How to Subdue the Masochist Princess 24

Chapter 24 – Better to Go Together Than Alone

Vice-captain Agnes avoids looking at me whenever he sees me throughout the day.

‘Joe, it’s a bit sudden, but… I will prepare my mind in advance.’

Other than that, it was common to show a disheveled appearance that was different from usual, such as muttering incomprehensible sounds or needlessly blushing.

Even biting his tongue or stuttering while reporting the peculiarities of his subordinates in front of me.

Seeing such a thorough and meticulous woman who is usually so thorough and meticulous, almost lost her mind, it was to the point of doubting whether she was suffering from the aftereffects of the runaway phenomenon.

‘It’s a big deal.’

If so, it was out of the ordinary. I was well aware of how painful it was.

In order to resolve the aftereffects, similar treatment should be continued from the person who gave first aid at the time until the symptoms improve.

‘You stupid disciple. How much trouble is she going to annoy?’

Past. When he tried to overcome the realm and caused a mana runaway phenomenon.

How many times did her master hit her ass before she was completely back to normal?

As a grown man, lying on Master’s thighs, which were less than half my size, and being forced to heal several times was a truly terrifying and shameful experience.

Meanwhile, the vice-captain wasn’t the only thing I had to worry about.

‘Hey there, average knight. Your name… Was it Kyle? Is there any problem?’
‘Hey, Captain! No! Absolutely, absolutely no problem!’

When I approached the knight who was visibly dying and asked, he said that he was fine with words, but he gave off a hint of trouble to anyone.

And that wasn’t all.

Right now, all the members of the Black Lion Knights, regardless of top or bottom, were walking around with a gloomy and gloomy spirit flowing through them.

Even when they wielded their swords or when they were training their stamina, the fact that they didn’t feel any vitality at all reminded them of the undead army.

It is a mess that is not much different from the appearance at the time of the inauguration ceremony.

‘What should I do with this?’

It seemed that it was largely to blame for the unwelcome guests who had visited in the morning.

Due to the nature of the group’s strict hierarchy, everyone refrained from talking about useless things, but everyone definitely has eyes and ears.

The fact that the Imperial Counterespionage Service and the Heretic Inquisition visited the unit at the same time.

Everyone is showing anxiety about what would normally be called a bad sign.

As a leader, this was something he could never neglect.

So, after gathering the Black Lion Knights at the central training ground, I decided to break through the current situation head-on.

“Has everyone gathered?”
“Yes! Everyone is standing here.”

Standing on top of the podium and examining the spirit and every aspect of his subordinates, they were all clearly usable beyond compare to when he first saw them.

Continued exchanges with knights from the Imperial Guard. And the practice I went through a while ago must have been a big help.

However, the gloomy atmosphere that hovered throughout the space was unbearable.

I raised my spirits and opened my mouth.

As the purpose was completely different from the last time, this time, he took control of the surroundings with a strong pulsating will to boost the morale of his subordinates.

“I know what you’re worried about. First of all, I guarantee that the counterintelligence department or the Inquisition will never provoke or harm us.”

-Yes! All right!

However, the effect was minimal. After all, is this not too far fetched?

It seemed that my achievements were still insufficient to imitate Master in this meticulous aspect.

Everyone was giving a loud reply, but it was clear that delusion still resided in the hearts of the subordinates.

An awkward and stiff momentum, as if forcibly pretending to be confident.

‘Everyone seems to have shrunk a lot.’

They were shrunken, like new soldiers facing their first battle, or criminals facing sentencing.

Why?

Me and my men are not even sinners.

Rather, we were a victorious unit that successfully completed a recent subjugation mission.

Even if everyone’s morale is high and everyone is cheerfully excited, they have to slump at a plate that is not enough.

Didn’t like it. This was not right.

So I decided to fix it.

“The reason the headmaster called you here is simple. I’ll tell you directly. Is there anyone who hates wealth and fame?”

-There is not!

When we skipped a bunch of small intermediate steps and went straight to the main topic, everyone was clearly agitated. It seemed as if he was suddenly saying something out of the blue.

However, much of the anxiety in the hearts of his subordinates was blown away with this just now.

What overshadowed the place where there was anxiety was anticipation and doubt that could not be hidden.

Again, it is better to minimize the mention of topics that are reluctant and quickly cover them with other topics.

Rather than trying to persuade with useless words, this was much better.

“We’ve been given a new mission. Unlike the last time, it’s too dangerous. Only selected elites can join us. It’s related to the enemy threatening the empire.”

Anyway, this mission wasn’t something worth hiding, nor something on a scale that could be hidden.

The true purpose of the mission must be kept strictly confidential until right before dispatch, but it is meaningless to try to hide the rest. Rather, it only has the opposite effect.

So, when we just laid out the outline of the mission in a cool way, everyone’s eyes were filled with various emotions.

A torrent of various emotions, such as anticipation, passion, excitement, worry, and fatigue.

Although there was a bit of weakness and negative emotions mixed in, I could understand even that.

How long has it been since he went through a real battle and had a break? What else is this mission? To be honest, even when I think about it, the schedule is a bit harsh. It’s not even an exhibition.

Some were even still healing their injuries.

So, in order to further motivate his subordinates, he had to serve out enough delicious carrots to cover them all.

After taking a deep breath, let’s deliberately exhale one word louder.

