The Military Chef of a Ruined World

Jeong Sua and the escort unit that followed her.

They had spent several months operating apart from the Legion.

That period had not been especially long.

But in this world, the density of time was far thicker than it had been in peaceful days.

Because of that.

“Are you really one of the Legion’s comrades?”

Between her and the Legion members.

A sense of foreignness had taken root.

No.

It was not only because of time.

“I know you’ve been running a religious club inside the Legion.”

“.......”

“Club sounds nice. It’s been quite some time since it grew to a scale where it can hardly even be called a club anymore. And there are quite a few outsiders in it too, aren’t there?”

Until now, it had not been treated as a major problem.

Because the fact that they, too, were loyal to the Legion had not changed.

But when one thought about it.

'A private organization inside the Legion.'

The club she ran.

Was closer to a private organization existing inside the Legion for a purpose different from the Legion’s original goal.

Historically speaking.

There had been almost no cases where the existence of a private organization, one with intentions different from the group’s original purpose, had brought good results within a group.

“Earlier too...... what I was talking about concerned the unit members who had to risk their lives. But you only spoke of loyalty to Sergeant Shin.”

“.......”

“And right now, Sergeant Shin is siding not with the Legion, but with that side—the Church. Conveniently, they’re a religious organization too. Then.......”

Corporal Seo Suhyeok’s sharp gaze turned toward her.

“Is there any reason we should be able to trust you?”

***

At Corporal Seo Suhyeok’s sharp words.

The atmosphere froze cold.

Many people frowned as they thought.

'Internal division.'

'At a time like this, of all times.......'

But.

At the same time, they also thought it was necessary.

Because.

'There are people in the Legion who are loyal only to the Commander personally.'

Although it had been caused by external factors.

The Commander had turned to the enemy’s side.

If things went wrong, even more allies could become enemies.

They needed to make clear who was friend and who was foe before moving on.

'This is difficult.'

And.

Jeong Sua, who had become the target of that suspicion, was also lost in thought.

'If my benefactor were here...... this problem would never have occurred in the first place.'

To begin with.

The group called the Legion was made of people who had gathered around the Commander.

When he was present, even if people of different colors were mixed together, it had not caused any great problem.

Even people of entirely different races had been able to enter under the Legion’s fence.

But.

'The moment he left his place.......'

The moment he disappeared.

Division arose inside the Legion, which had lost its center.

She could only feel sorry that she was the cause of that division.

'My benefactor, who would have solved this, is not here.'

Then.

“Corporal Seo’s point is correct.”

“......?”

“I hid and concealed...... far too much from my fellow Legion members. And because of that, I nearly caused great harm. So.”

There was only one thing she could do.

“I will answer honestly.”

As honestly.

As she possibly could.

“As you said...... I lead a religious club inside the Legion. As for how it began, some of you may already know.”

With those words.

Jeong Sua slowly touched her eyes.

“After contracting with a spirit, I lost sight in both eyes.”

Her eyes had no longer served their function after her contract with a spirit.

A life where she had lost her own eyes and could only see the world through a spirit’s sight.

It was better than being an ordinary blind person.

But that blurred world when she was not using spirit arts had been far too terrifying for her.

“It was because the Commander restored them for me.”

The one who had removed that fear.

Was the Legion she had encountered on the surface.

And Sergeant Shin Youngjun, who had been that Legion’s Commander.

“From that day on, I decided to serve him.”

“......Ah.”

At those words.

One man scratched his head.

Then he frowned and spoke.

“About that part.”

Sergeant Lee Minjae.

He knew the process by which Jeong Sua’s eyes had been healed.

He had even had a conversation with Shin Youngjun about it at the time.

“The reason your eyes were healed was probably...... not that impressive of a divine ability.”

To begin with.

As they had learned through Borjin, the shaman who joined them later.

Spirit arts were not an ability that hostile toward the caster.

It was rare for them to demand something as major as eyesight as the condition for a contract.

'Most likely...... a small amount of mana in her eyes was consumed during the contract process.'

