Chapter 138: You Know I Love You, Right? (2)
Chapter 138: I Love You, You Know? (2)
For now, I intend to harass the Imperial Army as much as possible, just like with the current operation, without directly confronting them. I’ll make sure my name keeps reaching his ears.
Eventually, he, or one of his companions, will come out to face me directly.
“Phew, I see. That’s a grand ambition. It seems appointing you as the Imperial Mage was worth it.”
“I don’t recall ever promising you that position.”
“Huh? Hey, what’s this? I’m putting all my trust in you.”
“Who told you to trust me?”
I chuckled and lightly countered his words. However, somehow, a hearty laugh wouldn’t come out. Lucy was about to throw in a joke or two more, but seeing my expression, he closed his mouth.
After smoking for a while, he said,
“You seem parched.”
“Hey, today is…”
“No, I meant your heart. It’s true what they say, that when a lover is away, one’s heart becomes parched with loneliness.”
“…”
Clearly, this guy is teasing me.
However… it’s sad that I can’t refute it.
Those who are not here right now have all gone into the forest to search for water.
Kun boasted that he was an expert at finding underground water, and everyone, except for one person left to assist me in case of emergency, followed that wild warrior into the forest.
They entered the forest even before we set up a temporary camp here, and they haven’t come out yet. So, it’s been three days since I last saw Levidian.
“I’m in this state after just three days, I don’t know how I managed to search for her for months back then.”
“It’s different now. It’s draining because I know where she is, but I can’t see her. Tsk.”
“Oh, I see. Oh my, oh my. I want to get a lover soon too, but are there any decent female soldiers around? It’s a problem that a man in his thirties hasn’t been in a relationship for years. If it were Al, he’d be a huge hit over there at the Barrier. Tsk.”
Come to think of it, surprisingly, there haven’t been any women throwing themselves at Lucy. I think it’s probably because of his chronic womanizing personality. Just like Jay, he’s too frivolous, that’s the problem.
I chuckled and was about to offer words of encouragement, but suddenly, I recalled the rumors from before the reset.
Kersilla Creon, one of the Eight Strongest on the continent. Despite his achievements, good personality, and fame, he had no lover.
It would have been a different situation then, but anyway, a pessimistic outlook suddenly unfolded that Lucy might not have a lover even after six years.
“Lucy, should I write a letter to your grandmother?”
“Do that if I still don’t have a lover next year. I wonder if that child is still waiting for me? Ugh! Why didn’t I just swallow the spirit world back then! Damn it!”
Looking at the mage roaring in earnest, I could only laugh awkwardly.
Sorry, Lucy. Kun mentioned before that it’s customary for Guard women to marry early.
If I reveal here that Kun is married, I think Lucy will go beyond roaring and become completely hysterical, but I decided to stop myself.
I should save this for later. Hehe.
Imperial Year 376, April 23rd.
“The underground water was also considerably depleted. You can see how dry the forest is, right? These are the spots we managed to find, but I’m worried if this will be enough to last until the next rain.”
Levidian pointed at the map marking the underground water veins she found after searching the forest, with a worried expression.
With Kun’s sharp senses, we found underground water veins that were unknown to the enemy, but it feels insufficient for 5,000 people.
After hearing from Aila that Kun seemed to be following the call of the water veins rather than actually finding them, Kun lowered his head with a remorseful expression.
“The forest was rather small. I apologize.”
“No. Kun, you don’t need to apologize. We wouldn’t have found even this much without you. Good work. Greyman Chief, Aranas First Sword, deliver this map. Secure the water sources along with Exofi First Sword.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Sispa took the map and left, and I wondered if I should be relieved that this had secured enough drinking water for about fifteen days.
As soon as we secure the water sources, we need to fill the water tanks made by Luxilen First Sword’s Engineering Corps and head straight for Atzuma. The Western Army is probably also considering dispatching a garrison due to the drought in this area. We have a little leeway.
“Namias, can you perhaps summon rain? Or create water?”
“It’s difficult. Creation is the work of God.”
It’s difficult to summon rain, and it’s true that creating natural elements is the work of God. Creating matter seems to fall under the category of incredibly difficult magic.
What about transforming existing objects into water?
“Lucy, can you transform an object into water?”
“Sorry. It’s not my specialty. Transformation mages might be able to, but…”
“Then can you use magic to draw water from somewhere?”
“It would take about three days. And the water source needs to be within a 20-kilometer radius. But we’ve already passed that, haven’t we? Don’t ask me if we can connect it like a pipeline. You know what a water source means.”
Areas with abundant flowing water are already over 100 kilometers away.
I thought about dedicating one of the Engineering Corps to water supply, but it would be a complete waste of manpower. Those who transport it also need to drink water, don’t they? And we can’t build an 80-kilometer aqueduct either.
“Aila, can you perhaps use a shamanistic ritual? Something related to water.”
“Am I some kind of all-purpose storage unit? Something that spits out whatever you ask for?”
Is that a no?
The convenient friend with grey hair shook her head firmly. Even if Aila could use shamanistic rituals, she couldn’t draw water if there wasn’t any nearby.
