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“Hurry up! You need to dig at least one meter deep by the end of today!”

“Yes, sir!”

At Damian’s command, the soldiers were frantically shoveling.

The ground around the gold mine was filled with large rocks, and the earth itself was quite solid.

They had to break up the ground with pickaxes before shoveling, which took a considerable amount of time.

‘Since our basic strength is at a disadvantage, thorough preparation is our only option.’

Damian was employing every strategy he could think of.

He turned and shouted at the soldier stationed on the top of the base.

“What’s the status?!”

“There’s no movement yet!”

The soldier keeping watch over the Iren Kingdom troops shouted back.

While the enemy wouldn’t attack the day after losing the base, there was always a chance they might.

Damian glanced toward the enemy base where the Iren Kingdom soldiers were positioned.

‘Having lost their commander, they’ll need at least one to two weeks for reorganization.’

There was a possibility the lieutenant who survived the retreat might be promoted, but…

‘It’s more likely that another commander will be sent.’

Considering all possibilities, Damian was doing everything he could.

“Captain, are we digging around the entire base?”

“No, just dig in the direction the Iren Kingdom troops will approach from. The trench should be at least four meters wide and two meters deep for it to be effective, so keep that in mind.”

“Understood.”

Damian looked down at the soldiers working below. And then…

“Sir Damian, we’ve finished preparing everything you asked for.”

“Is that so? Let’s take a look. Lead the way.”

“Yes, sir!”

Damian followed Hemus down toward the lower part of the base.

* * *

“So, this is Makstri.”

A new commander had arrived at the Iren Kingdom’s base at Makstri.

A tall figure with short blond hair and a commanding presence.

The new commander’s name was Acar.

As Acar entered the base, he immediately ordered the troops to line up.

“Greetings, everyone. I am Captain Acar, newly assigned as your commanding officer.”

His introduction was succinct and to the point. He then called over his lieutenant.

“You were Captain Goodwin’s lieutenant?”

“Yes, sir!”

“I have a lot to discuss with you. What’s your name?”

“I’m Second Lieutenant Manuen, sir.”

“Meet me in the office.”

With that, Acar took Manuen into the office.

As soon as Acar left the room…

“Phew… so that’s the famous Captain Acar?”

“They say his swordsmanship is incredible.”

“I bet they sent him because Captain Goodwin was killed in one strike.”

The soldiers whispered among themselves, each voicing their impressions of Acar.

Tactically, they had the upper hand during the last battle.

They had prepared thoroughly and used every strategy without missing a beat.

Moreover…

‘Even in close combat, we weren’t at a disadvantage.’

In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they had the upper hand in close combat. The enemy had been too focused on fending off their attacks.

Had the fight continued longer, they would surely have won.

“But… their commander was too strong.”

“Yeah, he moved so fast that it was hard to keep up.”

“Didn’t he look young, though? His face seemed pretty youthful… maybe barely twenty years old?”

One soldier remarked, but the others shook their heads.

“Hey, Kanen, it’s obvious he’s using magic. A guy with that kind of skill at his age wouldn’t just be wandering around here. He’s probably an elite trainee from some knight order.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Rather than baseless speculation, the logical explanation won out, and everyone nodded in agreement.

But regardless of the reasoning, it was because of what had happened that the monstrous Captain Acar was now leading their unit.

Perhaps…

“This time, we might finally be able to end the war here.”

The biggest disadvantage they had faced against the Baroque Kingdom’s regular army was the disparity in the commanders’ combat abilities.

A commander who wielded magic was an enormous threat all on his own.

With that in mind, Acar’s arrival carried significant weight.

His swordsmanship and mastery of magic were well-known throughout the Iren Kingdom.

It felt as though a new wind was blowing through the Iren Kingdom’s ranks.

* * *

The wind blew cold across the base.

The interior of the base, set on a hill, had shelters for the soldiers to rest, but the sudden change in environment was far from comfortable.

Everyone tossed and turned, struggling to find sleep in the middle of the night.

“…Haa.”

Damian was outside, training in the Delft Magic Arts.

Although he had been consistent in his training up until now, recent events had caused him to be somewhat neglectful.

‘I’m almost there… just a little more.’

But for months, he had been unable to break through the barrier to the fifth level.

It wasn’t just about increasing the amount of magic power through training.

“It really is a matter of enlightenment…”

The size of his mana core wasn’t expanding any further, and he couldn’t accumulate more mana.

Mana absorbed into his body couldn’t be stored in the mana core and would eventually dissipate.

Damian stood up and let out a small sigh.

“Haa… So I need some sort of breakthrough, too?”

In Damian’s view, personal growth required experiences beyond one’s usual limits.

Experiences more intense than anything he’d faced before.

A battle against a truly formidable opponent might open up a new path for him.

He had fought against the Iren Kingdom’s commander, but…

‘Too weak.’

It wasn’t that the commander was weak—Damian himself had simply surpassed the ordinary standards.

‘Am I already beyond my former self?’

