Game of Divine Thrones - Chapter 53

Of course he didn’t recall if Tenon had been there or not, but their fierce resistance had left a deep impression on him. He had always wanted to meet their commander and lieutenants.

Of course at that time he had been too busy marching on to the capital, and there hadn’t been any opportunity to do so.

“Commander Aiden, they are here delivering the supplies from merchant Erica.”

As they stepped into a large tent, Tenon informed the middle aged man who was busy examining some paperwork.

He portrayed the image of a seasoned veteran perfectly, even having a few scars on his face.

“Why  is it that you guys came instead of Kaliss? How unusual.”

“That….”

The official leading Erica’s caravan briefly explained what had recently occurred in Landium.

The riot of sailors as well as Sebastian’s death.

Aiden simply nodded, after all it was a common occurrence in these free cities.

“Thank you for sticking to the scheduled delivery date despite your internal conflicts.”

Due to the punitive expedition, the Northeast Guard camp was quite crowded.

Countless strapping young men were drafted as new recruits, not to mention that they had to prepare to welcome the kingdom’s official army.

Had Erica’s shipment of supplies been delayed, it would have brought about many difficulties for them.

“These are mercenaries from Landium, they come highly recommended.”

Tenon said, as some soldiers were sent to examine the condition and quality of the merchandise.

Aiden took the recommendation letter he had been handed, as he glanced over at Woohyuk’s party.

“Women without armor, are they mages?”

“Yes, they can prove useful in battle.”

Although they hadn’t received any formal training at an academy, Yoo Kayoung and Song Anna’s magic mastery surpassed that of an Apprentice.

All the while Aris and Irene stayed hidden in Woohyuk’s shadow, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves.

Likewise Undine had temporarily returned to the Spirit Realm.

“She is too young. She’s at an age where all she can do is help out with some house chores.”

Aiden seemed unconvinced by Song Anna’s addition to the party. From a soldier’s point of view, women and children required protection.

“She will only provide support from the rear. She is a Shaman and can use musical instruments to buff.”

She also had the ability to heal, but not the Priest class. Still, the ability to heal small wounds was better than nothing.

Hearing Woohyuk’s explanation, Aiden reluctantly agreed.

“I don’t care too much so long as she doesn’t interfere during battle. Also her name seems to be on the recommendation list….”

He was the one that was in command of the Guards and mercenaries, so whenever he wanted he could choose to change them to the reserve force if their performance wasn’t up to par.

While he was thinking of his young daughter back home, Tenen spoke.

“There isn’t anything wrong with the supplies.”

“Good, then have them sorted and shipped to the warehouse.”

They had to clearly log everything in order to avoid any trouble with the kingdom’s soldiers.

Those guys would always manage to pull some shady stunt in order to enrich themselves.

“Yes sir.”

Aiden took a closer look at Woohyuk while Tenon was busy ordering the men to have the goods moved.

‘He’s the real deal.’

A sharp gaze and the aura of a veteran. His curiosity was piqued and he wanted to know more about this man.

“What is your name?”

“Chun Woohyuk.”

“Are you trying to achieve merit in the army?”

“Yes.”

“It won’t be easy. It is up to the Commander to judge the contribution of the soldiers.”

Even if Aiden were to accurately report Woohyuk’s achievements, the Commander of the kingdom’s forces, which had been appointed to lead the punitive expedition, could simply ignore the report.

The only other way was to somehow be personally noticed by Marquis Nelson who was in charge of all the borders.

‘That’s unlikely since Nelson is busy with the Dane’s kingdom.’

Gallenos, the southern province of Marquis Nelson’s territory, was essentially the most important place within the Rhine kingdom from the military’s point of view. This was because it was the only border province that didn’t have the Corcas Mountains as a natural barrier, and was instead a plain directly connecting to the Dane kingdom

Naturally Rhine couldn’t lose control of that area, so Marquis Nelson wouldn’t be leaving Doria castle any time soon.

Due to this, Sirien, which was located to the north, as well as Trevis in the center, were the other two border provinces, and each had their own Guard Camps, operated somewhat autonomously.

