Like Looting, But Not Looting (2)
Like Looting, But Not Looting (2)
Luna and the knights from the 1st Army boldly entered the large city before them.
A large city with a population of 30,000.
"Listen up, everyone. We'll include up to this point as the 1st evacuation target for now."
"Yes!"
The knights felt a pang in their chests.
'Captain Luna is back to her old self!'
'She's completely recovered her energy.'
Since returning to the north, Luna had regained her former liveliness.
In fact, she had become even brighter.
'It must be because of Samgyeopsal, right?'
'Even we count the days until our weekly Samgyeopsal dinner gatherings....'
The knights were unaware that Luna alone received a slice of chocolate chiffon cake as dessert.
The knights in digital pattern navy uniforms marched neatly into the central square.
The residents, enjoying their daily lives as usual, watched with curiosity and bewilderment.
Luna, levitating slightly with flight magic, held a Noble Council document in her hand and shouted confidently.
"We are the 3rd Army of Ainshuvan! From this moment, this city will undergo a civilian evacuation operation! Here is the order from the Noble Council!"
Murmur. Buzz.
Amidst the flustered residents, a man in luxurious attire pushed his way out in a fluster.
"Why is the Ainshuvan Army here? What did the Noble Council guarantee? Why do we have to evacuate?"
"Fool. Didn't you know that a million-strong elf army has landed in Viscount Potashu's territory and is penetrating inland?"
"A million elf army?"
"Good heavens, is that true?"
"No, why didn't we know about this?"
"Our lord said nothing?"
"N-no way. A few days ago, the lord hurriedly marched out with all his knights...!"
Luna laughed upon hearing the murmuring.
'He took all his knights and marched out? Even better.'
As long as they had machetes, mandrake root, fentanyl, priests, and glucose combat biscuits, there was no chance of being pushed back in battle.
But an empty house would make the civilian evacuation operation much easier.
"Listen carefully! This city is in very grave danger right now! You must evacuate quickly!"
"T-this is unmistakably a Noble Council unanimous resolution document!"
Those words were the decisive factor.
The residents, convinced it was an order from the Noble Council, immediately dispersed to pack their belongings.
"Everything must be taken! Don't miss a single piece of furniture or a single grain of rye!"
"We will use storage warehouse magic!"
"We'll put all food supplies into the subspace! Don't worry! We'll take responsibility for distributing rations on the way!"
The knights spread out in all directions and urged the residents to pack.
They faced no interference because the lord had marched out with all his knights.
Of course, the lord's son hadn't marched out.
He had come out to find out why the territory was in an uproar, recognized Luna, and cried out.
"Y-you are Sir Luna Rosenberg of the 1st Army? Why are you here, when you must never leave Ainshuvan?"
"You recognized me? Then die."
Just as Luna was about to use magic without hesitation, Private Bertenhal (former brigadier general) hastily stopped her.
"Captain Luna! The Lieutenant Colonel ordered us to actively seek cooperation with local nobles! You can't just kill them recklessly!"
"Can't be helped. Take him with us."
"Yes, that fellow will make for a good ransom."
"Aaaagh! What on earth are you doing!"
"Are you going to defy an order issued by the Noble Council?"
The passively resistant high-ranking individuals collapsed in resistance before the Noble Council's order document.
Thus, having secured a little under 40,000 '1st wave of rescued residents,' Luna detached half of her troops to escort them.
"Private Bertenhal, I'm entrusting this to you."
"Yes, please take care yourself as well, Lieutenant."
"Keep your radio handy. Don't forget your regular reports."
"Understood."
And so, Luna continued moving through the central region, stirring the residents' fears and aiding their evacuation.
The vivid testimonies of residents who had experienced the Ancient Tree Legion's attacks firsthand made the task much smoother.
"Evacuation, leaving a city with intact defensive facilities! Does that make any military sense?"
"Take that up with the Noble Council."
"You wreeeetch! A young brat like you has no manners!"
"I swore not to treat those rear-line fat pigs as human beings."
It was a pledge solidified back when the 1st and 2nd Armies had collapsed and they had been suppressing skin rashes from chewing raw flour while burning down the luxurious villas in the capital.
