Goddess of the Battlefield, or the Evil God (4)
Goddess of the Battlefield, or the Evil God (4)
If I could receive all the items in the Supply Cheat, what could I do in the future?
First, I could show some great filial piety to Count Anbelrum who kicked me out to the battlefield, right?
Just imagining it makes my heart swell.
There was another category that makes my blood boil.
▶ CLASS 10. Cultural Life Supplies
: Movies/Dramas/Animations/Games/Books/Records....
I looked into it, and it contained a truly staggering number of contents.
The modern person's sensibility I had sealed away to adapt to medieval times is howling madly.
Begging me to unlock that.
'I want to get promoted, quickly and high.'
***
"Lieutenant Piel, welcome to the Supply Department. I am Major Aleph, head of the Supply Department, and from now on, your position is Supply Assistant."
I had been secretly worried, but my superior welcomed me in a very excited atmosphere.
I checked the notification again.
【You have been appointed to the position of 'Supply Department Supply Officer's Assistant'.】
'Where is the Supply Officer?'
"Your direct superior, the Supply Officer, was killed in action last year, so that position is currently vacant."
They've kept it vacant since they died last year?
"Please hang in there until personnel placement is made."
"Yes, Major-nim."
"By the way, I heard that the Milk Salt Snack Bar was sent from your family, is that true?"
When I subtly slipped him a Milk Salt Snack Bar I had brought in advance, Supply Department Head Aleph's face lit up.
"Thank you."
It seems my peers had diligently spread rumors about me.
Seeing how they welcomed me so brightly at my first duty station.
The soldiers also treated me with squared-away attitudes.
Of course, I didn't distribute the Milk Salt Snack Bars right away.
Why would I, when they weren't even my subordinates.
【Position : Supply Officer's Assistant】
【Direct Unit : None】
【Subordinates : 0】
"Your task is managing the food storage area of Warehouse 32. The supply soldiers will assist you, so it won't be too difficult. Do your best."
"Yes, Department Head-nim."
The supply department head left, and now I was the highest ranking person here.
The soldiers who had survived the harsh battlefield looked at me with eyes mixed with peculiar anticipation.
"As you know, this officer has no military experience. Who will assist this officer in learning the duties?"
No one raised their hand. It didn't seem like hostility, but rather they wanted to be cautious.
I designated the soldier with the highest rank and the most rugged look.
"Corporal Baren will guide me."
"Understood."
***
In this world, there are no non-commissioned officers.
It is strictly divided into only soldiers and officers.
I received guidance from Corporal Baren to check the supplies of my assigned warehouse and randomly cross-checked them against the ledger.
"All inventory is accurately checked. Impressive?"
"If the quantity is even slightly wrong, we are governed by military law."
As expected of the most dangerous front line.
As a result of wrestling with the ledger for the first time in a while, I was able to confirm what I had already suspected.
'Food is in absolute shortage. The missing amount is being covered by families who, like me, sent hostages from the rear. That accounts for 30% of the total supplies.'
***
'This kind of noble young master is a first.'
Corporal Baren followed Lieutenant Piel around, observing him with interested eyes.
Piel seriously examined the ledger and checked the warehouse inventory.
Even at a glance, his skill was not that of a beginner.
'An illegitimate child who never learned the sword or magic at all, but did he have a talent for business?'
If so, he would be helpful to the supply department in the future.
"Corporal Baren."
"Yes, Supply Assistant-nim."
"I don't have a disloyal heart, but it seems the central government isn't providing sufficient supplies. Even though this is the most dangerous and important front. Do you know why?"
"It's because the war is prolonging. The nearby noble families are already on the brink of bankruptcy from paying war expenses. If His Majesty the King hadn't prohibited the forced collection by creditors through a royal decree, the territories would have fallen one after another."
"What about the grain yields of the surrounding territories?"
"The number of tenant farmers has been shattered due to conscription. Even the family members of His Excellency Count Golden have been living on only two meals a day for several years now."
Corporal Baren felt a curious pleasure.
This was the first newly commissioned officer who didn't ask about Commander Hildea's tastes or her preferred type of man.
***
My heart was heavy the entire time I was inspecting the supply warehouse.
