Chapter 55

The argument between me and Daljin stretched on for over 20 minutes despite the repeated attempts of Lir and Belua to stop it. It was only now that I realized I had the stamina to argue for such a long time with someone. It must have been due to the deer standing before me continuously aggravating me without pause.

“Yeah, yeah, that was quite an enjoyable conversation. Every now and then, you should call on me when there are such interesting events. Since you seem to dislike it, I won’t keep an eye on you 24 hours a day.”

“This brat is talking as if he’s doing me a favor…”

“Thank you! Come on, Bin sir! At a moment like this, what should we say? Sir Daljin has granted our request, hasn’t he?”

“That’s right, General! You should behave like a good boy here! Since the spirit has shown some leniency, it’s time to end the conversation with a ‘thank you’!”

Lir and Belua stopped me from hurling sharp words at Daljin and started scolding me as if I were a misbehaving child.

… They seemed worn out from trying to mediate between me and Daljin.

“If you want to watch me, at least give me some sort of hint. That’s the best I can offer in terms of compromise.”

“Hmm, I can give you that hint if you want.”

Daljin arrogantly raised his head and replied.

“No, why is he acting as if he’s doing me a favor…”

“Wow! Wow, wow… Thank you! Isn’t that right? Sir Daljin has accepted our request, right? Isn’t that so?”

“Hmm, it seems the Transcendent Being has acknowledged the General. Hmm, hmm!”

Lir clasped my mouth with her delicate hands before any harsh words could escape. She leaned close, her big eyes pleading sincerely: “Let’s stop this now, please…”

Belua cleared her throat awkwardly multiple times and gave me a nudge, finding the situation of a Transcendent Being and her superior arguing just as burdensome.

“Umm, is that right? Sir Daljin has accepted our request?”

I silently nodded at Lir who was looking at me with a desperate expression while covering my mouth.

She cautiously released her hands from my mouth, tension still lingering in her eyes.

“…”

I slowly turned my head toward the deer looking down at me arrogantly.

Lir remained tense, ready to cover my mouth again in case I burst out in anger, and Belua also seemed worried in case I suddenly lunged at the Deer of Lightning.

“Well, yes.”

Considering their efforts, I tried my best to respond politely…

But.

The young deer let out a snigger, deliberately mocking me.

“How cute.”

“…”

Seeing my lips quivering, Lir quietly grabbed the sleeve of my robe.

“Please… just a little more patience…” her eyes begged.

“Ahhh. Yes.”

Reading her expression, I swallowed all the curses bubbling up from my throat and gave a cold response to Daljin.

“Tsk, it’s no fun when you keep it down.”

Daljin flicked his tongue, looking at me restraining my anger and lost interest, turning his head away.

Swoosh!

Immediately after, the lightning surrounding Daljin dispersed into the air and then calmly flowed into my right hand.

It was a warm, soft sensation. I couldn’t understand how lightning could feel this way.

“… Has he left?”

“Don’t know. Although he could be lurking around quietly, like a perverted brat watching stealthily.”

“The words of a Transcendent Being carry a weight far beyond those of mortals. I don’t think he would do such a thing.”

Lir tapped me on the back while glaring suspiciously at my right hand with doubt.

“Even if a brilliant Mage like the General might bear it, I don’t want to offend a Transcendent Being. So, please stop all these absurd acts in the future. Did you almost scare me to death?”

Belua finally relaxed from the tension and slumped on the spot, sighing.

“What will we do if this noble being gets angry and orders us all to leave this forest immediately?”

“That won’t happen. This little brat couldn’t even act against the Marauders polluting his forest and was trapped in a stone instead.”

“…Still, isn’t that scary? Once more, I say this, the General might feel otherwise, but to most of the continent’s people, Transcendent Beings are no less than gods. Please, no more of such nonsense.”

“God? Did you just say…”

A delicate hand covered my mouth again. I looked at Lir with an expression of confusion.

Her mentioning the weight of a Transcendent Being’s words or the idea that he wouldn’t sneak around silently contradicted her worry about covering my mouth. Then why was she doing this?

“… He may not be listening, but if by any chance, this Transcendent Being is listening, we’ll be careful about what we say.”

…”We?”

It seemed she also thought Daljin was unpleasant, deep down.

“Hmm… Anyway, General, I have something to report about the operation’s progress.”

After resting in place for some time, Belua slowly stood up and began speaking.

