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Chapter 269 – Spring Has Come, and There Is Movement
The not-so-long winter is over.
It is said that the climate here is such that it hardly snows at all, but the fact that the winter period is so short and the pleasant climate lasts so long seems artificial. I began to think that the voice might be spiritual in origin but considering such convenient climatic conditions, I think that the beings who created the environment and life on this planet must be those with advanced bioengineering and terraforming technology.
“Good morning. You don’t look so well today, do you?”
“Good morning. You are looking beautiful today, my precious Saint-sama.”
“…Nothing special will come out of saying the obvious.”
I like Ellen, who blushes as she says this and cuts a hearty big slice of cheese for breakfast.
Today’s breakfast consists of cheese, fresh bread, and milk. The secret to a healthy life in this world is not to think too much about the source of milk. Sometimes it is the milk of goats, cows, horses, and other domestic animals, but most of the time, it is the milk of some beastman woman who can produce breast milk even if she is not pregnant. According to what I’ve heard, if the milk is not properly squeezed, it can cause pain in the breasts and stain on clothes, making it difficult.
Eh? Why is Ellen at the north base? Well, Her Majesty the Queen has proven that it is easy to travel between Merinesburg and Mesotherium using an air board. About half of the week, someone comes from Merinesburg and spends time here.
“Why doesn’t that man die of kidney failure?”
“He’s got a lot of vitality, doesn’t he?”
“Well, he’s still alive and well even after dealing with all of us together…”
The oni girls are whispering to each other while eating their breakfast at the big table dedicated to them, but I can hear you, you know?
“It’s almost spring, so I think it’s not a good idea to come over here this time. You know, just in case.”
We’ve already cleaned the area around the base from enemy scouts, so it shouldn’t happen too often, but we can’t be 100% sure.
“There is no need to worry about that. Besides, we are also present, and in the first place, no cavalryman can reach the speed of the air boards.”
“When we are on board, we are also flying the banner of the Adol religion, so I don’t think we will be attacked.”
Bertha-san and Amalie-san, who are also Ellen’s bodyguards, kicked off my worries.
“They are not going to attack anyone who is a member of the church?”
“I don’t think many people would attack those who are known to be affiliated with the church. In some cases, they will be punished by the gods.”
“Is that like the miracle that Ellen and the others use?”
“I suppose so, in a way. In the past, a bandit who attacked the carriage of a person related to the church during a pilgrimage died in agony immediately afterward, and a nobleman who played with a nun with his lustful hands died a strange death.”
“Hyieee…”
That’s scary! But maybe it’s a negative summation of a miracle, like the one Ellen and the others use? Could it be that the miracle of “Be clean, be healed, be light” is reversed and turned into a curse because of the resentment of being murdered or played with…? I’ll ask around Isla next time.
“Kosuke will be fine.”
“Are you sure it’s alright? I’m pretty much one-sidedly killing the soldiers of the Holy Kingdom’s army, you know.”
“God’s punishment doesn’t apply to war, you know.”
“Isn’t that a little too convenient?”
“It’s a miracle of God, after all.”
Since it’s God’s work, it’s only natural to be opportunistic, huh? If you say so, I can’t even hear a word. It makes my head hurt.
“Even if it is. I don’t know what’s going to happen, so please be careful. I’m worried about you.”
“If you put it that way, I’m more worried about Kosuke, who is staying at the front base.”
“I also think it’s not good to put yourself on the shelf and say things like that.”
Ellen and Bertha-san are working together against me.
“I can’t do that. I’m in charge of playing my trump card when the time comes. I’m supposed to listen and――”
Just as I was about to say, “give my best,” something flew in through the window and landed on the window frame at a great speed. But no one was surprised or panicked. It is a common occurrence for harpies to land on the window frame.
What happened? When I was about to open my mouth, the harpy who had landed on the window frame first opened her mouth.
“We received a message that there is movement at the frontline base of the Duchy of Dihart near the border! Worg-san told me to tell you to come to the command post as soon as possible!”
“Oh… no time for a leisurely breakfast. I did hear that, thanks.”
