Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Chapter 375: Chapter 35: The Parachuting Boss

Before I knew it, it was late December. Comfortable, cool autumn had passed and now even wearing two layers of clothing couldn’t ward off the chill.

Located in a low-latitude region, Paratu only experienced ice on the coldest days of the year, but on some mornings, one could still see a layer of frost congealed on the ground.

Outside Shuangqiao City, in a corner of the army camp, Bell was sitting in front of a fire, lost in thought.

The wood crackled in the blaze, the wind occasionally scattering the flames, but still, they stubbornly radiated light and heat.

In the damp chill of winter, this small flame was the only thing that could make one feel warm.

Next to the bonfire stood a military tent, from which Berlion emerged carrying a pot of iron. He placed the pot over the fire, then turned to go back into the tent.

Seeing the blacksmith coming over, Bell stirred up the fire to make it burn more vigorously. Berlion set the pot on the fire and then turned back to the tent.@@novelbin@@

By the tent, Anglu hummed an off-tune melody, cheerfully brushing a chestnut-colored warhorse.

“You don’t even ride Rejek that often, Lieutenant, what’s with the enthusiastic grooming?” Bell picked up a stone and threw it at the groom: “If you’ve got spare time, you might as well come help the blacksmith and me with the cooking!”

Anglu turned a deaf ear and continued to busily tend to the horse. Accompanied by the “shush” of the brush, the chestnut mare contentedly snored away.

The groom only had eyes for the horse and paid no attention to others.

On the other hand, another person crawled out from under a woolen blanket by the fire.

“Ready yet?” Pierre, half-asleep, stretched and asked tiredly, “I thought I smelled food?”

“Food is there, but in an hour,” Bell said, leaning on the fire stick, “If you two were willing to help out, we might be able to eat a little sooner.”

“Alright then,” Pierre ducked back under the blanket, “Call me in an hour.”

“Lazybones.”

“Let the groom help you; I was on night watch last night.”

“Can you go back and sleep in the tent, then? Don’t be in the way here.”

“The tent is colder than outside, outside there’s the sun and fire,” Pierre’s consciousness began to blur, “I’m not you, who can cuddle with a lion for warmth.”

Bell was at a loss for words.

…

The little Hunter might deceive others but not the comrades who shared the same iron pot and tent.

News spread fast in the camp, and now the militiamen of Wolf Town’s hundred man unit all knew the Lieutenant had a pet.

However, most of them still thought it was a rare hunting dog, only Pierre and a few others knew it was a lion.

Berlion, Pierre, Anglu, and Bell were all part of Vashka’s group of ten, which, besides the blacksmith, were all Dusacks.

Because the little Hunter often had to take the young lion to deserted spots outside the camp for exercise, his secret was quickly uncovered by the other members of the group of ten.

Although they were initially shocked when they found out, in the end, without exception, everyone chose to keep Bell’s secret.

Firstly, due to the camaraderie of “tent brothers,” and secondly, the Little Lion was still at a size comparable to a large dog—a cute rather than frightening stage of life.

Because they shared the same secret, their relationship grew even closer.

Of course, there was another reason: as the lion cub was kept in an officer’s tent, it was obvious that Centurion Montaigne was behind it all, and no one wanted to get on the bad side of a direct superior.

Indeed, Winters had his own reasons for assigning these men into one “mess.”

[Note: A group of ten sharing one tent was also called a “mess” or “tent.”]

Pierre and the little groom were the Hunter’s close buddies, and Vashka along with the other three Dusacks were friends of Pierre. As for Berlion, the blacksmith usually kept to himself and was the least likely to reveal secrets.

Those in the know kept silent, while others spread rumors, and eventually, the story going around was “the Lieutenant has a dog.”

…

After grooming the red mane, Anglu led out Sturdy to brush its coat.

Not wanting to leave the two fine horses in the camp stables, the little groom set up a horse shed on the edge of the camp area.

The water in the pot was boiling, and Berlion took out wheat flour, meat, and a few vegetables from the tent, beginning to cook noodle soup.

The sun was at its highest, the warmest time of the day in winter.

Other soldiers and civilians in the camp took advantage of the good sunlight, also busy preparing something to eat.

Hunter Bell would occasionally bring back a few rabbits or pheasants from the woods, and blacksmith Berlion’s cooking skills were excellent, making the food of Vashka’s group of ten quite decent.

The food for the others varied, depending largely on the cooking skills of the soldiers in charge.

…

The Shuangqiao Main Camp was divided into areas by hundreds of units, with tents of Wolf Town people surrounding Vashka’s group of ten. Next to the people of Wolf Town were those from Blackwater Town, and then those from Saint Town.

Auxiliaries from various secondary towns of the Newly Reclaimed Lands Province were encamped on the open ground of the eastern wing of the camp, currently nominally under the First Auxiliary Legion of the Newly Reclaimed Land.

Most of the wooden barracks on the western wing of the camp were empty, the area reserved for the Standing Army.

Although not many Standing Army soldiers were in the camp at the moment, auxiliaries had no right to stay in the barracks and could only sleep in tents.

In the center of the camp, heavily guarded, was a mountain of military equipment and grain.

Shuangqiao Main Camp, adjacent to the border, was the largest logistical hub for the Parlatu Army.

A network of roads like blood vessels brought war supplies from every city, town, village of the Republic to this point.

All supply convoys heading to the front-line troops had to set off from Shuangqiao Main Camp.

At present, the Wolf Town hundred man unit was stationed in Shuangqiao Main Camp, responsible for loading and unloading tasks.

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