Damian evaluated his current level with a critical eye.

Indeed, he had already surpassed the person he used to be.

Of course, it was no surprise.

Damian’s strength was largely due to his extensive combat experience, which was almost beyond belief.

He had faced death dozens, if not hundreds of times, and there were numerous occasions where he barely survived, clawing his way back from the brink.

These experiences allowed him to anticipate his opponent’s movements and strike them down effectively.

But what about Damian now?

Thanks to Bard’s blessing, his body had been reconstructed, allowing him to train far more rapidly than an ordinary person.

Currently, Damian’s physical abilities were on par with seasoned veteran commanders who had trained for years.

His mana capacity and control were at the level of a knight captain.

Add to that his countless past experiences on the battlefield.

To be honest, unless he faced one of the kingdom’s renowned warriors, he felt he wouldn’t lose to anyone.

‘I’ve been running straight ahead without stopping.’

Should he call this regression?

Since his return, he had never taken a day off, always pushing forward.

He had reached a level close to his initial goal.

‘But it’s still not enough.’

It did not satisfy Damian’s thirst.

Hadn’t his subordinates all died on the battlefield because he was too weak?

Moreover, there were those imperial soldiers who ruthlessly wiped out his men and himself.

Gritting his teeth hard, Damian clenched his jaw.

He knew all too well the monstrous strength of his enemies, and he couldn’t afford to stop here.

‘I have to… become even stronger.’

Damian closed his eyes again and began to breathe slowly.

* * *

It had been a month since the Baroque Kingdom’s Makstri unit had recaptured the gold mine base.

For the first time, they had managed to hold the base for a month after seizing it.

“Damn, it’s already been a month.”

“Could this war really be ending?”

A soldier on guard duty, watching the Iren Kingdom’s side, spoke up. But his comrade snorted.

“We’re just holding onto it because those bastards haven’t attacked yet, idiot. You think those guys would just sit back and watch?”

“No, what I mean is, there’s got to be a reason why they haven’t attacked.”

“And what’s that?”

“You saw it back then, didn’t you? Our commander dashed forward and sliced off the enemy commander’s head like it was nothing. After seeing that, how could they attack right away?”

“That’s true. Even now, a month later, I can still picture it clearly in my mind.”

They recalled that battle.

When it came down to close combat, there were several moments when they thought they were done for.

But when they actually clashed, they realized:

‘…We can handle this.’

They were confident that the training they’d undergone had made them stronger.

―Believe in yourselves!

And that one statement from their commander kept them going.

“In any other battle, at least a dozen of us would have died.”

“But this time, not a single one died. A few got hurt, but that’s it.”

“Hehehe, I just hope they don’t show up for the next two months.”

They laughed, enjoying the moment.

But then—

“Huh?”

“Look at that!”

The previously quiet Iren Kingdom troops began to emerge.

As always, they appeared in neat formations.

The guards quickly rang the bell and shouted.

“The Iren Kingdom soldiers have appeared! The enemy is here!”

“What?”

“The Iren Kingdom soldiers are here!”

The soldiers, who had been digging traps around the base for the past month, quickly retreated inside upon hearing the news.

Damian, too, looked out at the Iren Kingdom’s advancing army.

“…They’re finally here.”

The fact that they hadn’t attacked for a month could very well have something to do with a new commander.

Even if a new commander had arrived, some level of reorganization would have been necessary.

‘But the fact that they’re attacking now…’

It was safe to assume that they had resolved their internal issues.

And if they had spent an entire month regrouping, there would undoubtedly be some notable changes.

“Third Squad Leader.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Take command of the archers. I’m leaving the situational decisions up to you.”

“Can I really do this?”

“If you can’t, we’ll all die.”

“….”

Damian chuckled and patted the third squad leader’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be up front.”

“Understood.”

With those words, Damian pulled on his helmet and grabbed his spear.

Then he descended and shouted.

“Makstri unit! Form up at the base of the hill!”

“Yes, sir!”

While conventional defense would usually take place within the base, Damian had chosen otherwise.

Instead, he led his troops down the hill to meet the enemy at the front.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Line up! Get into formation!”

At the front, the first squad leader barked commands as he straightened the front lines.

Alongside him, the larger soldiers moved to the front, holding their shields.

Naturally, in a clash, those with more strength had the upper hand.

Seeing this, the Iren Kingdom’s commander, Acar, looked at Damian from a distance.

“So that’s their commander.”

There didn’t seem to be anything particularly special about him…

“…”

The soldiers who had recaptured the base were abandoning it to defend from the hill?

Ordinarily, he would have called them mad and charged, but…

‘They must have prepared something.’

Acar drew his sword.

This was his first battle since being stationed here.

Most probably expected another skirmish over the gold mine, nothing more.

‘But I’m sorry to say, you’re all going to die here.’

Acar had no intention of staying long at Makstri.

He planned to recapture the base as quickly as possible and…

‘End this long conflict.’

Acar pointed his sword forward.

“Full advance! Charge!”