A Secretly Capable Child Is Seeking For Her Dad (Novel) - Chapter 119

Chapter 119

* * *

Edmund, the youngest senior advisor of the Central Strategic Headquarters, hardened his expression.

“Starvation. The entire dispatched force is knights highly trained by the religious order, yet starvation?”

His adjutant Caleb answered anxiously.

“It seems to be because of the explosion. All the supplies blew up because of the explosion three days ago, did they not. So it seems they are in a situation where there is nothing to eat or drink right away.”

The northwestern border region.

That place was an area where the Holy Knights had recently been struggling because one large magic stone and two medium magic stones had risen up all at once.

But it was strange. No matter what, starvation?

“And the additional supplies that were supposedly sent from the Central Battalion?”

“That……”

Caleb hesitated and looked at Edmund.

“It is said that the supply unit was attacked by monsters on the way to the target point. The report on that attack only just came in too.”

Edmund’s brow narrowed.

“Then is the supply route completely blocked?”

“I think we have to see it that way. In truth, the heavy snowfall is the bigger problem. It is close to impossible even to cover that distance during the daytime when there are no monsters……”

As Caleb said, severe heavy snowfall had recently been continuing in the northwestern region.

As a result, it seemed the only supply route had been completely sealed off.

Edmund anxiously swept back his hair.

‘If only the magic stones had not been densely concentrated.’

In areas where magic stones were densely concentrated, teleportation circles did not properly function because of mana.

In the end, it meant that without recruiting additional forces, they could not rescue the isolated knights.

“Then call mercenaries at least.”

Edmund opened his mouth.

He looked at Caleb with a rather serious face.

“Since the Holy Knight forces need to be reorganized and cannot be mobilized any more, tell them to call mercenaries at least.”

For the past several months, the Empire had had an abnormally high number of magic stone appearances.

As a result, the Holy Knights stationed in the imperial capital had to be mobilized on a murderous schedule.

So using even more Holy Knight forces here was unreasonable.

“Check right now whether there are any mercenary companies nearby and designate it as a national request. Next, put in a request asking to be connected to Frost Association, and because the situation is urgent, call a strong compensation.”

But Caleb answered with a dark face.

“Your Excellency. That is…… His Majesty the Emperor strongly opposed it.”

Edmund’s brows furrowed.

“What?”

“He said that recently we have relied too much on the help of mercenaries, and that the imperial family’s dignity cannot be maintained……”

A hollow laugh leaked out.

Recently, it was true that the religious order’s side had been putting many national requests into Frost Association.

But even so.

To think about dignity when not a small number of forces were about to be annihilated.

Caleb too must have felt troubled, because he continued in a lowered voice.

“He said that if we receive the help of a mercenary company again this time too, the Holy Knights will look powerless.”

Without realizing it, Edmund clenched his fist tightly.

“Why do they not know that if the imperial capital is breached, even the dignity to protect will disappear.”

As he muttered, his gaze sank coldly.

“Good. Then say that I will take responsibility and summon them. Are we to leave the isolated ones there to all starve to death?”

“You must not. Last time too, you were disciplined for something similar!”

But Caleb was firm.

He said earnestly,

“Your Excellency. If you are disciplined again in times like these, it will be disastrous. If even Your Excellency is not in Strategic Headquarters, then at that point everyone will truly die.”

Edmund was one of the few commanders who cherished his forces and used them carefully.

That meant he did not think of soldiers, and further, the lives of each individual Holy Knight, as mere consumables.

But the other advisors in Central Strategic Headquarters were different.

“Please imagine it. If, as last time, Your Excellency is disciplined, and Sir Matthias or Sir Valteron rises into your place. In less than two months, all the small battalions will be killed in action, yes?”

“……”

“Let us look into the side of methods by which the supplies can be delivered. For now, go back to headquarters and……”

In the end, a sighing lament leaked out of Edmund’s mouth.

The truth was, he had just barely gotten off work and arrived at the mansion after staying up all night at headquarters for three days.

But just before entering the mansion, Caleb had given his report.

That soldiers were starving in the northwest, and new orders had been handed down telling him to come up with a solution.

‘Given the times, I can let it pass that I cannot sleep.’

But he could not think of any method at all by which supplies could be delivered safely to the northwestern region.

First, the heavy snowfall that markedly lowered mobility was the problem.

And the number of magic stones currently controlling the northwestern region could not be ignored either.

There, the number of magic stones was one large and two medium.

Of course, considering that there would be many monsters, they had dispatched two large battalions.

Now that the supply route had been cut, that was instead having an adverse effect.

“If only the supplies are delivered, it seems they could return quickly too……”

Edmund rubbed his temples.

“……Good. Let us go back for now and think.”

It was just as he was about to pass Caleb in order to get back into the carriage.

“Can’t you send it through the sky?”

Suddenly, a voice full of curiosity was heard from below.

When he turned his head, some small child wearing a black cloak was standing there.

Holding something in his hand.

“Like this, if you put it in a lantern and send it through the sky, can’t you?”

Edmund’s gaze moved to the object in the child’s hand.

It was a broken lantern that seemed to have been used in last night’s festival.

Without realizing it, Edmund asked back,

“……A lantern?”

The child nodded brightly.

“Yeeeng! If you hang it here and send it way up high, it would go like this with the wind!”

* * *

In a way, it was fortunate that the wheel of the cart had broken on the roadside.

Because thanks to that, Basto stopped the cart, and Tie happened to be able to hear the conversation.

Of course, the conversation between the two grown men dressed so splendidly was difficult.

Forces, current situation, discipline, strategy, unfamiliar words kept coming without end.

But after listening carefully, Tie was able to understand.

What it was these people were worried about!

Tie waved around the piece of lantern she had picked up by the roadside.

“You hang the supplies on this and send them floating along.”

The man looked at him with a surprised face.

Tie quickly added,

“Big balloons can go incredibly far!”

Was that all?

There were movies where an entire house flew away on balloons too.

And once, he had even seen a documentary on TV about a hot-air balloon festival.

After seeing that, Tie had taken balloons from the wardrobe and jumped off several times.

But she would not fly very easily, and the lady in Unit 203 kindly explained it to Tie, who was agonizing.

‘The balloon Tie is holding is small. It has to be a much bigger and sturdier balloon to float float away.’

So,

“if you make the lantern really big and send it into the sky, wouldn’t you be able to give them supplies?”

For some reason, the man said nothing.

She merely kept looking at Tie with a blank face.

It was when Tie, made awkward by that reaction, rolled her eyes around.

“Tie! It’s done!”

From behind, Basto called to Tie.

When he turned his head, Basto, who had somehow finished fixing the wheel, was looking at Tie.

“Tie is coming right away!”

Tie, who waved her hand round and round, looked at the man.

After that, he tightly pressed the lantern trash he had picked up from the road into the man’s hand, then bowed his waist and greeted him.

“Then pleage rest well!”

When he ran toward Basto, Basto made a stern face.

“You must not talk to just anyone on the street, Tie.”

After watching Basto’s expression, Tie quickly answered.

“Yeeeng!”

“Your answer.”

Basto, laughing, put Tie back up on the cart again.

As the cart turned around and began moving forward, Tie unknowingly let her mouth fall open.

“Waaah……!”

That was because after crossing the road, the mansion behind where the two men had been standing came into view more clearly.

“Mister Basto, whose house is that?”

Basto furrowed his brow.

“Who knows.”

The mansion was at least three times larger and more luxurious than the other houses on this street.

“If not the Great Chancellor, then perhaps that would be the Grand Commander’s mansion.”

Of course, without expecting that it really would be so.