MTLNOVEL Chapter 14
Part 1, Chapter 14
“Wow, this guy really handles things crazy fast.”
Fade was stunned as he looked at five rangers, ten infantrymen, and twenty muscular engineers lined up in the training ground from early morning.
‘How many days has it been?’
Exactly three days.
It had only been three days since he spoke with Pippin, and yet thirty-five troops had been assembled in front of their unit.
They were all supposedly dispatched under the pretense of being forest guards, so it looked like the general had tossed in a few extra infantrymen and sent them along.
As expected of one of the Hundred Generals, he's on a completely different level
From what he’d heard, Pippin was a wise general who excelled in administration and tactics, but with this kind of efficiency, wouldn’t becoming an administrator or something like the chief secretary of the imperial palace or even a chancellor have been more helpful to his life?
No, maybe that kind of thing is hard unless you’re a noble.
Man, being a commoner really is rough.
“Haha, looks like our General’s capabilities have left the young Centurion quite shaken?”
Blathyun, whose black outfit was reinforced with metal in several places—making him oddly eye-catching for a ranger—stood next to Fade, laughing.
“Truly. Someone at the level of one of the Hundred Generals is impressive, even in matters like this.”
As he said that, Fade turned slightly toward Blathyun.
“Were those men originally under your command?”
“Uh-huh, the ranger kids and the infantry guys were. Not the engineers, though.”
“I see. Then I wonder if there might be any issues in supervising the upcoming construction.”
“Ha! Our dear Centurion’s quite the worrier, huh.”
Blathyun’s eyes gleamed.
“Do I look like some idiot who can’t even handle twenty engineers?”
“Hmm, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not doubting your capabilities, Captain Blathyun. Please don’t misunderstand.”
“Then I’d appreciate it if you cleared those doubts from your mind. I respect your tactics and combat skills, but everything else is still like an uncultivated field—no telling what might grow there.”
“I’ll hope no weeds sprout in that field.”
“If it’s just weeds, that’s not so bad. Who knows, it might be poisonous plants.”
Fade exaggerated his smile as he watched Blathyun’s reaction, and replied after a slight pause.
“Ahaha, forgive my rudeness. I just voiced a bit of concern as the initiator of the project. These kinds of tasks require communication up and down the chain, don’t they? It’s just that I complain a bit more than others because I don’t have any experience or knowledge in this area.”
“Hmph, I’m a pro when it comes to handling subordinates! Getting some engineers to put up a few walls is like drinking cold soup lying down!”
“It’s good to hear you’re so confident. Here are the positions and estimates for the fortifications, watchtowers, traps, and palisades.”
Fade handed over several bundles of papers, lifting the corners of his eyes in a wide smile.
His facial muscles ached from stretching so much, but without letting it show, he continued speaking.
“The materials will be sufficiently supplied soon, so you can start construction now, right?”
“Ha! Just say the word! I’ll have everything built before even 80% of the deadline passes!”
“Rakula’s movements are still unclear, so we can’t afford a long timeline. I’d be grateful if you could finish everything within twenty days at most.”
“Hahaha! At that rate, the engineers might finish early and start roaming the red-light district!”
Heh.
A twitch formed at the corner of Fade’s lips.
“Ah, seeing you this passionate really puts my mind at ease.”
“Of course!”
Blathyun jutted his belly out and nodded.
“Well then, shall we get this over with, nice and quick?”
With a big grin, Blathyun spread out the documents.
“…Huh?”
Blathyun’s expression froze in an instant.
‘W-Why is there so much?’
A full-scale fort about the size of their current unit's encampment, and another one about half that size. On top of that, they had to install all sorts of traps throughout the entire forest.
Some were simple, but among the traps were ones that required building something close to a full structure or digging out massive holes.
On top of that, they had to build three watchtowers, and additional devices were to be set up outside the forest.
“Uuuuuh…?”
Blathyun slowly lifted his head and stared at Fade’s face.
Fade, barely suppressing the grin tugging at his ears, wore a clumsy expression.
‘This slippery bastard!’
He’d been poking at his pride little by little—was this what he’d been aiming for from the start?
‘Th-This, in fifteen days…?’
Even leaving the rest aside, just building the two forts would take that much time and more.
No, even just transporting the materials would take all night!
If they were to follow Fade’s documents as-is, even working nonstop for twenty days might barely be enough to complete it all.
“I hope you’ll give your full enthusiasm, Captain Blathyun.”
Fade spoke as he studied Blathyun’s expression.
There was urgency there, but no sign of irritation or anger.
“Heh, you don’t disappoint.”
Grinning, Blathyun headed over to the assembled soldiers.
“No backing out! We finish all of this in fifteen days! Not just the engineers—infantry and rangers are in too! Move it, now!”
As Blathyun roared with energy, the soldiers in formation began bustling into action.
“Oh, by the way, those documents? They’re double-sided.”
“WHAT?!”
Hearing Blathyun’s shocked voice, a faint smile slipped from between Fade’s lips.
‘Looks like that part’s settled.’
It might be impossible to finish all the construction within fifteen days like he claimed, but with that level of passion, they should be able to make enough progress within the available time.
‘Now all that’s left is the reinforcements…’
The numbers were significant, so they wouldn’t be assigned quickly.
