How a Two-Life Scoundrel Lives - Chapter 112
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 112】
“Y-You’re saying we should escape on our own?”
“Well, is there any other way?”
“…There isn’t.”
Helen hung her head low.
Without support from the superior unit, rescuing Carlisle’s group with just the forces at Bowden Fortress was an impossible task.
“We don’t know how the superior unit will react yet, so don’t be disheartened and just wait quietly.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander.”
“And if by any chance a situation comes where you must escape on your own, then trust your subordinates.”
“Yes…?”
“If a commander can’t trust their subordinates, who will? And aren’t the scout members supposed to be elite soldiers? Nothing is impossible – if it can’t be done, make it happen. Isn’t that the Scout Unit’s creed?”
“That’s true, but…”
“When there’s no way out, trusting your subordinates and waiting is also one of a commander’s roles. You can’t sacrifice the entire unit just to save a few subordinates. You’re not just their commander, you’re the 3rd Company Captain. Those guys are just part of your subordinates.”
“…”
Helen couldn’t bring herself to reveal her true feelings and kept her mouth shut.
She couldn’t bear it because she was deeply troubled by having allowed them to stay at Antiros’s Research Laboratory.
Of course, it wasn’t Helen’s fault – it was just bad luck.
“Don’t worry too much. Once the superior unit learns that the isolated guy is a scoundrel from House Sigmund, won’t they send reinforcements even if they have to force it?”
“For now… I understand.”
“You just focus on controlling the 3rd Company forces at the unit. It’s the season of war. Since they’ve started building an outpost there and fortifying it, we can’t say we’re safe either.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Since Krabel’s orders were reasonable, Helen couldn’t offer any particular objection.
“Keep in steady contact with those guys. We don’t know how the situation will unfold.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander.”
“Damn it. Things are getting complicated in many ways. Even if we somehow get past the responsibility issue, if that scoundrel dies, my future promotions will be out of the question.”
Even in this situation, Krabel seemed quite concerned about his own promotion prospects.
* * *
Meanwhile, Carlisle’s group was spending time without being able to take a single step out of Antiros’s Research Laboratory.
“They’ve requested support from the superior unit and are telling us to wait for now.”
Begman relayed the contents of Helen’s letter to the scout members.
“Hmm. Will reinforcements really come? It’s the season of war, so the superior unit probably doesn’t have the capacity either.”
“Hey! Don’t say such unlucky things! If that happens, we’ll have to escape on our own!”
When Kudo expressed a skeptical view, Wilson shouted angrily.
“That’s true, but it’s the season of war. There will be territorial battles happening everywhere.”
“Who doesn’t know that? I know, but I’m hoping reinforcements will come and rescue us.”
“The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.”
“What, are you making a wish for us all to be screwed together?”
Wilson fumed.
“D-Do we really have to escape on our own?”
Adrian asked with a slight tremor.
Being a new recruit, he seemed unfamiliar with such extreme situations and was scared out of his wits.
“Nothing’s been decided yet, so stop making a fuss. You too, rookie, don’t be too scared. Nothing will happen.”
“Yes.”
“But how much food do we have?”
Carlisle thought for a moment before speaking.
“Hmm. If we eat sparingly, we can last about a week.”
“A week…”
“By then, won’t they clear away the materials they placed at the entrance?”
“Probably.”
“If they construct it by completely blocking the entrance, there might be no answer. We’d just starve to death here.”
“Isn’t that too much of a worst-case scenario?”
“I’m just saying.”
Carlisle shrugged and said.
“Let’s wait for now. There’s nothing we can do right now anyway.”
“Right, that’s what we should do.”
“Then I’m going to rest.”
Carlisle said that and went to his room – that is, the bed Antiros had used – and lay down.
‘The season of war, huh. I guess everyone’s in chaos because winter is approaching.’
Winter was unsuitable for combat, but it was the optimal season for stable magic stone supply.
Since battles rarely occurred, magic stones could be mined without worry.
Of course, it would be tough for the engineers, but it would be better than having battles.
‘It’ll work out somehow.’
Carlisle closed his eyes comfortably with that thought.
He thought they could somehow escape as long as they didn’t end up starving to death with the entrance blocked.
Of course, that was quite an optimistic thought.
Sneaking out of a place swarming with thousands of barbarians was a very difficult task.
However, since Carlisle knew all too well that worrying and being anxious wouldn’t change anything, he could actually feel at ease.
The next morning.
“Butler, butler.”
“…What.”
Carlisle was awakened by the baby dragon’s whining.
“It smells.”
“Me?”
“Not the butler.”
“Then?”
“Ah, I don’t know. It smells somewhere. I feel like throwing up.”
“What kind of smell are you talk… ugh.”
Carlisle stopped mid-sentence and grimaced.
Though not strong, a subtle foul odor pricked his nose.
“What is this smell. Ugh.”
“Hurry up and do something about it.”
“Why are you telling me to do it?”
“Then should the butler do it or should I? Are you trying not to do your butler duties properly?”
“Who’s calling who a butler? You’re just a beast.”
“What? A beeeeast? Haaaah!”
Carlisle bickered with the baby dragon, then gave up and let out a deep sigh.
“Fine, let’s stop talking.”
“Hurry up and go check the smell and solve it!”
“I’m only letting this slide because you’re a dragon.”
Carlisle said that and opened the bedroom door, only to be greatly dismayed.
“Urgh…”
The foul odor that had been subtle inside the bedroom came rushing out when he opened the door, making him nauseous.
