No Matter How You Slice It, It Sounds Like Bragging About His Lover

21

Grand General William Lukas was, for better or worse, a soldier born and bred.

Starting as a common foot soldier, he rose through the ranks to become Grand General, a veritable rags-to-riches story, yet that very path made him brutally unwavering.

He was incapable of doubting what he believed.

Disagreeing with him meant you were simply wrong, that was his type.

Steadfast, if you were being kind. Pig-headed, if you weren’t.

For someone like William, Ervin was bound to be his polar opposite.

Not just difficult to deal with, but someone he actively avoided.

“I was simply, offering my congratulations.”

William felt the blood rushing in his veins at the man’s composure, as if he hadn’t just casually tossed around top-secret military intelligence.

This was exactly the problem.

*I can’t ever figure out what this b*stard is thinking!*

So different from himself, who always said and did exactly what was on his mind.

Doubtless, there were dozens of intentions hidden beneath his words and actions, intentions he couldn’t even begin to fathom.

It made him, simpleminded as he was, incredibly difficult to deal with.

“Is that what you call it! Saying such things so freely in a place like this, what if someone overheard…!”

William stopped mid-sentence, realizing he’d just blurted out something utterly foolish.

The man before him was the Director of Imperial Intelligence.

The man who manipulated the empire’s, the world’s information from the confines of his office.

To lecture such a being on information security… he couldn’t help but feel utterly ashamed.

“Ugh…!”

Frustrated and unable to retort, William stood there, face flushed crimson and breathing heavily, as Ervin repeated himself, emphasizing each word.

“Grand General. Let me reiterate, I was offering my congratulations.”

“But that’s…!”

On the verge of exploding, a single question flickered through William’s mind.

*Wait a minute. Why is Director Barmut even saying this to me in the first place?*

He didn’t know him well, but he knew the Director never did anything without a purpose, never acted without a reason.

That he said it to offer genuine congratulations was, of course, out of the question.

If anything, it was more reasonable to assume he was trying to provoke him.

William met Ervin’s gaze.

Eyes frighteningly devoid of emotion. Yet, there was no hint of provocation.

‘To offer congratulations implies he knows about the Class A military secret? Why would he need to…ah?’

Class A military secret.

Indeed. Merlin’s Staff was a Class A military secret.

A super long-range strike magical weapon the Empire had been secretly developing for a long time. That was Merlin’s Staff.

Only a select few within the Empire knew of its existence.

Aside from the Emperor, it was himself and his closest aides, along with a handful of individuals from the Empire’s research and development divisions involved in the project.

‘But how does the Minister know about Merlin’s Staff?’

Because he’s the Minister of Intelligence? Or perhaps he heard it from the Emperor.

If that were the case, there would have been no need to tell *him* directly.

The reason the Minister would skirt around the issue just to inform the Grand General that he was aware of the Staff’s existence.

‘Information is leaking!’

That was it. That was the only reason the Minister would subtly inform him.

The Intelligence Agency was a completely separate entity from the Imperial Army.

With all their privileges, they still couldn’t interfere with the military.

Let alone military secrets, and not just any secrets, Class A military secrets.

The moment the Minister of Intelligence directly informed the Grand General that this was being leaked, the prestige of the Imperial Army would plummet, without a doubt.

‘Blast! The fool was me!’

Realizing the Minister’s consideration, William cried out in a hurried voice.

“Forgive me, but let’s reschedule the joint exercises! Commander Chirner! That will be acceptable, won’t it?”

“Pardon? Ah, ye-yes, of course, Grand General.”

Francesca, who had been tense, fearing a major conflict, was bewildered by the Grand General’s sudden change in attitude but nodded quickly.

“Truly, my apologies!”

With that, the Grand General, leaving his bewildered aides behind, mounted his horse and rode back to the capital.

A few days later.

A researcher affiliated with the Empire’s Research Division was sentenced to death and imprisoned for leaking Class A military secrets to external parties.

—

Francesca couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

The Grand General, who had hastily returned before the start of the joint exercises several days prior, had now summoned her to resume the training.

Up to that point, it was manageable. But he’d also included a request that I absolutely bring the Minister of Intelligence back with me.

He even said that if the timing didn’t work out, he’d seek him out himself.

‘What is going on?’

I was clueless, but since it was a request from the General, I asked Erwin again if he could come with me.

Erwin simply nodded, agreeable as could be.

And that’s how we ended up here.

“Wahahahaha! The Minister has an outstanding talent for military strategy! Perhaps you’d consider joining the Imperial Army?”

“No, thank you.”

“Hahaha! You have a commendable backbone for one so young!”

His attitude was a complete 180 from before.

