The Rural Officer Who Was Once a General

Part 1, Chapter 13

“Ugh-gh-ghk!”

Karun, his upper body wrapped in bandages, rolled across the training ground floor, screaming in pain.

“Officer—no, Centurion—this is heavier than I thought?”

Karun spoke while supporting himself with the double-headed axe in his hands.

He still wasn't used to handling Turg’s double axe, so for now, he had been given a blunted training axe that resembled a broken shovel, with the edge dulled completely.

Even so, swinging a metal lump on a stick freely was a difficult task.

“You can lift it just fine. It’s just that your hands haven’t forgotten the longsword yet.”

But Fade was confident that Karun could handle it.

He had the strength, after all.

“Ughh!”

Karun gripped the axe roughly and swung it toward Fade.

At the same time, pain surged through his waist.

“You’re only hurting because your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”

“Guhhk!”

Fade deflected the axe blade with the flat of his sword and lightly kicked Karun in the stomach, sending him rolling across the floor, landing hard on his rear.

“For the record, you’re the one who said skipping training because of pain makes the body stiff. You remember that, right?”

“Gwahhh! I—I think I’m going to die, Commander!”

“I’m not a commander. I’m a centurion.”

“That’s not really the point right now—ugh!”

“Oh dear, must really hurt all over, huh? Right?”

Karun, screaming while twisting his whole body in pain, had to be carried back to the infirmary again.

“Sigh, if everyone keeps pushing themselves like this, how’s the army supposed to function?”

Karun had overexerted himself swinging a sword and clashing with enemies, injuring joints and muscles all over his body. Ted had dislocated his shoulder while swinging a hammer and had also been cut deeply by Turg.

Even Niss had been shot in the leg with a bolt by an assassin while riding around on horseback.

“You’re the only ones still in one piece, right?”

Fade turned his head with a wicked smile.

"Heeik!"

The first to react was Hughes, followed by Daos and the banner officers.

“Uh, but we're officers..."

"I'm a Centurion, though?"

“But we’re part of the Tryaev centurion unit…”

"Centurion Tryaev has entrusted all authority to me."

“Entrusting all authority too easily..."

"Ahem! Enough talk, let's start training!"

The training was simple.

They had to perform a coordinated technique against Fade.

“Surely the four of you, with one soldier included, can handle just me?”

Well, Hughes was the only actual soldier, though.

Fade grinned and dashed forward.

“He’s coming!”

Daos gave the signal.

He probably had the lowest rank, but for some reason, everyone moved according to his call.

“Let’s see, then.”

Fade’s sword extended loosely, then suddenly whipped upward and lunged forward.

Two officers blocked the quickly thrust blade.

“Haa!”

The two longswords covered each other’s openings, stopping Fade’s training longsword.

When Fade slashed horizontally, the officer on that side extended his sword to block it, and the other quickly checked the follow-up strike.

They joined forces to stop downward slashes, and when he thrust, the one not targeted would threaten Fade’s side to keep him in check.

“That’s it!”

Daos and another officer swiftly moved behind Fade and swung their swords.

Clang!

Fade spun his body, and his boots struck both swords away in one blow.

"Even if it's a training sword, don't subtly hold back your strength thinking it might hurt! Treat it like a real battle!"

Fade pulled his back foot in and twisted his body, striking all three officers at once.

Wham!

The three, struck by the blunt training sword, went tumbling to the ground in unison.

“Haaah!”

Daos shouted a battle cry and charged Fade head-on.

He thrust his upper body forward, drawing his longsword back over his shoulder, then hurled it forward as the distance closed.

It was a fairly strong and fast attack, but a vertical slash like that, meant only to cleave straight down, was never going to work on Fade.

“Not bad.”

With a slight twist of his body, Fade deflected Daos’s blade and extended his own longsword to strike Daos’s chin.

“Ugh!”

Daos lost his balance and fell straight over.

Shriek

At that moment, Fade turned and reached out.

Grab.

Hughes, who had charged in for a surprise attack, found his arm seized by Fade.

“Not bad. But...”

Fade kneed Hughes in the gut, and Hughes doubled over with a groan.

“I think some changes are in order.”

Fade tossed aside his training sword and wiped the sweat from his face with a towel.

No need to mess with the officers for now.

They were already plenty accustomed to their main weapons and didn’t show any particular standout traits, so the longsword suited them just fine.

Using spears wouldn’t be a bad option either, but there was no need to reduce their proficiency by switching now.

And from the looks of it, they’re not the kind who’d benefit from unusual training.

They didn’t seem particularly talented.

They were better off just building strength and endurance.

If anything, teaching them some cooperative techniques or tactics might be worthwhile.

But Hughes was different.

The longsword doesn’t suit him.

That small frame and the limited strength that came with it weren’t fit for a longsword.

From what I saw earlier, he seemed more suited to the ranger role.

He rode well, and seemed pretty sharp—Fade thought having a ranger under his command wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“Hughes, come with me. We’re changing your weapon—no, your entire specialty.”

“Huh?”

