Chapter 105: Leonhardt’s Territory (1)

The Northeastern Army only attended the first day of the festival, all of them prepared to depart the Eastern Command for the Northeastern Command after the awarding ceremony had finished. The officers of the Eastern Command also moved to send off the Northeastern troops in the warp gate.

While they were moving out of command…

“Extra! Extra! The White Whale Guild did something!” 

“White Whale? Those other-worlders?”

“Yes. The lout, Kim Jungtae, did something in the Puerh Islands!” 

“What did he do?” 

“Isn’t the war over?” 

People flocked to where the boy selling the newspaper was. The boy smiled gently and lifted his money basket. 

“Who knows… I heard that the other-worlders have discovered the mermaids’ treasures?” 

“Ho… Is that so?” 

“This is a scoop from our newspaper. We kept in close contact with White Whale. Well, maybe it was because of the other-worlders’ unique abilities? They said that they were able to get a large number of the mermaids’ treasures from deep in the sea.” 

“Treasure… which one?” 

The people asked the boy in curiosity but the boy just shook his head as if he couldn’t say anymore. 

“Please read the details in the newspaper!” 

Hearing the boy’s words, the people grabbed coins out of their pockets and placed them in his basket to buy a copy of the newspaper. 

Iron, who saw this scene from afar, smiled.

‘In the end, he’s still the one who took it.’

During the Eastern War, the White Whale Guild failed to earn their expected merits, contributions and rewards. However, with Kim Jungtae’s strong will, they were still able to do something about their situation.

Iron was sure that they would be able to compete with the guilds from the other regions just with the treasures that they had obtained here. Although the other-worlders’ coalition was strong, the White Whale still had the ability to grow to the point that they could stand toe to toe with them. Iron was sure since he had encountered Kim Jungtae in his previous life. 

“That dreadful bastard eventually got the treasure.”

Richard Burton smiled bitterly when he heard the news from afar. He recalled the abuse that he had endured before Iron arrived. After all, Kim Jungtae was the only divine beast contractor back then. Even the officers of Eastern Command had ugly expressions when they recalled how Kim Jungtae acted back in Command. The Northeastern troops entered the warp gate one by one while the Eastern Command tried to keep a straight face after hearing something unpleasant to their ears.

Richard Burton approached Iron, who waited until everyone had gone over. 

“It seems like you’re going to the North now.”

“Perhaps… Well, I think that’s what is going to happen.”

Iron smiled bitterly. 

Richard Burton asked for a handshake before letting him go. 

“May fortune accompany you on the battlefield.”

Iron shook his hands and said his goodbye to him before climbing on the warp gate. 

“If the situation in the North gets prolonged then we might be able to see each other again.”

Iron tilted his head at Richard Burton’s words. Richard smiled and spoke.

“If you receive something, you should give it back. Since the North helped the East in our war, it’s time for the East to help them.”

“Ah…”

“But I need to help the South and West first. They need some kind of help from the navy there. But if the North is still at war when my work there is done, then we’ll see each other again.”

“Then, I should pray that I don’t see the Commander’s face there.”

Richard Burton smiled and nodded when he saw Iron’s bitter smile. 

“I hope so too. I pray that the war in the North will end in good faith.”

Iron bowed his head in gratitude as he bid the Commander farewell once again. Then, he continued to climb on the warp gate. 

Iron’s body was then covered with a bright light as he quickly transferred from the East to the Northeast. With the sound of the warp gate rotating loudly, Iron opened his eyes and looked around at the Northeast. 

The scenery in the Northeastern Command, which he felt like he hadn't seen in a long time, had changed drastically. 

The warp gate now had several huge mana stones embedded on it which increased the stability and the distance that it could travel. Even the protection around the place had been enhanced thanks to the increase in manpower and wizards. 

“Loyalty! We welcome Lieutenant Colonel Iron Carter’s return!”

“Thanks.”

Iron quickly moved to Command after leaving a word of thanks to the soldier who saluted him. 

On his way to Command, he could see people buzzing around and welcoming the return of the Northeastern troops. Even the Command welcomed their return. They showed their envy about their great contributions after hearing about the contributions that the Northeastern Army had made in the East. However, their faces were still stained with anxiousness. The reason for their anxiousness was not that hard to guess. 

“Is the situation really that dire?”

Iron mumbled to himself and entered Command. An intelligence officer immediately walked forward as if he was waiting for his arrival. 

“Lieutenant Colonel Iron Carter?”

“Yes.”

The intelligence officer, in his late 20s and also under the Lieutenant Colonel rank, directly approached Iron.

“I’m sorry to say this but you have to get ready to move right away.”

“To the North?”

“Yes. Here’s the information about the place where you should go.”

Iron quietly read the contents of the document handed over by the intelligence officer. 

“The situation in the North… is very dire.”

Reading the information handed over by the intelligence officer made Iron’s expression harden. 

He did not know if the dark elves sharpened their blades after disappearing from Winter Mountains but their attacks were extremely fierce. Despite the Leonhardts stepping forward, since this was a matter of the North, the situation still did not ease.

The Leonhardts elite Knight Orders also came forward. Blood Lions. Steel Lions. Silver Lions. All three of their knight orders were dispatched to participate in Leonhardts’ defense battle. 

However, the second monster wave that had been created in the North was already pushing the barriers and defenses of the North to the limit. The entire North was in a dire situation but ironically, the one in the worst situation was the Leonhardts. 

