Beautiful female officers surrounded me. And the Army Marshal watched that sight with a pleased expression.
"Hehe, you're quite popular, Colonel Yeogeo."
Ludwig laughed heartily.
"Looking at your subordinates' eyes, if I tried to take you away, I doubt I'd leave with my bones intact."
"…You too, Marshal."
I felt something like killing intent just now…. Was it my imagination?
"Anyway, your standing will pierce the sky after this. A hero who saved Her Imperial Highness the Princess. When you go to the capital, you might have to wear armor made entirely of medals."
With those words, Ludwig left.
*
Inside the car returning to the lodgings.
Seraphina, Hanna, and I were sitting in the back seat. Erica sat in the passenger seat, glancing back through the rearview mirror.
"……Are you really okay? The smell of blood is wafting."
Erica asked bluntly. Perhaps because it was a cramped car, the fishy scent of blood mingled with the smell of gunpowder felt even thicker.
"It's not my blood. It's theirs."
I answered, undoing the buttons of my shirt. My throat felt tight. Dust, gunpowder, and the blood of others were clotted all over my body, making it unbearably uncomfortable.
"Still, we must call a medical officer. As soon as possible, to Captain Elise…."
Seraphina said with a worried expression, touching the bloodstain on my shirtsleeve. Beside her, Hanna nodded as if she would fetch bandages right away.
"Alright. I'll stop by tomorrow morning at least. But for now, I want to wash up first."
"Then I shall wash you."
"I will help too!"
Seraphina and Hanna shouted at the same time.
"Huh?! W-What……?"
Erica's face, reflected in the rearview mirror, heated up like a tomato in an instant. She looked amusing with her lips quivering in shock, but I lightly waved my hand in refusal.
"It's fine. You all must be tired, so rest. I can just have Ellie wash me."
"……Ellie?"
"I've never heard that name before…."
"…Do you mean the maid at that mansion?"
At my words, the air inside the car subtly chilled. Seraphina's brows narrowed, and Hanna's nose tip twitched. It seemed jealousy had flared at the fact that an unknown maid had seized the initiative.
Screech—
"Ah, we've arrived. See you tomorrow."
Leaving behind the prickly gazes stabbing into the back of my head, I entered the mansion alone.
*
As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I headed to the bathroom.
"Draw the water, Ellie."
"……Yes, Master."
Perhaps she had already heard the news, for Sydney was waiting in advance. She wore a white apron, filling the bathtub with hot water.
Splash—.
I took off my blood-stained military jacket and threw it into the basket before entering the bathroom. The inside was full of steam.
"……."
Sydney stole a glance at my body without a word. The bare skin revealed as I removed my shirt. Small scratches and bruises must have been visible over my lean muscles.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Sydney Wellesley]
[Status: Relief, cold cost-benefit calculation, heightened wariness]
[Emotion: He even saved the Princess's life. …Just where is this man's limit?]
Though outwardly a docile maid, inside she was tapping away at a calculator in real-time, befitting an intelligence bureau chief.
I submerged my body into the bathtub. The blood and dirt dust clinging to my body spread across the hot water, creating red streaks.
Then, a slight change occurred.
[Emotion: Is my mission finally over now…. I don't have to… endure this humiliation anymore….]
[Hidden Desire: I will take advantage of the chaos from the Elancia remnant suppression to fake 'Maid Ellie's' death and return to my homeland.]
'Hoo.'
It seemed she had drafted an escape plan.
The Imperial Army would begin large-scale suppression operations tomorrow in retaliation for the attempted assassination of the Princess. She must be calculating that she could disguise herself as an unfortunate maid caught up in that chaos and disappear.
Coincidentally, she had also completed the Santa Barbara mission that the United Kingdom had long wished for. So this was an optimal opportunity to cleanly erase her disguise identity and vanish.
'It has become the last night before I know it.'
I felt inwardly reluctant to let an SSS-rank maid go for free. When would I get another chance to act domineering toward a foreign intelligence bureau chief?
'Well, [Vision Sharing] is still valid even if she leaves.'
[Current Connection Target: 'Sydney Wellesley' (1/1)]
[You are sharing the visual information of the designated target ('Sydney Wellesley') in real time.]
She was the intelligence bureau chief of the United Kingdom. She would come into contact with all sorts of classified information. Just spying on what she did after returning to her home country would be plenty helpful.
"I shall…… scrub your back, Master."
Sydney approached behind me, holding a soft sponge.
Shhk, shhk.
The sponge soaked in warm water swept down my shoulders and back. As for the touch, it was that of a devoted maid, free of unnecessary embellishment.
I closed my eyes, submerging myself up to my neck in the hot water. As my tension eased, drowsiness washed over me.
"Today… you have worked hard, Master."
"Yes. Thanks to you, I overcame a great obstacle."
"……I did nothing. It is all thanks to Master's excellent discernment."