"You wench! You are Luna Rosenberg? How can a wench like you, who must never leave Ainshuvan...!"
"Shall I kill him?"
"Let's just capture him for now."
"He looks like he makes me want to kill him."
"The Lieutenant Colonel will take care of it."
Even while being tightly bound, the old lesser noble did not stop his shouts.
"This is treason! Treason!"
"Quiet. Does the Noble Council's order document look like a joke to you?"
The operation to evacuate civilians from hazardous zones was progressing smoothly.
"I never knew that ransacking empty houses could be this fun and enjoyable."
***
I split the reinforcements and sent them in two directions.
The Dvil unit would become heroes by annihilating the Ancient Tree Legion, a blazing display of the Northern Army's combat power.
The Luna unit would become heroes by evacuating the pitiful, starving territorial residents in danger.
And our main forces—the Mortar Knight Order, 105mm Magical Cannon Master Hildea, and Heavy Machine Gun Master Rebecca—were preparing for any potential stirrings of the elf army.
"Delicious. Delicious. Marshall Burger is so delicious."
"Compared to Samgyeopsal Lettuce Wrap?"
"W-well, Samgyeopsal Lettuce Wrap is overwhelmingly more delicious, but the Marshall Burger has the advantage of being convenient to eat regardless of time and place."
When you place a patty dripping with juice, thinly sliced brisket and bacon, lettuce generously soaked in sauce, and gooey melted cheese between top and bottom toasted buns...
Hildea, sitting right next to me, held it with both hands and ate with eyes full of happiness.
She's a woman worth feeding.
'Should I give her ice cream today? No. That seems too cruel.'
Hildea, 20 years old, a medieval sword master beauty.
Once she tastes ice cream, she might renounce her identity as the commander and declare herself a slave to ice cream.
"But Lieutenant Colonel Piel."
"Yes, Hildea-nim."
I asked, as I lifted a napkin to wipe the sauce from Hildea's lips and cheek.
"I feel unnecessarily sorry lately towards Carlton Marquis about eating this delicious Marshall Burger alone...."
She was hesitant and watching my reaction, but her mouth chewing the burger didn't stop.
"Would it be alright if you shared it with Commander Rebecca-nim? There might not be enough later."
There's no way there would be a shortage, but I asked that just to tease her.
Hildea chewed the burger that was stuffing her cheeks full, rolling her eyeballs around.
After swallowing the whole burger, she reached out to the pile of burgers I had newly stacked.
Her face was full of anguish.
"It can't be helped.... If I monopolize such a delicious thing for too long alone... the 4th Corps commander might later commit insubordination... We must prevent damage to unit solidarity...."
So the tradition of sharing delicious food with neighboring units has taken root in Ainshuvan.
My heart swells with pride.
"Understood. Shall I bring her right now then?"
"J-just a moment! After I eat just 5 more...."
"As you wish."
"And absolutely! Do not sit Carlton Marquis on your lap and wrap burgers for her! Do not forget that you are my orderly and retainer!"
"Understood."
After feeding her 5 more Marshall Burgers, I sent an orderly to summon Rebecca.
Arriving at the official residence, Rebecca's eyes widened upon seeing the burgers that were pre-wrapped and laid out.
Hildea, having wiped her mouth clean, spoke with a haughty smile.
"Carlton Marquis-nim, I called you to eat together."
"W-what on earth is this? How can a bread look so delicious? What on earth did you stuff so much into the bread?"
"The bread isn't just ordinary bread either. It's been deeply marinated in all kinds of delicious sauces like sweet sugar, then fried once more in oil. The moment you touch it, sugary meat juices will drip onto your hands."
"Wow, really? Commander-in-Chief, why didn't you eat this delicious thing alone and called me instead?"
"We've already experienced what happened when top commanders fought over wild buffalo in front of the elves. We must not do that."
"...."
A moist sense of emotion seeped into Rebecca's eyes as she looked at Hildea.
I'll cover up the inconvenient truth that Hildea has already eaten thousands of Marshall Burgers each day.
Once Rebecca tasted the burger, she showed an explosive reaction.
"Delicious! So delicious! Piel, can't you just give us this for dinner instead of the beef brisket combat rations?"
"H-honestly, this commander also wants that."
