The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 32

Arrowhead.

It meant arrowhead, but more than anything, it could symbolize a vanguard piercing through the enemy at the forefront.

Upon hearing Raymond’s suggestion, Lian’s face brightened.

“Arrowhead… I like it. It’s a good name.”

“I’m glad you like it!”

Raymond also wore a satisfied expression.

After that, Raymond and Lian continued their conversation.

“So, where are you planning to go on leave? You’ll have about fifteen days off this time.”

“I plan to go to Bellotra.”

“Bellotra? You mean the place with the Hallotian Temple?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, I’ve been there a few times. It’s a nice city.”

“Will you be staying with the unit, Captain?”

“I’ve got a mountain of tasks to handle. You’ll understand soon enough, haha.”

It seemed they had grown closer to the point of exchanging light banter.

As the conversation came to a natural end, Lian stood up.

“I will use the name well, thank you.”

“I’m glad I could name a unit that will grow to be great. I look forward to your future achievements.”

“Yes!”

After answering, Lian returned to the barracks.

“Wooaah! It’s the Lieutenant!”

“Captain, where have you been?”

“Congratulations, Lieutenant Lian!”

The barracks erupted into chaos with the squad members’ congratulations.

Lian smiled wryly and punched Kyle in the stomach.

“Move aside!”

“Oof!”

Kyle bent over in pain from the punch.

He had no idea why his captain, who was half his size, had such a strong punch.

Kyle didn’t realize that Lian’s body was growing stronger due to his constant training in Child Magic Techniques.

“Everyone, line up.”

At that moment, Lian’s tone turned serious, and the squad members wore slightly confused expressions. Isaac was the first to move, standing to the left and calling out.

“Line up!”

With that shout, the squad members lined up to Isaac’s right in order.

Seeing this, Lian let out a small laugh before addressing them.

“From now on, our unit will be known as Arrowhead, an independent unit within the Eagle Company, capable of making its own operational and tactical decisions.”

Then, Lian looked at Isaac.

“Isaac, as of this moment, you are appointed as the deputy commander of Arrowhead.”

The squad members flinched.

Normally, they would have shown exaggerated surprise, but Lian’s serious demeanor had them all feeling overwhelmed.

Lian extended his hand to Isaac.

“Let’s work well together.”

“Yes, I look forward to it!”

“And next, Brent!”

“Yes!”

Brent, the most agile and quick-witted, stood to Isaac’s immediate right.

“You are appointed as the leader of the first squad of Arrowhead, commanding ten comrades.”

Officially becoming a ten-man leader within the Arrowhead unit.

Lian continued his appointments.

“Kyle!”

“Yes!”

Kyle, the unit’s iron shield.

“Florin!”

“Yes!”

Florin, with attractive blonde hair and unique spear skills.

“Arthur!”

“Yes!”

Arthur, who steadfastly moves forward alongside Kyle.

“Hendrick!”

“Yes!”

Hendrick, who has yet to manifest any special abilities but has evenly balanced attributes.

“Aaron!”

“Yes!”

Aaron, fast on his feet and perfect in carrying out orders.

“Folk!”

“Yes.”

Folk, who silently covers his comrades’ weaknesses.

“Jedron!”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Semut!”

“Yes!”

If anyone in the squad could fight Isaac, it would be Jedron and Semut when they worked together.

Lian called out their names, appointing them as ten-man leaders within the Arrowhead unit.

“I look forward to working with you all.”

““Yes, sir!””

Their resounding voices echoed through the barracks, marking the official formation of the Arrowhead unit.

* * *

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Unlike its previous chilly atmosphere, the forge was now heated with the glow of the furnace and the sound of hammering.

Despite his thin shirt being soaked with sweat, Walter was enjoying himself immensely these days.

“Hello?”

“Welcome, is there something specific you’re looking for?”

A woman greeted the man who entered the forge with a friendly smile. She was Claire, who assisted Walter in the forge.

The man looked at the long swords hanging on the wall in response to Claire’s question.

“I’m an adventurer and need a sword. Do you have any suitable ones?”

“Oh, if you’re looking for an adventurer’s sword, please check this section. Adventurers tend to prefer swords that are both strong and lightweight.”

“Hmm… they all look good.”

The man had been an adventurer for several years, so he had an eye for swords.

As he examined the swords Claire showed him, he noticed a cloth-covered display.

“What’s this?”

“Ah, those are not for sale. They are specially ordered items.”

“Orders?”

The man peeked under the cloth and his eyes widened.

“These are of completely different quality.”

“Yes, they are made of special metals.”

“Can’t I buy one of these? Oh, you said they were orders. Can I order one of these?”

“Yes, you can, but there’s a bit of a wait…”

“How long?”

“Um…”

Claire glanced at Walter working inside the forge.

She chuckled at the sight of Walter, who was working diligently with his back to them.

“About ten years?”

“What?”

The man looked shocked. Claire could only give him an awkward smile.

After the man left, Walter, drenched in sweat, came out of the workshop.

Unlike the hot workshop, the cool breeze outside felt refreshing.

“Are you done, sir?”

“Pretty much.”

“Great job. By the way, someone asked about those swords again.”

“Haha, he must have a keen eye.”

Walter burst out laughing, clearly amused. However, Claire had a troubled look on her face.

