Chapter 112
“Y-You’re saying we should escape on our own?”
“What else, is there another way?”
“…There isn’t.”
Helen bowed her head deeply.
Without support from higher command, rescuing Carlisle’s group with only the forces of Bowden Fortress was an impossible story.
“We don’t yet know how higher command will react, so don’t be too disheartened and wait quietly.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander.”
“And if, by any chance, a situation arises where you must escape on your own, then trust your subordinates then.”
“Ye…Yes?”
“If a commander doesn’t trust their subordinates, who will? And aren’t they reconnaissance team members, reputed to be elite soldiers? Nothing is impossible; if it doesn’t work, make it work. Isn’t that the reconnaissance team’s creed?”
“That is true, but…”
“When there’s no way, trusting your subordinates and waiting is also one of a commander’s roles. You can’t sacrifice the entire unit just to save a few subordinates. You are not just their commander; you are the commander of the 3rd Company. They are only a part of your subordinates.”
“……”
Helen closed her mouth, unable to voice her inner thoughts.
It was because she couldn’t bear the guilt, feeling responsible for having allowed them to stay at the Antyros research lab.
Of course, it wasn’t Helen’s fault; it was just bad luck.
“Don’t worry too much. If higher command knows that the isolated guy is that lunatic of the Sigmarund family, wouldn’t they send reinforcements even if they have to force it?”
“For now… I understand.”
“You focus on properly controlling the 3rd Company troops at the base. It’s the season of war. Now that they’ve started building and fortifying an outpost there, we can hardly say we’re safe either.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Since Krabel’s orders were reasonable, Helen couldn’t really argue.
“Keep in constant contact with them. We don’t know how the situation might turn.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander.”
“Dammit. Things are getting complicated in many ways. Even if we somehow avoid responsibility, if that lunatic dies, my promotion prospects will be washed away.”
Even in this situation, Krabel seemed terribly concerned about his own promotion prospects.
Meanwhile, Carlisle’s group was spending their time without being able to step a single foot outside the Antyros research lab.
“It seems higher command has been requested for support, and we’re told to wait for now.”
Begman relayed the contents of the letter from Helen to the reconnaissance team members.
“Hmm. I wonder if reinforcements will really come. It’s the season of war, so higher command probably doesn’t have the capacity.”
“Hey! Don’t say such unlucky things! If that happens, we have to escape on our own!”
When Kudo expressed his skeptical view, Wilson shouted angrily.
“That may be true, but it’s precisely because it’s the season of war. Occupation battles must be happening everywhere.”
“Who doesn’t know that? I know, but I hope reinforcements come and save us.”
“The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.”
“What, are you wishing for us all to go down together?”
Wilson fumed.
“D-Do we really have to escape on our own?”
Adrian asked, slightly trembling.
Being a new recruit, he seemed unaccustomed to such extreme situations and was filled with fear.
“Nothing’s decided yet, so don’t overreact. You too, rookie, don’t be too scared. It’ll be fine.”
“Yes.”
“But how much food do we have?”
Carlisle, after thinking for a moment, spoke.
“Hmm. If we ration it, we can last about a week.”
“One week…”
“By then, they might clear the materials placed at the entrance.”
“I guess so.”
“If they proceed with construction by completely blocking the entrance, there might be no answer. We’d have no choice but to starve to death here.”
“Isn’t that too much of a worst-case scenario?”
“It’s just a saying.”
Carlisle shrugged his shoulders and said.
“Let’s wait and see. There’s nothing we can do for now.”
“Yeah, we should.”
“Then, I’ll get some rest.”
Saying that, Carlisle went to his room—that is, to Antyros’s former bed—and lay down.
‘Season of war, huh. Seems everyone’s in an uproar as winter approaches.’
Winter was unsuitable for combat, but it was the optimal season for stable magic stone supply.
Since battles rarely occurred, magic stones could be mined without worry.
Of course, it would be tough for the engineers, but it was better than battles breaking out.
‘It’ll work out somehow, whatever.’
With that thought, Carlisle calmly closed his eyes.
As long as the entrance wasn’t blocked, leading to starvation, he thought they could somehow get out.
Of course, that was an extremely optimistic thought.
Sneaking out through a place teeming with thousands of savages was a very difficult task.
But Carlisle knew all too well that worrying and being anxious wouldn’t change anything, so he could actually relax.
The next morning.
“Steward, stewaaard.”
“…What.”
Carlisle woke up to the baby dragon’s whining.
“It smells.”
“Me?”
“Not the steward.”
“Then who?”
“Ah, I don’t know. It smells from somewhere. I feel like vomiting.”
“What smell are you talking abou… Ugh.”
Carlisle frowned, grimacing.
It wasn’t strong, but a faint stench tickled his nose.
“What’s that smell? Ugh.”
“Quickly, do something about it.”
“Why are you telling me to do it?”
“Then should I do it instead of the steward? Aren’t you going to do your steward duties properly?”
“Who said I’m whose steward? You beast, know your place.”
“Whaaat? Beeeaast? Haaaaaak!”
After bickering with the baby dragon, Carlisle gave up and let out a deep sigh.
“Fine, let’s not talk.”
“Go quickly, check the smell, solve it, and come back!”
“I’m letting you off because you’re a dragon.”
Saying that, Carlisle opened the bedroom door and was greatly taken aback.
“Ughhhk…”
The faint stench from inside the bedroom hit him whoosh! as he opened the door, making him gag involuntarily.
