The Immortal Genius Spear knight (23)
“Damian, when will this war end? Or will it ever end?”
This was a question Dianal once asked me.
I couldn’t answer.
His anxiety was as palpable as my uncertainty about the future.
If I had to give an answer…
— Perhaps it will end if we surrender?
— I heard that when the Meladion Kingdom surrendered, they killed all the royals and turned the citizens into slaves.
— The higher-ups probably won’t surrender.
The war never ended.
Yet, Dianal always took care of his subordinates and fought bravely on the front lines.
— Damian.
— Why are you calling me so often today?
— Don’t die before me.
— Did you eat something wrong? You’re talking nonsense today.
— Hehe, I’m just telling you not to die.
In the end, I kept my promise.
I lived longer than him.
— …You bastard.
I told him so many times not to show off, to survive no matter what.
Still, I got my revenge.
I beheaded the enemy general who pierced your heart. So… rest easy.
Wham!
Suddenly, darkness lifted, and Damian opened his eyes.
It was late at night.
The fog made the training camp on the other side appear hazy.
Damian got up from his place and clicked his tongue at the old memories that suddenly resurfaced.
‘Damn memories.’
It would have been nice if it were a pleasant memory.
Damian shook off his thoughts and got up from his place.
It’s best not to be caught practicing the mana cultivation technique if possible.
Swoosh.
Damian carefully slipped out of the barracks.
He had already scouted a suitable place for mana cultivation.
Of course, no one would say anything about him wandering around at night.
There are guys who sneak out to the red-light district at night to embrace women.
‘It’s nothing.’
Just claiming he was taking a walk because he couldn’t sleep would be enough.
Damian headed toward the place he had previously scouted. But then…
Boom! Swish!
A familiar sound came from beyond the fog.
Damian halted his steps.
‘At this hour?’
He moved cautiously.
And saw someone swinging a sword through the fog.
It was Dianal.
He was wielding a rather thick, bulky sword.
A sword with more weight, suitable for fighting giant monsters.
‘…So it was from this time.’
It wasn’t surprising that Dianal practiced in secret.
He was always that kind of person.
In the past, Dianal was so obsessed with training that he would do extra practice even after regular training.
No, it would be more accurate to say he was desperate.
That’s how he became close to Damian.
But one thing that stood out.
The heavy sword Dianal was using didn’t suit him.
‘I understand why he’s using it, but…’
Dianal was from the Neo-Calitz unit.
Later, he was transferred to the front lines during the war.
In any case, his first battles were against monsters rather than people.
Therefore, he chose a weapon that could kill monsters with a stronger strike.
‘Many of the Neo-Calitz unit members use such swords.’
Otherwise, they use a broad sword.
But Dianal was the type who should have used a lighter sword and relied on speed rather than strength.
After being thoroughly beaten by Damian in his past life, he had changed his weapon and become stronger.
“Hm…”
His mouth itched.
He wanted to say that wasn’t right.
‘But if I say something now, I’d get beaten up badly.’
There’s no need to lose the favor he’s gained.
There will be a time to say something about it.
Damian turned away with a satisfied smile.
* * *
“Knights!”
The first morning in the Neo-Calitz unit dawned.
Unlike other units, the Neo-Calitz unit had a fairly relaxed atmosphere.
During personal time, they didn’t interfere much with what you did.
Although there was training, even that was mostly a formality.
“Ugh, so boring.”
“Hey, isn’t there anything fun?”
“How about a bet? What’s today’s training?”
“Physical training.”
At someone’s response, the one who suggested the bet let out a small laugh.
“Hehe, let’s bet if the newbies can endure until the end of the training today.”
“That sounds interesting.”
A few of them seemed excited.
“I bet they won’t even finish the morning training session– 10 silver!”
“I’ll bet they faint halfway through the morning training session– 20 silver!”
“I also bet they won’t make it through the morning!”
A lively atmosphere.
Damian watched them silently.
Swoosh.
No one was stopping them. They were used to this kind of behaviour.
“……”
It felt like watching an old punitive unit.
Damian turned his gaze to Dianal.
Dianal looked at the seniors who were making bets with disapproval.
But as the youngest, there wasn’t much he could do, so he silently cleaned his gear and tied his boots.
“What’s up with those guys? Making bets about us?”
Kyle, who had overheard, frowned.
“How much do they disregard people… Hmm? Damian, where are you going?”
Kyle asked, seeing Damian suddenly get up.
Damian walked over to the seniors who were gathering money and took out a gold coin.
“Can I join?”
“Wow! You surprised me. Is it your turn to join?”
“Oh… This kid seems to have a lot of money. 1 gold.”
“Do you know what the bet is about?”
One of the senior soldiers asked Damian.
Damian replied.
“Of course. But I’d like to change the terms of the best a bit.”
“To what?”
The senior who initially organized the bet asked.
Damian answered.
“I bet 1 gold that I will defeat everyone here in today’s training.”
Damian said with a grin.
At the same time, Dianal’s expression hardened.
“…What a crazy person.”
At Damian’s remark, the atmosphere immediately became tense. However,
“Oh? Really?”
“The newbie’s got some fighting spirit!”
The seniors’ eyes gleamed.
It had been a long time since they had seen a new recruit with such determination.
And their faces were filled with confidence.
This wasn’t the first time they had seen a recruit boasting about their skills.
