Alone with the Commander (1)
Alone with the Commander (1)
Thick, finger-sized chunks of chicken thigh, perfect for eating, are skewered onto wooden sticks.
A rough shape, as if made by uncivilized barbarians trying to roast food over a bonfire.
But that wildness strangely stimulates the appetite.
As Piel rummaged around and pulled out black charcoal, Hildea was astonished.
"Lieutenant Piel! You're burning precious charcoal just for a single lunch?"
"How can preparing a meal for the kingdom's hero be called just a single lunch?"
Hildea's face, hidden from view, flushed bright red.
No matter how you look at it, as a 20-year-old girl, she had no resistance to the flattery of Piel, who had shrewdly completed his military service among US Army generals.
"First, we render the fat with an initial grilling, then re-marinate it in the sauce and put it over the direct flame."
The meat skewered on the wooden sticks showed a golden-brown sear and a glossy layer of seasoning.
The savory wafting smell made Hildea even hungrier.
Chiiiik. Jigeul jigeul. Chiiiik.
The sweet, burning scent dripping onto the charcoal continuously torments the sense of smell.
The gleam of the sauce simmering and clinging to the surface of the meat delights the eyes.
"Roasted chicken, I've eaten plenty of it. But this is something different."
"What you've had before was simply raw chicken roasted over a bonfire, after all."
"How is this different?"
"The meat is deeply infused with a marinade made from concentrated soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger paste, pepper, sesame oil, and such. The intense heat of the true-charcoal black briquettes triggers the Maillard reaction that bonfire roasting can't bring out...."
"Maillard?"
"It means roasting meat more deliciously with intense heat."
"Your maternal family certainly knows a lot of fascinating knowledge."
At last, the grilled chicken skewers were finished.
A figure dripping with juices that visibly held the scent of delicious cooking.
"Enjoy your meal."
"I'll eat well."
Hildea grabbed a skewer with trembling hands.
The moment she bit into the meat, the crispy attached skin spread an amazing texture inside her mouth.
Saltiness and sweetness mix, and a subtle scent of garlic and sesame oil, embracing the meaty aroma, stirs a storm inside her mouth.
The residual heat of the charcoal enveloping the meat amplifies the fragrance of the spices, leaving a pungent aftertaste in the nostrils even after swallowing.
Hildea trembled.
"D, delicious... To think such a delicious chicken roast dish existed in this world...!"
"I'm relieved you're satisfied."
"Unbelievable! Not even the finest delicacies I've tasted at royal banquets produced such an intense and savory flavor!"
"That's due to a lack of heat. If you hire a fire mage as a royal chef, even more delicious royal cuisine might appear."
Having devoured one skewer in an instant, Hildea immediately reached for a second.
The very moment Piel picked up a skewer as well.
Kya-woooong! Kya-aaaaang!
From far away, a small but heavy howling rang out.
In an instant, Hildea drew her sword with a 'ching!' and took a defensive stance.
"Lieutenant! It's a White Wolf attack! Do not leave my side!"
"I'll stick to you like the chicken skewer you're holding in your right hand, Commander-in-Chief-nim!"
"Thi, this was without thinking... Eet!"
Hildea, her face flushed red to under her ears, devoured the second chicken skewer in an instant.
Without even caring about the sauce smeared messily around her white lips.
Her right hand grabs a bundle of five chicken skewers at once.
Feeling Piel's gaze, Hildea hastily defended herself.
"It seems these creatures caught the scent of this special meal and gathered."
"An excellent idea. A strategy to completely eat it all, making them lose their motivation to attack us!"
"Exa, exactly right! As expected of my duty officer, you are wise!"
"Then I'll carry the remaining chicken skewers! Because this is also your combat power, Commander-in-Chief-nim!"
Meals are, in short, combat power.
Hildea felt an emotional sting in her eyes, touched that Piel was pinpointing her usual conviction.
'I'll make sure they can't even graze a single hair on him.'
