Chapter 55: The Patrol
There should have been no real downside—for a while, at least—to me being kept under confinement.
The battle was already won. A decisive victory. If I were to continue piling up achievements, the higher-ups—those who already viewed my rapid rise with displeasure—would inevitably begin to watch me with suspicion. In matters beyond combat, such as governance and administration, it would be far better for the Second Princess, Emma, to demonstrate her abilities than for me to step forward.
From here on, there would be little need for my strength.
That was precisely why I had thought, for the time being, that accepting confinement wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
“…No, that’s definitely too much.”
But… well, about yesterday.
The moment I recalled what had happened last night, I could only force myself to treat it as if it had never occurred, hastily pushing the memory away.
“…I’m a boy too, you know!”
A twenty-year-old woman and a fifteen-year-old boy sharing the same bed—there was no way that could ever be allowed.
After spending such a heart-pounding, restless night, morning finally came.
The moment the Second Princess, Emma, left the house—having urgent duties she absolutely needed to attend to—I quickly made my escape from confinement without hesitation.
“I mean, no matter how you look at it, it’s careless to use handcuffs made by my own company on me. Even if I’m bound, I can pick the lock with the two wires I always keep hidden on me.”
Though, to be fair, even if they weren’t made by my company, I would still manage to unlock them.
It would just take a bit more time.
…
Having escaped confinement, I decided to head toward Major General Lawrence. Disguised as nothing more than an ordinary soldier, I walked through the streets of Warmir.
“…It really is an occupied city.”
I had made it clear—repeatedly—that we should avoid barbaric behavior as much as possible.
To prevent looting—and to ensure there would be no need for it—my company had arranged to supply various goods to the Lunoa Kingdom Army.
Even so, the city was still in disarray. Some houses had been trampled and wrecked, and here and there lay what appeared to be the bodies of civilians… The occupation of a city. Was it truly impossible to carry it out peacefully?
“…Hey.”
“…Shh.”
The gazes of the townspeople toward me—toward my Lunoa Kingdom Army uniform—were filled with unmistakable wariness.
“Hey, I don’t recognize your face.”
As I continued walking under those wary stares, a group of soldiers, clad in the same Lunoa Kingdom Army uniforms, approached me.
“Acting alone is suspicious too. Solo patrols aren’t supposed to be authorized, right? What are you, trying to imitate us… or did you strip that uniform off one of our comrades? Depending on your answer, you won’t get off easy… So what are you?”
The man who appeared to be the squad leader stepped forward, glaring sharply as he interrogated me.
Hmm… good. The patrols were actually functioning as they should.
“Ah, I’m someone directly under Brigadier General Willard.”
While inwardly impressed, I calmly produced a badge bearing the Willard family crest and showed it to them as my answer.
“Ah, one of his, huh. I see. My bad.”
It was enough for them to understand immediately—just how many people under my personal command, including mercenary groups, were present within this Eastern Army. After all, I could move personnel through my company.
“By the way, where is Brigadier General Willard? He’s the type who likes to be on the front lines, but I only saw him at the start of the offensive.”
“Who knows? …All I’ve heard is that he pushed too far forward, got scolded by the Second Princess, Emma, and is behaving himself now.”
“You know everything, don’t you?!”
“I’ve been instructed to act as Brigadier General Willard’s eyes and observe the city. So I’d like to hear it directly from you—what’s the current operational policy of the Lunoa Kingdom Army?”
“The higher-ups’ orders seem to be reaching us just fine. The army’s been split into three groups. One handles the city gates. Another gathers in the center to manage prisoners and guard the Lunoa headquarters set up there. And the third—like us—conducts patrols around the city.”
“And which group has the most personnel?”
“The second one. Something about controlling the head and the limbs… or something like that. Instead of assigning too many troops to patrols—which might seem the most necessary—they’re keeping it minimal so the townspeople can go about their lives as normally as possible, while still keeping them confined within the city. That’s probably the policy. Well, it’s only possible because most of the Rosha Empire’s forces have already been wiped out. If there were too many patrols when there’s barely anyone resisting, it’d just come off as oppressive.”
“…I see.”
So that was how the Second Princess, Emma, was governing the city.
“Thank you. That confirms things. I’ll continue patrolling for a while, so please keep up your work as well.”
“Yeah! You can count on us. Make sure you tell our hero that!”
“…Ah. I’m sure Brigadier General Willard will be pleased to hear that you said so. Well then.”
“Right!”
Parting ways with the good-natured soldiers of the Lunoa Kingdom, I resumed patrolling the city alone.
“Kyaaah!”
Some time after we split up, a woman’s scream suddenly pierced the air and reached my ears.
“…Who goes there?”
The scream was cut off almost immediately. There was no gunshot. She hadn’t been killed—her mouth had likely been covered.
Without hesitation, I broke into a run toward the direction the scream had come from.
“…Is it here?”
I stepped without pause into a house whose front door had been left open, heading straight toward the room where I sensed the presence of others.
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
“…Huh?”
The living room, most likely.
In the largest room of the house, a woman had been forced down onto the floor, pinned in place.
“Violence against civilians is supposed to be prohibited, isn’t it?”
The ones restraining her—
were soldiers of the Lunoa Kingdom.