Trace

It is said that, across the entire continent, there are few generals capable of wielding the qi I named battle aura. That is because one must spend a long time fighting magical beasts and learn to use this power through experience.

Even though strange creatures and supernatural phenomena began running rampant throughout the land at some point after the First Celestial Emperor founded the Empire, with their numbers and the damage they caused growing by the day, it was still exceedingly rare for even a frontline commander to see a crow speaking in human language.

But rather than question the crow's existence or determine the source of its power, Gusan was too busy demanding that I deal with the Petrifying Serpents squatting in his own quarters. It was a clear indication of just how incompetent he was as a military commander.

'Come quickly and subdue this magical beast! At this rate, the outer gate will be breached!'

"Why are you asking me to coordinate with another fort to deal with a magical beast rather than barbarians? Are there no capable people in Reed Village?"

'What nonsense! One of the constables we saw at your fort brought the thing here!'

"Ah~ Park Gyu is over there?"

I had no particular intention of hiding it. I had instructed Park Gyu and my other subordinates to remain in their military camp under the pretext of injuries they had suffered while being chased by magical beasts.

If they tried to use civilians as shields or send the constables to their deaths, I planned to intervene immediately. It seemed they were doing their job well.

'He's running wild throughout his jurisdiction, saying he's looking for the man who had an affair with his wife! Hurry up and give the order to subdue the magical beast!'

This wasn't part of the plan. Still, it seemed they were causing confusion while keeping tabs on the situation, so I would postpone scolding them until later.

I whispered into Yeonri's ear. It was only meant as a warning to Gusan, but the cold, low voice made her earlobe turn red in an instant.

"Because you damaged our fort's farmland the other day, many people had to suffer from hunger."

'You mean this is revenge for the grudge you hold from back then!? If so, you've chosen the wrong method.'

"What do you mean?"

'How can you not understand that we are the ones who can bring dying Pamagok back to life instead?'

Gusan was narrow-minded and militarily incompetent, but his greed was boundless, so his mind worked quickly. For all his faults, he was the Border Guard commander in charge of the frontier.

As the central figure among those who kept me at arm's length, he tried to subtly seize control of the conversation from me.

'If the fertile land is turned into a field of stones by the snake coiled in Reed Village, and even the fort collapses, General Yoo Hyun, you may feel satisfied, but the situation will remain anything but easy.'

"That part……"

'There is no point in requesting supplies from the military supply office now. They will be too busy prioritizing the provisions we requested, so not even a single sack of grain will make its way over there.'

"Why is that?"

He gave a characteristic, greasy chuckle. As Yeonri relayed his words, a trace of concern appeared in her eyes. But after reading my expression, she quickly erased her anxiety and focused on maintaining her connection with the crow.

When he followed my relaxed gaze and looked around, understanding seemed to dawn on him.

'You acted like you knew everything, but perhaps because you were a constable, your horizons are painfully narrow. I, however, have already seen the bigger picture. More precisely, I have already read the first page of the grand plan for the edicts the Celestial Emperor will issue in the future.'

"What is that?"

'Even if I tell you, it will not change anything. You will not change your mind until you believe it, so I will explain it to help you understand. It is the subjugation of the barbarians.'

From Yeodong, where the First Fort was established, all the way to Heukseo, home of the Thirteenth Fort.

It was a term for the barbarous peoples beyond the Central Plains, the lands known as the Outer Regions. There were too many to count individually, so when the Empire spoke of barbarians, it usually meant nomads like the Yashin, who waged war under the command of a great khan.

Gusan had predicted that the Emperor would order an expedition into the Outer Regions, and he intended to prepare for war one step ahead of everyone else.

'The commanders who share my aims, including those who visited Pamagok last time, are proceeding in perfect accord. Do you understand now? It means no supplies will be sent your way.'

"I understand that, but there is one thing I'm curious about."

'What is it?'

"Which barbarians, exactly, does the Celestial Emperor wish to subdue?"

'Good heavens! How can a commander not even know that?!'

He shouted as if my question were exasperating. Judging by Yeonri's grimace, he seemed to be screaming directly into the crow's ear.

'Yashin, Siseum, Togyul…… Surely you have heard of those barbarous peoples who disregard the Celestial Emperor's grace—the grace that lets them shelter from rain, quench their thirst, and live peacefully beneath the heavens—and would go so far as to trample the Empire's fertile lands?'

"Siseum, huh…… So Siseum is included too."

'Of course.'

Along with the Yashin and Togyul, the Siseum were one of the nomadic groups the Empire watched most warily. They were skilled at concealment and camouflage, disguising themselves as animals or parts of the terrain before ambushing soldiers patrolling near the border and inflicting heavy casualties.

A few years ago, the Great Khan of the Siseum appeared after subjugating the other tribes of the steppe and expanding his power. He burned three villages under the jurisdiction of the Eighth Fort, throwing the surrounding people into a state of terror.

Unlike the terrifyingly cold-blooded Yashin, the Siseum were savage by nature and sometimes even engaged in cannibalism. Even seasoned soldiers could not hide their fear before their spear shafts, each bearing an impaled head.

'In any case, it is not too late. Order your subordinates or send your troops to deal with the magical beast yourself. And if you continue to keep quiet as you have until now, who knows? If I organize an expedition, perhaps I can find a position for you as well……'

That should be enough. I had heard all the information I needed. After taking a moment to catch my breath, I spoke to Gusan.

