The days of lazing around at my training post continued.

Work was delegated to artificial intelligence, and by lunchtime, it was already finished.

After that, I enjoyed a leisurely lunch, sometimes a light meal, followed by a relaxed break.

In the afternoon, I finished the remaining work, prepared to leave at the scheduled time, and then it was break time.

If anyone complained, I'd use my status to send them away, or perhaps send a seasonal greeting as a bribe to the regular fleet commanders?

As Tia said, "If we send a large amount of supplies to the front lines, I'm sure everyone will understand Liam-sama's greatness."

It's a truly profitable situation to be able to earn favor with the Empire's money.

It felt a bit off to use only the Empire's money for my reputation, so I'm sending some decent gifts from my own pocket.

If I can earn favor with the regular fleet commanders, it might be useful someday.

From the Empire's perspective, it's probably unbearable, but I'll do as I please while I'm in training.

Well, one day, as these days continued.

On that day, I had invited Kurt to lunch.

Kurt is undergoing training as a civil servant after graduating from university, and it seems he's having a tough time.

Unlike me, he's diligent and doesn't cut corners, so he's busy.

Speaking of Kurt...

"My adjutant?"

Kurt, dressed in a suit, had grown taller since I last saw him.

At first glance, he looks like a handsome young man, or rather, a fine young man, but inside he's a serious, albeit wicked, lord.

"Yes. He's becoming a topic of conversation here too. There are many military officers vying to be Liam-sama's adjutant, so the military must be having a hard time with the selection."

It seems many military officers want to become the Duke's adjutant.

"If it's a beautiful woman, anyone is fine."

When I stated that so plainly, Kurt laughed and said, "You're still the same, aren't you?"

Wallace, while eating his steak, cast a jealous glance at Kurt.

"Putting Liam aside, I heard that even you, the heir to the Baron's family, are causing a stir among the ladies. Apparently, there are many women who want to become your secretary or subordinate."

I don't know where he heard it, but Wallace was well-informed about Kurt's situation.

"Is that so?"

When I asked, Kurt looked embarrassed.

"Well, there are quite a few, but it's not just me. Many people apply to be secretaries or adjutants to heirs."

Wallace looked envious.

"It's common for military adjutants and civil servant secretaries to be poached. If you can get in there, you're guaranteed to be a winner. --Though I haven't received a single offer."

It seems the numerous princes don't inspire much appeal.

Moreover, if one gets involved carelessly and is caught up in the struggles between royal families, it wouldn't be funny to be executed.

He's in a tricky position too.

"My adjutant, huh... I'll hope for an exceptionally beautiful woman."

Wallace looked at me and smiled.

"Don't worry. Appearance is a mandatory criterion for selecting adjutants and secretaries. There's a rumor that it's purely a matter of preference. But Liam's adjutant... I wonder who will be chosen?"

Ultimately, I will be the one to choose from the remaining candidates, but the preliminary screening seems to be quite a task.

I heard they conduct background checks and various other investigations.

So, I wonder who will be left standing?

◇

In a rather spacious room, a lineup of beautiful female officers was assembled.

Tia, who had been promoted due to the significant reduction of patrol fleets and the successful formation of the regular fleet, walked through the area, which looked like a gathering of beauties dressed in military uniforms.

Her rank insignia was now Colonel.

This is an exceptional promotion, but it's due to her considerable achievements.

"Everyone, Liam-sama will finally be officially assigned to the military."

Tia's skill in organizing a large fleet is highly regarded by the military, and although there are offers for her to be poached, she has refused them all.

The female officers gathered by Tia were all from the Banfield family's territory.

"You are the elite chosen from Liam-sama's territory. I'm sure Liam-sama will choose his own adjutant from among you. --You must be chosen."

There are a great many military officers who wish to become Liam's adjutant.

However, Tia couldn't allow outsiders to be by Liam's side.

The reason is that if Liam favors an adjutant, he might take them with him when he leaves the military.

While they might provide support for Liam's military operations, it would be troublesome if they prioritized the Imperial Army over Liam.

Also, there's a possibility Liam might make a move on them, and if that's the case, she wants to place an elite chosen from within the territory by his side.

"Serve Liam-sama with all your might. Dedicate yourselves, body and soul!"

"Yes!"

As they all responded in unison and saluted, Tia was satisfied with their actions.

