Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 28

While continuously destroying roads and bridges, the Reglia Battalion was making its way towards the Sarajevo Fortress, their rendezvous point.

The decision to completely abandon the Felius Kingdom’s occupied territories had divided opinions within the army, but under the directive of Commander Berger, a retreat to the old Mayard border was finalized.

This strategic location was situated on the border between Mayard and Felius and had functioned against the demonic territories and Felius during the old Canoa era.

Surrounded by mountains, there were no detour options available due to the presence of some of the continent’s most powerful demons in the demonic territories, making it a terrain advantageous for defenders.

After the fall of Aidenberg, the fortress’s necessary garrison was significantly reduced, and facing the fierce onslaught of the Highserk Empire’s army, it fell in a short period. The Highserk Army, converging on this site, had enough troops to utilize the fortress, and since it fell quickly during the assault, the damage to its defenses was minimal and apparently had already been repaired.

Walm had already seen many Highserk soldiers inside the fortress’s influence, including scouts, messengers, and engineers.

“It seems we have as many troops as we did in the Battle of Aidenberg,” the squad leader commented.

“Huh, the paths feel narrower,” Jose, dodging a passing horse, complained.

“It’s better than having fewer allies,” Nohl happily remarked.

“The mine was brutal,” Barrit recalled the fierce battle at the mine, his crown fallen.

“True, but I’d at least like to eat in peace,” Walm said, not holding a round shield or a halberd but a potato instead.

He was eating the potato raw while walking, relying on his sense of touch to peel it with a knife. Despite its starchy and dry texture, Walm had secretly cooked it.

If the other soldiers noticed, there would undoubtedly be a rush for hot potatoes.

While Nohl and Barrit chewed their potatoes, Walm smirked and took a bite of his heated potato.

“…Walm.”

Walm’s spine chilled instantly. He thought his disguise was perfect, but if there was one thing that could give him away…

His suspicions confirmed, Wilart stood behind him with a cup of saltwater containing peeled potatoes.

The skilled magic user Wilart had guessed what Walm was doing. Though he didn’t say it out loud, Walm understood the unspoken agreement: cook for him in exchange for silence.

In terms of fire magic, Walm was more skilled than Wilart, having honed this skill in the mines.

Walm understood his role but wasn’t planning to do it for free.

“Can you take my turn on today’s water duty?”

“…Tch.”

Wilart clicked his tongue but did not refuse. Walm used fire magic to warm the cup. He transformed from a human to a walking cooker.

Satisfied, Wilart began eating the boiled potatoes.

The problem was the steam and aroma during cooking. The smell of the potatoes boiled in saltwater was irresistibly fragrant during a march.

“Wilart, you seem to be enjoying quite the feast there,” the squad leader Duwey was the first to notice.

“What are you talking about?” Wilart feigned ignorance, but his claim lacked credibility as he spoke with a mouthful of potato.

Jose was next to chime in, “Hey, Walm, you handed something over to Wilart earlier, didn’t you?”

“It must be your imagination,” Walm replied, sweating and trying to play it cool, but the questioning didn’t stop.

“Walm, you can cook while walking, can’t you?” The squad leader hit the nail on the head. Envious eyes turned to Walm, hoping to be freed from the nightmare of raw potatoes.

“Walm, you understand, right? We’re prioritizing movement, so no one’s had a warm meal,” Jose lectured Walm like a teacher admonishing a poorly performing student.

“If we had boiled potatoes, we could keep going,”

“Yeah, if we just had boiled potatoes, I feel like I could walk more.”

Even the two rookies joined in, and soon enough, Walm was bombarded with pleading voices from all sides. No matter what he did, his fate was sealed.

“Fine, I’ll boil them while walking. But you guys have to carry the stuff,” Walm conceded, handing out his baggage and weapons among the squad members.

In exchange, he was saddled with a pot and a heap of potatoes to sustain the squad’s stomachs.

“What sadness has led me to this?” he lamented as Wilart magically filled the pot with water, and Walm began heating it with fire magic. The passing soldiers gave various looks – naturally, it was odd to see a soldier boiling potatoes in a pot.

Inside, Walm cursed his luck, knowing full well that it was a strange sight. Some soldiers even tried to barter with coins or trades for the boiled potatoes.

Even the platoon leader, Cozul caught on, praising Walm for boosting morale and, in the process, commandeering some of the boiled potatoes for himself. Walm was left with more raw potatoes – as if to say the heat for cooking was free.

Thanks to this, Walm ended up boiling potatoes repeatedly while marching. When Jose casually suggested, “Maybe you could handle a hot—” Walm almost unleashed his full-strength ‘Demon Fire’ magic on him, only to be restrained by the entire squad.