This supply situation is too serious?
'I have to beat down the nobles who act like it's none of their business because they're in the rear territory far from the front and wipe their mouths clean. Especially bastards like Count Anbelrum. Why don't they know that if the country falls, their own territory falls too?'
It was when I briefly had the delusion that the Supply Cheat was given to me to help Commander Hildea lead the war to victory and rise as a renowned general of the kingdom.
Bwoooooo!
A sharp horn sound with an ominous feeling blared loudly.
Flustered by what was happening, I looked around, and everyone in the barracks was moving urgently.
Kieeeeeek!
A roar came from the sky.
In an instant, the hair on my entire body stood on end and my muscles stiffened.
Like a frog before a viper, my body wouldn't move.
I wasn't the only one.
Everyone, including Corporal Baren, froze like stone, barely able to move their pupils.
A gigantic flying monster rushed toward the defensive wall.
Kwakwagwang! Kurureung!
The thick and high defensive wall built of rocks crumbled with a crash, and the monster opened its beak wide.
It lightly bit into the soldiers who were frozen like me, just like a leopard eating a rabbit alive.
Wadeudeuk! Wadeudeuk!
It seemed like I could hear the sound of the sharp, giant teeth crushing the skull.
I wanted to run away from the surreal sight, but my body frozen by the roar wouldn't move.
It was then.
A ray of light that had been darting forward leaped over the top of the monster's skull.
And as if by magic, the monster's head split off and fell, gushing out a tremendous amount of blood.
The headless monster corpse above Hildea, who landed lightly, was covered in pouring blood.
'That must be the another side of the Goddess of the Battlefield....'
It was certainly a horrific sight.
But it was strange.
In my eyes right now, that figure drenched in blood looked beautiful.
Was it because of the desperation in trying to tear apart the monster carcass without minding being soaked in blood, trying to pull out her swallowed subordinate?
"Ah.... It moves...."
The stiffness the monster had inflicted with its roar began to slowly release.
I realized once again just where I had come to.
***
There were 6 dead.
Perhaps because of that, Hildea looked to be in a very bad mood.
I really hated that expression of silent self-reproach on a delicate girl who was just 20 years old.
'If I feed her something sweet, she'll feel a little better, right?'
"Commander-nim, I have a gift sent separately by my maternal family for you last time."
"I do not accept bribes."
"It's just a small snack."
Hildea's expression shifted completely.
The expression that had been exhausted until just a moment ago was replaced by the first 'girlish' sparkle in her eyes.
"A small snack...?"
"Yes, it will be much more delicious than the Milk Salt Snack Bar."
"...I'm counting on you."
"Please wait a moment."
I entered the small kitchen attached next door.
【Requesting supply of the following items.】
【Giradel Dark Chocolate : A smooth chocolate boasting a luxurious taste】
【Instant Geisha Coffee : Featuring rich acidity and floral notes, a premium coffee preferred by those who like a clean and clear taste. Even first-timers can easily enjoy it.】
I had the Supply Cheat process the wrappers.
I neatly arranged the chocolate on a plate, and poured the coffee dissolved in hot water into a cup.
'It's not drip coffee but instant, but in this era, it's no different from an asymmetric strategic weapon.'
I hope it helps change her mood.
And at the same time, I hope to capture the taste buds of the kingdom's hero and commander so my military life becomes smoother.
'To properly use the Supply Cheat, I have to get promoted.'
The items and budget unlocked vary by rank, position, and direct unit size.
And the Commander-in-Chief is the cheat key to my promotion.
Since Hildea is also a woman, I believe she'll be neutralized in front of this asymmetric weapon crafted by modern Earth food chemistry.
"Please enjoy, Commander-nim."
"W-what is this?"
***
"This is Giradel Dark Chocolate, and Geisha Coffee."
'Chocolate? Coffee?'
Names she was hearing for the first time.
Hildea, hooked on the refreshments, felt her eyes vibrate mercilessly.
The Sword Master's sensitive senses detected the sweet flavor and acidity faintly rising from the tea cakes.
Her subordinates who knew her well would have been shocked if they saw.
Because she was wearing an expression of a girl deeply lost in excitement, one she had never once shown before.
