After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 180
Episode 180: Now, Let’s Charge In!
By the time we arrived at my stupid brothers’ mansion, using the shortcut favored by the Dark Clan, they were just about to get Nicole and the others out of the carriage. Though they were being handled quite roughly, there was no sign of them waking up… It seems they had been drugged with some very potent sleeping medicine.
In front of the mansion, about ten members of the Dark Clan and Ayaka were waiting. In addition, there were fifteen officers from the national army dispatched from the royal capital. Leading them was my precious sister, Liese. She had tied her soft hair into a ponytail to make it easier to move, and wore a black military uniform that fit snugly against her body. She looked dignified and cool… but the functional outfit made her appear even more seductive.
No, no, this isn’t the time for that. Since we had to let the strongest warrior, Gretel, sit this one out, we had to make sure this team succeeded in the mission.
“They took the bait as planned. Now all that’s left is to catch them red-handed,” Liese said.
“Yeah, that’s right. But all they’ve done so far is ‘bring them in,'” I replied.
“Exactly, I want to catch them at the very moment before they commit any assault.”
We were ready to charge in, but the timing was critical. If we went now, they could easily claim they were just letting the women rest until they sobered up. But if we waited until everything was over, the women would be left with deep emotional scars.
“We’ll leave that to Kaede,” Ayaka said softly.
Right, Kaede’s dark magic allows her to hear sounds from the other side, no matter how thick the stone walls are—like a human concrete microphone. Well, apparently, ever since she conceived my child, her senses have become that sharp.
Kaede is currently hiding on the mansion grounds, and she’ll signal us just before they cross the line. Dark magic is really convenient… It would be highly sought after for intelligence work in the modern world.
“Yeah, we’re counting on you. But Ayaka, don’t overexert yourself. You have a precious child to protect,” I said.
Ayaka gave me a gentle smile in response… and seeing that, Liese looked a little lonely. I wondered if she was envious because she had mentioned wanting to have my child to carry on the Freudenstadt family name. But as of now, Liese is overwhelmed with her high-ranking military duties, and I’m stuck in the remote region of Baden. Having a child with her will probably be a long way off.
“It’s okay. It would be a bit problematic if I got pregnant now… but there are ways to prevent that,” Liese suddenly whispered in my ear. Did she read my thoughts? Is she really planning on going through with it?
“I won’t do it during this expedition, of course. This case runs deep with darkness… we need to stay serious. I want our first time to be under much better circumstances,” she said.
With those words, she left me, heading toward her subordinates, leaving me with a painful sense of frustration.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
How long has it been since Nicole and the others were taken inside? About twenty minutes, I guess. An eerie silence has lingered.
There’s likely suspicious movement going on inside the mansion, but all I can notice is the faint light spilling out from the windows. As long as Kaede, who’s pressed against the walls, isn’t signaling anything, there hasn’t been any decisive action yet. But the longer time passes, the more anxious I get—I can be quite the worrier.
Selecting the women to act as bait for this operation was an extremely difficult task.
We needed women who were attractive enough to catch the eye of my idiot brothers, who, despite being incompetent, had extensive experience with women. At the same time, these women needed to have a high level of loyalty, enough to never betray us, and had to accept the risk of losing something precious in the worst-case scenario. There aren’t many who fit that bill.
In the end, I had to rely on Nicole and her close friend Corinna, who volunteered despite knowing the risks. I was grateful they trusted us enough to offer themselves, but that only made me more determined to ensure nothing went wrong. As I bit my lip in frustration, a pair of cool hands wrapped around mine.
“I understand how you feel, Lutz… but let’s trust Ayaka and the others for now and wait,” Liese said, looking at me with serious, brown eyes.
I could only nod in response.
Ugh, I really am hopeless. I once resolved to become a sturdy tree that women like free-flying birds could return to and rest. But if I get this easily shaken, I’ll never be able to provide peace for them.
“No, it’s your kindness in worrying about each girl that makes you so charming, Lutz… and it’s one of the reasons I love you,” Liese said suddenly.
Argh, hitting me with something so cute out of the blue… it’s unfair, but it grabs my heart. I wanted to pull her close, but now wasn’t the time for that. I had to restrain myself.
“We got Kaede’s signal, let’s move,” Ayaka whispered in a lowered voice.
Liese furrowed her brows with a determined look and took off running. I followed behind her… though I wasn’t sure how much help I’d be.
Standing a little away from the door, Liese recited a short incantation. A fifty-centimeter orb of water formed near her raised hand… and in an instant, it turned into a solid block of ice.
“Shatter!”
With her command, the ice shot forward with incredible force… and the thick oak door was blasted to pieces in a single strike.