It wouldn’t be easy to pull two hundred troops, including veterans, from the middle of a battlefield where even one person was critical.
That’s why he hadn’t requested any more for now.
If they rushed and ended up getting useless people, that would be a disaster.
‘Guess I’ll start grilling the ones I have now.’
His own direct subordinates were starting to get out of the infirmary, and now that he was a centurion, it was time to put them all to work.
“Centurion Tryaev.”
“Hm?”
Tryaev, who had been chuckling while watching Blathyun yell and haul materials around, turned his head.
‘This guy’s personality seems to be changing more and more…’
Or maybe this was his true self.
Fade had seen plenty of people who were different on the battlefield and back in the rear.
“I’d like to ask you to handle the supply organization.”
Fade handed him the supply inventory list.
Numerous weapons and heavy armor, horse armor, and a few siege weapons, plus liquor and rations.
Honestly, he didn’t expect Tryaev to be good at it.
He was just trying to ride the coattails of that capable scribe.
Tryaev gave a light nod.
Now it was time to meet the beloved soldiers and officers.
***
Kagagang!
Karun’s axe relentlessly drove back Ted’s hammer with blow after blow.
“Ghhk!”
As Ted faltered, the shaft of Karun’s axe struck him in the lower stomach.
“Guhhak!”
Hit hard, Ted dropped to his knees.
“Well done, rookie. You’re no joke when it comes to strength. Haven’t met anyone in this unit stronger than me until now.”
“Ahh, you’re already all better, sir? Why are you flying around like that?”
“Still loosening up. My body stiffened too much in the infirmary.”
Karun snickered as he gripped his axe.
“Alright, who’s up next, Sara—”
Thunk.
Fade had silently walked up and now picked up a training longsword that had been lying nearby.
“Ha, the Centurion’s here?”
Karun gave a broad smile.
“Today I’m fully warmed up, sir. Let me show you my real axe technique!”
“…Are you holding that axe with one hand?”
“Sir?”
“That’s a two-handed axe! You think you're one of those barbarian sea-folk or something?”
“Uh, hold on, just give me a second, this grip actually helps with the flow of the technique—”
“Hey, you punk!”
Fade lunged like lightning.
“Waugh!”
Karun reacted, but Fade’s sword was faster.
Crack!
The flat of the sword snapped across Karun’s shoulder like a whip.
“Agh!”
Fade’s kick slammed into Karun’s chest as he staggered.
“I—!”
Thud!
The hilt of the sword smashed into Karun’s cheekbone.
“—told you to forget that damned longsword!”
Crack!
A rising kick twisted Karun’s jaw slightly to the side.
“I told you!”
Kaang!
The sword slammed over and over into Karun’s head.
“Grab it with both hands right now!”
Fade backed off and kicked Karun’s left hand.
“Uuuugh…”
Karun gritted his teeth and adjusted his grip on the axe.
“Is that how you’re supposed to hold an axe?”
“Sir?”
“Since when were you left-handed?”
Karun immediately looked down at his hands.
His left hand was on top, making it awkward to swing properly.
“Ah, I’ll switch hands right—”
Crack!
Fade’s right hand slammed into Karun’s solar plexus.
“You don’t think about switching—your grip should naturally put your right hand on top!”
What followed was a series of beatings disguised as a training session.
“Swing it wide!”
“Don’t just use the axe blade—use the haft and the shaft too!”
“You don’t power it with your damn arms! Strength comes from the damn legs!”
“But if you loosen your grip, you’ll drop the axe!”
“Faster! You don’t defend—you strike first!”
“Whew… looks like you’ve finally learned how to hold an axe.”
Fade brushed away the sweat that had started to drip from his brow as he looked at Karun.
Wearing a full plate under the blazing sun, Karun had been swinging that axe for hours—his entire body was soaked in sweat.
Ugh, the smell.
“Alright, now it’s your turn.”
Fade turned his head toward Hughes.
“…Sir?”
“Mm-hmm. Yep.”
Fade handed Hughes a dagger and led him over to the dummies.
“Daggers are specialized for stabbing. If you want to restrict movement—go for the joints. To cause pain—target the fleshy parts. If you want to kill—aim for the vitals. Achilles tendons or the base of the neck are good for slashing, but let’s not go there just yet.”
Fade picked up a spare dagger in a reverse grip and moved closer to the dummy.
Thud.
“Heart and neck—instant death. Since ambushes often happen from behind, driving a dagger into the back of the neck is usually the quickest way to finish it. And then…”
A long, detailed explanation followed, and afterward came hands-on practice stabbing the dummies.
It was during this that Hughes realized just how tiring it was to simply move his arms for over an hour.
“Huff… huff…”
“What, a ranger of the Empire getting winded from this? Stamina is national strength, you know.”
Tsk tsk tsk, kids these days have no grit. No grit at all.
“Uuuughhh…”
“To give you some good news, the training for today is over.”
Collapsed and gasping for air, Hughes’ flushed face brightened just a little.
“And to give you even better news—it’s time to ride.”
“You’ve gotta be ki—”
Hughes muttered something under his breath, but Fade let it slide without pressing.
After all, a true leader understands the feelings of his subordinates.
“Damn…”
“Nngh.”
Say it quieter, you little punk…