57 – Pinecone (5)
Special deployment unit commander, Ethan Valp, casually observed the situation within the village.
The complexion of the people in the village was not good to behold. Each one of them seemed undernourished.
They had been isolated for over a month. Judging by the size of the village, it wasn’t entirely surprising that food was running low.
The important thing was the situation after his arrival.
Ethan Valp glanced at the transport truck. He thought he had brought enough food, but it was insufficient to feed the hundreds of people in the village.
This mission could turn into a protracted war. The most important thing, for now, was the condition of the train.
“I am Lieutenant Ethan Valp, in charge of the special deployment mission.”
Around the demolished train, weary-faced soldiers saluted Ethan.
“Hail to the resistance!”
“Where is the commander?”
“He is inside the barracks!”
Several barracks dotted the vicinity of the train. It seemed odd when you gave it some thought.
Households were scattered around. Naturally, it would be more comfortable to dwell in the originally constructed buildings than in makeshift barracks.
Yet, they were using the barracks for some reason.
Ethan followed the soldier’s lead and proceeded. He stepped inside the barracks.
A shaggy-haired soldier greeted him. The man stood up from his chair, casting a deep shadow.
“…Lieutenant Rotten Miller.”
“Lieutenant Ethan Valp. I’d like to receive a situation report.”
I wondered if there was a chance to escape.
Rotten Miller, who energetically nodded his head, briefly explained the situation.
“We are currently isolated in Pinecone. The train that needs to be escorted is a small train with 15 cars. The food in cars 14 and 15, located in the rear, is almost depleted. However, the rest of the resources are still effective.”
“How is the condition of our troops?”
“Nineteen personnel, four injured, and five deceased.”
So, there are only ten proper soldiers left.
Ethan Valf thought as he got lost in his thoughts. Rotten Miller, who was paying attention, asked him.
“You’ve come this far because you have a way to escape Harvest’s encirclement, right?”
“I brought twenty troops, including engineers.”
“In that case, finally we can leave this wretched town…!”
“But first, I want to hear what happened to the civilians.”
Ethan Valf glanced briefly outside the barracks.
“What about the civilians? What happened to them?”
Rotten Miller’s expression grimaced, and his breathing became rough.
“Those bastards… They are the culprits for everything. Even the exposure of the train’s location is all because of those bastards!”
…
The gathered resistance forces set up additional tents near the barracks close to the train. We also installed the tent we brought.
Abakusa muttered complaints.
“Why do we have to set up tents while there’s a warm building over there?”
I also had doubts. Why go through tent life when we could just leave the comfortable houses?
Isn’t this an exceptional situation? Moreover, this was the heart of the battlefield. It would be more chaotic to have separate tents, making it difficult to manage the soldiers.
Tetis Libra gave a firm order.
“Abakusa, don’t set up the tent half-heartedly; do it properly.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Sergeant, can I go get water?”
“Go with Drakan.”
“Yes.”
Blanca took my hand and led me. I followed her footsteps towards the well in the center of the village.
Night was falling. The interior of the darkened village was even more eerie than during the day. Blanca lightly held the bucket.
“The atmosphere feels like ghosts might come out.”
“If it’s wandering souls, there must be many,” he said.
“Drakan. Do you believe in ghosts?”
“I think they exist.”
I feel eyes watching us from a window in a rural house.
Blanca continued to pour the long water into the bucket with effort.
“I want to wash up, but probably it’s not a good idea. Right?”
“You’ll attract even more attention if you do.”
“Well, being too good-looking is a problem. I’ll just wash my face quickly.”
On the way back, all the looks we met were icy. When we returned with the water supply, the resistance group that had gathered was preparing a light meal.
“Wow, it’s been a while since we had a proper meal…”
“Is it really safe to eat this?”
The resistance soldiers who were isolated in Pinecone drooled. They even forced themselves to eat biscuits that had to be moistened with water.
Abakusa, who was grilling the jerky, gave a sigh of relief.
“Could you give me some water?”
“Eat snow.”
“You can’t even give me water. You have no kindness.”
“Hey, show me what kindness means? Huh?”
“…Ugh. Whom should I give that to?”
“I’ll decide who takes it.”
“I hope it’s not me.”
“I’m not even thinking about it!”
They sat next to Tethys Libra, who came between the muttering two.
He took out a bag from the escort vehicle and slightly grilled the jerky in it over a fire.
“How do we distribute food to civilians?”
“…Fortunately, we brought enough food. The commander will probably start the distribution himself from tomorrow.”
Tethys Libra’s expression was heavy. He even let out a sigh.
“I’ve never seen him look so hostile. What the hell happened?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious? Food shortages make people edgy.”
Abakusa tore the jerky into pieces.
“If we distribute food tomorrow, they’ll probably get along on their
＂That would be nice…＂
Blanca soaked a hard biscuit in water.
＂People aren’t as simple as you.＂
＂What do you mean?＂
＂It would be nice if things were resolved by sharing food…＂
Blanca put a softened biscuit in her mouth.
From Noble mtl dot com
＂If I threaten with a weapon, do you think there’s more hidden food?＂
＂……＂
Blanca, I’ve always been thinking, what is she…
She seemed particularly sensitive to the word ‘betrayal.’
Well, it’s not a problem to bring up here. I put a roasted jerky in my mouth.
As food entered my stomach, I felt a little more refreshed. I don’t know how long we’ll stay in this isolated village…
It seemed better to save food as much as possible.
Abacusa asked hesitantly.
＂Should we also be on guard?＂
＂We are exempt.＂
＂Aza!＂
＂That’s right!＂
…Still, this is somewhat good.
. . .
As soon as the day broke, the resistance distributed some of the food they brought.
