My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 453 Food Reserves Running Low

A week has passed since the end of the Papacy's catastrophe.

With the assistance and statistics from the Empire, the number of people who died in this disaster was quickly determined.

Neither the Empire nor the Papacy chose to disclose the casualties publicly. They only announced that the Papacy would provide compensation to the families of the deceased, and that this compensation would be distributed under the supervision of the Society, the Empire, and the Grand Duke of Riescan.

When Roland, who was sitting in his rocking chair reading the newspaper, saw this news, he thought the Vatican had really played a clever game.

From the moment he heard about the plan the day before yesterday, he wasn't really keen on getting involved.

However, considering that there has never been a lack of exploitation at the empire's executive level, he felt that some people still needed to know what money they could and could not take.

Just to be on the safe side, he even brought in the academy, with the great sage Erebus happy to provide oversight and the transfer of supplies.

But... how many people will actually receive this compensation?

The vast majority of victims lost their entire families, making it difficult to find surviving relatives willing to accept compensation.

Even if the compensation is a huge sum, the number of people who need to be compensated is very limited.

Roland put down the newspaper; he wasn't really interested in getting involved in the Vatican's actions and the troubles it caused.

Having rested at the White Cliff for a week, he will take an airship to the capital tomorrow to meet his father-in-law and discuss matters concerning the demon race. Afterward, he will head to the royal city of Platia to deal with the matter of the Heart-Beating Demon King's Court.

Nero, the great demon of the Blood Demon King's Court, will accompany me to the palace as an envoy of the demon race to discuss the alliance.

Thinking of this, Roland rubbed his head.

However, it was quite comfortable to have a week off, and all I did was eat, drink, and go shopping without thinking about anything else.

Thinking of this, Roland turned to look out the window. The weather here at Chalk Wall was much better than in Isfar.

At least as March arrives, the temperature here has warmed up slightly.

Looking at the sunset outside the window, Roland got up from the recliner, stretched his neck, and then decided to go out for dinner.

The cuisine at Chalk Wall is quite unique.

I just go to any restaurant on the street that's crowded and eat there every day; the food is always pretty good.

Just then, there was a knock on Roland's door.

Roland, who was about to change into his coat and go out, was somewhat surprised.

Who would come to see me at this time?
Iluvia had already arranged to meet her at the street corner, and then the two of them would go to explore the shops together.

Kalia and Little Grey, who have big appetites, usually don't eat out, for fear of exhausting the chefs outside. They eat at the garrison canteen. Roland specially asked Andreich to prepare special meals for them and even hired a few extra chefs.

Both the taste and the portion size are far superior to eating out.

Yes, even though he has lost all his power, Little Gray's appetite doesn't seem to have changed.

Perhaps it was the torment of hunger that Kalia endured constantly.

Cellina, on the other hand, has resumed her life of taking care of children.

Although Polycia is only psychologically immature, she does not need anyone's care.

But Celinina seemed to remain somewhat uneasy.

Or perhaps they mistook Polysia for Nash 2.

After all, the little cat girl is still learning dragon language magic from her father.

It seems only someone else can come looking for me... Coming to see the boss during mealtime? Who's so clueless?
That is to say, he is broad-minded and doesn't dwell on such things. If a different leader came in, wouldn't he be unable to continue to advance?
Then Roland coughed lightly: "Ahem, please come in."

Upon hearing this, the visitor hurriedly pushed open the door, and Andreich's gloomy face appeared before Roland.

Roland immediately tensed up at the sight of that extremely ugly expression: "What happened, Commander?"

"Your Excellency... the Chalk Wall is experiencing a shortage of supplies, which may only last for two to ten days. Could you please speak to His Majesty and ask him to expedite the delivery of more supplies via the Magic Train?"

Andreich spoke up somewhat embarrassedly, seemingly feeling that his request was a bit excessive, and quickly added...

"Of course, I'll handle this little thing. After all, it's just requesting supplies... although we just requested them once at the beginning of the month..."

Roland waved his hand: "It's alright, it's alright. I'll explain."

Roland breathed a sigh of relief; it wasn't anything to worry about.

Moreover, the shortage of supplies is indeed a very serious and urgent issue that needs to be addressed. However, the Chalk Wall is connected to a magic train line, and with expedited transport, it can be delivered in two days.

Even if we start from scratch to gather supplies, ten days is enough time to solve the problem of the Chalk Wall.

After speaking, Roland asked, "What is in short supply? Ammunition? Concentrated magic crystals? Or other supplies?"

Andreich spoke somewhat embarrassedly, "It's about food... Lord Roland, the food reserves at Chalk Wall are running low. They won't last much longer."