“Ugh. What the.”
Carlisle quickly covered his nose and frowned.
“What’s going on?”
“Sewage is pouring down from the ventilation shaft. Ugh.”
Rusell, whom he happened to meet, informed him about the cause of the stench.
“Ventilation shaft?”
“Didn’t the savages build a toilet above the ventilation shaft?”
“Ah, right.”
“It’s a complete mess. That ventilation shaft is wide open, and it keeps pouring in.”
“……!”
“I need to go work quickly too. If more pours in, we might die buried in shit before we starve to death.”
Rusell said that and hurriedly walked off.
“…This is the worst.”
Carlisle tightly closed his eyes.
He’d rather starve than die buried in savages’ excrement.
The war against excrement that began thus was truly fierce.
“Waaaah! It’s pouring again!”
“Dammit! Block it!”
The reconnaissance team members had to make tearful efforts to block the sewage pouring from the ventilation shaft.
But the amount of excrement produced by about 1,500 savages was not something a few reconnaissance team members could handle.
Splash splash splash splash!
Squelch squelch!
“Waaaaaaaah!”
Thanks to the sewage that suddenly poured down like a waterfall, the reconnaissance team members screamed and ran away.
And the poured sewage piled up inside the research lab, emitting an even worse stench.
“D-Damn it! Quickly, sweep it up!”
“Bleeeeeegh!”
The reconnaissance team members, fighting back the urge to vomit, swept up the sewage and pushed it into a corner.
“We’re really going to die buried in shit at this rate… Huh?”
Begman suddenly noticed something strange and frowned.
“Why are you just watching without doing anything?”
Begman growled at Carlisle.
While everyone was struggling to clean up the pouring sewage, Carlisle hadn’t lifted a finger and was just watching from the back.
“It smells. I feel like vomiting, so I can’t do it.”
“You bastard! The seniors are working hard too, and you, a mere private second class, think you’ll just watch?”
“I can’t do that kind of thing.”
Carlisle shuddered as if disgusted.
“Who does know how to do such things? Huh?”
“What can I do if I can’t?”
“This is really! Aren’t you coming quickly?”
“I’m a noble.”
“Noble or whatever, come and help! Can’t you see we’re short-handed?”
“I really can’t do it.”
Carlisle had no intention of cleaning the sewage, let alone wanting to go near it.
If it were fighting risking his life, maybe, but this was a firm refusal even if killed.
“Ugh! Fools! Move aside!”
The baby dragon stepped in, unable to watch any longer.
“Honestly, I don’t know how humans can be so incompetent.”
“Gasp!”
“A, A dragon!”
Adrian and Lieutenant Melvin were startled, but the baby dragon didn’t even blink an eye and fluttered over to where the sewage was piled up.
“Ugh. Smell.”
The baby dragon tightly closed its eyes as if it couldn’t bear to look.
“Everyone, move aside.”
Saying that, the baby dragon took a deep breath and exhaled its breath towards the piled sewage.
Fwoooooosh!
Breath of Purification.
The sacred flames that purified all filthy things burned the sewage pouring through the ventilation shaft.
“Ooooh!”
“As expected of a dragon!”
“Damn! If I’d known this, I would’ve left it to the dragon from the start!”
The reconnaissance team members praised the baby dragon’s amazing performance.
Even if they worked hard, getting covered in shit, it wasn’t easy, but since the baby dragon solved it with one exhale, it was only natural to welcome it with open arms.
‘It has its uses too.’
Carlisle thought that to himself, but he wasn’t foolish enough to say it out loud.
“You did well. Thanks to you, we’re saved.”
“Ahem! This is nothing for me!”
“Can’t you do anything about the smell? It’s still strong.”
“Wish for something possible.”
“Alright, good work.”
Carlisle gave the baby dragon a jelly as a reward.
“Uhm, O Dragon.”
“What, yes.”
The baby dragon answered Begman’s question.
“Could you please solve the other side too? It’s not just here where sewage is pouring in…”
“That’s not difficult. Guide me. I’ll solve it.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Begman kept bowing obsequiously to the baby dragon.
In the current situation, the baby dragon was the only hope, so it was no exaggeration to say there was no one who wouldn’t offer their liver and gallbladder.
“Anyway. Humans are such a high-maintenance species.”
The baby dragon put on airs, but no one said anything.
Even Carlisle, who would usually have made a snide remark, kept quiet to avoid upsetting the baby dragon’s mood.
If the baby dragon hadn’t been here, they would have inevitably died buried in excrement.
Thanks to the baby dragon diligently removing the sewage using its Breath of Purification, Carlisle’s group could catch their breath for a few days.
During that time, Marder kept sending Hugin out to scout the exterior and tried to grasp the situation by exchanging messages with Helen at the base.
And then…
“Uh. Hmm. This is problematic.”
Marder’s face stiffened as he read the note from Helen.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen at the base?”
“There was an attack by the savages, apparently.”
“……!”
“And higher command is also having their front lines pushed back, so support requests are difficult, apparently. It seems we need to consider self-rescue by the time our food runs out, they say.”
“……”
Everyone fell silent.
The situation they had feared had occurred…
Still, there was still some hope.
“At least it seems we won’t starve to death.”
Kudo said while examining the outside scenery through the magic mirror.
By now, the materials blocking the entrance had disappeared considerably, so it seemed that just one or two more days would make it possible to leave the research lab itself.
