Ch.27The Mercenary Captain Who Dislikes Women (8)

With my ear pressed against the door, I let out a cheer.

Adelheid had ordered the patrol to get her Delfinapo perfume.

As expected, my knowledge of the original work was correct.

Adelheid was born as the only daughter of a mercenary captain and had been trained since childhood to inherit the mercenary corps.

She was raised with a rougher temperament than most mercenaries, her femininity forcibly suppressed.

But no matter how artificially they tried to shape her, how could a woman become a man?

This is flowing surprisingly well.

Good. Now let me start my work too.

I filled a pot with water and brought it to a boil.

Then I mixed various ingredients in proportions only I knew.

Soon the plain water began to change color and emit a strange smell.

* * * * *

While Jack, the potion shop owner, was busy making potions.

The 2nd Squad Captain was rushing to get Delfinapo perfume, following the orders of her beloved commander.

“Run! Run faster!”

The 2nd Squad Captain urged her already sprinting subordinates as she dashed like the wind toward the garrison.

Her heart was pounding so hard she thought she might go crazy.

This perfume, hidden deep within her clothes, was a birthday gift from the commander to the 2nd Squad Captain.

The commander had never given such things before, but this year was different.

Surely after sharing life and death struggles together for the past few years, the commander had finally opened her heart to the 2nd Squad Captain.

The 2nd Squad Captain had already practiced several responses in her mind for when the commander would say, “This is your gift.”

Things like “Thank you,” “I’ll cherish it forever,” “In return, I offer myself wearing this perfume.”

Would the commander accept the 2nd Squad Captain?

The possibility seemed quite high.

Despite her beautiful appearance, the commander had never been close to any man.

That meant the commander didn’t like men.

Looking at it another way, it could mean she preferred women over men.

And the 2nd Squad Captain was the only woman in the mercenary corps.

Since harsh work like being in a mercenary corps wasn’t suitable for women, most members were naturally men.

There was no reason to put a woman in the 2nd Squad Captain position.

Yet the commander had accepted the 2nd Squad Captain into the mercenary corps.

What could that mean?

It meant the commander also had special feelings for her!

Tonight would surely be a crucial moment when the relationship between the commander and the 2nd Squad Captain would be redefined.

The 2nd Squad Captain was so eager to get to the commander that she was nearly losing her mind.

“Run faster!”

Upon returning to the garrison, the 2nd Squad Captain leaped from her horse before it had even stopped, rolled once on the ground, then jumped up and dashed like an arrow toward the commander’s bedroom.

About to kick open the bedroom door, the 2nd Squad Captain composed herself and checked her appearance.

Everything was in order.

“Commander…! 2nd Squad Captain reporting…!”

“Come in.”

Opening the door, the 2nd Squad Captain nearly collapsed with a nosebleed.

Adelheid, having just bathed in a portable tub, was drying herself with a large towel, wearing nothing.

“Ah, um, well…”

As she stared blankly at the scarred, curved body, Adelheid spoke.

“What is it?”

“I… I’ve brought the perfume you requested.”

“Already?”

After explaining in detail how she had frantically raced to a nearby town, smashed the perfume shop window, entered, and beaten up the sleeping owner to get it, Adelheid snorted.

“It wasn’t that urgent.”

“But… since it was your special order, Commander…”

“Let me see what kind it is.”

Adelheid turned around and extended her hand.

The 2nd Squad Captain, distracted by Adelheid’s ample bosom, shook her head vigorously and took out the perfume bottle from her clothes.

“Here it is…”

“Hmm, it’s unnecessarily fancy, as expected of something city women use.”

“Still, I’ll gratefully cherish it for life…”

“You may go now.”

“Pardon?”

For a moment, the 2nd Squad Captain didn’t understand Adelheid’s instruction and asked back like a fool.

“Good work. Go back and rest.”

“Um, then that…”

“This will be used as an ingredient for the potion maker.”

“It… it wasn’t a birthday gift?”

Adelheid looked at the 2nd Squad Captain with a strange expression.

“Birthday gift? What are you talking about?”

“Eh…? Ah, nothing! I’ll be going now!”

The 2nd Squad Captain fled from Adelheid’s bedroom.

Leaning against the closed door, the 2nd Squad Captain chewed her lip for a while, unable to understand what had just happened.

This clearly wasn’t about a gift for the 2nd Squad Captain.

So was it really just because the potion maker requested the ingredient?

Was that really all? Was there no other intention?

“What are you doing? Go get some sleep.”

“Shut up!”

After snapping at the subordinate guarding the door, the 2nd Squad Captain stomped down the corridor, trying to suppress her anger.

The next day, during the morning strategy meeting.

The 2nd Squad Captain couldn’t concentrate on the meeting at all.

Because she detected an unfamiliar scent coming from Adelheid, who was standing right beside her, pointing at tactical maps spread on the table and giving orders.

This wasn’t her natural scent.

The 2nd Squad Captain could clearly distinguish it because she usually took deep breaths to smell her respected commander’s scent when close to Adelheid.

This was an artificial fragrance.

