The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military (164)
Translator: ChubbyCheeks
54 The Establishment of the Empire’s Special Field Army! (5)
Preparing for the establishment of a new field army was an extremely difficult task. Transferring troops from all over the place to fill in the gaps and reorganizing them was a tedious, laborious and repetitive task.
Most of them were just ordinary soldiers. Perhaps, some of them would become proper talents once he raised them well but that would still take a long period of time. The same was true for the officers. Was it because this was the birth of a new army? The officers that were deployed to Iron’s field army were mostly young ones.
If he thought about it in a good way, he could think that they had handed him the future of their armies. But if he thought about it the other way, he could say that they had embraced their veterans and just let go of these green and immature rookies. They had sold their future to protect the core of their forces.
“Hoo…”
Iron sighed as he looked out of the window.
A temporary training ground was set up for them here in the Northeast.
“One!”
“One!”
“Go lower!”
“What are you doing?! Are you trying to trick me?!”
Since the military training ground lacked space, the soldiers were also receiving punishment where they trained.
Even the soldiers from the Northeast did not catch Iron’s eyes, what more of the troops from the other regions? So, they had to receive training and punishment as if they were fighting in an actual battle.
“Until when…”
Iron looked frustrated as he watched the slow training speed of his men.
They were training hard everyday but that did not mean that their skills were improving. Fortunately, the troops sent to him were already those who have fought in real battles so they could understand why the degree of training was this hard. Since they had experienced the harsh reality of war, they followed Iron’s various training without hesitation.
Of course, some of the officers and non-commissioned officers protested. They were all elites that graduated from good and reputable academies and were promoted as officers and non-commissioned officers as soon as they left. That was the reason why they had high self-esteem and pride. On the surface, each Command seemed to have paid attention to them, but they still easily gave them up.
But Iron believed that their whole person would change once they experienced his personal training.
“They’re vain, have uselessly strong pride and are extremely confident, but when you look at their skills… Ha. Since we’re on that topic, they’re also pig-headed and don’t listen to anyone at all, right?”
Ariel, Cardro and Nyx Cole, who were listening behind Iron as he criticized them, immediately shut their mouths. Based on their long experience working with Iron, they knew that he was extremely angry right now. They might uselessly get involved if they say something wrong right now so they believed that it was best to keep their mouths shut.
“Separate these bastards. I will train them myself.”
“Yes, sir!”
The three of them answered loudly after hearing Iron’s orders. Even the other officers answered quickly in fear of being scolded and told that they were training them wrongly.
“What about the wizards?”
“That…”
“Do they think they’re that good and are still training separately?”
Iron asked coldly after he saw that Cardro could not answer him immediately. The coldness made Cardro lower his head.
Iron immediately issued an order after seeing this meek response.
“I should beat them up first. I’ll give you 30 minutes, tell them to gather in the 1st military training ground.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cardro immediately answered as he left the commander’s office. The other officers couldn’t help but look at him in envy.
“Ariel, Nyx Cole! Gather these self-proclaimed elites that you have mentioned earlier. Jon Powell and Vic Hart will be in charge of the soldiers’ training.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Good. I know you’re busy but you have to do this now. We don’t have much time left before we leave for Command. We have to correct our soldiers’ mindset and arm them properly before we leave, right?”
“We’ll do our best!”
“Alright. I trust you.”
Iron let them go after entrusting these tasks to them. Then, he stood up as he leisurely walked to the 1st military training ground where the wizards would gather. He purposely slowed down his steps to time his arrival with theirs.
‘I will make sure to roll you hard if you arrive later than me.’
With that thought in mind, Iron arrived at the 1st military training ground. However, no one was in sight.
Rumors about Iron training his men personally had spread but there wasn’t even a rat in sight. The other soldiers and officers knew that they would be trained together if they stayed nearby and caught Iron’s sight so they immediately scurried off. The training grounds were quiet at the news of Iron, who was well-known for his terrible training not only by his own troops but even by the troops in the Northeast, arriving there.
“…So, they’re late.”
Iron spat coldly.
Then, he saw Cardro running from afar.
Cardro was panting after almost dragging the wizards here but his expression immediately hardened after seeing Iron’s cold expression.
“I… I’m sorry!”
“Let them line up.”
“Yes, sir!”
Two people stood at the forefront after the wizards lined up together. They were none other than the Lightning Wizard, Peter Marvio, and the Wind Wizard, Allan Reishor. They were the strongest and most promising wizards under Iron’s command.
In the past, Iron had beaten them up so he thought that they had finally woken up and gathered themselves together. But it seemed like it was just his own illusion.
“I know that there are spiritists among the people gathered here.”
The people were abuzz after hearing Iron’s words. Cardro glared at them but the wizards, who were all prideful, did not care about him.
“Once the Command is completed and we have officially become a field army, we will separate the wizards and the spiritists. So, you have to endure and stay together until then.”
Iron released his momentum as soon as he finished those words.
“That’s all for the kind and friendly words.”
The atmosphere in the training grounds sank heavily.
Cardro was already at the 5th Stage but he had no choice but to lower his head and grit his teeth to endure. What more of the wizards? Some of them staggered and even fell down on the ground.
The murderous intent swirling in the training grounds was so thick that it made it hard for them to breathe.
Even Peter Marvio and Allan Reishor were no exceptions. They were learning magic and grinding their spirits since they were already knocking on the doors of the 5th Stage but what can they do when Cardro, who had already gone beyond that door, was already groaning and sweating bullets.
“Didn’t you say that you did not want to receive training from the commanding officers?”
