“Uoo.”
Mary let out a weird noise.
She looked at Roan as if it was difficult to believe.
And Walter was also the same.
‘That the one that thought up of the strategy and the one that slew Violin’s neck were the same person?’
She hadn’t heard that rumour.
As the battle had ended not too long ago, the detailed and precise information was missing.
Roan smiled at the gazes falling upon him.
He looked at Gale and shrugged his shoulders.
‘From now on, things like this will happen a lot.’
Gale laughed it off with that kind of meaning.
Roan turned to look at Walter and Mary again.
He couldn’t speak as he wished so he only looked at their faces alternatingly.
After a while, Walter got ahold of himself and extended his hand.
“It’s Walter Owells.”
Roan grabbed his hand and bowed.
“It’s Roan.”
Only then did the greetings start.
“Mary.”
Mary also got ahold of herself.
But on her face, a surprised look still remained.
‘It’s somewhat unexpected.’
There was a personage she had thought of when she heard the rumours.
‘I thought that the man that thought up of the strategy would have a long beard and was a middle aged uncle, and the one that slew Violin had a big body and looked like a mountain thief.’
The guesses of the two people were wrong.
No, in the first place she hadn’t even expected that they would be the same person.
Then, Gale’s voice was heard.
“Let’s not keep standing like this and go inside.”
“Huh? Yeah. Right.”
Mary couldn’t take her sight off from Roan even while nodding.
And Walter was also the same.
No, Jane who was at the back was also the same.
‘He’s a really good looking youth.’
But of course, only Jane was thinking of different things.
*****
Gale lead Mary, Walter and Jane to his tent.
And of course Roan too, who was the objective of their visit, was with them.
As soon as Walter sat down he started to pour questions onto Roan.
“First, shall we talk about the strategies implemented in the Slen battle?”
“Yes. Understood.”
Roan talked about the flow of the battle, the strategies he used and the countermeasures for when things turned out the way he hadn’t expected.
Walter nodded with a serious face or exclaimed, but he always showed an honest reaction.
“So you are saying that you had taken countermeasures for when they got out of the forest?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Mmm.”
Walter touched his chin for a moment and fell into his thoughts.
After a while, he looked at Roan and said with a careful attitude.
“But you know. I know that your strategy is outstanding, but I have some doubts about it.”
“I will listen to them.”
“First, that region uses Riten forest as the main moving route rather than Flam mountain gorge, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then, if you hadn’t taken oil barrels, Violin’s troop would have passed the forest. Then what about stationing the wagon fortresses you made on the east of Riten forest and made it so they couldn’t get out?”
Walter looked at Roan’s eyes fixedly.
“You did say that you lacked oil, but I think that if you only lit the west entrance of the forest it would have been enough to cover them.”
Roan shut his mouth and didn’t talk without permission.
Walter smiled faintly and made hand signs.
“It’s fine so tell me what you think about it.”
At those words Roan said in a voice as if he was whispering.
“It’s a strategy that can be thought over plentily. Only, it’s not a big forest to be able to carry 2000 warriors. Following by that, to give Violin’s troop a big blow we have to light the forest on fire the same moment they get inside of it. Because of that, we should have poured oil in the western part of the forest before hand.”
A clear voice and with strength.
Roan continued saying.
“But the oil we had was really cheap and of bad quality. Because of that, the smell was really bad. If we had poured oil on the west entrance of the forest it was obvious that the lopuses would stop by smelling the oil. And actually, the lopuses showed a big reaction to the oil barrels in this battle.”
Lopuses were monsters similar to dogs or wolves rather than horses.
They were quite sensitive on smell.
“Ah…..”
Walter let out a low exclamation.
Certainly, if it were lopuses they would be able to detect the smell of the cheap oil.
Walter hit the end of the table with his finger.
“That’s right. I was short minded. I’m learning one more thing like this.”
A quick and honest admitting.
Roan was surprised.
‘Was there a noble like this?’
He had heard that he was a disciple of the knight chief of Pavor academy and his house was also good.
On top of that, his looks were obviously good and his temperament was also good.
‘I obviously know about Owells family, but why can’t I remember anything about Walter?’
If he was a person like this, he would remember him with whatever he did, but in Roan’s memories there was no such name of Walter Owells.
And there would be two cases for it.
‘He lived a meaningless life…..’
Roan turned to look at Walter.
‘He died early on even before his abilities could bloom.’
Even so, when he looked at Walter right now, there was a high probability for the latter one being the case.
‘Thinking about it, there would be countless geniuses that died without me knowing…….’
Excluding the ones that succeeded big way, there may also be geniuses that died before they could bloom.
‘Aside of the geniuses I know from the past, I have to also find the hidden ones.’
It was important to use the memories of the future, but it was also important to build a new future with his own effort.
When he thought up to that point, Walter’s voice was heard.
“And one more thing. About the traps in front of the wagon fortress.”
“Yes. We dug into the ground and filled it with sand and water.”
“Yeah, that. If it was to the point you precisely guessed the location they would pass to, wouldn’t putting sharp pieces of metal or spears have been more effective than sand or water? What do you think?”
At those words, Roan put a surprised expression instead of replying.
And then he smiled bitterly.
“I couldn’t think of that. I did think that I should tie down the legs of the lopuses, but I couldn’t think about damaging them with the trap itself.”
He lowered his head.
“This time i’m learning big way.”
“Really? This time I was a step ahead? Hahaha.”
Walter became happy and laughed loudly.
Gale and Mary’s faces, who were looking next to them, changed in a strange way.
‘I do know about Roan’s abilities well, but Mister Walter is also amazing at such a young age.’
