One after another, from the villages of EST Earldom, the volunteers are gathering. Wow, my corps has expanded to more than three hundred people in total.
A number of soldiers that exceeds the population of Ona village gathered at the camp in the meadow and trained loudly. It was so crowded as if a new town was made.
I was surprised that volunteer soldiers from Losgow village is composed of only children.
For the villagers who participated from other villages and the city of Est, I was relieved that they are young adults and mostly like the village self-defense group of Ona village.
It is a nightmare to fight with an army of only children.
When I went to visit the volunteer corps camp in Ona Village, I was invited by Louise who was overlooking the training.
For once, we are building a temporary headquarters camp, so we will listen to the report in the tent.
「Takeru, good news, normal news, bad news, and really bad news, what do you want to hear first? 」
「Well, please order from the better one.」
It is unusual for four kinds of news.
There are too many bad news, let's balance.
「Good news, the training of the volunteer soldiers is doing quite well. Many of them are young. Everyone got the chance to shot a bullet. The new bronze cannon artillery is almost operational.」
Lyle-sensei is developing a bronze cannon which is inferior in size, power and durability to iron cannon, but it is lightweight and convenient for carrying with a carriage.
It finally entered the stage of combat deployment.
Because it is heavy and fragile, the bronze cannon of the prefabricated type can be operated with high stability of motion and mobility as compared with a stupid steel cannon that can be used almost exclusively for a fixed battery.
The new bronze cannon has four gates, now you can make an artillery unit.
Arquebus also have long or short cylinder that were devised to have various options.
Actually, I want a gun with a metal shell with bolt action, but even if I explain the structure, metallurgical technology of this age has not catch up and it is struggling.
As a possibility, I am thinking that it will manage somehow with a mechanism that combines magic, but it is a future research subject.
「Next is normal news, most organizations are settled. I'm a head of a volunteer soldier company and Lyle-sensei is the strategist and chief of staff. Next is a cavalry corps that serves as messengers and scouts, a slave girl squadron , volunteer gun man corps of each village, and an artilleryman unit.」
「Louise will be the commander, is it not? 」
I made it clear to Louise that the commander of the whole army is her of course.
I tried to evade responsibility to it.
「Bad news, Sara decided to change the organization chart. She selfishly assume the position of being your guardsman chief. 」
「Well, you're the commander Louise so please stop Sara-chan.」
「I can't refute Sara being the leader. The Rod family took care of me when I was an adventurer. I'm sure that you too will find it hard to say.」
「Well, it's true. It is because of your gratitude, but is it not favouritism?」
I just made it, suddenly the organization is now rotten.
「It is strange that Sarah decides to be the leader. Lyle-sensei is also pleased to be called strategist by Sara.」
「Oh, yeah. Sensei is that kind of man.」
Lyle-sensei isn't faddy. Even if a strange fan appears soon, it isn't surprising.
It will really be happen since he is an intermediate magician that can use stong spell.
A magician strategist is cool.
Indeed, Sara's talent is that kind of thing?
Somehow we have to decide at first, should Louise herself will be the leader or the embarrassed sensei.
Originally, I should have been the one to lead, I should not blame her.
「Lastly, the very bad news, it is popular among recruits to call Takeru as "General Choro". I do not know well the meaning but a feeling of disdain comes from the connotation 」
TN: Choro is negative descriptive word which probably translates to simpleton, gullible, or easy to influence/manipulate.
「Please stop hastily with the captain's authority! 」
The one which could have popularized it by all means is a soldier.
Better remember.
「I'll give them a warning. It was kind of bad mouthing as expected. By the way Takeru, I do not know if I can ask, but what is the meaning of Choro?」
「Louise, it's useless to hear.」
「Understood...」
Well, it isn't decent.
When I heard the report of Louise at the training camp of Ona village, scouting reports from the cavalry party of Suzanne and Claudia came.
This too is not very good news.
「The Kingdom of Silesie, the third corps is not stuffed into the fortress of the Eagles Bandit team? 」
「Yes, Master, you will be repelled if you are not a soldier from there.」
The kingdom army seems to be sharp. It seems that the 3rd corps of the kingdom has taken over the fortress of the eagle bandit team whom we have purged and left during our previous expedition and use it as a base.
Unwilling to use the fort for a joint Allied army!?
「Well, I wanted to use that base too.」
When I'm making complaints, Lyle-sensei, who seems to be motivated by being a strategist, came, although he did not have a weird fan.
He is in a gray magician robe with the anti-magic protection effect on and have a short cane from the top of an usual black robe.
Apparently this is her … …. It's like his combat clothes.
「General, this may rather be convenient.」
Oh, is it not a strategist-like line?
There is a chance after the pinch, but do not call me General sensei.
「Sensei, you don't have a fan? 」
「What is the story about a fan? 」
Is there no strategist with a fan in the history of this world?
「Let's talk about securing new bases first 」
「Yes. 」
「I tried examining the strategy. The choice of moving in with with the king's army by joint operation aren't possible? 」
「Impossible. 」
There are a lot of side encouraging me in. I wonder if it was unwise.
