Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Master, you've worked hard."

"Just a warm-up."

For Ryūka, dealing with monster problems that could plague an entire nation was a piece of cake. Under his command, the three-hundred-strong Royal Knights split into several teams, selecting locations to hunt down and exterminate the monsters. Their teamwork and the martial prowess they displayed won the hearts and minds of the nations they encountered. But for Ryūka, this was merely a way to maintain his combat skills and prepare for the events in the Bauhinia Kingdom.

After taking the cool tea offered by Adela and drinking it all in one gulp, Ryuga glanced at the woman with the gold coins and said calmly:

"When we go to the next country, you won't need to stay by my side anymore."

These words startled Adela, who thought she had done something wrong, but before she could speak, Ryusha softly said:

"Use your abilities to help me gather information among merchants and nobles, investigate the population changes in the southern countries over the past decade or so, especially the number of newly formed knights and mages, as well as the flow of goods, commerce, and people between countries."

Upon hearing this, Adela's previously worried eyes immediately lit up. Ryūka's words meant he trusted her abilities and was entrusting her with more responsibility on Ryūka's behalf!

"Yes! Master!"

She immediately knelt on one knee, her whole body trembling with excitement at receiving Liu Xia's command. She even mustered the courage to raise her head and gaze at Liu Xia with tender, affectionate eyes, saying shyly and reluctantly:

"But then, I won't be able to stay with my master every night~"

"Look at you, you shameless hussy~" Melanie laughed at the sight, but inwardly she was overjoyed. Although she was much higher in status than Adela, she was still a little jealous of Adela's ample bosom. Although this didn't stop Ryusha from still feeding her well, with one less person around, Melanie felt that she would be more unrestrained on the road ahead.

But before she could be happy for long, Ryuka said:

"Melanie, you will stay with her. I'll leave the safety and magical matters to you. I will have His Highness Tipalotura verify your identities as special envoys of the Otus Mission to facilitate your future actions."

"Uh……"

Melanie, who had just been secretly chuckling, couldn't help but roll her eyes. This naughty boy always knew how to boss people around. But the words were already out, and she couldn't help but ponder, pressing Ryūka for his intentions:

"Do you think there are some problems with the population and national strength of the Southern Continent?"

“That’s right.” Liu Xia nodded, looking at the village beside her. The climate here was warm, the land fertile, and the vegetation abundant—a more prosperous land than the Sochi Plain. But in the Southern Continent, such a place was considered unremarkable. Moreover, compared to the vast empire of Otus, which had been deeply rooted for centuries, the southern kingdoms were limited in size and strength, mostly scattered city-states, resulting in a less prosperous life for the people.

If the Chosen Ones were to secretly promote potential-enhancing techniques here, while simultaneously boosting the strength of both the monster and human factions, the monster problem in these areas wouldn't be so severe. However, the reality is that the military strength of the new generation in many small countries hasn't improved; in fact, it seems to have weakened. In many places, the military strength is even inferior to the adventurers and mercenaries of the Empire, which is why the monster problem is becoming increasingly serious.

So, where did all the resources produced by this fertile land and the number of people it supported go?

Ryuga couldn't help but think of Ada, the daughter of the Earl of Linzeburg, who possessed the strength of a Grand Master. Ryuga silently speculated: If Linzeburg within the Empire was already infiltrated, what about the small countries he had passed through? The younger generation of these local noble families, those with talent, might have been recruited by the Chosen Ones, or gathered in the Bauhinia Kingdom, or other strongholds. Or they might have been like Ada Reid before, hiding in their original places, not revealing their strength, silently lying low for some reason.

Having understood Ryukyu's concerns, Melanie and Adela also became serious, putting aside their own thoughts and nodding silently, treating this matter as a task for their future journey.

After a brief rest, a cloud of dust billowed in from outside the village. Approaching Liuxia and his group's camp was Gerberi, clad in light armor, and the Royal Knights behind her.

