Chapter 44

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 6, 2025

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Chapter 44

#44. The Returnees of the North (2)

Commander Sun’s慰问 continued without pause. Even as they marched wearily towards High City, he tirelessly visited the wounded, inquiring about their names and personal histories.

“Where’s Sir Zik? I was curious about his wound?”

“Ah… well… Sir Zik passed on to our ancestors this morning.”

“…Is that so? Did he go peacefully?”

“Thanks to the herbs you personally provided, Commander, he didn’t seem to be in pain until the end.”

“That’s good… If that’s the case, it’s fortunate. Soldier Page!”

“Yes! Commander!”

“You’re quite the survivor. Remember when you were crying with your left hand lost?”

“Hahaha! After a few bouts of fever, I’m all better now!”

The sight of their commander brought smiles back to the faces of soldiers and knights, momentarily forgetting their despair over disabilities.

“How’s your groin injury, Sir Tylne?”

“Yes! Commander! Fortunately, it only twisted slightly. Thanks to our ancestors’ protection, the worst was avoided.”

“Good. Make sure to honor them properly from now on.”

“Of course!”

Commander Sun spent considerable time with the wounded ranks, dismounting to walk alongside them and chat casually. A third party listening might have mistaken him for a squad leader rather than a commander.

After some time, as the atmosphere lightened, Sun bowed deeply before the soldiers.

“You’ve all worked hard. On behalf of the Northern Duchy! And on behalf of His Grace the Duke, I thank you!”

“…”

To the soldiers and knights who had seen this side of their commander before on Arctic expeditions, something inexplicable still stirred their hearts.

“Renslett! Rune Renslett!”

For once, instead of calling on their ancestors, they united in shouting the name Renslett with one heart and mind.

Thus completed another cycle of the Arctic expedition: grandfathers, fathers, uncles, and brothers followed by sons, nephews, and grandchildren.

For the next three years, they would rest while preparing for yet another tiresome expedition.

Led by Commander Sun, the Frost Shield Legion’s high knights, regular knights, and soldiers headed toward High City with the mindset of farmers preparing for the next season.

And upon entering within the Main Wall…

“Wha…?”

“Something seems different, doesn’t it?”

“Everyone looks brighter?”

“There’s a sense of ease…”

“Impossible! Potato fields outside the outer walls of High City? How…?”

“But is farming even possible here?”

“It doesn’t look like a greenhouse farm at all…”

They found their hometown much changed from their memories.

* * *

A mere year and a half. Eighteen months since they’d embarked on the Arctic expedition to preemptively deal with barbarian threats.

Yet their homeland had changed dramatically, as if ten years had passed.

“Waaaaaah!!”

“Heroes, you’ve labored greatly!”

As before, a grand welcoming crowd started at the Main Wall entrance, with all of High City’s residents divided on either side cheering and throwing white flower petals at the returning expedition members.

‘So everyone’s carrying similar bags on their waists?’

‘They all look healthy.’

‘The children are all well-fed.’

But even amidst this familiar welcome, strange things caught the expedition members’ eyes.

And especially…

“Renslett! Rune Renslett!”

“May the fervent followers of Renslett bless you!”

The citizens of High City were shouting Renslett’s name with obvious sincerity.

What used to be a slogan exclusive to High City’s soldiers, knights, and bureaucrats had spread widely among the common folk.

“May the Fervent Followers of Renslett guide those heroes who fell in this expedition!”

“In the name of Mother Mary, may blessings fill the future of all who participated in this expedition.”

“Renslett, Rune Renslett.”

It went beyond just slogans.

Throughout High City, people dressed like temple priests approached them offering blessings.

“What in the world is going on here…?”

“Are we being tricked by witches?”

Everything felt surreal.

From the lowliest soldier to the knights commanding them, confusion reigned even as they marched. They’d never been this confused, not even in the heart of enemy territory.

“…”

Even Commander Sun, who always maintained his composure, was affected.

‘There’s so much I need to ask.’

He rode silently at the front of the procession, carefully hiding his surprise.

The returnees’ bewilderment only grew stronger as they moved deeper into High City.

All over the northern outskirts of High City stood sights unimaginable before – fields of various sizes where potatoes flourished.

The comforting, earthy scent filled the air pleasantly.

“Farming actually works?! Here, in this freezing land?!”

“And these aren’t witch greenhouses!”

Perhaps most shocking to the soldiers: the idea that farming could succeed in the upper reaches of the Northern Duchy meant it could likely work throughout the north.

“Did they develop some new farming method while we were gone?”

“Greenhouse farming! They must have created something at High City’s greenhouses!”

“Maybe they developed winter-resistant potatoes that grow well in the cold…”

“That pleasant earthy smell was coming from the fields. Smelling it makes me hungry…”

Meaning, both physically and mentally disabled veterans could now see a way to make a living.

“I might retire and try farming…”

“There should still be unused land near villages and towns!”

Even fully able-bodied soldiers were visibly tempted. In contrast to general continental perceptions, farming was considered the best occupation for northern commoners.

First, it didn’t require risking your life like hunting, logging, mining, or herding which carried constant dangers like avalanches or monster attacks.

Farming near villages or towns was relatively safe.

