Exactly one month has passed after I had that dinner with Milena.
Since then, the Zaintert sisters had been coming in and out of our barracks
frequently.
They say it was for socializing among the troops, but that was obviously a
lie.
At first, Milena and Lacy stated they want to study under Lucy, who has a
lot of experience in actual combat, and for that, they often followed us in
our campaigns to kill monsters.
But whenever they get into the battlefield, they would kill the monsters so
aggressively that they leave no room for Lucy's troops to shine.
Even a bigger problem is that because she is now a Viscount, Lucy can no
longer sortie like she was back then. She now needs to save face for the
other nobles, and only when her entire army needs to be dispatched up to
the last man would be the time for her to lead the troops personally.
As for why the Zaintert sisters are able to sortie easily despite from a higher
ranking house, it is because they have fewer troops than Lucy, only over
200 compared to Lucy's 400 troops.
And as a result of having her prey repeatedly intercepted, Lucy's war
contributions have been decreased by a lot.
"And they still had the audacity to say that they still want to study under
Lucy, even after all that. Thanks to this, the atmosphere in the unit is
becoming worse."
With our chances of participating on the battlefield reduced, our
opportunities to produce good results were also affected. Most importantly,
the air of tension we had meticulously maintained in our soldiers has started
to fade as well.
Although we have been solving this by training to the bare minimum, if we
allow this to continue, there will come a time when they will not be able to
demonstrate their abilities as they have in the past, which will also result to
poor performance or worse, tremendous casualties.
Yes, we had been doing light reconnaissance missions, but for the whole
army to remain tense, they have to participate actively in the major
operations, and by "actively" we mean all of them, without leaving a single
one behind or else their skills would get rusty.
However, as previously said, Lucy hasn't had the time to go out recently.
Another reason is because, on top of the huge dispatch requirements (being
her whole army), she also has her own agendas as a Viscount, reducing
even more the already minuscule chances that she had today.
Instead of going out on missions these days, she is doing a lot of work in
the city, like working with the military's public relations department to
promote publicity, interacting with commanders of other units, and so on.
There were also occasions when she needed to participate in tabletop
command exercises, which would surely detain her for a few days.
So even though she is not on the battlefield, she still has her busy schedule,
so she was unable to look after her troops directly.
"Well, either way works for me. The more time I spend in the city, the safer
I am, and the more things I can do."
Saying this, I looked at the key to the warehouse I had just obtained.
Inside the warehouse, there should be a complete set of spare parts, repair
tools, and other things necessary to maintain military equipment.
Although we belong to the military, we actually prepared almost half of the
equipment ourselves.
The reason is that the military headquarters provides only the minimum
amount of armor and armaments.
If we wanted to procure better equipment, we would either have to get the
attention of the higher-ups or prepare it ourselves.
Especially recently, with the increase in the number of soldiers in the army,
the provision of equipment has gotten more delayed because we are
ordering larger quantities than before.
"The army's purse is not inexhaustible either. In these trying times, you are
already considered luckier than most if you have enough food, clothing, and
shelter aside from the weapons of your troops."
I returned to the barracks while muttering so, then watched over my
subordinates as they picked up the items that came from the warehouse. If
you a re a ble to re ad thi s m es sage, you ar e rea din g fr om an unau thor
ized ag greg ate sit e. Re ad at my Wo rdPres s at st abb ing wi th a syr inge.
ho me. bl og to su ppo rt m e and my tra nsl ati ons.
Nevertheless, procuring the equipment is only the beginning. Once you
obtain it, you must do the equipment maintenance yourself, which
consumes the most of our expenses.
Currently, the expenses are covered by the budget of the Finlay House and
donations from the merchants who support Lucy.
Ever since she became a hero of the city for her work in fighting off the
undead, many people have been vying to capitalize on her prestige.
Of those people, we chose those who can be reasonably negotiated to pay
for the equipment we are using.
In return, they get an advertisement saying they're the hero's purveyors and
she had their protection.
That means whenever they get into trouble, usually with other merchants
who are their competitors, we have an agreement to send someone from our
unit to help them.
"The troops would probably be better off if the unit became self-supporting
since it would free up much of our budget. It is also for the future stability if
the army gets too big."
The bigger they are, the more troublesome they would be.
So, as you can see, I still had a lot to do even though I am away from the
battlefield, both in the front and behind the scenes.
But for me, this is much better than clashing swords with ogres and goblins.
As I was thinking this, I noticed that the sun was already setting on the
horizon.
