Goddess of the Battlefield, or the Evil God (2)
Goddess of the Battlefield, or the Evil God (2)
Splash. Splash.
Hildea, having submerged her body in the wooden tub, washed off the blood clinging to her.
In a washing bin on one side, blood-soaked military uniforms soaked in soapy water.
For the personal bathroom of the kingdom's hero and commander-in-chief, it was far too small and shabby a setup.
As she washed herself, Hildea thought of Ensign Piel.
How frozen stiff he'd been while she pinned his rank insignia on him.
His personal details were nothing special.
An illegitimate son of the Anbelrum Family who knew nothing of magic or swordsmanship.
"Did they send him here to die, or because they had no one else to send?"
A noble's illegitimate son who knew nothing of the battlefield.
That kind of man drags his allies into danger even when he's dying.
A fearful, incompetent ally is far more dangerous than a capable enemy.
And so Hildea had kept him by her side as her duty officer.
For his sake, and for the sake of his comrades, his subordinates, and his superiors.
"That kid is also one of my soldiers whom I must keep alive and send home...."
The most dangerous frontline, Ainshvan.
In Hildea's eyes, every single soldier here was a young lamb she must keep alive, even one more, and send home.
***
Hildea doesn't give me anything to do.
But I can't just ask if there's nothing she'd like me to do.
How dare some water ensign speak first to the kingdom's greatest hero and commander-in-chief?
I'd get chewed out six ways from Sunday.
Tak-tak! Tak! Tak!
Hildea gathered up the dry military uniform, gave it a good snapping shake,
then began ironing it with her longsword.
The longsword, steeped in the power of aura, heated up red-hot and pressed the uniform stiff and crisp.
'That's not the skill of someone who's only done it once or twice.'
So this is what happens when a Sword Master rolls around the field for five years.
It's an unremarkable white everyday uniform, but since Hildea is wearing it, she looks like a painting.
I bet there are quite a few knights and soldiers suffering from lovesickness because of her.
'Please, just give me something to do.'
The fact that she won't even send me on an errand to fetch water means she sees me as a useless piece of trash she can't even trust with that much.
From the commander's bedroom across from my duty quarters, Hildea changed her clothes and came out.
I can't help but admire her again.
'They say she is the most beautiful and sharpest flower in the kingdom.'
But her aura suggests it ought to be "on the continent," not just in the kingdom.
"Ensign Piel. Let's go eat."
"Yes, Commander-nim."
I was burning with the desire to say "I'll have it airlifted here for you," but I held back.
I followed along with the most disciplined steps I could manage.
On the way to the mess hall, knights and soldiers we met calmly offered their salutes.
Hildea nodded and received their salutes roughly.
I guess running into the commander-in-chief isn't such a big deal to them.
I too picked up a meal tray and stood in line behind Hildea.
The soldiers saluted Hildea, then went on talking among themselves as if they weren't aware of her at all.
'Almost no sense of vested authority.'
My current role is nice for sucking honey.
But if I want to make proper use of the supply cheat (I shortened the US Department of Defense's next-generation integrated logistics system Defense Core because it's too long to say), I can't just settle in comfortably.
As time goes on, I'll be branded the unit's most prominent problem officer and get to enjoy a whole military life ignored even by commoner recruits.
I can't suffer through ten years of mandatory service like that.
"Enjoy your meal."
"You enjoy yours too, Ensign."
"Yes, Commander-nim."
It really was a miserable meal.
The palm-sized biscuit was as hard as a brick.
The watery soup, pulling off a deception skill by pretending to have meat and vegetables in it, was as bland as plain water.
I thought to myself, is this really how the kingdom treats its loyal genius Sword Master commander?
What if she completely loses her mind and turns her sword around on them?
"Seems you have no appetite."
"That's not...."
"Speak the truth. This is an order."
"This is the first type of diet I've eaten in my life, but I will adapt to it quickly."
Hildea's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
That line just now was pretty decent, right?
"How on earth did Ensign Piel come to end up here?"
"One day the Family Head suddenly told me to get in the carriage."
Hildea frugally scraped up the rest of the soup with a piece of the hard biscuit.
"Ensign, what do you think when you see this diet?"
"I thought there might be a supply problem these days."
"Half right, half wrong."
"...So it's not just these days, but has been like this for quite a long time?"
Her clear, deep blue eyes seemed to draw you in.
The look in her eyes watching me grew slightly sharper.
"The military is a money-devouring monster. On top of that, this massive frontline has been maintained for five years already. Naturally, everything is bound to be in short supply."
"...."
"Noble children drafted by force like you are so-called hostages for the supply of goods. Do you understand what I mean?"
My mind flashed, and an empty sense of understanding washed over me.
"You mean that for the safety of their son sent to the battlefield, they must steadily send the necessary supplies?"
"Not bad."
I can't tell if my reputation went up or down in her eyes.
The meal finished, we returned to the commander-in-chief's official residence, a two-story wooden building.
Hildea called me out to the small training yard.
"You said you couldn't even start magic, so I'll take a look at your swordsmanship once. Don't hold back, come at me as you like."
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief-nim!"
I charged, got beaten, and rolled around until my whole body was drenched in sweat and covered with muscle pain, unable to move an inch.
Getting to that point took less than ten minutes, I think.
"This is rather severe."
"I-I'm sorry. Cough! Cough!"
"Do physical training whenever you have a spare moment. I'll look in on your swordsmanship from time to time. Still, if you want to survive, you must know how to swing a sword."
My body won't move at all.
I closed my eyes, lying sprawled on the dirt ground.
'Elenoa noona, I miss you....'
