If everyone was listening to a joke together, they would laugh once the joke finished. Solleater, on the other hand, would maintain a calm composure. However, after a long time had passed and the other people began talking about a new topic, this fellow would suddenly release a good laugh. Or ……If someone hit him with his fist, Solleater would look at him indifferently. After half an hour, he would suddenly wail in pain.
An important reason why Shaar wanted to obtain him under him was that Solleater had been Kevin’s fellow villager.
With Solleater’s arrival, Tatara began to get excited. This noble magician joyfully thought that he could finally escape the lowly career of a handyman. This newly arrived fellow seemed a bit stupid, and with his own intelligence, how could he not push this guy around?
However, the magician quickly created his own tragedy…
Solleater worked hard and honestly. He would scrub the horses until they were extremely clean, and if a horseshoe or suit of armor needed repair, he would do the job. Moreover, he was quick and did it well.
As the saying goes, one shouldn’t worry about not knowing much about certain products. An individual only needed to compare them to see the difference.
Originally, when Tatara was been Shaar’ squire, he had been lazy and ate a lot, slowing down his work. However, Shaar felt that it was acceptable, so he accepted Tatara’s work. But after Solleater came, the magician’s exceptionally poor performance became especially obviously against such a stark comparison ……as a result, the pitiful Tatara – because of his low efficiency, would get maliciously scolded every day by the hillbilly.
On the third day, Solleater took the initiative and approached Tatara, before putting forth a proposal to him: “Give me a third of your wage, and I will do my tasks deliberately slower.”
Tatara felt an inexplicable grief and anger!! He thought of making accusations against that fellow, but thinking carefully, he compared Solleaeter’s honest and simple face with his own treacherous appearance……….no matter how he thought about it, he could guess that no one would believe him!
An outrageous contribution of a third of his wage, the magician’s face turned towards the sky, filled with grief.
“F*ck! Who is the fool in the end!!!”
After several days of rest, the newly appointed platoon captain Shaar was summoned in the big tent by General Adrick. There, he accepted a mission to deliver a detailed army report to the military headquarters.
Simultaneously, because he stood out during the current war, Shaar would receive the Empire’s “Eagle Medal”. He would be personally given this award by the war zone’s commander in addition to a rich reward.
This was a good errand mission without much danger. It also raised both his fame and fortune.
However, beyond this mission, there was an additional small task.
Shaar had to lead his 50 cavalry soldiers to the south and escort an individual with a noble status on the way back. As long as he returned to the military headquarters, the mission would be completed. However this escorted precious fellow was……
It was the one who had duelled with Odin’s “Lord of War” Hasting, and with his strength, he wrecked heavy losses on the enemy. The person he had to escort was the Empire’s new hero and its First Rated Knight, Bonfret……
Hearing this order, Shaar froze on the spot.
He carefully stared at General Adrick, but from the opposite party’s serious expression, he determined that the general wasn’t cracking a joke.
But ……making me escort the pretty boy Bonfret, who was selling his butt?
Was there a mistake? The entire 13th Army knew that this mountain boy had tied the pretty boy to a horse out of hatred!
Hesitating for a long time, Shaar issued a forced smile with a straight face. “That……General. I would like you ask you with great courage. You……ehm. You ……”
“If you have a fart, then let it out quickly!”Adrick ridiculed him.
“Ehm ……You are sure. Are you sure, you are really not implying that I ……can seize this opportunity to get rid of that punk?”