Chapter 60
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Arrival at Vellaland
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The driver of the military carriage carrying me and my companions cracked his whip forcefully. Bathed in sunlight half-hidden by clouds, the horses trotted forward.
The wind began to flap the canvas cover of the military carriage.
“By the way, there's a ton of supplies! What's all this for?”
Ad, perhaps cheered by the wind rustling the canvas, asked in a bright voice.
“...”
Rireu, sitting beside him, didn't seem too pleased with Ad's cheerful tone and expression. Considering her personality, it would likely take a long time for the two to become friends.
They might never get along, for that matter.
To be honest, I didn't particularly want to get close to him either. His overly cheerful face gave me a strange sense of unease.
...Does this guy even know where we're headed?
If he did, he wouldn't be able to maintain such a bright expression.
“...Private Ad. We are heading to the battlefield. Perhaps you should be a little quieter?”
When I, Rireu, and even Alter showed signs of discomfort, Rex, unable to stand it any longer, spoke up to Ad.
“Ah! I'm sorry. This is my first deployment as a soldier, so I got carried away... I'll be more restrained!”
Heh, even his apology is brisk and cheerful.
How annoying.
“...Well, aside from the private being a bit noisy, I am also a little curious. It seems we have two to three times more supplies than usual.”
Rex, having quieted Ad, asked me in a cautious tone. It seemed that even for someone with his extensive military experience, seeing so many supplies moved at once was unusual.
Twenty-one supply wagons, fully loaded, were traveling down the well-paved road under the escort of soldiers.
A typical supply run would involve five or six wagons at a time, so this was an exceptionally large number.
“How long has the battle in Vellaland been going on?”
“It's been almost two months.”
“Then the soldiers' morale must be in tatters.”
Two months.
I had fought for my life in the dungeon for barely two days. Even those two days were agonizing and arduous for me. What must be the state of the soldiers who had spent thirty times that long on a much more intense battlefield?
“I hear there have been quite a few deserters. Everyone, without exception, must have reached their limit.”
Vellaland is the fiercest battleground in the war between the continent's people and the Mazoku. The soldiers there must be enduring the daily agony of having their flesh and bone torn away, drenched in blood.
These are men who have tenaciously survived in that hell for two months.
It's far too early for rewards, but I believe those who have gritted their teeth and endured for so long deserve at least some compensation.
“Besides food, weapons, and armor, I've brought plenty of things like cigarettes, alcohol, and coffee. I plan to distribute them to the soldiers suffering in Vellaland. To boost their morale.”
“The army provides alcohol as a supply item? I love alcohol!”
Ad couldn't help but jump into my conversation with Rex.
Wow, this character is really unlikable.
“...It goes without saying, but alcohol is not a standard supply item. I purchased these with my own funds.”
I didn't add this, but the luxury items like alcohol and cigarettes loaded in those wagons were, without exception, of the highest quality.
“The cigarettes and coffee, all of that too?”
“...Yes, well.”
“Can you earn enough money as a general to buy that much alcohol and cigarettes?! That's a little surprising.”
It might seem obvious, but as a general, I was a high-income earner with a monthly salary of about 30 gold.
However, even that substantial salary wasn't enough to fill so many wagons with top-shelf liquor and cigarettes.
So, I asked my servant to use the income from the land I owned.
For someone like me, who owned swathes of the most valuable land in the capital of the Allied Nations, there was no problem that couldn't be solved with a lack of money.
If my salary wasn't enough, I could just use the income from my land, couldn't I?
***
The supply wagons, which had set out just as the sun began to rise, didn't stop even when it reached its zenith. It was well into the afternoon when they finally entered the Akilliptus Forest Zone.
Along with the familiar scent of grass, dwarf guards stood on a newly made road to greet us.
The dwarf soldiers kept calling me by the ridiculous nickname 'Ruler of Spirits' instead of my title or name.
...I couldn't even begin to guess what kind of rumors were circulating among the dwarves, nor could I stop them.
I just let out a hollow laugh and offered a light greeting to the familiar faces. Ad, who was watching from the side, gave me a look of inexplicable admiration.
It seemed that in this forest, from spirits to mortals, not a single one was in their right mind.
“General, I heard you were leaving for Vellaland today. I wish you the best of luck.”
Bellua of the Black Hammer saluted me with a resolute expression as I passed through the forest's supply route.
“...Well, you'll probably die.”
Trian, standing next to her, offered a curse instead.
“Still, you came to see me off. You were worried, weren't you? You're softer than I thought, Trian.”