Liu Xia assigned tasks to the encirclement and suppression operation, dividing the 300-strong elite force into several small teams, each tasked with completing its own mission before regrouping. Gerberly led one of these teams.

After a few days apart, her golden-brown hair had grown slightly longer, with a few stray strands fluttering in the wind at her temples. Her heavy golden armor had been destroyed during the battle against the earth dragon, and she now wore a form-fitting light armor inlaid with aquamarine magic stones, a particularly soothing sight in the southern heat. Although the knight's undergarment beneath the light armor still covered her completely, Ryuga was already intimately familiar with every inch of skin beneath, even its sensitivity, and couldn't help but smile as he looked at Gerberly.

That night, Gerberi was almost tortured to death by him. She was left completely naked, inside and out. An ordinary woman would probably go mad just thinking about such a humiliating experience, having been exposed to all her base and shameless nature by Ryuga. But Gerberi was, after all, a witch. Far from being left with any physical or mental scars, she actually became more enlightened due to the influence of her witch powers. Only a faint resentment towards Ryuga remained in her heart, which she dared not express.

In particular, when she saw Liu Xia's flirtatious and scrutinizing gaze from afar, Gerberly couldn't help but blush. A ticklish feeling crept up her body, which she quickly suppressed by shaking her head to calm herself down.

Not only that… After that night, when Gerberly regained her senses, she felt that the name 'Ryusha' seemed familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere long ago. Unlike the current feeling of disgust and aversion, it was a name from an earlier time, carrying a faint sense of satisfaction and peace…

"How could that be!" The thought had barely crossed her mind when it startled Gerberly, who quickly banished it and gave Liu Xia a cold snort!

"Humph!"

Feeling Ryūka's gaze, Gerberi, who had just reined in her horse, felt extremely uncomfortable. She flipped her muscular legs, encased in thick black pantyhose, and dismounted in front of everyone. She arranged for her team to prepare, then deliberately ignored Ryūka and the others, and strode towards another magical carriage with her deadly long legs in her combat boots.

“Anjaberg, there are some parts of this armor that need adjustment. The magic circuits are not working properly.”

Ryuga glanced at the female knight's plump buttocks, which seemed fuller after her virginity was broken, and her gait appeared more graceful. He couldn't help but click his tongue, reminiscing about the unrestrained night with the witch. Meanwhile, ahead of Gerberly, the car door opened, and a curious Anyaberg adjusted his goggles, asking curiously:

"Not clear? Hmm... Come on up, Miss Gerberly, let me take a look."

Over the past few days, Anyaberg has temporarily escaped her sister's shadow and fully immersed herself in her new work. The magical materials she collected from various countries along the way, along with some obscure local magical engineering tidbits, filled her travel time to the brim. Not only that, she also began designing new magical armor—light armor that sacrificed some defense and weight, using magical technology and runes to enhance magical defense while optimizing speed and agility.

Gerberly was the test subject, of course, at her own request, since her original armor had broken and it was a good opportunity for Anjaberg to make a new one. Anjaberg was originally one of Tipalotura's people, and this relationship made her the only one among the girls around Ryukyu whom Gerberly didn't dislike.

As for her proactive approach, the purpose behind it was naturally not hidden from Ryūsha—it was Tipalottura's arrangement. After discovering that Lady Sophie and Olivia from Thunderburg had taken the lead in approaching Ryūsha, Tipalottura, who was somewhat bothered by this, was also rebuilding her relationship with Anyaberg, which could be considered a small 'check and balance' and 'counterattack'.

In short, her relationship with Ryuka not only didn't grow distant, but instead felt even more tightly bound together...

Seeing Gerberi's indifferent expression, Ryuka felt a surge of excitement, wanting to make that beautiful and valiant female knight's grumpy face become unbearable again. But there wasn't a chance yet; Gerberi was stronger than before after recovering, and she wasn't so easy to pluck. Ryuka could only chuckle, turn around, and walk into his magic carriage, casually closing the door behind him.