Gale’s thoughts.
But Mary’s thoughts were really different.
‘Is this something to be that happy about?’
She couldn’t understand anything about strategy or the things they talked about.
‘If this happens you do this, and if that do that. Is this that funny? Even so……’
Mary looked at Walter’s side.
‘If Walter likes it, I also like it.’
Her mouth raised by itself.
Roan and Walter kept talking about strategy and tactics for a long while even after that.
It was to the point that Gale, who had roamed the battlefield for tens of years, got tired.
Walter clapped.
Clap.
“Today’s conversation was really useful. I learned this and that and realized many things.”
“I also learned many things.”
Roan bowed.
Walter looked at that Roan and put on a regretful voice.
“Actually. When the conversation ended I wanted to battle you. I wanted to taste the abilities of the one who slew Violin’s neck myself. But…..”
He pointed at Roan’s chest.
Bandages covering the deep wound.
“I can’t fight with a wounded person. That’s why.”
Walter took off the small badge he had on his clothes.
“If you completely heal, come and find me to Pavor academy. Let’s test our abilities then.”
He couldn’t completely subdue his competitiveness.
Mary, who was next to him, put on a surprised face.
“They give that badge to each of the disciples in a class. Can you give it just like that to anyone?”
At those words Walter shook his head.
“It’s not to anyone, and it’s not giving it away like that. I’m giving it courteously to someone that has the skills.”
He extended the badge towards Roan.
Roan looked Walter’s eyes for a moment and then grabbed the badge.
“I will be going later.”
“I will be waiting for you.”
Walter smiled brightly and stood up.
He shook his hand towards Gale.
“I’m sorry for coming so abruptly when you would still be busy.”
Gale just smiled instead of replying.
Mary stood up and blinked.
“You are finished now?”
“Yes. I’m finished.”
“Then we can go, right?”
“Yeah.”
At those words, a blooming smile appeared on Mary’s face.
The stories about strategies and tactics were too boring.
Then, Gale’s voice was heard.
“Shall I escort you to Ipen castle?”
At those words Mary rejoiced.
“Really? Good for me. Even if you didn’t, I…..”
Then, Walter butted in.
“No. It’s fine.”
He shook his hand and looked at Gale and Roan alternatingly.
“You still haven’t finished cleaning up. I can’t take off forces as I wish.”
Really, looks that fitted a disciple of a head chief knight.
Gale slightly bowed.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
At the coming and going conversation, Mary pouted.
“Only I feel like a spoiled kid. I also don’t need any guards.”
She sticked her tongue to Gale and got out of the tent with Jane.
Walter looked at that and smirked, and then moved his feet.
Gale, Roan and the other adjutants followed them back and saw them off.
Mary glanced at Walter before leaving and said in a voice only Gale and Roan could hear.
“Rose uncle. And Roan.”
A sweet voice.
“You have done well. And thank you.”
She winked and got in the carriage.
Walter shrugged his shoulder as if implying what happened, but Gale and Roan didn’t say anything.
Walter smacked his lips as if he couldn’t do anything about it and got in the carriage with Jane.
Hiiiiing
The carriage started to move along the cry of the horse.
Gale, Roan and the adjutants protected the entrance until the carriage couldn’t be seen anymore.
“Whew. Even so, it ended without anything happening.”
Gale’s voice that was a bit relieved.
Roan smiled faintly and nodded.
“Anyways, it seems that you will slowly get more famous seeing that rumours about Slen battle already spread.”
Roan only smiled at Gale’s words.
“Like this, won’t the count come to find you?”
He said something comical and hit Roan’s shoulder.
Then, Roan slightly bowed and said in a low voice.
“Troop commander Gale.”
“Huh? You have something to say?”
“Yes.”
A short reply.
Gale tilted his head and asked back.
“What is it?”
At those words Roan took in a breath with difficulty and said.
“I would like to have a temporary retirement.”
*****
“You really are returning, right?”
Gale asked again even when he knew he shouldn’t.
“Of course.”
Roan had repeated this answer tens of times.
The two people were standing in front of the 7th corps, Aaron’s office.
Gale sighed.
‘When I first heard that he was temporarily retiring, my heart sunk down.’
Because of that, even when he was a troop commander he grabbed Roan in front of the soldiers and made a fuss.
‘Well, although the fuss the 12th squad made was even more amazing.’
They grabbed Roan’s legs and said that they could never let him go.
Even Chris sided with the squad members before leaving to Miller.
Roan had to convince the squad members for 4 days that he would return after he finished what he had to do.
Only after he said that tens, hundreds of time did the 12th squad barely accept Roan’s retirement.
Gale also confirmed that he would return and even made a promise, and only then did he send the retirement application to Aaron.
‘Has it been 7 times that he returned it?’
Aaron returned the retirement applications being sent.
And when they sent the 8th one, Aaron’s reply came back.
Gale and Roan looked at the tightly closed door of the office.
“Shall we go in?”
At those words Roan nodded.
Kiiig.
The huge wooden door opened along with a creaking sound.
As they got inside the office, Aaron who was checking everywhere, turned his head and looked at Roan.
A stiff expression and unusual eyes.
He approached Roan.
‘Ugh. Is he angry?’
Gale, who was next to him, fell to the sides.
Meanwhile Aaron, who reached in front of Roan, said with a really stiff face.
“You really are returning, right?”
Roan replied once more the answer he had said to Gale and the 12th squad.
“Of course.”
< To the south (2) > End
Translator’s note: Thanks for reading!
Translator : Subak
Proofreader: st8_lupe