Ch.55Chapter 55. Even After All This, Will You Still Kneel Before Me?

After that day-

I officially began taking on the role of advisor by Lynn’s side.

Without any special orders given to me, I would offer advice whenever she summoned me to the royal castle.

Since Farfalle, the national strategist, was still handling the situation in the east, it made sense for Lynn to call on me.

For my part, I was advising her according to what my intelligence 100 brain dictated.

For now, she needed to trust me to some extent.

“Swen, I have three idle personnel. What should I have them do?”

“I believe there are still some hidden talents around Anel Castle and this territory. If you search for them, you might find good results.”

As a result of the search, we were able to find a B-class general who had been hidden in obscurity and a treasure worth about two thousand gold.

“I’m thinking of organizing the western region soon, and I’m planning to invade Garammil. What do you think?”

“It’s not time yet. It would be better to gather more soldiers and focus on border defense.”

“…Really?”

A few days later, news came that the Brans army had attacked Garammil, which was west of Zeilant Castle, with 30,000 troops and was defeated.

It seemed that with morale at rock bottom due to a sudden illness spreading in our camp, they couldn’t break through Garammil’s walls where the enemy was fighting desperately.

Apparently, Lynn had gone ahead with the attack without heeding my advice.

That’s fine. It would be problematic if she didn’t act this way. She needs to be tested more so that she’ll trust my opinions, even if unconsciously.

“…Swen. It seems you were right again.”

“I merely thought we should establish defensive lines. There’s no need to overestimate me. The defeat was purely due to bad luck.”

“Then should I just stay quiet now? The soldiers’ morale is extremely low, and it would be difficult to pull additional troops from the border.”

“No. Regroup immediately and attack. This time, you’ll be able to occupy it safely.”

“…”

And again, a few days later.

Along with the news that the Brans army had broken through the walls and occupied Hoero Castle, which had been held by Garammil—

Came the news that Garammil had disappeared from history.

“…We won. Just as you said.”

To her, who showed a subtle expression despite hearing the news of victory, I added a plausible explanation.

“The soldiers of Garammil probably didn’t consider their previous victory a true win, just that the Brans army was defeated due to an outbreak of disease. So their morale wouldn’t have risen despite the victory. It was just luck that they repelled us.”

“Once they heard that the Brans army was coming again, their morale naturally broke. It’s not difficult to realize that no matter how many times they defend, there’s no future for them.”

I bowed my head and concluded.

“I merely struck when the enemy’s morale was likely low. Not everything went according to my words. I believe it was all thanks to Lady Lynn’s decision.”

Of course, all that talk about morale rising and such was just me stringing random words together to make impressive-sounding sentences.

What I had figured out was only that the first invasion would “fail” and the second invasion would “succeed.”

Nevertheless, the results were correct.

This would surely resonate with her.

During empty times, I deliberately went to meditate in a cave a bit away from the territory.

I placed two soldiers in front of the cave, preventing anyone from entering.

The image I wanted to create was simple: “Swen sometimes meditates alone here without any disturbance.”

After assisting her like this for several days.

One day, she asked me a question.

“Swen. Thank you for your hard work. Farfalle should return tomorrow, so you won’t need to visit every day like now starting the day after tomorrow. Rather, is there anything you want? You’ve worked hard for me these past few days, and I’d like to give you something.”

“Haven’t I told you? I want to make a name for myself. Please continue to utilize me thoroughly.”

“Really? That’s all?”

“Yes.”

She said nothing for a while, then smiled that refreshing smile of hers and said.

“Still, I want to repay you. I’ve prepared something you might like outside the castle gate. Since it’s a token of my appreciation, I hope you’ll accept it. Make sure to take it home and look at it alone. And then, tell me your thoughts. I’m curious about your feelings. Understand?”

A token of appreciation?

From the fact that I had to take it home and look at it alone, I had a somewhat uncomfortable feeling, but regardless, I needed to show loyalty to Lynn here.

“Thank you for your kindness. I will never forget it.”

“Good, I like that. Hehe.”

And so I left the royal castle.

What was waiting for me was certainly something I hadn’t expected at all.

“Um… Are you perhaps Sir Swen…?”

It was a woman.

A very beautiful woman with blonde hair, wearing provocative clothes, with a voluptuous figure.

She didn’t look like a general of the Brans army. More like an ordinary person.

No. Judging by her makeup and clothing…

‘She’s a woman who works in a brothel.’

And here, I could easily read Lynn’s intentions.

She was trying to… ‘tame’ me.

Bestowing a brothel woman on a retainer as a reward.

Saying I would like it and asking me to tell her my thoughts after taking her home was outrageous.

This wasn’t a reward. It was an insult.

Thinking lightly, it probably meant something like ‘Let’s see how far you’ll endure’ or ‘Will you still kneel before me after this?’

