chapter 13

One month.

That was the time it took for the Imperial Army's combat rations to be completely replaced with canned food.

During this process, there were some minor protests from the existing military suppliers.

"General! You can't just do this all of a sudden! You're cutting out our food?!"

"How long is the shelf life of your products?"

"One month and an additional two weeks!"

"Canned food lasts twenty years."

"?!?!"

Upon hearing the shelf life of canned food, everyone was left speechless, as if they had been struck dumb.

The shelf life of canned food shattered their common sense.

Moreover, canned food was not only impressive in terms of preservation but also in its taste.

"...Is this really combat rations?"

"It tastes better than my home-cooked meals."

Even when compared to commercially available food, the taste of canned food was so superior that it was hard to tell the difference.

It was a far cry from the black bread that had been used as combat rations before, which was so hard it could double as a weapon.

"But you can't use this as a weapon!"

"Combat rations aren't supposed to be weapons in the first place."

"Ugh!"

And so, the military suppliers had no choice but to retreat, swallowing their tears.

Canned food achieved an unprecedented unanimous approval from both the military suppliers and the army, securing its place as the Imperial Army's combat rations.

Of course, the process wasn't entirely smooth.

The Imperial Army, having enjoyed a long period of peace, was rife with corruption from within.

One of the most baffling issues for the bureaucrats was the exorbitant prices of military supplies.

"General! Why does this cost 10 gold when it's only 3 silver on the market?!"

"I'm sorry, but that's a matter related to the Empire's security, so I can't discuss it."

Once the phrase "Empire's security" was invoked, the bureaucrats could no longer press the military and had to back down.

After all, it was the military, not the bureaucrats, that protected the Empire.

Even high-ranking officers within the military were unaware of how these prices were determined.

"Commander, why does this cart cost 50 gold?"

"Don't ask. I don't know either."

"...What?"

"Just accept that it's 50 gold. It was 50 gold when I joined the army."

"...?"

Thus, the military's pricing remained an unsolved mystery.

That is, until canned food came along.

As canned food spread throughout the Imperial Army, many of the existing military suppliers were either replaced or went bankrupt. In the process, hidden ledgers were uncovered.

These ledgers revealed the secrets behind the suspiciously high prices of military supplies.

The top brass of the military had colluded with the suppliers to embezzle funds, covering the shortfall by inflating the prices of military supplies.

Some of the generals who had opposed canned food were also implicated in these ledgers.

As the corruption came to light, a wave of unprecedented purges swept through the Imperial Army, with generals being dismissed one after another.

"Let's eradicate corruption!"

"The rotten military must reflect on itself!"

A military reform movement, spearheaded by some conscientious commanders, took place under the slogan of canned food.

This became known as the "Canned Food Scandal."

Meanwhile, the impact of canned food extended beyond the military.

"Now we can sleep peacefully at night."

"It feels like a dream to be able to walk outside without fear."

The people of the southern regions, who had lived in constant fear of barbarian raids, could now enjoy a peaceful life as the barbarians were pushed beyond the borders.

"They say the barbarians disappeared because of canned food."

"I heard the same from my son who returned. He said that with canned food, they can now easily forage even in the grasslands."

As it became known that the disappearance of the barbarians was due to canned food, people's attention turned to the developer of this innovation.

"They say Yuri developed the canned food."

"What?! The same Yuri who created Pringles also developed canned food?"

"That's right. I heard she developed canned food out of concern for the soldiers' plight."

"To think there's such a touching story behind canned food...!"

The admiration for Yuri naturally turned into praise.

"Ah, Yuri? She's the hero who saved the south."

"My son returned home safely, all thanks to Yuri's canned food."

Among the southerners, "Yuri Greyrat" quickly rose to fame as the hero who saved the south and a national figure of the Empire.

Meanwhile, while the world was abuzz with the impact of canned food, Yuri, the mage who had created it, was now...

"Pleased to meet you. I am Hughes Wellington, the commander of the Empire's southern forces."

...receiving a visit from the Empire's Southern Commander-in-Chief.

*

Hughes Wellington.

The Empire's Southern Commander-in-Chief was a stern-looking old knight.

Even indoors, Commander Hughes insisted on wearing his knight's uniform. He was the one who had commissioned Yuri to develop the canned food.

However.

"I didn't expect you to come all this way in person. The journey to the capital must have been long."

"There was something I needed to say face-to-face, so I came in person."

"And what might that be...?"

"Your invention has saved the lives of tens of thousands of southern soldiers."

"..."

"As the Southern Commander-in-Chief, I sincerely thank you."

The old knight's voice was filled with genuine emotion.

A written message wouldn't have conveyed his feelings as effectively.

This made it all the more burdensome.

"Please, raise your head. I'm not worthy of such gratitude from the Commander-in-Chief."

I hadn't developed canned food to receive such praise.

"The Empire's top generals couldn't even achieve what you did by eradicating military corruption. If you're not great, then who is?"

"...It was an unexpected outcome."

Who could have predicted that canned food would lead to such a upheaval?

I knew there would be some impact, but I never imagined it would overturn the entire military.

"Even if you didn't expect it, it still happened."

"I won't deny that."

Commander Hughes chuckled.

"I was a fool who knew about the corruption but turned a blind eye."

"Now that you're addressing it, there's no need to call yourself a fool."

The military is an organization built on the principle of following orders.

It's a place where dissent is not tolerated.

For a military reform movement to occur in such an environment was unthinkable.

The one who had sparked this unthinkable movement was none other than Commander Hughes.

After dealing with the barbarians and gaining some breathing room, he had turned his sword toward the central military.

As the Empire's field commander, he was in a unique position to oppose the central military.

Some nobles accused Commander Hughes of inciting rebellion within the military, but they were in the minority.

The bureaucrats, who had long been discontent with the military's corruption, sided with Commander Hughes, leading to an unprecedented purge of generals.

So, calling him a fool wasn't accurate.

"Is that so? Haha. Thank you."

Commander Hughes laughed heartily and extended his hand.

"Let's work well together from now on."

"Huh?"

"I have no doubt you'll create many more food items for the military."

"...I'll do my best."

"That's why I'm asking—can you add Pringles to the canned food this time?"

"Pringles?"

"Ah, of course, Javasco was delicious too. But I thought it might be good to have a bit more variety in the canned food to boost the soldiers' morale."

'So that's why he came in person.'

Using the soldiers as an excuse, Commander Hughes's eyes sparkled with excitement, though he seemed unaware of it himself.

"Meals are good, but dessert in a can would be..."

It seemed Commander Hughes had fallen head over heels for the charm of canned food.

*

With the invention of canned food, Yuri's reputation grew day by day.

And as her reputation grew, misunderstandings and misconceptions inevitably followed.

This was especially true within the military, which had undergone reform thanks to canned food.

"It seems Yuri had been dreaming of military reform from the very beginning."

"Yuri, you say?"

"Think about it. She was developing snacks, then suddenly improved the military's rations. And look what happened to our military."

"The corrupt generals were purged, and Commander Hughes took control."

"And the spread of canned food started in the southern army, where Commander Hughes is."

"Are you saying the two of them planned this from the beginning?"

"It's not impossible. Canned food isn't something you can develop in a day or two, is it?"

"True. Canned food isn't something you can make overnight."

The military commanders believed that Yuri had been developing combat rations for the military for a very long time.

Silently working on her research without a word.

The Empire's greatness lies in the existence of such "quiet heroes."

"Hmm, I can't just sit back and do nothing."

"We should create a position for her."

Moved by her story, the commanders agreed to create a special position within the military for Yuri.

And so, a new position exclusively for "Yuri Greyrat" was established in the military.