Side: Olive Melt
Riel, Tori, and Kaya are chatting while eating right in front of us.
"Slurp... And then at that time..."
"Yeah, that happened... Slurp. But in the end..."
"Nom, munch... Hn? That's the first time I've heard that story."
We had successfully linked up with the 1,000 soldiers we left behind. Under Marley's command, we were currently marching as reinforcements for the invasion of the Holy Nation of Enaria, and right now, we were stopping for a meal along the way.
It's a relief that we didn't have to meet the King, but...
"...Mist. Why does such an incredible aroma always drift over from their side during meal times?"
"...Onee-sama, there must be a massive gap in basic technology. I never imagined that simply boiling water during an expedition could produce food like that."
Right now, all we have in front of us is dried meat and a thin soup barely made with hot water.
Because of our recent catastrophic failure, we hadn't received any official supply replenishment from the high command. However, since Yuki and his group had graciously returned the logistical equipment they captured from us, we were at least spared from having to invest our personal wealth to fund this march... yet...
"Yuki, this is my first time trying this particular ramen flavor."
"Hm? Ah, that's miso flavor. You've had miso soup before, right?"
"Ah, come to think of it, it does taste familiar. But it's absolutely delicious. There are so many varieties that one could never grow tired of it."
"Jessica-san, mine is soy sauce flavor. Would you like a taste?"
"Yes, thank you very much, RIa."
Watching them enjoy their meal while those enticing aromas drifted through the air was unbearable.
And it was even worse because every single subordinate under those mercenaries was eating the same sort of food.
Meanwhile, our soldiers were desperately enduring bland rations.
"Yuki, do you have a moment?"
"Slurp... What is it?"
"Where exactly did you obtain that food? With aromas like these floating around, it's cruel to our soldiers who are enduring dried meat and preserved rations."
"Ah... yeah, that's fair. But..."
"Why are you hesitating? If things continue like this, our soldiers' morale will plummet, and it will become a serious tactical issue."
"How do you plan to handle the funding?" Jessica interjected. "It is certainly possible for us to supply them. However, we are talking about 1,000 men. While we might offer a slight bulk discount, it is still a massive amount of food to cover 1,000 soldiers for several months."
"Jessica's right," Yuki said. "We're mercenaries, not a logistics corps assigned to feed your army. Where exactly do you plan on getting the money?"
"W-Well..."
As I struggled to answer, Mist spoke up for me.
"I understand Yuki's point of view. However, this disparity will cause problems with cooperation. Shouldn't we reduce the inequality as much as possible? As for payment, couldn't we settle it after the campaign? It's not as if we can return to our territories and retrieve funds right now."
"That's a valid point, but... what do you think?"
Yuki turned to consult Jessica beside him.
I had seen her standing beside him on the battlefield before, but I never imagined she had become one of his close aides.
Meanwhile, Marley was sitting nearby, happily eating ramen thanks to Jessica's assistance.
"Let's see..."
Even Jessica seemed to find it difficult, hesitating to answer, but Marley, who was eating ramen beside her, interjected.
"Isn't it fine? This ramen is delicious, and I want it for my army too. I'll pay properly—I have military funds. I'll pay in cash, and I'll cover the Melt sisters' army as well."
"Marley-sama...."
"Don't worry about it, Mist. It's for our mutual benefit. Both of our factions have suffered painful lessons at Yuki's hands, and the high command is fully aware of it. If we don't ensure this invasion is a resounding success, even the King will finally lose his patience and hand down severe punishments... This is no time for us to be pulling each other down."
"Thank you very much."
"You have our deepest gratitude."
Even I had no choice but to bow my head.
As a noble and a person of integrity, I could not afford to abandon proper etiquette.
"Sigh, this is exactly why..."
"Is there an issue?"
"Princess Wind-san, selling you the provisions isn't a problem. But do you understand that doing so reduces our own combat strength?"
"""Ah."""
It was true. My unit alone consisted of 1,000 soldiers.
The total invasion force led by Marlie numbered roughly 20,000.
