novelraw Chapter 228 : The North (7)
Chapter 228 : The North (7)
“…This way.”
The temporary barracks of the 33rd Division.
The temporary camp, set up to accommodate a division-sized force, was quite well-equipped.
In truth, it was only called 'temporary' because it had some crude aspects; it was a barracks built to provide for everything from meals to sleep.
“Anti-Demon!”
As they approached the largest tent inside the camp, a soldier on night watch gave a clumsy salute to the superior officer guiding the man.
“Good work. It's late, so keep your voice down.”
“…Ah.”
“We're moving on the Commander's orders, so there's no need to announce us.”
“…Yes, I understand!”
He then turned his head, looked at the man, and nodded.
“You may go in, Hero.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then, I will be waiting out front. Please, have your conversation.”
As he gently pulled open the flap of the tent, a figure in white armor, who looked every bit deserving of the title 'Commander,' was seated inside.
A Paladin.
He was a high-ranking Priest of the most common class, whose main duties were commanding the anti-demon forces and using holy magic.
Seeing U-jin, the man stood up from his seat and approached.
“Welcome, Sir Seo U-jin.”
“…”
“I have been waiting for you. Please, have a seat here.”
Giving a slight bow, Christopher Christian guided U-jin to the seat of honor.
In truth.
For a mere 1-star Hero, the attitude of Christopher Christian, the commander of the 33rd Division, was excessively polite.
Even if Heroes, unlike the Order's soldiers, were not in a vertical chain of command, a certain hierarchy was naturally established according to the nature of the battlefield.
While it was standard practice for a camp commander to show respect to high-ranking Hero-class individuals, it was generally not the case for a 1-star Hero.
Moreover, someone like Christopher Christian possessed personal martial prowess that easily surpassed that of a 1-star Hero.
Decades of experience, starting from his time as a capital knight.
Whether judging by his time served in the War against Demons or by his age, it was reasonable to consider Christopher Christian far superior in rank.
As such, it wouldn't be strange for an onlooker to tilt their head in confusion at his current show of respect.
“Ah, yes.”
But there is a reason for everything in the world.
He wasn't showing U-jin such courtesy for no reason.
Plop-
“Thanks to you, our 33rd Division was able to complete the mission assigned by headquarters. I thank you in the name of the Guardian Cross.”
It was because the conquest of the
Of course, if someone else were to hear this, they would likely go 'Huh?' and raise a question mark.
He wasn't a high-ranking Hero of 4-stars or more.
Frankly, across the entire Order Territory, 1-star Heroes were a dime a dozen.
The idea that one of them joining the fight could turn the tide of a war against a large-scale magical beast brigade containing a 'Baron-titled Demon' was, at first glance, hard to accept.
However.
“Not at all. I just did the job I was assigned.”
U-jin replied as if Christopher Christian's praise wasn't strange at all, in a tone that suggested he shouldn't make a fuss over such a trivial matter.
The reason was simple.
Truly.
Just as Christopher Christian had said, the participation of U-jin alone had completely overturned the tide of battle on the Anti-Demon Front, the
“Haha… Not at all. If you hadn't taken down the Knight-class, Sir Seo U-jin, we couldn't have even dreamed of conquering it like this. We probably would have just barely managed to hold the front line, minimizing damage until reinforcements from headquarters arrived. And even that wasn't a guarantee.”
“…”
“Just as they say, 'a healthy mind in a healthy body,' you even possess humility.”
Fundamentally, the 33rd Division's conquest of the
They had the advantage of a surprise attack, and since it had been planned in advance at the Order level, they had quite detailed information on the topography and characteristics of the
The same was true for the assigned personnel.
Even among 3-star personnel, the squads were composed of individuals with advantages in conquering the
It would be a different story if there was a problem with the command.
But Christopher Christian, who had eaten his fair share of experience in the War against Demons, was not lacking in command ability.
The reason the conquest had stalled despite all this was solely due to the appearance of an unscheduled 'Knight-class' magical beast.
The Demon King's Royal Guard usually carried out the Demon King's personal missions or guarded the vicinity of his castle. The idea that such a Knight-class would participate in a battle at the level of a Barony, not even a County, was not even within the Order's margin of error.
Furthermore, the Knight-class that appeared in the
While this was true for a good number of Knight-classes, the sudden appearance of one not even in the Order's records was nothing short of an 'incident'.
And the one who dealt with that unidentified 'incident' was none other than U-jin.
And just as Christopher Christian had said, he had faced the Knight-class with only his 'own personal strength,' without the help of other Hero-classes or soldiers.
Not only that, after completely turning the tide in the 4th sector of the battlefield, which had been losing badly, he went straight into the heart of the enemy camp and took the head of the Knight-class magical beast.