“… I’m prepared to do my best.”

“Although I’m not sure about your ability, I wish you luck.”

Few people ever returned from a punitive expedition to the Corcas Mountains. Even the Guards who were experienced in fighting these monsters every year, also suffered casualties.

Aiden picked up a new file, as he gave one last glance at Woohyuk’s party that was heading to their lodgings.

* * *

The Kingdom’s military and the Northeastern Guard didn’t get along well.

This was due to the command structure which separated power between these two branches, often leading to conflict. However, even if the kingdom’s army commander and Aiden didn’t always see eye to eye, at least things never got out of hand.

Aiden was also a military officer appointed directly by Marquis Nelson.

‘So the commander that time was that guy.’

Marquis Nelson had finally surrendered, but the Northeast Guard Camp’s commander had fought until the very last man, choosing to die on the battlefield.

He had resisted until the end in order to protect his hometown.

As the sun fell and they were in the barracks dedicated to mercenaries, Woohyuk’s mind drifted to the past.

‘Definitely better than your average Commander.’

He had known few Commanders that had managed to stick to their belief regardless of the adversity.

In the future, when he would seize control of the Rhine kingdom, he would put Aiden in a more prominent position.

“Boss, is Aiden our leader during the punitive expedition.?”

“Kind of.”

.

Although it was true that for mercenary squads, some level of autonomy was given, the Guard’s Commander was still their direct superior.

Refusing his orders would lead to a world of trouble.

Upon hearing his explanation, Jung Sanghoon asked another question.

“What is the status of our Guard Commander ?”

“He’s ranked fifth among the officers under Marquis Nelson.”

The Northeast Guard Camp was the second most important base after Doria Castle which was on the frontlines, not just anyone would be put in charge of it.

There would always be a minimum of 1,200 troops stationed here at all times. Now that the departure date for the punitive expedition drew ever closer, that number had doubled due to the large number of conscripts.

“He’s got a lot of influence then.”

“He’s a powerhouse in the northern military. ”

As a trusted Commander serving under Marquis Nelson, even a Count wouldn’t be able to disregard him. However in truth they didn’t rate him too highly, because he only ever faced off against monsters.

As Woohyuk was busy conversing with his party, Tenon walked in.

“Sorry for the intrusion at such a late hour, but Commander Aiden would like to have a word.”

Woohyuk was the only one being summoned.

“Why all of a sudden…?”

“Is it urgent..?”

Lee Jaesung and Jung Sanghoon couldn’t help but blurt out.

They didn’t understand why he was being summoned, since all their arrangements had already been taken care of.

“Okay.”

Woohyuk simply acquiesced and followed Tenon out.

They made their way across the camp in darkness, before entering a large tent to see Aiden waiting, accompanied by soldiers.

“You asked to see me?”

“According to Erica, you played quite an important role in Landium.”

“I helped out by fighting in a few of the riots, which earned me the recommendation letter.”

“Are you truly able to best your opponents without the use of weapons?”

A sudden question, but this had been Woohyuk’s intention all along.

“If it is close quarters, I can probably take on about thirty men. Of course this is only if they are weaker than me.”

“… What class do you have? I’ve never heard of such abilities.”

Aiden rubbed his chin as he leveled his gaze at Woohyuk.

A look mixed with both expectation and wariness.

“I’m a Martial Artist. In order to become one you need to reach a fairly high level.”

“Surely it would be possible for an Asian living outside of the Theresia Empire.”

Aiden nodded to himself. Having spent so long on the battlefield, he had also encountered a few Martial Artists.

They were capable of deflecting arrows barehanded and smashing through plate armor with their fists. If he was such a Martial Artist, then he would also be able to use such skills.

“Was that all you wanted to ask?”

“Just a few more questions… Would it be possible to have a little demonstration of your skills?”

Aiden seemed to want to evaluate his abilities with his own eyes.

“Sure.”

Once Woohyuk had accepted, a few soldiers that were waiting behind Aiden stepped forward.

They all looked a bit weak based on the fear he sensed from them.

