Chapter – 120….
As soon as Carlyle and his group returned to Bowden Fortress, they immediately went to wash themselves.
Having been trapped inside the research facility all day, dealing with filth, they were in terrible shape. Naturally, they wanted to strip off their dirty uniforms and take a bath.
“Ah! That feels great! That feels great!”
“I feel like I can survive now.”
“I thought I’d die buried in shit! Hahaha!”
The scouts, having finished their baths in warm water, gathered together to enjoy refreshing drinks.
“Ugh. Smells.”
Carlyle, who had just finished bathing and entered the barracks, frowned.
“Did everyone really wash?”
“What are you talking about? Did you not see us wash already?”
“I saw.”
“And…?”
“It smells.”
“It smells…?”
“Yes.”
Carlyle pinched his nose and responded.
“Isn’t that a bit too sensitive? We scrubbed thoroughly with warm water and soap—how could it still smell?”
“It really does.”
“Don’t lie.”
Bergman snorted dismissively.
“Hey, you.”
“Yes?”
“Do we smell or not?”
Bergman asked another scout sitting across from him.
“Honestly… yeah, there’s a bit of a smell.”
“What?!”
“There’s been a weird stench in the barracks for a while.”
“…!”
“And it turns out it was coming from the commander? Ugh.”
Those scouts, unable to endure the stench, pinched their noses and left the barracks.
“Need to get some air; this is unbearable.”
“No wonder—I thought my nose was acting up.”
The rest of the scouts also left the barracks one after another.
As a result, only Bergman and those who had been trapped inside the research facility remained inside the barracks.
“So it seems the smell is coming from us?”
“Could it be something that’s stuck on our bodies?”
“After being covered in shit water every day, it’s not impossible.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
Bergman, Wilson, Marder, Kudo, Russell, Adrian, and Second Lieutenant Melvin each sniffed themselves to check for odor.
“Nothing at all… why would there be a smell?”
Bergman looked utterly confused.
“Maybe our noses got used to the stench.”
“Hmm…?”
“We got used to it back at the research facility.”
“That’s true… then how long until the smell goes away?”
“At least a few days, I’d say. Haha.”
“Can’t we just wash a few more times?”
“Body odors are surprisingly stubborn. Still, it’s better than blood smell. Blood smell lingers for years.”
“What… blood smell?”
“Nothing,” Kudo said awkwardly with a smile.
“Tch. That guy being a noble means he didn’t do any work, so he probably didn’t smell either.”
Just as Bergman glared at Carlyle, suddenly:
Wheeeeoo!
The emergency whistle sounded outside the barracks.
“…!”
Everyone was taken aback by the sudden alert.
“Lady Helen says those who have returned should stay inside and rest.”
“What happened?”
“Apparently a small skirmish broke out nearby, but it’s nothing serious.”
“Really? Hmm.”
Bergman stroked his scruffy beard, thought for a moment, then stood up abruptly.
“Damn it.”
“They won’t let us rest at all.”
One by one, the scouts began gathering their weapons.
“You’re going out? You just got back.”
Carlyle quietly asked Bergman.
“Of course.”
“Lady Helen said we could rest.”
“How can I just watch while my comrades risk their lives outside?”
“….”
“Those who want to rest, rest. I won’t force anyone.”
Bergman said this, grabbed his gear, and went outside the barracks.
“Let’s get this over with.”
“They really won’t give us any rest.”
Kudo, Marder, Wilson, and Russell hurried after Bergman.
“They’re asking for trouble. What a tiring life,” Carlyle muttered with a shake of his head.
“So… what should we do, Private Carlyle?”
“Do we have to go too…?”
“Why are you asking me? You should decide for yourselves.”
Leaving the words behind, Carlyle followed the seniors out of the barracks.
The season of war indeed leaves no time to rest.
Before winter arrived, both sides’ armies constantly clashed to secure footholds for mana stone mining.
A time when battles never ceased—this was autumn in this world.
The next day, Carlyle was summoned by the battalion commander, Kravel.
“Why?”
“Why…?”
Kravel couldn’t believe his ears. The private was late to appear despite being summoned some time ago, and now he asks “why?”