Normally, it would have been an impossible feat.
Forget a 1-star; even gathering a horde of 2-star Heroes would have found it difficult to face a Knight-class, which possessed martial prowess comparable to a Baron-class.
Unlike a Baron-class Demon, it didn't have the influence to represent a species of magical beast or manage a Territory, but its personal martial prowess was in no way inferior to a Baron-class Demon. That was the nature of a Knight-class.
Moreover, to handle a Knight-class single-handedly without even knowing its traits or weaknesses was not something a mere 1-star Hero could even discuss.
This was also the reason why Christopher Christian went out of his way to summon him late at night to praise his achievements.
“You may already know this, but at first, I didn't recall your name, Sir Seo U-jin, and just thought of you as an ordinary 1-star Hero.”
“…”
“But when I received the report shortly after that the Knight-class magical beast had been dealt with, I was truly shocked. Even as I heard it, I couldn't believe that a 1-star Hero had done it alone.”
“…”
“Haha… Only then did it come to me. Those three syllables of your name.”
'A 1-star Hero dealt with a Knight-class single-handedly.'
In truth, that sentence itself was difficult to establish, so when Christopher Christian first heard the report, his doubt went beyond mere questioning.
He had definitely confirmed the Knight-class's head, so the report itself couldn't be wrong, but it was difficult to just accept the words that a 1-star Hero had dealt with it.
It was to the point where he wondered if it was a trap by the Demon King's Army, or if U-jin's unexplained identity itself meant he was a spy for them.
But soon after, as he repeated U-jin's name several times and heard about his exploits, Christopher Christian realized he had heard that name before.
The 'Hunter' guild.
The figure who had secured the custody of Beastkin slaves scattered throughout the Order, and not only freed them but also led the entire process of creating a 'Territory' as a home for them.
The Guild Master of 'Hunter,' to which the Order had granted establishment permission for the first time in over 100 years.
The person who had been receiving the most attention recently was none other than 'Seo U-jin.'
His other achievements were so grand that this one was somewhat overshadowed, but he was a figure who had already been receiving some attention within the Order since his time in the 'Gateway Zone'.
In fact, Christopher Christian hadn't learned of U-jin through the rebuilding of the Beastkin Nation either.
The first time he had heard U-jin's name was when 'Leonardo Louis Button' used an Indulgence, long before the Order Territory was in an uproar over the 'rebuilding of the Beastkin Nation' incident.
“I had always wanted to meet you at least once, but I never imagined it would be like this, haha… Belatedly, it's an honor.”
“Haha…”
U-jin, waving his hand with an awkward laugh, soon asked him.
“So, what is it that you…?”
He was curious why the commander had specifically called for him at this late hour, a busy time when the post-war cleanup was still unfinished.
And, as if he had been waiting for that very question.
He began his explanation before U-jin could even finish his sentence.
“Ah…! It's nothing much, but I need to write a report for headquarters on the merits and demerits of this battle, and I'm not entirely clear on the circumstances of how you came to be here at the 33rd Division, Sir Seo U-jin. I was wondering if I could ask you about it.”
“…”
“I know you must be tired, and I would normally have asked tomorrow morning, but given the circumstances, I thought it would be better to handle it today rather than postpone it…”
It was then.
Flap-
“Commander!”
A panicked voice was heard along with the sound of the tent's flap being pulled aside.
He didn't know his exact rank, but it was the superior soldier who had guided U-jin to the commander.
Normally, Christopher Christian would have reprimanded him for bursting in unannounced, but he couldn't.
The reason was simple.
The battle for the Unknown Corner may have ended, but it was still technically wartime.
Furthermore, the urgency written on the soldier's face was extraordinary.
Instead of scolding him, the commander, Christopher Christian, gave U-jin a brief nod and rose from his seat.
“What is it?”
“Well… one of the soldiers is showing strange symptoms, and his condition seems to be serious…”
“…A soldier?”
Christopher Christian's brow furrowed.
It wasn't that a soldier's life was insignificant, but if the commander had to handle every single matter personally, there would be no point in having ranks.
Whatever it was, a matter concerning a single soldier should not have reached his level.
“…Listen, Nolan. I'm in the middle of something important…”
So, after briefly collecting his thoughts, Christopher Christian intended to dismiss him and issue orders via a follow-up report after the matter was dealt with.
For now, the matter with U-jin was more pressing.
However.
“…Let's go and see, Commander.”
“…Pardon?”
“It seems like something is seriously wrong.”
Instead, it was U-jin who stood up and urged him on.
…The reason was simple.
This.
‘…’
It was something that had also happened in the first timeline, pre-regression.