The Immortal Genius Spear knight (16)
“Should I say that it felt like my heart was trembling?
A completely unexpected encounter.
And if that person was someone who had the greatest impact on your past life, then there was nothing more to say.
Damian looked at Leonhardt.
‘There’s no real difference between then and now.’
Perhaps the only difference was a few wrinkles on his face and hands.
‘Is your name Damian?’
‘Yes, that’s correct.’
At Damian’s reply, Leonhardt silently glanced him over.
A physique that wasn’t particularly notable, except for being slightly taller than average for his age.
The scars on his palms were impressive, but what truly caught Leonhardt’s attention was something else.
‘He’s mastered a rather decent magic cultivation technique.’
Although the amount was minimal, considering his age, it was an unbelievable level.
Damian, along with the chief instructor Raymond, headed to the reception room.
As Leonhardt, who had taken a seat, looked at Damian, he asked,
‘I came to see you because strict Raymond couldn’t stop praising you, and it seems your eyes would be fine even if they were just sockets.’
‘Haha, I’m not dead yet.’
His manner of giving compliments in such a way hadn’t changed.
Damian simply gave a faint smile and looked at Leonhardt.
After taking a sip of the coffee in front of him, Leonhardt asked Damian,
‘Where did you learn spear techniques?’
‘I learned them from my late father.’
As soon as Damian finished answering,
‘I heard your father was a former soldier of the kingdom.’
Raymond chimed in.
Leonhardt nodded his head.
‘You have an excellent father. Judging by your skill, your father must have been quite skilled as well.’
To Damian, this side of Leonhardt felt somewhat unfamiliar.
He was always the one to curse and resort to violence.
But Damian knew.
Behind those rough words and actions was a heart that desperately wanted to survive the tumultuous times.
‘He was quite gentle back then.’
It seems the era has changed him.
Of course, it was likely his temperament that led to such a change.
Damian chuckled to himself.
But then.
‘Do you have a specific unit you wish to join after graduation? I believe you could apply to any unit except for the knights.’
The knight order was practically the domain of the nobility.
As a result, most of the soldiers who graduated from the training camp aimed to become royal administrative soldiers.
This position was the safest, most comfortable, and offered the most interaction with high-ranking nobles, often resulting in perks far beyond their salary.
It was what you might call a cushy job.
Therefore, most of the top-performing soldiers joined the royal administrative corps.
Is that why?
‘Are you also aiming for the royal administrative corps?’
Leonhardt asked.
Damian shook his head.
‘My personality wouldn’t fit in a place like the royal administrative corps. I think I’d get too restless.’
‘Haha, is that so? Then where do you hope to go?’
‘I’m planning to join the Neocalitz unit.’
‘The Neocalitz!’
Leonhardt’s eyes trembled.
Next to him, Raymond jumped in shock and asked Damian.
This was a natural reaction.
The Neocalitz unit was the most dangerous and roughest of all the units under the 3rd division.
The Neocalitz unit had only one mission.
To suppress the monsters coming out of the Bronzarian Forest in the western part of the Kaldessan Mountain range, which cuts through the center of the Baroque Kingdom.
Although the unit consisted of about a hundred members, more than ten members died each year, making it a dangerous unit.
Leonhardt put down the cup he was holding.
‘…Are you serious?’
‘May I ask why?’
‘Because I can become stronger there.’
A reply without the slightest hesitation.
Leonhardt was curious.
In such peaceful times, what could have driven this young boy to develop such an obsession with becoming stronger?
If this were twenty years ago, during a time when wars between nations were common, it would be understandable.
Back then, being weak meant you could die or become a slave.
But now the times were different, weren’t they?
‘…If it’s about wanting to train your body and become stronger, I could write you a recommendation for the knight training camp that produces the kingdom’s knights.’
“The knight training camp?”
Raymond once again jumped in surprise at Leonhardt’s words.
The knight training camp was the exclusive domain of the nobility.
It was a place where commoners could hardly dare to set foot.
