Civil Servant Marygold (6)

Anyway, Marygold was cursed with a tragic fate. Beyond losing her family, name, and status at the tender age of ten, there was some kind of demon clinging to her life. It started with her being shockingly selected by the 5th Prince just when she thought she'd finally made it big.

The 5th Prince, Erwin Kol Phrigia. Among the delicately handsome princes, he was a rare muscular type—and a war maniac to boot. In the game, the 5th Prince was the perfect embodiment of "all or nothing." Either a hero of war. Or a usurper of the throne. Truly "all or nothing."

Whichever path you took, romancing him led to the Empress ending without fail. But once Lancel realized that wouldn't be a happy ending for Marygold, it lost all its appeal.

Yeah. A happy ending. That was all Lancel wanted.

There was no way every ending was a bad end or normal end, right?

"Don't be too tense about heading to the battlefield, Supervisor Mary. I'm not bringing you along for anything dangerous."

"Ah, y-yes, sir!"

"If it's alright with you, wouldn't it be better to ride in the carriage together? Sitting in a saddle for so long must be uncomfortable."

"...Well..."

"It's fine, Your Highness."

The 5th Prince Erwin Kol Phrigia suddenly hardened his expression.

"How could a commoner supervisor share a meal with royalty at the same table? It would only make her uncomfortable."

It was the voice of the man riding ahead, with Marygold seated in front of him. His gentle tone carried an undercurrent of unyielding resolve.

"...Lancel Dante, are you already well-acquainted with Supervisor Mary?"

"Does it seem that way?"

A smile tugged at Lancel's lips.

"Guess it shows a bit."

"..."

He reached out and ruffled Marygold's hair. As if to show it deliberately to the 5th Prince.

Caught in a situation she hadn't even imagined, Marygold's face flushed hot as she desperately tried to fan away the heat.

"Still, show some restraint. If a noble gets too chummy with an administrator, it invites misunderstandings."

"No need to worry, Your Highness—it's not like this is our first day. Right, Supervisor Mary?"

"Y-yes? What are you...?"

Lancel clapped Marygold hard on the shoulder, oblivious to her failure to read the mood.

"Kek, keheok!"

"She says it's fine."

"..."

By the time Lancel hurriedly caught up to the imperial support force's procession, the 5th Prince's affection toward Marygold was already skyrocketing beyond control. It was baffling how this was even possible.

Lancel stared at the system alerts, his feelings shifting from disbelief to utter futility. The connection with the prince that never appeared when he wanted it was now rising steadily just from leaving things alone this loop.

'Wasn't the 5th Prince's type supposed to be a tall, burly warrior Marygold?'

In the game, he usually fell for powerful martial women. So why was he developing affection for Marygold on the high official route?

Lancel heard the reason belatedly.

"Still, our connection goes further back. Supervisor Mary and I have known each other since our academy days."

It was news to him.

"Military history, tactics, geography, mock battles. We crossed paths in all four subjects. Right?"

"Ah, yes..."

Marygold replied in a shrinking voice, glancing nervously at Lancel.

"I see. So Your Highness observed classes at the academy."

"More like I was the one teaching. I tangled with her multiple times, especially since she was the academy's top student back then."

"I was wondering where that connection came from. Mystery solved."

"It's been so many years, I can barely remember. That's how deep-rooted our bond is."

"Yet it's strangely curious."

"...?"

Lancel tilted his head innocently, casting a pure gaze at the 5th Prince.

"In all the years I've met Supervisor Mary without fail every day, I've never once heard her mention Your Highness. Not even once."

"Why would that be... curious?"

"With old friends, their name usually pops up naturally in conversation."

"..."

"Yet in all the time I've known Supervisor Mary, I never even knew she had a connection with Your Highness—let alone that you were acquaintances."

The 5th Prince's eyebrow twitched. A subtle smile deepened on Lancel's lips.

"Truly baffling, even on second thought."

The air between Lancel and the 5th Prince thickened, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crackling with tension like a live wire. Marygold fidgeted restlessly amid the sudden confrontation.

"Lancel Dante."

As the 5th Prince's eyes sharpened...

"Enemy attack!"

The procession fell into instant chaos.

"Regroup the lines!"

"It's an ambush!"

Armed soldiers swarmed from the surroundings as the imperial support force passed through the valley. A textbook ambush.

'The rebellion's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already this serious?'

The rebels in the Runter region were no ordinary insurgents. Lancel could tell at a glance.

