The Military Chef of a Ruined World

Paaaaaaaaak.......

The energy that had been leaking out was suppressed by an external force.

Considering the power contained within that energy, it would have been impossible to completely suppress it with only this much.

'......It would’ve been difficult alone. Thanks to him, I survived.'

Then my own will was added on top of it.

And the energy that had been trying to burst out retreated once more.

Normally, something like this would never have happened.

But while in a [Berserk] state and being attacked by multiple people.

I had lost my reason without even realizing it.

The moment I lost control had only lasted an instant.

Yet the bastard had tried to crawl out the moment that opening appeared.

It honestly made me think once again that sparing that guy instead of killing him had been the right decision.

And.

I looked toward the retreating Legion members and the five beastkin.

'If I told them to stop, I could still catch them even now.......'

Soon, I shook my head with a bitter smile.

'That’s not something I should do to the Legion members.'

That kind of thing just wasn’t my style.

As I watched them leave.

“Aah......!”

A voice came from behind me.

When I turned at that voice.

Paaaaaaaaang.......

Priests emitting holy light from their entire bodies.

They were looking at me with solemn expressions.

“We confess our sins.”

Those monsters with crimson eyes.

Originally, they had been opponents these people could never have faced.

And yet the sacred light pouring from their bodies had forced even monsters that powerful to retreat helplessly.

“We...... doubted you.”

The queen of monsters.

The one they had barely managed to banish even after exhausting every holy relic they possessed.

Even she.

The moment she sensed that man’s presence, she had retreated without even daring to think of fighting him.

“But at last.......”

Even their Cardinal.

Would have struggled to face even one of those powerful enemies.

And yet he had fought against all five of them.

And in the end, driven them back.

“Even fools like us have finally come to understand what the System intended.”

When they lost all of their holy relics.

Many among them.

Had worried that the Church would collapse like this.

There had even been those who believed the System had abandoned them.

But that was not true.

“It was because It intended to grant us something greater......!”

Something vastly greater than mere holy relics.

Something that could not even be compared to them.

Had entered their embrace.

***

“Huff, huff......!”

As the soldiers who had headed toward the Church returned while gasping for breath.

The main force that had been urgently advancing received them.

“What the hell happened......!”

Those commanding the main force.

Squad Leader Lee Sanga and Sergeant Lee Minjae stared at them with wide eyes.

Then Sergeant Lee Minjae frowned as if realizing something and said.

“I had a bad feeling...... but did they really betray us.”

And then.

He shouted toward the surrounding soldiers.

“Everyone prepare for battle!”

He had wanted to resolve things peacefully if possible.

But if they had betrayed them, there was no reason to forgive them.

He was prepared to exterminate them with full force, but.

“......You can’t!”

At those words.

The ones who objected were none other than the soldiers who had escaped from the Church.

The main force soldiers were bewildered that the very people who should have been the angriest were trying to stop them, but.

“Fighting them now...... is impossible.”

“Right now, absolutely.......”

Soon, they realized one thing.

There was certainly anger in their eyes.

But.

“We can’t win.”

There was something even greater than that.

Despair.

***

“......I see. So Youngjun.......”

After the retreating soldiers had been somewhat settled.

Sergeant Lee Minjae, having heard the full explanation, stood there with his mouth hanging open.

Only then did he understand the despair the soldiers had shown.

By circumstance, Shin Youngjun had also distinguished himself in combat.

But Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s actual profession was a cook.

And the area he specialized in most of all was.

'Large-scale cooking.'

Meaning.

His true nature was that of an area-wide buffer who became stronger the larger the battlefield became.

The stronger he became.

The stronger those buffs also became.

Whenever some major crisis had struck the Legion.

There had been more than one or two times he resolved it through his cooking.

The Legion members understood that ability better than anyone.......

And because of that.

'If someone with that kind of ability became an enemy.'

They also understood better than anyone.

Just how terrifying a threat that would become.

“But...... why?”

Squad Leader Lee Sanga spoke with a look of disbelief.

“There’s no reason for the Commander to become hostile toward us. There has to be some circumstance we don’t know about.......”

“......He is not doing this of his own will.”

In response to that question.

The one who answered was the person assigned as escort leader.

Jeong Sua.

“......The crown those people tried to place on the Commander.”

“Ah, that.......”

“It’s because of that crown.”

Even while speaking, she wiped at the corners of her eyes.

She must have shed many tears already, because her eyes were red.

“I don’t know how such a thing is even possible, but....... It seemed to be the kind of object that interferes with the minds of those who wear it.”

“......It’s shocking enough that such an object exists, but Youngjun isn’t the type to fall for something like that so easily.”

“Yes. The Commander did not fall so easily. It looked like he inflicted tremendous damage on them. But.......”

“But?”

“......It appeared they neutralized the Commander’s abilities as an awakened.”

At those words.

Everyone listening could not help but be shocked.

“To be precise...... it seemed they stripped abilities away from those who did not possess faith in their religion.”

“Something like that...... is possible?”

“Yes. What happened to the Commander was because of that, and afterward as well.”

