The Commander Wants a Midnight Sn○○k (1)
The Commander Wants a Midnight Sn○○k (1)
I chose the 105mm Howitzer instead of the 120mm Mortar as Hildea's personal weapon.
The warhead destructive power is similar, but the 105mm is superior in range and muzzle velocity.
In other words, its penetration is higher.
'If you fire it directly at close range with a maximum charge, most monsters won't stand a chance.'
After eating a ton of Marshall Burgers, Hildea had completely melted into a puddle.
Exaggerating a bit, it seemed like she'd even accept a slave contract in exchange for burgers.
"Commander Hildea-nim, are you satisfied?"
"I'm... satisfied.... It truly is heavenly food...."
"From now on, if you're ever hungry, just say the word. I'll let you eat as many Marshall Burgers as you want."
"Whenever I want, as much as I want? Really? Major Piel?"
"Of course."
"You clearly gave a definite answer. Do you acknowledge it?"
"I acknowledge it."
She had sauce messily smeared all around her mouth.
I took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth clean.
"...."
Her gaze seems kind of deep and meaningful?
Could this be...?
"Would you like some more Cola?"
"Ah, no! That's enough, for now! I've had a satisfying meal!"
Hildea scrambled to her feet and hugged the 105mm Howitzer, which had only the barrel detached, tightly to her chest.
That sight somehow reminded me of a girl hugging a teddy bear mascot.
"In Commander-nim's opinion, how would it be for the other knights?"
"Umm... For the 60mm, if you file down the sharp protrusions on the bottom of the base plate to make it flat, it seems like even a Sword Imperial-level knight could fire it directly against their stomach."
"That won't do then. There's no reason to file down the base plate."
If you have to file down the spikes meant for heat dissipation on the base plate, it's better to just fire indirectly.
Because Hildea's 105mm is meant to add supersonic kinetic energy by firing directly when it originally can't be fired that way.
'Should I switch the knights to 120mm Mortars later? But the problem is the minimum range of 200 meters. Should I just do a mixed formation instead? That might be good?'
The 60mm Mortar with a minimum range of 70 meters.
The 120mm Mortar with a minimum range of 200 meters.
Their advantage is that anyone above Sword Expert can handle them bare-handed without a bipod.
They're great for sweeping away monster legions that swarm in packs. In other words, perfect for stomping weaklings.
Add Rebecca's Heavy Machine Gun Aura Bullet spray for airbursts, and it's the best.
And for the somewhat tougher individuals, Hildea can concentrate fire with the 105mm direct shot packing supersonic kinetic energy.
'Things like that White Wolf alpha from last time, or that Corrupted World Tree stump, Hildea can handle those.'
If it comes to close combat, everyone can just pull out their titanium alloy machetes and fight back.
With this kind of formation, there'd be no worries at all for the Ainshuvan Front.
'A dynastic revolution would also be sufficiently possible.... No, let's not have such bad thoughts.'
The blood of the Jeonju Lee clan really does run thick.
Thank goodness I'm not from the Grand Prince Suyang faction.
Suddenly, Hildea's shabby combat boots caught my eye.
Combat boots made with tanning techniques fitting the Midraeland standard, which looked pathetic in my eyes.
「Of course, even without Feather Step, enduring it isn't hard, but I'm worried the combat boots will get ruined.... We're short on combat boots as it is....」
Hildea's earlier deflated reaction came to mind.
"Commander Hildea-nim, would you take off your combat boots for a moment?"
"Huh? C-combat boots? Why all of a sudden?"
"I'm planning to give you combat boots like the ones I wear, and I need to measure your foot size."
"Really? You'll give me ones like your combat boots?"
Hildea's face lit up.
Her eyes sparkled so brightly that I was afraid of how much disappointment would show if I said it was a joke.
"Then I'll check. Please sit on the mat and stretch out your feet."
"Okay, sure...."
***
Piel slowly took off her combat boots.
Hildea was seized by an indescribable feeling and stared blankly at his touch.
The moment the combat boots came off and her shabby bare feet were revealed, Hildea felt a strange sense of shame.
Because it seemed like he was staring right at the dust and shoe grime caked on her feet.
"You don't wear socks."
"Socks? Ah, you mean hose? Such luxury consumables are a waste of supplies...."
"First, let me wash your feet."
Piel poured a generous amount of bottled water on her feet.
'To use clean water just to wash feet.'
The soldiers liked and praised most of Piel's supplies, but they ranked bottled water as the best.
The clear water with no impurities and absolutely no foul odor reminded them of holy water used by religious orders.
'The Marshall Family really is amazing. To even supply such clean water in large quantities.'
Piel used that precious bottled water without hesitation to wash her dirty feet.
When he casually tossed away the used disposable hand soap, Hildea's heart nearly dropped.
After meticulously washing even between her toes, Piel took out a towel and wiped away all the moisture, then took out socks and put them on her feet.
