On the faces of the members of the 12th squad, their expressions showed right on their faces.
Perplex, worry, rage, etc.
But most of all, the thing that heated their chest the most was loyalty and comradeship.
‘To get that angry because of a squad member getting beaten up.’
‘It’s a first seeing someone getting that angry.’
‘Because of us, it’s because of us.’
A feeling that they may burst out of tears any time.
And then, the squad members of the 11th squad that were looking at the situation, moved.
“Fuck! Separate them!”
“To resort to violence against someone from a higher rank!”
“His discipline is a mess!”
They seemed to want to hold down Roan immediately.
Then, Austin bit his lower lip and blocked them.
“Fall back!”
Continued by Austin, the remaining squad members aligned at the sides.
“What are you? You aren’t getting away?”
Vice squad commander Walker, of the 11th squad growled.
Austin didn’t get pushed back and talked back.
“You fall back!”
Curses came out.
“This fucking!”
“Fuck, what!”
Austin didn’t lose.
The 11th squad and the 12th glared at each other.
A bloody confrontation.
And meanwhile, Roan’s punches continued.
Puk! Pubuk! Puk!
‘If I want to dispirit him, I have to do it certainly.’
One of the things he learnt the past 20 years.
‘If I step on him sloppily, he will climb up again.’
Before, he was weak in heart, so he always left things half done.
‘Because of that, it wasn’t only once or twice that I got backstabbed.’
He didn’t want to repeat those mistakes again.
Puk! Pubuk!
The punches get stuck in Jack’s face continuously.
“Uuuuuuu.”
It has been long since he already gave up on resisting.
He trembled while surrounding his face with his two arms.
“Fo, fo, forgive me. Fo, forgivemeee.”
It couldn’t be heard clearly because of the dueling right, but he was certainly begging.
Only then did Roan stop hitting him.
“You shouldn’t apologize to me, but to Glenn.”
A cold voice.
Jack stood up slowly with a bloody face.
“Kugh. Kugh.”
It was uncomfortable to breathe because of the completely broken nose.
He took out the dueling right that was stuck on his mouth and stood in front of Glenn.
“I, i’m sorry. I was, was wrong.”
Glenn just nodded slowly at Jack’s miserable face.
An adjutant lowered his head to a normal soldier.
The 11th squad that was looking the situation bit their lower lips.
“Kugh! Sir adjutant Jack!”
“Sir adjutant!”
At the same time, Jack fell as if he collapsed.
The 11th squad members hurried and supported Jack with their arms.
And then, a rigorous yell was heard.
“What noise is this!”
“What’s happening!”
The owner of the voices were Gale and Keniss.
They walked stomping and frowned after looking at Jack that became a bloody mess.
“Just what……”
They couldn’t finish the sentence.
Keniss ordered normal soldiers to move Jack to a tent.
“What happened?”
Meanwhile, Gale asked Roan.
“I will tell you the truth as it is.”
Roan said the truth without even a trace of lie.
“Mmm.”
Kenniss and Gale thought.
‘So Jack was the first to lay a hand.’
‘I thought that he was only a naive one.’
The sight of the two people lay on Roan.
“Whew.”
A deep sigh flowed from Gale’s mouth.
‘He did use a dueling right, but Roan’s action were too severe.’
Jack’s face became crushed completely.
Roan read Gale’s thoughts and lowered his head.
“Troop commander. Although I used a dueling right because of my squad members, I know that my actions were too excessive. I will take responsibility and leave the seat of adjutant.”
At those words, the 12th squad shouted with a surprised expression.
“Si, sir adjutant!”
“Sir adjutant Roan!”
And they kneeled down towards Gale and Keniss and bent down.
“Just take away our reward.”
“Sir adjutant Roan did that simply because of us.”
“We don’t need no reward. Instead, keep the rank of sir adjutant Roan.”
A begging voice and attitude.
From the eyes of Gale and Keniss, that were looking at them, shone amazement.
‘It’s only been one month, but he made the guys from other squads to become one.’
‘To get the trust of the squad members in this short time.’
They got amazed at Roan’s leading abilities.
Gale and Keniss looked at each other.
‘In the end, the fault is Jack’s.’
‘On top of that, Roan used the dueling right.’
Although he exceeded on his actions, it wasn’t that big of a fault to pass a military law.
The two looked at each other and slightly nodded.
“Uhm. Everyone get up.”
Gale made the members of the 12th squad, that were kneeling, stand up.
They shook off the dust in their clothes and smiled.
“Because the meaning of the squad members is really admirable, I won’t pursue this subject anymore.”
“Ah……”
Austin and the other members sigh out of relief.
They ran towards Roan and yelled.
“Sir adjutant! How good!”
“It turned out really well!”
“What a relief!”
Really happy voices.
They were happier than when they received the merits awards.
Roan smiled gratified and hugged them all.
“It’s because of you.”
At those words, Glenn lowered his head.
“Be, because of me, you were about to receive a big punishment. I’m sorry.”
Roan smiled brightly and grabbed Glenn’s shoulders.
“There’s nothing to feel sorry about.”
He looked at the squad members surrounding him and said.
“I told you that I will protect you.”
At those words, Austin broadened his chest as if he couldn’t lose.
“Instead we told you that we will protect you.”
“Right. We did say that!”
“Right. We said that we would protect sir adjutant.”
