The Rural Officer Who Was Once a General

Part 1, Chapter 2

Fade was able to walk the path in his memory and find the unit.

‘The angles are visible from the entrance.’

The Aide unit had not even been properly cleaned, let alone repaired.

The so-called watchtower was nothing more than a structure that barely reached two stories, and the target was worn down at the edges, making it even harder to hit.

Most of the stored real swords were covered in a thick layer of dust, and more than half of the training swords were in a condition that should have led them to be discarded.

‘Is even the training not properly done?’

Well, considering it's a small village, the situation must be dire.

Given the state of the unit, it was clear that the soldiers' discipline was lacking as well.

Fade went to the document room to check the current number of soldiers in the unit.

‘Only thirty?’

One mid-level officer managed the entire unit, and beneath him, there were four lower-ranking officers, including himself. Each officer had four soldiers assigned beneath them.

“All the decent veterans are directly under the mid-level officer, and my unit... half of them are rookies.”

It was half, but in reality, there were only two.

And even the veterans were only capable of filling the role of a frontline soldier.

“There is one who knows how to ride a horse.”

A soldier trained in horsemanship was assigned to one of the four units under the mid-level officer.

‘But he’s already over seventy.’

At this rate, it seemed unlikely they would be able to properly ride horses.

“At this level, I could have destroyed them all by myself in the past.”

Fade narrowed his eyes and imagined it.

Breaking through the front gate on horseback, beheading the two guards, then cutting down the ones scrambling to arm themselves, and finally strangling the three lower-ranking officers rushing at him.

Afterward, he would stab the mid-level officer leading his own unit in the heart, briefly retreat, cause the collapse of the veteran soldiers' formation, and then take them all down with a single strike.

Of course, there would still be himself and his own soldiers left, but imagining anything beyond that felt too cruel, so he decided to stop there.

"First, it’s a priority to either find decent ones or raise them."

War was never something done alone.

Among the tens of thousands of warriors like himself, some claimed to be the strongest on the continent, but even they couldn’t overcome a thousand soldiers.

If the soldiers were properly organized, even a hundred would be a challenge, and if they were elite troops properly trained, it was clear they would be exhausted after facing just ten.

The battlefield, a chaotic culmination of skirmishes, ranged from tens to hundreds of thousands.

To make an achievement there, relying on one’s own strength was difficult.

The fact that the number of officers was double that of generals was proof of this.

"However, even if I raise them, to make an achievement, they have to go to the battlefield. For now..."

Fade entered the officer-only document room and spread out a military map.

"Ha!"

As Fade examined the map, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"This is going to get interesting."

***

"To have two rookies in the same quarter, and both joining at the same time. It's truly a curious thing."

The oldest member of the newly formed Fade unit, Niss, looked at the fresh rookies before him.

"Originally, these guys were supposed to be from different places, but their enlistment got delayed and they ended up here? It feels like the goddess of fate brought us together. Anyway, now that it's like this, welcome!"

Niss chuckled while looking at the two rookies, who were sweating and unsure of what to do.

"By the way, I heard the new officer was only allowed in because of a shortage in numbers? If you fought, wouldn't you win, older brother?"

The second senior member of Fade's unit, Karun, chuckled as he threw an arm over the rookies' shoulders.

"Are you planning to fight an officer again, like last time? Didn't you learn your lesson after getting beaten?"

"Hah, the guy I lost to in the sparring match was at fault."

Karun continued to snicker, his arm hanging casually over the hilt of his sword.

"Tch, don't cause any more problems."

Niss clicked his tongue.

In Niss's eyes, Karun had his issues, but he was different from the usual troublemakers. However, his fighting style was violent, and he wouldn’t follow anyone who wasn’t skilled, which was a problem.

The previous low-ranking officer had also been a moron who was allowed in because of the shortage, and his voice was far too loud for his abilities.

Karun challenged him to a sparring match, and the idiot accepted.

The rest was predictable. Even though Karun’s sword was dull, meant for training, he managed to sever the officer’s tendons.

That officer later used his authority to beat Karun senseless, but ultimately had to retire due to the tendon injury.

Perhaps the real reason for his retirement wasn’t the injury, but the humiliation of being defeated by a subordinate.

Karun, if he had been under a seasoned general, would have been able to perform admirably on the battlefield, but this small rural unit was beneath him.

His warlike nature had no place here, and sometimes it turned against his own side.

"If something like that happens again, you'll be in for a big punishment for insubordination."

"Heh, if that happens, I’ll just prove myself, that’s all."

"Ah, sir!"

The rookies noticed Fade approaching and greeted him, their eyes shifting toward him.

"Heh, speak of the devil and he shall appear."

"Hmm, I guess you were talking about me?"

Fade stared at Karun with a slight grin.

‘Karun, his battle sense and swordsmanship might be on par with those in the mid-level officer's unit.’

Fade's gaze shifted to Karun's sword.

It was a long bastard sword, and it seemed like it would take an incredible amount of strength to wield.

Fade smiled and reached out to his soldiers.

"So, you’re my new soldiers. Niss, Karun, and..."

"Ted and Hughes!"

The two rookies raised their spears as they introduced themselves.

"I see. It’s nice that the seniority is clear from the start. We won’t have to deal with the tiring issues of fighting over ranks."