(Their ability as adjutants, and their appearance... they are the best. I'm sure Liam-sama will be pleased as well.)

◇

Meanwhile.

The military brass was in a predicament.

"What are we going to do?"

"--Count, no, we need a liaison with the future Duke."

"Is there anyone who can serve as this liaison?"

Liam, who has achieved results in logistics, had his knights prepare a regular fleet equipped with the latest warships.

He is a noble who solves the military's troublesome problems and possesses a large amount of rare metals.

They desperately want a connection.

However, since Tia didn't leave any openings, they didn't have a liaison with Liam.

An adjutant is an excellent position, but they are also trying to place someone from Liam's territory there.

One of them raised their face.

"--There is one capable person."

"What about their appearance?"

"No problem. Besides, they have met the Count before."

"Who is it?"

The data of that woman was displayed at the scene.

"Major Yuria. She was originally assigned to the weapons factory, but later underwent retraining and joined the special forces. She has also received training in information technology."

She possesses various qualifications and, moreover, has a track record.

Although the military would prefer not to let her go, they judged that Liam would likely be satisfied with someone so excellent and blessed with good looks.

"What about her will? These kinds of arrangements often lead to future problems. Is she agreeable to this?"

Will she become a noble's mistress or concubine? Such issues arose.

While some women are happy to volunteer, many dislike it.

"No problem. When I proposed it, she readily accepted."

"Still, what an impressive track record. I wish I had her as a subordinate."

Yuria was highly praised.

"If the Major doesn't work out, we can give up. Send her profile to the Count immediately."

--With the help of a guide, Yuria managed to get into the running to become Liam's adjutant.

◇

At work, I was looking at documents that resembled marriage photos.

People around me seemed to be paying attention to me, but no one complained.

Wallace picked up one of the photos and was surprised by its contents.

"What a beauty! Sigh~ I wish she would become my adjutant."

Wallace is also a member of the royal family, so he is scheduled to be promoted to Lieutenant after his training.

However, there are no plans for him to have an adjutant.

This is because he won't be in such a position.

"Shall I assign a drill sergeant to you?"

"Liam, you're quite the comedian. --Hey, you're joking, right?"

As his tutor, a drill sergeant... that might be good.

However, I'm not good with someone who would teach him everything about the military.

Since he won't be in the military for long, it's probably not necessary.

As Wallace looked through the photos, he stopped at one.

"Oh, this person's background is amazing. Former special forces."

"What?"

When I checked the contents of the document, Yuria's photo was there.

Looking at her background, she went from the Third Weapons Factory to the military retraining facility -- and then was assigned to the special forces.

After that, she studied information technology again at a retraining facility.

She became like a female spy.

"Why did she join the special forces?"

As I wondered, Wallace tilted his head.

"An acquaintance?"

"She's a former saleswoman from the weapons factory. She was in charge of our account."

"That's nice~. If you're a Count, beautiful women probably flock to you without you even trying."

It feels good to see Wallace looking so envious.

I look at the piles of documents.

--If I check all of these, I won't be able to finish by the scheduled time.

Also, after flipping through them all, the women just don't seem to have that decisive quality.

Sigh... I want to see Amagi.

Should I just bring her to the capital planet?

She's in charge of the territory's work, and right now, there are people called Berkley hanging around me, so I'm worried about bringing her.

--I'm getting tired of fighting with Berkley.

I wish we could settle things quickly.

"Should I just go with Yuria? I've met her before, and she's not a bad choice, right?"

"Is it okay to decide so easily?"

"Hah! I can gather beautiful women anytime. There's no need to be fixated on an adjutant."

Since there's no need to think too deeply, I've decided on Yuria.

She's a bit of a disappointing person, but it should be fine.

◇

The day after deciding on the adjutant.

Yuria came to my training post.

"Liam-sama, it's been a while."

Yuria saluted with a smile, but her body seemed more toned than before.

However, she had also gained some fat in her chest and hips -- her style had improved.

It seems that where she needed to be toned, she was, and her chest and hips were more emphasized.

Seeing Yuria approach me while I was doing desk work, I stopped processing the electronic documents.

"--Weren't you supposed to be assigned to me in six months?"

"I have received permission from the higher-ups. Also, I thought there might be more work before the official assignment, so I came to help."

She's quite considerate.

She's completely different from before.

◇

Yuria, standing before Liam, concealed her dark emotions.

