The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 146

“……This.”

The moment he saw the invitation, Damian let out a chuckle of disbelief.

He had been planning to ask Leonhark once more for permission to meet Hainel.

It was the best course of action Damian could take.

‘Even if I knew the location, I couldn’t just barge into where Lord Hainel is without permission.’

Not only would it be impolite, but it would also jeopardize his goal.

Yet here he was, receiving an invitation before even bringing it up.

Even Leonhark, who handed over the invitation, looked slightly surprised.

He hadn’t expected Hainel to summon Damian again so soon.

And right after returning from the same battlefield, no less.

‘……Did he see potential in this boy?’

No, Damian had grown too much to still be called a boy.

Leonhark, seeing Damian’s bewildered expression as he held the invitation, spoke.

“It seems he has something important to discuss. How about departing quickly? Don’t worry about the training; I’ll handle it as you suggested.”

“……Lord Hainel.”

What could he possibly be thinking?

Though the situation was difficult to predict, leaving quickly, as Leonhark advised, seemed to be the best option.

“Then I’ll leave the unit in your care while I’m gone.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll completely transform it into the kind of unit you envisioned. Hahaha.”

Leonhark’s grin deepened, his enthusiasm evident.

“……”

Seeing that smile, Damian was certain.

‘Rest in peace, you poor bastards…….’

The entire Caion unit was about to walk the path of hell.

But they would grow stronger as a result.

Leonhark wouldn’t simply let them be.

“It seems I spend more time away than I do in the unit.”

“There’s a good reason for it, so it’s fine.”

With that, Leonhark stood and extended a hand to Damian.

Damian tilted his head slightly at the gesture, but then Leonhark explained.

“Something tells me the task ahead might be rougher than the training here. Best of luck to you.”

“……Thank you.”

Gripping Leonhark’s hand firmly, Damian rose from his seat.

This invitation could very well be a golden opportunity.

Before leaving, Damian immediately called all the squad leaders together.

He had to inform them of the changes coming to the Caion unit.

“……Excuse me?”

“You mean a unit specialized in guerilla tactics?”

Terka cautiously asked Damian.

Hit-and-run tactics—essentially guerrilla warfare—were exactly what Damian had in mind.

Damian nodded.

“That’s right. Our numbers are small, and I don’t plan to increase them recklessly.”

To operate the unit as Damian envisioned, everyone present needed to be proficient in advanced magic.

However, they still had a long way to go.

Damian addressed them.

“So train like your lives depend on it. We need to be capable of handling ten thousand imperial soldiers with just our three hundred.”

“Excuse me? Ten thousand?”

Kyle’s face was one of disbelief, but.

“……Understood.”

“Yes, Commander.”

The seriousness in Damian’s expression made all the squad leaders nod.

Damian lightly patted the shoulder of Dianal, who stood in front of him.

“I’ll return stronger, so make sure you all get stronger too. Only then can we move forward together.”

He meant it.

Those who couldn’t keep up would inevitably be left behind.

At Damian’s words, everyone nodded with determined expressions.

“Take care, Commander.”

“Whatever your reason for going, make sure to return safely. We’ll be training as if our lives depend on it.”

At Kyle’s response, Damian nodded.

“I’ll be back.”

With those words, Damian mounted his horse and swiftly rode toward the forest where Hainel’s villa was located.

“What’s the current progress?”

Chancellor Cartelia of the Empire, Benoît Yulianos, checked on the advancement of Calon’s forces moving into the Kingdom of Artian.

His secretary, Taloud Beikun, responded.

“They’ve recently passed the northern coastline and captured the first city, Srenzkanal. They’ve since pressed south without rest and are now advancing toward Drionte.”

“When did they take Srenzkanal?”

“Two days ago. We received confirmation via magical communication. By now, they should be nearing Drionte.”

“Drionte, hmm… The Artian Kingdom must be trembling in fear by now.”

The pace of the advance was explosive.

Landing at the coast five days ago, they had breached the coastal defenses and captured Srenzkanal in just three days.

It was such a swift and violent advance that it was hard to imagine many within the Empire could replicate it.

Or even attempt it.

“General Calon will handle things well, but remind him to also look after the soldiers’ well-being. While he is strong, not all those under him share his strength.”

“Understood.”

Sending Calon to Artian was a clear demonstration of the Empire’s resolve.