"Major Piel, these are strangely shaped hose. It's the first time I've seen such things."
"They're not hose, they're socks. You wear them on your feet. I'll give you several pairs, so please change into fresh ones every day from now on. I'll have the orderlies take care of laundering the worn socks."
"...Understood."
Hildea strangely felt good about him gently touching and wiggling her feet.
She even felt a coziness like when her father, whose face was now blurry in her memory, used to hold her in his arms and stroke her head.
'I'm sleepy.'
Strangely, she kept feeling drowsy in front of him.
Hildea forced her closing eyes open and silently watched Piel's touch.
***
I was surprised that the condition of Hildea's feet was far cleaner than I expected.
I just roughly washed off the combat boot grime with water and hand soap, but her white, pretty toes were revealed right away.
'Her shoes are in this state, and even if she bathes every day, how is this possible? Is it because she's a Sword Master, so her physical condition is different?'
After putting socks on her white feet, I even found Na○ke combat boots that fit her feet from the PX and put them on her.
"My feet are so light and comfortable. The Marshall Family even knows how to make combat boots like this!"
Hildea hopped around, enjoying the fit that wrapped around her feet.
Seeing my rank ATM happy makes me satisfied too.
"Shall we return to the unit then?"
"Let's."
Hildea carefully cradled the 105mm Howitzer and walked alongside me.
"Major Piel, by any chance, is there a Magical Device even more powerful than this 105mm Magical Cannon?"
"It's under development."
"Really?"
"Yes. It's a Magical Device called the 155mm."
"I can tell just by hearing the name. It's much faster, flies farther, and is more powerful than this 105mm, right?"
"That's correct."
"If it gets developed, I hope you'll definitely show it to this commander."
"Of course."
So please hurry up with my promotion....
At my rank, the 105mm is the maximum firepower.
Did the military administrative officer who's supposed to bring my lieutenant colonel rank insignia drift away while crossing the Dwein River or something?
***
As we returned and walked through the barracks, gazes poured in from all directions.
Especially the knights, with their eyes wide open, were staring dizzily at the large and beautiful barrel Hildea was hugging.
"Wh-what in the world is that Magical Device?"
"So that was the source of the deafening sound we heard from the mountain behind earlier!"
"It's not even comparable to the 60mm Mortar Magical Device. It looks over four times longer?"
"This can't be. Suddenly my 60mm Mortar Magical Device is starting to feel shabby..."
The number of knights rushing over in a hurry to see it kept increasing.
As the audience grew, Hildea's shoulders visibly rose higher and higher.
She held the 4.4-meter cannon barrel embraced in her arms even more rigidly upright.
The moment we arrived at the official residence, the Mortar Knight Order came swarming in.
Vice-commander Basel and Adjutant Dvil entered as representatives of the Mortar Knight Order.
"Commander-in-Chief, what in the world is that massive magical device?"
"Ah, this is called a 105mm Howitzer Magical Device."
Bazel and Dvil's eyes widened in shock.
"It's not a mortar but a howitzer?"
"The name itself is extraordinary."
"Major Piel, couldn't you also supply us with that 105mm Howitzer Magical Device?"
"I can tell at a glance that it's expensive and precious. Is there no way to supply even just a few?"
Hildea puffed out her chest and let out a derisive chuckle, and the moment our eyes met, she gave a silent little cough and looked away.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Regrettably, no."
"Is, is it that precious a magical device? I suppose so. Indeed, it can't be helped...."
"While it's true that it's precious and expensive, it's not something that couldn't be procured with a bit of a stretch."
The instant Bazel and Dvil's expressions brightened, I ruthlessly dropped them into despair.
"But aren't you both not Sword Masters?"
"Th, that's true."
"Does that matter?"
"Huh, don't tell me!"
"Major Piel? It can't be? Please tell us it isn't so!"
"That thing can only be used by someone at the Sword Master level. Because it's not a magical device that fires in a curved trajectory like the 60mm mortar, but one that fires in direct fire like a rifle."
"Horizontal fire? How in the world would you handle that recoil... Ah! I understand!"
"You have to brace the cannon barrel against your body and overcome that recoil! Understood."
Hildea cut in, practically strutting with pride.
"One does not necessarily need to have achieved Sword Master. If you know how to use Aura Armor, you can brace the cannon barrel against your stomach and disperse the recoil."
"...Isn't Aura Armor itself a skill exclusive to Sword Masters?"
"Uhhng? Was it? Since this Commander-in-Chief has been using Aura Armor since the age of 15, I don't really know what kind of world those below Sword Imperial live in."
"Keuk...!"
Bazel and Dvil trembled with their fists clenched.
It wasn't that they felt a desire to revolt against Hildea's smug taunt, but rather that they seemed to despair at their own insufficient talent that prevented them from enjoying the 4.4-meter howitzer's horizontal firing.
Hildea still strutted proudly.