The General reveled in everything Erwin said, tossing in jokes and even, as now, making offers that seemed half-serious.

It couldn’t be an act. The General wasn’t the type to put on a performance.

‘What the heck is this? The General’s aides seem to know something… am I the only one in the dark?’

The only clue was the “congratulations” Erwin had offered the General that day, but even when I later asked him about it, he just repeated that a congratulations was just a congratulations.

No one would explain it properly, and I was about to go crazy with frustration, but I couldn’t ruin the unexpectedly pleasant atmosphere with pointless questions, so I just stood there, fidgeting.

As if a thought had just struck him, the General pointed at me and Erwin.

“Speaking of which, weren’t you two set up on a blind date? Curious, though. I heard the date itself fell through, but you and Commander Czirner seem remarkably close.”

Francesca was startled anew.

She never would have imagined the General bringing up romance.

“So, what’s the reality of it? Just to be a meddling old fool, I’d say you make a very handsome couple.”

A very handsome couple, he said.

He definitely said a very handsome couple.

‘M-Me and Erwin look that way to others?!’

At the General’s words, Francesca quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

The corners of her lips were threatening to ascend to the heavens. On top of that, she felt a strange giggle bubbling up.

‘Wh-What does Erwin think?’

If he said he disliked it or didn’t think anything of it, Francesca would cry.

She’d throw all decorum to the wind and burst into tears right there.

Erwin’s lips slowly parted, meeting the expectation and fear radiating from Francesca, and the General’s and aides’ gazes that were brimming with curiosity.

“If we seem that way, I’m glad.”

*Aha!* the Grand General smacked his knee, a sound of satisfaction.

His adjutants chimed in with *Oohs*, suddenly enthralled.

Francesca, the one in question, was internally erupting in a silent cheer from the very depths of her being.

“So…!”

“But she is too good for me.”

One of the adjutants thought:

*Just then, it felt as if a crack, crisp and sharp, split through the very air of the barracks.*

—

He deflected the direct compliment, not wanting to shame a woman by immediately dismissing the match, then followed it with praise, elevating her instead.

*Even I must admit, it was a masterful stroke of diplomacy.*

“Ahem… General? What do you mean by ‘too good’?”

*Oh. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.*

“Just what it sounds like.”

“Yes, but… what does that concretely… entail?”

Having given it no prior thought, I was at a loss. I decided to just string together a few of the impressions I always had whenever I saw Francesca.

“She is a hard worker, graced with beautiful talent.”

“A hard worker?”

“Indeed.”

I took Francesca’s hand from her side, turned it palm-up, and presented it to everyone.

“You can see the countless calluses, hard as stones, ingrained in this hand. A soldier’s hand, you might say, but fresh wounds appear on it with each new day.”

Proof that she trained relentlessly, never missing a single day.

“Born into the House of Chirner, where she could have lived out her days as a carefree noble lady, Francesca chose to wield a sword and defend the Empire.”

Truly embodying *noblesse oblige*.

I returned her hand to her lap, continuing.

“She never looks down on anyone when she speaks. She treats people the same regardless of their station. It may be immodest of me to say so, but there are few nobles born with such inherent privilege who possess her virtue.”

*I, certainly, am not one of them.*

“Furthermore, Francesca’s words are filled with consideration for others. She agonizes over how to speak without causing pain.”

However, that didn’t mean she was simply a soft touch.

“When it comes time to make a decision, Francesca is resolute. Though she may waver on what is right, she never ceases to push forward. That is why her subordinates trust and follow her, I suspect.”

A splendid knight and an equally splendid noble lady—that is what makes Francesca so remarkable.

“From considerate conversation to the smallest table manners, each gesture of hers is like a painting. One can see at a glance how diligently she’s strived since childhood to learn the bearing of a noble.”

Such words might not be considered praise, but her noble bearing far surpassed mine.

“Kind, beautiful, and a knight trusted by her subordinates, as well as a noble lady without a single flaw. That is Francesca Zirner.”

Underneath that facade must lie countless trials and errors, tireless effort. That’s why I called her a hard worker.

“Moreover, her skill as a knight is exceptional, and she is also incredibly domestic…”

“E-Erwin. Th-that’s enough…!”

Ah, dear. I got carried away and talked too long.

Was I the only one speaking too much?

“In any case, that is why I say Francesca is too good for me.”

At my words, the General nodded in understanding, offering a smile.

It was a benevolent smile, completely unlike the man who had suddenly grown angry when I congratulated him before.

Though, back then, after several emphatic repetitions of my congratulations, he did seem to understand properly.

Until now, I had been vaguely intimidated by him, the General, but it seems he’s not a bad person after all.

Speaking of which, why are the adjutants grinning at me?

That’s rather unpleasant.