Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Chapter 388: Chapter 40 Mobilization_3

There were also rumors that, although it wasn’t apparent on the surface, Second Lieutenant Montaigne could raise such a shout when angered that it could scare a person to death.

The origin of these stories was probably a tipsy Wolf Town militiaman who gave a colorful description of how the lieutenant had “roared and scared the notorious bandit Horse Palm Ivan to death.”

Andre strode towards Bard and the others, rubbing his hands with a laugh and asked, “Berlion, what’s for lunch today?”

Bard, Priest Caman and Brother Reed were sitting on the ground on a large piece of canvas.

They were all waiting for the meal, and Bard had specially made his way from the end of the convoy.

Ever since Berlion switched to duty as a service soldier, the number of people dining with Winters for lunch and dinner had been on the rise.

“The main dish is slow-cooked pork knuckle, sir,” the chef replied, holding a pot. “And there’s creamed vegetable soup, though the bread is from yesterday.”

Berlion lifted the lid of the pot, revealing the pork knuckle stewed with sugar and sauce, steaming hot. The meat, which had been stewing throughout the journey, was tender and juicy, and the bone was easily removed with a slight tug.

“Have you been to the camp up ahead?” Winters asked, jumping down from the wagon with a basket of bread. “You’re back early, aren’t you?”

Andre kept his eyes on the pot and responded offhandedly, “Twenty kilometers there and back, how long could it take?”

As they talked, the group huddled around the pot began to serve themselves meat, while Berlion returned to the wagon to bring out another pot of mixed vegetable soup.

Brother Reed took a small taste and clicked his tongue in praise, “Mr. Berlion, with your skill, I think you could easily serve as the emperor’s chef.”

The blacksmith smiled but said nothing.

“Which emperor’s court have you been to? The Madman Richard’s? The Oathbreaker’s?” Winters couldn’t resist retorting.

As a true-blue soldier of the Republic, Mr. Montaigne had the utmost distaste for terms like “royal.”

“I haven’t been to any, but that doesn’t hinder my standards of judgement,” the old monk replied contentedly, not at all perturbed.

…

The supply train’s long rest coincided with lunchtime, and most people in the convoy were nibbling on dry rations, perhaps accompanied by a little pickled vegetable at best.

During a march, dinner was the most important meal because that was the only time to make a fire; the other two meals were makeshift.

Before Berlion was reassigned to service duty, most mornings and afternoons Winters would also be gnawing on cold bread.

But since Berlion took charge of the meals, Winters could enjoy hot food for every meal.

The blacksmith had crafted a special kind of iron stove, half-human-tall and made of pure iron, comprising three sections:

The middle section was the combustion chamber, suitable for burning wood or coal;

The remaining ashes fell to the bottom, which had a sliding door for removing debris and adjusting ventilation to control the fire;@@novelbin@@

The top was for setting pots, and there was a chimney attached to the back of the stove.

The best feature of this iron stove was its ability to burn without open flames, use of a stone mat meant it wouldn’t set wood alight, and it allowed for control over the burning speed.

Berlion placed the iron stove on the wagon, starting to cook something in the morning and keeping it on a low flame. By noon Winters had a hot meal waiting for him.

Moreover, Winters had noticed that this iron stove was far more fuel-efficient than a bonfire.

…

Without a dining table in the field, Winters and company would spread out a cloth and sit on the ground; it rather felt like a picnic.

“During the Siege of Gusa, I dreamt of having a sip of hot soup,” Bard said with feeling. “If we had this kind of stove back then, our hardship wouldn’t have been so severe.”

“Berlion,” Winters chimed in, “if you were to sell such stoves in Sea Blue, you’d make a fortune.”

Andre played devil’s advocate, “Good as it is, did you see how much iron the stove uses? That’s enough to make ten breastplates, right? How many people can afford that?”

Winters immediately countered, “Are cast iron and steel the same thing? The breastplates also cost labor. It uses a lot of iron because it’s made from good material. This stove could last for decades without any issues. Some people in Sea Blue would be willing to pay a one-off price for something that can be used for a lifetime! When I get back home, I’ll install one in my study.”

The two Venetians bantered back and forth, while Berlion simply kept his head down and ate.

He too sat within this small circle, dining with the Centurion and the priests—as specifically requested by Second Lieutenant Montaigne.

The blacksmith had been utterly reluctant, but the lieutenant insisted, “It’s just eating, no need for so many hierarchical formalities.”

Winters didn’t have much of an opinion on this, but he felt uncomfortable when Berlion first transferred to service duty and prepared to serve him meals as a servant would.

After a while, Winters’s constables Heinrich and Xial also arrived. They both saluted first, then sat down to partake of the food.

The soldiers of the ten-man squads took turns preparing food, but the constables were directly under the Centurion and not attached to any squad.

So Winters had Xial and Heinrich join him for meals.

Other officers might not accept this, but Bard, Andre, Priest Caman, and Brother Reed were not very concerned with notions of rank and hierarchy.

Sitting together for a meal and casual chat, the atmosphere was quite relaxed.

However, when Colonel Jeska came round on his inspection and saw them, he said nothing and rode away.

The supply train arrived at the camp safely, and as usual, Winters and his group had their communal meal, which Colonel Jeska witnessed again, but still, he said nothing.

It wasn’t until the following night that the colonel stopped the three lieutenants: “Starting today, the three of you will dine with me.”

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