Very faint, but she definitely had applied perfume!

What on earth was going on?

“What are you doing? Not paying attention?”

One of the officers nudged the shoulder of the 2nd Squad Captain, who was grinding her teeth.

“What? Oh, yes…”

Even after the meeting ended and she went outside, the 2nd Squad Captain couldn’t understand what was happening.

Could it really have been that potion maker’s persuasion?

I don’t know, I just don’t know…

* * * * *

That evening, Adelheid summoned me to the dining hall again.

Sitting across from Adelheid, I noticed she was wearing perfume.

Though she had rejected my offer to become her servant, she hadn’t completely ignored my advice.

“Commander. I told you, didn’t I? That perfume suits you very well.”

“I was just curious about what made it so expensive, so I opened the lid and accidentally spilled a little.”

“Now that you’ve opened it, you should use it often. This really is…”

I made an exaggerated show of taking a deep breath, and Adelheid bared her teeth as she picked up her fork.

“If you’re thinking of mocking me, you’d better stop right now.”

“How could I? I’m being completely sincere. So how did your subordinates react today? Nothing unusual, right?”

Adelheid didn’t immediately throw the fork at me.

It seemed that, as I had said, her subordinates didn’t care much whether Adelheid wore perfume or not.

Of course. They didn’t follow her because she was a woman acting like a man in the first place.

Her leadership stemmed from her legitimacy as the daughter of the previous mercenary captain, her unrivaled combat prowess, and the timely payment of wages.

It didn’t matter if Adelheid wore perfume, styled her hair, or wore skirts in non-combat situations.

They would just think the commander had something special going on today and leave it at that.

“Commander. Since you’re wearing perfume, how about getting some new clothes too?”

“I called you here to check on the progress of your potion making, not to receive interference about my attire.”

“Ah, of course. But you can check on the potion anytime, while I can only give you other advice in a place like this. Where your subordinates aren’t around.”

Adelheid’s eyes, which had been glaring at me, turned toward the door. Then she said nothing.

Not missing that subtle shift in atmosphere, I continued.

“Armor is certainly impressive, but occasionally wearing a blouse or skirt wouldn’t be bad either.”

“Hmph. How ridiculous. A mercenary captain in such an unsightly outfit.”

“During non-combat times, of course. During missions, you naturally need to be armed. But in warm weather like this, when you have no duties, wearing such clothes and basking in the sun would be very nice.”

“You seem to misunderstand our mercenary corps’ situation. We have many enemies. Not far from here, an Imperial Army special unit is waiting for a chance to attack us.”

“But this is the lord’s castle, isn’t it? You could take such time occasionally in the inner courtyard under protection. If even that makes you anxious, you could do it on your bedroom terrace.”

“Are you suggesting I secretly dress as a woman?”

What nonsense is that? A woman dressing as a woman?

“Let me put it this way. As the leader of the mercenary corps, you could temporarily set aside the stress and pressure you’ve had to bear, and fully reflect on yourself.”

I thought she would dismiss it as nonsense, but Adelheid said nothing.

After a moment, Adelheid slowly opened her mouth.

“To set everything aside, you say.”

“Yes, Commander. You aren’t the mercenary corps itself. Before being a mercenary captain, you are Adelheid Remugen.”

Adelheid’s eyes, staring at me, trembled slightly.

“You…”

Just as Adelheid was about to say something, a heavy vibration suddenly swept through the dining hall.

Dust fell from the ceiling and the table shook with the intensity.

“Commander!”

The door opened and a subordinate rushed in.

“What’s happening?!”

“An intruder!”

“An intruder?! Is it the Imperial Army special unit?”

“No! It’s an unidentified knight!”

An unidentified knight?

* * * * *

The baron’s castle used as the mercenary corps’ garrison.

The mercenaries standing guard above the castle gate spotted someone approaching on horseback and shouted.

“Halt! Stop or we’ll shoot!”

As the mercenaries aimed their crossbows, the rider advanced a few more steps before stopping the horse.

“Who are you!”

“Is there someone called Jack, a potion shop owner, here?”

The mercenaries looked at each other at the rider’s question.

“You mean the guy we kidnapped before? Are you acquainted?”

“Whether you know him or not, what does it matter? Just shoot.”

The mercenaries quickly reached a conclusion and fired their crossbows simultaneously.

“Huh?! What’s that?!”

The mercenaries’ eyes nearly popped out when they saw a golden sphere surrounding the rider deflect all the quarrels.

The rider dismounted, looked expressionlessly at the quarrels on the ground, and began drawing a sword from the saddle.

“I heard there was an armed group in this area, receiving dubious patronage and committing all sorts of evil deeds.”

The mercenaries’ faces filled with shock as they watched the enormous sword being drawn endlessly.

“I was thinking I should pass judgment, and conveniently, I now have business here.”

The rider, having fully drawn the great sword, began walking toward the castle gate.

As the mercenaries frantically tried to reload their crossbows, the castle gate suddenly shattered with a tremendous vibration.

“I am Liberone, Holy Knight. I cannot overlook this.”