Chapter 49

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

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Having written a work to promote a work, I can't seem to get out of this mess...

In the bridge of the flagship of the Dalia Mercenary Corps, Shirena was gazing at the fortress that had just been captured.

"What a pity that I came to help, expecting a tough battle, only to find it was already over."

She had heard that the fortress was being captured and decided to stop by, but she had missed the opportunity to earn.

Shirena looked disappointed, but her adjutant seemed in a good mood.

"We have earned enough, haven't we?"

The Dalia Mercenary Corps had participated in several battles on the way and had filled their coffers.

However, Shirena thought her adjutant's attitude was too lenient.

"You lack the business sense. If we had joined in the fortress capture and cooperated, the corps would have been more readily accepted. If we ask to join and share the fortress now, we'll be seen as opportunists."

While they had earned in several battles, their ships and mobile knights were worn out.

She had wanted to receive supplies and maintenance here, but things didn't go as planned.

The operator spoke to Shirena.

"Commander, a general of the Imperial Army wishes to speak with you."

"Please connect me."

Standing up, Shirena straightened her posture in front of the monitor showing the general.

Recognizing him as a noble, she adopted a respectful attitude.

"It is a great honor to speak with you, Your Excellency. We are the Dalia Mercenary Corps, affiliated with the Mercenary Guild."

The dissatisfied general spoke in a condescending manner.

"I only took an interest because you contacted me right after the fortress was captured. It would have been better if you had come before the battle."

Despite the insult, Shirena maintained her smile.

"I apologize for not arriving in time. By the way, are you interested in hiring the Dalia Mercenary Corps to help secure the fortress until its defenses are fully operational? It will take time to rebuild the defense systems."

Just because the fortress was captured doesn't mean it's immediately usable.

Time is needed to check for enemy traps and to restore the defense systems they had destroyed.

The general looked displeased.

"You're a shrewd one. How much do you want?"

"Since I've upset you, I'll offer a discount. In return, may we use the fortress's dock for supplies and maintenance? If we can receive these, we won't ask for anything else."

The general seemed to understand Shirena's intentions.

The purpose was to receive supplies and maintenance.

However, he also seemed to want the Dalia Mercenary Corps' strength, perhaps due to the uncertainty of having just recaptured the fortress.

"…I'll use you, so be prepared. The details will be worked out with my subordinates."

"Thank you. The Dalia Mercenary Corps will do our best for you, Your Excellency."

After saying these insincere words, the line was cut.

Shirena looked at her adjutant with a wicked smile.

"It took this much to become a full-fledged mercenary."

"…I will remember this."

"Very well."

After that, the Dalia Mercenary Corps was guided into the fortress by the Imperial Army.

◇

The secretary asked the general, who had decided to accept the Dalia Mercenary Corps.

"Are you planning to accept the mercenary corps?"

"I need time since we just recaptured the fortress. I also plan to detain the Banfield family's fleet for a while on some pretext."

He had no intention of letting them go just because the fortress was captured.

"The Dalia Mercenary Corps is large, and it might be difficult for us now, right?"

"What's the problem?"

"The report says that the supplies in the fortress are less than expected. While the Banfield family's fleet is one thing, there might not be enough supplies to allocate to the contracted Dalia Mercenary Corps."

The general, upon hearing this, looked worried.

"…They're already inside the fortress. It will be troublesome if they become our enemies."

The Dalia Mercenary Corps had requested maintenance and supplies, and if they couldn't receive them, it would be considered a breach of contract.

In that case, they might defect if the enemy tried to recapture the fortress.

It was also a bad move to let them inside, as they might retaliate by passing information to the enemy.

The general asked the secretary.

"Is there a habitable planet or colony in this sector where we can seize supplies?"

◇

In the dock of the recaptured fortress, Emma raised her voice.

"What do you mean we can't receive supplies? We helped capture the fortress. It's unfair not to receive proper maintenance!"

She had applied for supplies and maintenance, but there was no movement in the fortress dock, so she went outside to check.

The responsible person's words were cold.

"Who do you think you are, a private army of a viscount, demanding things? We're prioritizing the supplies and maintenance of the Imperial Army. Just wait quietly."

