Lord Handanar

Chapter 3: The Superfluous Man

At dusk, the setting sun cast a fiery red glow on the clouds in the sky. A large flock of bronze-beaked jackdaws flew over the camp from the distant horizon and settled into the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, where a vast array of nests were built. The soldiers registered their fallen comrades, leaving only their name tags and valuable personal belongings, their bodies wrapped in linseed oil-soaked linen, stacked high and surrounded by red pine branches. A priest in a long robe, holding a slightly curled prayer book, stood in front of the pile of bodies, softly reciting a requiem.

The commander of the 57th Heavy Armored Infantry Brigade, Mond. Goss, personally ignited the pine branches. Thick smoke billowed as the oil-soaked linen quickly caught fire, spreading rapidly across the entire pile. The wood crackled fiercely, and a sharp 'sizzling' sound came from the pile – the sound of body fat being rapidly rendered by the intense heat.

Ten night watchmen would stay there until dawn to prevent the fire from spreading. The four battalion leaders of the 57th Heavy Armored Infantry Brigade stood expressionlessly behind Commander Mond. Goss, waiting for the ceremony to end before leading their troops back to the camp.

After each battlefield cleanup, Baron Sidney, the commander of the Fourth Battalion, wore a hint of pride on his face. Even in the military camp, he paid great attention to his appearance, keeping his uniform impeccably ironed and clean. He wore shiny long cavalry boots, and his belt sheath was inlaid with three sapphire gems the size of fingernails. Two copper noble medals hung near the chest of his uniform, polished to a shine.

Before returning to his own tent, he would traditionally inspect the Fourth Battalion's camp, starting with the animal pen, which housed twelve Thunder Rhinos. These were not his personal property but belonged to his brother-in-law, Commander Mond. Goss of the 57th Infantry Brigade. These large land beasts were responsible for transporting the camp's heavy and valuable materials.

Thunder Rhinos' favorite food was starchy ground tuber cakes. These were made by crushing ground tubers, steaming them, and then cooling them into wheel-sized cakes. Given the appetite of a Thunder Rhino, at least fifty of these wheel-sized tuber cakes were needed per meal. Fortunately, they did not eat constantly and only required feeding twice a day.

Afterward, Baron Sidney would also tour the five company camps and check the night guard arrangements, not returning to his tent until it was completely dark. However, tonight he planned to return early. An hour earlier, his adjutant had secretly informed him that representatives of the merchant caravans following the 57th Heavy Armored Infantry Brigade were waiting outside his tent. Although this battlefield cleanup did not yield rich spoils, the harvest of black rune leather from the demons was still quite good. This material was highly sought after by magic merchants.

Baron Sidney was well aware of the lucrative nature of battlefield cleanups, knowing what could be taken (such as small pieces of black rune leather from the demons) and what must not be taken (such as valuable items and standard weapons from fallen soldiers).

However, Baron Sidney was somewhat displeased at the moment. After inspecting the guard posts, he was stopped by a group of soldiers, led by veteran Sam, the squad leader of the Fifth Company. To him, the most memorable thing about veteran Sam was that he had been an experienced soldier even when Sidney's father led this battalion. Sam was like a slippery eel, always managing to survive no matter how dangerous the battle. However, such veteran soldiers were unlikely to earn significant promotions.

At that moment, veteran Sam and Surdak, along with the remaining ten members of the Second Squad, stood in front of Baron Sidney.

"What do you want?" asked the Baron, his face showing clear dissatisfaction.

Veteran Sam hesitated, but Surdak stepped forward and reported to Baron Sidney: "Lord Baron Sidney, the situation is like this..."

Sam had no choice but to stand by Surdak, waiting for him to explain everything in detail.

Baron Sidney had three hundred soldiers under his command. Although he couldn't call each of them by name, he had a certain impression of each one. His most vivid memory of Surdak was that the young man had excellent skinning skills, making him a technical talent in the battalion.

That's why Baron Sidney patiently let Surdak finish his story. After hearing Surdak's explanation, Baron Sidney frowned and said displeasedly, "Why are you bringing this matter to me?"

Veteran Sam sneaked a glance at Surdak, his eyes showing a sense of 'I told you so. Now see how you're going to handle it if the Baron blames us...'

Surdak looked nervously at Baron Sidney. Perhaps influenced by Surdak's sincerity, or maybe just wanting to quickly dispose of the matter, Baron Sidney instructed, "Hand 'him' over to the logistics department for processing. We're not a field hospital."

Surdak honestly replied, "We've already been to the brigade's logistics department, but they refused to accept him since he doesn't have an identification tag to prove he's from our brigade or an allied unit."

Baron Sidney knew well that the various departments of the infantry brigade would pass the buck to each other when there were no benefits involved.

This seemed to be the last straw for Baron Sidney. His expression became more indifferent, and he said nonchalantly, "Well then! Normally we can't accommodate someone without identification in the camp, but considering the severity of his injuries, if he doesn't survive... just bury him in the woods outside the camp. If he does survive, as long as he can walk, make sure he leaves early. Remember, don't cause me any trouble!"

With that, he walked past Surdak and Sam with his adjutant.

"Yes, Lord Baron," Surdak shuddered and quickly saluted.

He Boqiang lay in a tent filled with the smell of sweat and foot odor, realizing for the first time that he was superfluous. After rescuing him from the battlefield, Surdak racked his brains to find a place that could shelter and treat him, such as the logistics department of the infantry brigade or the merchant caravans trailing the brigade. Unfortunately, none of them were willing to take in He Boqiang, severely injured and immobile.

In the end, Surdak did not leave He Boqiang in the woods outside the camp to fend for himself. After convincing veteran Sam and the rest of the Second Squad and obtaining their consent, they carried He Boqiang into the camp and found a quiet corner in the tent. Without a military doctor or access to medical potions, they could only bring back some oatmeal porridge from the canteen each day and roughly force-feed it to He Boqiang.

Despite living so arduously, He Boqiang discovered that his body was as resilient as a w**d. In such adversity, his injuries slowly healed. Every time he closed his eyes, he had to confront the memories floating in the void, and opening his eyes meant facing this strange world and the tenacious lives of the low-ranking soldiers. He finally realized that this was not a dream, and he had somehow traveled to another time...