The next day, while I was working my ass out in the paper works, we
received a sudden order to report to the higher-ups, so now we're being
guided on the way to the chief commander's office.
"But why are we being summoned now, of all times?" I asked the officer
who relayed the report to us.
"They said that they want to talk to you about your performance in the
war." They said in return.
"But why the chief himself? Isn't he like in change of the whole army?
Why would he trouble himself with lower-ranking soldiers like us?"
The ranks of soldiers are roughly divided into three levels, with separate
hierarchical relationships within every level.
Aside from the company commanders to whom Lucy belongs, there are
also the battalion commanders who manage the front-line troops, and the
chief commander who unites all these commanders. There are also the staffs
who assist these commanding officers at every level, further complicating
the ranks.
Nevertheless, it was the chief commander who reigns supreme among these
ranks.
(Obviously, something fishy is going on.)
And even though it was only a measly 500, much more in a defensive
battle, we still won a complete victory that is enough to clear any doubts.
And I'm sure there were plenty of incidents where other troops did worse
but were still congratulated, even with the same numbers involved.
"Well, I don't know the specifics as I was only ordered to relay this to you.
But I'm pretty sure they will tell you the reason once you get there."
"I see. Thank you. I just hope it's something good."
.
.
After a bit of walking, we finally arrived at the chief commander's office.
We knocked on the door and entered the room, and from there, we met a
well-dressed, middle-aged man.
"Lucy Finlay, reporting for duty. Also, this is my temporary adjutant,
Yuushin Sanada."
I straightened my posture, following Lucy's introduction of me.
The man in front of me surpassed Lucy in both title and rank.
I must avoid making a poor impression and offending him, especially since
this is our first meeting.
"I've heard about your accomplishments, Miss Lucy. Thank you for your
efforts the other day."
"No way, sir. I was just doing my part as a soldier and a nobleman."
The chief commander's gaze was sharp as he spoke with Lucy, showing
that the "head" is not as loose as the "limbs".
"I remember your father as well. It's a shame we lost him."
The he said those words next. This time the chief commander showed he
was genuinely saddened by the loss. If yo u are ab le t o rea d th is m
essage, y ou ar e re ading f ro m an una uthori zed agg rega te si te. R ead at
m y Wor dPr ss at stabb ing wi h a syri nge. ho me. b og to sup port m e an
d my tr nslat ions.
"I've heard that you're going to inherit your father's title soon. If so, can we
expect great things from you in the future?"
"Yes, I promise to be a company commander worthy of my father's name."
"That's a good answer. Very well, I'll have your troops replenished and
ready in no time."
As he said this, the chief commander wrote something on an odd-looking
paper in his hand.
It is probably a magical document that allows him to move large numbers
of soldiers from right to left just by writing on it – all while he remains on
his seat.
A simple document, yet it decides the course of the whole battle.
Of course, it's still a communication device in the end. It would be useless
if you don't have competent subordinates relaying your command.
After all, the actual results still depend on the abilities of the commanding
officers in the field.
Still, I couldn't help but be envious of his position.
While I was thinking of this, the chief commander switched his gaze to me.
(What? I'm sure I haven't done anything to attract his attention at this
point.)
After that, he took out something from his desk, stopping all of my thoughts
altogether.
It was the envelope containing the bribe I had given to that officer to
become Lucy's adjutant.
I felt a chill run through my body, and sweat poured down my spine.
I'm still not familiar with the military regulations, much more in this other
world, but even I know that bribery is not considered right.
At least on the surface.
"You're...Sanada, aren't you? You seem to be well prepared, but your
ways are still too naïve. It seems that you didn't know that the key positions
in this army are staffed by subordinates that have earned my full trust, and
every hint of suspicious behavior is immediately reported to me."
"….. I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know you were personally monitoring the inside
of the military."
I couldn't do anything about this. He and I were too different in terms of
influence within these grounds.
(Then again, it's also my fault. I was too complacent on the thoughts that
the old man there and the nobles in power are all corrupted in some ways.)
I can no longer think of a good excuse to get out of this situation.
"I don't know what you're planning, but...I won't be stopping you for
now. After all, it's not in my jurisdiction to deal with these matters."
This time, it's my turn to be surprised. Nevertheless, his tone as he said this
is cold and creepy that I can't let down my guard just yet.
