The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military

The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military (117)

Translator: ChubbyCheeks

40 Disorderly Troops (2)

“Special operation unit? Do you know about that?”

“Ah! I heard about them too.”

Rumors spread among the soldiers in the frontlines.

According to the rumors, there was a special operation unit that searched for places that had been pierced through or were having difficulties against monsters. They would then fill in the gaps for a few days.

At first, ‘Why not let them block the gaps in the frontlines with such troops?’ was what the soldiers wanted. However, when they learned about their situation, their evaluation began to change.

Rookies.

Injured.

A unit that was made in a hurry.

A unit that no commander would want to be entrusted with.

That was the special operation unit.

As a result, they couldn’t help but look at Iron in interest after he made achievements with this unit. In addition, compared to when they were at the beginning, the current special operation unit was now quite skilled.

Since they only went to the most dangerous places in the frontlines to help, the skills of their soldiers would naturally improve.

―No. Come here just once. We’re here in a hurry.

―Can’t we ask you for this favor? Don’t you know that the western side of the front has been broken?

―I believe it’s worth it even if you just come and help us for 15 days. Don’t you think that it’s too much for you to get these benefits when we’re all in the same situation?

The officers in charge of the western side of the frontlines talked to each other everyday.

‘Please! Help us out!’

But they couldn’t do that. So, they changed their direction.

Then, send us the special operation unit led by Iron.

But that was difficult too.

The only places that the special operation unit travelled to were the most dangerous places in the frontline.

‘How much would a unit that was made less than a month ago do?’

This was the thought that ran through the high-ranking officers. However, the officers at the frontline thought completely opposite to them.

Even if their knight order was only made up of rookies, they were still a knight order.

Even if they have a lot of injuries, rangers would still be rangers.

Even if they had only escaped from training, the elite soldiers that were scheduled to be non-commissioned officers were still elite soldiers.

Even if they were injured, the experienced artillery battalion still had eaten their fill of jjambap.

And it was Iron’s special operation unit that gathered all of these men.

Since they were men equipped with enough talent and supplies, they would be able to gain enough experience even if they were just rolled around for a bit. Those who were quick-witted could immediately learn things as long as you taught them at the right moment.

Both the past and present Iron had spent most of his life on the battlefield. His experience was comparable to those veterans. But after rolling around and working hard only in the toughest battles, his experience was now more vast than that of a master. Since he had compressed his knowledge and experience and only handed down the information that they needed, the entire unit had no choice but to grow stronger at a rapid pace.

“Move efficiently. Long battles await you on this battlefield. Maintaining your physical strength and stamina as you fight is also a skill.”

Iron scolded his soldiers for making unnecessary movements.

“Aren’t you going to use their weaknesses? If you’re too busy maintaining your formation then what is the point of memorizing their weaknesses?”

One of the knights hurriedly looked down after seeing Iron’s sharp glare.

“Isn’t the main task of rangers reconnaissance? If you’re going to do it like that, you might as well become a knight.”

Without fail, Iron also scolded the rangers before turning to the artillery unit.

However, he had nothing to say to the artillery unit. The captain of the artillery unit was already rolling his men on his own accord.

“Can’t you even set the coordinates properly? Hey! Hey! This! Are you taking care of the shells like this? Are you joking with me?!”

Iron could see that he was already rolling them hard on their own. If he came out at a time like this, then the atmosphere would turn bad. So, he did not scold them any more.

Looking at his soldiers working hard, Iron felt like it was almost time.

Because they rolled around like crazy and went from place to place in the frontlines during the less than a month of time that they had been together, they were able to learn the basics. Since that was the case, Iron thought that it was time for them to gain more experience and begin their operation in earnest.

They had no more experience that they could acquire after going through countless simple battles. After all, they had already gotten used to it. So, it was time for them to move.

After deciding, Iron called in all of his troops during the evening.

“I know that everyone is tired but I called you because I have something important to say.”

Iron looked at his troops as he said so.

They all looked tired from the hard battles that they participated in but they were looking at him suspiciously when he called for them. After all, Iron was managing their exhaustion and fatigue well and would let them rest if they needed resting.

“The ‘training’ is now over.”

The troops’ eyes widened.

“Are we going into our real mission now?”

Iron nodded lightly at Ariel’s question.

Captain Ariel Favrice, the captain of the knight order team.

Captain Nyx Cole, the captain of the rangers.

Captain John Powell, the first company commander.

Captain Vic Hart, the second company commander.

Captain Dominic Stone, the captain of the artillery unit.

These five key officers glowed brightly at the thought that they would finally be able to carry out their operation in earnest.

Going on their operation meant that they had met the minimum condition that Iron had set for them. In other words, their unit was finally recognized by Iron. So, everyone felt a bit happy. However, only the officers thought like this.

It’s already hard right now but you want to carry out the operation like this?

That meant that a more strenuous schedule would be waiting for them. The soldiers felt like dying.

“You’re still lacking but I can’t pull it off any longer.”

Everyone looked at Iron with uneasiness coloring their faces. Iron spoke honestly as he looked at them.

“According to the intelligence officer, there is a battle between monsters.”

Most of the soldiers looked at Iron with expressions that screamed ‘What’s wrong with you?’.

Isn’t it good if the monsters killed each other?

Seeing the soldiers’ bewildered expression, Iron sighed and explained it in detail.

“If the power struggle that’s taking place right now ends, the monsters that are currently scattered will unite under a certain influence. If that happens, then a second monster corps will be created.”

“Ah…”

“A larger monster corps than the one that occurred in Lion Castle Fortress will probably be created. If that happens… the rear will definitely be swept away. That’s why we have to move as fast as we can.”

Ranger Captain Nyx Cole carefully asked Iron.

“Is our main mission to subdue monsters?”

