The Military Chef of a Ruined World - Chapter 403
Only Noblemtl
Episode 403: Capital Defense Command.
“You said it before. People like me, Minjae, Gwangil, and Suhyuk, who were ordinary people, are displaying incredible abilities.”
“That’s right.”
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think it was because we had any special talent that we ended up like this. Like the lieutenant said, we were just ordinary people. But the fact that we ended up like this is, um. How should I put it?”
I said, scratching my head.
“In order to survive in this world… …this is what it had to be like.”
It’s a confusing world.
I couldn’t survive if I remained an ordinary person.
We had to adapt to the changing world somehow.
“At least I think I’ve done well so far.”
There were many hardships though.
Somehow I overcame it and succeeded in adapting.
“Politics and identity. Well, they are complicated issues.”
surely.
This might cause problems someday.
but.
“I believe that just like you’ve done so far, you’ll be able to do something in the future too… somehow.”
“… … .”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
I looked at Lieutenant Kim’s face and said.
“The reason the lieutenant gave was ultimately all anxiety about things that had not yet happened.”
Lieutenant Kim has become so sick that he can’t live without my cooking.
The person who watches my every move more than anyone else in the unit is Lieutenant Kim.
And then he came to me with a proposal that I knew I would reject.
“It seems a bit weak for a lieutenant to bring up something like this… … .”
“… … .”
“Am I mistaken?”
Obviously, something a little different.
I had a feeling there might be a more important reason.
“Whew, really. How can such an ordinary guy have such a knack for… .”
and.
To my words:
“… … It’s not really a big deal.”
Lieutenant Kim shook his head.
Soon, he opened his mouth with a small sigh.
“I just… … didn’t say anything because I didn’t think it was a reason that could convince others.”
“… … ?”
It seems as if even saying such things is embarrassing.
Lieutenant Kim opens his mouth and scratches his cheek.
“Ahem. If we continue to become militarized like this, our identity will gradually move away from the ‘Army of the Republic of Korea.’”
“… … I guess so.”
“Our identity as a member of the Republic of Korea will gradually fade as people from other worlds often join the unit.”
That can’t be helped.
It is natural, given that the country is unable to function as a country.
I wondered what the problem was.
I guess so.
There seems to be a type of person who takes issue with this part.
“If the identity of the Republic of Korea disappears, if its place is replaced by a new… … military junta called the Legion.”
Lieutenant Kim seemed to regret just imagining it.
He continued speaking with a bitter look in his eyes.
“I was worried that the world before destruction… would become a world that was too different from the past I knew.”
“… … .”
“That was a little scary.”
I said it indirectly, though.
I could understand what he was trying to say.
‘Patriotism, something like that.’
Lieutenant Kim, Mr. Lee.
Was he a patriot who didn’t suit him?
“It’s a funny reason even when you hear it, right? That’s why I didn’t want to tell you.”
“… … .”
“Just, that’s all. It’s just a suggestion… … If you think differently, I’ll follow that.”
After Lieutenant Kim finished speaking.
I was lost in thought for a moment.
In the utmost swear words.
There was nothing he could do if I ignored Lieutenant Kim’s suggestion.
Lieutenant Kim is the person who has been tied to the effects of my cooking the longest.
It would be impossible to break free from that addiction now.
……but.
‘I never thought Lieutenant Kim would make such a suggestion.’
A sense of responsibility and weight as the external leader of this organization.
And the obsession with the concept of nation.
Lieutenant Kim is Lieutenant Kim in his own way.
I’m sure you’ve been thinking a lot about many things in this world right now.
That proposal was also likely the result of considerable thought.
‘It’s not a suggestion to be lightly ignored.’
They say he is a person dependent on my cooking.
Lieutenant Kim is also a member of the corps.
I needed to give this suggestion serious consideration.
‘… … To be exact, isn’t it patriotism?’
Rather than that… …yeah.
‘The gap between the present and the past.’
I thought about the cities in Gangwon-do that I had visited.
Chuncheon is filled with spires engraved with strange magic circles, and a huge fortress stands on the river.
Now people were living in a forest made up of thick, large trees.
‘They say they are rebuilding human life in their own way, but… … it is definitely different from the past.’
The world was undergoing such rapid changes.
And there have always been those who have been unable to accept that change.
Most of those who had lost their minds in [Dasmur] were those who had lost their minds because they could not accept the rapidly changing world.
‘For Lieutenant Kim, that [unacceptable line] is the concept of the nation.’
If it were all just simple patriotism.
As Lieutenant Kim said, it would have been dismissed as a weak excuse that could not even convince anyone.
but.
‘Lieutenant Kim is not the only one who has this kind of attachment to the past.’
It is a country that belonged to all his life before its destruction.
There is no guarantee that there will be few people who have an attachment to it.
This world will continue to change more and more, but… … .
There is also no guarantee that everyone will be able to adapt to the change.
The less change, the better.
And, to do that.
‘It may also be better to maintain the concept of a nation… … .’
We come to that conclusion.
“It is impossible for the Legion to fall under the command of another force.”
“Youngjun… … .”
……at last.
I sighed and opened my mouth.
“As I said, the current legion members are gathered together because of the name of the legion. It’s not something I can decide on my own. However… … .”
“but.”
“I promise you one thing.”
if.
Only if they are truly what you would call a proper government.
“When I talk to them… … I will think about your suggestion one more time.”
“… … !”
It would be impossible to get under his command.
But maybe.
If it’s just about forming a cooperative relationship… … it might be possible.
“That, that’s enough! Really… … Thank you so much.”
“There’s nothing to be thankful for.”
Nothing has been decided yet.