If Yuki's group had to manually transport enough supply crates to sustain that entire army, they would be completely immobilized.
"Seriously, how did your former commander survive this long?"
"...Well, she moves with uncanny precision on the battlefield."
"So she leaves everything else to her subordinates. In a sense, she's the ultimate textbook commander."
"You two can be quiet now... Anyway, if you can find a way to provide supplies without reducing our fighting strength, go ahead."
"...You really are lucky when it comes to things like this."
Hm?
From those words, it sounded like there was a way to obtain a large amount of supplies without reducing combat strength...
"Is there a way?"
Mist asked, clearly having the same thought.
"There is. Well, it's a method that only works because we're here, so it can't be used by others. Make sure you thoroughly drill it into your soldiers' heads that this is a strict, one-time exception. It'll be a massive headache if they start grumbling about the quality of their food dropping after we eventually part ways."
"Understood. I'll make sure it's explained properly."
"I see... We also need to consider what happens after we're no longer working with Yuki."
Mist nodded with a solemn expression.
Indeed, while we have the trump card of Yuki and the others, we must also consider what happens after we lose that convenience.
"The more victories you earn, the more likely you'll be reassigned to prestigious but difficult battlefields, right?"
"...That's true."
"...Yes."
"...Indeed."
"And your forces will inevitably be split up. Leaving me aside, the three Magic Sword wielders aren't going to stay gathered together forever, are they?"
That was certainly true.
This campaign existed to restore our honor.
If we proved our worth here, we would inevitably be assigned to separate fronts once again.
"Well, I've given you my warning about the potential pitfalls. Since we have the supplies on hand anyway, let's go ahead and distribute them to Olive's troops."
With those words, Yuki called over one of his goblins and issued a swift set of instructions.
"Now then, please help yourselves."
Before I even realized it, Ria stepped forward and offered a pair of freshly prepared bowls of ramen to us.
"We appreciate the thought, but we cannot eat before our subordinates..."
"If the two of you don't eat first, your subordinates won't feel permitted to eat either, you know?"
"But..."
"It's going to get completely cold if you leave it sitting there, so please, go ahead."
"Onee-sama, let us accept their generosity. Our men are all watching us intently; unless we take the initiative to break the ice, no one will feel comfortable eating."
"Very well. We shall gratefully accept."
And so we ate these so-called "ramen".
* * *
"Ughhh... urk..."
"M-My stomach... the noodles are expanding inside me..."
We were completely incapacitated, writhing on the ground.
Not because we had been poisoned.
"So, how are the others?"
"More than half have collapsed."
"...Why did they eat so much that they collapsed?"
"Well, we technically handed over the supply distribution rights to the Princess-sama since she paid for them, so the ultimate allocation was left entirely to her discretion."
"Sorry. It tasted far better than I expected. I felt bad being the only one enjoying it, and since it was coming out of my own funds anyway, I told everyone they could eat as much as they wanted yesterday."
Yes... Pathetically enough, the cause was overeating.
But can you really blame us?
With so many different flavors and such abundant spices, who wouldn't end up like this after eating that ramen?
"Sigh... Come to think of it, Jessica collapsed in the exact same way when she first arrived, didn't she?"
"Please do not bring that up... It is an incredibly embarrassing memory, but it truly could not be helped. The food back then was even more delicious than this, after all."
"What did you say!? Jessica, you mean you've been eating even better food at Yuki's place!?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Damn it!! Jessica, that is completely unfair!!"
"I'm not sure what to say, but anyway, Yuki is the one who actually cooks those magnificent dishes, so if Princess-sama wishes, I'm sure he'll cook for you."
"Really!?"
What did she say!?
More delicious than ramen!?
"...Let's at least wait until the army can start marching again. We're not losing an entire day because of something this stupid."
...We are truly sorry.
"So, why is Princess-san fine after eating the same amount?"
"Because I constantly move around a lot, obviously!"
"""That doesn't make any sense!!!"""
Everyone present—including myself, retorted at once.
Urf... my stomach hurts...