Because she had been a human who had no mana to begin with.

The moment that small amount of mana needed for the contract disappeared, she had merely lost her sight.

The moment mana was infused into those eyes again, her sight would naturally have returned.

The reason Sergeant Shin Youngjun had been able to restore her sight.

Was, in the end, the result of feeding her a dish good for the eyes.

The mana from that dish had simply gone to her eyes.

'I didn’t reveal it because I thought there was nothing bad about her being loyal to Youngjun.'

Now he thought the time had come to reveal that.

And Sergeant Lee Minjae was wondering how to explain having hidden it until now, but.

“I know.”

“......Hm?”

As if making his concerns seem pointless.

“What he did for me was likely no more than infusing mana into my eyes.”

“Uh......?”

Jeong Sua.

Nodded as if she had already known.

“Even though you know that.......”

“Even knowing it changes nothing. At the time, awakened themselves were rare, and people who knew how to properly use their abilities were even rarer. The Commander was likely the only one capable of infusing mana into my eyes.”

“That’s true, but if time had passed, others would have appeared. If we grabbed any magician in the unit now, they could probably do something similar.”

“But there was no guarantee I would survive until that ‘time had passed.’ Even if it is something anyone could do now, looking back...... at the time, it remains unchanged that it was a miracle only he could perform.”

Sergeant Lee Minjae was surprised as he listened to her.

Both by the fact that she knew it had not been as impressive as she had thought.

“With that insignificant power...... I was able to be saved.”

And by the fact that, even knowing that.

She had still held faith because of it.

“And after joining the Legion...... there was something I came to realize while meeting many survivors.”

“What was that?”

“That there are far more wounded people in this world than I expected.”

Before then, blinded by her own misfortune, she had not been able to see anything.

Only after her eyes were healed did she begin to see it.

That there were far too many people who had suffered and been wounded by such misfortune that they believed themselves useless.

'Their hearts need rest as well.'

At that time.

She thought.

'The same rest by which I was saved.'

Just as she had been saved.

She wished they too could have a place of rest to lean on.

“I thought that if I shared the faith and experience I had...... I might be able to create that place of rest.”

The mental state of the Legion members was preserved to some extent through Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s cooking.

But that too only prevented them from breaking down severely.

It could not stop their minds from being worn away altogether.

Those who had already suffered great misfortune before joining the Legion were even worse.

To completely heal those wounds with just a few dishes.......

Would be impossible unless one were the god of cooking.

'People carrying such deep wounds.'

'Joined that religious club, then.'

By joining that place.

Their hearts had found rest.

“......I understand that your intentions were good. But why did you hide it?”

The problem.

Was the fact that she had not revealed it, but had kept it hidden.

Even they, the officers of the Legion, had only learned the club’s true nature after its scale had grown beyond control.

“We hoped our faith would not become a burden.”

And the reason was simple.

“Our faith is one-sided....... It was enough simply to watch in secret and hold belief. But the moment that faith was revealed, we feared that thoughts such as having to do something for our sake would become a burden to the Commander.”

“That isn’t an answer.”

At her words.

“If you hid it from Sergeant Shin Youngjun, I could understand that to some degree. But why did you hide it from us?”

Corporal Seo Suhyeok still spoke with suspicion in his eyes.

If they had truly wanted it not to become a burden, hiding it only from Sergeant Shin Youngjun would have been enough.

The same was true even if they feared Sergeant Shin Youngjun might learn of it.

In the end, it meant they had created a force inside the Legion that others did not know about.

“For the same reason.”

“What......?”

And yet, the reason they had hidden it from others too.

“Because we hoped it would not become a burden.”

“......?”

When the officers listening looked puzzled.

Jeong Sua lowered her head as if making an embarrassing confession and said.

“The one who saved me was certainly the Commander...... but at the same time, it was also the Legion.”

“......?”

“The same is true for those who joined the Legion afterward....... Some were saved through the Commander’s help, while many others were saved through the Legion’s help.”

