For the time being, the story will proceed from Elnet’s point of view. The timeline begins around the time the Royal Castle was ambushed by the Duchy’s Army.
Currently, at a vastmilitary training ground of the Kingdom, located a day and a half’s carriage ride from the city of Tiol, a large-scale exercise is held annually, gathering all the armies belonging to the Kingdom. This includes not only the troops directly under the King’s command but also the private armies of both Lower and Upper Aristocrats. Elnet was participating in the exercise, leading a detachment of the Duke’s Army.
“My, my, this training is incredibly comfortable compared to previous ones!”
“To be able to eat warm food, it’s delicious, unlike the dried rations!”
Elnet’s unit was marching through a forest with poor visibility and had entered a long break for breakfast. Although it was a break during the exercise, with enemies potentially appearing from anywhere, not everyone could eat at the same time. Guards were posted in strategic locations, and rotations ensured that meals were eaten while maintaining readiness. As it was still cold, they would have liked to gather fallen leaves and branches to warm themselves by a bonfire. However, due to their mission, which served as both patrol and skirmish, doing so would risk the smoke revealing their location to the enemy during operational maneuvers. Normally, they would have had to endure the cold and eat only cold, dry provisions with water for breakfast. Yet, they were enjoying cup noodles with hot water poured over them, accompanied by canned food for snacks, and even warm tea afterward. The soldiers under her command chattered, watching the steam rise from their food.
“Normally, everyone would be shivering with cold, and we’d have to march with our morale significantly low. But this time, we can train without worrying about the cold, so our morale hasn’t dropped at all.”
“This is my first time participating in the exercise, so this is how it is, right? Slurp, slurp.”
A man, serving as the detachment’s adjutant, spoke to Elnet while holding a steaming cup noodle. Elnet, too, was slurping the same cup noodles as the other soldiers. While it was not ideal table manners, unlike the other soldiers who were eating quietly with disposable forks, Elnet was using chopsticks and eating with a loud slurping sound.
“Still, Young Lady… no, Captain, you eat heartily!”
“Even if people call it bad manners, cup noodles are more delicious eaten like this.”
“So, that’s how it is.”
The adjutant was about a decade older than Elnet and was a skilled military officer in the Duke’s Army. While his individual combat strength was unmatched in the Kingdom, this was his first time commanding an army. To support Elnet, who lacked experience, the Duke had appointed him as her detachment adjutant. Watching Elnet’s hearty eating style, he had spoken up, hoping to strike up a conversation. Elnet’s way of eating was something she had learned while often eating late at night and by observing Kent and Rachel skillfully using chopsticks, practicing and learning their technique. Eating with a slurp was also something she had adopted from them.
“I don’t know where His Grace the Duke procured them, but thanks to the food and hand warmers prepared this time, as well as the insulated water bottles that keep hot water hot, the Duke’s Army can march without worrying about the cold and is expected to achieve great results in the exercise.”
“Hahaha, indeed.”
The cup noodles and other items prepared for this exercise were only carried by the unit led by Baron Frederick, who was accompanying the main force as an ally of the Duke’s Army. They were not provided to other units participating in the exercise. Thanks to this, the Duke’s Army could march with high morale and in an advantageous position. The origin of these items was kept secret, known only to a select few. The adjutant, who was unaware of this, seemed to welcome the newly introduced items positively.
“Captain, Adjutant, please have some tea.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“I’m sorry to trouble you.”
As Elnet and the adjutant finished their cup noodles, a soldier in charge of logistics brought them warm tea. The hot water used to make it was boiled using a portable cassette stove. Unlike bonfires, this method produced no smoke, making it usable even in such situations.
(Sigh, the exercise is five days long, including the entire course, and today is the third day. I want to see Kent soon.)
Elnet looked up at the sky, holding a cup of warm tea. She thought of Kent and became slightly sentimental.
“Captain, Captain.”
“Gah! Wh-What is it?”
“Even though it’s an exercise, this is a battlefield. Rest is important, but we mustn’t let our guard down. You must be tired, but please stay alert.”
“Oh, oh, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
The adjutant noticed Elnet’s slightly careless expression and, to avoid lowering the morale of the other soldiers, subtly cautioned her without being overheard.
“Well then, those who were resting, the lookouts, and those on standby will switch, and once the rest, including breakfast, is over, we will depart.”
“Yes, I will relay that.”
Elnet took out her smartphone, checked the time, and gave instructions for the rotation to a messenger soldier.
“Well, I don’t need to switch, so I’ll take a bit more rest.”
“Hahaha, that’s a privilege different from ordinary soldiers.”
The commander and adjutant, who were in charge of leading the army, did not need to remain on standby as lookouts or immediate response units. Therefore, unlike the other soldiers, they had twice the rest time. Elnet, having already finished her meal, started fiddling with her smartphone to pass the time.
“I’ve been curious, it’s an unusual-looking watch, isn’t it?”
“Ah, this? It was a gift from my fiancé. It has various functions besides telling time and is quite convenient.”
“Is that so? When I heard the Young Lady had a fiancé, I was overjoyed, just like a father. This may be late, but congratulations on your engagement.”
“Thank you.”
The smartphone Elnet possessed was a gift from Kent. When she was in the city of Tiol, she could communicate with Kent and others who owned smartphones and use online applications. Unfortunately, as they were currently outside the city, the screen displayed “No Service,” preventing the use of those functions. Only offline apps and features were available. When she mentioned it was a gift from her fiancé, the adjutant, remembering he hadn’t had a chance to congratulate her, offered his congratulations once more.
“Now then, how shall we advance? Since we are currently here…”
“Oh? This is amazing. I can see the surrounding terrain as if it were in the palm of my hand.”
Elnet launched her map application and was considering how to proceed after the break, thinking about her march. The adjutant, looking over her shoulder, was astonished to see a map on the smartphone screen that was more detailed than the one he carried.
“Well, it was updated not long ago, and now it can be seen anywhere within the Kingdom.”
“An upd-update?”
“Yes, an update. I don’t understand the detailed mechanism myself, though.”
Previously, launching the map application only showed the city of Tiol. However, a major update had recently occurred, allowing the display of maps of the entire Kingdom even offline, enabling the confirmation of their current location and surrounding terrain. This was due to the deepening relationship between Kent and Emily, who was in charge of the smartphone functions, leading to an increase in her magic power. Naturally, Elnet was unaware of these circumstances.
“Oh? There’s a place here that looks suitable for hiding. It might be worth investigating.”
“I’ve trained at this exercise ground for many years, but I’ve never known of such a place. You’re right, it’s a good condition for hiding. I think it’s a wise decision.”
As Elnet was checking the surrounding terrain on the map application, she found a location perfect for a small unit to conceal itself. The adjutant also seemed unaware of the place and, looking at the terrain on the screen, quickly reached the same conclusion as Elnet.
“Alright, as soon as the break is over, we’ll move the unit.”
“Understood.”
Elnet decided to advance the unit to the destination as soon as the break ended and the cleanup was complete.
