Chapter 40
In battle, having a variety of options was always an advantage, allowing for better responses to diverse situations. Cavalry represented the highest firepower this world could muster, while archers were the best at controlling the battlefield. Indeed, developing capable cavalry and archery units was the most important and challenging task.
However, she had no intention of letting the remaining infantry idle until the cavalry and archer units were developed. Under Dongbaek’s direction, they too had to continuously practice formations and spear techniques.
The captains, having risen to their positions, had some knowledge of horsemanship and archery compared to regular soldiers. But it was natural for them to be flustered when asked to create systematic training plans. After all, to teach someone, you need to know ten times more than what you were teaching.
Dongbaek was in charge of training these captains. She demanded training from them that was ten times more rigorous than regular soldier training. After training the captains to a considerable level, she had them teach the squad leaders and regular soldiers. The squad leaders served as training leaders and section chiefs.
A captain’s job was demanding. They had to digest all the training material needed to train soldiers every day.
And even more demanding was Dongbaek herself. She had to teach horsemanship to cavalry captains, archery to archery captains, and tactics to infantry captains. Beyond being grueling, people around her looked at her like she was some kind of monster due to her insanely busy schedule.
Jin Jin, who constantly followed Dongbaek, grew more and more impressed by her. At first, he had thought, Wow, such a hardworking young one, how admirable! But now his thoughts had shifted to, Commander Dongbaek is incredible! Commander Dongbaek is amazing! And Jin Jin wasn’t the only one who looked at her with admiration.
All the captains who received training from Dongbaek were amazed by her abilities. At first, they had dismissed her as just a child, wondering what she could possibly know or be capable of. But in reality, she was more proficient in both civil and military affairs than most officials, and handled official duties with sharp precision.
They gradually came to trust Dongbaek—not out of personal warmth, but out of respect for her near-flawless execution and undeniable skills.
In times of war, trust in a superior could be divided into two types when it came to matters of life and death. The first was the willingness to die for the superior, driven by an overwhelming admiration for their vision or character. The second was the belief that serving under this superior would ensure survival, inspired by confidence in their competence.
The former required a leader to possess a charisma so compelling that their subordinates would gladly lay down their lives for their leader’s grand future. The latter required a leader to appeal to logic, persuading their subordinates that they were safest under their command.
Though Dongbaek’s charisma was exceptional for her age, her youth, the modern detachment she couldn’t quite shake, and the distance created by her hidden gender held her back. Her words had yet to reach the hearts of the captains. Their trust leaned more toward the second type—they trusted in her ability rather than her humanity.
Still, it was remarkable that Dongbaek had earned their trust despite her various disadvantages. Even Dongbaek herself was satisfied with this achievement. Honestly, she didn’t think she had anything worth others risking their lives for. That’s why she strived for perfection—it was the only way she could prove herself.
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The sky was clear and blue. White clouds billowed across the heavens, but they were no match for blocking the intense sunlight beating down. The soldiers were all sweating profusely under the piercing, blinding sunlight.
The sound of hooves clattered as dusty haze covered the training ground. Despite struggling in the dust, the soldiers’ expressions were bright. Unlike their previously mundane routines, learning something new was truly rewarding.
The captain nodded with satisfaction as he watched them riding horses. Then he turned toward his commander, Commander So. She was demonstrating archery to the archers in the distance.
A massive longbow was handed to her. Though the bowstring was so taut that even strong men struggled to draw it properly, Dongbaek managed it with remarkable ease, despite it being as tall as she was.
The way she drew the bowstring to full tension while nocking the arrow was as natural as flowing water, making everyone around lose themselves in watching her every move.
With a light snap, Dongbaek’s fingers released the string. The arrowhead struck the heart of the human-shaped target. Nonchalantly, she nocked another arrow. The next shot pierced through the target’s neck.
Every arrow Dongbaek shot hit its mark. While everyone cheered at first, after several dozen perfect shots, they were too stunned to react.
Only after Dongbaek handed over the bow and headed elsewhere did the archers rush toward the bow she had left behind.