"How modest."
I blurted out indifferently.
"It sounds nice to call it a 'subcontract,' but from the United Kingdom's standpoint, it's actually a humiliating choice of words. It couldn't be helped trying to accommodate Her Imperial Highness the Princess's caprice."
Sydney's hand stopped for a very brief moment.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Sydney Wellesley]
[Emotion: A subcontract… from our United Kingdom's standpoint, it is humiliating, but it can't be helped.]
"Humiliating, Master? I do not know much about difficult political talk, but…."
Sydney's voice maintained a thoroughly obedient maid's tone, unlike her inner thoughts.
"I think it is remarkable that you protected the Empire's interests, Master. Th-the United Kingdom… wouldn't it be better than starving to death?"
"Well, yes. If we only count the practical gains, it's a perfect win-win for both nations. The Empire cleans its front yard without spending money, and the United Kingdom legally secures trade routes. No matter how the shell looks, the substance is solid, right?"
I said with a grin.
"The problem is whether those high-nosed United Kingdom bastards will meekly accept that label of 'subcontract.' No matter how big the scraps are, there are fools everywhere who overturn the table because of pride."
"……They are people who know practical gain, so they will surely make a wise decision."
[Name: Sydney Wellesley]
[Status: Headache, tactical planning in progress]
[Emotion: The old men of the homeland's parliament will fly into a rage when they see this word…. To break through the checks of the barking parliament, Her Majesty the Queen's direct intervention will be necessary. I must hurry and submit a report…….]
[Hidden Desire: I want to sew shut the mouths of the incompetent homeland assemblymen who would trample on the motherland's interests.]
'This is fun.'
The Empire had passed the Santa Barbara agenda this time, but….
The negotiations with the United Kingdom, the actual other party involved, had yet to take place.
'Foreign Minister Joseph will have a hard time.'
Perhaps I too might be called to the United Kingdom as part of a delegation.
If so, then perhaps….
'We will meet again.'
Not as maid and master as we are now, but as the United Kingdom's intelligence bureau chief and the Empire's officer sitting across each other as equals at the diplomatic table.
"Ah……!"
I snatched Sydney's wrist, which held the sponge.
As I pulled her arm, Sydney's upper body, which had been kneeling at the edge of the bathtub, collapsed toward me. Her chest pressed against my wet shoulder.
I subtly jerked my chin downward.
"……."
Sydney's face darkened for a moment. This quick-witted maid could not fail to know what my gaze meant.
The final humiliation she had to endure before fleeing to her homeland.
I stood up from the bathtub. The bathwater streamed down my body with a trickle, and between my legs, my erect manhood was revealed.
"For the trifling advice you gave, it was quite useful, Ellie. This is a reward for that."
Sydney, drenched by the cascading water, bit her lips for a moment before bringing her head close to my member.
[Skill 'Potency' is now active.]
"……With all my body and heart…… I shall please you, Master."
Slurp, smack!
The maid's red lips engulfed my glans and began to suck until her cheeks hollowed. I grabbed her wet blonde hair and moved my hips languidly.
'Hand of Attunement.'
[Heightens the target's senses and causes faint pleasure.]
"Hhp…! Smack, slrrp…!"
Soon, the bathroom was filled with splashing water and the obscene sounds of fellatio from the haughty enemy spy.
*
The next morning.
I dragged my sore body to Elancia Central Hospital. It was a place the Imperial Army had requisitioned for use as a temporary medical command.
I walked down the corridor and opened the door to a closed private examination room.
"Captain Elise. Are you in?"
"Ah, Colonel Yeogeo. Please come in."
Elise, buried under a pile of documents, raised her head. She wore a white gown neatly over her uniform, and as usual, her honey-hued blonde hair was braided over one shoulder.
However, unlike her usual vibrant face, dark circles had settled heavily beneath her brown pupils.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Elise von Kleist]
[Status: Extreme physical exhaustion, sleep deprivation, stress]
[Emotion: Delight]
"Your face tells a story. Did you pull an all-nighter?"
As I sat down and asked, Elise let out a shallow sigh and set down her chart.
"The medical corps has been on emergency standby for several days now. Taking over the Elancia hospital facilities alone is work enough, but with yesterday's terrorist incident, we had to triage casualties as well, so there was no time to rest."
She pressed around her eyes as she continued.
"Moreover, large-scale remnant suppression operations begin today, so we must prepare for the flood of incoming wounded. Add to that treating Republic citizens, and us medical officers are at our wits' end."
"That sounds tough. But if the Captain collapses, who will attend to my one and only 'secret personal physician'?"
"Really, you don't even know how to wrap empty words prettily."
At my sly remark, Elise snickered.
"Now, strip your upper garments. As your personal physician, let me check the condition of the hero who saved Her Imperial Highness the Princess."
I obediently removed my military jacket and shirt.