Supply Corps Rotation
Quite some time had passed since the day I stood duty for supply education. The senior private who had assaulted a junior soldier was transferred not just out of the company but to an entirely different battalion, and Iwan, who had become a knight of interest, was gradually healing from his emotional wounds and showing improvement. It was around the time I had settled into life in the 3rd Platoon.
"The battalion commander wants to see you."
The platoon leader said it out of the blue. I mentally reviewed the recent events.
"I didn't cause any trouble."
"I know that."
Tsk, not that then. Well, I'd find out once I went. I took a small breath in front of the battalion commander's office. Last time I came here, I'd kicked the door open with my foot. But not this time—relax.
"Apprentice Knight Arselia Rosenhardt of 3rd Company, reporting for duty at the battalion commander's office."
"Come in."
I knocked and announced myself, and permission came promptly. Inside, the battalion commander was brewing tea.
"Do you like earl grey?"
"Honestly, sir, I'm not much for tea."
I'd only ever drunk whatever Elina served me; I'd never gone out of my way to try it myself. The battalion commander paused at my answer but soon resumed pouring.
"Then have a taste."
"Thank you, sir."
I accepted the cup he offered and took a sip. Hmm… No idea.
"What do you think?"
"It's warm."
"……"
"……"
"I… see."
The mood sank in an instant. The battalion commander stared out the window with a hurt expression. But what could I do? I hadn't been impressed by the teas at the palace either—there was no way some army guy's brew would wow me.
"You… wanted to see me, sir?"
"Ah, right."
Only after I prompted him did he set down his cup and look at me.
"How's army life treating you? Manageable?"
"Yes, sir. Everyone's been good to me."
"Glad to hear it. Then it's time for you to try a different role, I suppose."
"Pardon?"
Different role? I'd just started getting along with the platoon and company—were they sending me somewhere else? But that thought was quickly dispelled.
"I'm not transferring you to another company."
"Then…?"
"You didn't come to the army to become a soldier in the first place, did you?"
True. I'd become the heir due to my brothers' mishaps and been more or less shoved into enlisting.
"You—ahem—Her Highness the Princess came to learn the inner workings of the military in preparation for ruling the Empire one day. You can't just grasp a fragment of it, can you?"
"That's true, but…"
"So, you'll have time to experience other roles to understand how the unit operates."
The battalion commander was addressing me as royalty now, so I dropped the formalities in response.
"What happens to my position then?"
"Your assignment remains 3rd Company, 3rd Platoon. You'll keep your role as deputy platoon leader. It'll be like a temporary detachment to experience other duties."
"Got it. And treat me as deputy platoon leader from now on."
"Understood—ahem! Will do, sir."
The battalion commander stood, gathered some documents from his desk, and handed them to me.
"The role you'll experience this time is supply corps. You'll learn how the unit acquires and manages weapons, armor, food, and water."
"Understood, sir."
"The supply officer will call for you from time to time. Pay close attention and learn well."
He paused, glancing at me cautiously before continuing in a low voice.
"He won't summon you right away. Even if it's not the worst example, we need to show you the best side, right? So, a bit of inspection is needed first. It's not that things are a mess and we're stalling—no, really. We're just making sure everything's perfect."
The battalion commander spilled excuses. I hadn't said a word, but he seemed preemptively guilty. Though if he said that, what did it make his supply officer? Of course, I knew it was just talk. My father wouldn't have sent me to a corrupt unit. Knowing him, once he decided on my enlistment, he'd have meticulously selected the place—probably dispatching inspectors across the army months before my academy graduation. And even now, Father's eyes and ears were likely hidden somewhere in this 1st Battalion, unknown to me. Obvious, so obvious.
As the battalion commander said, there was no immediate summons from the supply officer. I did catch the company clerk, running around busily, shooting me a wistful look when he saw me.
Stay strong, Milo Brick. Sorry, Milo Brick.
Anyway, about a week later, once things were sorted, the supply officer finally called for me.
"Pleased to meet you, Rosenhardt… sir."
"Likewise."
"Ahem! I… er, likewise."
This was my first time conversing with the battalion supply officer, so he seemed awkward addressing me.
"Feel free to speak casually."
"Right, got it."
This guy would take a while to adjust. Not my problem, though.
"Let's start with combat supplies."
Adaptation aside, the supply training proceeded steadily. The supply officer took me to the battalion armory and showed me various weapons, explaining their costs and such. The Silver Eagle Corps, tasked with protecting the mines in the Irons pine Mountains, received lower-grade ores as compensation, which they could use freely. That's why there were plenty of ore-loving dwarves around, and procuring arms was easier than in other units.
As I listened, something occurred to me. Battalion chief smith Kartum had promised to make me a new sword, but there'd been no word yet. I subtly brought it up, wondering if the supply officer knew anything.
"Ah, that. Your sword needs special materials, so it'll take time."
"Special how?"
"Yeah. Kartum requested twenty top-grade mana stones or something. That much needs central approval from the capital… Ah."
"?"
The supply officer grimaced mid-sentence about the mana stones and suddenly launched into a past incident.
"This was back when I was a company clerk. A whole batch of top-grade mana stones vanished. Right before they were to be shipped to the capital—no kidding, it was chaos."
"Oof."
Even hearing about it was grim. Not just one—a whole batch? What the hell happened?
"The culprits were kobolds. Those little pranksters sometimes mess with people, but that time the scale was insane. We scoured the entire Irons pine Mountains to find their stash… Thinking back, it was hell… Sigh."
"You must've had it rough, sir."
"Now it's a memory… No, it still haunts my dreams sometimes. Dreams of kobolds causing trouble."
The supply officer sighed deeply, shook his head, and returned to my sword.
"Anyway, that's why your sword will take longer."
"Understood."
"Alright, now let's look at uniforms."
We left the armory and headed to the supply warehouse. It was stacked with combat uniforms, work clothes, cold-weather gear, dress uniforms— all sorts of apparel.
"We check quantities periodically and place orders. We pay Tiabel Town down the mountain for deliveries."
Defense contractors, basically. The unit couldn't handle everything in-house, so civilians produced the goods. That herbalist village from my duty shift was essentially the same—a supplier of medicinal herbs to the unit.
After uniforms, we went to the kitchen area inside the mess hall, specifically the cooking station and food storage.
"As you know, food supply is a key part of logistics. Gotta eat to live, after all."
"Even more so in wartime, with rice power on our side."
"You need rice power in peacetime too—stuck in these mountains, food's gotta be good at least."
For someone saying that, the food situation had been pretty bad when I first arrived. He caught my glance and started explaining.
"…Truth is, taste is unavoidable. The mountain paths are treacherous, so transporting and storing food is tough."
Fair enough—no refrigerators in this era. Long-haul preservation meant salting or smoking at best. And with narrow trails unfit for wagons, they couldn't move large quantities at once.
"Ahem, but since you—er, Her Highness—arrived, things have improved a lot."
"What do you mean?"
"Food deliveries to the unit have gotten way better. Used to be once a week; now it's every three days. They even set up a field in Tiabel Town just for our battalion."
Such changes? The folks here must've felt it big time.
"Plus, you… put those maids to work training the cooks, right? Thanks to that, our battalion probably eats the best in the Silver Eagle Corps."
Gratitude shone in the supply officer's eyes. If this weren't official training, he might've bowed. It was a bit embarrassing, but not a bad feeling. I'd gotten thanks from soldiers in the mess hall before, but hearing it from a pro like him made it sink in anew. I hoped for more positive changes while I was here.