Chapter 262 - 261: Honey Trap?

KNOCK KNOCK.

A knock came at the door.

Ronin was hunched over a sheet of paper, organizing and planning based on the information Jenny had compiled. Without looking up, he uttered a single word: "Enter."

He thought it was Ridder, Elron, or one of his other men. He never expected it would be a young girl in gorgeous attire, looking like the daughter of a noble, who walked in carrying a fruit platter.

"And you are?" Ronin put down his pen.

The girl curtsied, her red lips parting slightly as she spoke in a sweet voice, "Viscount, I am the daughter of the Civil Servant of Giant Stone Territory. You may call me Betty."

As she spoke, she placed the fruit platter on the table. Trailing a faint scent of perfume, she came to Ronin’s side and proactively reached out to massage his shoulders.

"You’ve had a long journey, Viscount. I was sent specially to serve you."

Ronin frowned slightly and casually picked up a book to cover the parchment on his desk.

Although her touch was gentle, and Ronin could feel the soft press against his shoulders, and although he could vaguely feel her warm breath on the back of his ear, he still found the situation baffling.

"Miss Betty."

Ronin pushed her hands away and looked directly into her eyes. "Did Coren send you?"

A flicker of panic was evident in Betty’s eyes. She hadn’t expected to be rejected. ’Didn’t Lord Coren say this man was exceptionally fond of carnal pleasures?’

’Why is it that even after I made the first move and deliberately tried to entice him, he doesn’t look the least bit pleased?’

She quickly moved away, standing to one side of the desk.

Betty felt the chill in Ronin’s tone. Although she was a Civil Servant’s daughter, she lacked confidence in the presence of a true noble.

"The Baron said you were very tired and sent me to give you a massage, then to help you wash up and take a nap."

"How would you ’help’?"

A corner of Ronin’s mouth lifted into a slight smirk. "Does that include offering your body?"

Instantly, Betty’s face flushed red. She lowered her head shyly. "Yes... Yes. As long as you’re willing, I’m ready at any time."

Judging by her earlier actions, she was clearly an experienced hand at this, but her current demeanor was that of an innocent young maiden.

"Coren really is thoughtful."

Ronin chuckled, then shouted to the outside, "Tom, David, come in!"

Tom and David, who had been waiting nearby, hurried over. They subconsciously glanced at Betty, who stood awkwardly to the side.

"Sir, what are your orders?"

"You two haven’t just been with me for a day or two. Why didn’t you announce a visitor was here to see me? How are you performing your duties?"

Ronin’s reprimand was partly a genuine criticism of the two men, and partly a performance for Betty’s benefit.

Faced with their Lord’s rebuke, Tom and David panicked. They immediately dropped to one knee, begging for Ronin’s forgiveness while also explaining the reason.

It turned out that when they heard Betty say she was sent by Coren, they assumed Ronin had already made arrangements with him. They hadn’t blocked her entry, never imagining it was a misunderstanding.

"From now on, if so much as a fly wants to get in, you report to me first. You only let it in after I give my permission!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Tom and David trembled. They had indeed mishandled the situation and should have announced her first.

Ronin waved his hand. "Take her out!"

Seeing this display, Betty didn’t dare linger any longer and scurried to leave.

"Take the fruit platter with you!" Ronin added.

"Ye-yes..."

She quickly turned back, grabbed the platter, and left in a hurry.

Watching her departing figure, Ronin frowned as he analyzed Coren’s motive.

’Is he sending a woman simply because he thinks I’m a lecher, or is he trying to ruin my reputation?’

With war about to begin, if a woman caused Ronin to be embroiled in a scandal like the one with Selena, his reputation would probably become as foul as Wiggin’s.

With the cautionary tale of his predecessor fresh in his mind, how could he possibly repeat the same mistake?

Elsewhere, Coren was quite surprised to hear Betty’s report.

"You are dismissed."

Coren waved Betty away, still finding it hard to believe. "Betty’s looks are first-class. I can’t believe Ronin managed to restrain himself. Could it be he’s really changed his ways?"

"It’s possible. After all, he suffered a great loss because of Ossen Count’s granddaughter, which is how he lost his inheritance."

Brisot sounded regretful. "In that case, our plan to ruin his reputation is a bust."

"No matter."

Coren sat down. "There’s more than one way to ruin a reputation. If this war ends in a disastrous defeat, his name will be in worse shape than his father’s!"

