Tevez's Secret and the Sacred Battalion
Delphi had fallen asleep, so I couldn't check her remaining abilities, but if she'd taken restrictions on par with her sister's, she'd gained power to match. I laid her down on the bed in the corner of my office. Fast asleep and lost in dreamland, Delphi looked like an utterly innocent girl who had nothing to do with the word "vengeful spirit." I slowly stroked her hair before standing up.
"Hmm. Should I get a bed for deep sleep instead of just the sex-only one?"
This was the bed I used for quickies during work. It had the highest-grade mattress and sheets I'd brought from reality. I covered Delphi with a blanket and left the office, heading to the training grounds.
There were already some early birds there. Luna was dodging her opponent's attacks with her brown hair flying every which way, while Lilac strained desperately to land a hit.
A spar between the two of them. Interesting. Lilac with her insane stats versus Luna, the world's official genius. I wonder who'll win?
Lilac held a sword in her hand. Luna's hands, on the other hand, were empty. It was blatantly unfair—Luna at a clear disadvantage—but Lilac's blade didn't even graze Luna's hair. Luna parried her attacks as if she could see the future, making it look effortless. Lilac hadn't properly trained in swordsmanship, but her strength and agility were both over 300. Still, Luna handled her like a child.
"Lilac. You have more than enough speed to attack me."
"Haa... haa... Then how do you dodge it, Luna?"
"Your movements are too honest. It's like you're shouting out where you're attacking from."
I understood what Luna meant. Lilac's motions were overly exaggerated. For example, she'd raise her two-handed sword all the way overhead before swinging it down. Thanks to her monstrous 300+ agility, the action happened in the blink of an eye, but Luna dodged it with prediction alone. I figured I could do the same.
As expected, Lilac's stats are high, but her talent's just average. Maybe even below.
Luna's assessment of Lilac was that she was a dullard. She'd flat-out declared that Lilac had less talent than a commoner. Luna wasn't wrong.
She lacks that thing they call battle sense.
Luna wasn't even using half her original strength. She was just evading with her innate senses. It hit home that stats weren't everything. If I got cocky relying only on mine, I could end up like Lilac right now.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
"It's only been four hours."
Luna said it calmly. Four hours at full throttle would knock anyone flat. The only reasons Lilac was holding out were her ridiculous stats and her iron will. She gripped her sword again. Sweat poured down her body like rain. Since she was naked, it streamed over her smooth skin. The nude swordswoman Lilac raised her blade toward Luna.
"Here... I go again!"
Lilac kicked off the ground and charged. She might lack talent, but she had grit. That was her greatest asset.
Thanks to the cost of her restrictions, Lilac's strength and agility growth rates are 300%.
She'd paid a heavy price to compensate for her shortcomings. Lilac was a dullard, but with that massive growth bonus, consistent training would turn her into a powerhouse. That's why I'd assigned her the best teacher possible.
As the two resumed their spar, I turned away. This time, I headed to a different training ground—one with an attached parade ground. The previous one was for knights; this was for regular soldiers. The soldiers were in the middle of drills on the parade ground, led by the blond pretty boy Tevez.
Luna had said he showed promise. He had excellent command skills, decent personal combat ability, and talent. He was a man, but too valuable to discard.
I hate raising male bastards, but this one's the type who'll handle my dirty work on his own.
Plus, he never leered at my women. They were all beauties, so they naturally drew crude stares from the soldiers. I understood the male psyche and forgave most of it, but I quietly killed off the ones who crossed the line.
But Tevez is weirdly indifferent to women. Hmm.
Curiosity suddenly struck. A guy that handsome not chasing skirts? Something was off. It didn't add up.
Guys who pretend to be uninterested are usually the sleaziest perverts behind closed doors. Come to think of it, Tevez is suspicious as fuck. How does he live in the lord's castle without hitting on a single maid? Has there ever been a guy like that?
He might be sneaking around after all. I decided to observe him secretly. This was a legitimate inspection.
If he's harboring any weird desires for my ass, I need to nip it in the bud.
It was only natural to check the character of someone I'd promote heavily. I'd dedicate the day to watching Tevez.
He commanded the training impeccably. Under his calls, the territory soldiers marched in sync. His top priority was breathing and timing.
"You're not soldiers until you can march in step! If the formation breaks, we start over! Left foot! Left foot! Left foot! Left foot!"
The drill lasted about an hour. Tevez led sometimes sternly, sometimes gently. He had exceptional people skills. His subordinates followed him like family.
No wonder Lienna wanted to promote him.
Commanders like that were rare. If command skill were quantified, he'd be over 90.
After training, he returned to the barracks. Unlike the other soldiers heading out for drinks or women in town, he didn't.
Model student.
Nothing suspicious yet. But who knew what perversions he'd indulge in after hours. My inspection wasn't over.
Huh? What's with that guy?
A man with spiky hair approached Tevez as he headed to the barracks. From his shabby clothes, he seemed like one of the territory soldiers. An extra who never appeared in the original game. Well, same for Tevez.
"Training was brutal today too, Tevez."
"Train like it's real combat, fight like it's training. That's what the man who taught me back home always said. Don't forget, Gaius."
"Tch! So stiff. Though that's your charm, Tevez."
I swallowed hard, eavesdropping. Their conversation wasn't normal. No guy calls another guy "charming." It's rare in reality, and even more so in the Solary World.
