***Arc 6 One Who Pierced Through, Chapter 122 Belgash Civil War***
Once one crosses the Dragon's Maw and enters the north, one will find a silver landscape.
The whole area was covered in white snow, shining brightly in the sunlight peeking through the clouds.
The snow must have come early this year.
It was a beautiful sight to behold, but on the other hand, it was not convenient for travel.
"Sorry to keep you waiting"
"It's okay, it can't be helped"
Removing the carriage wheels and replacing them with a sled.
If it were possible, they had wanted to let it last until the Belgash fortress, but if the wheels were to be buried, then they had no choice but to change it.
Kilik, Mia, and the others unloaded the wagon and sweated as they replaced the wheels.
Krische was feeding the horses, wearing a blanket over her shoulders and over her thick, fluffy clothes.
A particularly large horse――Bururun devoured the carrots, and brought its muzzle to Krische.
Krische helplessly gave him another carrot.
This horse had strangely grown attached to Krische.
She had no choice but to bring it back to the Royal’s territory, but since it was so attached to her, they ended up keeping it in Christand.
The main reason Serene decided to keep it, was to make Krische overcome her dislike of horses, but although Krische and Bery took care of it, she would not get on the horse's back.
However, Krische also felt that it would be a shame for the horse to be left as a mere ornament, so she sent the horse out to help pull the cart.
Originally, the kingdom's horses had many breeds suitable for pulling horses.
Because they are often ridden by heavily armed nobles, most of the horses in the army were heavy breeds rather than light breeds, and slender horses like those used by nomads in the southeast were not that preferable.
Bururun was no exception to this rule and was big enough to pull a carriage, and he pulled the carriage in which Krische was riding without any particular reluctance.
"Bururun sure eats better than others. It looks really lively. Isn't it cold?"
"I don’t know… maybe they are more resistant to the cold than humans."
Bery looked at the fluffy cliche and chuckles.
Bery was in her usual apron dress.
The only protection from the cold she wore was a pair of leather gloves and boots, and the rest was just a cloak.
The others were also wearing slightly warmer clothes, and Krische was wearing too heavy clothes, but she was still cold.
Berry stroked Bururun's neck after adjusting the cliché's slightly misaligned muffler.
"But really, he’s an obedient child, isn't he? I heard that he was quite violent when Ojou-sama rode it."
"Nn... Selene is a bit rough for some reason after all."
"I guess it's compatibility..."
The other day, Selene's horse was out of commission due to poor health, so she rode Bururun as a substitute, but it seemed that Selene had a lot of trouble.
‘What is with that horse!’ but as far as Bery saw it, it didn’t seem like a particularly problematic horse.
Bogan's horses on the battlefield often had some quirk, and Bery, who had been taking care of them, felt that horses had their own personality.
But from her experience, Bururun was a good, though too energetic child.
It was originally a rambunctious horse, and Bery wondered if she would be alright, but he soon took to her and was obedient now.
It was very docile.
"Get along well with other child okay, Bururun. Don't fight with the child next to you, okay."
When she imitated Bery and hit the neck with a pop, it let out a gallant neigh.
Bery, who saw the situation, chuckled.
Krische was truly a child, acting like a big sister to the horse, and it made her smile.
Then she looked up, noticed the position of the sun, and said,
"Looks like we will stay at Belgash Fortress today. If we go until Gargain, it will already become pitch black by the time we arrive..."
"Yes. Ehehe, but the kitchen there is quite splendid, and it's been a long time since Krische has been able to cook properly."
――Bergash Fortress.
After the war ended, many soldiers returned to their hometowns, and this fortress, which was once overflowing with soldiers, was deserted.
All that remained were the minimum number of soldiers to defend the fort, many of whom would serve as guards here until they were no longer able to fulfill their duties.
For them, this fortress was like a community like a village or a town, their home and hometown.
Naturally, they all cooperated with each other, trying to make life here as good as possible, and enriching their daily lives by caring for each other.
However, the peace and tranquility of their lives was suddenly disrupted.
In the kitchen, which had been strict but peaceful, a civil war broke out.
"Hmm, how is it?"
"Let’s see... Shall we put some Nerip in it?"
"Yes"
Her elegant silver hair was tied up and swayed like a horse's tail.
The enchanting princess Krische Christand moved around the kitchen.
Second in rank in the Kingdom――her great exploits on the battlefield earned her the title Alberinae, second only to Marshal, and now she was happily chopping herbs with a kitchen knife instead of a sword.
She was dressed in a clean white one-piece dress.
The way her long hem fluttered, and she occasionally stretched out and reached for the top shelf was truly sweet.
The fairy of the kitchen was exactly this girl.
"Is this much fine?"