Iron asked them but no one answered. More like no one could answer since they were all busy groaning and gasping for their breaths on the ground.
“So, I created a special training for you myself. From now on, you will do the special training that I have created for you.”
Then, Iron told them the schedule of their training in detail which was filled from dawn till dusk.
Iron only loosened his momentum after he saw that the wizards and the spiritists were trembling like newborn foals. Only then were they able to breathe properly.
But Iron’s expression remained cold.
“They will be the instructors who will train you from now on.”
Everyone looked at Iron in confusion after hearing his words. Then, the bright sky suddenly turned dark.
Shocked by the sudden change in the surroundings, everyone looked up at the sky. There, they saw three gigantic birds flying above the training grounds.
“Owl, Thunder and Red will be your instructors. The content of your training is simple. Survive until lunch time. That’s all.”
Iron turned around after leaving those words. Cardro also immediately followed after him.
Not long after, lightning strikes, beams of light and blazing flames pour down like rain on the training grounds.
All of the wizards under Iron’s command would need to spend their hectic days in urgency, they needed to try to cooperate and develop large-scale defense magic and use shield magic until they were proficient enough.
‘They will be able to develop their cooperation in the meantime.’
Even if he could not erase the wizards’ unique arrogance and pride, he would still be able to develop their thinking and have them cooperate with each other.
Then, Iron walked towards the next troublemakers.
They were the self-proclaimed elites, who were armed with huge privileges and useless pride, and they were currently gathered together at the other end of the training grounds.
Iron received Ariel’s salute as he stood still and looked at the men gathered in front of him.
“I heard that you said that you’re an elite group?”
Everyone was startled by the frost coloring Iron’s voice.
The sight of Iron walking leisurely towards them with the background of ravaging storms and lightning, blazing flames, shining mana rays and loud screams was extremely frightening. However, what was more scary was the fact that this person right now was speaking coldly to them.
“That’s right. I should treat the elites how elites should be treated.”
Iron said so as he released his momentum, just like what he did to the wizards earlier. But unlike the wizards, who couldn’t endure his momentum, the soldiers were still neatly aligned and their eyes were still clear.
‘Elites, huh?’
Iron smirked at them.
“I will be the one in charge of your training from now on.”
Then, he took a step closer.
“Training is simple. All of you will fight against me. If you’re able to knock me down before lunchtime, then your afternoon will be free.”
Some of the soldiers flinched at Iron’s words.
“My training method will remain the same even in the future. If you’re able to overpower me by lunchtime then your afternoon will continue to be free. On the other hand… If you fail to do so, you will continue to train until the afternoon. However, if you fail to endure and hold out during your morning training, then… your training will last until the evening.”
Cardro and Ariel, who were listening beside him, flinched. Perhaps it was because his terrible training had already been engraved on their bodies that they automatically flinched as cold sweat dripped down their backs.
One of the officers raised his hand amidst everyone’s nervousness.
“Speak.”
“Do we start after their training?”
The officer pointed at the divine beasts gliding above in the air.
Everyone looked curiously.
No matter what anyone said, they all believed that Iron’s main force came from the divine beasts. The power of the two phantom level divine beasts and the huge owl were said to be stronger than that of a master. His swordsmanship was never evaluated as something that was close to the master-level.
“No.”
All of the officers and non-commissioned officers on the training ground tilted their heads at him.
The number of people gathered here was in the hundreds. Among them were knight and elite-level individuals. They were people who were at the 3rd Stage or at the beginning of the 4th Stage.
He has no divine beasts but he will deal with us alone?
“Will… you be alright?”
Iron smiled at the officer’s question.
Cardro and Ariel both became stiff the moment they saw his smile. They both knew what that smile meant.
In Iron’s unit, this smile had been dubbed as the ‘Devil’s Smile’.
“There are things that you shouldn’t say…”
“Ha! They’re dead now.”
While Ariel and Cardro shook at the thought, Iron continued to speak.
“It’s fine. Let’s start. I’m sure everyone has learned the Great Master Formation, right?”
“Yes!”
The Great Master Formation. It was a formation that weaved and organized the army to fight against an enemy that was almost at the master-level. They could stop a 6th Stage with only a group of knights or officers. But from what they had known, a group of 200 elites was more than enough to stop such an individual with this formation.
But right now, their numbers were higher so they believed that their odds were higher.
“Come.”
Some of the officers attacked first the moment Iron spoke. Then, the non-commissioned officers and the knights spread out to aim for his gaps.
But Iron just raised his steel mana after seeing the countless sword attacks coming his way.
Thud!
Iron spoke coldly after receiving dozens of sword mana with his body alone.
“It seems like everyone has been mistaken about the great master formation. The 200 elites that they referred to are talking about well-trained knights and officers…”
Then, he grabbed the face of one of the officers who moved first with his bare hands.
“Aaack!”
“Keep this in mind. A 6th Stage could be stopped and blocked by the great master formation by a hundred of skilled 4th Stage soldiers or more. But for people who are as clumsy as you, dream on!”
Iron began to move after he said that.
Cardro and Ariel shook their heads at the soldiers after seeing Iron break through them like a tank with just his steel mana alone.
Some of them tried to fight back and attack from afar as they tried to bite on the steel mana’s weakness but Iron’s weapon was not limited to his steel mana alone.
Iron unleashed his lightning and attacked those who thought they were in the safe zone. He also used his frost energy and slowed down those who were in his vicinity.
“Fra… frau…”
One of the officers tried to shout but it was already too late.
After an hour filled with fear and shock, no officer was seen standing on both feet in the training grounds.
***