This battle would ensure that Artian understood they could not remain unscathed in this war.

That was why Calon had been dispatched.

“Now, let’s see how Artian decides to respond.”

Benoît smirked slightly as he studied the map of the continent spread across the table, his gaze fixated on the Kingdom of Artian.

***

Hainel’s forest, revisited.

The place exuded the same abundant magical energy as before.

When Damian dismounted, Villipt slowly approached him from inside.

“You must not have fully recovered from the fatigue of the battlefield. It must have been tiring to come all this way.”

“Not at all. Rather, it’s an honor that Lord Hainel invited me first.”

Damian handed the invitation to Villipt as he spoke. Villipt responded with a faint smile and guided him inside.

Swish.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but this forest…

‘Was it under a barrier…?’

Feeling a subtle difference from before, Damian glanced around.

Villipt, walking ahead, spoke up.

“That’s correct.”

“Pardon?”

“A magical barrier has been erected. Without an invitation, it’s nearly impossible to enter this place.”

“Ah…”

Even knowing the location wouldn’t have been enough to gain entry.

Nodding at Villipt’s explanation, Damian followed him deeper into the forest.

As they proceeded along a familiar path, the villa he had seen before came into view.

“Oh, you’ve come!”

Hainel, standing in the villa’s garden, greeted Damian warmly.

Damian bowed respectfully.

“It’s good to see you again, Your Grace.”

“Hoho, you don’t know how eagerly I’ve been waiting for you.”

“May I ask why?”

This was the question that had been on Damian’s mind the entire journey here. Why had the Duke of Hainel sent him an invitation?

Hainel chuckled softly at Damian’s straightforward question.

“Shall we take a walk?”

Turning around, Hainel began to stroll through the garden, and Damian followed by his side.

“What did you take away from the recent battle?”

“……Pardon?”

“I’m curious about your honest impression.”

The preemptive strike against the Imperial forces had been a significant decision. And it was Damian who had first suggested it.

“Well…”

Damian hesitated at Hainel’s question.

He didn’t know why Hainel was asking this, but…

“…I thought it was manageable.”

He decided to answer honestly.

“Manageable?”

Hainel stopped walking and turned to look at Damian, seemingly intrigued by the unexpected response. Damian nodded.

“Yes. Even though the Empire is hailed as the continent’s strongest nation, our strength was enough to affect them significantly.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“However, on a personal level, I also felt… that we were far too weak.”

“Weak? In what way?”

Hainel’s gaze sharpened momentarily, as if trying to uncover something in Damian’s words.

Damian explained.

“No matter how much our strength could affect the Empire, if you hadn’t been present on that battlefield, not only I but also the reinforcements from the kingdom… and the Kingdom of Spanian itself would have been erased from the map.”

A single individual.

The intervention of just one person wielding aura had drastically changed the battlefield.

“To achieve complete victory on the battlefield, we must surpass the enemy in strength. And that means mastering aura.”

The overwhelming gap he had felt when facing Calon.

This time was no different.

Though the pressure had been less than with Calon, Galveron was still far beyond Damian’s current reach.

“In the end, to fight them, we need to rise to their level. Everything else… is secondary.”

Damian understood the immense power of an Aura Master.

That was why, after being given a second chance at life, he had dedicated himself solely to that goal.

And to avenge the Empire, which had led him and his men to their deaths.

He knew the path would be grueling, but Damian had never once wavered.

‘Even so…’

Time was short, and he was still too weak.

Though he was striving desperately to grow stronger, the methods he knew had their limits.

“That’s why I… wanted to contact you again, Lord Hainel.”

“You did?”

“Yes. But thankfully, you called for me first.”

“Hm… Why did you wish to see me?”

At Hainel’s question, Damian answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“I want to grow stronger. Much stronger than I am now… strong enough to surpass the Empire’s Aura Masters.”

“……”

“I know it’s a difficult task. Perhaps even impossible.”

But he had no intention of giving up.

Because he believed that was the reason he had been given this second chance at life.

“…You seem sincere.”

Hainel spoke softly, observing Damian’s gaze.

It was clear that the young man’s words were no lie.

Hainel asked again.

“You may die. Even so, will you walk this path?”

“……There’s something you don’t know about me, Your Grace.”

“What’s that?”

Damian’s voice dropped as he answered.

“I’ve already died once.”