"Thank… you, Your Excellency."
Contrary to her inner thoughts, Sydney politely bent at the waist.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Sydney Wellesley]
[Status: Kill?]
Simple, unambiguous killing intent.
But I paid it no heed and flicked her disheveled apron tie back into place.
"The denomination is rather large. Keep it; I don't need change."
"……Thank you for the excessive tip."
Sydney replied, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. Her hand was clenched so tightly around the wad of bills stuffed into her chest that it crumpled.
"I shall take my leave."
Perhaps fearing that if she stayed here any longer she would truly cut my throat, she hurriedly turned around.
"Ah, Ellie."
I called her back as she reached for the door handle.
She flinched. Sydney's shoulders trembled.
"I enjoyed the wine. I'll ask for you again next time."
"……I shall keep that in mind."
Slam.
The door closed.
I looked at the closed door and snickered.
Sydney Wellesley, chief of the intelligence bureau of the United Kingdom of Victoria. I was probably the only man on the entire continent who had stuffed a tip into her chest.
'With this, the first button is fastened.'
She had come to investigate me, only to return with nothing but confusion and humiliation. And this despite the fact that the renowned chief of intelligence had even donned a maid outfit to make an appearance.
Had simple assassination been her goal, she would have strangled me with a wire long ago, but the reason she went so far as to massage my body to test the waters was obvious.
She had wanted to ascertain the true nature of 'Max Yeager,' the man who controlled Arthur and the Empire's diplomacy—information such as how meticulous a strategist I was, what my origins were, and how extensive my political influence was.
But unfortunately, the only thing she had confirmed was exactly one.
That I was an incredibly arrogant bastard who stuffed a wad of bills into a maid's cleavage under the guise of a tip.
Soon, Sydney's presence vanished completely beyond the closed door.
The red dot traversing my [Minimap] rapidly exited the hotel corridor. She seemed to be descending the emergency stairwell without looking back.
'Fast.'
But there was no time to wallow in sentiment. I picked up the pistol on the nightstand beside the bed.
"Mmm…."
On the bed, Hanna tossed and turned, murmuring in her sleep. Seraphina was also in a deep slumber. The two of them had been monitoring me as I received the massage, but eventually succumbed to the approaching wave of sleep and dozed off. They wouldn't wake for the time being.
Having taken a severe beating from my stamina and received Sydney's professional massage on top of that, they'd probably sleep like logs until tomorrow morning.
I tightened my bathrobe securely and left the room.
My destination was the underground boiler room.
It was where my capable asset manager was holed up.
*
The hotel's underground boiler room was humid and dark.
In a corner tangled with pipes, a lump lay sprawled on the dust-covered floor.
"Well, well."
I clicked my tongue.
Aiden Hunt—no, Arthur.
The great S-class agent was a pitiful sight. His wrists were twisted behind his back and bound with wire, a gag was stuffed in his mouth, and needle marks were vivid on the nape of his neck.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Arthur]
[Status: Unconscious, chemically induced paralysis, bruises all over the body]
I crouched down and tapped Arthur's cheek.
"Wake up, Aiden. What are you doing here during work hours? Bondage play?"
There was no response. It seemed the injection Sydney had administered was quite potent.
'Tuning Touch.'
I placed my palm on the back of Arthur's neck.
[Skill 'Tuning Touch (Lv.2)' has been activated.]
[Forcefully stimulating the paralyzed nervous system to awaken consciousness.]
Zzzt!
"Kuhack…!"
Arthur's eyes snapped open. He gasped and instinctively thrashed, but the wire only dug deeper into his flesh.
"Nrgh, mmph! Mmmph!"
"Calm down. It's me."
I removed the gag from Arthur's mouth.
"Ptoo! Huff, huff…. Max Yeager…!?"
Look at this guy.
"…That's a refreshingly casual way to address me, 'Lieutenant Aiden'?"
"Argh…! Hah, th-that's…!"
Pull yourself together. If this RP ends like this, it'll be a disaster.
"L-Lieutenant Colonel, sir! I-I'm sorry! The drugs made me lose my mind for a moment…!"
[Status: Extreme panic]
Fortunately, it seemed Arthur had no intention of ending this roleplay either. I had saved my S-class asset manager.
"It's alright. How out of it must you have been to do that. Or perhaps…"
I snickered and continued my act.
"You must think of me as a friend?"
"…Hah!"
Arthur let out a hollow gasp.
'Interesting.'
I decided to stop teasing him here. He probably wasn't in his right mind; tormenting him further would just be cruel.
After all, Lieutenant Aiden Hunt before me would be in the same boat as me from now on.
"……."
I fell silent for a moment. During that time, the atmosphere quickly grew heavy. A lieutenant found in the basement after being attacked, and the lieutenant colonel looking down at him.