Dugeun dugeun.
Her mouth watered involuntarily, and her hand trembled as if urging her to hurry and pick it up.
'The highest value of food lies in calories. But... is it allowed to look this pretty?'
The value Hildea had believed in was, however, shaking wildly at this moment.
"It's too pretty. It's not food, it's like artwork."
"Beautiful things to the eye also present sweetness to the tongue."
"It seems you've never eaten a poison mushroom."
"The reason poison mushrooms are colorful is a warning not to eat them, but making food pretty is a wish for the eater to put it into their mouth feeling good.
It's like dressing up to look good to someone you have a crush on."
"A crush?"
"The one who made this will never know who eats it. That's why it's a one-sided crush."
Hildea let out a silent, short laugh, then quickly hardened her expression.
She picked up a piece of chocolate and put it in her mouth.
The moment she lightly bit with her white teeth, an unprecedented concentrated sweetness exploded mercilessly in her mouth.
Her eyes grew wide.
Before she knew it, she had devoured the remaining chocolate hastily and grasped the coffee cup like a starving person.
An unfamiliar brown color.
Yet she felt no repulsion.
The deep aroma wafting from the surface recklessly incited her tongue to drink quickly.
The moment a sip of the concentrated flavor touched her tongue, another explosion went off in Hildea's head.
When she came to her senses....
"...Lieutenant Piel, why is my cup empty?"
"That's because you, Commander-nim, drank it in an instant."
"I-I can't properly understand the taste like this. Bring more."
"Sorry. It's such a precious snack that this is all I have."
"Ah...."
For the first time, the eyes of the Sword Master were tinged with defeat.
She leaned back deeply into the chair.
The pounding in her heart wouldn't stop.
She hadn't been this excited even when she first broke through the realm of Sword Master.
"It was... a truly heavenly taste. A taste I've never experienced, nor even imagined."
"It's an honor."
"This commander has been invited to the feast of His Majesty the King before. But I never felt such a shock from any dish. It's truly amazing."
Hildea stared straight at Piel.
The image from the first day had long since been washed away as if erased.
In her eyes, Piel was an inestimably precious resource of the barracks.
"This must be a very expensive and precious food."
"It's not something for sale in the first place. It is a snack made only to serve very precious individuals."
"I cannot not repay you. Tell me if you want something."
"I only hoped it would be of some small help in relieving the fatigue accumulated from your subjugations, Commander-nim...."
"I will grant it within my discretionary authority. Tell me quickly. It's an order."
Piel began to ponder, rolling his eyes.
Hildea was pleased with that reaction.
'He didn't give it wishing for something. A pure young man.'
The war hero had absolutely no idea.
That Piel had once eaten a meal sandwiched between two presidents in a past life, and was right now putting on a facial expression act to raise the Commander-in-Chief's favorability.
"Then I'd like to suggest something so I can be more faithful to my duty officer tasks."
"What do you mean?"
"Holding a broom, doing the laundry yourself, going to the mess hall every time to eat. I believe these are not the duties of the Commander-in-Chief, but the tasks of a duty officer."
At the unexpected words, Hildea's upper body leaned slightly forward.
"So that you, Commander-nim, can focus solely on commanding the unit, please leave the trivial matters to me."
Hildea almost burst into laughter.
She nodded with a pleased expression, suppressing her laughter with little kkeuk kkeuk sounds until tears almost sprang to her eyes.
"Alright. I shall do so. But since you are concurrently holding a position in the supply department, can you manage all the official residence maintenance alone?"
"That's why I would like to have about one or two direct orderlies. In order to better assist you, Commander-nim."
"Permission granted."
Hildea immediately wrote a letter of appointment on the spot and signed it.
And after hesitating for a moment, she opened her mouth quietly.
"This chocolate and coffee... will there be a chance for me to try them again later?"
Piel answered confidently.
"I will definitely make it happen."
***
【Direct Unit : None】
【Subordinates : 2】
【From now on, a monthly budget of 12,000 will be allocated.】
I only got 2 orderly subordinates, and it's already this much.
I'm already excited about what it will be like when I become a large unit commander later.
'Hildea is a woman after all. To show that face over just chocolate and instant Geisha coffee.'