"Either way, I am still a soldier who is focused on protecting this city in the
end. And since you haven't done anything that endangers our jobs in any
way, and on the contrary, have proven to be of our use even, I'll let this one
slide. However, Miss Finlay, from here on, you will be the one responsible
for this man's actions henceforth."
The commander then takes out a piece of paper, different from the one he
was writing on earlier.
He wrote a few words on it, then handed it to Lucy.
"An official appointment letter?"
"If you take this to the personnel department, Sanada here will be able to
become your adjutant officially. But remember, he will be your
responsibility from here on once you submit this."
"Oh, thank you so much!" Lucy happily greeted in return. As for me, I
could only let out a sigh of relief.
After bowing in gratitude, we were finally allowed to leave the room.
.
.
Even though we were already far from the office and were walking on the
corridors, I was still lost in thoughts and unable to process the situation.
"Yuushin, that envelope earlier. It was a bribe, wasn't it?"
Suddenly, Lucy spoke to me.
And contrary to her cheerful expression from before, her face this time is a
little bitter.
I guess these dark ways of the world are still too much for her to accept.
However, the words that followed on her lips exceeded my expectations.
"While I too think that it isn't a good idea, next time you do something like
that, could you please tell me first?"
She's... approving my behavior?
"You're...not angry? And here I thought you were going to scold me for
being dishonest...."
After that, she stopped her tracks and looked at me.
"I think I would have been if I was the "Lucy before I met Yuushin". But
I've grown now, thus I'm no longer that girl, all thanks to you."
"Well, I'm flattered to hear that."
This is a sign that she trusts me, which is good because trust is essential for
our relationship. Thi s cha pter tra slat ion is ma de poss ib le b y stab bing
wi th a syr in ge tra nsla tions. che ck o nly up -to -dat e tran slat ions on my
Wor dp ress si te.
I'm still a little skeptical about sharing information about everything,
though.
"I'm still half a person who needs someone to push me to take the first step.
Because of this, Yuushin, will you continue to be by my side until I grow up
to be a fully pledged commanding officer?"
This time, she looked at me intently, and her eyes were serious.
It seems that she is trusting me more than I thought.
"Of course. I will continue to support you as your adjutant."
I replied, looking back into her eyes with conviction.
Really? You promise?"
As Lucy says this, she also pulls the sleeve of my arm and looks up at me.
If a beautiful girl like this does this to you, no matter who you are, you will
definitely feel moved to take action without any consideration for profit or
loss.
I nodded once more, trying my best to suppress my horny heart with reason.
To this, she finally lets go of my arm with relief.
As for me, I was so taken aback by Lucy's beauty that I didn't notice that
my arm was already numb from her grip.
After all, people in this world are very powerful because of their magical
power, and it was especially more with the higher-ranking aristocrats in this
world.
Thus, it's always a good idea not to offend them, or you might get hurt
yourself for the most trivial of reasons, even to a seemingly weak girl like
Lucy.
"In that case, let's quickly go to the personnel department and have you
officially assigned as my adjutant, Yuushin!"
After urging me, we started walking again.
And like the adjutant I am, I walked behind Lucy as usual.
But from here, I began to think about our circumstances in the future.
Today, it was revealed that Lucy is more or less acquainted with the chief
commander, the head of this army.
What's more, he seems to know well about the successes of her
predecessor.
For her, a company commander, this is a great advantage, as all she'll need
are more accomplishments on the battlefield, and her promotion is
guaranteed.
And soon as she gets promoted, it'll be the same for me as well…as long as
the chief commander has no intention of meddling in anything other than
military affairs, that is.
Either way, what he did to me is practically binding me to Lucy.
This will make me harder to get off once this ship sinks, but I guess I'll
have to make do with this for now.
Nevertheless, I could tell with the way he spoke that the nobles were
already cheating in various ways, and it was so much that he could no
longer do anything about it.
(What if we rat them out one by one to do him a favor? After all, the little
the competition, the higher chance we can expect promotion with ease.)
However, I immediately denied these thoughts after seeing the cheerful girl
walking in front of me.
(Yep. No can do. It's still too early to pit Lucy against them. Might be after
she developed quite a bit?)
Since I don't know when that will be, I decided to postpone joining the
underground battles that should be occurring in this army in the meantime,
and instead enjoyed the company of my new boss for now