Roland: “???”

"Insufficient food reserves?!" Good heavens, the problem is more serious than Roland had imagined.

An army that isn't well-fed could cause serious trouble.

How could a border military fortress city possibly have a problem with insufficient food reserves?

"What exactly is going on? Why would a place like Chalk Wall have a food shortage problem? Supply here is the highest priority."

"Even if I'm not very familiar with matters of domestic affairs and resource allocation, this kind of situation shouldn't usually occur, right?"

"Or is someone obstructing the movement of supplies? We just killed a group of disobedient guys, and in such a short time, someone has already lost control again?"

Andreich coughed awkwardly, "Ahem... Your Excellency Roland, you might not be able to do it... Originally, our food reserves were quite sufficient."

"but……"

"But someone is reselling reserve grain?" Roland frowned slightly.

"No...it's a problem with Ms. Kalia and that little gray lady."

Andreich looked at Roland, whose expression had suddenly frozen, and explained, "To be honest, we really didn't expect them to be able to eat so much. The two of them consumed almost two months' worth of our food reserves."

"If it weren't for the tradition of White Wall keeping some food reserves, the supply of the city's residents might not be a problem, but the army's food supply might not be enough."

“I have recently had people buy ingredients at the market and have also sent requests to merchants in the surrounding towns to buy grain.”

“Otherwise, our food reserves probably wouldn’t last even ten days. The army’s budget is also limited, and constantly buying food at market price isn’t a sustainable solution. That’s why I came to you.”

Now it was Roland's turn to be embarrassed.

I never expected things to turn out this way...

However, Roland was still a little curious: "How many meals do they eat a day? Even if they have a big appetite, they shouldn't eat so much if they only have three meals a day, right?"

Andreich shook his head helplessly: "That's what I thought too... Ms. Kalia is alright, she just has normal three meals a day, and sometimes she skips breakfast if she gets up late."

"And although he eats a lot each time, it's still within a reasonable range... probably. Although he eats more than the biggest eater in the legion, he doesn't exceed that by too much."

"But that Ms. Little Grey... you may not know, the first thing she does every day after waking up is to run to the cafeteria for a meal, then have another meal before lunch, and two hours after that, she will come again before dinner."

"After that comes dinner, and a late-night snack... and each meal consumes enough food for at least fifty people, or even more."

Roland looked at Andreich: "Don't tell me that Little Grey has been eating and sleeping all day since we brought him back?!"

“Ahem… Although there is a part about walking, I think so.” Andreich nodded.

Roland took a deep breath: "I understand... I'll report on the food separately. Also, we're scheduled to set off tomorrow, so the logistics department can rest assured."

"At least today is the last day."

After seeing Andreich off, Roland sighed and used a communication spell to tell Iluvia that tonight's restaurant visit would be postponed by half an hour and not to arrive early. Then he went out to find Little Grey.

Anyone with a normal mind knows that this level of food intake is beyond what a big eater or someone who can eat a lot can get away with.

Considering the side effects of the evil god's power that Kalia had described, Roland suspected that Little Grey might not have completely escaped its influence.

But thinking about it, it makes sense... If simply removing most of one's soul and then changing bodies could lead to a new life, then escaping the control of an evil god would be far too easy.

After all, whether it's cutting off the soul or reshaping the body, there are ways in this world.

Regardless of the severity of the side effects, it is indeed possible to achieve this, isn't it?

So Roland decided to check on Little Grey's condition first.

The fact that the effects can still be suppressed by eating at this stage indicates that the impact is not that serious.

Based on the clues provided by Andreich before he left, Roland easily found Little Grey sitting on the crenellations of the city wall, blocking his legs and looking out at the endless snowfield in the distance.

After waving away the guards, Roland stepped forward and asked, "Little Grey, how have you been feeling lately?"

"Ah, it's you. What else can I say? Feels good, that's all... To be honest, I've forgotten what a normal person's life is supposed to be like."

Little Grey didn't turn around, but Roland could tell she was very relaxed. He then continued, "I mean, is there anything unusual or uncomfortable about your body?"

"Hmm... does it count as never being full no matter how much I eat?" Little Grey turned to look at Roland: "That's probably the strangest thing... Actually, I only eat until I'm about half full each time."

"Other than that?"

Little Grey shook his head: "That's all. I have a good appetite, I always wake up naturally when I sleep, and I'm in good spirits."

"Apart from not knowing what else to do besides eating and sleeping, everything is fine."

"By the way, Roland."

Little Grey carefully jumped down from the top of the stack and then circled around in front of Roland.

"How about the clothes I had custom-made by a tailor in town? They shouldn't look too strange, right?"

(End of this chapter)