"There is no need for you to wage war against the barbarians."

'Hm?'

"Because I have already done so."

'What……?'

I said, slowly rolling around the head of Kuchaar—the Great Khan of the Siseum—that lay at my feet.

My subordinates were gathering the corpses and burning them. They had done it countless times over the past few years, so everyone was accustomed to the work.

Since I knew little about farming or trade, I had no way to produce enough food to make up for the shortage immediately. But once my subordinates' training was complete, I came up with one method.

If we didn't have enough to eat, why not take food from somewhere else? We could deal with the barbarians who had been bothering us at the same time.

The Siseum, unlike the cautious Yashin, were truly a pain. They were not the sort to listen simply because we frightened them away. What did they hope to gain by invading day after day when there was hardly any food in the land?

Even if we had not needed food, I would have come out to teach these uncivilized tribes a lesson just the same. It was unexpected that the timing, one step ahead of the expedition, had made it unnecessary for the army to move.

"We were just about to return carrying their khan's head."

'…….'

"I am planning to load the captured food onto mules and bring it to the fort, so there is no need for you to share any. If you do not hurry and deal with the magical beast, won't your men be short of food next year?"

'…….'

"Commander Gusan?"

Only silence flowed back. I called for Gusan several more times, but no answer came from him.

Yeonri had only recently mastered battle aura, so maintaining the connection for a long time was difficult.

'Should I go there myself?'

And so, a few days later, after sending the food to Pamagok, I went to the Fourth Fort in Reed Village. The fort's gate stood half destroyed and open. Park Gyu was the first to come out and bow his head.

"I'm sorry, General."

"Didn't I tell you not to go around roughing up random people elsewhere? Once your wife had more than twenty lovers, wasn't she the real criminal……"

"That's not what I meant."

Park Gyu held out Gusan's head.

"I couldn't spare any attention while dealing with the Petrifying Serpents."

"How did this happen?"

"Immediately after your conversation, he was so terrified that he tried to flee, but the prisoners nearby caught him."

Outside, magical beasts were rampaging as they tried to enter the fort, while the soldiers were in a panic. During the evacuation, when the soldiers tried to use the prisoners as human shields, the enraged prisoners beat Gusan to death.

"If he had simply stayed at his post, he would have lived."

"Since it was a foregone conclusion that you would become the next Great General, he seems to have thought he was doomed sooner or later."

Apologizing versus committing suicide. I never thought someone would actually choose the latter.

In any event, I had not sent any troops with him, and Park Gyu had come alone, so it would have been impossible for him to command prisoners who had lost their reason while fighting the magical beasts. I had no intention of punishing him.

"Commander Nochil, who had been with him, seems to have left this place quickly as well, but he may still be nearby. Shall I take the soldiers and search the surrounding area?"

"No, leave him be."

Nochil had not been part of the group that came to Pamagok in the past.

He had merely been with Gusan when they released the snakes in Reed Village. Even if he had badmouthed me a little at the drinking party, decapitation would have been an excessive punishment.

'He cannot abandon the fort and run away anyway.'

The requisitioning of prisoners. Lax administration. A frontier that was practically a paradise for corrupt commanders. Yet there was one thing that was punished strictly: deserting one's assigned territory.

Since he was the Border Guard commander, Nochil would lose his head the moment he left the Fifth Fort's jurisdiction without permission.

'He would probably be pleased if I dropped by to show my face later.'

Thus, on the day I was preparing to return to Pamagok after taking a suitable rest in Reed Village, where its master had vanished, I saw my soldiers scolding the fort's constables.

"Ugh, what a smell……!"

"Good grief, you idiot! I told you not to touch the entrails!"

"S-sorry!"

It seemed they had mishandled the carcass because they lacked experience hunting magical beasts. The stomach of one of the Petrifying Serpents had split open, and its contents had spilled thickly across the reeds, causing everything around it to rot.

Though the poison made it dangerous, nearby residents were also peering into the magical beast's stomach to see whether there was anything useful inside. Most things dissolved in the powerful stomach acid and vanished without a trace, but occasionally part of a carcass or something difficult to dissolve would emerge. In fact, one of the soldiers had found something.

"What is this? It looks like an iron man."

"It's fairly large. Crude, but we could use it as a shield."

"What's going on?"

"Sir!"

When I approached, the soldier held up the object he had removed from the stomach and showed it to me.

"It looks like it swallowed a few barbarians before coming here."

"Really?"

"The dye isn't used anywhere around here, and it's too corroded to make out clearly, but it has some kind of occult symbols drawn on it. It's an unsettling object, so you shouldn't touch it, General……"

"Wait. Hold it there."

Though it was badly bent and more than half torn away, it was large enough to cover the entire upper body. The combination of deep blue and white lettering looked strangely familiar.

I had the soldier turn it ninety degrees and hold it that way. He had no idea what was going on, but cautiously moved the plate, digestive fluid dripping from it, as I instructed.

Tracing a hazy memory, I naturally read the strangely familiar letters aloud.

"Gang, nam…… What station?"

After some time had passed.

[Gangnam-daero 432->478. Sinnonhyeon Station/———]

The moment I realized that it was part of a road traffic sign commonly seen while driving……

"What the fuck?"

For the first time since possessing this body, a curse slipped from my lips.