Chapter 1: The Arrow of Glory That Decides the Battle

“Valzen Ducal Calendar Year 10, June 13 — The heavens suddenly darken with gathering storm clouds.”

[Perspective of Glenn, a Young Foot Soldier]

The heat haze wavered, distorting the view beyond the hill.

What filled the horizon was the enemy army, a massive force led by Marquis Caledon.

Countless war banners, raised as if to pierce the heavens, writhed like a forest with a will of its own.

Their number was approximately twenty thousand.

It was a coalition army formed from multiple nobles.

In contrast, our Valzen Ducal army numbered only four thousand.

To anyone’s eyes, the battle at the Helden Hills was destined to end in an overwhelming defeat for the Duke of Valzen.

The desperate difference in numbers drained the color from the soldiers’ faces.

Yet, in the midst of it all, only our lord wore a fearless smile.

“Look. The heavens are on our side.”

As if taking his words as a signal, the sky suddenly clouded over, and large drops of rain began to fall one by one.

The Duke of Valzen’s smile was not that of a man driven mad by fear.

It was the face of a prophet who believed firmly in something unshakable.

Before long, a mud-covered scout came riding in on horseback.

“My lord! The enemy army has halted their advance due to the torrential rain! Their formation is in disarray in the low ground before the hills!”

The enemy had struggled to attack the hill we occupied and had stopped in the worst possible terrain.

A faint murmur spread among the soldiers.

I gripped my spear tightly and swallowed hard.

At my feet, the relentless rain turned the ground into thick mud, which clung heavily to my iron greaves.

(If I can somehow earn merit, I’ll get myself a beautiful wife!)

Four thousand soldiers was a small number.

But every one of them carried some kind of ambition.

Yet no one voiced those thoughts aloud.

Because the Duke standing firm in the pouring rain looked like a god of war himself.

“Move out! Teach those cowardly pigs what a wolf’s fangs are!”

A command that echoed from the depths of his belly.

Without even turning back, the Duke of Valzen flipped his black cloak and rode his horse down the hill himself.

As if chasing after him, we raised our war cries and began our charge.

“WAAAAAAAAGH!”

The battlefield suddenly erupted into chaos.

I kicked up mud and plunged straight into the center of the enemy’s confusion.

The faces of enemy soldiers, twisted in shock, were right before me.

There was only one target.

The golden dragon banner raised by the enemy commander, Marquis Caledon.

The main camp was still far away.

But this surprise attack had paralyzed the enemy’s chain of command.

(Just a little more… just a little more and I’ll see the enemy commander’s face!)

I joined this reckless battle for one reason alone.

To earn merit and rise in status.

My body moved faster than my thoughts.

I drove the long spear I had been carrying into the mud and discarded it, then grabbed my worn bow instead.

In the distance, I saw what looked like golden armor belonging to the enemy commander.

I nocked an arrow and pulled the rain-soaked bowstring tight.

I held my breath and forcibly steadied my ragged breathing.

(The wind… from the southwest. Strong. Distance, about four hundred. Can it reach…? No, it’s impossible.)

Common sense told me it was impossible.

Even so, my fingers released the string on their own.

As if guided by something unseen.

The arrow tore through the air with a sharp cry.

Its fletching struck away the raindrops, making it seem as though it trailed a tail of white light.

The next moment—

From the distant enemy main camp, a scream pierced the sky.

Amid the dust and splashing mud, the golden dragon banner slowly began to tilt.

But it’s not over yet!

The arrow may have reached him, but it might not have been fatal!

I threw aside the bow, grabbed the spear I had planted, and charged into the enemy ranks once more.

“UOOOOOOOOOHHHH!”

My fear vanished, leaving only ambition driving me forward.

I shoved aside the panicking enemy soldiers, slammed through them with my shoulder, and pushed onward without stopping.

I saw him.

A man on horseback, an arrow lodged in his shoulder, his face twisted in agony.

The luxurious golden armor—there was no doubt.

It was Marquis Caledon.

I leapt like a beast and thrust my spear toward the gap in his armor—straight for his neck.

“Guh… ah!?”

A dull sensation of piercing flesh.

Through the shaft of the spear, I could feel his life fading away.

But this wasn’t enough.

I wouldn’t let anyone steal this achievement from me.

I mounted the fallen Marquis Caledon, drew the dagger from my waist, and without hesitation slit his throat.

With blood splattering across my face, I raised his head high.

“The enemy commander! Marquis Caledon! I’ve slain him—!”

My scream miraculously echoed across the battlefield.

Hearing it, the enemy soldiers, my allies, and even the Duke of Valzen all turned to look at me.

The battle was over.

The Caledon army, having lost its commander, collapsed as easily as twisting a baby’s arm.

After the battle, the head inspection was conducted before the Duke of Valzen.

I knelt on the muddy ground, bowing my head with a trembling body.

“A splendid head. But in the midst of that surprise attack, can you truly claim it was your achievement alone?”

One of the Duke’s retainers cast a suspicious gaze.

At that moment, another soldier respectfully presented a single arrow.

“My lord, please look at this. It was deeply embedded in Marquis Caledon’s shoulder.”

The Duke of Valzen took the arrow and frowned in puzzlement.

Near the arrowhead, on the shaft, there was a strange mark carved into it.

It was a meaningless doodle I had carved out of boredom, something no one else could read.

The Duke looked back and forth between the arrow and my face, then changed that earlier mad smile into one filled with delight.

“—Splendid! Foot soldier! What is your name! I shall promote you!”

Feeling my heart leap, I desperately squeezed out my voice.

“M-My name is Glenn!”

(This was the beginning.)

The moment my life began to change dramatically.

The battle that would later be called the “Miracle of Helden” by historians began with a single arrow fired by an unknown soldier.