As expected, combat rations can't beat the American-style jumbo burger.
"Understood. Then starting today, I will provide Marshall Burgers for both of your dinners."
"The burger is truly the food of gods! It deserves to be named Marshall!"
Rebecca was so excited that she was devouring burgers, forgetting that sauce was dripping onto her ample chest.
Just as I was about to pick up a napkin.
"No, Lieutenant Colonel Piel."
"Hildea-nim?"
"Don't wipe it for her."
"...I was just going to hand it to her to wipe herself."
"O-oh? Was that it? Ah-haha...! The burger is so delicious. Please hurry and make more."
I wonder if it's really okay to be this peaceful, but I am certain of one thing.
The elves are definitely hoping we'll let our guard down like this.
'Once they know we've split our forces to the rear, the main force from the Elf Forest will likely descend upon us before long.'
That's exactly why our hefty main force, myself included, is still holding the base.
-Lieutenant Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel. This is Captain Luna.
Just then, a communication came through the composite radio on one side of the office.
"This is Lieutenant Colonel Marshall. I read you."
-Following the first wave of 40,000 evacuees, I have just dispatched another second wave of 20,000 evacuees.
"Well done. Any difficulties?"
-None. The military forces in the towns and cities are mostly empty. They've all gone to fight the Ancient Tree Legion.
"If needed, communicate with Lord Deville to conduct coordinated operations."
-Understood.
I returned to the two women and assembled more burger ingredients.
"She says she has sent up another team just now."
"But Piel, are you really thinking of giving 100kg of flour to the residents every time they have a child?"
"Yes. To build a 2 million-man army, we must generously provide for them starting now."
Hildea's direct territory has 100,000 people.
Rebecca's territory has 400,000 people.
Even combining all the populations up to the west of the Baltics River that I received as a fief was merely hundreds of thousands.
【General: 150,000 soldiers】
【Marshal: 500,000 soldiers】
【Minister: 2,000,000 soldiers】
The basic budget is 4,000 per soldier.
My plan is to later reach the rank of Minister, complete a 2 million-man army, and receive a monthly basic budget of 8 billion.
Because a bigger budget is always better.
"A 2 million-man army? I can't even imagine it. Can you truly organize and maintain such a gigantic army?"
"It's possible, so let's focus on increasing the population."
"Hmm, Piel needs to help me from my side to increase the population. How can I increase it all alone?"
"Kh-hm hm...! Hm mmm...."
I mused as I watched the two women eat happily.
'To have a standing army of 2 million, we'd need a population of at least 10 million.'
Assuming we pursue a harsh policy of military-first politics, we'd need a population of 10 million.
'Perhaps I should just aim to militarize all territory residents, regardless of women, elderly, or babies?'
I'd perfectly earn the reputation of a war-crazed tyrant lord.
***
Viscount Potashu's territory, Anvelrum Army garrison.
Female knight Elenoa Anvelrum, whose pale white skin and golden hair were quite striking, was listening to a report with a dark face.
"Over 80% of Viscount Potashu's territory has been completely devastated. If the remaining final defensive line falls, the next to suffer will be our Count Anbelrum territory."
"Has the Viscount's fate still not been confirmed?"
"He most likely fell in battle."
"That can't be. I'm sure he is still alive."
"But in that chaotic battle...."
"He is not the kind of man to pass away so meaninglessly."
Those who didn't know would think Elenoa's faith in Viscount Potashu was solid.
But that wasn't the case.
Elenoa remembered everything Viscount Potashu did when they crossed the Dwein River and clashed with the Ancient Tree Legion.
'That man... he would definitely save his own life even if it meant selling his entire territory. So he must be alive.'
Elenoa looked around at her knights.
All their faces were full of confusion, not knowing what to do.
No one was able to offer a breakthrough for this front, and Elenoa was in the same boat.
'We were just a gathering of ragtag soldiers with a shiny exterior.'
In the battle on the banks of the Dwein River, Elenoa had realized just how weak and pathetic the knights and soldiers of the central and southern regions were.
Thanks to that small realization, she was making a clean escape with minimal damage.
But now, they had to face a decisive battle.
"Elenoa-nim! Northern reinforcements have arrived!"
"Finally!"