Save the Starving Frontier! The “Buyer” of the Reversed Chastity World - 29

Chapter 29: Let’s See the Knights Off!

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Since the city had begun to recover, there was one important matter. It was about the details of the “magic rampage” that had caused it all. Unless that was clarified, this frontier domain could not truly be said to have revived. And there was no guarantee that the same thing would not happen again.

So, the knight order was to set out on an expedition. I stayed in the knight order’s barracks as their support. Since the food distribution base was being moved to the noble district, permission was granted for the commoners to enter the noble district. It seemed that mainly those connected to the workshops that also handled orders from the noble district would come to receive supplies.

“With this, the food distribution is fine. So then, how will the handoff to the logistics corps work?”

“Keep sending supplies constantly. We’ll set up a base camp for exploration, and from there, have the logistics corps keep supplying us every day.”

I see. By making them go back and forth endlessly, they’d ensure the base always had food. Since there was no need to bring the food back, they could just leave it when they returned and keep receiving from the following logistics corps. A lavish logistics operation, made possible only because food was essentially unlimited.

“Is Commander Sharon commanding on the front lines? Well then, Commander Sharon, take care out there.”

“Yeah, I’ll be going. When this mission is over, give the surviving knights your seed. I won’t let you rest.”

Don’t say it like some kind of death flag. Come back safely.

And so, the knight order’s exploration unit, about two thousand strong including their attendants, departed.

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“That’s quite a large-scale expedition.”

“Of course. This was an unprecedented disaster in this land. No matter what, we must uncover the cause.”

The knights who remained behind told me so. A thousand knights and retainers stayed for security and to guard us, but about three hundred of them would depart in turn as the logistics corps.

This was understandable though. They couldn’t just suspend the city’s military police function. Apparently, the city guards were drawn from the retainer class, so if they all left, there would be no police left in the city. That would mean crime would run rampant. And if the city fell into chaos, everything would be for nothing. That was how serious this expedition was—they had to accept even that level of risk for the city.

“Since the transport days keep getting longer, food that keeps well is best, right?”

“Yes. Also, please keep to the weight that draft wagons can pull. Rather than flour, dried noodles, nuts, or chocolate are better. Canned goods are heavy, so retort-pack foods may be preferable.”

Right. With canned goods, the cans themselves were wasted weight. Even if I could produce supplies almost infinitely, the wagon load capacity was limited. The horses in this world were magical beast types, so there was some leeway, but even so, limits were limits. I had to provide foods that were efficient to transport and long-lasting.

“You’ll be the one commanding on-site between the city and the barracks, right? It’d help if you could specify the supplies you need. We don’t know the situation while marching.”

“Understood. The longer the days pass, the longer the transport distance becomes, so the proportion of preserved foods will increase. …My name is Mial. I serve as Vice Commander, so I’ll be counting on you, Messenger-dono.”

Vice Commander Mial, huh. She looked a bit younger than Commander Sharon. Though hidden by armor, she had quite a figure. Her chest armor bulged outward, probably custom-made since a flat design wouldn’t fit. Which meant she, too, was stuck in this world of no men. A sad world.

“Just now… When you looked at my chest, did you think something?”

She’s a sharp one.

“I only thought it seemed impressive. Attractive, too.”

“A-attractive…! Then, when this mission is over, I’ll be waiting…”

Vice Commander Mial averted her gaze, fidgeting. Yep, this was the same type as those who had peeked at me in the bath. Etna and Aisha grumbled unhappily at her reaction.

Yeah, yeah, you’re cute too.

“How’s the road ahead?”

“The path extends from the highway toward both the forest and the quarry. The mountain lies beyond the forest, but no road has been carved there. The reason is that too many magical beasts inhabit the area, making road construction impossible.”

Right, they’d said the forests and mountains were beast territories. Even having some highway built this far into the frontier was already a feat.

“That mountain visible beyond the castle? It’s pretty tall.”

“Yes. For someone trained, normally it would take three to four days to reach the mid-slope. But if there are many magical beasts, battles will increase, so we don’t know how far we can get.”

So the expedition length was effectively undetermined. They’d said about twenty days, but that was only their base expectation. Or maybe going beyond that would simply exhaust the knight order too much.

A march without strength left to return was just a suicide attack. It had to be scheduled so they had stamina left to come back. That was why they used sheer manpower to cover it up.

“What are the chances of returning alive?”

“Fifty-fifty.”

That harsh, huh. I hadn’t even asked about “safely.” Vice Commander Mial must have already factored that in. And even so, only half.

“This expedition is really that dangerous?”

“Yes. If the magical power rampage was caused by a magical beast, and that beast survived, then the knight order cannot possibly win. The enemy has the power to half-destroy a city after all.”

Yeah. Half-destroying a city was a level of destructive power equal to a tactical weapon. Unless it had been unleashed in some battle and destroyed in the process… If that beast still existed, still lived… Then humanity couldn’t win.

“Commander Sharon has the strength to survive even so. But the knight order will be annihilated. Still, there is one reason we must explore.”

“If such a beast survived, then the city would be wiped out anyway.”

No matter how strong Commander Sharon was, people of her caliber were few. And in terms of the city as a whole, even more so. If a beast that could destroy a city existed, the city would be destroyed. That was just obvious.

So whether they lived or died, they had no choice but to stake their lives. They were being forced into the very edge, a final choice.

“Depending on how it goes, my life may only have a few days left.”

“Yes. When that time comes, I will accompany you.”

Vice Commander Mial said that. She was prepared. All I could do was support that resolve with supplies. I had no cheat for battle. In terms of combat strength, I was useless. I could help rebuild after a disaster, but I couldn’t slay a monster.

“I pray we return alive.”

“And when we do, how many knights will you grant children to, I wonder?”

Life is the root of all things. As long as they’re alive, I will try to answer their demands as best as I could.  Keep on living. Tomorrow, the day after, and beyond that too—eating good food, doing lewd things, sleeping deeply, waking up refreshed. Laughing, crying. Rejoicing.

If not… Then all of these would be all for nothing. 

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