＂We distribute a certain amount of food to civilians once a day.＂
＂What about those who demand additional support…＂
＂There are no exceptions.＂
The distributed food was ridiculously small, enough to startle Abacusa.
＂Are these guys confusing the amount of food for dogs and humans?＂
There can be no exact expression for that.
The amount given seemed to produce only ‘disappointment.’ The civilians who received it protested vehemently.
＂What the f*ck…who do they expect to eat this…!＂
＂I, I have two children
“What on earth am I supposed to endure the day with this?!”
It was a part that anyone would clearly feel sympathy for if they were human. However, for some reason, the headquarters were extremely cold.
Special dispatch unit leader Ethan Valf and the original commander behind him, Rotten Miller, acted as if they had planned their words.
“We don’t know how long it will take to fix the train. The best way for everyone to survive is to save food as much as possible.”
“But we’re starving to death tomorrow, and you’re saying…!”
“Step back! No further approach is allowed!”
The square was chaotic. Some of the townspeople who received food distribution continued to wander around us.
Their hungry gaze was like that of a predator. In fact, the fact that they were provided with food seemed to awaken their fierce temperament even more.
“…Survivors are starting to fight amongst themselves.”
Blanca’s eyes sparkled. He quietly raised his hand to his knife.
“If necessary, you know we have to kill them all, right? Drachan. We can’t see them as fellow humans.”
“What are you talking about! Blanca! Be careful with your words!”
“But, Captain…”
“The resistance prioritizes protecting civilians! Don’t ever say such things again!”
It was something engraved in the tactical manual. Blanca sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again.
“Yes, sir.”
It was a resentful answer. I poked Blanca’s side.
“Why?”
Instead of words, I put a piece of dried meat into his mouth. Specially marinated tender meat in a homemade sauce.
Blanca’s eyes widened. He chewed quietly and smiled smugly.
“Mmm, delicious. Sister gave me this because she saw you.”
“What is it? Why should only you guys eat something! Damn it! Give me some too!”
“You can eat dirt. F**k off.”
“You bastards!”
The condition of the train was a mess. It wasn’t just the simple body that was damaged; it was in a state of chaos overall.
“…It’s not just simple gunshot wounds.”
“Stop pretending to be smart. You little calf. Anyone can tell just by looking.”
“Stop arguing!”
Abakusa sat down in the shade. He gestured to me.
“Hey, Drachan. What does that look like to you?”
Avakusa pointed at the surface of the train.
The third car.
There were large straight marks on it, as if something had stuck to it and torn it apart.
“Claw marks?”
“Yeah? Harvest’s Titan… What was it called?”
“Combine, right?”
Blanca leaned against a tree, hugging her knees.
“I’ve never seen it before, but I heard that the combine is quite expensive even among the Harvests… This isn’t something that could happen naturally, right?”
“Blanca, are you a Harvest?”
“Well, well. I’m a Harvest… a mechanical being…”
“It would be more fitting to call you a squad leader, then.”
“I agree.”
I chuckled. The combine, huh.
I had seen those guys in Alviyon. Massive machines resembling Titans called Harvests.
But I didn’t think their doings were all their own.
Compared to the weaponry they wielded, what was on the surface of the train was literally a barbaric figure.
More like the possession of a moving medium-sized mechanical organism than a combine. If I were to think of a tactical manual, perhaps…
“There’s a high probability that the medium-sized entity under the combine is ‘Thresher’,” I said.
Tetis Libra wiped away the sweat and sat down next to me. Avakusa asked.
“That thing isn’t a vine, is it?”
“If you’re referring to ‘Binder,’ you’re wrong. You lack knowledge, Avakusa.”
Tetis Libra drank the water from a flask.
“There are two types of entities beneath the combine. Thresher and Binder. Thresher is a large and powerful entity, but unable to make precise movements. Binder is a slightly smaller entity, but capable of precise actions.”
“Aren’t they similar in a general sense?”
“Don’t grumble. Everything can be learned. Just memorize it roughly. Threshers are the ones that tear life apart, and Binders are the ones that nicely tie things up. These two entities usually travel together. Their superior counterpart is the combine.”
“Why did they just make the combine that’s similar to the Titan?”
“Our reasons are similar. Because it takes more cost and time to create. It’s more cost-effective to mass-produce the combine, so Binders and Threshers are more commonly seen. Of course, controlling them is similar to being a slave.”
Tetis Libra looked back at us.
“Now is not the time to study knowledge. I will give you a mission. Drakan, Blanca, Avakusa.”
“What is it?”
“Drakan. You said you could distinguish which vegetables were edible last time, right?”
“Yes.”
“Leave the village and gather as much edible food as possible. It’s what we call foraging. That is your role.”
Blanca let out a sigh.
“After training so hard, our task is to gather wild plants…!”
“The situation being what it is, food is of utmost importance. Drakan, make sure you understand the weight of the mission entrusted to you.”
“I understand.”
I got up. Abakusa slung a backpack over his shoulders.
“When will the train be fixed?”
“I don’t know for sure…”
Tetis Libra got up.
“It will probably take at least a month.”
“Ugh.”
“Stop making strange faces and work hard, Abakusa.”
Tetis Libra moved away again, standing next to Ethan Valph, the commander of the special dispatch unit.
He uttered a few words while looking at her. Blanca, who had been watching, tilted her head.
“Hmm…”
“Why?”
“Oh, nothing. Come on! Let’s get to work!”
Before moving, I turned to glance at Ethan Valph and Tetis Libra.
Ethan Valph seemed to keep closing the distance, unlike Tetis Libra, with a slightly stiff expression.
Well, it’s not something I need to worry about.
“Let’s go.”
I picked up my own backpack.