Using water-related magic would also be quite difficult. Magic always draws upon what exists in nature. If magic could perform omnipotent creation, the desert that has lost its shadow would have been overflowing with abundance by now.
Currently, outside, the scorching sunlight is beating down relentlessly.
I wish someone would teach that diligent friend the concept of rest. Seeing the sun, working diligently without anyone to praise it, makes me angry.
Thanks to Kun’s decisive help, we’ve managed to secure enough water to last until the beginning of May. The problem is what comes after. Naturally, people can’t live without water.
“Hmm, Namias, you can use the Purification Holy Spell, right?”
“Of course.”
“Even if it’s used on muddy water or poison, it becomes drinkable water?”
“Hyung-nim, that’s its original purpose.”
“Ah, is that so? Then how much can you purify in a day?”
“About 10 tons.”
10 tons? That’s 10,000 liters, enough to supply 5,000 people with 2 liters each. This could last us quite a while, couldn’t it?
By now, the rivers around Atzuma are probably flowing with muddy water, and countless creatures would have died, making it undrinkable for a long time.
I heard that priests used holy spells to purify water and distribute it to those suffering from drought before the reset, but the difference in level compared to Namias, who can construct High Priest-level holy spells, would be obvious.
But 10 tons, that’s a surprisingly realistic number. In old stories, purifying an entire lake was a common trope. Hmm. So this is where the discrepancy between stories and reality arises.
“That’s good news. Then let’s factor that into our calculations. Are there any other methods?”
I scratched my head and fell into thought again. The others also pondered for a while. Suddenly, Lucy snapped his fingers lightly. It seemed like he had an epiphany.
“But Risel, are you making plans based on knowing when the drought will end?”
“Huh? The drought will end in June… won’t it?”
I answered casually and then abruptly tried to change the subject. Looking at the gazes of the others, it seemed they understood that I hadn’t just trailed off mid-sentence, but rather, they were asking if I had just realized that myself.
Phew, I almost made a mistake.
At my answer, Lucy sighed.
“June? That’s too vague, isn’t it? Are you saying you’re going to hold out, clinging to a drought that you don’t even know when it will end?”
“Well, of course, I’m not completely clueless. I looked into the history of droughts in this region, and they usually end within four or five months. It’ll be the fifth month when May comes around. Then wouldn’t the probability of rain in June be high? If it rains in June, it’ll be a little late, but we should be able to harvest in September or October.”
Even though the river flooded and turned into a swamp, I remember that 70% of the farmland was unharmed. We’ll have to abandon the remaining 30%.
“Hey, Risel, are you saying you made all these decisions based purely on unfounded intuition?”
“It’s not intuition, it’s an analysis based on statistics. It will rain in June. It’s bound to happen.”
It’s not wrong. Due to the characteristics of this region, droughts rarely last longer than five months. Since there are numerous recorded results from the past, wouldn’t it be alright to make it seem like I’m relying on that?
“What if the worst drought in history hits this place?”
“We’ll just retreat. If the worst drought in history hits, the Western Army will also downgrade the strategic value of Atzuma. The estimated strength of the Western Army is six times ours. That means they need six times the supplies we do.”
The excuse is perfect.
There’s nothing easier than bringing out pre-prepared words. Giving definitive answers to predictable questions has become a part of my daily life since the reset.
Lucy thought for a moment and then nodded, seemingly convinced. There are no flaws in the logic. Hehe.
And in times like these, is a friend who points out the actual flaws a good friend?
“So where are you going to get the water?”
The timid Arisein inside me wouldn’t hesitate to put Aila at the top of the list of bad friends.
I sighed and lowered my head.
In the first place, there are only three ways to overcome trials of nature, whether in ancient times or now. Either endure it, change the surrounding environment, or leave the place. It’s one of the three.
In the current situation, we have no choice but to change the surrounding environment. Since we can’t turn soil into water, there’s only one way to fight the drought.
But seriously, where should we draw water from?
After racking my brains for a long time, I finally came up with a good idea.
“That’s it! In times like these!”
“In times like these?”
“Ah, forget it. It’s an operation!”
“Ah, you human!”
Aila threw a stack of documents at my face. Ugh!
But… there’s no other way, is there?
Tsk.
Imperial Year 376, April 28th.
I moved the troops, pretending to have a meticulous plan for the Engineering Corps commanders under my command.
The five Engineering Corps commanders seemed somewhat willing to listen to me after the water supply.
Above all, after experiencing the severe consequences of provoking my friends for a few days (I guarantee that the Engineering Corps commanders definitely instigated their unit members), they seemed to have gained a new appreciation for my influence as the only one who could control them.
Aila, who had become the nightmare of the 1024th Engineering Corps with her inexplicable and bizarre abilities, finally commented on the sight of Atzuma City as it came into view.
“Wow, that’s a hot city.”
“Is that a mirage?”
“It just looks like heat rising up vigorously, doesn’t it?”
On the plains, where the sunlight was blazing and the sand glittered, a city occupied a slightly elevated hill. According to the scout’s report, a white flag hadn’t been raised yet, and indeed, there was no sign of a white flag now.
It seemed like our presence would be clearly visible from the city walls, but there was no reaction.
“This is suspicious. Don’t you think so, Toledo First Sword?”
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