“Is that how you speak to your battalion commander, Private Carlyle?”
“Why did you call me?”
“This is unacceptable.”
Kravel stood up in exasperation.
“Private Carlyle. I’ll… apply military law for insubordination and punish you—”
“Or should I desert again?”
“…!”
Kravel shuddered. He had suffered so much from Carlyle’s past desertion incidents.
“Or perhaps I should defect to the barbarian camp?”
“Are you admitting to planning treason?”
“Not admitting, just giving a warning. If you keep bothering me, that’s what will happen. How would that feel?”
“Ugh.”
“Of course, a mere private threatening a battalion commander would normally face a court-martial or even death. But if the private were Sigmund’s prodigal son, it might be different.”
“Krk.”
Kravel, trembling with anger, couldn’t utter punishment. He realized that if Carlyle acted up again, it could also put him in trouble.
“…If you don’t cause trouble, I won’t bother you anymore. Phew.”
Kravel sighed deeply.
“You should have said that from the start. Everyone’s tired.”
“….”
“Just behave from now on.”
“Th-thank you.”
“And don’t bother Lady Helen either.”
“Of course. But…”
Kravel cautiously spoke.
“Bringing a woman into the camp… that’s too much. I can’t overlook that.”
“Ah.” Carlyle nodded in understanding.
“I’ll contact my family and take care of it, so don’t worry.”
“Alright, but remember: I won’t be responsible if something goes wrong.”
Carlyle shook his head at Kravel’s cautious words, then spoke again.
“By the way… you’re not planning to deny us rewards, right?”
“Deny…?”
“After annihilating an entire tribe and stabilizing the area, you won’t give the people who led the operation any reward, right?”
“Ah, that. Don’t worry. The higher-ups highly evaluate this operation, so the 3rd Company Scouts will receive suitable rewards. Just wait a day or two.”
“Good.” Carlyle stood and approached the doorway without waiting for permission.
“Anything else?”
“…No.”
“Thanks for your time.”
After Carlyle left, Kravel gritted his teeth.
“That insolent brat!”
Even if he was furious, there was little Kravel could do to punish him. After all, as Carlyle said, he was not just any private—he was the direct descendant of the Sigmund family, son of Guntram, Duke of Decaron.
A few days later, Carlyle and his group received their rewards.
After wiping out a tribe of 1,500 people in a single night, there was no way the higher command could ignore their achievements.
The rewards included a medal, a year’s living expenses for his family, a one-rank promotion, and 30 days of leave.
For Carlyle, the medal and money were insignificant. He still had to wear the private’s insignia due to prior disciplinary issues, so the promotion didn’t appeal.
Only the 30 days of leave were enticing, giving him a rare break before the first snow.
“Have a good vacation. I’m off.”
As before, Carlyle rode in a carriage from the Sigmund family to the castle.
“Rich kid really is different,”
The scouts watching the carriage leave felt the gap immediately, though when they were together in the camp, it hadn’t been noticeable. Still, they had their own destinations.
Meanwhile, Maranello and Evangeline, who came to meet Carlyle, were visibly flustered.
“Uh… my lord…?”
“Yes.”
“And the lady beside you… you didn’t bring a woman to the barracks, did you? Haha…”
Maranello had rushed to greet Carlyle after hearing of his achievements, and seeing Beatrice clinging to him, he was half in shock.
“Heh.”
Beatrice, linking her arm with Carlyle and practically leaning on him, caused Maranello to misunderstand.
“Uh? Ah, um…”
“Indeed.”
Carlyle struggled to disentangle Beatrice and explained what had happened.
“…So this lady is the creation of the magician Anthiros?”
“Something like that.”
“She’s dangerous, so you’ll have to watch over her directly, Maranello.”
“Eh?”
“If she gets angry, she could turn 20–30 knights into corpses in an instant.”
“That… really?”
“Yes.” Carlyle nodded.
“Be careful, or a disaster will occur. But if she’s an artificially created life, even in human form, she shouldn’t exist in this world. But… not everyone is born just because someone wants them to be.”
A thought crossed Carlyle’s mind, and he couldn’t fully agree with Maranello’s caution.