The squad members said and felt happy.
Roan smiled faintly and hugged them once more.
Gale and Kennis looked at them satisfiedly.
“Roan. He will become a good commander.”
Gale’s words.
Keniss nodded.
“Yes. If he learns well and grows like this, he will become a general.”
At those words, Gale continued saying.
“Right. Perhaps, a great commander that commands the world.”
They felt those things drawing on their eyes.
*****
After the scandal of Jack’s face having become a mess, Roan’s status became firm.
Especially, looking at Jack that finished his treatment trembling whenever he saw Roan, the young adjutants couldn’t think about picking a fight against him.
There were some times the 11th squad picked a fight with the 12th, but after they suffered defeat against Pierce, the situation became one that the 11th squad had to be aware of them.
For many reasons, the topology of Roan and the 12th squad kept rising inside rose troop.
“Starting from now, start organizing your stuff.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Roan replied loudly and got out of the tent.
The smell that was mixed with pieces of metal, blood, horse, and sweat tickled his nose.
Breathe.
Roan took in a deep breath and looked up the sky.
‘After 10 days, is it farewell with Pedian’s plain?’
The tedious monster subjugation tactic finally ended.
After the inundation tactic in Prely river, the 7th corps and Rinse kingsmen kept getting successive victories.
The monsters, that were suffering defeat, started to flee towards the boundaries and Grain’s mountain range.
The people from Rinse kingdom chose not to chase them.
Because having defended Pedian’s plain had achieved their objective.
‘Now, there’s something I have to do before I leave.’
The thing he was postponing because he was hectic.
Roan slowly moved and crossed rose troop’s camp.
The steps continued outside of it.
Step. Step.
Roan, that walked for a long while taking in some air, walked towards the troops camp that was located on the border of a hill.
“Stop!”
The soldiers that were guarding the entrance blocked Roan.
‘What is this? This greenhorn.’
Expressions looking down on him.
“This is thorn troop’s camp. Reveal your name and rank.”
At the words of the big soldier, Roan pointed to his left side of the armor.
There were 5 diagonal sticks sticked on it.
“I’m adjutant Roan and I belong to rose troop of the 7th corps.”
Then, the soldiers that were dispersed, took on firm postures.
Looks of taking in military discipline.
“Sir!”
‘For this greenhorn to be a class 5 adjutant.’
‘If I slipped I would have made a big mistake.’
Just like they haven’t expected it, the perplexment was also that big.
Roan smiled faintly and looked at the soldiers.
“I’m looking for Harrison…….”
Even before he finished his sentence, the big soldier replied.
“If you go inside the camp, there will be the 15th squad. He will probably be there.”
“Thank you.”
Roan nodded and moved.
As he got further away, the nervous soldiers let out a sigh.
“Whew. What a surprise. I have never thought that that greenhorn was an adjutant.”
And then, the soldier that was behind him clapped.
Clap!
“Ah! It seems like he is that person!”
“Who?”
The soldiers tilted their heads.
At those reactions, the soldier that said those things smiled and replied shortly.
“Ghost of the battlefield.”
At that moment, the soldiers let out exclamations.
“Ah! Ghost of the battlefield!”
And then, they turned their heads away and followed Roan’s back.
“I did hear that the ghost of the battlefield was a greenhorn that just finished his training camp……..”
“I thought that he would be well build with big muscles.”
“He’s really a kid.”
Voices filled with surprise.
Although they were from another troop, the ghost of the battlefield Roan was also a famous existence for them.
Especially after the inundation tactic in Prely river, he became all the more amazing.
“I should have shook his hands at least.”
One soldier smacked his lips as if it was regrettable.
At those words, the big builded soldier shook his head.
“Tch tch tch.”
Clicking the tongue.
The soldier that smacked his lips wanted to say something because of the embarrassment, but the big builded soldier hit his shoulder.
“You can do it when he comes out.”
“Ah……..”
Exclamations came out from the mouths of the soldiers.
Their sight turns to inside the camp again.
*****
It wasn’t finding the camp for the 15th squad.
Because it was marked outside of it.
Roan carefully got on the camp.
“Who……. Huk! Sir!”
One soldier that was doing individual maintenance looked at Roan’s rank and saluted.
‘The military discipline in thorn troop is really good.’
Rose troop was also an excellent troop, but it wasn’t as hard as this.
Roan lightly nodded and looked inside the camp.
“Ah……..”
A low exclamation.
There was a familiar face in the corner of the camp.
‘Harrison.’
The fellow soldier and friend that died 5 years before Roan.
The guy that died with a big regret, just like himself.
The words he mumbled everyday rang in his ears.
Roan moved slowly and stood in front of Harrison.
“Harrison.”
A low calling voice.
“Do, do you know me?”
Harrison asked back with a surprised expression.
Roan smiled brightly and nodded.
“I heard the rumors.”
“Rumors?”
Harrison had a confused face.
Roan extended his hand.
“Shall we shake hands?”
“Yes? Yes.”
Harrison hurriedly grabbed his hand.
Roan smiled brightly and nodded.
“It’s a really good hand.”
“Yes?”
Harrison had an expression he couldn’t understand at all.
Roan said in a voice so low it seemed he was whispering.
“It’s a really good hand to shoot an arrow.”
< Merits awards (3) > End
Translator’s note:
Thanks for reading!