These local rebels often got smacked down as mere "bandits," but foreign powers—enemy nations hostile to the empire—were involved: revivalist groups from peripheral states crushed by the empire, at war with it, harboring grudges. They formed massive military organizations allied with the rebels. Naturally, their training was solid, morale high, and numbers terrifying.

"Form ranks! Don't panic!"

The 5th Prince's shout. He quickly turned to Marygold.

"Supervisor Mary, fall back to the carriage for now—"

"Let's go, Mary!"

"Kyaaak!"

Lancel spurred his horse forward. Shield raised before her, he gripped his lance.

"What are you planning, Lancel Dante?"

"Gotta show Mary what war's like. See ya."

"What?"

Lancel galloped off into the distance in a flash. Soon, he was weaving through the ambushing rebels like a storm.

"Charge!"

Wherever he passed, infantry tumbled helplessly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠under his horse's hooves.

The problem? Marygold was riding in front of him.

"This is our chance for glory, Supervisor Mary! We're rising together!"

"Hiiiyaak!"

Her shrieks pierced the air amid sprays of blood and snapping bones.

"What the hell is that guy?"

The 5th Prince's face stiffened in disbelief.

Each swing of Lancel's lance sent infantry and cavalry toppling like dominoes.

"The knight's using a woman as a shield!"

"Which one's the real target?"

Even in battle, countless eyes were drawn to the spectacle.

"Hya!"

"Kkyaak!"

In the end, the pair racked up kills on dozens of rebels. Though Marygold had done nothing but scream.

From the moment the imperial support force set out, one question lingered in everyone's mind.

Why on earth did the 5th Prince bring Supervisor Mary to war?

Even as a capable administrator, she was still just that—a civilian with a sharp mind. Nothing about her screamed "battlefield material."

Yet the 5th Prince had singled her out first, treating her like an indispensable presence.

Why?

"Here, this is a rough map of the local mountains. Take a look, Supervisor Mary."

The reason revealed itself soon after arriving at base camp.

"The valleys are deep and narrow, giving a huge advantage to whoever claims them first. Plenty of ambush spots make entry a nightmare. That's why Duke Mord's vanguard got wiped without a fight."

"Yes, indeed..."

"Ambush. That's the key issue. Where would you hide troops, Supervisor Mary?"

"Hm."

Marygold studied the map intently, then marked several spots.

"Considering the river paths and connections, this valley's the entry route—so the fork here, and... Recent heavy rains, plus swift upstream currents in summer mean..."

She cited weather, terrain, seasons, and more to pinpoint three prime locations.

"...That's it!"

Lancel's eyes sparkled at her choices.

'Plausible.'

Even with his veteran instincts from countless wars, Marygold had calculated and nailed the exact spots flawlessly. Her academy top honors weren't just talk—she was sharp on wargame theory.

'This level of insight without regressor knowledge.'

A protagonist's talent through and through. Now he understood why the 5th Prince chose her.

For her academy prestige? No.

Old ties? No.

He'd seen her true strategist potential.

Yes. Marygold unmistakably had the makings of a master tactician. Astonishingly so.

"Understood. We'll trust Supervisor Mary's judgment this time. We march before dawn."

Rare for a prince to heed a mere administrator. Naturally, the knights were skeptical at first.

Academy connections or not, entrusting battlefield judgment was another matter.

But the first battle.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Retreat!"

They ambushed the ambushers for a crushing victory.

Second and third battles followed.

"I-imperial forces!"

"How did they get here...!"

More decisive wins. No casualties worth mentioning—their morale soared to the heavens.

Good so far. It was Marygold's achievement, after all. Perfect for her promotion record.

The problem? Morale wasn't the only thing soaring.

'Huh?'

'Damn it.'

Lancel rubbed his forehead at the 5th Prince's affection jumping two stages again.

'Affection events that wouldn't trigger when I wanted an Empress ending, and now this?!'

Marygold advancing was great, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this was a dead end. One misstep, and it'd evolve to "love."

Signs were already everywhere.

'No choice.'

Lancel resolved to an extreme measure. Something to fundamentally block prince events. Utterly extreme and foolproof.

"Supervisor Mary."

"Yes, Sir Lancel."

Four months into the war. Lancel gazed at the sunset beyond the ridge and spoke softly.

"When this war ends."

"Yes."

"Come home with me to my territory."

"...Pardon?"

Marygold turned. Her luminous eyes reflected the blood-red sky.

'Didn't want to go this far.'

Lancel murmured so only she could hear.

"I want to introduce you to my parents."

"Th-that means..."

"Figure it out."

Marygold fell silent. Then nodded faintly.

'That should do it.'