“But if you succeed, a huge reward will follow. I can say that it is comparable to making a direct contribution on the battlefield. I pledge my honor.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

It’s not really mixed with rhetoric. Maybe it’s just a phrase to boost morale that’s even clichéd.

The story is different if the person speaking is really a person who went to the battlefield, ran a dead line, and eventually came back alive.

Besides, I only spoke the plain truth with no lies mixed in.

It’s about subduing a hideous hybrid of traitors and devil worshipers, but I can’t help but wash my mouth and offer a trivial reward.

At least the imperial family I’ve seen so far was very big. Enough to make voluntary loyalty boil.

Of course, that’s not going to happen, but… If you don’t like the reward for this mission, I’ll go directly to the Treasury and let go of it, and I’ll take it all.

Anyway, judging from the heat in the eyes of his subordinates, it seemed that he had almost passed it by now.

If so, one last word would suffice.

“The quota for this mission is only 30 people. Regardless of rank, we’ll make it up to only those with outstanding skills. A week from now, let’s expect the results of the sparring. Do you have any objections?”

-There is not!!!

A very satisfied and loud reply came back from hundreds of eager men.

“Okay. Let’s finish today’s official routine here. Everyone can engage in sparring or practice on their own, and those who are tired or have personal circumstances can leave. That’s it.”

I got off the podium with it.

If centurions who can use auras are an exception, the skill gap between rank knights and ranks of decimators was honestly there.

It feels like a position is determined based on experience or seniority.

Of course, both factors cannot be ignored, but if you have to screen and select the best people like this mission, it would be better to attach a competition.

While all of his subordinates were scattered to do their own thing.

The blushing vice-captain approached me hesitantly.

“Thank you for your hard work, Captain. It was a wonderful speech indeed.”
“It’s cool. I’m not good at speaking in the first place, so I just finished it with all kinds of tricks. Thank you even for empty words.”

Just like last time, he was trying to make a fuss over something trivial again, so this time he drew a clear line before any embarrassing noises came out.

‘You’re amazing, company commander! Just that What did you do?’

Sometimes, whenever I see the vice-captain doing something like that, I get a really strange feeling.

Although their appearances are completely different, how on earth did every little action or habit resemble Lieutenant Laurent?

The person who left her would never come back, but the image of her vice-captain overlapped with her.

* * *

When I left the unit to leave work early after stopping by the office, the vice-captain who was waiting in front of the guardhouse immediately followed me.

“Hey, you look like you’ve been having a hard time since morning. There’s no need to force yourself to follow. If you’re not feeling well, it’s okay not to follow.”
“No. Blood, if need be, I can make it past midnight today.”
“Really? If so, I’m glad. Follow me. We’ll talk about the details as we go.”

Of course, it would take quite a while to stop by the smithy and order the armor for the two of them, but even so, it wouldn’t take until midnight.

Are you using the expression to ask not to take too long of your time? If that’s the case, I’ll just finish the business and send it to you soon.

“Walking side by side with the captain like this… It reminds me of the vacation I spent in Viscount Bartok’s territory.”

However, the vice-captain came a little too close to me today. At this point, he was ready to cross his arms like he did back then. I honestly don’t hate it, but not now.

“Right now, both of them are wearing uniforms, so it would be difficult if they cling to each other.
“Hot! Sorry.”

Also, judging from her symptoms, it seemed almost certain that the aftereffects of the mana runaway had occurred.

On vacation, she was frankly a little anxious, but now she seemed to understand.

The original owner of the strange mana that got into her mana core during first aid. In other words, I felt a sense of intimacy on an unconscious level.

It was a rare phenomenon that could only occur if the mana compatibility was fairly well matched, but if you think about it, it was a very strange thing.

Originally, the mana of the manifestation world image holder containing the energy of nature and my mana could not be compatible with each other.

If the magicians knew about it, they would be happy to say that a rare case had occurred.

I led the vice-captain to the post office located near the base. This is because it is a bit unreasonable to walk to the commercial district where the inspiration forge is located.

When I arrived at the post station, my coachman was playing happily with the other coachmen.

Then, when he saw my face approaching from a distance, he was startled and overturned the plate.

“Ouch! Wait a minute, I’m sorry!”
“No, take it slow. It’s my fault for coming early without a message. So, did you win?”
“Yes! I won some today. I almost lost, but I’m glad the owner came to visit me.”

I looked back at the vice-captain next to me as I waited for the coachman who quickly started preparing the wagon.

“Have your coachman take the wagon to the commercial district. That’s where it’s going.”
“Ummm, well…”

But, isn’t the vice-captain staring at the ground at a loss for what to do?

She also comes from a strict aristocratic family, so she must have her own car. No way…

“Joe, aren’t you narrow? I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.”

Yes. Well, maybe there is no wagon.

Actually, it’s a strange thing to have. Even if you don’t know the language, a private wagon is close to a luxury item. It seemed like I was thinking too much based on my standards.

“Well, doesn’t it smell unpleasant? I didn’t wash my body today.”
“No, it’s fine. You always smell good, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Hot! That, that…”

So I put the vice-captain on the seat next to the wagon and headed for the smithy.

It was the same when I was with the princess in the morning, and it’s the same now.

It didn’t feel too bad to have a passenger in a wagon that I had been using alone for a long time.