Chapter 272 - 41: Epilogue
Chapter 272: Chapter 41: Epilogue
"Damn, this is so boring..."
"Weren’t these bastards all high and mighty when they showed up? And now they’ve just turned tail and run..."
Hans casually kicked a goblin corpse on the ground, unable to keep himself from complaining.
Ever since Chief Umm was killed in battle, the First Regiment had taken over the fight.
Throughout Ancient Dumu Town, those who could run, ran, and those who couldn’t, died.
Many more were simply frozen in place, their minds blank, not knowing what to do. Figures like Chief Umm, who had actually fought back, were few and far between. After all, whether born of fear or anger, resistance requires courage.
Those who remained frozen in place were, of course, no match for the well-equipped soldiers of the First Regiment.
It didn’t even require the Second Regiment to step in; the First Regiment had handled the entirety of Ancient Dumu Town on their own. Eager for more action, they had been so thorough as to leave no corner untouched.
One couldn’t say for other places, but here in Ancient Dumu Town, it was unlikely any goblins would be appearing ever again.
"I’ve never fought such a boring battle. Even a three-year-old could kill those goblins. I feel like I don’t even deserve the Silver Coins the Lord pays me every month," Hans complained.
"What’s wrong with the enemy being weaker? I think you’ve just got a death wish..."
"No, wait. Straighten up." Captain Jason had just been about to retort when he suddenly heard the sound of hooves.
"The Lord is coming..."
...
When Robson entered Ancient Dumu Town, the First Regiment had already scoured it inside and out several times. The crumbling ruins were splattered with green blood, and the air was thick with the foul stench of gore.
Even for Robson, who had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the scene was still startling.
Of course, it was merely startling. There was no pity.
The relationship between the Beastman Empire and the Frank Kingdom was extraordinarily complex.
Both sides had long since stopped caring about who the original aggressor was. Although the Frank Kingdom had indeed tricked the Beastmen out of their land at the very beginning, the current borders had been established by a treaty signed by the Beastmens’ own ancestors.
The Moon Elves to the north and the then-Third Empire had both acknowledged it.
Now, the Beastman Empire didn’t even use reclaiming lost lands as a pretext for war. After all, to do so would be tantamount to tearing up the old treaty and declaring war on the entire Human World left behind by the Third Empire.
If that happened, humanity could ignore the opinion of the northern Moon Elves and let the Beastmen have a proper taste of their overlord’s iron fist.
What truly made Robson indifferent was the mutual hatred, a hatred so deeply ingrained in both cultures—especially in the Frank Kingdom. After all, for most people, if you went back three generations, half their relatives had died on the battlefield fighting Beastmen.
This hatred was like the very air, and at some point, without him even realizing it, it had infected even Robson, a transmigrator from another world.
Upon seeing Robson arrive, the soldiers lining the road stopped their work. A few of them even placed their hands over their chests.
Robson watched this with surprise. That gesture was the standard military salute in the Human World, yet he had rarely seen any soldiers use it.
Robson glanced at Ais beside him.
"Th-they’re... the troublemakers in the army. They learned it on their own. I didn’t stop them. I was just about to..."
"Hold on." Robson stopped Ais, placed his own hand over his chest, and then turned in a full circle to face all sides.
"This is a good thing," Robson said. "From now on, this will be part of standard military regulations."
’For an army, spontaneously understanding the significance of a military salute is a major breakthrough. It means a sense of honor is beginning to sprout in the hearts of the soldiers.’
’This is exactly what I’ve always dreamed of. An army with esprit de corps and one without are two completely different things. Likewise, soldiers with faith and soldiers without are two different things entirely.’
’To be honest, I’d once wanted to compose a military anthem for the army, but unfortunately, I’m no artist. And besides, no one in the Frank Kingdom would have appreciated it anyway.’
Watching Robson’s gesture, Ais’s jaw hung open. And it wasn’t just Ais—the surrounding soldiers, even the very ones who had initiated the salute, were all stunned beyond words.
Robson himself might not have realized the full significance of what he had just done.
A noble lord returning a military salute to mere Peasant Soldiers—it was the stuff of outrageous jokes.
Yet now, that very joke was playing out right before their eyes.
"My Lord, what you just did..." Ais swallowed, still in shock.
Looking at the stunned soldiers all around, it finally dawned on Robson. ’Looks like I’ve still got some habits from my past life.’
’But that’s fine.’
"It’s nothing complicated. It is simply the respect a commander shows his soldiers!" Robson declared, his voice firm, with no intention of avoiding the issue.
’You can’t expect soldiers to have faith while treating them like slaves. Where in the world can you find a slave with faith? If you want to achieve something great, you have to break the old rules.’
’Although I can’t possibly elevate these Warriors to the same level as the nobility, I can at least give them a little respect.’
Sure enough, upon hearing Robson’s words, the surrounding soldiers were clearly still reeling from the shock, and a few even looked visibly moved.
Robson gave them a smile.
"From now on, make this part of the standard regulations. Understand?" Robson said, looking at Ais again.
"Yes, my Lord!" Ais replied.