"Hmm, it might be better to chop it a little coarser."
And the one showering that girl with her affectionate smile was as if a water spirit inviting travelers.
She was the red-haired servant Bery Argan.
In contrast to the lovely girl who moved around with a trot, her movements were graceful, relaxed and calm. She was a noble figure that lived up to her status as a noble.
Her low, friendly demeanor, yet elegant gestures from time to time, her small stature and bountiful chest, and her tight waist――there was a pureness that suddenly made those who were captivated by them feel ashamed of themselves.
Even the sight of her tasting the food with a ladle in her hand was sexy, but there was something about her playing and whispering with the fairy that made her lose all sense of reality.
Baking in the oven was a whole roasted chicken.
The belly was stuffed with herbs and vegetables, and the outside was carefully rubbed with salt, pepper, and garlic, etc——the skin was repeatedly smeared carefully with dripping meat juices, giving it a jewel-like luster.
In the pot, the beef was slowly simmering with vegetables, and the stew with red wine was making a clattering sound.
Watching them from a distance were the men in the kitchen.
On a snowy night, when they had already finished their work and were taking a break before cleaning up——two princesses and black-clad soldiers suddenly arrived at Belgash Fortress.
They told the fort's soldiers that they had given up on reaching Gargain today because of the snow, and asked to borrow the kitchen.
——A visitor was more beautiful than snow.
When the head chef Zalbach heard the report, he immediately ordered the kitchen to be cleaned up, and by the time they arrived, he had cleaned the corner that they would use as much as possible and polished it to the point not a single speck of dust was lest
Now they were conducting a follow up cleaning, but that chore was only a front——most of their attention was focused on the two little cooks.
Their culinary skills were brilliant. Those who cooked as their job have much to learn from the two of them.
But they were more interested in feast for their eyes.
For those who work in the fortress, where there was nothing to do unless you go into town, there was no better pastime than watching the two cook.
"Bery, the meat is almost ready..."
"Yeah, the sauce looks good too. Cut it up and put it on the plate... ah, can someone please――"
Having used this place for a long time before, Bery also knew where the dishes and utensils were located.
However, there were seventeen plates in the place where dishes were usually placed.
One plate for each person to serve the meat, nine plates for nine people.
And one more plate for serving the whole roasted chicken and putting down the bread, for a total of eighteen plates.
There was one plate missing there.
Tension ran high in the kitchen.
――The head chef, Zalbach, was the first one to react.
He instantly grabbed the plate he had just finished washing, wiped off the remaining water droplets, and took a smooth flowing step toward the girls.
He spun the plate at high speed so that the two wouldn’t see it, and even the smallest drop of water that cannot be wiped off was flicked away――what he was holding was the supreme plate. He moved faster than anyone else, however he did not want to give them an imperfect plate, so he used his years of experience and skill to create the perfect plate.
As if it had been prepared from the beginning, Zalbach's movements were smooth and steady.
The head chef Zalbach would later recall――
‘Was I fully prepared to welcome them… I have done what I could in that situation, but I felt like I couldn’t say it was perfect. We had to clear the place for them in a hurry, and we were all struggling to get the dishes washed and cleaned from there. So, I kept all kinds of tableware on hand so that I could respond at any time, and I was ready to move at any time. It was half reflex the moment I grabbed the plate and stepped toward them. I was so focused that time seemed to have stopped――’
The prediction based on experience was only possible for Zalbach, who had been in charge of this kitchen for many years.
A sudden visitor wasn't such a rare story.
Remain calm in any situation, and do not neglect the minimum preparations so as not to be lacking. That was the basic among the basics that the kitchen commander should have, and this man Zalbach was one level above that.
No matter what situation comes up, no matter what difficulty arises before him he will solve it all.
His will made his body moved before his thoughts could catch up.
It was a step that left the time behind.
It was the fastest and most flexible step——that was exactly what Zalbach achieved at that time.
Precisely because it was Zalbach, no It was the fastest step that only Zalbach could make.
——No one else could match it.
However, a man at the corner of Zalbach's vision, smirked.
Closer to the girls than Zalbach himself, there was a young man with a scowl on his face, it was Kurt.
He was a young man who managed the food distribution of this fortress with his excellent brain, and in his hand was a plate that had been polished.
And behind him was a wagon with countless dishes lined up neatly.
――The young man, Kurt, was fed up at the sight of Zalbach, who had never grown up.
He was the king here, and he admitted that he had good reactions and judgment.
However, what Zalbach was able to do was only after the fact――he could only react after the opponent made a move.
For Kurt, he was much too slow.
When he learned of their visit, the first thing he did was to confirm the information.
He first asked the soldiers who were called out by them how many guards there were, and put the information in his own hands.