Seeing his actions, Melanie and Adela exchanged a smile and shook their heads helplessly. That's just how men are; they're always so attached to new toys…

After closing the door, Liuxia lay down on her soft bed. The interior of the RV was originally spacious, but there was a large box above the bed, hanging over Liuxia's head.

With a smile, Liu Xia pressed a switch on the metal box on the ceiling, and a hot, sweet scent wafted out! Monica, her limbs restrained, was trapped inside the box! Blindfolded and gagged, she was as ripe and delicious as a ripe peach! Juicy and fresh!

Liu Xia patted her face, took off her clothes, and laughed:

"Wake up, Miss Monica, it's time to eat!"

Chapter 45: The Attrition of the Female Special Forces Team

Inside the train carriage, Monica, who had been bound like a dumpling, had her gag removed and was force-fed a large amount of thick porridge by Ryuga before being stuffed back into the suitcase untouched. After hearing that Ryuga had deliberately let Greg and the others escape, she had a bad feeling and suddenly considered running away herself!

Her current predicament is the punishment for her failure. She's been confined to the box the whole way, and if it weren't for magic sustaining her life, she probably wouldn't have been able to endure it long ago. But the various automatically rotating tools inside this mechanical box are almost turning her brain into mush.

"Hmm~ We'll be in the Bauhinia Kingdom in just a few days~ You're happy to be home, aren't you, Miss Monica? You're asking for trouble, so I was going to let you off the hook if you cooperated, but it seems you still need some time to 'reflect'~"

After comfortably relieving his stress, Ryuka spoke with a firm voice! He patted the box containing Monica, listened to the 'whimpering' sound coming from inside, straightened his clothes, and got out of the car.

But what appeared before him at that moment was Olivia in military uniform.

Like Gerberi, she had just returned from a mission to hunt magical beasts. However, she was leading an elite all-female squad brought from Thunder Fortress, and they were currently making preparations.

Like Olivia, they were also dressed in bright new military uniforms, with dress uniforms on the upper body and white military trousers that hugged the girls' youthful thighs on the lower body, and sturdy military boots on their feet, although the style was slightly simpler than Olivia's.

They, along with Olivia, were all sent by Lady Sophie under the guise of reinforcing and securing the Imperial delegation from Thunder Fortress to accompany Ryūsha. Using the excuse that 'cleaning up and suppressing is not suitable for young people,' Lady Sophie sent her daughter Olivia, who had just broken through to the Heavenly Rank, with Ryūsha. The real reason, of course, needs no further explanation.

In other words, the Otus delegation currently boasts three terrifying Heavenly Rank experts among its top combatants! In terms of numbers, this is almost a third of the Empire's previous number of top powerhouses. However, according to Lady Sophie, both Gerberi and Olivia possess strength but lack combat experience, falling short of true Heavenly Rank experts.

This configuration made Liu Xia realize that their trip was truly aimed at destroying the enemy's kingdom. The emperor's orders were no longer wishful thinking; three Heavenly Rank experts could easily annihilate a kingdom, and with hundreds of elite troops, they could easily suppress and control it.

However, the Bauhinia Kingdom is backed by the Chosen Ones and Carmela of the Inquisition. If handled carelessly, the Vatican's influence could also intervene. Ryuuka would not underestimate this mysterious organization. Based on his experience with anime and movies, his current "go-get-rich-quick" setup often turns into a disaster if he lets his guard down.

Who knows how much power these Chosen Ones, who can even cultivate Heavenly-rank magical beasts, have secretly accumulated? And how will the witches, magical technology, and ancient lost secret arts on both sides affect the balance of power?

Therefore, even with Olivia's addition, Ryuka remained quite cautious. One manifestation of this caution was the 'Thunder Fortress First Special Forces Squad' led by Olivia.

This test unit, composed of more than twenty female soldiers, was entirely selected by Lady Sophie from across Thunder Fortress. They might not be the most elite or combat-capable, but they were certainly among the most well-mannered. Nearly half of the squad came from minor noble or gentry families; despite their flaws, they were all considered 'good girls' of the Otus Empire.

