Episode 102. household troops
Every time the long, thick pole swings, a heavy booming sound reverberates through the air.
It looks like a big bird flapping its wings, or it looks like a swarm of bees flying around.
Well, in a way they are similar.
“Look straight ahead! If you don’t want to die in front of the enemy later!”
From nob le mt l. co m
Looking at that figure now, I wonder if it will fly up into the air soon.
Theo grabbed the end of the spear pole and whirled the blade of the halberd.
Perhaps feeling the wind pressure from the swinging blade, the frightened people took a few more steps back, earning Theo’s ridicule.
“This way, you can block the approach of multiple enemies like now!
Anyway, more than half of the guys here are taller than normal people and have wider shoulders, so the pressure they can put on their opponents must be great! Make good use of it!”
Theo quickly stopped the spear blade that had been swinging in all directions and moved the position of his hand holding the spear. The motion of checking the surroundings by spinning around in an instant leads to slashing and stabbing motions.
“Oh… that’s great. Why are you treating that long thing like your own arm?”
“When I heard it earlier, it was as heavy as if you were holding a child. Damn, how are you telling me to follow that?”
“The guy who just said how to imitate me, come out.”
When the people around him admired the skill, Theo clicked his tongue once as if he was pathetic and then pinned one of the grumbling men to stand up.
As the man with a shy and reluctant expression approached Theo, Theo forced a halberd into his arms and shoved him on the back. Then he pulled out a spear from the window holder and held it.
uh… no
not a window
From nob le mt l. co m
Looking at it from a distance, my vision was blurry, so I asked Skleos, who was next to me.
“Scleos, is that the way I see it?”
“I don’t know what you are asking. Because my eyesight is not that good.”
Oh, yes. A person who has lived facing heated metal and flames all his life cannot have good eyesight.
When I wink at Anoitos, who was next to him, in embarrassment, Anoitos frowns for a while, pays attention, and then says:
“Oh, lord, that seems right.
There is no window contact.”
What Theo picked up was just an ordinary pole.
It’s a weapon, but it’s just a plain wooden stick with no blade attached.
Even the length is so short that it barely touches Theo’s waist when laid down on the floor.
The man who picked up the halberd like us was confused as he carefully tried to open his mouth, but Theo gestured to block his words and said.
“okay. Let’s do sparring. You should pounce on me with that halberd.”
“Ha, but can’t you get hurt?”
“doesn’t care. Wasn’t it because of your javelin skills that you came here?”
“That’s right. Paris, Lord of Antandros, won the Goddess Javelin Competition and was selected as a Royal Guard.”
“Then you have to prove your skills. There, your lord is watching.”
Theo points in my direction, licking his lips with an amused expression. Theo shouted at me when the man who turned his head awkwardly and I finished the awkward exchange of glances.
“Paris! Can I test how useful the talent Paris-sama recruited is?”
“…don’t kill me. It doesn’t matter if you get hurt. Because I just brought Ino to Antandros.”
“thank you.”
“Ha, but wasn’t I the one holding the bladed weapon? How dare I put a spear through the body of the renowned Phoenix Guard commander…”
“shut up.”
“Oh, did I make a mistake? The Phoenix Guard…”
“Shut up. If you talk about the phoenix one more time, I’ll break your tongue.”
“…”
Theo looks back at me with resentful eyes. I am proud of myself as a namingist because I like such a cool name.
For reference, the name of the new guards in Antandros will be dedicated to Hephaestus and will be named Ironbreakers.
Could there be a more perfect name for the fearless guardians of Antandros?
···anyway.
Theo seems to have calmed down his shaky mind, so he closes his eyes for a moment and then opens them and speaks to the man standing hesitantly holding a halberd.
“I don’t care if you hurt me.”
“but···”
“Even if I kill you, I don’t care.”
“Uh…yes?”
At Theo’s words, the Cheolswaedae members (reserve) who were taking his class whispered.
“What are you talking about! Don’t overdo it and come back!!”
Of course, Skleos and Anoitos also have similar attitudes.
Both of them have round eyes and shout here and there, but Theo doesn’t move.
because i didn’t say anything
I am in charge here. Skleos and Anoitus, who had come up with that fact, turned to me.
“How should I dry it?”
“That’s right. It’s a big deal to use the king’s warriors to train a monarch’s guard, but if Theo gets injured…”
“You guys never really watched Theo fight, did you?”
I had to hold back a laugh at the two people’s needless worries.