Yes.

The answer to why they had hidden that faith was ultimately the same.

Because they had not wanted to place a burden on the object of that faith.

And.......

“We have not given our faith a clear name. But...... there is one name some of our brothers use for convenience.”

That object.

Was not only Sergeant Shin Youngjun.

“They call it...... Legion Faith.”

“.......”

Jeong Sua and the people who followed her.

The private organization growing in scale within the Legion.

The object of that private organization’s faith.

Contrary to what the other officers had thought.

Was not Sergeant Shin Youngjun alone.

“We believe in the Legion that saved us.”

Everyone present here.

Was the object of that faith.

“Corporal Seo Suhyeok. Earlier, you asked whether, since the Commander has gone over to that side, we might also move with him.”

“......Yes.”

“This is the answer.”

What they worshiped.

Was not the Commander, but the force called the Legion itself.

“The Commander is the one who stands at the highest point of that faith...... and the chief god of the Legion Faith we hold.”

And.

“So you do not need to worry.”

If their faith.

Was called Legion Faith.

“The fact that he belongs to another force instead of the Legion and is hostile to the Legion...... is something that goes against our faith.”

Having their chief god taken by another force.

Was something that denied the foundation of their faith.

Therefore.

Just because Shin Youngjun belonged to another force.

They would not betray the Legion.

“There is only one thing we want right now.”

Rather, it was the opposite.

“To retake the Commander.”

***

At the time they had gone to rescue the Commander.

Jeong Sua had seemed as though she was ignoring the damage to the Legion members.

But in reality, there had been no casualties among the Legion members.

'Those enemies are certainly strong.

At that time, Jeong Sua had thought.

'But our Legion is stronger.'

Her original position had been reconnaissance squad leader.

After measuring the power the enemies held.

She had been certain the damage would remain at a level that would not produce casualties.

Fatigue accumulated.

And the damage gradually built up, putting them in a dangerous situation.

The Legion members had been suspicious of her, who kept demanding that they continue advancing.

But even then.

She had been certain.

'The queen will come before the Legion falls.'

Before they collapsed.

Another member of the Legion would appear to protect them.

“.......”

At her words.

The Legion members could only gape blankly.

The religious club Jeong Sua had created.

There were some who held negative opinions about that religion.

But the object of that faith...... was not Sergeant Shin Youngjun alone.

'Us.'

What they believed in.

Was none other than themselves.

It was a rather embarrassing thing.

But Corporal Seo Suhyeok was skilled at observing another person’s emotions.

And because of that, he could tell.

“......It’s true.”

It was somewhat absurd.

But if those words were true.

Then the suspicion Corporal Seo Suhyeok had pointed out was as good as gone.

He had wondered whether they were an organization with a purpose different from the Legion’s.

Whether they might betray the Legion out of faith in Sergeant Shin Youngjun.

But if the object of that faith was the Legion.

Then such suspicion naturally lost meaning.

“It feels a little strange...... but I understand your innocence.”

And also.

“......It seems our goal is the same as well.”

Yes.

The situation could not be called good.

But that did not mean they could stay still.

What they had to do had been decided.

'Retaking the Commander.'

They would retake the Commander.

***

Retake the Commander.

It was good that their goal had been set in that direction.

The problem was.

Now that the Commander had gone over to that side.

'Making that happen with our strength alone is close to impossible.'

They had never thought their abilities were lacking.

But.

That changed depending on the opponent.

When they considered who their current opponent was.

Completing their objective with only their own strength was close to impossible.

Then.

What they had to do was simple.

'We have to secure allies.'

After their next objective was decided.

Jeong Sua and the other members of the reconnaissance squad searched the area for certain people.

“Thank you for helping us in the previous battle.”

The final battle that had taken place inside the Church’s territory.

At that time, there had been two major reasons why the Legion members had managed to escape Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s pursuit.

One of them was precisely.

“......Hm.”

Those people.

Warriors wearing old martial robes.

With the features of animals mixed into human forms.