As soon as I saw Lucy descending the stairs to gather the troops, I
approached the old man who had been gathering the enemy survivors.
"May I have a moment? I'm going to take the Zaintert sisters to the back
now, and I'd like you to take care of this place while I'm gone."
Saying this, he looked at me suspiciously for a moment.
"Is there something amiss about those girls?"
"There is no problem there, but if we take them downstairs, we run the risk
of them being surrounded by soldiers from other units. Lacy's case is a
given, but most of the soldiers don't know that Milena is a spy yet."
Except for me, the only people who know she's a spy are Lucy and the
chief vassal old man.
I have only let the minimum number of people know in order to prevent
information leaks.
"Hmm. Certainly, in the end, she's still the enemy. I thought that since
they're allied to milady, being a similarly-aged female commander, we can
expect our allies to have the same morals as the soldiers we have trained,
but perhaps that's wishful thinking."
Lucy's forces will be fine as she and her retainers will keep a tight grip on
them.
However, can we expect such morals from the soldiers of other units allied
with us?
Alas, I should not be optimistic.
In the first place, it was already a miracle for Krasland to be able to
maintain discipline well after the collapse of the state.
I can trust my fellow commanders, but even I can't keep track of each and
every one of their subordinates. If y ou a re a ble to r e ad thi s mes sa ge, yo
u are re adi ng fr om an unau tho rized agg reg ate si te. Rea d at my W ord
Pres s at sta bb ing w ith a sy ri nge. ho me. bl og to su pp ort me and my tr
ansl at ions.
"Especially when it comes to the Marquis's commanding officers. Who
knows, maybe they will be the first to be ripped into shreds by their own
troops because of their failure and their obedience to the Marquis's
commands. Whatever the treatment after this, I want to ensure their safety."
He seemed to agree with my words.
"Then I'll leave you in charge. Get them out of here."
"Thank you, sir."
Saying my gratitude, I helped Milena and Lacy to their feet.
Lacy still can't seem to get over the shock. It's kind of like her soul is
missing.
Then, leaving the room to avoid the eyes of my men and the captives, I
moved one floor below and entered a private room.
Looking at it, it appears to be a guest room or something.
There was a reasonably sized bed, ready for use at any time.
I made them sit on the bed, wet a towel in the bathroom, wrung it out, and
brought it to Milena and Lacy to wipe themselves.
"…Why did you bring us here?"
Lacy asked. It seems that some sanity has returned to her.
"I think I don't need to explain what will happen when a defeated
commander, and a beautiful woman at that, shows herself in front of a
bunch of soldiers who are her enemies, don't you think?"
With my words, she seemed to have finally got it.
She looked bitter as she clenched her hands on her lap.
"Even I wouldn't want to leave now either."
"Yep, that's the best choice. So, Milena, I'll be counting on you to help me
convince Lacy."
She nodded when I said this, but Lacy had a quizzical look on her face.
So before she could answer, I took the initiative to explain it to her.
"I know that look, but hear me out. We are not trying to eradicate the
Marquisist nobility. If you help us govern after this, we will ensure that
neither of you will be brought to trial."
We have succeeded in our coup, and now we have to govern stably from
here.
In that case, the connections of the sisters, favored by the Marquis, would
be useful to at least gather the enemy camp.
"You're going to have to work with us, Lacy. It's better for both of us."
I looked down at her again and told her that.
Lacy mulled it over for a bit, but in the end, she returned the words to me in
a dismissive manner.
"I know some people in the executive branch and the military. But if it's
about connections, why don't you just leave it to my sister? I have only
focused my skills in battle throughout my life that I don't know much about
internal affairs."
"Sigh… so stubborn. I no longer think there's any value in keeping loyalty
to the Marquis at this point, you know?"
I said so, and Lacy responded by glaring at me.
"I have fulfilled my promise to my uncle by fighting to the end, so I'm done
with him. But the thing is, I don't like you."
It seems that she hates me a lot.
Well, it's not surprising since I was the one who tore the relationship
between the sisters to shreds as I made Milena betray her.
"Well, sorry about that. But at that time, I had no other choice. I needed to
get Milena to betray to win against the Marquis. But still, I apologize."
As I bowed deeply saying that, I heard a sigh from in front of me.
"Then, is it also a lie that you also wanted to recruit me for betrayal at that
time?"
"Well, that would be good if it happened, but it didn't. Either way, it is
obvious which of you was better suited to be a spy at that time."
At these words, Lacy is dissatisfied, but then, as if giving up, she relaxes
her shoulders and exhales.
"I'm still disgusted at how I was easily used, but alright, I'll cooperate with
you. I don't want to die just yet. Nor become a plaything for the soldiers."
"Wise choice and I'm glad to hear it. But I can't let you play an active role
in the public eye, at least not yet, so you'll be my direct subordinate
instead."
Then I took an inward sigh. Mission accomplished.
By the way, Lacy looked very uncomfortable at the words "my direct
subordinate," but I'll let her put up with it. This cha p ter tr ansl atio n is ma
de po ssi ble by st abbi ng with a sy ri nge tra nslati ons. check on ly u p-t od ate tran slati ons on my Wo rdp ress s ite.
Moreover, though this one is a bit personal, I cannot bear to make a woman
I once held into my arms become a comfort for rowdy soldiers, even though
they've just been our enemies.
"Well, then. Let's get started on 'our' preparations before heading
downstairs."
After saying this, I moved toward Lacy and pushed her body down on the
bed.
"-!? Mr. Sanada, what are you…!!"
Seeing this, Milena rushed to stop me.
But I pulled her along and pushed her down on the bed.
Then, looking down at them, I said.
"I said you were my direct subordinates, but that was just a front. You two
will be my personal spoils of war."
I put my hands on their bodies.
"Consider this my marking. Even the roughest soldier wouldn't think of
assaulting a woman I had my hands on, being their senior officer."
"Kuh… But this doesn't make you no different from that rough soldier you
speak of!"
"No different? No way. I would be a hundred times better than them. And
I'll prove it here now."
I hugged Lacy and took her lips a little forcefully as I speak this.
"Mmm, mmmhhh!!"
"Grow up a bit. I know it's not nice to do this, especially while you're still
stained in blood. Moreover, it's the blood of my own men that don't want to
stare for long. But I have no choice, as it's necessary to do this now."
Or else, who knows who will lay their hands on them after this? Lucy may
be the flagbearer, but they all know I am the center of this operation.
As for the blood of my own men, they were from the two soldiers who were
the first to be cut down and seriously wounded when they challenged Lacy.
I remember all the faces of these men, and we talked on a daily basis
because they were Lucy's guards.
She finally quieted down, perhaps sensing the emotion in my voice.
I felt like I was using a little underhanded means when I brought up this
topic, but oh well.
I continued to undress Lacy, then also did the same to Milena.