So, in other words—

She was testing how far I would submit to her.

It meant that before trusting my abilities, she had to go through this process.

Or it could mean something like, ‘I’ll give you what you want, so bow down to me more,’ or something like that.

‘Heh, well.’

If I were truly a loyal retainer to her, I might have sighed and built up resentment in this situation.

But I was a disloyal retainer who fully intended to stab her in the back.

Yes.

It was time to act as if ‘I will do as you command for the sake of my career, even if you bestow such humiliation upon me.’

I smiled gently and said to her.

“Um… I’m planning to return to my home now, would you like to come with me?”

“What? Ah…”

She blushed when she saw my face, then nodded and said.

“Ah, I understand…”

Sigh.

What is a person who has become the ruler of a country doing, bringing someone from a brothel to order her retainer around for a power play?

I was fed up with her persistence, but I was actually grateful for it now.

Because that persistence could ultimately make her let her guard down at the final moment.

So, I took the young lady home.

Naturally, Irene, who was training at home, became wide-eyed.

“S-Swen…? Who is…??”

“Please think of her as a visitor. Ah, could you perhaps serve some tea?”

“Well, that’s not difficult, but…”

“I’ll explain everything.”

After hearing my words, Irene kept looking back and forth between the woman and me in confusion.

But soon she nodded, regained her composure, and said.

“Hmm. Alright. Um… it’s humble, but please make yourself comfortable.”

“What? Ah, yes…!”

I sat down at the table with the young lady.

Then, she leaned close to me and whispered.

“Um… Sir Swen.”

“Yes?”

“Well… I was told to… give you a man’s pleasure… but do I have to do it in front of that lady? I mean, if you want, I can do it, but… even for me, this kind of situation is a first…”

“…”

I sighed briefly and said.

“Miss. What is your name?”

“What? I’m… Lina.”

“Miss Lina. I don’t know what our lord told you, but what I’d like you to do is not that.”

“Then what…?”

“Have a cup of tea, spend some time, and then leave the house.”

“What…? Sir Swen, do you have that kind of preference…? Well, I’ve heard men’s preferences are truly diverse.”

“It’s not a preference… sigh…”

“Hmm? Preference? Swen, did you do some work on fortifications today?”

Irene, who had finished brewing the tea, approached with a tray that had three cups and a teapot on it, placing it on the table.

I explained the general situation to Irene while drinking tea.

“S-So… that… fortification, I mean, not that, but, um, that kind of thing… hmm.”

Irene drank her tea with a face as red as a radish and trembling hands.

Then she coughed, showing an uncharacteristically shaky demeanor.

“Are you alright, Lady Irene?”

“No, I’m… um…”

“Um… so, we’re not doing anything today…?”

I nodded at Lina’s words.

“Yes. However… after spending some time and leaving, I would be very grateful if you could act as if you ‘did something’ with me outside.”

The reason I didn’t immediately turn her away and invited her into the house was simple.

I thought Lynn Brans would have someone follow me.

Of course, my intuition wasn’t particularly good. I didn’t feel anyone following me or sense any gazes.

Nevertheless, I judged it would be better to act this way for various reasons. If she found out that I just sent the woman away, she might unnecessarily overestimate me.

To appear as if I was thoroughly submitting to her.

It was an absolutely necessary procedure for a perfect exit.

“That’s not difficult, but… it’s a bit disappointing.”

“…What?”

When I turned my head at the unexpected words, Lina was looking at me with a slightly flushed face.

“Actually, when I was first asked to do this… I thought I’d have to deal with another old man, but to my surprise, there was someone as fine and handsome as Sir Swen… I was kind of looking forward to it…♡”

“Kheuk! Keok! Keheuk!”

Irene choked on her tea again and coughed uncontrollably.

After patting her back a few times, I asked Lina.

“…Do you often receive such requests from her?”

“Yes. Actually, I have a bit of a connection with Lady Lynn Brans.”

“A connection?”

“Kalintz is one of my regulars.”

…Ah.

So Kalintz has been playing around quite extravagantly.

“You know what? Kalintz has a firm body, but… he’s not that impressive as a man. It’s over in 3 minutes, you know?”

“…”

That was truly information I didn’t need to know.

Irene’s continued coughing was just a bonus.

“Anyway, I hope you’ll do as I asked. Please act as if you did something with me. Take this, it’s not much, but keep it.”

I handed her half of the money I had saved from my salary working for the Brans army.

It was gold I had no use for anyway, but it seemed not so for her as she brightened up and said.

“Oh my, why are you giving me all this!”

She pocketed the money and nodded.

“Yes! I understand. But you know, I tend to be unable to resist requests from handsome men. Don’t worry!”

“Flattery won’t get you anything more, but thank you.”

I had some trivial conversation with Lina for a while.