And to help Theo, I stood up and shouted.
“Yes, hey! If Theo is wounded or even killed, I will give him enough silver to drown him, and make him the captain of the Praetorian Guard that will be erected in Antandros! And I will take on all the sins that you will bear!”
Everyone’s eyes widen at my cry.
Except Theo.
Theo laughed.
“You guys just have to take a look. It will be a fun sight.”
Calming Skleos and Anoitus trying to dissuade me, I threw myself into an armchair and sat down.
Once an order is an order.
The two of them sat back down and went back to spectator mode with trembling faces, and Theo slowly lowered his stance and raised his hand holding the spear.
“I’ll give you the first ball.”
“…do you really not have to take responsibility for the results? I am also a person who woke up here and there, exerted strength, and saw blood.”
“of course. Don’t you believe what the Lord of Antandros said? If you want to earn money that you can’t earn in your lifetime, they will attack you…”
Dodging the flying halberd’s heavy ax blade, Theo struck the man’s shin with his pole.
“···to do!”
The man, who lost his balance at the moment and lost his posture, hurriedly pulled the blade of the halberd towards himself and pushed the spear forward.
That judgment was correct. Theo’s pole, which was about to hit the man’s head straight, was blocked by Halberd’s spear.
However, without giving the man a chance to breathe, Theo quickly approaches the man’s body and strikes the man’s right hand with a pole.
“Keep!”
The man who slipped the spear pole from his hand with a short scream.
Perhaps realizing that he was being disarmed, he hurriedly tried to pick up the spear, but Theo cut his stomach.
“Keuheuk… Heouk…”
A man who collapses out of breath in an instant.
Theo kicked the spear of the halberd the man was about to pick up and sent it away, then pointed the pole at his face.
“finished.”
“…”
silence.
Both Scleos and Anoitus were speechless and stood up before they knew it, looking at the scene in silence.
Whoever could see it was Theo’s overwhelming superiority. He subdued an opponent with a blade in just 2-3 minutes with just one pole.
Theo hurriedly put his pole and halberd back into the pikes and whistled. After that, he lifted the man who was still groaning in pain and spoke firmly.
“If there was a spearhead at the end of this, you would be dead. No, it must have spilled out blood and intestines at the time when the chest was stabbed earlier.”
“…”
“Do you know what your mistake was?”
“…Didn’t you properly listen to Theo-sama’s class?”
“No, give a practical answer instead of such a principled sound.”
“…”
“Haaa, good. If you can’t answer, ask others. Here, can anyone tell me what his biggest mistake was?”
Static again.
“no one is here? These bastards escort the lord of Antandros? Shouldn’t we kick it all out and pull it out again?”
“Can I tell you?”
“Oh, Paris. Please say anything.”
I get up and go down the arena.
The new amphitheater of Antandros, which has a similar structure to the Colosseum, but was made smaller, has seats in steps like the original…
I had to walk down quite a few steps to reach the players in the center of the pitch.
Theo and all the other reserve guards bow as I gently settle down on the sand on the arena floor. I waved away that useless courtesy and said,
“The length of this pole is no more than about the waist of an adult man.”
Theo smiles with satisfaction as I try my luck. It means correct answer.
“However, the halberd I heard is about the same height as an adult man or slightly taller. For example, there is a difference in range.”
I pulled out the halberd from the spear holder again and, like Theo had demonstrated at the beginning, pulled the spear stick out as far as it could go, holding it almost at the end and spinning it over my head.
“And like this! if! You can take advantage of the Halberd’s unique long range and heavy weight! Failing to save it was my first and most serious mistake!”
-bang!!!
I shot the halberd’s ax blade that was spinning round and round on a wooden doll for sparring that was standing nearby.
The neck of the wooden doll is half-shaved and dangling.
“Huh… Do you all understand?”
“…”
“…”
When I demonstrate, everyone is silent.
Just when I thought I was too scared, I heard a whisper from behind me.
“… Why on earth do you choose a warrior escort with that skill?”
“I don’t know either? Self-promotion?”
“Hmm. quietly.”
Get rid of local TV.
I raised my halberd and looked back at those who would become proud Cheolswaedae members in the future.
Each one is personally selected by me.
From those who won medals in sports events such as wrestling or boxing that I hosted, to those who stood out or showed signs of growth even if they did not win a prize.
“I take care of you and your family now. I am giving you glory and riches you never had before.”
“…”
“All I want is more than loyalty.”