“No. On the outside, our mission is to rescue our isolated troops. But I can choose our area of operation. And my choice is… I’m sure you know it all well.”

All the soldiers kept their mouths shut after hearing Iron’s words. They all realized that a difficult task, a task that was incomparable to what they were doing at the present, was waiting for them.

“Even if you want to run away, it’s already too late. Since I spent my time and effort on you, you won’t be able to get out of this unit until our operation ends.”

Iron’s smile was like that of a devil’s when he smiled at them.

His troops gritted their teeth after seeing his face that looked more vicious than ever.

“If you want revenge, fine! However! You can only do it after the operation is over. So, if you want to hit me, make sure to survive until the end of the operation.”

The soldiers really gritted their teeth openly at Iron’s words.

Just like that, a lot of people felt emotional at his words. However, they had no choice but to continue training for the hard mission that awaited them on their next operation.

After relieving their fatigue, Iron immediately made them familiarize with his tactics as they quickly moved to their area of operation.

They went further and further from the nearest area up until the frontlines. Even if they couldn’t go to the very front of the frontlines because they still lack in skills and strength, they could still deal with the monsters that came down with their current troops.

After enough calculations and planning, Iron decided that their first destination should be the place where the goblins were.

“The goblins are more dangerous than orcs inside the forest. Never let your guard down since they are the masters of ambush.”

They were bastards that were skilled in ambush. They might be the lowest of the monsters and were always often ignored. But when it came to fighting in the field, especially in a forest, the goblins became more sly and tricky than anyone else. In particular, those who moved in a military scale, like battalion troops, were most likely to die if they moved recklessly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Guns and bombs swept the forest as the rangers entered the area. Then, with the knights and soldiers working together, the remaining goblins were killed. This was the easiest tactic in dealing with the goblins hiding in the forest.

“Lizardmen are more dangerous in the swamp than ogres.”

Crackle!

They burned down the swamp with the help of magic tools and the use of poison gas to attract the lizardmen out of the swamp. After all, they were easy to handle once they were out of the swamp. As soon as they crawled out of the swamp, their necks would be cut off by their swords. And even if they tried to hold out in their swamp, the soldiers would spray some poisonous gas on them and throw some bombs to finish them off. Regardless of what they chose, death would be the only ending for these lizardmen.

“You have to widen the distance between you and the orcs if you’re fighting them in the plains! You have to fight long distances if you want to live!”

Bang, bang, bang! Boom! Boom!

The knight order organized the soldiers and gave their orders as they fired shots from long distances.

As long as there was no orc champion, who could penetrate through everything and take the lead, or orc shaman, who strengthened other orcs with magic, they would not be able to withstand the magic bullets and bombs. The orcs died one by one without much effort.

“Is this… possible?”

“I know. I heard that he was active in the Lion Castle Fortress but…”

The soldiers began to make a fuss after the battle had ended.

It was as if the things that he had shown at the frontlines were just the tip of the iceberg. The command that Iron had shown as soon as they entered the forest was close to a master. Following his commands made it extremely easy to kill these monsters that even Ariel, who had fought countless battles in the Northeast, was dumbfounded.

Contrary to the general methods where commanders created tactics solely based on either the characteristics of monsters or the environment that the monsters were in, Iron used tactics that could easily deal with monsters by combining the surrounding environments and the monsters’ characteristics. These were tactics that couldn’t be known unless one was fully aware of the monsters’ habits.

As if to prove his extensive knowledge and grasp of command, Iron hadn’t even moved personally once during the three battles that they fought. Just like a real commander who only gave orders from behind to give and build his troops’ experience.

After experiencing three big battles, they finally arrived for the first time in an area where a unit was currently isolated.

“I didn’t expect that you’d really come.”

The unit’s commander had tears in his eyes as he looked at Iron in gratitude. It seemed like they had already prepared themselves to die if no one came to rescue them.

“We’ve broken through and created a path so you can retreat in the direction that we came from.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much!”

The commander of the isolated unit thanked him several times as he prepared to retreat with his troops.

Meanwhile, Iron created a line connecting the isolated units nearby and figuring out where the monsters were by asking the soldiers that were isolated. Iron’s eyes shone brightly after he finished making a rough outline of their operation and placed the details about the monsters on his map.

“Is this the start?”

The monsters who bothered him in his past life, became a monster corps, attacked the castle, and became a monster wave that turned the entire North into a battlefield, were now right in front of him. The waves of monsters that they had experienced in this life was not that big of a deal compared to the ones in his previous life. In addition they were not that strong yet because they were just about to form a corps. So, this was an opportunity.

If the monsters were the ones who bullied them in his past life, this time it was their time to bully them.

“Which one should I kill first?”

Numerous monster tribes spread throughout the forest. The goblins alone were divided into dozens of tribes which were being absorbed together.

He had learned that the integration process was already underway and had already progressed considerably through the isolated unit but it was still not yet too late. Right now, they were in a situation where only half of the process had proceeded. This meant that they still had plenty of time to interrupt.

Iron was convinced that they could break down the corps before it could be completed if he used his extensive knowledge about monsters.

“This time, I will be the demon.”

Iron mumbled to himself as he pointed at the orc unit with his finger. They would be his first prey.

And in just a day, the orc unit that Iron had targeted disappeared without a trace.

From that day onwards, news spread among the monsters that a demon unit has appeared in a corner of the Northern Forest. According to the monsters who had fought with them at least once, they weren’t demons but the humans that they had ignored.

“They’re the demons who came to slaughter us!”

These rumors also began to spread widely in the human units.

And Iron’s special operation unit’s reputation that began with ‘disorderly’ had now transformed into a ‘demon unit’ after slaughtering these monsters one by one. And at the center of it all was the hero, Iron Carter.

***