They received an excellent education from a young age, and their service at Thunder Fortress proved they were not delicate flowers. The reason for this selection and formation was not to satisfy Lady Sophie's "aesthetic taste" for her "prospective son-in-law," Ryūsha, but rather to test Ryūsha's proposed military system reform!

Therefore, whether they were knights or mages, they were all dressed in the same new military uniforms, making them seem like figures from a different era compared to the royal knights who were encamped nearby. Abandoning traditional armor, these female knights used new magical equipment designed by Anjaberg—magical light armor, magical shields, magical weapons, and so on…

Their combat tactics have also shifted from the previous knightly charges to coordinated operations with mages and support personnel. Having lost the protection of heavy armor, they will no longer blindly charge into battle, but will instead break through enemy lines with high mobility, supported by the magic and enchanted weapons of their comrades from the rear! The use of communication crystals and surveying tools also plays a crucial role in their combat system!

Therefore, the most important factor in selecting this all-female special forces team was not individual strength, but rather their excellent knowledge base and learning ability. Whether they were knights or mages, they were all people with a keen interest in and understanding of magical technology and new things. The goal was to enable all members to self-repair and maintain magical equipment, and even propose design and development ideas, thus pioneering future military combat reforms.

And their achievements...

"What were the results?"

In response to Ryūka's question, Olivia gave a crisp military salute, her beautiful back ramrod straight, showing no airs of a high-ranking officer, just like an ordinary junior officer. This seemed unbelievable to her subordinates. But considering that Olivia was facing the Governor of Ryūka, the members of the special operations team understood.

While they appeared to be preparing various things, they were actually secretly paying attention to Ryūka's side, listening to Olivia's evaluation of their achievements that day.

"The operation lasted two hours and thirteen minutes, with a pursuit range of eighty kilometers. Four groups of monsters were wiped out, including two high-level monsters and fifty-two regular monsters. Other casualties were not counted. The number of casualties was three with minor injuries. The number of magic crystals consumed was thirty-two Type I magic crystals produced in Sochi."

"The consumption is quite high," Ryuka said silently after listening. "In actual combat, we didn't deploy magical vehicles; we were still using the old cavalry-style movement method. If we deploy field vehicles, the consumption will increase even more..."

Hearing Ryuka's words, the young female soldiers in the squad couldn't help but tense up.

Type 1 magic crystals are standard magic crystals manufactured by the magic workshops in Sochi through standardized processing. Each crystal contains almost all the magic power reserves of a professional magician, which means it can continuously output positive-level magic power for fifteen to thirty minutes.

This magical crystal is not yet commercially available; it's a prototype from the Sochi workshop, completed by Anjaberg's classmates. The two magical vehicles on this trip carried a large quantity as energy. The concentration and purity of its magical power initially astonished these young female soldiers! At first, they treated it like gold of equal value, hesitant to use it lightly, but recently they've become increasingly willing to use it…

Or rather, they were too willing to spend it!

After all, the mages and girls wielding magic guns responsible for suppressing the enemy's energy in the rear had become addicted to the thrill of firing indiscriminately forward! Whether it was quickly replenishing their magic power after using magic or enjoying firing magic guns until they overheated, the adrenaline rush gave them goosebumps!

The female knights charging at the front were no different; the levitation and acceleration magic circles attached to their light magical armor made their combat even more graceful! The new magical weapons not only allowed their battle aura to be more concentrated, but their special attacks, which consumed magical crystals at crucial moments, were also incredibly satisfying! And the magical shields that instantly formed by consuming magical crystals were not only lightweight, but their defensive power was also far superior to that of the old-fashioned armor and shields!

Under the suppressive fire of their comrades in the rear, they charged into the enemy ranks and quickly reaped the lives of monsters. This was a combat experience they had never had before!

Of course, all of this is based on a huge consumption of magic crystals, which is... money!