Getting angry here is what amateurs do.
I forced the corners of my mouth up as I retorted to the elf who was staring at me coldly. My jaw ached a bit, but with superhuman concentration, I managed to produce a decent smile.
“Well, it's not like it's the first time someone I know has died. Still, I thought I'd see your face one last time.”
Look at the nerve of this damn elf.
“Haha, I suppose so...”
I wanted to get out of the carriage and punch this damn elf in the head. But knowing this insolent elf wouldn't just stand there and take my slow punch, I had no choice but to stay seated and swallow my anger.
“...Please, let's just go.”
Rireu, who had been watching the exchange between Trian and me, let out a small sigh and spoke to the driver.
Perhaps thanks to her elven powers of observation, she seemed to have noticed early on that I was clenching my jaw.
“Well... if you make it back alive, I'll let you hit me once.”
Trian glanced at the gaunt bones and faint tendons on the back of my hand and said this with an amused smile.
“...You'd better keep that promise.”
That insolent bastard. I'll make sure I survive and come back down this road, if only to beat him up.
And so, leaving Bellua and Trian's brief send-off behind, we departed the Akilliptus Forest Zone.
Dark clouds began to gather ominously over the horizon. The horses' pace slowed. No matter how frantically the driver cracked his whip, the animals' feet did not quicken.
Soon, a sour smell brushed past my nose. At the far end of the road, I could see a cart approaching, pulled by a driver with a dark expression and loaded with something.
“...”
The driver of our carriage silently lifted his hat in greeting to his counterpart, but the man driving the approaching cart didn't even acknowledge him.
As the cart, covered by a thick canvas, drew closer, the sour smell grew stronger.
The face of the driver of the oncoming cart flashed past like the wind. A deep shadow lay over his wrinkled features.
The wheels rattled. A creaking sound came from somewhere. From beneath the cart's canvas cover, something... like a human arm, had slipped out.
Only then did I realize the source of the sour smell I had been sensing.
It was the smell of a corpse wagon.
“...”
Most of the people in the carriage seemed to know what that smell was. Even the talkative Ad, seemingly overwhelmed by the stench, swallowed dryly without a word.
The dark clouds grew even darker. The blowing wind somehow felt like a viscous liquid. An indescribably unpleasant sensation crept over my skin. It felt as if my flesh was flushing hot, or perhaps swelling.
Amidst the sticky air, the supply wagon arrived in Vellaland.
“...We've arrived.”
The driver spoke in a trembling voice, as if overwhelmed by some immense force.
Rex, with his massive frame, was the first to step out of the carriage. Behind the flapping canvas, a dark sky greeted us.
After the valiant orc, Ad, with a greatsword on his back, disembarked. He seemed just as tense.
Among the mages, Alter was the first to rise. Unlike his usual bare-handed self, he held a long staff befitting his tall stature in both hands.
Rireu and I got out of the carriage at almost the same time. It would be a lie to say I wasn't scared, but I feigned composure and stepped forward.
“...Salute.”
A weak voice called out. An officer with deep, dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in days, greeted us.
Faint groans and screams could be heard from behind him.
“Salu—”
*Boom!*
The sound of a distant explosion cut off my greeting. Everyone present warily eyed the direction of the blast, but the officer didn't even glance that way.
“Just a mana mine going off. You don't need to worry about it.”
“Ah... I see.”
...A mine went off, and I don't need to worry?
It seemed the common sense of the battlefield was so warped that comparing it to medieval common sense would be an insult.
“That's quite a lot of cargo, by the way. I doubt you've brought that much in food or weapons...”
“...Ah, I've brought alcohol, cigarettes, and various other luxury goods. All top-shelf.”
I spoke to the grim-faced officer, slightly intimidated.
This guy's expression is terrifyingly grim.
“...Did you say alcohol and cigarettes? Do those come as standard supplies?”
The officer's grim expression softened ever so slightly as he asked back, as if he couldn't believe my words.
“I used some of my own money. I figured the soldiers' morale must be at rock bottom.”
After replying, I had the wagon driver fetch a bottle of wine and placed it in the officer's hands. The officer held the bottle and, soon, tears streamed down over his dark circles.
“An 11-year vintage...!”
The grim-faced officer pressed the bottle to his cheek and murmured in awe.
“Thank you!”
He then broke into a bright smile and repeatedly bowed his head to me.
...The deep dark circles hadn't vanished, but his smile was much better to see.
It seemed that no matter how elite the soldiers fighting against the Overlord were, the fact that they were still human didn't change.