Fade released the hand he had been shaking with Niss and turned his full attention to Karun.

"Except for you."

"Hah!"

At Fade's provocative tone, Karun smiled.

"Me? Well, how about we mix swords then? After a man-to-man conversation, the misunderstandings should clear up, right?"

"Fine, do you want to use real swords?"

Fade watched as Karun confidently raised his bastard sword and assessed his swordsmanship.

‘Anyway, these kinds of guys will explode if you leave them alone and raise them. If they want proof, I’ll give it to them right from the start.’

"Can you handle it? It won’t end with just a few scratches."

"I don’t mind. It’s been a while since I’ve stretched my muscles, so I’d appreciate it if you could make me feel a little tense."

Fade drew his arming sword from his waist.

"Forget about formalities, should we just do it here?"

"As long as you don’t embarrass me from behind."

"Hmm, it seems there’s a misunderstanding between men that I need to clear up as well."

Swish.

The bastard sword reflected light, flashing brightly.

‘Well maintained.’

Even just looking at the worn hilt and the calluses on the hand, it was easy to guess, but the state of the sword confirmed it.

‘Quite a rare hard worker for this kind of place.’

Simply maintaining a sword doesn’t make its edge look like that.

The edge was slightly curved, with nicks and scratches that suggested hard training.

"Then, come."

"Yes!"

Karun's bastard sword immediately swung down, aiming for Fade’s crown.

"Ugh!"

Fade angled his arming sword’s blade and deflected the bastard sword.

‘That was a bit of a shock.’

The deflection was clean.

There might be a power dynamic between a bastard sword and an arming sword, but more important was their skill level.

Of course, in terms of pure skill, Fade was far superior to Karun, having honed it in actual combat and training.

If he’d faced this kind of attack in his previous body, Terbior, he would’ve deflected it effortlessly and then struck for his opponent’s neck with a counterattack.

However, this body, while trained, wasn’t accustomed to combat.

Whenever he tried to move suddenly or twist, pain would surface.

On the other hand, considering this was a country unit, Karun’s skill was exceptional.

If taken to the battlefield now, he could endure three battles without much trouble.

This difference in ability led to Fade accumulating some damage.

‘After this, I’ll have to work on getting my body in shape.’

"Ugh!"

Karun lunged again, swinging his bastard sword horizontally.

"Ugh!"

Normally, this would have been an easy strike to deflect, but due to his current body condition, Fade put extra effort into shaking the sword with a sharp force.

Clang!

The two swords clashed with sparks flying into the air.

As the swords bounced off to either side, Fade slid his back foot forward, almost like a glide.

Swish.

The small arming sword, quickly retrieved due to its size, stopped just in front of Karun’s neck.

Karun’s expression hardened as he observed the smooth yet decisive movement.

"Do you think it's over? Or would you like to test how well I've maintained my blade all this time?"

"......"

Confusion lingered on Karun's face.

However, he soon assessed the situation and shrugged his shoulders, letting the bastard sword drop.

"Seems there was a misunderstanding."

Karun stood upright, wearing a bitter smile.

He was a head taller than Fade, and thus could easily see Fade's crown.

Karun then bowed his head and spoke again.

"Impressive."

"Hmm, I didn’t expect a compliment from a duel."

"......"

"Anyway, earning the recognition of your subordinates is part of a commander’s duty. I’ve already fulfilled one of my obligations as an officer."

Fade narrowed his eyes.

‘Is that really the case?’

For a guy like Karun, one who proves himself through skill, it’s easy enough for him to follow once he sees the power. But the real issue was the others.

On the battlefield, trust can be earned with just one or two encounters.

Those who open their hearts easily begin to trust in their comrades, while those who don't still develop trust in the abilities of skilled people.

After just one properly fought war, the trust between soldiers and commanders grows beyond imagination.

As that trust builds, an ultimate legion is formed.

Soldiers follow their commander’s orders without question, and the commander, in turn, believes in his soldiers and carries out his tactics.

They gain morale through the deaths of their comrades, and their morale increases when their comrades survive.

Because of mutual trust and understanding, their combined strength can match a hundred, and even if they go ten days without food, no deserters will appear.

That was what he needed for his goal, and Fade was not the type to endure what he needed.

It was nearly impossible to build that kind of trust here, where there was no real combat to share.

Trust like that doesn't form just by sharing a few meals, sleeping side by side, or exchanging a few jokes—it only works on the battlefield.

If a soldier can stand firm while their comrade is stabbed in the back, or can trust their comrade’s sword and dive into the chaos of battle, that kind of trust is forged through real experience.

If a battle were to break out, those who couldn’t handle seeing their comrades torn apart by the enemy would just cower in fear.

‘That’s a bit troublesome.’

Even in a border region, he couldn’t bear to watch his subordinates falter in such a way.

But the real problem was how to build such profound trust in a rural place like this.

"Niss, look at me for a moment."

What else could be done? Without a battlefield, there was no choice but to create one.

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* Bastard Sword: A sword you can use with one hand or two. It's longer than a regular one-handed sword but not as big as a two-handed one, making it flexible for different fighting styles.

* Arming Sword: A classic one-handed sword. It's lighter, shorter, and easy to use, often paired with a shield for extra protection.