"If the Noble Alliance Army is completely wiped out, Ronin, as its Commander, will probably be deemed incompetent by all the other nobles, wouldn’t he?"

No matter how weak these allied forces were, they were still assets of the nobility. Their loss would be felt, and that’s when the rumors about Ronin would start.

That evening, Elron returned to Giant Stone Castle and reported on the materials for the Burst Potion.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t gather all the necessary ingredients in Giant Stone City. In particular, no one at the Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce had even heard of an ingredient called "Blood Hemp Grass."

It seemed impossible for Ronin to get his hands on Burst Potions anytime soon.

Ronin did not attend the evening banquet at Giant Stone Castle. Instead, he discussed how to properly set up camp with Ridder, Macken, and the others.

This was their first war. While many things could be skipped, it was also an opportunity to accumulate experience.

When Joffrey, Rogner, or even Tom grew enough to lead their own teams in the future, they would know how to handle these matters.

Sometimes, improvement wasn’t just about strength; the ability to handle practical matters was also crucial.

The Commander’s absence from Coren’s banquet might seem ordinary, but different people interpreted it in different ways.

The Knights and nobles belonging to other lords naturally didn’t care, but the three men—Toru, Philip, and Solstein—had to take it seriously.

They now understood Ronin’s attitude. Before Chishan Town was taken, they would also need to appropriately decline similar banquets, even if it meant offending the host.

The next morning, Ronin convened a meeting in the fortress of Giant Stone Castle, gathering all the leading members, including Toru and Coren.

Although nearly sixty people attended, only a few of the top combatants actually had decision-making power. The other leaders were just there to execute orders.

"In a military campaign, the first thing is to understand our own situation."

Ronin took out the documents he had prepared the day before and passed them to Toru and the others to read.

"I haven’t touched the units that already have a complete Knight Squad structure. However, I need to organize the other scattered personnel into formal units, assign leaders, and delegate their respective duties."

Toru took the parchment and scanned the text carefully. The more he read, the more shocked he became.

’So this is what Ronin was doing yesterday instead of attending the banquet?’

He couldn’t help but steal a glance at the young man beside him. ’Could someone who has never been on a battlefield really handle things with this kind of speed and method?’

"Sir Toru, what do you think?"

Ronin asked, "If you feel anything is out of place, please point it out so we can revise it."

"I find this series of arrangements you’ve made to be exceptionally reasonable!"

As he spoke, he handed the parchment to Marvin, who was next to him. As the two deputy commanders, it was natural for them to read it first.

"Marquis Lurans sent Marvin and me to assist you, but now it seems you might not even need us to lead this campaign!"

After Marvin quickly scanned it, his eyes were filled with shock.

He was a rough man, incapable of such detailed work, but that didn’t stop him from admiring someone who could.

"Toru’s right, Ronin. I have no objections. Let’s do it your way!"

As if that wasn’t enough, he added, "I have a feeling Wushan Territory is about to produce a brilliant military strategist!"

At his words, everyone who hadn’t seen the document grew curious. What could possibly be written on that piece of paper to elicit such admiration and praise from the two commanders?

Coren was skeptical. ’Is it really that amazing?’

’Could this be a pre-arranged act, orchestrated by the Marquis to pave the way for Ronin?’

However, he recalled Betty’s report from yesterday. Ronin had indeed been writing something at his desk, though Betty hadn’t seen the specific contents.

"Marvin Viscount, could you let me have a look?"

Marvin was taken aback; he had forgotten to pass it on. He quickly handed the parchment to Coren.

Coren hurriedly took it and began to read.

He wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t looked, but one glance left him stunned.

The parchment was neatly inscribed with Ronin’s designations for unit numbers, team leaders, key members, and the tasks assigned to each team.

These tasks were not generalities; they were broken down into fine detail.

For example, there were teams responsible for scouting, some for defense, some for analyzing intelligence, some for maintaining camp security, and so on.

In addition to the combat troops, Ronin had even divided up the logistical roles—artisans, cooks, Grooms, and even cleaning crews had been organized into units with designated leaders.

If the scattered-sand-like Noble Alliance Army was truly organized and structured according to Ronin’s plan, its performance would undoubtedly be far superior to the every-man-for-himself approach.

"This..."

Coren was shocked to his core, yet he still wanted to find some fault with it.

"Commander, I believe one part of this is not quite appropriate."

"Oh?"

Facing the challenge, Ronin showed no anger at all, instead maintaining a pleasant expression.

"Baron Coren, if you have any thoughts, please share them. We can discuss it."