But with a recommendation from Leonhardt, the situation would be different.
It would open up the opportunity to become a knight. However…
‘Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline. I’ve already made my decision.’
‘What did you say?’
The situation felt like it was spinning out of control.
Raymond couldn’t hide his astonishment as he spoke to Damian.
‘Do you understand what kind of opportunity this is? You could join the knight order!’
If that were to happen, the 3rd training camp would gain prestige as a renowned institution for producing knights.
‘And do you know what kind of place the Neocalitz unit is? It’s a very dangerous place. Most of the soldiers who go there are those on the verge of being discharged due to disciplinary actions.’
Raymond bluntly explained the reality.
Because it was so dangerous, most soldiers were reluctant to go there. No, rather than go there, they would prefer to retire from the military.
That’s why the majority of the soldiers who chose to go there were doing so as an alternative to a prison sentence.
‘So be it then.’
‘Instructor!’
“It’s not as if I can stop this recruit’s decision, is it? One must take responsibility for their own choices.”
Leonhardt spoke with a firm expression.
“Sorry for taking up your time. Do well in the rest of your training. If it’s the Neocalitz unit, you can go there regardless of your grades.”
Leonhardt left the reception room.
Raymond couldn’t hide his bewilderment at Leonhardt’s sudden departure.
Raymond said to Damian, “Ha… You really missed the opportunity of a lifetime!”
With those words, Raymond followed after Leonhardt.
“And Instructor, he’s still young and might not fully understand the situation. I’ll try to persuade him again.”
Raymond, who had followed Leonhardt, began to persuade him. But…
“Do you really think that boy doesn’t understand the situation?”
“Excuse me?”
Leonhardt slightly turned his gaze back toward the reception room.
The look in Damian’s eyes that he had seen earlier.
That expression.
Leonhardt recalled Damian’s demeanor once more. Then…
“Kekekekekeke, I don’t know where a kid like that came rolling in from.”
Leonhardt, who had been in the military for nearly 30 years, had met both elites and hooligans countless times.
But…
‘I’ve never seen someone like him before.’
A gaze full of determination.
An unshakable resolve.
It was unbelievable considering he was only thirteen years old.
Leonhardt said, “Leave him be. If he’s in the 3rd Division, we’ll meet again sooner or later anyway.”
Of course, if he’s still alive.
Leonhardt held back his final thoughts and left with another burst of laughter.
“Wow! Damian!”
“Tell us what happened! Hurry!”
“What did he say? Isn’t he supposed to be a legendary instructor? Did he say anything good?”
When Damian returned to the barracks, chaos erupted.
Damian looked at the squad members surrounding him and let out a small laugh.
“There’s nothing, so get out of here.”
“No way, there has to be something.”
“No way, so the three of you just sat and drank coffee and chatted?”
“Get lost, you’re starting to stink!”
Damian waved his hand and shouted at them.
“Hurry up and rest, and prepare for the next competition. It looks like the 3rd squad won’t be easy.”
At Damian’s words, the squad members, as if deflated, grumbled as they returned to their places.
However, their eyes sharpened at the mention of the competition with the 3rd squad.
‘The 3rd squad where Apel is…’
Whether it was due to Apel’s influence or not, the 3rd squad was certainly exceptional compared to the other two squads.
‘We’ll see when we face them.’
He thought to himself about what their secret might be.
But whether they were outstanding or not didn’t matter.
“We’ll win no matter what.”
Losing wasn’t even an option from the start.
When night came and everyone was asleep, Damian quietly snuck out of the barracks.
A secluded area behind the training camp.
After coming here almost every day, it started to feel like a secret hideout.
“Hoo…”
Damian sat down in his usual spot, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes.
When he closed his eyes, Leonhardt’s face from earlier in the day came to mind.
“If you want to train and become stronger, I could write you a recommendation for the knight training camp.”
Leonhardt’s words echoed in his mind.
The knight training camp.