Then, he suppressed the information so that Zalbach would not know about it.
‘Suppressing it? Haha, no way. I just thought I didn't need to inform him. I never thought that the head chef wouldn't have enough plates for them to use. That said, there are 17 flat plates in the cupboard――I thought it wouldn't be enough if they use two plates per person, so I prepared some, but, well, it was a coincidence――’
As soon as Kurt entered the kitchen, he checked the cupboards.
There were enough bowls for soup and a platter for the whole roasted chicken.
However, the number of flat plates is a little dangerous.
Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven——knowing how many of them there were, he understood the number of plates they would use was one of them.
And the nature of these women.
Their bodyguards were soldiers——those accustomed to simple meals.
They didn't care about reusing plates.
They would have no problem putting the meat on one plate and using it for sharing.
But the two fairies——they were particular about their food.
He was sure that they would divide the plate use.
All that remained was the timing to hand it over.
Kurt, who had already prepared the plates, was one step behind Zalbach in this, but he was the first to arrive.
The talented Kurt was still excellent even in food distribution——
Zalbach glared at the fearless Kurt with a scowl on his face, as if he were a parent whose child has been murdered, and then laughed.
——You know what you're missing, you brat?
――Kuku, what are you talking about? You're behind the times, just leave it to the young like me.
Zalbach thought as he looked at Kurt.
The difference between the two was four steps——Zalbach felt his own aging and though pleased with the growth of the young talent who was always trying to get ahead of him, he gritted his teeth, thinking that he cannot be defeated yet.
That one was faster.
But that was also because all the conditions are right.
After much thought, Zalbach came up with a secret plan——
"Oops."
――He pretended to stumble in an empty place.
A momentary forward tilt and a jump.
Kurt frowned, fed up with it.
The same thing over and over again, the same stupid obstruction.
Four steps away. His body and preparation were perfect.
It didn't matter what despicable deeds this old man did.
‘What are you going to do this time?’——There was something already flying in front of Kurt, who was thinking so.
It was a drop of water.
It was a move that would destroy Kurt's perfection.
Zalbach, who had just been washing dishes.
There was still water on his arm.
Zalbach made an attack that was disguised as a jump——thinking that the plate Kurt was holding would be ruined by a splash of water.
It was too cowardly.
Kurt's eyes were filled with astonishment.
He could see the emotion in his eyes ‘You’re going to go that far!?’
――But even there Kurt was calm.
He quickly turned himself around and caught the spray with his back to protect his plate.
But even Kurt knew.
In that one moment, he had lost his advantage over Zalbach.
With a scowl on his face, Kurt glared at Zalbach as if he were a son whose father had been murdered, and laughed.
――-I'm surprised you would go this far, shitty old man, I'm amazed at your despicableness
――Hmph, you can think about it by putting your hands on your chest first. Which one of us is the coward?
The two men were so close in their contest that the others, unable to intervene, had to watch with bated breath.
A showdown between the two chiefs.
It was a holy war.
But once again, the deciding factor was blocked by the presence of a more powerful person.
"Wow, it smells delicious. Krische-sama, shall I help you serve the food?"
The one who showed up at the right time was Mia, the adjutant of the Black Flag Special Forces Company.
It's about time the food was ready, Mia checked it out, and so on, without any respect at all.
When they were improving the carriages for the snow-covered roads, the clumsy and free adjutant was assigned to chores.
She said she had no choice but to visit the kitchen and her timing was impeccable――no calculations, no aiming, she always had bad timing.
"Yes, it will be finished soon… Mia, a plate please."
"Yes, um, ah."
Mia saw Kurt right next to her.
"I'm sorry, thank you very much."
"ah……"
She was no less bold than Anne, but she is somewhat out of it, and she understood and judged on her own that the plate was offered to her.
She handed the plate to Krische as if nothing had happened, thought for a moment, and turned around.
"Ah, sorry. Can I borrow a wagon as well?"
Unfortunately, she was also used to using people.
As she ordered Kurt, who stood still in a daze, Krische let her taste the soup and her cheeks pouted.
"Hmm...looking only at this, Mia is quite safer than Anne. She doesn't throw the plate away."
"...Throw the plate away?"
"A-ahaha... Mia, it's nothing, so please don't worry about it."
"O-okay..."
The two quickly put the dishes on the plate, and Mia took the wagon from Kurt as if it were a matter of course, and she happily put the food on it.
The three of them carried the wagon while chatting and laughing, and Berry bowed gracefully while looking curiously at the hardened cooking team. Krische followed suit and bowed politely, while Mia bowed respectfully in a strange manner.
Then the three of them left the kitchen.
The men looked at Zalbach and Kurt, who were still frozen, looking at them with pity.