Could Tevez be...?
Tevez and this Gaius entered the barracks together. Seeing them, suspicions flooded my mind. I focused and tailed them.
Tevez's room was at the end of the first-floor corridor. I'd given him a private one. He was a slave, but as territory army commander, it was only right.
Those two are going into the room together?
No matter how I looked, Gaius didn't seem like a soldier reporting to his commander. Tevez wasn't eyeing him like a mere subordinate either. Fuck, my suspicions were turning real. I pressed my ear to the door.
"Hey, I'm covered in sweat. Let me wash up."
"That's what makes it hotter. You all sweaty. So damn attractive."
"S-stop! That's an order!"
"Heh! Then this is insubordination!"
Fuck! My hunch was spot on. Those two were flaming gays. That explained why Tevez never glanced at the women in the castle.
No way... is Tevez eyeing my ass too...? Urk!
I'd already cured one gay kid in the Soul Community with exposure therapy. I was basically a homosexuality specialist.
Should I reincarnate-cure Tevez's ass!? Damn! If homosexuality spreads through the ranks, my hole could be at risk!
"H-hey! Gaius! That really stinks!"
"That's what makes it better..."
I couldn't take it anymore and smashed the door down.
Bam!
"Stop!"
I thrust out my hand and yelled. Tevez and Gaius stared at me in shock. They were shirtless and embracing. I whipped my face away.
Fuck! My eyes! Secondhand smoke-level damage.
"W-Walker!"
"Lord Regent! How did you...!"
Honestly, I hadn't thought much about gays before. It just didn't affect me. I'd never even seen one in reality. The Soul Community case was just preventive maintenance to keep things clean among the students.
But fuck, seeing it up close is this nauseating!
Two dudes rubbing shirtless bodies? Horrifying. My lips clenched involuntarily. I wanted to gouge out my eyes, wash them, and shove them back in.
"Tevez! You bastard! You're gay!?"
He clamped his mouth shut but pulled Gaius closer, like a beast shielding its mate.
"Yes, sir. I had no intention of deceiving you."
He admitted it calmly, resignation in his eyes. In the Solary World, gays were seen as demon-possessed. In closed-off villages, they got exiled just for that. It was the Eclipse Church's influence across the continent.
"To think one of my close aides is gay...!"
A new worldview on homosexuality was forming. And it made me feel this shitty. Like my ass was in the crosshairs. I couldn't even spare my virginity screen to my women. Luna might hesitate three days then nod reluctantly.
Best to cut the danger at the root!
No matter how talented Tevez was, I knew way better original characters. The only reason to promote a man like him was his manageability. He was replaceable. I wasn't some SJW PC simp; no need for gay quotas.
Tevez knelt before my rage.
"Lord Walker. I like men. Probably can't change it in this lifetime—I was born this way. If I've offended you, punish me accordingly. But my lover Gaius is innocent. Please show him mercy."
"Tevez..."
Stepping up for his lover was cool as hell. If only that lover wasn't a dude, it'd be a hundred times cooler.
I bolted straight to Lienna.
"Liennaaa!"
"What is it?"
She set down her quill from reviewing documents and looked at me. I explained everything.
"I see. That man's gay? Unexpected."
"Fire him now! A gay in my castle? I can't stand it! Hell, execute him...!"
Lienna tilted her head at my words.
"Are you an Eclipse Church believer, Master? You never seemed like it."
"Not a believer. What's that got to do with it?"
"They tend to be strict on homosexuality. Public opinion's bad, sure, but being gay doesn't hurt productivity."
Lienna was rational and wise beyond her era. Wait, did she have PC seeds too? No, the woman who ruthlessly disposed of the useless wouldn't wear that garbage.
"But it pisses me off! Ugh! I can't unsee those two dudes grinding!"
"Understood. We'll warn them. About doing it in the barracks, that is."
"Wouldn't it be cleaner to just cut them loose? Plenty of replacements if I scout. Just say the word."
Lienna smiled faintly.
"Wouldn't it be better for you that he's gay?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Means he's only into men. No hitting on women. Sera's been complaining about the soldiers' lecherous stares, you know."
I pondered her words.
No matter how I think, neither appeals. Any eunuchs around?
"Luna or Sera might shrug off a glance with their strength, but the others? A soldier could snap and cause real trouble."
Her words made my blood boil. She was dead right. Horny soldiers wouldn't leave the maids alone. Not everyone's Luna or Sera. Even Greia loses to an average man in raw power. No one touches my women. If they did, I'd hunt them to hell's end and torture them in Inferno forever.
"You're right! Gays are better."
I scrapped the idea of ditching Tevez. Lienna's logic opened my eyes. I felt like Wonhyo drinking skull water.
I'll turn all those shitty soldiers gay! Yes! A gay-couple army! Lovers fighting together—stronger bonds, stronger force!
I had an item to manipulate fetishes.
←Item→
•Darling's Choice (A-rank)
A small flashlight. Select a fetish on the handle panel, shine it on a human for over an hour, and it changes their fetish to the selected one. Strong-willed humans can resist.
※The scholar forced to change sexual orientation resisted oppression in the purest way.
←Item→
With this, I formed a new unit. Named after its captain: Tevez's Sacred Battalion.
Coolong Territory's foundation was taking shape.