After saying that, I put a candy ball mixed with honey used for mead from my inventory to the messenger, harpy-san. This is the girl who decided to join the army during the winter, but her body is not yet fit enough to fly with bomb gear on, so she is working as a messenger like this.
I looked at the harpy, who was flying away, and then turned around to see Ellen staring at me.
“…Candy ball, do you want one?”
“…I can have them later. I’m having breakfast right now.”
So she wants me to put a candy ball directly into her mouth later. I understand.
☆★☆
I threw a large slice of cheese into my mouth and immediately headed for the base command center, where the base commander, Worg, and several captains of various units were already gathered. I was sure that all the captains in the base would be rushing to the base.
“Good morning. You said there was movement at the enemy outpost?”
“Yes. Although there was movement, it did not mean an advancing army.”
Worg turned his attention to the map spread out on the large table.
“The Duchy of Dihart’s fortress in the north has a line of wagons that looks like Transportation Corps. It seems that they are bringing in supplies one after another to the warehouses they have been building over the winter.”
“Oh, so it’s a depot of supplies?”
“I don’t know; I think it’s too close to our fort to be a major depot…”
“I am sorry to be presumptuous, but I think your senses are a little off. The distance from the fort to here is three days by horse-drawn carriage and more than twice that on foot. The distance can be covered in a few hours with an air board, but it is far enough for ordinary senses.”
A large, well-built rabbit beastman man said this. He looked like a giant rabbit standing upright, not a human with bunny ears. In other words, he looks like a certain rabbit from the land of tea. And his name is Peter. I remembered his name at once, didn’t I?
“I guess you could say that. In a way, this is the downside of the advanced equipment Kosuke has created.”
“Nyahaha… it’s unusual that such a distant movement can be immediately sent to this place in the first place.”
The one who laughs is a standing up straight black cat who, like Peter, has a fluffy body. She, like Peter, is the captain of a magic rifle corp, and her name is Noir. Unfortunately, she is not wearing boots. She, like Peter, is the captain of the magic rifle corp, and her name is Noir. Unfortunately, she is not wearing boots.
The magic riflemen are organized in the following way: one squad consists of 10 men, a platoon consists of 50 men, a company consists of 200 men, and a battalion consists of two companies, with a total of 400 men.
The total strength of the base consists of one battalion of magic riflemen, one platoon of 50 elite magic riflemen, and the Harpy Bombardment Squadron, which has increased by another 50 since then, for a total of 500 men. Peter and Noir are the company commanders of the magic rifle companies, and Worg is the battalion commander and base commander.
“If they’ve started to accumulate supplies, does that mean they’re going to attack us soon?”
“Probably so. We have stopped the outflow of food from the kingdom of Merinard, but it is spring, and the crops grown during the winter are about to be harvested.”
“I find it hard to believe that crops can grow so well during the winter.”
“What are you talking about? Kosuke’s fields are much more unusual.”
“No doubt.”
Peter smiled wryly at Noir’s comment. I don’t have any room to dispute the fact that my farm is unusual, though, right? Even though it was cold, summer vegetables were growing fast and gracing the base’s dining table. It was like playing with vegetables that would never grow in winter.
We would bring the harvested vegetables to the Mesotherium to earn coins or exchange them for other food at a favorable rate and then have a little party. It was a bit amusing to see the confusion when I presented out-of-season vegetables and fruits to the governor of the Mesotherium.
“I want each of you to be aware that things are starting to intensify. Be more careful in maintaining weapons and checking inventories of bullets, magic stones, and magic crystals. Also, be careful of accidents during training. When the battle is about to begin, please make sure that you are able to fight without being injured in the training.”
“Understood.”
“Roger that.”
“Understood. I will mass-produce bullets here as well, just in case.”
“Please do. Please make sure to report the number of bullets you’re managing to the supply team, too, okay?”
“Okay.”
Well, the supplies I have are considered separate from the base’s stockpile, but you can rely on them in case of an emergency. If the number of supplies is not known, it’s not worth talking about.
“The time to show the world the results of our training is approaching. Each of you should prepare yourselves carefully.”
“””Understood.”””
Now, it will be time for the clash.