Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The War Hero Gets Married (6)
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A secret chamber shrouded in total darkness.
A single black-haired woman officer with a short bob, dressed in a black military uniform, sat in the cramped room, manipulating the devices before her with practiced ease.
Her uniform was adorned with all manner of badges, including the Iron Cross, and the hat pressed down over her head gleamed with a platinum eagle emblem symbolizing the Empire.
The silver insignia on her chest proved she belonged to the Imperial Intelligence Agency—and was its Director, no less.
Whirrr.
Mana sparkled as light burst forth from the square panel.
The dark-haired officer extended her hand toward the square plate made of magic stone and began swiftly operating the screen.
Beep-boop.
A new glow appeared in the bottom right.
The officer reached toward it and snapped into a salute.
"Loyalty."
A silhouette floated on the square screen.
The officer lowered her hand and nodded at the question from the figure, visible only as a shadow like one shrouded behind a black curtain.
"Yes, it's true. We're currently gathering follow-up intel."
"There are several possibilities, but it might be the royal family pulling a sudden stunt."
The officer flinched at the crude remark from beyond the screen.
"They might've naively figured it'd all work out somehow."
It was shocking enough that her counterpart would say such a thing, but the reaction matched her own initial feelings exactly.
"They struck first before the other kingdoms could snatch him up... that's my take."
"Not impossible, but judging by the Red Devil's reaction, it was news to him."
The officer tapped one side of the screen, and a magic video feed appeared, showing what looked like a distant view of a certain mansion.
"Per the real-time surveillance of the Wilhelm Mansion, he's currently enjoying 'happy time' with the maids we had on standby for post-armistice banquet fun."
"Yes. We've secured the merchant transaction logs for deliveries to the Wilhelm Mansion. Looks like this time he ordered bulk stockings and garter belts to go under the maid outfits."
The voice from beyond the screen carried irritation, contempt, and a hint of amusement.
"Yes. 35 denier."
"It's his one true hobby."
The officer picked up the profile file on her desk.
"Red Devil, Hans Wilhelm. His hobby is..."
Hobby.
Not maids. Not garter belts. Not stockings.
The singular thing encompassing it all—'women'.
To put it more bluntly: 'womanizing'.
"Yes. The perfect hobby for assassination—easiest yet hardest. As you know..."
The officer pulled out a thick stack of documents from the file.
"In assassinating the Grates Kingdom royalty, Alliance nobles, and other key figures, he's exploited their hobbies and habits for successful hits up to now."
"Yes. And many more after... but the Alliance's Red Devil dodged every single one."
The thick stack brimmed with assassination progress reports, most stamped 'failure'.
"He even thwarted several attempts on the marriage's very subject, Princess Knight Sylvia de Grates."
How many hits had failed because of that one man alone?
They'd thrown every assassination method at him in response, but the Empire hadn't so much as scratched the Red Devil—except for that one approach.
"The most promising avenue for a hit was..."
"...Yes. The honey trap infiltration. Though once we realized he was letting them get close on purpose, we pulled back."
The officer's gaze drifted downward involuntarily.
She stared at her long nails for a long moment, clenching and unclenching her hand as if raking claws across flesh, then closed her eyes briefly.
Classified.
If it got out that the only wounds ever inflicted on Hans Wilhelm during an assassination attempt were back scratches and a neck bite, what would the Empire think?
"Ahem."
What the hell was 'Yeomisae'?
A derogatory slur for a woman-crazed bastard.
The officer mused for a moment on how impressive it was that he could make such filth spill from the lips of a woman as refined as a noble lady.
"Yes. That's the hot debate raging in Intelligence right now."
"......Ahem."
The officer cleared her throat awkwardly and averted her gaze.
"Th-the term 'banged' is a tad..."
"Your Excellency. On that note..."
As if struck by a sudden memory—or reliving an old one—the officer straightened up, fidgeting her legs as she composed herself.
"No. Just me."
The silhouette on screen shifted as the foot vanished, revealing a stunning black-haired beauty.
A woman with deathly pale skin and crimson eyes.
She wore a uniform too, but one that evoked a field commander more than anything. She gazed at the officer with a wry smile, the look of one survivor to another.
"......We lived because we're beauties."
The officer gave a bitter smile and nodded at the black-haired woman's words.
"Mind sharing what the Joint Chiefs cooked up?"
Beep.
The screen flickered, and a square section in the bottom right shimmered like a sheaf of papers.
"...Minus outright assassination, core plan's honey traps leading to defection?"
"Ahem. Excellency, that phrasing..."
Heh.
"...That."
The officer skimmed the profile docs.
"Wasn't one night, but three days and nights—"
"......."
"The Alliance'll crumble fast. Without the Red Devil, the Alliance Kingdoms fold in three years flat."
"What's wr—oh."
In some room of the Wilhelm Mansion under real-time surveillance...
A faint creeeak echoed like an auditory hallucination as the terrace door swung open, revealing a man.
"......."
The man, radiating body heat and clad only in a thin robe, stepped out to savor the night air.
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
The officer opened her mouth cautiously.
"At least he doesn't go at it while they're passed out. Probably picks back up once they wake—till dawn."
"......."
And so.
Morning arrived.
"Pr-Princess!!"
Princess Knight Sylvia de Grates paid a visit to the Wilhelm Mansion first thing in the morning.