Drip. Drip.
Only the sound of water dripping from pipes broke the silence of the boiler room.
"……Who did this?"
Arthur's shoulder flinched.
"Who were they? Republic spies? Or industrial spies from Columbia?"
I looked around with a grave expression.
"They dared touch my aide? We must call the security team. If the ledgers you were handling were stolen, this is no ordinary matter."
"N-No, sir!"
Perhaps because the drug was still lingering, Arthur fell for my act completely.
"The security team… isn't necessary."
"What?"
"It's… I let my guard down for a moment. They… must have already escaped."
Arthur made excuses, cold sweat trickling down his face.
It was only natural. The boss of the organization he served had come and subdued him personally before disappearing. He couldn't tell the truth.
Moreover, Sydney hadn't killed Arthur. She had left only a warning. It meant she would watch to see whether he had ulterior motives or was simply incompetent.
It was plain to see that his mind was spinning in turmoil.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Arthur]
[Emotions: Distrust toward his organization, pessimism regarding his own situation, guilt toward Max Yeager]
An interesting emotion was mixed in there. Guilt.
The organization he served suspected him and was trying to cast him aside, yet the target he was supposed to deceive had come down to the basement personally to save him.
This irony was shaking his loyalty. This was an opportunity.
I reached out my hand and pulled Arthur to his feet.
"You've been overworking, Aiden. Your nerves are on edge, which is why thugs could get the better of you."
I dusted off his uniform, covered in dust.
"Are the ledgers safe?"
"……Yes. It seems they… couldn't take them."
"Thank goodness. That's all that matters."
I gripped his shoulder firmly.
"Rest for today. You'll be returning to the front soon. And…."
I lowered my voice.
"Take care of yourself. You are a very precious person to me. No matter who threatens you, I will protect you."
'Captivating Eloquence.'
[Skill 'Captivating Eloquence (Lv.3)' has been activated.]
"I won't ask what circumstances you might have. Why you were targeted by thugs at your workplace, no less a hotel where the Imperial Army is staying."
"……!"
"But remember this one thing, Aiden."
I tapped his chest.
"Ideology, status… whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Only one thing is important. That you are currently within my fence. Without my permission, no one can touch my people. Even if it's an unidentified organization or a massive enemy nation, whatever it may be. Do you understand?"
They were hollow, boastful words.
Ding-
[Stimulating the target's sense of isolation to induce trust.]
['Arthur' feels a strange sense of relief from you.]
They took the bait.
Was this some kind of suspension bridge effect? No matter how steely an S-class agent might be, when driven into such an extreme situation, their mental state was bound to waver.
And my [Captivating Eloquence] was a skill perfectly suited to exploiting such gaps.
I cheered internally and checked my [Minimap].
In the hotel's underground boiler room, the point that had been glowing red was no longer there.
In its place remained a white dot.
A marker signifying neutrality, not hostility.
"…I-I shall keep that in mind, Lieutenant Colonel."
Arthur replied, his voice choked with emotion. I nodded in satisfaction and turned around.
Behind me, I heard Arthur slump to the floor.
*
The next morning.
Before boarding the train back, some final tidying up was necessary.
I immediately summoned the hotel manager.
The manager bent at a perfect 90 degrees the moment he stood before me.
"You called for me, Your Excellency. Was there anything inconvenient…."
"No, it was very comfortable. The service was especially impressive."
I tossed the pouch of gold coins I had prepared beforehand onto the table.
Clink-.
The manager's eyes went wide.
"Wh-what is this…?"
"It's about the maid who attended to my room last night. I quite liked her."
I sat with my legs crossed and spoke arrogantly.
"I'm taking that girl with me."
"Pardon? Do you mean Ellie?"
The manager's bewilderment was palpable. And no wonder—Ellie was a new hire who had just arrived yesterday.
"Is there a problem?"
"N-No, sir! It's just… she was only hired yesterday, so her background verification and contract haven't been finalized yet…."
"Background verification?"
I snorted.
"I'm a Lieutenant Colonel of the Imperial Army vouching for her. What need is there for scraps of paper? If the issue is a penalty fee, that should be more than enough."
I gestured at the pouch with my chin. Fifty gold coins. A sum several times a mere maid's annual salary.
The manager's pupils wavered. The prestige of a war hero, and the gold before his eyes.
From the hotel's perspective, selling off a maid with no pedigree and forging a connection with an imperial bigwig was a profitable deal.
"Ah, understood! Of course you must take her! It would be the greatest honor for Ellie!"
"Good. Prepare her at once. In time for the train."
"Yes, sir! I shall handle it immediately!"
The manager clutched the pouch of gold to his chest obsequiously and withdrew.
*
At the same time, in the hotel staff lounge.
"……What did you say?"
Sydney Wellesley doubted her own ears.