「If you do something wrong, the third corps of the kingdom may get in the way of this. 」
「What, why? 」
「When you can render distinguished services here and there, that would be a problem. At any rate, the king's army is in a losing streak, it will sullen their reputation.」
「There may be something like that.」
Certainly, the party from the royal capital attacked the monsters and suffer defeat.
However, the crisis now threatened the existence of the nation with the Royal Capital endangered of being attacked.
I wonder if there is no idea to cooperate for the sake of the country.
Is it better not to expect help for scouting that place?
「Rather it is a good opportunity if you can move on your own without asking for reinforcement! 」
「Oh I see. 」
Lyle-sensei is not motivated, her beautiful face looks cool, but I feel a high tension on the gesture that shakes the cane.
「So we, Volunteer Corps will try to find a new base here」
Sensei opens a map on a desk and points to one place with the cane.
「It is the town of Ox in the northwest of the Est, at the former Ambazak baroness. Let us release it from monsters and make it a new base.」
「Is it a suitable place? 」
「Yes, Ox is a small town in the mountain where there is a quarry, but it is close to the' miasma hole of doom'. It was one of the important military bases. When The 'miasma hole' opened, it is the first town to be completely destroyed in the baroness ….」
Securing a transportation route is not difficult if you proceed around the mountain from the city of Est.
Sensei says that there are no other bases to hit the monsters from the miasma hole.
I believe, of course, that there is no mistakes in the judgement of my strategists.
Also, when considering the capacity of Ona village, the number of troops has increased too much, so even if you stay in Ona village as it is, we should advanced even a little as soon as possible.
It also serves as Ona village defense. Camping, training and solicitation continue as it is, but the flock of monsters has to be engaged at any rate.
Or get out in front.
「Sounds good, I will touch the whole army preparations for attack! 」
Lyle-sensei is pretending with a cool face, but he can't hide his laughing mouth.
He is trembling with Bing and Short Wand happily.
I understand the feeling because it is like a boy's dream or as a strategist.
When I saw Lyle-sensei who was stuck out, I felt it was going to be a fierce battle.
—Scene Change—
「Oh, Sara-Chan was here? 」
I speak to Sara issuing an appeal for boys and girls of the same generation at the training camp.
「What is it? Does a general inspect practice personally? 」
A stiff look in her face. Do you think I'll get angry about you deciding personnel selfishly?
「I think I have to greet the newly-appointed corporal.」
「Wow … ….」
If I spoke ill, I will sound sarcastic, but I will not scold her with the matter that she was being selfish.
Sara-chan did the work I did not do in the end after all, and I was a choro.
Though the person with experience of handling a gun doesn't participate in Sara-chan's corps, they still have a decent shooting training.
Young age of 12 but still, Sara-chan is a rich farmer's daughter who can read and write the lower rank character. She may be really fit to be a corporal.
If she was killed in a battle, I will not be able to face the Rod family, so I do not plan to put her on the front line, but it would be nice if she is in charge of personnel affairs at the back.
「I came here to take a bath today, you may bring along the village members.」
「Huh, you have a bath? 」
「Oh, it's on my house. Fatigue from training can be healed. 」
「Well then, shall I borrow it? 」
I haven't return her kindness of collecting soldiers from the village.
And because she was a hot spring lover, Sarah will also like the bath due to sensei's influence.
—Scene Change—
Including Sara, I wash the boys and girls from Losgow village with soap, and put them in the bath as it is.
Everyone was a small farmer's child, so they never used soap. It will be disappointing to take a bath without using it, but it seems that they understood it since it was a comfortable one.
After all, a child has no resistance to new customs and techniques.
In that aspect, it can be said that their side is more likely to absorb things than an adult whose head is stiff.
If you hit the sanitary side from early on, the morbidity rate of soldiers will go down, and our goods can also be judged responsible for that.
「Even so, Takeru is already coming along calmly.」
「It's because it's worthless if I feel embarrassed with children.」
When I first entered a hot spring with Sarah, I did not get used to it, but my spirit was trained in this world as expected.
Even if I'll wash a nude child with soap, even if we soak in the bath together, it doesn't feel strange.
Even if I am not asked to wash it, how much will I wash child's back?
「I've gone together with an adult too, but.」
「Ugh…..」
It is quite severe whether if it's a revenge from a short while ago.
Sharon 's case was bad for me too, but please that is beyond my control.
「Well, keep something bothersome for now, it will be real war from now on, so I do not even know what will happen.」
I will withdraw if it is dangerous, but there is no guarantee that this can be done since there is no control over the tide of war.
If Sarah-chan and the others feel danger, I want them to escape too.
「Takeru is lenient as expected for a commander of the whole army, to recommend an escape before an opponent.」
「Anyhow, it's choro for me.」
「Well, I do not dislike that kind of thing, as I'm guiding you, I will help you to not die so leave it to me.」
「Ha ha, it is reliable if it's Sarah-chan, you can say so.」
「Do not put on chan! 」
I washed my face with gushing hot water and I enjoyed my beloved bath.
Seeing that my wet black hair is getting a little longer, I'm thinking of getting a haircut before the war. Think about being carefree.
Next, how long can you enjoy taking a bath and relaxing slowly?
Before the tough battle against the Miasma hole of Doom, I was preparing for a severe battle as it was … ….
At that time, I was thinking if I will be betrayed by the forecasted result.