After all, a single type of magic crystal can completely replenish a professional mage's magic power. Whether in the army or among adventurers, it's a rare and precious supplement, a life-saving reserve that's only used in critical situations. Especially for adventurers, it's a valuable item they wouldn't dare use even on countless missions.

And those twenty-odd women spent more than thirty yuan today!

If you convert it to cash, it's almost equivalent to half a month's military pay for them!

Volume Sixteen

Chapter 1 Public and Private

"Um, Your Excellency..."

Seeing Ryūka deep in thought, a young and capable female knight put down the magical armor she was preparing and walked over. She straightened her back nervously and explained earnestly with a restrained expression:

"We are so sorry! We will definitely be more careful about the consumption of magic crystals next time!"

"Lieutenant Petro."

Ryuga looked up at the female knight before him. She was twenty years old, about 172 centimeters tall, but her black military boots made her figure appear even more imposing. Her gaze was level with his. Although her gaze was resolute, her oval face still held a hint of baby fat, making her look different from sharp-eyed female warriors like Olivia or Hetia. Her long, flaxen hair, mixed with a touch of orange-red, was braided at the back of her head and styled into a bun, with wispy bangs framing her forehead, giving her a classic, aristocratic beauty.

Hmm... As for her chest, I'd say around a C-cup. Her upright military posture makes her breasts stand out more under her straight shoulders, but for a female knight, it seems she doesn't quite meet her own standards...

*Ahem!* Ryuuichi shook off the thoughts that had just crossed his mind. It wasn't his fault; the design of the uniform was simply too eye-catching. While the previous armor was decent, only women with a clearly robust physique like Olivia or Megan could truly showcase its impressive style. But the current uniform's cut made these young female soldiers look vibrant and energetic, highlighting their healthy figures. Therefore, this uniform received considerable praise from both men and women among the young soldiers.

The woman in front of her, Petro Scandia, was the eldest daughter of a viscount. Although she was a noblewoman, she had already served in the army for two years. She was of excellent quality and had a strong sense of responsibility. Therefore, Olivia appointed her as the captain of this special squad, and she was the first soldier to be personally granted a 'new military rank' by Ryūka.

As for Ryuka and Olivia, neither of them planned to set up a military rank for themselves. After all, a low rank would be unacceptable, but a high rank would cause controversy if word got out, and their strength didn't require titles.

Looking at Petro, who stepped forward to explain on behalf of her teammates, Ryuka calmly said:

“I didn’t mean to blame you. ‘Fight at will’ was my order to you. As a test unit, the consumption of combat supplies also needs to be collected and calculated. I was silent just now because I was calculating the remaining reserves of magic crystals. Although I have already asked Sochi to send people to resupply us, they may not be able to catch up with us until we reach the Bauhinia Kingdom.”

Therefore, procuring magical crystals along the way was also important. Fortunately, the kingdoms they passed through would present the delegation with tributes and gifts, including many magical materials and magical crystals from the south. However, the quality was still inferior to that processed in established workshops. The inconsistent quality made it difficult to track combat consumption and could also damage the magical vehicles and weapons made by Anyaberg. Therefore, Ryusha only used them as backup energy.

Hearing Ryuka say that, Petro's tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and the other female soldiers beside her also breathed a sigh of relief. However, Ryuka's change of tone made her tense up again.

“It’s good to be responsible to your subordinates, but Lieutenant Petro, have you forgotten the new military regulations? If you want to speak, you must first salute your superior and obtain permission before speaking. Your rash behavior just now can be regarded as disrespect for your superior and military discipline.”

"Gudong..."

Petro's face paled. Disregarding her superiors and military discipline, she knew that in the old army, as the daughter of a viscount, offending Ryūsha, a fellow nobleman and provincial governor, would have been disastrous. Not to mention the young man before her, younger than herself, who was the most talented Heavenly Rank expert, commander, and genius in many fields in the history of Otus.