“Can’t you put those things somewhere out of sight? I always end up in an awkward situation. When will the person who ordered those items come?”

“Who knows? They’ll come when the time is right.”

It had already been about five months since the person left.

There hadn’t been any specific contact yet,

‘But he’s not the kind of guy to break his promises.’

He said he would come back soon, so he probably would.

Looking at the neatly stacked items, Walter thought of that cocky kid for the first time in a while.

* * *

It felt like it had been a long time since he last visited.

‘So much has happened in such a short time.’

The Battle of Saleron had nothing to do with the Eagle Company.

It was just a dangerous event caused by getting caught up in the power struggles of the princes.

But Lian had gained a lot from this event.

In his past life, he had only risen to the rank of platoon leader over twenty years.

But now,

“Captain…”

It had already been several days, but it still didn’t feel real.

He probably wouldn’t feel it until the unit was fully formed.

Upon arriving in Bellotra, Lian immediately headed to the headquarters of the Hamel Trading Company.

“Oh… this place?”

The headquarters was slightly off the center of Bellotra.

In terms of location, it was more remote compared to other large trading companies, but the building’s exterior was luxurious.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m here to see Mr. Adelson.”

“The head merchant? Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but could you tell him Lian is here?”

“I’m sorry, but without an appointment, you can’t see him. If you let us know where you’re staying, we can deliver a message later.”

Lian looked troubled as he faced the woman turning him away.

She gave off the impression of being very competent.

She had slightly upturned eyes, resembling a cat, and seemed very strict.

As Lian fumbled, feeling awkward,

“Oh? Isn’t that Mr. Lian?”

Lian turned at the familiar voice from the other direction.

“Oh?”

It was a familiar face.

From when he first met Adelson…

“Sir Bex, was it?”

“Thank you for remembering. I’m Bex, Adelson’s bodyguard. Are you here to see the head merchant?”

“Yes, but…”

Lian looked at the woman with a slightly troubled expression.

She seemed a bit flustered by Bex’s sudden appearance, as if wondering if she had made a mistake.

“Niel, I’ll guide him. You can go back to your tasks.”

“Yes, yes!”

The woman, named Niel, turned and left. Bex then spoke to Lian.

“If there was any inconvenience, I apologize.”

“Inconvenience? No, there wasn’t any. There’s nothing to apologize for. But can I see Mr. Adelson now?”

“He’s upstairs. I’ll guide you.”

Following Bex’s lead, Lian went up to the second floor.

Knock knock.

“Head merchant, Mr. Lian is here to see you.”

“Come in.”

It was a small but warm voice filled with welcome.

As Lian entered, Adelson approached and greeted him warmly.

“Long time no see, Mr. Lian.”

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Of course. You seem… a bit different?”

“Different?”

“Yes. You seem tougher or more solid, perhaps? You’ve lost some of your boyishness.”

“Boyishness, huh…”

Lian smiled awkwardly, realizing that the battle in Saleron had changed something within him without him noticing.

“But I’ve been waiting for you. I was so excited after receiving your letter.”

Adelson, sitting down, chuckled.

Well, that was expected.

The enchanted weapons Lian had left with him last time had sold for an unbelievable price.

He probably couldn’t wait to brag about it…

‘And he’s probably curious about why I asked for this favor.’

As Lian took a seat, Adelson looked at him and asked,

“The items you left last time, can you get more?”

“I assume the results were good.”

“Good? They were phenomenal! They were so popular that we ended up auctioning them. Aren’t you curious about the final price?”

“Yes, I am.”

He guessed they sold for around 200 gold coins each.

Later, when more items flooded the market, the price would stabilize around 100 gold coins.

Of course, 100 gold coins wasn’t a small amount, but it was a reasonable price considering they were targeting nobles.

But contrary to Lian’s expectations, Adelson held up one finger.

“…100 gold coins?”

Lian looked surprised.

Could the initial enchanted weapons have sold for only 100 gold coins?

But Adelson shook his head.

“1000 gold coins.”

“…!”

Lian barely managed to stifle a gasp.

This was a situation far beyond what he had imagined.

“And that’s per item. We earned a total of 2100 gold coins by selling the sword and armor. It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but this was the most sensational deal in my merchant career.”

“…”

This was unbelievable.

Lian wondered if he should control the supply of items to prevent flooding the market.

Seeing Lian’s still shocked expression, Adelson asked,

“So, can you get more?”

“…What about my request?”

“The wizard, right? We hired one. But as you know, hiring a wizard is quite challenging.”

“Yes.”

Adelson was right.

Unlike others, wizards had natural, innate talents.

Even this was extremely rare, but it also required excellent magical techniques and astronomical amounts of money to support their development.

Even a 3rd Circle wizard would have the Mage Tower or the kingdom’s magic corps trying to recruit them.

There was no reason for them to work for merchants like the Hamel Trading Company.

“But we managed to find one. As you mentioned, he’s not very old and can handle various attributes, though his magic skills aren’t exceptional.”

“Yes.”

“We met all those conditions, but… he hasn’t broken through the second barrier yet. He’s been stuck at the threshold for quite some time.”

Although he was just at the verge of breaking through, it meant he was still a 1st Circle wizard.

“That’s fine. We need him for different reasons.”

“Different reasons?”

Lian stood up abruptly, prompting Adelson to look at him curiously.

“I have someone to introduce to you.”