Chapter 980: Chapter 427: One Story per Week_2

"Her Highness Mogiana, she stayed at the winery for two days and was practically inseparable from you," Surya chuckled with her lips pursed, "That afternoon I went into your office to find you, and there she was, sitting on your lap, working with you."

Speaking of this, Laine felt a bit awkward. Mogiana definitely had a clingy side to her. Fortunately, Surya was a devoted follower of the Lake Fairy and didn’t get jealous, otherwise, this could have been very troublesome.

Laine was vaguely aware of the vortex in his own backyard. Teresa and Veronica had temporarily allied against the Countess Surya’s faction, while Amelia and Mogiana undoubtedly supported Surya. Ollica was a neutral party — she just nibbled away at food without taking sides.

"If Amelia chooses to leave, I suggest Sylvia take over as the head maid of the castle," Surya said, pointing to Sylvia, "Don’t be fooled by Sylvia being my maid; she’s also a noblewoman and will handle everything well."

"Miss!" Sylvia was quite surprised by Surya’s words. The usually stern maid stammered and at last lowered her head, "I will obey all of Miss’s instructions."

"Alright," Laine nodded under Surya’s expectant gaze. He entrusted many matters to Surya — he took care of external affairs, she managed internal affairs — and it was best to leave the castle’s inner workings to his wife, Surya. Since Surya thought Sylvia was suitable, so be it; Laine didn’t mind.

Receiving a satisfactory answer, the Countess was quite pleased. This was her way of gradually infiltrating Laine’s power, making him accustomed to having her by his side. Over time, Laine would not be able to leave her.

This was the guidance of the Lake Fairy, instructing Surya to use her role as a wife to control Laine, binding this powerful warrior with the responsibilities and obligations of a husband, ensuring he remained firmly within the Lake Fairy’s ranks.

This was not a conspiracy, it was an open tactic, and Laine was well aware of the intentions of the Lake Fairy. He truly needed someone to help manage the territory and internal affairs, freeing up his energy for warfare and strategy-making.

Whenever she could give him a son would be wonderful, the lady knight thought happily, leaning against her husband’s arms.

......

The Forest Cottage had now become a small estate, guarded by the Emperor’s Guard. Angerong also liked to stay here for a while, but he was not around today. Instead, Laine was received by the Emperor’s Guard "Shorty."

Despite being called Shorty, this Emperor’s Guard was nearly three meters tall. When he saw Laine, he merely nodded and gestured for everyone to settle in, without saying a word.

Laine and his group stayed in a two-story villa, not very large, with a total area of about 300 square meters. The three servants Surya brought stayed on the first floor, while Laine and the others stayed on the second floor.

After settling in the villa at the Forest Cottage and having lunch, both Surya and Sylvia had the habit of taking an afternoon nap. Laine, however, was always full of energy and stepped out of the villa with Ollica for a walk.

As always, the Emperor’s Guard "Shorty" was on duty. His sharp eyes fiercely scrutinized the Dark Elf beside Laine first, then he seemed to remember something and looked away: "Good afternoon, Lord Laine."

"Master~" the Dark Elf weakly leaned against Laine’s back. The terrifying pressure emanating from the Emperor’s Guard filled her with an icy dread, so Ollica cautiously leaned against Laine’s back, only daring to poke her head out a little.

"Any news lately, Guard brother?" Laine squeezed Ollica’s hand to reassure her and then asked the Emperor’s Guard.

"This." The Emperor’s Guard handed a newspaper to Laine.

"Ah, it’s the new issue of ’Legion Banner’," Laine nodded, pulling the Dark Elf to an outdoor courtyard to sit and read, "Let’s see what the Military Affairs Department is talking about now."

"Contemporary soldiers should read weekly."

"Congratulations, soldiers of the glorious Empire, we have an exciting story to share with you! (*Note: Any soldier who remains unmoved after reading should report to the political commissar)."

"The great Colonel Perkins was personally received by the Emperor himself for his brave and loyal actions!"

"Let’s eagerly listen to his story!"

"Just like you, the great Colonel Perkins is a member of our Star Realm Army. In this glorious mission, he was deployed to the Armageddon battlefield to fight against the Green Skin invaders. During the atmospheric entry, Private Perkins’s regiment encountered feeble orbital attacks from the Green-skinned Fleet but managed to land successfully despite minor damage!"

"Subsequently, the platoon to which Corporal Perkins belonged landed on the sacred surface of Armageddon, where they encountered a squad of Green Skinned Lads. The brave soldiers launched a head-on assault, and thanks to imperial naval orbital bombardment, they easily annihilated the Green Skinned Lads! Well done, Second Lieutenant Perkins, the Emperor is proud of you!"

"The company under Lieut. Perkins (*note: after verification, this should be squad) continued towards the Green-Skinned nest city. While traversing Dust Wilderness, they unfortunately encountered Green-Skinned vehicles. Apparently, those dirty and despicable vehicles didn’t cause much trouble for our brave Lieut. Perkins and the honorable human soldiers. With precise tactical shooting (*note: this means my artillery tactic), Perkins’s squad eliminated the alien vehicles with just one salvo and continued their advance."

"Upon arrival at the destination, the holy and perfect mechanical steed carrying Major Perkins was temporarily disabled due to an irresistible factor (*note: Green Skinned anti-tank weapon). Heroic Major Perkins and his team (*note: Perkins and his political commissar) decided to continue on foot for support. When they encountered a large bunch of filthy, foul-smelling Green Skinned beasts, Major Perkins repelled these low-intelligence creatures devoid of morale and discipline with nothing more than a bayonet (*note: the cause of the commissar’s death is in question). They perfectly completed the rescue mission, and soldiers, have you shed tears reading this? (*note: Soldiers who haven’t cried should immediately report to the nearest commissar and confess their recent state of mind)"

"Perkins’s story is not over. With the reinforcement from the First Legion’s Primarch, our great Lord Leon El Johnson, the Astarta Monks from the Dark Angels successfully sent that group of Green Skinned Lads to the sky. Colonel Perkins’s brave behavior and loyal actions were praised by Lord Leon El Johnson and earned the greatest honor achievable for a soldier - a visit to Holy Terra to meet the Emperor!"

"Due to regulations, we cannot describe the scene at the Throne Hall in detail. We can only tell you that the loyal soldier was received and encouraged by The Divine Emperor and was presented with a personally signed copy of ’Holy Words Record 3.0’! (*note: Concerned that Colonel Perkins might accidentally lose or damage this priceless treasure, the Military Affairs Department has thoughtfully replaced the gifted ’Holy Words Record 3.0’ with a 15-month continuous supply of Grox meat cans and Reka Coffee.)"

"Without a doubt, this is another great victory! Soldiers, cheer once again! (*note: Political commissars should monitor soldiers who don’t cheer and assign them to the front line in the next battle)"

"Daily reflection: Loyalty is the best reward for loyalty itself, and betrayal is the greatest punishment for betrayal itself."

Setting down the newspaper, Laine found himself at a loss for where to begin critiquing this report filled with absurdities.

Just then, the sharp call of a Horned Eagle Beast echoed from afar.

Angerong had arrived.