“It’ll be a good opportunity for you too.”

Within the unit's stores of weapons and loot, Fade managed to find a high-quality dagger.

It probably belonged to Zarbin or Tizik.

He picked out a few more usable daggers, then pulled out throwing weapons and a crossbow taken from enemy rangers.

A ranger would need a different outfit, but he couldn’t just put him in Khanate military uniform, so for now, he’d have to settle for some cheap black clothes bought from the local area.

“Alright. From now on, you're a ranger. Understood?”

“Uh, I think I misheard you?”

“No, you heard me just fine.”

"But I've never received ranger training before?"

Rangers were originally considered elite troops.

They operated across wide fronts, served as messengers, and infiltrated not just civilian areas but even the heart of enemy territory.

And yet, Fade intended to turn Hughes—a raw recruit among regular soldiers, with no training whatsoever—into a ranger.

“You just tried to sneak up behind me without making a sound, right? Just being able to do that shows you’ve got the makings of a ranger. Besides, I’m not planning to send you on any infiltration missions... for now.”

“For now...? D-Don’t tell me...”

“You never know how life’ll turn out. Anyway, you can’t even use a sword properly, so becoming a ranger who uses daggers or knives suits you better. It’s also an easier path to success. Don’t you think?”

“……”

It wasn’t wrong.

Rather than trying to distinguish himself as an infantryman—especially in a role that didn’t suit him—it made more sense to become a ranger, an elite role in which, according to Fade, he might actually have talent.

“Um, so... what exactly do I have to do?”

“What do you think? Training. A full-on one-on-one tutoring session, just for you.”

“...Huh?”

Did I hear that wrong?

***

Ka-ga-ga-gang!

Two pairs of swords clashed wildly, creating a flurry of strikes and parries.

“Hrrrgh!”

Tryaev's dual swords swung downward in unison.

Tch, thud!

The ranger, firmly planted on the ground, lowered both blades, then suddenly swung them up to deflect Tryaev's attack path.

Swish.

Both figures were pushed back a few steps, preparing to launch again.

Klang!

The two pairs of swords, shot out like arrows, collided in mid-air, sparks flying.

“Still sharp, I see.”

Tryaev retrieved his swords, staring at the ranger.

"You too, managing to stay sharp even in this backwater is impressive."

The ranger caught his breath and shoved both swords back into his belt.

“That aside, I didn’t expect to find you out here, Blathyun.”

The ranger called Blathyun grinned slyly and opened his mouth.

“Out here? This isn’t the outskirts anymore—it’s a battlefield, my friend. I heard all about the fierce fighting. Felt like playing around a bit, like the old days. Plus... there’s someone I’m interested in.”

“You mean Centurion Fade?”

"Yeah, that dragon that rose from the gutter. I’d love to get a look at his face.”

Blathyun chuckled.

“But those accomplishments the kid racked up. Are they all real?”

“What? You think I’d hand over the achievements to some fresh recruit?"

"No, that's unlikely. There's nothing behind that guy, right? And you're not the type to make false reports."

'But it's hard to believe...'

That guy’s victories came against none other than General Rakula.

She hadn’t earned the title ‘Witch of the Steppe’ for nothing.

If it came down to pure strategy and tactics, Blathyun was confident she ranked among the continent’s top hundred.

Of course, Fade hadn’t fought her in a direct confrontation.

He had merely seen through Rakula’s schemes and stopped her strike team twice—but even that was more than enough to be credited with accomplishments fit for an officer.

And then there’s the rumor he beat Turg in a duel?

Whether Fade had spared Turg or simply failed to finish him was unclear—but to have defeated Turg in one-on-one combat at all was proof enough of significant martial prowess.

“If possible, I’d like to cross blades with him myself.”

If Turg really lived up to his reputation, not even Blathyun could confidently claim victory.

In fact, by any objective measure, his defeat would be almost guaranteed.

“In any case, you’re an independent unit now. According to Centurion Fade, you're the Garrison Captain. The unit name was… right, ‘Wardens of the Swamp.’”

“Ha, Wardens of the Swamp...”

Blathyun smirked.

“That guy’s naming sense is awful. I’ll have to come up with something cooler. Hm, how about ‘Sticky Rats?’”

“…Your unit members would probably prefer Wardens of the Swamp.”

“Hmph! Let them. I’ll call it whatever I damn well please.”

"How pitiful, your unit members. Ah, but have your unit members arrived as well?"

“The rangers are resting. The engineers are still on the way, hauling equipment and supplies.”

“Centurion Fade mentioned there’s a backlog of work waiting for those engineers the moment they get here.”

“Heh, guess they’ll be sweating pretty hard.”

Blathyun shook his thick hair, sending drops of sweat splattering onto the dirt.

“Well then, shall we continue where we left off?”

“Gladly. Now that I’m warmed up, you’d best keep your head back if you want to live.”

“Pfft, bluffing.”

Blathyun drew both swords again.

Tryaev followed suit, and the two of them, as if prearranged, lunged at each other simultaneously.