It might be a bit incomprehensible to hear that the Lion Family was facing difficulties since they were a family that was fighting for the strongest position in the Empire. But considering that the Leonhardt’s territory was directly beside the Northern Forest, then their situation was understandable. 

The monster wave only happened in the Northeast in his past life so the Leonhardt’s territory served as the last base and fortress that they used to endure until the end. But since the monster wave appeared in the Northern Forest, they would be the first to receive the damage and become a dangerous area. 

But since they were the Lion Family competing for the strongest position in the Empire, they were still able to struggle and block it from going any further with just their three knight orders and elite knights at the 6th Stage. 

“It seems like the situation is really the worst.”

“…Yes. That’s why our main forces are eagerly waiting for your return from the East.”

From what he heard, the Drake Unit had to fly in directly while the main forces including the Rangers, Knights and Magic Corps were asked to move through the warp gate. Although they were only a few, the others still hoped for their immediate return so they could take a bit of a breather despite the dangerous situation in the North. 

“But I’m not going to be sent to join the Ghosts?”

“They’re already moving deep in the forest so it’s too late for you to join them now. Because of that, the Commander wanted to place Lieutenant Colonel Iron on one of the most dangerous fronts immediately after your return. Of course… that’s on the premise that your body had already recovered to some extent.”

The intelligence officer was also fully aware of how much Iron had done in the East. From what he heard, Iron had suffered internal injuries during the war in the East so he did not intend to force him to go to the field if his condition was still bad. 

“My body… is not yet fully recovered. However, I believe I’m already good enough to carry out the operation.”

“That’s a relief.”

The intelligence officer patted his chest as if he felt relieved and fortunate with Iron’s words. 

Iron’s value was not only his fighting force. His tactics, strategies and abilities as a commander was also highly valuable. So, the senior officers wanted to put him out in the field immediately. 

“Lieutenant Colonel will be dispatched to the Northeastern troops in Leonhardt's territory.”

“What’s the size?”

“It’s a regiment-level troop… but it’s not complete.”

Iron nodded as if the words of the intelligence officer were just natural. It was strange for injuries and casualties to be completely cured especially during a war. 

“What do I have to do there?”

“You will be in charge of commanding the troops.”

Iron’s eyes widened when he heard the intelligence officer’s words. 

Even among Colonels, only those who have eaten a lot of jjambap could take over the command of a regiment. No matter how good he was, he was still a lieutenant colonel at the end of the food chain so it was strange for him to be deployed as the temporary regiment commander. 

The intelligence officer immediately continued his words as if he knew what was going through Iron’s head. 

“The temporary regiment commander is seriously injured. He’s still commanding the troops in his injured state but he’s already in a state where he needs to fall back and treat his injuries. 

“Then, I will be the temporary regiment commander?”

“That’s right. The original regiment commander had already died so you will probably continue to take over the command for a while.”

Iron nodded heavily at the intelligence officer’s words. 

If the regiment commander had died, then it was safe to assume that Leonhardt's territory was already a full-blown battlefield. 

“You will depart as soon as you’re ready.”

“I understand.”

The intelligence officer nodded at Iron before leaving. Iron couldn’t help but sigh. 

It seemed like the situation in the North was truly dire if they were willing to put him in such a position.

“Are we not able to change history?”

Iron mumbled to himself as he walked towards his accommodations. 

He had felt relieved when he blocked and prevented the destruction of the Northeast. However, he did not expect that the North would be threatened like this.

He felt a bit reluctant that he had missed the dark elves before but was still relieved when he was able to send most of the monsters from the Northeast to the Center. 

But it seemed like this was Iron’s misjudgement.

“Hoo…”

Iron sighed as he placed the medal that he had received in the East in his storage box. This was because it was not like the medal in the Northeast that was in the form of a necklace. It would just be a hindrance if he kept it pinned on his chest. Then, he picked some new clothes in his laundry bin and changed into a new combat uniform. Despite taking extra clothes in the East, he felt tired smelling the scent of the sea that was still wafting from his clothes. After changing his clothes, he quickly checked his weapons and made sure that he was fully prepared before going out to leave for the North. 

When he went out, he saw the intelligence officer by the warp gate. It seemed like he was waiting for him to hand over some additional information. 

“This…”

“This is the information about the monsters that have appeared in Leonhardt's territory. Most of them are just mutations of the regular monsters but there are some special plant-type monsters that have appeared just recently.”

“So, it’s the work of the dark elves.”

“That’s what we think.”

The documents in Iron’s hands were thick. It seemed like the intelligence officer had gathered all of the information that he could get in the short amount of time that he was given so it was not arranged and summarized. 

Iron smiled and thanked the intelligence officer for his efforts. 

“Thank you. This will be a big help.”

“May fortune accompany you on the battlefield.”

The intelligence officer smiled bitterly as he wished him luck before rushing back to Command. It seemed like he came out to help Iron despite having some urgent things to do. Iron smiled. He kept the information that he received from the intelligence officer safely before climbing up on the warp gate once more.

He had already used the long-distance warp gate twice in a row before the day even ended. 

“Lieutenant Colonel Iron Carter, confirmed. We’ll warp you straight into the operation zone.”

The wizard confirmed Iron’s identity before immediately operating the warp gate. 

“Lieutenant Colonel Iron Carter. Leonhardt’s territory’s operation zone. Warp.”

The warp gate started as soon as the wizard’s words ended. And just like that, Iron was immediately sent to Leonhardt.

***

Notes

Regiment – consists of 2 or more battalions with 1000-2000 men.

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