Maybe, as the head instructor said, he had turned down the opportunity of a lifetime.
“I have no regrets.”
As long as I climb up with my own strength.
The knight order?
Even back then, those guys couldn’t stand tall in front of Damian.
In times like now, they might act all mighty, flaunting their title as knights.
But in the time of war…
Everything changes in an instant.
“Even among knights, the real ones and the fakes will be clearly revealed.”
The ones who trained for true knighthood and those who just carried the title of knight.
“There’s no reason to risk my life just to join such a knight order.”
Of course, if Leonhardt were to personally mentor him, things might have been different.
But even that wasn’t necessary for the current Damian.
“I’ve already learned plenty.”
If he could at least reach the level he had before, then…
“I’ll finally be able to master the secret spear techniques that I couldn’t learn before…
The secret techniques he couldn’t learn because he couldn’t use magic.
But more than that, there was an even more important reason why Damian had to go to the Neocalitz unit.
“If I join the knight order, I won’t be able to meet him.”
He had come all the way to the 3rd training camp just to meet that person.
Various thoughts tangled messily in his mind. But Damian quickly organized his thoughts and focused solely on the Delphth Magic Cultivation Method.
“Once this night passes…
I will become stronger again.
Right now, I’m only focused on moving forward.”
The morning sun, full of anticipation, rose.
From early in the morning, the instructors were busily moving about.
Because there was a formation battle between the 1st and 3rd squads.
“Kekekekeke, has there ever been so much interest in a squad battle among the recruits?”
“I’ve been assigned to the 3rd training camp for about six years now, and this is the first time.”
“Indeed. Although some promising talents have occasionally shown themselves, this is the first time I’ve been so excited for a squad battle.”
The instructors quickly prepared for the battle, and among them was Leonhardt.
“It’s quite an exciting atmosphere.”
“Well, it’s an unusual situation. Honestly, both the 1st and 3rd squads are showing such exceptional formation tactics that it’s hard to believe they’re recruits.”
“Isn’t it because of the instructors who taught them well?”
“Hahaha.”
Raymond let out an awkward laugh at Leonhardt’s words.
How nice it would be if that were true.
But strangely, the recruits were achieving more than what they had been taught.
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Leonhardt and Raymond headed towards the parade ground where the battle would take place.
And at the same time…
“As you all know, the legendary instructor met with Damian from the 1st squad yesterday.”
Gerard, the squad leader of the 3rd squad, spoke to his squad members.
“Honestly, I think our squad’s Amel is much better than Damian. He’s just getting an unusual amount of attention.”
At those words, the other squad members nodded in agreement.
It was because of Amel that they could perform so well. This was something all the 3rd squad members acknowledged.
“So, I want to take this victory against the 1st squad and prove that we’re the real deal.”
With that, Gerard, who was standing in a circle with his squad members, put his arms around their shoulders and bent down.
“We must win.”
“Haaaah!”
In response to Gerard’s words, the 3rd squad members let out a loud cheer, full of fighting spirit.
On the other side, in the 1st squad…
“As we’ve seen before, the 3rd squad won’t be easy.”
Damian said.
Everyone nodded seriously, as if in agreement.
“But I guarantee that no training squad in any camp can beat us right now. We’re damn strong.”
“Kekekekeke.”
“Hehehe, yeah, we’re pretty tough.”
Even though they were chuckling, the eyes of the 1st squad members were sharper than ever.
Then Damian said, “Let’s crush them.”
“Haaaah!”
The 1st squad members let out a powerful cheer in response to Damian’s words, boosting their morale.
“Let’s smash them to pieces.”
“Raaaaaaah!”
At Damien’s words, a soldier from the 1st Squad let out a loud roar, raising their spirits.
Damien then looked toward the direction of the 3rd Squad.
The match began to progress quickly.
Finally, the two squads, having taken their positions, faced each other.
And at that moment.
“Charge!”
With the instructor’s shout, the formation battle between the 1st Squad and the 3rd Squad began.