The responsible person, dressed in work clothes, seemed very busy with the supplies and maintenance of the Imperial Army and found dealing with Emma and her team bothersome.

However, Emma didn't back down.

"Did you call us to participate and then abandon us when it's over? Our guerrilla fleet has been given a new mission by the headquarters. We can't stay here."

"We're also working hard to plan the fortress's defense! If you keep complaining, you can leave—"

Behind Emma, who was shouting, stood Doug and Larry.

Seeing Emma's determination, Doug was impressed.

"Commander, you've really grown. It's important to stand your ground in situations like this."

Larry, perhaps remembering Emma's gentler days, said,

"I preferred her when she was kinder."

"You say that, but you caused a lot of trouble when you were kind."

"You too!"

Seeing Emma's growth, they each had their own thoughts.

Then, a woman appeared with her subordinates.

The woman with silver hair landed gracefully and spoke to the responsible person.

"Excuse me, but could you explain the status of the supplies and maintenance for this group?"

"…What?"

Emma's body stiffened at the sound of the voice.

The responsible person was taken aback by the woman and her strong subordinates.

He seemed most surprised by her position and treated her with deference.

"This is the commander of the Dalia Mercenary Corps. We are preparing the supplies and maintenance as quickly as possible. Please wait a little longer."

"I was told the same thing over the communication line. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The commander of the Dalia Mercenary Corps, Shirena, waved brightly.

Emma, who had been speechless with shock, became furious.

"You!"

Emma kicked off the ground and lunged, but was restrained by Shirena's subordinates.

Emma threw each of them off one by one.

Impressed by Emma's strength, Shirena applauded.

"You've gotten stronger since the last time I saw you. You used to be so innocent, but now you're quite rough."

Shirena, subtly taunting Emma's lack of grace, asked while being held down,

"Why are you here? You're our enemy—"

Shirena, called an enemy, approached Emma with her hands on her hips.

She grabbed Emma's hair and pulled her close.

"Mercenaries can be both enemies and allies. You really are ignorant if you don't know the rules of the battlefield. You might be stronger, but you're still the same inside… a truly pitiful knight."

Emma, pushed to her limit, forcefully threw off Shirena's subordinates.

She lunged at Shirena but was caught in a joint lock.

They floated in the air, with Emma being choked from behind.

"Let go!"

"No. If I let you go, you might pull out a weapon. That would be troublesome."

Shirena acted as if she were in a superior position.

Emma was indeed stronger than before, but she was still inferior to Shirena.

Shirena turned to Doug and Larry.

"I'm working for the fortress commander now, so it's a problem if I fight with you. You don't want your commander to be captured, do you?"

Doug approached, urged to cooperate.

"Commander, you need to hold back."

"Doug! But she's—"

"Yes, she's our enemy. But the fortress commander has hired her. If you act on your own, it will cause big trouble."

Fighting with a mercenary corps hired by the Imperial Army over past grudges would put Emma at a disadvantage.

As Emma relaxed her grip, Shirena smiled eerily.

A painful cracking sound followed.

"Ugh!"

Emma barely suppressed a scream, but cold sweat poured from her body.

Shirena whispered in Emma's ear.

"I'll forgive you for injuring my subordinates."

With that, she kicked Emma and left with her subordinates.

Emma, holding her broken right arm with her left hand, spun in the air.

Doug and Larry hurried to retrieve Emma and check her injuries.

Doug was relieved by the clean break.

"It's a clean break."

Larry was surprised.

"Knight bones are tough… to break so easily?"

Emma, enduring the pain, looked at Shirena and her subordinates as they left.

"I can't even take revenge on her being here…"

Determined to advise Emma, Doug said,

"Meeting her again is almost a miracle. If you dwell on it, you'll be pulled into a negative spiral… like us."

Emma, feeling the pain of her broken arm, thought to herself.

(Mobile knights aside, I can't beat her in my current state. But the next time we meet… if a miracle happens, I will defeat Shirena.)

Accepting the pain as proof of her weakness, Emma resolved to win the next time they met.

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This is a spin-off of the main series, "That Otome Game is a Harsh World for the Mob."

It's an IF scenario where if Leon and Marie had met and built a cooperative relationship early on.

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