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 weāre being guided on the way to the chief commanderās office.
āBut why are we being summoned now, of all times?ā I asked the officer who relayed the report to us.
āThey said that they want to talk to you about your performance in the war.ā They said in return.
āBut why the chief himself? Isnāt he like in change of the whole army? Why would he trouble himself with lower-ranking soldiers like us?ā
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 Iām sure there were plenty of incidents where other troops did worse but were still congratulated, even with the same numbers involved.
āWell, I donāt know the specifics as I was only ordered to relay this to you. But Iām pretty sure they will tell you the reason once you get there.ā
āI see. Thank you. I just hope itās something good.ā
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After a bit of walking, we finally arrived at the chief commanderās office.
We knocked on the door and entered the room, and from there, we met a well-dressed, middle-aged man.
āLucy Finlay, reporting for duty. Also, this is my temporary adjutant, Yuushin Sanada.ā
I straightened my posture, following Lucyās 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.
āIāve heard about your accomplishments, Miss Lucy. Thank you for your efforts the other day.ā
āNo way, sir. I was just doing my part as a soldier and a nobleman.ā
The chief commanderās gaze was sharp as he spoke with Lucy, showing that the āheadā is not as loose as the ālimbsā.
āI remember your father as well. Itās a shame we lost him.ā
The he said those words next. This time the chief commander showed he was genuinely saddened by the loss.Ā 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.
āIāve heard that youāre going to inherit your fatherās title soon. If so, can we expect great things from you in the future?ā
āYes, I promise to be a company commander worthy of my fatherās name.ā
āThatās a good answer. Very well, Iāll have your troops replenished and ready in no time.ā
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 ā all while he remains on his seat.
A simple document, yet it decides the course of the whole battle.
Of course, itās still a communication device in the end. It would be useless if you donāt 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 couldnāt help but be envious of his position.
While I was thinking of this, the chief commander switched his gaze to me.
(What? Iām sure I havenāt 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 Lucyās adjutant.
I felt a chill run through my body, and sweat poured down my spine.
Iām 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.
āYouāreā¦ā¦Sanada, arenāt you? You seem to be well prepared, but your ways are still too naĆÆve. It seems that you didnāt 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.ā
āā¦.. Iām sorry, sir. I didnāt know you were personally monitoring the inside of the military.ā
I couldnāt do anything about this. He and I were too different in terms of influence within these grounds.
(Then again, itās 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.)
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I can no longer think of a good excuse to get out of this situation.
āI donāt know what youāre planning, butā¦ā¦I wonāt be stopping you for now. After all, itās not in my jurisdiction to deal with these matters.ā
This time, itās my turn to be surprised. Nevertheless, his tone as he said this is cold and creepy that I canāt let down my guard just yet.
āEither way, I am still a soldier who is focused on protecting this city in the end. And since you havenāt done anything that endangers our jobs in any way, and on the contrary, have proven to be of our use even, Iāll let this one slide. However, Miss Finlay, from here on, you will be the one responsible for this manās actions henceforth.ā
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.
āAn official appointment letter?ā
āIf 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.ā
āOh, thank you so much!ā 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.
āYuushin, that envelope earlier. It was a bribe, wasnāt it?ā
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.
āWhile I too think that it isnāt a good idea, next time you do something like that, could you please tell me first?ā
Sheāsā¦ā¦ approving my behavior?
āYouāreā¦ā¦not angry? And here I thought you were going to scold me for being dishonestā¦ā¦.ā
After that, she stopped her tracks and looked at me.
āI think I would have been if I was the āLucy before I met Yuushinā. But Iāve grown now, thus Iām no longer that girl, all thanks to you.ā
āWell, Iām flattered to hear that.ā
This is a sign that she trusts me, which is good because trust is essential for our relationship.Ā 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.
Iām still a little skeptical about sharing information about everything, though.
āIām 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?ā
This time, she looked at me intently, and her eyes were serious.
It seems that she is trusting me more than I thought.
āOf course. I will continue to support you as your adjutant.ā
I replied, looking back into her eyes with conviction.
Really? You promise?ā
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 Lucyās beauty that I didnāt 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, itās 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.
āIn that case, letās quickly go to the personnel department and have you officially assigned as my adjutant, Yuushin!ā
After urging me, we started walking again.
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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.
Whatās more, he seems to know well about the successes of her predecessor.
For her, a company commander, this is a great advantage, as all sheāll need are more accomplishments on the battlefield, and her promotion is guaranteed.
And soon as she gets promoted, itāll be the same for me as wellā¦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 Iāll 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. Itās still too early to pit Lucy against them. Might be after she developed quite a bit?)
Since I donāt 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.