Save the Starving Frontier! The “Buyer” of the Reversed Chastity World - 30

Chapter 30: The Perfect Pairings for Bread

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Three days had passed since we saw off the knight order’s expedition. By now, they should have reached either the foot of the mountain or at least the mid-slope. We kept sending food as usual, but so far only two wagons had returned.

When the consumption of supplies was this low, it made me worry whether they had been attacked by magical beasts somewhere. But in reality, this was the normal pace, and apparently the consumption wasn’t so heavy since they had carried a large stock to begin with.

“The reports say everyone is safe for now. From here on, I think wagons will be coming back every day.”

“Let’s hope so. I want every last one of them to return without anyone missing.”

At my mutter, Vice Commander Mial let out a soft chuckle. Did I say something strange?

“Why is it that you care so much about us?”

“That’s just how it is. I have to live here too, don’t I?”

For the time being, this was my place of living. If it turned into, ‘I came to another world and died right away,’ or ‘My place of residence turned into ruins,’ … That wouldn’t be funny at all.

“How are they handling weapon repairs?”

“Spare weapons are loaded on the wagons. That’s part of logistics. Broken weapons aren’t fixed here, but sent to the smithies in the noble quarter or the northern district.”

Hearing that, I piled up some steel plates from the home center. I had resupplied the northern district, but hadn’t delivered much to the noble quarter.

“Take these. Even the smithies in the noble quarter must have limits to their iron reserves.”

“Thank you. That will be a big help.”

Vice Commander Mial gave orders to her subordinates, who then used the handcart I provided to carry the steel to the smithies. Apparently, the quality of the steel I brought was suitable for use even in the noble quarter.

“Hey, Kaito-nii-chan. Isn’t there anything we can do to help?”

“I don’t know. All I can really do is provide supplies.”

Etna asked, but I had no real answer. In the end, an expedition was basically the same as a war. We weren’t an army, so there wasn’t much we could do.

“I can fight alone or with my companions, sure. But if I joined up with the knight order, I couldn’t coordinate with them, so I’d be useless.”

Even Aisha, who had combat experience, admitted she was at a loss. It seemed she had no intention of doing anything beyond guarding us.

“I guess all we can do is wait. We’re already sending what they need.”

“Yes. That’s what the knight order exists for. Citizens should wait here. Especially this time, since no one has been conscripted.”

Vice Commander Mial calmly admonished me. If this had been a real war, civilians would apparently be drafted as infantry too. Though it was mostly women with superior physical ability who were conscripted, so men like me weren’t much involved. Of course, there were men who volunteered.

“So then, if a man goes along, he’s assigned to… Comfort duty?”

“Well… That role does exist, though it’s rare.”

Apparently, life on the battlefield was abstinent. Naturally, it wasn’t the time to be exhausting yourself on anything other than marching and fighting.

“Don’t they have any charms or lucky foods the knights and soldiers like? Something that boosts morale?”

“Sweet things raise morale the most. They help maintain stamina. As for meat, that’s procured locally. Vegetables are being sent. That leaves seasonings, I suppose.”

Then this should work—sweet spreads for bread. Peanut butter and jam. Peanut butter especially was high in calories. Even more than sugar, it provided real nutrition. On a hard march, it would never be a bad thing to have.

There was also the culture of spreading fats on bread besides butter—like lard. Those who preferred salty flavors might like that better. Beyond fermented butter, there were flavored butters like garlic butter or lemon butter. For the unusual but pricey option, there was anchovy butter. Since it had garlic sauté in it, it should boost vitality too.

I decided to let them taste-test and send whatever worked best.

“Lard is good. And flavored butters are all great, but anchovy butter has a sharpness that makes for good stimulation. It would wake the soldiers up.”

So, I prepared more of those two. Eating bland bread all the time wouldn’t build stamina.

“Peanut butter is delicious. It’s a bit too sweet, but if you eat it when tired, it gives you energy.”

“That’s the sugar. It lingers in your mouth, making it feel even sweeter. The pricier kind tastes like this.”

I pulled out some expensive peanut honey. It was peanut butter made with honey instead of sugar—smooth and pleasant. This one earned Vice Commander Mial’s approval.

“This would work well for marching. With jars this small, we could let every knight carry one.”

They’d fit into pouches. Even if separated from the main unit, this was a high-calorie food that could keep you alive for a while. It was made from nuts and honey, after all.

“Nii-chan, let me taste it too.”

“Sure. If we don’t have bread, we can also eat this.”

I pulled out honey nuts—the kind familiar in American shops. Whole or crushed nuts coated in honey, tasting like nougat candy.

“Tasty! Wouldn’t it be better to send this?”

“The problem is, once you take it out of the container, it gets sticky, and you have to eat it right away. They’re not practical outdoors.”

When I said that, Aisha, who tasted along with us, nodded in agreement.

“True.”

She said while licking the honey off her sticky hand.

“If it were base defense, I could provide barbed wire and other useful materials. But for an expedition, I can’t tell what will be useful.”

“Even just the waterproof lanterns and camping gear are a huge help. None of those exist in this world.”

So the camping goods really were useful. Tents might become death traps if magical beasts attacked, but they still served as handy shelters against the mountain winds. As for hydration, we mainly supplied sports drinks, so there was no danger of heatstroke or dehydration. Ice could be created with magic anyway.

“Well, this is about all I can do. I can’t provide any weapon that’s more powerful than the magic you all can use after all.”

“That’s more than enough. Save your power for when peace is confirmed. Once the city is rebuilt, we’ll need a celebration banquet.”

At Vice Commander Mial’s words, I simply nodded. A celebration banquet, huh. It’d be nice if we could have one.

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