“Ugh. What is this.”
Carlisle hurriedly covered his nose and frowned.
“What on earth is happening?”
“It’s because sewage is pouring from the ventilation shaft. Ugh.”
Russell, whom he happened to encounter, explained the cause of the stench.
“The ventilation shaft?”
“The barbarians built a bathroom right above the ventilation shaft.”
“Ah, right.”
“It’s absolute chaos. That ventilation shaft over there is completely open and sewage keeps pouring in.”
“…!”
“I need to hurry and get to work too. If more pours in, we might die buried in shit before we starve to death.”
Russell said this and hurriedly moved along.
“…This is the worst.”
Carlisle squeezed his eyes shut.
He’d rather starve to death than die buried in barbarian excrement.
* * *
The war against excrement that began was truly fierce.
“Aaaaah! It’s pouring again!”
“Damn it! Block it!”
The scout members had to make tearful efforts to block the sewage pouring from the ventilation shaft.
However, the amount of waste produced by about 1,500 barbarians was not something a few scout members could handle.
Splash splash splash splash!
Plop plop plop!
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Thanks to the sewage that suddenly poured like a waterfall, the scout members screamed and ran away.
And the spilled sewage accumulated inside the research laboratory, emitting an even worse stench.
“D-Damn it! Quickly sweep it up!”
“Bleeeegh!”
The scout members held back their retching as they swept up the sewage and pushed it to a corner.
“Really, at this rate we’ll die buried in shit… Hm?”
Begman suddenly noticed something strange and frowned.
“Why aren’t you doing anything and just watching?”
Begman growled at Carlisle.
While everyone was struggling to clean up the pouring sewage, Carlisle was just watching from behind without lifting a finger.
“It smells. I feel like I’m going to throw up, so I can’t do it.”
“You bastard! Even the seniors are working hard, but you, a lowly private, want to just watch?”
“I can’t do that kind of thing.”
Carlisle shuddered as if disgusted.
“Does anyone know how to do this stuff? Huh?”
“What am I supposed to do about something I can’t do.”
“This guy really! Aren’t you coming over here?”
“I’m a noble.”
“Noble or whatever, come help! Can’t you see we’re short-handed!”
“I really can’t do it.”
Carlisle had no intention of cleaning up the sewage, nor did he even want to go near it.
Fighting with his life on the line was one thing, but this was absolutely out of the question even if they beat him to death.
“Ugh! You idiots! Move aside!”
The baby dragon, unable to watch any longer, stepped forward.
“Really, I don’t understand how humans can be so incompetent.”
“Gasp!”
“It’s a dragon!”
Adrian and Lieutenant Melvin were startled, but the baby dragon didn’t even blink and flew flapping toward where the sewage had accumulated.
“Ugh. The smell.”
The baby dragon squeezed its eyes shut as if it couldn’t bear to look.
“Everyone move aside.”
The baby dragon said this, took a deep breath, then exhaled toward the accumulated sewage.
Whoooooooooooooosh!
Purification Breath.
Sacred flames that purify all filthy things burned the sewage pouring through the ventilation shaft.
“Ooooh!”
“As expected of a dragon!”
“Damn! If I’d known this would happen, I should have left it to the dragon from the start!”
The scout members praised the baby dragon’s amazing performance.
What had been difficult despite their hard work getting shit on their bodies was solved with one breath from the baby dragon, so it was natural to welcome it with open arms.
‘This one has its uses too.’
Carlisle thought this to himself, but he wasn’t foolish enough to say it out loud.
“Well done. Thanks to you, we’re saved.”
“Ahem! This is what I’m capable of!”
“Can’t you do something about the smell? It’s still terrible.”
“Don’t ask for too much.”
“Right, good work.”
Carlisle gave the baby dragon a piece of jelly as a reward.
“Um, dragon sir.”
“What, what is it.”
The baby dragon answered Begman’s question.
“Could you please take care of the other areas too? This isn’t the only place where sewage is pouring in…”
“That’s not difficult. Guide me. I’ll solve it for you.”
“Oh my, thank you.”
Begman kept bowing to the baby dragon.
In the current situation, the baby dragon was their only hope, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say there wasn’t anyone who wouldn’t give their liver and gallbladder for it.
“Really. Humans are such a high-maintenance species.”
The baby dragon acted quite arrogant, but no one said anything.
Even Carlisle, who would normally have made a snide remark, stayed quiet to avoid offending the baby dragon.
If it weren’t for the baby dragon, they would inevitably die buried in sewage.
* * *
Thanks to the baby dragon diligently removing sewage using Purification Breath, Carlisle’s group was able to catch their breath for several days.
Meanwhile, Marder continued sending Hugin out to scout the outside, and made efforts to understand the situation by exchanging messages with Helen at the unit.
And then…
“Uh. Hmm. This is troublesome.”
Marder’s face hardened after reading the message from Helen.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen to the unit?”
“There was an attack by the barbarians.”
“…!”
“And the superior unit is also being pushed back on the front lines, so requesting support would be difficult. It seems we should consider self-extraction until our food runs out.”
“….”
Everyone fell silent.
The situation they had feared had come to pass…
Still, it wasn’t completely hopeless.
“At least it seems we won’t starve to death.”
Kudo said while observing the scenery outside the research laboratory through the magic mirror.
By now, quite a lot of the materials that had been blocking the entrance had disappeared, so it seemed like they would be able to escape the research laboratory itself in just a day or two.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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