Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.
---
Days of idling away at the training facility continued.
He entrusted his work to artificial intelligence, and by the time the checks were done, it was already before noon.
After that, he would enjoy a leisurely lunch, sometimes finishing it quickly and taking a relaxed break.
In the afternoon, he would finish the remaining work, prepare to leave on time, and then it was break time.
If someone came to complain, he would use his status to send them away, and sometimes he would send a bribe—no, a seasonal greeting to the commander of the regular fleet?
Tia had said, "If we send a large amount of supplies to the front line, everyone will surely understand the greatness of Lord Liam."
Using the empire's money to buy favor was indeed a sweet deal.
However, I felt it would be bad for my image if everything was paid for by the empire, so I used my pocket money to send appropriate gifts.
If I could buy favor with the commander of the regular fleet, it would surely be useful someday.
It might not be good for the empire, but during my training, I would do as I pleased.
---
One day, such days continued.
That day, I had invited Kurt to lunch.
Kurt, who had graduated from university and was undergoing training as a civil servant, was apparently having a tough time.
Unlike me, he was serious and didn't cut corners, so he was busy.
---
"My adjutant?"
Kurt, dressed in a suit, had grown taller since we last met.
At first glance, he looked like a handsome young man, but inside, he was a serious and corrupt lord.
"Yeah. There are many military officers vying for the position of Liam's adjutant. The military is having a hard time with the selection process."
Many military officers want to be the adjutant of the duke.
"Any beautiful woman will do, though."
Kurt laughed, saying, "You're still the same, aren't you?"
Wallace, eating a steak, shot Kurt a jealous glance.
"Liam aside, even you, as the heir of a baron's family, have women making a fuss over you. There are many women who want to be your secretary or subordinate."
I asked, "Is that so?"
Kurt blushed.
"Well, there are quite a few, but it's not just me. Many heirs have people vying to be their secretaries or adjutants."
Wallace looked envious.
"Many adjutants and secretaries are poached, so if you can get in, you're set. —But I haven't received any offers."
There are many princes, but apparently, no one finds them attractive.
Moreover, if you get involved and get caught up in the royal family's disputes, you might end up being executed. It's a delicate position.
"I'll hope for a top beauty as my adjutant."
Wallace looked at me and laughed.
"Don't worry. Appearance is a must for the selection of adjutants and secretaries. It's just a matter of preference, but who will be chosen as Liam's adjutant?"
The final selection will be made by me, but the screening process is apparently difficult.
I heard that background checks and various other investigations are conducted.
---
In a spacious room, beautiful female officers lined up.
Tia, who had been promoted for her significant contributions to the reduction of the patrol fleet and the formation of the regular fleet, was walking among them.
Her rank was now colonel.
This was an unusual promotion, but it was deserved.
"Ladies, Lord Liam is finally being officially assigned to the military."
Tia's skills in forming large fleets were highly regarded in the military, and she had turned down all offers to be poached.
The female officers she had gathered were all from the Banfield family's territory.
"You are elite officers selected from Lord Liam's territory. Surely, Lord Liam will choose his adjutant from among you. —You must be chosen."
Many military officers are vying to be Liam's adjutant.
However, Tia couldn't place outsiders by Liam's side.
The reason is that if Liam likes his adjutant, he might take them with him when he leaves the military.
While they might support Liam's military efforts, it would be troublesome if they prioritized the imperial army over Liam.
Moreover, there's a possibility that Liam might get involved with them, so she wanted to place elite officers selected from the territory by his side.
"Serve Lord Liam with all your heart and soul!"
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone responded in unison and saluted, and Tia was satisfied with their actions.
(Their abilities as adjutants and their appearance—there is no better choice. Lord Liam will surely be satisfied.)
---
On the other hand.
The military's upper echelons were at a loss.
"What should we do?"
"---We need a liaison between the baron, or rather, the future duke."
"Are there any candidates for this role?"
Liam, who had made a name for himself in logistics, had ordered his knights to prepare a regular fleet equipped with the latest warships for the military.
He was a noble who owned a large amount of rare metals and could solve the military's headache.
A connection was necessary.
However, Tia had not given them any opportunity, and there was no liaison between them and Liam.
The position of adjutant was ideal, but Tia was trying to place someone from Liam's territory in that role.
One person raised their head.
"---There is one capable person."
"What about their appearance?"
"No problem. Plus, they have met the baron before."
"Who is it?"
The data of the woman was displayed on the spot.
"Major Yurisha. She was originally assigned to a weapons factory but later received retraining and joined a special forces unit. She has also received training in intelligence."
She held various qualifications and had a track record.
The military was reluctant to let her go, but they believed that with her outstanding abilities and good looks, Liam would be satisfied.