Plus, taxes were low in the north.

“What’s going on here, Knight Theo?”

“I don’t know, Bill. But it certainly looks good.”

Bill, having lost both legs, and Theo, having lost an arm, looked around bewildered. Bill rode in a cart while Theo walked on his remaining legs, taking in everything around them.

Among the countless cheering crowds, flower petals, unfamiliar but pleasant blessings, what impressed them most were the potato fields everywhere.

“But I can’t farm with my legs like this…”

Then suddenly, Bill muttered bitterly.

“What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing. Hahaha…”

The enormous cheering drowned out Bill’s muttering. With a sad smile, Bill fondled the dagger in his pocket.

If he ate until full at the upcoming banquet and then slit his throat…

No matter how stubborn a life, it couldn’t continue after cutting one’s neck.

Thinking this might be his last chance, Bill enjoyed the welcoming crowd.

* * *

The Arctic Expedition Army, sent out for preventive war, reached the very gates of Renslett Castle through its inner fortress.

The cheers, slogans, and flower showers that had continued uninterrupted from the Main Wall gradually diminished as they entered the inner fortress.

‘That’s Sun? He’s huge. Makes even special-grade horses look pitiful.’

I stood atop the castle walls of the inner fortress, looking down at Commander Sun who led this expedition and the northern ice wall known as Sun.

‘The atmosphere is completely different from Sir Valkyrie.’

I had been observing Sun and the expedition force from the castle walls for quite some time when our gazes suddenly met.

“…”

Sun looked up at me silently. Though he merely stared, his rugged face made it feel like he was glaring.

“…”

Our eye contact lasted several seconds before naturally breaking as the expedition procession moved forward.

Neither of us turned away first – rather, the movement of the procession ended our exchange.

“Boss, what do you think? Your impressions of the other superhuman of the north, Sun?”

At that moment, Knight Eopte asked beside me.

He was guarding me during this welcoming event, feeling more like a semi-employee of our Arad Company these days.

“The atmosphere is even scarier than Sir Valkyrie.”

In our external relationship as employer and employee, I naturally addressed him casually.

“Hahaha, both gentlemen have their own distinct personalities.”

Eopte chuckled in agreement with my assessment.

“What kind of person is the Ice Wall of the North?”

“A good man. Cares for and loves his subordinates more than anyone. Knows the faces and names of even average soldiers.”

“Impressive. So does he use a shield as his main weapon? Earlier, I didn’t see him carrying any weapon besides a large shield.”

“Yes. That’s why he’s absent from the Sword Master list. However, both His Majesty and Sir Valkyrie recognize him as a superhuman equivalent to a Sword Master due to his true prowess.”

“I’d like to see him fight someday.”

“If you do, you’ll surely acknowledge him yourself. There’s a reason His Majesty entrusted this expedition solely to Sun.”

“Now that I think about it, it’s surprising, isn’t it? Given His Majesty’s character, not participating in the expedition himself.”

Normally, when a major army moves, the nation’s ruler automatically joins the expedition.

This is because the army’s commander could potentially change allegiances.

In that sense, Sun was extremely loyal. Of course, Ariana’s decision to fully trust and entrust the legion to such a man wasn’t ordinary either.

“At that time, His Majesty was throwing tantrums… I mean, insisting on revenge for the previous Duke…”

Eopte’s response to my question took a different tone, focusing not on rebellion or trust between ruler and general, but on avenging the previous duke who died during the expedition.

“Whoever stopped him did a great job. I guarantee that if His Majesty had joined that expedition, something similar to what happened in the Magic Realm would have occurred.”

The previous Duke Bykal Rune Renslett died in battle around three years ago during an expedition against magic-and-steel armed orc forces.

“He fought against orc troops equipped with weapons we’d never seen before and died.”

‘The reason the north had the advantage in battles against arctic orcs was due to advanced weaponry called Cold Iron. Now that balance of power has been broken…’

Even a three-year-old would know the Empire was behind breaking that power equilibrium.

‘The steel armor of those orcs isn’t ordinary steel. It’s estimated to be Imperial Steel, comparable to Northern Cold Iron.’

This expedition began a year and six months ago, shortly after Bykal’s death.

‘To send them off like this after fighting those heavily armed white orcs and returning safely is already lucky.’

Considering Arctic Expeditions typically occur every three years, this one started unusually quickly, likely to finish what had been interrupted by the Duke’s death.

Though revenge would be the main motivation.

‘I heard they didn’t encounter those problematic fully-armored white orcs, which is why they returned like this?’

While the expedition soldiers and knights outwardly expressed regret and anger, inwardly they were probably all relieved.

“Let’s head inside. As the planner of this banquet, I should observe the audience’s reactions, right?”

“I’ll guide you.”

“By the way… Is Mary not attending after all?”

Just as I was about to head toward the inner fortress, I inevitably searched for Mary, who was nowhere to be seen again.

“She took about a week off citing very important personal matters, didn’t she?”

“That’s right. Hmm… Quite a complicated young lady.”

“We understand her, don’t we?”

Both myself and Eopte had similar speculations about Mary’s background, so our conversation flowed smoothly without hindrance or misunderstanding.

‘Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen Mary and Ariana together…’