Chapter 18

The Soldier

 

Victory and Glory. Only that persecutes the people of Iren. Only that can accompany a << ACME Soldier >>.

In Iren, when a child reaches 6 years old, they're tested to determine their potential. If they show good skills, they become candidates for being Acme soldiers.

During the next 6 years they will have to pass test after test. The few who achieve it become cadets and are sent to the true training camp, located in the capital of the Irenita territory, the glorious city Acme, sacred land of humanity, where once the protective deity of the world resided <<Ashma>> .

In that same land, under the gaze of the statue of the deity, the cadets go through the greatest tests. Many fail, many more do not even survive, but those capable of overcome 6 years of training receive the honorable opportunity to take the Acme test. Passing the test means the honor of finally becoming an Acme Soldier, the greatest honor to have for a citizen of Iren, no, for anyone around the world.

I passed that test and became an Acme Soldier, assigned to the sixth legion of the General Demon.

The four generals. Those who hold military power and respond only to the council and the two kings of Iren.

The General of the Sun, assigned to the conquest of the northern lands.

The General of the Night, assigned to the defense of the southern lands.

The General of the desert, assigned to the exploration and conquest of the west.

The General of Heaven, assigned to the protection of the sacred land of Acme and the temples of Ashma.

These four generals work together for the glory of Iren.

None of them compare to the man who bears the title of <<Demon>>. It is said that in the entire history of Iren, there have only been a dozen individuals who have received that title. Even among them, there have been only two who earned the name "Demon of Two horns". The Great General at the time of the foundation of Iren and the man I serve.

Years ago a nameless stranger rose on the battlefield and quickly climbed to the top of the military world.

The one with more authority among the Generals. Whose authority is barely inferior to that of the kings. The ruthless demon that brings hell to earth. Those of us who have fought under his orders know it. One day he will succeed one of the kings and conquer the entire continent.

Under the orders of such a glorious leader, is that the sixth legion, which I command since 2 years ago, mobilized to take a tiny and insignificant little town. A place with a little less than non-existent military power. So much that in the last two centuries we have ignored, even though our armies constantly pass through their lands.

Honestly, I feel nauseous to think of fighting people who offer less resistance than simple animals, but I am not the one to judge the General. No doubt there is some good reason why we should do all this. Maybe it has to do with the prophecy of the statue.

As we approach our next conquest, a group of insignificant mercenaries crossed our path. Under normal circumstances, I would have my men exterminate them as warming, but in this case these cowardly rats are our allies, in the service of the General.

Accompanied by the mercenaries, we finally arrive at the village, where we are received as usual by the guards. These people, like dogs, adapted to survive in the shadow of the strong. Every time Iren's armies pass through this village is greeted with hot food, drink and lodging for the officers. In return they are content with some pieces of metal or jewelry that we usually carry outside other conquered places. Not counting the metals that can be used for weapons and armor, the rest is useless garbage, such as throwing a bone at a dog.

But today is different.

"Peoples of Galatea, know that they are now under Iren's domain, if they resist they will find their death".

After my usual announcement, one of the guards loses his composure and starts running ... Cowards without spines.

Before getting lost between the houses, he is pierced by the spear of one of my men.

"AAAAAGHGG!!"

The cries of the man are accompanied by those of the women who witnessed his death ... this does not even serve as warming.

"Kill all those who try to flee the town or are armed".

Without wasting time my men take the town, while I watch the annihilation of the 'Threats', the mercenaries who came with us begin to take people out of their homes and gather them to bind them and take them as slaves. Payment agreed for their services.

From time to time, we trade with foreigners. At such times, one of the preferred means of payment is our prisoners of war, who are used as slaves. Because of this, and because there is simply no honor in killing those who cannot resist, we don't usually kill the submissive.

The submissive will inherit the earth, to work it on behalf of their masters as the slaves they are.

"Get away from my sister!"

Suddenly, between screams and struggles, I hear a weak but firm voice. Looking at the direction from which it comes, I see a boy with a wooden sword place himself between one of the mercenaries and a young woman who seems to have fallen to the ground.

"Hehehe. Child, you have a beautiful sister, she will be an excellent slave".

"Don't waste your time and kill him, that brat dared to hit me".

"I told him not to put his disgusting hands on my sister!"

"Albert! Stop! It's dangerous!"

Hah ... what a sad sight. Do they really call themselves men? Should they really make such a fuss over a child?

Patetic.

"AH. You, soldier. Hurry up and kill that insolent hatchery who dared to hit me!"

"..."

"What, didn't you hear? I told you to kill him!"

That man looks even weaker than the others. His clothes look better, but they were not made for combat. Maybe it's the slave trader that the mercenaries work with or their boss. Although he does not know how to measure his words, he speaks better than his men.

"None of my men will obey you".

"Eh? Well then you make them fulfill my orders, this is our payment for work, it belongs to us. It's your job, to kill those who resist!"

"Resist eh?"

Without paying much attention to the exasperated subject, I approach the child.

Hmm, his posture is not so bad, I think he has a better countenance than the rest of this miserable town, maybe if he was 10 years older ... No, even so, he could only be an opponent for a regular soldier, not even would take time for one of my men.

"Are you the cause of this scandal?"

"The culprits are you, we didn't do anything!"

"It's true, they didn't do anything to us, that's why I intend to let them live, I'm a reasonable man."

"AAAH!"

"ALBERT!!"

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Gathering his spirit, the boy covers the distance that separates us as fast as his short legs allow and attacks with his wooden sword.

Naturally, the sword is torn apart by hitting my armor and the spirit on the child's face weakens with confusion.

"Take him".

One of my men who was observing, particularly the one to whom the merchant tried to give orders before, held the boy while he's still looking at what was left of his sword.