From nob le mt l. co m
Loyalty is loyalty that anyone can do. Not a warrior, but a blacksmith, a farmer, even a non-human hunting dog.
“All I want from you is success.
I’ll give you everything you want, so build up your skills and use them.”
When I return to my seat after such a short speech, Skleos and Anoitos look at me curiously.
“Because I also fought many times. If you do it, it will happen.”
“I also wrestle with my friends when I’m bored, and if someone says that I’ll be able to win a prize someday, I’ll tell them to stop talking bullsh*t.”
“…”
“Oh… Faris, I thought all these rumors about the massacre of mermaids were just rumors…”
“Stop it. Because that doesn’t matter.”
I straightened my back and stretched my neck and shoulders.
From nob le mt l. co m
Looking down, the reserve Cheolsae members were shaking their halberds with much more enthusiasm than before. Of course, the instructor’s last name is not filled, so Theo’s voice rises.
Well, it’s much better though.
“Theo’s skills are amazing. In particular, seeing how he handles that halberd weapon like his body, I can only admire him.”
“Me too. It just hurts my heart that he declared that he would not use that weapon as much as possible.”
“Why? Aren’t you training yourself as an important weapon?”
“That’s right. I don’t understand, just like Skleos-nim, don’t you?”
When the two of them asked a question, I answered after rolling my eyes for a moment.
“As you can tell from the structure of that weapon, it’s good against tanks. It’s a structure suitable for hooking and pulling something.
It is heavier than a normal spear and has a variety of tactics that can be used.
But Theo gets on top of the chariot. It’s because I’m in charge of escorting the royal family at close range.”
In the last battle, Theo had already faced Penthesilea while on the chariot.
Even at that time, I had not been able to use the Halberd properly.
The space for a tank is small to use a heavy and long weapon like a halberd, and it becomes more difficult to use it as you have to pay attention not to injure the driver when swinging it.
It might be a throwable weapon like a javelin, but since the halberd has the advantage of being capable of various actions such as stabbing and swinging, a certain amount of space must be secured around it.
Rather, items that are easy to use even on a chariot, such as spears and bows, would be a little more suitable for Theo.
But not for those foot soldiers.
In order to deal with the heroes, at least to destroy the hero’s tank and destroy the tank unit covering him, the use of a halberd is essential.
If those hundreds of people could use halberds as skillfully as Theo’s…
“I will kill the demigod with their power.”
Wouldn’t it be possible to aim for the hero’s gap?
I immediately shook my ass and got up from my seat.
There is not much time to spend in Antandros. Sooner or later he will have to report to Priam about Antandros’ situation.
When I get up, the two people sitting next to me hesitantly get up and get ready to follow me.
And Skleos asks.
“…killing a demigod, what are you talking about?”
“That’s literally it. War may soon come.”
“You mean Hatusha? If you’re moving so hastily to respond to the army of the Great King approaching from afar, wouldn’t it be necessary?”
“I am just prepared for all occasions. To protect the city.”
Yeah, that’s it.
After roughly having the reserve cheolsae members run 5 laps around the stadium, I face Theo who comes up this way.
After throwing him a towel to wipe his sweat, I went near and asked.
“So, how long do you think we need to train these guys to become a proper soldier?”
After thoroughly wiping the sweat from the nape of his neck and nose for a while, Theo threw a towel at a nearby attendant and asked back.
“If you ask me how long do you think I will need to train you… please tell me first how long you will have to train me.”
When Theo spoke in honorific language, noticing Skleos and Anoitos, I also spoke formally belatedly.
“As soon as possible, the sooner the better.”
“Please tell me the specific point in time you think.”
“…”
I thought about the distance between Hattusha and Troia for a moment. Thinking of Dolon and his men, who have not heard much about it yet, he guesses when the war with the Hittites will come.
The war with Achaia is now unpredictable.
“One year… one year.”
“1 year? Can we turn 400 or 500 of them into elite soldiers within a year?”
“Wouldn’t that be difficult?”
“Of course it will be difficult. however···”
Theo glanced at the serious expression on my face, then turned his head to watch the jaunty athletes.
“I have to.”
clear voice.
It was not a promise or a plan, but a way of speaking as if it were a matter of course.
I have no idea of the history of how Theo, a lowly person, rose to the position of being trusted by the king. never asked
But I guess I knew why.
I trusted Theo.
If Theo said it could be done within a year, the Royal Guard would be completed within a year.
A weapon to fight against the heroes.