Woohyuk unleashed his Demonic Energy, pressuring them all at once.

“Kuhuk”

“Br…, can’t breathe….”

Aiden’s eyes widened in surprise as he watched his men fall down in pain.

‘Truly incredible.’

Is this a Martial Artist?

How could such a young man be so strong. Aiden even began to doubt the path he had walked on his entire life.

“Is that sufficient?”

“Ah, yes, I’ve gotten a good look at your abilities.”

As soon as Woohyuk retracted his energy, the soldiers gasped for air, as they stood back up one by one.

They felt like they had undergone a near death experience.

“The energy you use seems to be a bit dark, are you really using Qi?”

“I’ve learned a type of cultivation that allows one to quickly develop their Qi, but I haven’t made any contract with Demons.”

The only reason he had let Erica know that he was connected to Demons was to facilitate their negotiations. For Aiden however, he had no reason to do so.

Not only do most humans hate Demons, it was doubly so for an upright soldier with uncompromising values, unlike a merchant that wouldn’t mind operating in gray areas.

“I have something to suggest.”

As soon as his ability had been confirmed, Aiden cut straight to the chase.

Basically he would temporarily give Woohyuk the position of second lieutenant to keep in check the kingdom military’s overbearingness

“They sound quite troublesome.”

“You have no idea.”

The kingdom’s military engaged in all kinds of illicit activity. From skimming food and munitions that were later sold off to free cities for profit, to even falsifying reports.

If ever there ended up being a problem, the responsibility would instead fall to the Guard Camps.

Even the upper echelon were in on it, so Aiden wasn’t able to interfere.

For that reason, Woohyuk’s unusual power was needed.”

“I have a condition in order to accept your offer.”

“What is it?”

“If you find a Historical Site during this punitive expedition, I want to be told about it and be the first to access it.”

Although his relationship with Aiden was important, the Arachne’s Temple was the top priority.

The Seven Colored Rainbow Ring was an irreplaceable artifact which he would need for his future plans.

Without it, even if he were to gain control of the entire Rhine Kingdom, his overall plan would suffer.

“That’s a surprising request. Here I thought you would ask for a recommendation letter.”

With a recommendation letter from Aiden, it would be easy to become a low ranked officer under the Marquis.

It wasn’t as desirable as being an officer in the kingdom’s military since he would have to be on the frontlines, but it was a great opportunity to rack up some merit.

Woohyuk however had no intention of heading to Doria Castle.

“I will come and see you if I need help.”

“I will do my best to support you so long as it is within my power.”

Aiden decided to invest in Woohyuk. He felt that here was a good chance that he would amount to something in the future.

“I’ll be going then.”

As their conversation ended, Woohyuk stepped outside the tent.

Tenon, who had been watching the situation unfold from the side, spoke.

“In the end you didn’t bring it up.”

Recently there had been rumors of adventurers with watches on their wrists appearing throughout the kingdom. However since they were posted at the border and quite far away, their intel wasn’t exactly the most up to date.

Still, due to this latest news the army and nobles were quite troubled. Not to mention that as time passed, their numbers seemed to grow exponentially.

“We don’t want them to have their guard up against us.”

It was too early to judge them simply because they all walked around with the same watches on their wrist.

They must have their own circumstances. It wouldn’t be too late to ask once the punitive expedition was completed.

“I hope we don’t suffer too many casualties this year.”

“… the kingdom’s army is always a problem.”

The only way for those in the army to achieve merit was by defeating pirates or killing monsters. Due to this, the army would often take absurd risks, but it was the Northeastern Guard which had to take the brunt of the damage most of the time.

Marquis Nelson also knew about this, but there was little he could do. The only adjustment he came up with was to send more men in the punitive expedition, but of course this didn’t help much.

“5,000 infantry and 3,000 archers… the young king must be quite determined this time.”

“I hope our commander this time around is at least decent.”

Gaius, General of the Rhine Kingdom’s 5th Legion. Whether this expedition resulted in victory or defeat, ultimately depended on his ability to command.

Aiden sighed as he looked at the red wax seal before him.