"White Wolves usually move in packs of 10 to 15 individuals in family units. It takes more than three Sword Imperial knights gathered to hold them off, but I, the Commander-in-Chief, am a Sword Master. There's nothing to worry ab...."
"Commander-in-Chief-nim, White Wolf monsters are filling the hill."
"...I see them too."
At least several hundred of them.
No matter how much of a Sword Master you are, you can't win against such numbers while protecting a non-combatant.
"This is no good. Lieutenant, mount the warhorse."
"Commander-in-Chief-nim?"
"I will lure them away with the remaining chicken skewers. Meanwhile, take the horses and flee with all your might toward the barracks."
"I cannot abandon you, Commander-in-Chief-nim, and run away alone!"
"Don't worry. I'll just lure them and join you right away. Don't tell me you think a Sword Master can't shake off such monsters...."
Keuaaaang! Keuheo-eong!
White Wolves also revealed themselves from the opposite side.
Surrounded from both sides.
Hildea's eyelashes trembled.
"It seems combat is unavoidable. Absolutely stay by my side."
Hildea bit into a skewer, stuffing as much meat as possible into her small mouth.
After throwing the remaining skewer far away with a 'hwiririk', she grips her sword firmly with both hands.
"Do not worry! I, the Commander-in-Chief, have survived with a smile even in worse conditions than this!"
***
I know too, that a Sword Master is an asymmetric force capable of flipping the battlefield.
But in this state, surrounded front and back, can she truly protect a burden like me intact?
"It's fine even if you get one or two limbs torn off! The priests will restore them!"
It hurts like hell when they're being torn off, you know.
And it hurts like death when being treated, too.
The healing arts of priests involve pain when restoring external wounds. And I have no tolerance for pain.
There's no choice. I have no choice but to protect my own body.
"Commander-in-Chief-nim, I will use an attack artifact as well."
"You had one? Even better."
"Yes. Please don't be too surprised."
"Haha! Having already tasted the amazing flavor of the charcoal-grilled chicken skewers, I, the Commander-in-Chief, today won't be anymore...!"
I finally received my standard-issue weapon, the M4A1 carbine assault rifle, for the first time.
【Requesting 5.56 NATO 100-round drum magazine.】
I also received a high-capacity 100-round drum magazine and loaded it into the rifle.
"Lieutenant? Is that a crossbow artifact? It has a very unique shape."
"The sound is very loud. Please don't be surprised."
"Don't worry!"
I pulled the frightened horses closer to us.
I didn't mount them. That's more dangerous.
Hwareureureuk!
A massive Aura Blade surged from Hildea's sword.
It looked over 3 meters long.
She deliberately swelled the Aura Blade large as a threat display, but far from running away, they were actually closing the distance.
"Lieutenant, do you see that large one over there? The one with the red jewel embedded in its forehead."
"Yes. Is that one the pack leader?"
"Exactly. It shows no fear of the Aura Blade at all."
I lowered my stance, and Hildea, standing as if covering me with her body, watched all directions warily.
"The alpha wolf will lunge out, aiming for the decisive moment. So you be prepared as well, Lieutenant."
"How fast is the alpha?"
"Given we are surrounded, even if I carried you and fled, we'd eventually be caught."
"We need to clearly show them that hunting us is a loss."
They came following the smell of chicken skewers, so it would be nice if they just ate that and backed off.
But it's probably hard to expect such rational strategy from monsters.
The alpha wolf strutted forward arrogantly, step by step.
It stood before the chicken skewer thrown by Hildea, sniffed it, then licked it up as if devouring it.
After taking a large lick with a tongue bigger than my face, it began to glare at us and snarl.
"It's responding to the smell of chicken skewers wafting from us."
"Would it retreat if we gave it more?"
"How could that be? Its essence is ultimately a monster."
Over ten wolf individuals closed the distance, forming a small concentric circle of encirclement around us.