To steal an awakened’s abilities.

To those listening, it sounded unbelievable.

More than ninety percent of the power they possessed originated from the System.

The idea that it could be nullified.

Was no different from denying everything they had built up until now.

“......If that’s really true, then it’s certainly shocking.”

At that moment.

“Putting that aside...... let me ask one thing.”

Corporal Seo Suhyeok looked at Jeong Sua and spoke.

“How do you know all of this?”

“......?”

At those words.

The other soldiers also suddenly realized something.

'Even Corporal Seo Suhyeok and Corporal Jeon Gwangil, who were there in person, didn’t know any of this.'

And yet.

For some reason, she alone knew in extraordinary detail exactly what had happened there.

“......I was the leader of the reconnaissance squad. I had a skill that allowed me to confirm the Commander’s condition as well.”

“Hm......?”

At those words.

Corporal Seo Suhyeok looked at her with an odd gaze.

Then asked.

“Really?”

“......What?”

“I roughly know about your skills too. Spirit arts, right? Using spirits like drones for reconnaissance.”

“That...... is correct.”

“You’ve helped us in a lot of ways thanks to that. But...... didn’t that reconnaissance ability clearly have limitations?”

Just as he said.

The reconnaissance ability using Bangwool was not omnipotent.

Places without water could not be scouted.

And since the scouting was done through the spirits’ vision, even if there was water nearby, it was difficult to observe indoors through walls.

Against powerful enemies capable of noticing the spirits’ presence, the spirits sometimes could not even approach.

“And yet...... you’re saying that when it comes specifically to Sergeant Shin, you can confirm him from that far away?”

“......?”

“And not just confirm him. It sounds like you can even grasp the situation around him to some extent.”

At those words.

Jeong Sua also realized the strange implication and looked at him.

“No matter how many things Sergeant Shin hides, if he had an ability like that, it could be used strategically. He’s not the kind of person who would hide something that useful.”

At his words.

The other soldiers listening also flinched as they thought.

'That’s true.'

'Even if Squad Leader Jeong Sua really did have a method like that.......'

'It still feels strange that he’d allow her to spy on him like that.'

They too.

Had thought the same thing while listening.

“I do not understand the intent behind your question, Corporal Seo Suhyeok.”

“Really? Then I’ll just say it plainly.”

However.

The others had only found it suspicious in their heads.

They had not voiced it aloud.

The reason was simple.

Because saying it out loud meant.......

“I’m not sure whether we can really trust you.”

It was no different.

Than directly telling her to her face that they suspected her.

***

“Not sure whether you can trust me.......”

At Corporal Seo Suhyeok’s words.

Corporal Jeon Gwangil awkwardly cut in.

“H-hey, what are you saying? Squad Leader Jeong Sua’s been working with us for over a year.”

“That’s true. I didn’t think this way for a long time either.”

“Then why are you suddenly.......”

“When we infiltrated the Church’s territory.”

Ignoring whether Jeon Gwangil was flustered or not.

Corporal Seo Suhyeok stared directly at Jeong Sua as he spoke.

“Even back then, you never explained that you had an ability like this.”

“That’s.......”

“At the time, I obeyed your orders because you were the escort captain Sergeant Shin acknowledged himself. The situation was urgent too, so there wasn’t much choice. But...... you hid information with that much strategic value from your fellow soldiers?”

At that.

Jeong Sua also replied with a serious expression.

“I apologize for what happened then. But in order to rescue the Commander, it was unavoidable. In the end, didn’t the Commander truly appear in the direction I indicated?”

“I’m not saying you were lying. I’m asking why you didn’t explain.”

“That was because there wasn’t enough time to explain.......”

“You really think there wasn’t?”

“.......”

The situation had certainly been urgent.

There had been no time to waste on arguments.

But.

At the time, Corporal Seo Suhyeok had supported her statement.

Even while the infiltration continued, there had been chances to give a more detailed explanation.

And yet she had not explained it properly.

“You only revealed it now because the situation forced you to.”

The implication of that.

Was fairly simple.

“Wasn’t this originally an ability you intended to hide?”

“.......”

From the start.

She had never intended to explain that ability at all.

“......Please calm down a little.......”

“Calm down?”

Even at Jeong Sua’s words.

Seo Suhyeok let out a hollow laugh.

“Because you hid that information, our squad had to charge straight into the center of enemy territory without a single proper certainty.”

“.......”

“You even ordered us to ignore casualties and take the shortest route possible. We...... risked our lives without even knowing why we had to do that.”

In reality.

The other soldiers had nearly refused Jeong Sua’s orders.

They had only charged because Corporal Seo Suhyeok supported her commands.

“Please trust me, Corporal Seo Suhyeok. More than anyone, I am loyal to the Commander. There is no need to doubt that loyalty.......”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not doubting your loyalty toward Sergeant Shin.”

“Then what do you mean.......”

“The Legion.”

However.

It was not because Corporal Seo Suhyeok had liked that situation.

“You...... are you really one of the Legion’s comrades?”