“What is it?”

I asked while brushing Lir’s hand off from my mouth. Lir also turned to look at Belua.

“The construction of the forward base is complete. As of today, the forward base construction operation is finished.”

“But aren’t there still people working late tonight?”

I asked in confusion.

“…That’s because those guys insisted on adding useless decorations and initials. The basic construction has been finished.”

Exactly what kind of species are dwarves? Spending their rest time and working overtime all night to put decorations on a military forward base building…

“We’ll prepare the carriage. The General should return to the capital, report the work status, and ask for more supplies to be sent to Valleland.”

The reason we established a forward base here in the Achilipthus Forest is because it connects the capital directly to the battlefield ‘Valleland’, where the attrition war has been ongoing for months, making it a crucial supply route.

So, Belua’s report was very timely.

“What do you plan to do with your squad? If you’re returning, it’s probably better to come with us, isn’t it?”

“Our squad’s mission doesn’t end with setting up this forward base; it also includes guarding this base and the supply route.”

“Which means…”

“Well, it means we part ways tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work, General.”

Belua calmly concluded their departure.

“What hard work am I talking about? I didn’t do anything.”

The construction of the forward base and road maintenance were all done by the dwarves and Belua. The task of eliminating danger and keeping watch was taken care of by the mages and rangers.

To summarize, all I did was lie around in agony, rest, and clear the dungeon.

Even the dungeon-clearing was largely thanks to Trian and Rex. The little I did was practically nothing.

“Being inactive was enough. Having a magician on the General’s level or Alter’s level around allowed our infantry to work with peace of mind. And I think the reason the Marauders didn’t make additional attempts to retake this place is also due to you and Alter.”

“But do you really have to say it like that?”

“Then tomorrow morning, say a light farewell to the troops during the roll call. I’ll go ahead first.”

After saying that, Belua tapped my back with her large, calloused hand and walked toward the tent with a smile. Her back was soaked with sweat cooling down in the breeze.

“Should we go back too? We have to eat dinner.”

Lir slowly walked toward the tent prepared for me, Alter, and her, following in Belua’s footsteps who had already disappeared.

“…”

I silently watched her walk away.

“Why are you just standing there?”

Lir looked at me with confusion since I wasn’t following.

“I can’t walk anymore.”

The reaction from screaming and kicking the air for 20 minutes finally hit me.

“…”

Lir looked at me with a pitying expression.

“Can you at least lend me a hand?”

“Why don’t you just carry me then?”

“Nope.”

Lir firmly refused while extending her hand. I held her delicate hand that had covered my mouth many times today, and slowly moved my wobbly legs forward step by step.

“… It’s suffocating.”

“Why don’t you just carry me then?”

“I don’t feel like it.”

Lir threw a complaint at me as if I were a baby learning to walk.

But her words didn’t match her actions; she didn’t let go of my hand until we reached the tent.

*

The next morning,

I said farewell to Belua’s squad.

To be honest, I wasn’t too attached. There was a difference in rank and roles between us, and the absolute amount of time we spent together was quite insufficient.

Among Belua’s soldiers, I spent the most time with Trian… but because of his brash behavior, I didn’t particularly feel any warmth toward him.

“If you’re leaving, just go. What’s with all the fuss first thing in the morning and bothering people…”

…Well, I didn’t really expect much, but this is taking it too far.

Trian was braiding his long golden hair while blatantly signaling for the talk to be shortened.

…Sure, a teacher’s lecture might always be the most boring thing in this world, but does he have to look so annoyed and show it so openly? I’m the General here!

“Well, over the near-month-long period of this operation, thank you all for your hard work. I’ll now return to the capital to report the operation’s status and prepare for the next mission. I’ll ensure to deliver all the hard work you’ve done appropriately.”

“…What are you talking about? Our work isn’t done yet?”

“The buildings just barely meet functional requirements. Real art lies beyond mere functionality.”

“Hey, White Anvil! Is your squad done already?”

“No, our work isn’t done either. The roof color isn’t right. The paint doesn’t dry well among all these thick bushes, and it’s difficult to get the right shade anyway.”

The dwarves in the formation looked baffled and then murmured quietly among themselves.

… Military buildings just need to function properly. Why do we need art for it, I have no idea.

“Hem! Hem!”

When the dwarf troops began whispering, Belua cleared her throat and redirected their scattered attention back to the front.