" What do you do? I told you to kill him!"

"Don't get confused. Maybe we are working together on this campaign, but we are not allies and no doubt, you are not our boss".

"A simple soldier dares ..."

"Simple soldier?"

In these words I let my fighting spirit flow, a pressure that reduces the mercenaries around to mere worms capable of keep themselves together. A non-combatant like this attempt of man is naturally not able to stand up to such pressure.

"Let me clarify for you. Each of my men and I, are Acme soldiers. The elite of the elite. Even the last among the Acme soldiers has the authority of a commander. So if we do not receive a superior direct order, we act at our own discretion. Our orders in this campaign were that we take this town and hand over its survivors as slaves, killing only those who put up resistance. Under no circumstances do we have to obey their orders".

"T-That boy ... Attacked me! He resisted ...! He even attacked you!"

Heee. Despite being less than a mouse, he had the strength to respond. Well, for something he can lead to more than a hundred mercenaries. If not, some of his own men would have already cut off his head. Even so ... it's still less than a mouse.

"I am an Acme soldier, my body, like my armor, is made for war. Something like this ..." I say holding in my hand some pieces of the child's wooden sword.

"Something like this is not a threat. That cannot be considered as resisting. For that, at least he should carry a real sword ... At least".

"That's nonsense, the boy ..."

"And something else. As I said before, the orders were to take the town and hand over the slaves ... At no time were we given the order not to kill thy. In other words, it's up to me if you live or die."

"GGGIIIIAHH!"

"You scream like a mouse, you make rodents look bad. Respond me again and I will cut off your head. We give you the slaves and you take their clothes and impersonate refugees to infiltrate Galia. If you do your job well, maybe we will make deals again. If they fail or betray us, there will be no place on the continent or in the rest of the world where they can hide from Iren's wrath. Was I clear enough? "

Sweating liters, the ruffian nods with exaggerated head movements. Well, both he and his lackeys who watched us could understand their place.

Clarified this matter. We let the mercenaries do their job, after giving them a couple of days advantage, we start moving in the direction of Galia.

...

So that is the formation of mountains of Galia. It's the first time that I see it. The eastern end of the continent.

Galia is a famous place, because it has an AS Academy that operates independently from neighboring kingdoms. If weren't because Jagheb already long ago claimed everything that could be valuable from that academy, perhaps it would be worth conquering Galia, even considering the casualties that a frontal assault would cause.

Well, it's not that I should think about it, even if it's not the most glorious thing, a regular siege will be enough this time, that if the mercenaries can do their job well ... That's boring.

Victory and Glory Only that Iren people look for. Honor will always come with them.

But the only honor I will get from this is to have followed my orders. There will not even be a dignified battle. It is not as if there had been until now an opponent worthy of me. So far, no one outside Iren has proven to give a fight. Even Jagheb, their men are barely up to the regular soldiers, if not for their weapons, they would be lost.

"Sir, Commander Jemur, sir".

"What's the matter soldier?"

"There are some men at the foot of the mountain, they seem to be waiting for us".

"Mm. How strange".

Making use of the distant vision tool that my subordinate handed me, I observe 4 men standing in front of the road that leads to Galia. They all wear armor, and good ones. But nothing special, except for the bearer of a golden armor. Possessor of a countenance like I had never seen before. Despite the distance, it seems as if he is watching me.

"They have the courage to leave behind the defenses to appear before us. We must return the gesture. I will go myself, they are 4, so I want 3 squad leaders to accompany me".

"To the order".

It's not like I need the escort, but when you're going to talk to the enemy leader, showing your men is a status symbol, let them see that you are not a simple messenger, but the commander.

As we get closer, the delicacy of the stranger's golden armor is more noticeable. It is as if it was made entirely of gold. But that is hard to believe, not only would it be extremely expensive, but it would also be a weight that few men could carry, not to mention using it in combat. The identity of the stranger interests me more and more.

When we arrive a few meters away from them, I once again take a look at the appearance of the stranger. It's as if he exude dignity and power. His face is what you would expect from the owner of the world. Not even the kings of Iren or the warlords who form the council have such a presence ... Only he. I believed to this day that no one could have such a presence, besides the General Demon of Two horns. Who is this person?

"Greetings, peoples from Galia. I am Jemur, commander of the sixth legion of Acme soldiers of the General Demon of Two horns, of the army of Iren".

Without even thinking about it, I introduced myself, expecting the same from him. It is not the usual announcement, but a genuine presentation of my person and rank.

"Greetings soldiers from Iren. I am Argent Makoto, an Aristoi. I have taken residence in Galia and on behalf of the city, I have come to make a deal".

An Aristoi? With his bearing, it is possible, but ... A deal?

As if he could read my mind, the man dissipates my confusion with his next words.

"I want to challenge your leader to a duel. If I win, the intruders will leave Galia and the surrounding territory. If I lose, we will let you go up the road without resistance. Of course, once up, we will face you with everything we have, it’s not as if we intend to give up without fighting".

OH what is this? A challenge. And he says that even if they lose, they will not give up, despite abandoning their defenses along the way. But how much dignity! I never dreamed of the opportunity to fight in combat with an Aristoi, and even more, this man with a presence like that of the General. I cannot miss this opportunity.

"As the commander of this army, I accept the challenge".

"Very well. Follow us, we will guide you to the place of combat. I will order the guards along the way to let you pass".

"Oh. So will we fight up?"

"Of course. The people of Galia must also witness the confrontation. Moreover, if I lose, you will have already crossed the road, so if I die, I will have done it after fulfilling my part of the deal".

How admirable! I can't wait to kill this great man with my own hands!