"What about her willingness? This kind of arrangement can lead to future problems. Is she willing?"
Would she become a noble's mistress or concubine? That was the issue.
Some would eagerly volunteer, but many women would be reluctant.
"No problem. She accepted the offer willingly."
"Still, what an impressive record. I'd want her as a subordinate."
Yurisha was highly regarded.
"If Major is not suitable, we can give up. Send the materials to the baron immediately."
---Thanks to the efforts of the liaison, Yurisha slipped into the position of Liam's adjutant candidate.
---
I was looking at materials that resembled match-making photos at work.
People around me seemed to be paying attention, but no one complained.
Wallace picked up one of the photos and was surprised by its contents.
"Wow, she's beautiful! Oh, I wish she could be my adjutant."
Wallace, being a royal, was scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant after his training, but he was not expected to have an adjutant.
He wouldn't be in a position to have one.
"Should I assign you a drill sergeant?"
"Liam, you have a good sense of humor. —Hey, you're joking, right?"
A drill sergeant as his mentor—maybe that would be good.
However, I'm not good with someone who would drill everything into me.
I won't be in the military for long, so it's not necessary.
As Wallace looked through the photos, he stopped at one.
"Hey, this person has an impressive record. Former special forces."
"What?"
Checking the contents of the materials, there was Yurisha's photo.
Her record showed that she had moved from the third weapons factory to the military's retraining facility, then to a special forces unit, and later back to the retraining facility for intelligence training.
She had become like a female spy.
"Why did she join the special forces?"
I was curious, and Wallace tilted his head.
"Do you know her?"
"She was a former sales representative at a weapons factory. She was my contact."
"Nice. As a baron, beautiful women must flock to you without you even asking."
It felt good to see Wallace envious.
I looked at the pile of materials.
---It seemed I wouldn't be able to leave on time if I checked them all.
Moreover, after flipping through them all, none of the women seemed to be the right fit.
Sigh— I want to see Amakusa.
Should I bring her to the capital planet?
I've entrusted the territory's work to her, and now Berkeley and his group are wandering around me, so I'm hesitant to bring her.
---I'm getting tired of fighting with Berkeley.
I wish we could settle this quickly.
"Maybe Yurisha is good enough. I know her, and she's not a bad choice."
"Can you decide so easily?"
"Huh! I can gather as many beautiful women as I want. There's no need to be picky about an adjutant."
There's no need to think deeply, so I decided on Yurisha.
She's a bit disappointing, but it should be fine.
---
The day after I decided on my adjutant.
Yurisha came to the training facility.
"Lord Liam, it's been a while."
Yurisha saluted with a smile, but her body was more toned than before.
However, she had more fat on her chest and buttocks—her figure had improved.
She had tightened where she needed to, and her chest and buttocks were more emphasized.
When Yurisha came to my desk, I stopped processing the electronic documents.
"---Weren't you supposed to be assigned to me in six months?"
"I have the upper echelons' approval. Plus, I thought there would be more work before the official assignment, so I came to help."
She's quite considerate.
She's a completely different person from before.
---
Yurisha, standing in front of Liam, hid her dark emotions.
(Finally. I can finally take my revenge, Liam.)
Yurisha approached Liam to avenge her pride, which had been crushed before.
She had spent years polishing herself, thinking only of this man who had rejected her advances.
"Lord Liam, right away—"
The first step of her revenge was about to begin.
However, someone entered Liam's workplace, crying.
Nias, a technical lieutenant colonel from the problematic seventh weapons factory, was a woman with black hair and glasses, but she had many disappointing qualities.
"Lord Liam~!"
Nias burst in, rudely opening the door, and immediately broke down in tears.
(You, what are you doing here?)
Yurisha knew Nias, but there was no greeting.
Liam looked bewildered.
"---What do you want?"
(Damn! Be rude and send her away! You're still too soft.)
Liam was generally lenient with acquaintances.
He could be strict, but he was fundamentally a compassionate noble.
Yurisha knew this, but she was annoyed by Nias, who was getting in her way.
"Please listen! I built a prototype ship with the rare metals you gave me before! But everyone interfered—"
"I heard about that before."
Nias had been conducting various experiments, but the seventh weapons factory's personnel had gathered and tried out various new technologies.
As a result, Nias couldn't do what she wanted.
Yurisha inwardly smirked.
(Serves you right. Hurry up and leave after you finish complaining.)
She wanted to break Liam down quickly, but Nias was in the way.
However.
"---I need more rare metals and budget."
"What!?"
Even Yurisha was surprised by the audacious request.
To develop a new generation of warships, a huge budget and a large amount of rare metals were needed.