Lieutenant Kim made the suggestion, and I just made my own judgment from there.
‘furthermore…….’
I continued speaking with a snicker.
“In the first place, it might be meaningless for us to even be talking like this here.”
“… … ?”
“We haven’t even encountered them yet.”
Even if we put aside the question of whether or not they are qualified to call themselves a real government.
We talked as if we could determine our relationship with them.
“Maybe they have a greater force than us.”
It might not have been so.
‘Seoul is a place where it was expected that survival would be difficult… … but they survived there.’
This is the first time we’ve met since Gyeonggi-do.
Powers of other regions.
If our expectations are right, there will be forces from other regions gathering there as well.
“I believe you know.”
and.
When meeting those of other forces.
“Lieutenant Kim’s role… will be very important.”
“… … !”
The external leader was none other than Lieutenant Kim.
To my words:
“You granted me a favor, so I’ll do my best.”
Lieutenant Kim Hyeon-seok nodded with a heavy expression.
‘… … This should be enough for now.’
in future.
All that’s left is to go and experience it for yourself.
I looked outside the window and thought.
It was a broken road, but it also felt strangely familiar.
I could clearly see that it was a road leading to Seoul.
‘It’s Seoul.’
Gangwon-do was becoming a place that was very different from the past.
and.
This is probably similar in Seoul.
‘It’s surprising that there are survivors. Perhaps… … it must have become quite a different place from the Seoul of the past.’
and.
The fact that there are people who have a hard time accepting such changes was evident from my conversation with Lieutenant Kim just now.
‘There are many people from Seoul among the unit members.’
please.
I hope they won’t be too shocked by how much Seoul has changed.
Our unit is in the capital of the Republic of Korea.
We advanced towards Seoul.
***
After finishing the conversation with Lieutenant Kim.
The unit safely approached Seoul.
The outskirts of Gangwon-do are places where our unit’s influence does not reach properly.
The surrounding area was littered with monsters and human corpses, and the roads were difficult to navigate.
“It would have been difficult to come with a large force.”
“It’s fortunate that we decided to come in small units.”
I guess I should say it’s fortunate.
Now, we are not going to conquer Seoul or anything, but to meet the forces that invited us to Seoul.
As the number of troops was not large, the movement speed did not decrease significantly even on the unmaintained roads.
“We have arrived.”
and.
“This place… seems to be the original border with Seoul.”
“hmm.”
I said, looking down at the floor.
“It’s melting and murderous, here.”
“Well, isn’t it nice that it’s easy to check the boundaries?”
The place where the border between Gyeonggi-do and Seoul used to be.
The area was covered in traces of what appeared to be melting heat along the original site of the barrier.
The building was in a state of meltdown and burning, and even the ground was covered in deep pits.
‘I wonder what happened to the people who originally lived in this area.’
Perhaps it is fortunate that the borders of each region are not densely populated areas.
“Then… … let’s go.”
“okay.”
It was a pretty deep and wide hole.
Because the soldiers and I are no longer ordinary people.
grasp!
I lightly kicked the ground and climbed over the hole.
And that was the moment I crossed from Gangwon-do to Seoul.
[… … is… … .]
‘……uh?’
I am.
I was overcome by a strange sense of discomfort.
***
Bam- and.
The body that had been lightly jumping into the sky touches the ground.
It seems like I entered Seoul from Gangwon-do without any problems.
‘… … What happened just now?’
A strange sense of discomfort that suddenly occurred.
That strange, inexplicable feeling made me stand still for a few seconds.
‘I don’t think it’s because of my mood…’
I haven’t been feeling well lately.
This felt a little different.
I was concerned about the source of that sense of discomfort.
When you’re frowning because nothing comes to mind.
“… … That’s strange.”
“uh?”
One of the soldiers who entered Seoul with me.
Private Seo Su-hyeok looked around and said with a frown.
“You think it’s strange?”
“Sergeant Shin, don’t you think something is strange? Here… … .”
The guy said, nodding at the surrounding scenery.
A normal road should be filled with the corpses of monsters and traces of all kinds of battles.
That road is now.
“Isn’t it just so normal?”
“Hmm.”
It was strangely kept neat.
‘surely.’
I turned my head slightly and looked back.
Where we came from.
The roads in Gangwon-do were, to put it nicely, not in good condition… … .
To be honest, it was just a mess.
‘We maintain the roads within our territory to some extent, but we can’t do that to the outskirts like this.’
In normal times, I wouldn’t know, but this is a world where monsters roam around.
The roads, which were not properly managed by the authorities, were so damaged that they were impossible to drive by car.
the other side.
Even though this place is probably the outskirts of Seoul.
The roads are maintained so cleanly that they can be compared to those near our base, Chuncheon.
There was no sign of monsters in the surroundings.
‘… … Was that feeling of discomfort earlier because of this?’
Looking closely, there were traces of battle.
A monster must have appeared here too.
“For now, just keep moving forward.”
Still, I was curious as to why such a good road was maintained.
The reason for this was obvious without going too far.
“Stop, stop!”
“… … !”
Let’s go a little further on the road.
There was a group of people visible in the distance.
“All approaching, please stop!”
A large number of humans appeared blocking the place.
My unit members and I couldn’t help but flinch at the sight.
“Sergeant Shin? That’s… …!”
“Yeah. I can see it too.”
I looked at the marks on their shoulders.
Yellow shield.
A long sword design engraved on it.
The yellow shield symbolizes peace.
The long sword symbolizes the power to mercilessly crush those who threaten that peace.
And the legion that this mark symbolizes is.
“Capital Defense Command… … .”
They are the capital of South Korea.
He was a soldier protecting Seoul.