“Well, the paint-related parts can be handled by you adjusting the schedule with the squad leader.”

“Schedule… why should we adjust it? Can’t we just work all day?”

“Madness! My kid still has a lot of walls to paint!”

The faces of the dwarves listening to me were filled with confusion. I had no clue what the significance of this painting business was to them.

Anyway, in order to wrap up the conversation, I carefully looked at each of the gathered soldiers in front of me and continued.

“Before I set out on my expedition, isn’t there something I promised all of you that you remember?”

“You said you’d bow your head when it’s done, right?”

A familiar voice came out from the ranks of the archers. It was Trian, who had been openly sending ‘speed it up’ eye signals since the beginning.

“…”

I forced a smile and looked at Trian.

“What.”

He confidently said this while fixing his long blonde hair. The dwarves glanced at Trian, sighed at his audacity, or covered their eyes with their thick hands.

“Why is everyone looking at me like that? Focus on the front. The General is talking.”

The real problem is that this guy doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing wrong.

The fool is a fool till the end.

“Alright, what Trian Sergeant said isn’t completely off. I did promise that I would bow my head to you all before departing for the expedition.”

“Oh, finally you’re attempting to observe some manners. Better late than never, I suppose.”

…Is there anyone who can control that crazy Elf’s mouth?

“Hmm, well, anyway, I have decided to bow to you all. I made the mistake of not carefully checking the contract, placing you all in a position to prepare for a battle you didn’t need to face.”

I continued the story without looking at Trian’s side, because if I look at that idiotic face, I might lose it.

“I made a mistake. And…”

Suddenly, the smell of the corpse cart hit me again.

Rex’s boiling back crosses my mind.

And the words he said to me before he left echo in my ears.

None of us are perfect.

Even that great Sword Saint makes mistakes, and it’s for him to correct those that allies and subordinates exist. No warrior complains about not having a perfect situation.

What would Rex, who is absent here, think of me bowing my head in front of ordinary soldiers in the end?

That useless thought just wouldn’t leave my mind.

“…”

I quietly lifted my head.

I needed a short time to think.

The sky was too clear for a thunderstorm today.

The clouds in the lush bushes, unlike the lightning-laden clouds, were white and transparent, repeatedly clumping together and dispersing with the wind.

“… Well, making mistakes is possible, right? I’m human after all. Since no one died or got injured, it’s really no big deal, huh?”

I carelessly said out what crossed my mind without realizing it.

“Ha ha!”

A nameless dwarf squad leader in the first rank burst out laughing.

I also laughed upon seeing the dwarf laugh heartily.

“Next time I’ll probably mess up again. So, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could help this immature mage a lot more in the future.”

I don’t know why saying that I’ll make mistakes next time was so easy.

It must be because of the clouds. Those random clouds that disperse and clump together must have shaken my mood so lightly.

Yeah, let’s blame it all on the clouds.

“Ha ha! You’re certainly bold!”

“We were secretly hoping not to receive your apology too! As soldiers, we fight with the expectation of injury, so we felt like you were treating us like children!”

“The hell with the Marauders! Our numbers were reduced, so it ended up being a good thing!”

The dwarves laughed and chatted after hearing my words.

“Tsk. Too presumptuous.”

Of all the soldiers, only the elf of the archers seemed critical of my attitude.

… Well, actually, most of the elves didn’t seem to have much to think about. Only Trian, among them, looked rather displeased while glaring at me.

Look at that intense gaze of his. It’s like he could eat a person.

“Well, work hard. Thank you.”

After lightly saluting the infantry who worked hard for almost an entire month, I climbed onto the carriage where Alter and Lir were awaiting.

The dwarf acting as the coachman also greeted me with loud laughter.

“That’s right! A man who can tame spirits should be like that!”

… ?

An unusual sound reached my ears as I sat on the military carriage.

“You know, it only makes sense! A person who can tame spirits, if he bowed, it would embarrass all of us!”

… What is he even talking about?

I stared with a dumbfounded expression at the backs of the dwarves dispersing back to their positions after the morning roll call.

“Sleep…”

Snap!

Before I could say anything, the laughing dwarf whipped the reins and started moving. The carriage began rolling on the road with a bump, and the dwarves’ backs disappeared quickly.

“…”

I looked back and forth between Lir and Alter, confused about what I just heard.

It seemed they were just as clueless about this situation as I was…

… What’s going on? Really, what?