Coupled with the scandalous but infamous rumors surrounding Ryukyu, Petro began to regret her decision, fearing how she would be treated. After all, when their team was formed, there were rumors that, nominally, they were Miss Olivia's personal guard and a test unit for the Thunder Fortress military reform, but in reality, they were a 'gift' from Lady Sophie to the Governor of Ryukyu…

This statement was naturally unacceptable to them. After all, although many young girls admired Ryuka, not everyone was like that, especially Petro and the others, who were the best among the carefully selected young female soldiers, and naturally had a strong sense of self-esteem.

Despite her inner turmoil, she straightened her back, raised her hand in salute to Ryūka, her thighs, encased in white military trousers, straightened, and then spoke loudly:

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

Seeing the worried expressions on her face and the female soldiers behind her, who were secretly glancing at her with somewhat strange looks, Liu Xia couldn't help but sigh at just how bad her reputation had become. This wouldn't do; it was detrimental to building a personal image and gathering faith. It seemed she needed to be more careful in the future.

"This time it's fine. After you finish organizing your equipment, run a hundred laps around the village. There will be no dinner. Understand?"

Hearing Ryusha's lenient punishment, Petro was both surprised and relieved. Excluding genius bloodline knights like Hetia and those who used potential-enhancing techniques like Monica, her talent for cultivation was actually quite good. She became a full-fledged knight at eighteen, and her valiant fight in the recent battle against the Earth Dragon Beast earned her a reward from Lady Sophie. Her strength had reached the peak of a full-fledged knight. Although she had just finished fighting, running a hundred laps around the village was a punishment she could easily endure.

As for dinner, we can have it tomorrow morning.

"Yes Yes!"

"'Yes' doesn't need to be said twice. It won't be so easy next time. Even if you're of noble birth, it's the same for you all. Don't get cocky just because you were chosen for a special team. Even with new equipment and magic crystals to squander, people can still die at any time in battle. This is the phase of testing new equipment and new tactics. Rather than enjoying the thrill of battle, we need to find out the existing flaws. Understand?"

"Yes!"

Seeing the special forces squad in front of her stand up and salute in unison, Ryuka felt a surge of joy. Indeed, female soldiers really do give off a different vibe! Although they were all beautiful, even Petro, as their captain, couldn't compare to her harem, and was far inferior to the witches. But the sight of a whole squad of young, beautiful female knights and mages, dressed in sharp military uniforms and saluting her, still exuded a different kind of pressure.

After all, it was more than twenty people saying it at the same time. The youthful and powerful voices of the young female soldiers mixed together created a feeling that was quite different from the feeling of a group of maids bowing and responding obediently. It could really make a man feel happy.

Ryūka waved her hand, and Olivia, who had been silent all along, waved like an adjutant, ordering them to return to their preparations. Olivia then took the compiled battle data and followed Ryūka into the magical vehicle that served as the command center.

Only Gerberi, who was adjusting Anjaberg's equipment next to another car, made a disgruntled "tsk" after witnessing the whole process.

"That little rascal... why pretend to be so proper in front of others! He's going to do something shady with Olivia as soon as they get in the car!"

Gerberly gritted her teeth, her brows furrowed, and said in a low voice. Her choice to use the new magical armor was not only to strengthen her relationship with Anyaberg, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to fulfill another order given by Tipalotura.

That is to observe how Olivia's squad will become in Ryūka's hands, and what the effects of the new military reforms will be.

Ryūsha was aware of this, but he readily allowed Gerberi to approach him. Although he accepted the overtures and overtures from Madame Sophie and Olivia, he didn't want to create any discord with Tipalottura. Besides, this new model he had created was meant to be spread.

However, he wasn't thinking about all that at the moment. After entering the magic vehicle, Ryūka sat down on the sofa with an air of nonchalance. Meanwhile, Olivia, who had appeared aloof and silent outside, immediately knelt down with a thud after closing the door, adopting an extremely respectful dogeza (prostration) posture in front of Ryūka.

“Master, please allow Olivia to perform today’s cleaning and service for you…”

written request for leave