And after some time had passed, she left the room.

Irene finally asked me in a serious tone.

“That Lina person… was she assigned to you by your lord?”

“Yes. It seems she was testing me. Something like, ‘Will you still follow me even after this?'”

“I see…”

Irene bowed her head and smiled bitterly.

She probably understood this situation better than anyone.

After all, it was Irene who had suffered such gloomy torment from Lynn until now.

“…I worry that you’ve come to be hated because of me.”

“What does it matter? I don’t care if Lady Lynn hates me. It would be different if you hated me.”

“…u-um…?”

“If you hated me, I might be really sad.”

At my words, Irene’s face turned red again as she bowed her head.

And then, in a squeaky voice, she squeezed out an answer.

“I won’t… hate you, Swen…”

“Me neither.”

“…Yes.”

She fidgeted for a while, staring at the empty cup.

Then she looked up at me and carefully asked.

“I… I have something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“That… f-fortification… how does it work…?”

“…What?”

I answered, thinking I might have misheard.

“I didn’t do any fortification repair work.”

“N-No, that’s not it. Not that… um… what Lina mentioned earlier… that kind of thing…”

“You’re curious about that?”

“No, not curious, rather…! It’s just… it came up… and you didn’t answer. They say all men have various preferences, and… no, that’s not what I mean…!”

By this point, her face had gone beyond red to crimson, looking like it might burst at any moment.

Why ask such things if she’s going to be so embarrassed?

Suddenly, she seemed incredibly cute to me.

At the same time, for some reason, I felt like teasing her.

“Preferences… I don’t know if this should be called a preference, but I like women with large breasts.”

“Ah? Ah… yes…! B-Breasts. Yes. I-I’ve heard men like… breasts…!”

For some reason, did she look somewhat satisfied, or was that my imagination?

“And I tend to like women with red hair.”

“R-Red hair?! Hmm, ahem, umm…!”

“I also prefer women who are good with swords. I have a female knight fetish.”

“Female knight fetish…?”

Having heard that far, Irene seemed to sense something odd and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Looking at her, I smiled and said.

“I’d also like someone who trains every day. Ah! And I get excited when I see women who brew good tea.”

“…Swen…!!”

Irene, uncharacteristically, puffed up her cheeks and said accusingly.

“I-I asked seriously… why are you joking…!”

“I answered seriously too, though?”

“…Huh?”

And once again.

Her face turned red, and she opened her mouth as if broken, unable to say anything.

“I like busty red-haired female knights. I’m really serious. I answered honestly, so it hurts that you think I’m joking.”

“Was… was that true?”

She spoke as if genuinely sorry, not knowing what to do.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t think you were joking, it’s just that it all sounded like you were describing me… ah… that means, um, well, um, that…”

I laughed loudly seeing her like that.

After laughing for a while, I couldn’t even remember Lynn’s mischief from earlier.

“I’m sorry. It was a joke.”

“…S-So it was a joke after all-“

“But regardless of all that, I like you, Lady Irene.”

“What…!!”

Her face turned completely red again at my words.

Irene was a person with much more diverse expressions than I had thought.

It seemed like a lie that she was the same person who always had a heavy expression, being rejected by the Brans army people and feeling frustrated.

I want to capture more of her various expressions.

That thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Please continue to stay with me from now on. Understood?”

“…”

She said nothing and just looked into my eyes for a long time.

My image was clearly reflected in her purple eyes.

“…Yes… Swen. I understand.”

The bond between Irene and me felt stronger than anything else.

There was absolutely no room for Lynn Brans to interfere in this relationship.

*

The next day.

When I visited the royal castle, Lynn smiled at me and said.

“How was it, Swen? The ‘item’ I bestowed upon you?”

I smiled without any hesitation and said.

“Thank you for your consideration. Thanks to my lord, I was able to get time to recharge. I will not forget this favor.”

“What?”

She heard my words and laughed gleefully.

“It was a favor worth not forgetting? Swen, you’re a man after all! Well, I understand! My brother had a similar reaction!”

I smiled appropriately.

She seemed very pleased with my submissive-sounding words.

Indeed, how pathetic must I look in her eyes?

Despite having such abilities, I must appear to only care about looking good to her.

Yes.

I felt it was time… to set the stage.

“My lord. Since today is the last day, there’s something I’d like to say.”

“What is it?”

“Having received a reward from my lord, I would like to humbly present a gift to you as well.”

“A gift? For reference, my taste is for delicate and pretty ones like you, Swen, so keep that in mind.”

“It’s a much better gift than such trivial things.”

I smiled and brought up a word she probably hadn’t expected at all.

“Valharat Castle.”

“…!”

With shining eyes, I spoke in a confident tone, as if seeing through everything.

“It seems it’s time to clean up the Aeshus army, which is a thorn in your side, my lord.”