The alpha wolf stepped back slightly, as if aiming for a decisive moment, while the remaining individuals slowly circled around, looking for an opening to pounce.
'First strike, decisive victory!'
"Commander-in-Chief-nim, please don't be surprised."
"Alrigh...!"
Before hearing the answer, I pulled the trigger in full-auto.
Tang! Tang! Tang! Tang! Tang! Tang!
The 100-round drum magazine was emptied in the blink of an eye, in just 6 seconds.
【Requesting recovery of empty magazine.】
【Requesting supply of 100-round drum magazine.】
The moment I received the magazine, I swapped it in and fired wildly at them again.
Firing full-auto without earplugs feels like my eardrums will burst, but I'm used to the roar of gunfire.
Tang! Tang! Tang! Tang! Tang! Tang!
As if entranced, I requested recovery of the empty magazines, received new ones, and sprayed bullets wildly.
Kkiiiiing! Kkiiing! Kkiyaang!
The ones that had surrounded us fled in utter panic, tails tucked between their legs.
The wolf individuals that had formed a wide encirclement on the outer horizon were also nowhere to be seen.
All that was left was the alpha wolf, its body crouched low, snarling toward us.
"Commander-in-Chief-nim! It's done! The creatures were startled by the sound and all ran away... Commander-in-Chief-nim?"
"Li, Lieutenant... Ju, just what on earth is that...."
Hildea's complexion had also turned deathly pale.
Her legs were trembling as if about to collapse.
"Ho, how can such a small artifact produce such unheard-of power...!"
I just sprayed hundreds of rounds in full-auto and caught a few White Wolves.
Why is she so deathly pale?
'Ah, it's because of the sound.'
Whether humans or monsters in a medieval fantasy world, they probably could never imagine such roaring sound ceaselessly pouring out of a small weapon like this.
"Commander-in-Chief-nim! Now!"
As I grabbed her shoulder and shouted, Hildea bit her lip and re-ignited her Aura Blade.
The alpha White Wolf, which had been snarling with its body low, eventually turned its head and fled like an arrow.
The ground where the creature had been was damp, with steam rising up in wisps.
It had been completely terrified and pissed itself.
"Li, Lieutenant. What is the true identity of that crossbow artifact? I have never even heard of such a thing."
"It's an attacking weapon that can pour out 100 metal arrowheads in an instant over 6 seconds."
"You, just what...."
I saw the fear spreading across Hildea's face transforming into curiosity.
She brought her face close to the rifle and examined it carefully from various angles.
"To think you alone caught 5 White Wolves in that short time. An impossible feat even for a Sword Expert level knight. Truly an unheard-of artifact."
"It was only because they were off guard and didn't know how to react."
"It must be expensive, right?"
"Yes. I barely received even this one for my own safety. It is a really, really expensive artifact that is difficult to obtain again."
Without a solid foundation, weapons and ammunition supplies must not be carelessly released.
I also have my own plans, steadily building my influence over Hildea mainly through food supplies.
"Do not casually show it in front of others."
"Understood. Even for my own life's sake...."
"Eung? It's not just a matter of your life. Someone will try to steal it at night. Wouldn't it be maddening if such a precious magical device for attack were stolen?"
So that's how it was.
"Lieutenant, let's move first."
"Yes. However, the horses have run away."
It wasn't just the White Wolves that fled, startled by the roaring sound.
"Then we'll return on foot. Do not worry. If you get tired, I, the Commander-in-Chief, will carry you."
Hildea confidently took the lead.
***
"...Commander-nim, the sun is setting."
"...It seems we have lost our way somehow."
"Pardon? Then how do you usually return from solo reconnaissance?"
"My warhorse Nerius is very clever, so even after wandering for several days, when I commanded him to go back, he would always return by the shortest route...."
Hildea stood on her utmost tiptoes, scanning the horizon and tilting her head.
"Uh, is it not that way either...? Where is this...?"