Although not many had joined in on the bets, there had been numerous recruits who showed confidence in their training.
Damian was thought to be one of those recruits.
The senior who was organizing the bet grinned and said,
“Alright, we’ll accept it. But let’s change things a bit. If you win, all the money is yours. But if you lose, you’ll have to do our laundry for a month.”
“Ooh, that sounds good!”
“Hehe, rookie. If you’re not confident, you can back out now.”
A senior with a red nose laughed derisively.
However,
“Alright.”
Damian calmly responded.
“You really have some confidence in your physical strength?” one asked.
“Oh, you’ll regret being so arrogant. This isn’t a training camp,” another senior taunted
Damian shook his head.
“Even if I lose, I’m willing to do the laundry for the seniors with pleasure. Wouldn’t that make the bet a bit more enjoyable?”
“Hehehe, you’ve got some sense, don’t you?”
The senior who organized the bet said.
“However, I’d like to add one more condition. Since I’ll also be doing laundry if I lose.”
“Hmph, at this point?”
“Let’s hear it first.”
The seniors were enjoying the situation as if it were an interesting game.
Damian replied,
“If I win, I’d like you to grant me free time during training for a month.”
“What?”
“That would balance the bet conditions, right? I’ll be doing laundry for over ten people here every day for just 1 gold.”
“Well…”
The senior looked hesitated.
He didn’t have the authority to make such a decision.
But before he could respond–
“Fine, let’s do it that way.”
“Captain?”
Everyone’s eyes widened when Tarun suddenly appeared and agreed to the terms.
Tarun looked at Dianal.
“Dianal, you should join this bet as well.”
“Me? Am I included?”
“Why, do you think you’ll lose to a rookie?”
At Tarun’s words, Dianal’s expression stiffened.
“Not at all. But I don’t have any money.”
“Here, 10 silver. I’ll cover for Dianal’s.”
The atmosphere heated up instantly.
Tarun said,
“If you perform better than the seniors in training, I’ll give you free time during training for a month. Do whatever you like, whether it’s trainning or not.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Express your thanks after you win.”
Tarun looked at the seniors participating in the bet.
“And those of you who lose… will face additional training starting tomorrow, so be aware.”
“C-Captain?!”
“No, Captain! Isn’t that too harsh?”
“It doesn’t seem excessive for someone who lost to a rookie who just joined yesterday.”
“……”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The seniors’ expressions changed as they realized Tarun’s seriousness.
And,
“This will be interesting.”
“It will be fun to watch, hehe.”
Those who weren’t participating in the bet chuckled and laughed.
As for the participating seniors,
“…Such an arrogant rookie.”
“Think of today as your last day.”
“Maybe we should teach him a lesson.”
They ground their teeth, burning with determination.
Seeing this, Damian smiled.
Just as planned.
The reason Damian joined this bet, despite being called arrogant, wasn’t just to gain free time as the bet conditions suggested.
It would be nice to have free time, but he had no intention of skipping training.
The real reason was to change the stagnant atmosphere of the Neo-Calitz unit.
‘Of course, this alone won’t completely change things…’
But it could be the start of a small change.
Units like Neo-Calitz have a characteristic.
They don’t hold any hope for the future due to the constant fear of death.
Those seniors who were making bets.
They couldn’t defeat Damian no matter what, even if they died and came back to life.
The reason was simple.
They were probably slacking off in their training.
Those who are soaked in alcohol.
Those with fat on their bellies.
It’s obvious even without looking.
They are simply living day by day without hope.
‘At least…’
The others might be a bit better, but if this atmosphere continues, it’s hard to be certain.
Once everything was settled, Tarun said,
“Everyone, get ready and gather at the entrance of the rocky hill behind the barracks.”
* * *
There was a small rocky hill behind the Neo-Calitz unit.
It was more of a hill than a mountain.
The first training exercise was to run up the incline of about 200 meters in a straight line.
“Hehe, my eyes are accurate.”
“What’s that?”
“The fact that you’re crazy.”
Kyle, standing at the entrance of the rocky hill, laughed at Damian.
He never expected such a thing.
Damian responded with a slight smile.
Then, Damian slowly moved the mana in his mana core.
The mana surged, enhancing his body and filling him with vitality.
Moreover,
‘For this kind of training… the invisibility ring will be a big advantage.’
With the invisibility ring he received at the training camp, Damian felt lighter than his original weight.
Of course, he wasn’t confident about losing to those guys.
‘Confident about not losing,’ that is.
Tarun said,
“Everyone, line up. And bring that over here.”
‘That?’
Damian tilted his head. But…
“Wow.”
Kyle beside him let out a small exclamation.
What was prepared along with the training.
“A 30kg log. You’ll run while carrying this.”
Tarun’s words made the expressions of the unit members twist.
“Ugh! Captain, we don’t usually do this!”
“This is too hard for us too!”
The soldiers complained.
The training intensity was much higher than usual.
But,
“Be quiet.”
Tarun’s expression hardened.
The soldiers who had been complaining fell silent at his serious gaze.
It had been a long time since they had seen such a serious captain.
Tarun looked at Damian.
The rookie who had involved him in the bet and had been glancing at him.
There must be some intention behind his inclusion of himself in the bet.
‘I don’t know what he’s thinking.’
But he would observe.
The training began.