"Do you wish to become a knight of the 4.4-meter 105mm Magical Cannon? Then either achieve Sword Master, or acquire Aura Armor. Then this Commander-in-Chief will actively recommend you to Major Piel."
"Commander-in-Chief, but you see, Aura Armor is the exclusive domain of Sword Masters...!"
"Sir Basel! Please get a hold of yourself!"
When Sir Basel got too worked up and shouted, Dvil quickly covered his mouth and stopped him from beside him.
Frankly, even I felt like siding with Sir Basel just now.
I could totally tell Hildea was doing that on purpose.
The two knights walked out with their shoulders slumped, and relayed the facts to the knights who had been glaring with glaring eyes outside.
The mood of the 60mm Mortar Knight Order momentarily plummeted before their eyes burned with renewed enthusiasm and fervent ardor.
"Training!"
"We'd been too complacent with our swordsmanship training, relying on the 60mm cannon magical device!"
"From today, it's intense training! Fortunately, corn combat soup is provided without limit, so no worrying about fainting from hunger while training!"
"Major Piel! Do not forget! The day we become qualified, you must supply us with the Sword Master-exclusive howitzer as well!"
Sure thing. Of course.
If you just achieve Sword Master, I can supply this kind of stuff as much as you want.
***
Evening.
As she always did, Rebecca came to the official residence for dinner, and Piel set out beef brisket combat rations.
Rebecca, as usual, enjoyed the meal with genuine admiration.
"Piel, it's so delicious. How can it be so tasty and new every single time, morning and evening?"
"Thank you. Please enjoy your meal."
Hildea dined with a subtle smile on her face.
The beef brisket was still delicious.
But for Hildea, who had experienced that heavenly taste during the daytime, this was no longer an astonishing dish.
The brisket inside a Marshall Burger was far more tender and chewy than the beef brisket from the combat rations.
But compared to the beef patty, it had been nothing more than the weakest link.
Having eaten her fill of such things, how must Rebecca's appearance, so joyfully relishing the beef brisket combat ration, look to her now?
'Huhu, seeing her like this, Marquis Carlton is quite adorable.'
Hildea no longer made a fuss but leisurely enjoyed her meal.
"Would you like some of mine as well?"
"Really? But what about you, Piel?"
"I picked at some various things at the mess hall earlier today, so I'm not that hungry."
"Thank you, I'll enjoy it."
Hildea looked at Piel with peculiar eyes.
Usually, Piel was a very generous person who yielded his food to those around him.
'Now I understand where that generosity of giving food came from.'
In fact, that very generosity had now even infected Hildea.
Because she could now gaze upon Rebecca's coyly coquettish behavior with a benevolent smile.
"Piel, is the elf experiment all finished now?"
"Only the final experiment remains."
"How long they can survive without being exposed to sunlight, that one?"
"Yes. They are lasting quite a long time."
"Piel's way of thinking is truly amazing. To see elves as mobile plant colonies."
"There's no guarantee that applies to all individuals, but at least, I view expendable combat elves as being close to mobile plants. They can completely block out pain when needed, and...."
Hildea stared thoughtfully at Piel's rank insignia while thinking.
'The military officer from the capital had better arrive soon.'
***
In the middle of the night.
I woke up to the pressure of something soft pressing down on my stomach.
Hildea, in her nightclothes, was sitting on top of me, gripping my shoulders with both hands.
"Commander Hildea?"
Had her appetite exploded at dawn? Was she craving a late-night snack?
"...Major Piel. My chest is too itchy, making it impossible to sleep."
"Your chest is itchy, you say?"
Could it be an allergic rash or hives?
Was there some ingredient in the Marshall Burger that didn't agree with Hildea... no, I can't even imagine a Sword Master having allergies?
"Marshall Burger, I want a Marshall Burger."
Hildea's eyes were burning more fiercely than ever.
It seemed like her appetite had truly exploded.
She was definitely craving a late-night snack, after all.
"Eating a Marshall Burger seems like it will resolve this itchiness. Hurry and give this Commander-in-Chief a Marshall Burger...."
"I, I'll give it to you. First, please get off me."
As expected, it wasn't an allergy; she had simply mistaken late-night hunger pangs for an itching sensation.
I fed her 30 burgers as a late-night snack, after which she was satisfied and returned to her own room.
***
A slender female elf with pointed ears and long green hair flowing in the wind was standing with her arms crossed, observing the 3rd Army barracks in the far distance.
"La croke ta briadon."
The instant the elf chanted the spell.
A faint light from a magic circle spread beneath her feet, and the ground began to tremble.
The ground the elf stood on suddenly surged upward, and a giant made of rock rose up.
Centered around the rock giant with a body length exceeding 20 meters, countless small golems rose up everywhere.
Kung! Kung! Kukung! Kugugung!
The rock giant, commanding a legion of small golems, advanced toward the distant 3rd Army barracks, carrying the elf who had deployed darkness concealment magic upon its head.
The clouds completely obscured the moon.