I should have learned diligently instead of ducking out when she nagged me to teach me swordsmanship.
'Father—no, Count Anbelrum.... Isn't this too much?'
Now I finally knew the reason he sent me, someone completely unsuited for the battlefield, here.
I was collateral, just like my other comrades.
A gesture of sincerity from the family regarding the front's supply shortages.
So that's why Lord Deville hadn't been particularly surprised when I said I knew neither swordsmanship nor magic.
***
I had to wash myself.
A young master like me can't stand being soaked in sweat.
And in my past life, I even lived as a modern Earthling with tap water gushing out every day.
【12 liters of drinking water received.】
This is my free daily personal supply item.
Seems to reflect that the US military supplies up to twelve liters of drinking water per day in combat situations.
"Ah, refreshing."
I washed my body with this. I used soap from the personal hygiene items.
【Recovering empty water bottles.】
When I requested recovery, all the empty water bottles disappeared.
I guess I won't have to worry about disposing of shell casings later.
'Ten days since enlistment already.'
During that time, I've passed the days doing physical training, eating three meals a day with the commander-in-chief at the mess hall, and occasionally getting beaten up during swordsmanship training.
Hildea gave me nothing to do, and handled all her own work herself.
Even cleaning the commander-in-chief's office!
When I saw the commander sweeping with a broom, I was so startled I tried to help, but
"It's an order. You are to conduct physical training right now."
at those words, I immediately tucked my tail and backed down.
Chocolate, Earl Grey, herbal tea, peanut butter, jam, cookies.
I'd love it if I could get her to eat even one of these, but she gives me absolutely no opening.
Seems she thinks something terrible will happen if she gives me any task at all.
"Ensign Piel, your meal portions are pitiful. Why did you take so little soup?"
"I think this much is enough for me."
"Hmm, you'll have a hard time holding up eating that little. I'll share some of mine with you."
Hildea scooped a large portion from her own untouched soup and gave it to me.
I'm grateful for the beautiful young Sword Master's kindness.
But....
'I can just eat combat rations.'
Because the field diet was so tasteless, I was eating a minimal amount and having the four daily combat rations separately.
And with two of those left over each day, I've already accumulated twelve unreceived supply items.
"Keep this in mind, Ensign. Eating is also an activity for maintaining combat power."
"Yes, Commander-nim."
I'd rather we ate separately, but Hildea always drags me along with her at every meal.
***
I found out the reason on the fourteenth day after enlistment.
Hildea, who had been urgently deployed at dawn, still had not returned even as the afternoon wore on.
A liberation for once! I settled breakfast and lunch with delicious combat rations.
'Still, it's a place I'll be stuck for ten years, so let's look around more carefully.'
My supply cheat might later become a Marshall Plan for this front, after all.
'The supply situation really is total shit.'
You can tell just by looking at the mess hall menu.
But the atmosphere was strange.
The soldiers passing by didn't salute me.
Looks as if they were outright ignoring me.
Did the incident from the first day spread as a rumor that fast?
But is a flunky green ensign freezing up in front of the commander-in-chief really such a huge issue?
The looks directed at me became blatant.
'Insubordination!'
A sharp feeling stabbed at me.
I quickly headed back to the official residence without looking back.
'I need to check something.'
I went to find Ensign Redneck, my fellow enlistee.
Even so, we'd become somewhat close through the long journey.
The moment he saw me, the guy let out a deep sigh.
His face soured more and more as he listened to my story.
"Ensign Piel, you do know your reputation across our entire unit is rock bottom these days, right?"
"It doesn't seem like it's because of my mistake in front of the commander-nim on the first day."
"Of course it's not. Your family alone has sent absolutely nothing."
"...What?"
"The other enlistees' families sent large wagonloads of iron, cloth, meat, wheat — all the stuff needed on the frontline. But only your family sent nothing at all."
"...."
"Seems something went wrong, so write a letter to your family quickly and ask them to send stuff.
And for food, give half to the mess hall and keep the other half to use on the soldiers in your spare time to win their favor... Ah, you don't have any subordinates, do you."
In that instant, the last words the Family Head, Count Anbelrum, had said to me suddenly resurfaced.
「Do not expect anything from the family. Forge your way through everything with your own strength. That is war.」
I thought it was a ceremonial moral lecture, but it seems that was actually an ultimatum.
'Why on earth? The Family Head always looked after even the illegitimate children, saying they were all his sons and daughters, didn't he?'
That evening, Hildea returned.
Covered head to toe in blood just like last time, but without a single wound.
Without even taking the time to change her clothes, Hildea gave me an order.
"Ensign Piel, let's go eat."
"I already ate earlier."
"I know. You starved all day today."
How did she know I hadn't even set foot near the mess hall?
"Let's go."
"...Yes, Commander-nim."
The mess hall, with its fires out.
But because the commander-in-chief who had just finished a battle came by, the mess soldiers immediately prepared food and brought it out.
Now I finally understood.
Why Hildea dragged me along without fail at every meal.
If it hadn't been for Hildea, bugs or pebbles and the like would've ended up on my meal tray.
Or someone would've knocked it over, pretending it was an accident.
"It is not your fault, so do not blame yourself too harshly. When locked in a prison like this, anyone will be pushed to the extreme and seek out a target to hate."
"...."
"You were merely dragged here without knowing anything. Unlike me."
My chest ached a little.
'I had beef brisket with garlic mashed potatoes from the combat rations earlier, and I even ate the brownie, apple cinnamon bar, and jelly for dessert....'
The commander, who just returned from a fierce battle, is eating that slop over there.
I felt so sorry that I alone had been eating delicious combat rations.