“Wow, can you believe he drew this?”
“He looks like nothing but a child, yet such strength! How can those arms pull this so easily?”
“Did you see how every shot hit? He’s like a living god of archery!”
The admiration was endless. Once they shed their prejudices about Dongbaek’s youth and privileged position, they found her endlessly charismatic. Her decisions were always clear and direct. She was decisive like a blade, showed great drive, and had an amazing talent for securing funding. Of course, all that money probably came from her adoptive father’s pockets, but as long as they reached their goals, the means didn’t matter.
That wasn’t all. While Dongbaek was a strict superior on the surface, he was also deeply considerate, personally attending to the ceremonial occasions of all the thousand soldiers under her command. Stories often circulated about Commander So giving fine silk for this soldier’s wedding, or discretely providing medicine when that soldier’s mother was ill and couldn’t afford treatment.
As they came to know her exceptional abilities and sensitive nature, they belatedly noticed her beautiful appearance.
The looks that were initially mocked as being like a male courtesan’s now became the object of admiration and praise.
While the sunlight was merely harsh on them as they trained in the field, when it touched Dongbaek, it became heavenly light. Her pale ash-gray hair sparkled in the sun, and her fair skin remained smooth and white like porcelain, seemingly immune to tanning no matter how much sun it received.
Could divine beings look like this? They couldn’t believe she was human like them with their dirt and grime. Neither their wives waiting at home nor their daughters looked anything like this.
They wondered if it was because he was nobility, but thinking of their previous superior made them doubt that too. Their previous superior, though noble, had been like a pig. While his skin had been pale too, unlike Dongbaek, he was simply from avoiding the sun.
Except when doing paperwork, Dongbaek spent most of her time supervising them at the training ground. If she spotted even the slightest deficiency, her stern commands would ring out.
“Your poor posture shows you’ve relied too much on crossbows and neglected proper archery training! Spread your legs wider! Chest out and arms horizontal!”
“Y-yes sir, we’ll correct it!”
Dongbaek’s slightly hoarse voice rang out across the training ground.
Her voice sounded rough, perhaps from inhaling too much dust. While Dongbaek was severely scolding the archers, Jin Jin could be seen in the distance bringing a cup of water. He seemed more like a personal servant than an aide. Jin Jin was playing the role of servant to the new commander so well that the title of aide barely suited him.
Fearing Dongbaek’s stern commands might turn their way, the captains urged on their subordinates.
“What are you standing around for? Jump the obstacle already!”
The soldier who was already preparing to jump made a pitiful face at the captain’s unfair scolding. But being far inferior in both experience and rank, he could only quickly spur his horse toward the obstacle without any protest.
The captains weren’t the only ones stealing glances at Dongbaek. Far away, near the training ground entrance, a small shadow was lurking. Though trying to move carefully to avoid being spotted by the guards at the entrance, the butterfly-shaped hair ornament bobbing above the grass clearly revealed their presence.
The face peeking through the branches was cute with delicate charm. She was no older than ten, her eyes holding a sorrowful, wistful expression that seemed far too mature for her age. Her almond-shaped eyes blinked softly as they took in the sight of Dongbaek.
Unable to rely on mere coincidence any longer, this was the only way she could see her. Tears welled up in the young girl’s eyes. But when Dongbaek’s image became blurred by tears, she roughly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She wanted to see Dongbaek’s dignified and elegant figure clearly.
The girl, Lily, had no choice but to accept her marriage to that man, He Jin. She had no other options. If she and Dongbaek had been lovers, she could have begged her to save her. Or she could have pleaded with her father that she already had someone she loved.
But the reality was not so kind. They had only briefly crossed paths twice—it was just Lily’s one-sided love for Dongbaek. So she couldn’t lean on Dongbaek, nor make the shameless request to save her. And if she appeared before Dongbaek, she feared her feelings might show and cause him trouble, so she could no longer present herself to her.
So Lily gripped her skirt tightly, her fingers turning white, and held back her tears as she silently watched Dongbaek shine in the distance. It was all she could do.
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Thank you for reading! ♡