I went to Lucy's room to report on the recovery of the troops who had gone
on a reconnaissance mission, as well as the inventory check I had done
earlier.
However, on the way back, I noticed something strange going on. When I
got into the front of the door, I could hear voices inside arguing.
I hurriedly opened the door and went inside to check the situation.
"Commander Finlay, is there something wrong?"
When I entered the office, I found Krone sitting in a chair, glaring at Lucy.
Krone is already looking angry, and Lucy is also clenching her fists under
her desk.
I intervened before the two could get into a fight.
"What's going on with you two?"
Lucy was the first to open her mouth.
"Yuushin, listen. Krone is bragging on and on and saying lies about how
you fell head over heels for her just now! Of how many times you have
slept together since then!"
The words got stronger as the second half of the conversation progressed,
and it was almost a yell by the end.
I had never seen the normally mild-mannered Lucy be this angry.
But first, she needs to be calmed down.
"Calm down, Lucy. I've always said you're the best, no matter the situation,
didn't I?"
"I'm happy to hear that. But that doesn't mean I am willing to allow you to
do whatever you want with other women!"
Of course, I know that without even being told.
But it is also clear that pushing Krone away will only lead to bad results.
Ultimately, the only way to fix that is by going along with her in
moderation.
"I'm sure Lucy is still the most frequent visitor to my bedroom, though?"
I share a bed with her at least once a week. This is because if I don't, she
will get into a bad mood, or worse, it will deteriorate her physical condition
entirely.
"But lately, you've been coming over only a few times, so…"
"Uhm, that's because I've been busier these days, so… I'm sorry."
Seeing the adorable creature in front of me, I moved from my spot and
patted her on the back to comfort her.
This seems to have calmed her down, but she still looks grumpy.
But then, the other one, who was always bothering Lucy, came in.
"Lucy, Lucy, it's always Lucy! I will not allow you to take away my purity
and then just treat me as second best, Yuushin!"
Krone puts her hands on my chest and pushes me away.
When Lucy saw this, her expression started to turn grim again.
"Wait, wait, wait. The problem won't be solved if you keep bickering like
this."
I soothe the two as I slowly separate them.
I let Lucy sit on the office desk as it is and made Krone sit on the sofa in
front of the office desk. Then I came in between so they wouldn't come in
contact with each other.
In summary, Lucy doesn't like the idea of Krone having me all to herself.
And Krone wants me to say she is my number one in bed.
Both of these wishes are selfish in their own way. However, I couldn't
imagine the aftermath if I don't go and solve this immediately.
"Okay, let's change venues because people might come in here."
"I understand. It will be Yuushin's room, right?"
"Of course will be Yuushin's room. After all, I don't want it to be in your
room!"
Sighing a little at their words, I led them to my room since it will save me
the trouble.
On a side topic, my arms were held by Lucy and Krone while I was on my
way there.
If anyone had seen us, I would be in big trouble, but I managed to get to my
room safely without anyone witnessing us, I think. This cha pt er tra nslati
on is m ade poss ibl e by st ab bing wit h a sy rin ge tra nslat ions. che ck
only up -to -d ate tran sla tions on my Wor d pr ess sit e.
"It's not very spacious, but come on in."
I let the two in and quietly locked the door.
My room was big enough for one person, but with three people in it, I
couldn't help but feel cramped.
"Would you two like something to drink?"
I asked, but the two shook their heads.
"Rather than that, let's quickly head to the topic. I think it's about time we
establish our strong relationship here, Yuushin."
"Oh my, what a coincidence. Though it pains me to say this, I agree with
your words this time. We need to show what exactly our relationship is,
Yuushin."
Why did this conversation take a turn for the worse?
I swallowed a sigh for the umpteenth time today and sat down at the table
with Lucy and Krone.
It was Krone who started the conversation first.
"First of all, let me be clear. I can't stand losing to you more than to
Yuushin!"
Krone looks at Lucy while saying this.
She had this sense of rivalry with Lucy from the very beginning.
The fact that she is still holding on to it can already be called an obsession.
When Krone finished, Lucy's turn came.
"I'm the one who has to be closest to Yuushin. I won't let you do what you
want anymore!"
It seems that she has lost her temper completely.
The recent lack of war results must have ignited a feeling of mortification in
her.
If I let this go as it is, it is unlikely that both parties will be able to discuss
peacefully any issues we will have in the future.
"…I guess I'll just have to rely on my usual methods in times like this.."
I don't know enough good words to talk them out of it, and I'm not the type
to resort to violence.
Which leaves me only one way to fix this situation.