(Finally. I can finally get my revenge, Liam.)

Yuria approached Liam for revenge for her pride, which had been broken before.

She had spent decades honing herself, thinking only of this man who had rejected her advances.

"Liam-sama, to start with--"

The first step of her revenge begins here.

Just as she was thinking this, someone entered Liam's workplace crying.

It was Nias, a technical captain from the problematic Seventh Weapons Factory.

At first glance, she appeared to be an intellectual woman with black hair and glasses, but she had many unfortunate aspects as a woman.

"Liam-sama~!"

Nias, who burst through the door, collapsed crying.

(Who is that!?)

Nias, who also knew Yuria, didn't even exchange greetings upon their reunion.

Liam looked on with a bewildered expression.

"--What is it?"

(Hmph! Chase her away, you rude person! You're still a soft-hearted man.)

Liam is generally kind to his acquaintances.

He can be strict, but he is fundamentally a benevolent noble.

Yuria knew this, but she was annoyed by Nias, who was getting in her way.

"Listen to me! I built a prototype ship with the rare metals Liam-sama gave me before! But then, everyone started interfering--"

"I heard that before."

It seems that while Nias was conducting various experiments, people from the Seventh Weapons Factory swarmed in and tried out various new technologies.

As a result -- Nias couldn't do what she wanted.

Yuria inwardly smirked.

(Serves you right. Now, hurry up and leave after you're done complaining.)

She wanted to weaken Liam quickly, and Nias was an obstacle.

However.

"--I need additional rare metals and budget."

"Huh!?"

Even Yuria was surprised by such an audacious request.

Developing a new generation of warships requires an enormous budget.

It also requires a lot of rare metals.

Asking Liam for such things is unreasonable.

But Liam seemed interested.

"A new warship, huh?"

"I will prepare a special warship for Liam-sama! Please consider it development costs and provide the budget and rare metals!"

Liam, who was not easily swayed by such negotiations, seemed about to grant the request when Nias, who had been crying, stood up, and her skirt rode up.

It didn't seem intentional.

After all, her shorts were -- functional.

Liam's eyes widened as he saw them.

(This is bad!)

Yuria had constantly thought only of Liam and had researched his tastes. That's why she knew.

Liam preferred sporty underwear over flashy ones.

Noticing Liam's gaze, Nias hastily pulled her skirt back down.

Embarrassed, Nias started making excuses.

"I-I apologize. Well, I've been really busy lately, so I ended up wearing easily obtainable underwear. I usually wear nicer underwear, you know!"

Although Yuria thought it was a complete lie, she didn't miss the fact that Liam looked pleased.

"I-I see. Yes, that's right. Uhm, was it about the budget? I'll prepare it with my pocket money."

Yuria covered her face with both hands.

(Idiot! Why are you so naive about that part!)

Nias immediately made further demands.

"Please provide rare metals too! And buy our warships. It's terrible, isn't it? The fleet being organized now is the one Liam-sama is preparing, yet you're not buying a single ship from us. Unifying with vessels jointly developed by the Third and Sixth is truly too much."

"Oh, really? I left it all to Tia, so I didn't know."

Liam didn't seem interested at all.

Yuria, who had worked at the Third Weapons Factory, had heard about the joint development through that connection.

(--Joint development of next-generation ships. I hear the Ninth Weapons Factory is also involved.)

Each weapons factory was busy preparing for the regular fleet.

In the midst of this, the Seventh Weapons Factory was excluded by Tia.

"--You guys made ships that ignored appearances again, didn't you?"

Nias took off her glasses and wiped away her tears.

"We worked hard too! But that person rejected us, saying, 'It's not worthy of Liam-sama.' We have eight hundred units in stock! It's a problem if you don't buy them!"

Yuria thought:

(As expected, the focus on technology hasn't changed. Besides, why would you build eight hundred units?)

Liam looked exasperated, but -- he seemed to have thought of something.

"Understood. I'll buy those eight hundred units."

"Really!?"

As Nias rejoiced, Liam added a condition.

"I'll also place an additional order. The other weapons factories seem busy, but you guys look like you have free time. And also -- you have ships and weapons before they are scrapped, right? Send those over to me."

Yuria had no idea what Liam was thinking.

(Afterword)

Brian: (T_T) "It's painful that Liam-sama is falling for another clumsy honey trap."