"Hah, hah~ Ee-yah~"

In Doria’s temporary room, she excitedly sniffed the scent of Brother Sath’s coat, letting out strange panting sounds.

"Mmm~ So good~"

Lost in her bliss, Doria didn’t notice my calls from outside the door at all.

"Doria!? Doria Swiften!?"

"Eep!"

As my voice grew louder, Doria finally snapped out of her daze.

[Oh no, what to do? Brother Sath is here!]

Doria swiftly tidied up, dressed properly, and fixed her appearance.

I had no idea what she’d been doing inside, but it seemed she wouldn’t come out anytime soon.

I gave Alto an awkward chuckle.

"It’s fine, I can wait a bit."

"My apologies, Alto."

"Haha, what are you saying?"

Alto wasn’t upset at all. He thought I’d done well. Besides, how could he be king of Baha Balm without patience?

*Creak*

The room door opened.

Doria emerged gracefully.

Her excited expression slowly faded when she saw Alto beside me, replaced by a polite smile.

"I deeply apologize, King of Baha Balm. This humble maiden kept you waiting."

The Doria before me exuded noble elegance.

Her dignified air left me speechless. Was this really the same strange Doria from before?!

"Not at all, Miss Doria is worth waiting for."

What followed was utterly pointless noble chatter. I slipped away quietly.

After sneaking out, I left Doria and Alto and headed straight for Chining.

Next was solving our manpower shortage.

No one would attack us soon, but once others learned our weaknesses, things could turn messy.

Boosting combat strength was urgent. Baha Balm lacked both soldiers and generals.

For generals, the recruitment notice might help.

But soldiers were trickier.

So I focused on the bandit gangs.

I wanted Chining to absorb all bandit groups around Baha Balm, big and small.

Most became bandits from hunger and rebellion.

If they could live peacefully, no one would stay a bandit for life—except true outlaws.

Of course, saying "I’ll feed you, join the army" wouldn’t work. Surrender was simplest.

How to get surrender?

Beat them until they yield. Honestly.

"Well, that’s the plan."

"Mhm, I understand roughly, Strategist."

I’d conveyed my thoughts clearly to Chining.

"Can you do it?"

"Rest assured, Strategist."

"Hmph, that eases my mind! We start after a week’s prep. I’ll join the army too."

"You’re coming too, Strategist... It’s dangerous."

"Hmph, some matters require my personal touch."

"Then please be careful. In battle chaos, Chining may not protect you."

"Hmph, I’m quite fond of living. Don’t worry."

Baha Balm had only a thousand soldiers ready now. Another two thousand were recovering, but after a week, most combat strength would return.

These veterans had survived the brutal defense of Windward Fortress. Their prowess was trustworthy.

"By the way, Chining, should we build our own elite force?"

"An elite force?"

Chining narrowed his eyes, weighing feasibility.

"This one believes it’s worth trying. Our three thousand soldiers have potential."

"Then I’ll leave it to you."

"Hah, yes!"

The thought of training an elite unit made Chining’s blood boil.

"This one starts now!"

"Huh?"

Before I could react, Chining had run off.

He was so eager. But yeah, a personal army is a man’s romance—like the Baima Yizong or Xiliang Tieqi! Oh oh oh, I suddenly want one too!

Well, I’ll skip it. I know nothing about this. Hmph, we still need a great commander.

With Chining gone, I headed home.

Night had fallen by the time I entered the hall.

Doria lounged lazily in a chair, reading a book.

"Hmph, good evening, Doria."

"Welcome back, Brother Sath."

"Doria, I arranged a residence for you. Move in tomorrow."

"...

No joy—only deep resentment in her eyes.

"No, I’ll stay here."

She pouted.

"Hmph, that’s not really appropriate..."

Cold sweat broke out on my brow at her attitude.

"Anyway, I won’t move. Not even if you kill me."

"Hah...?"

Doria ignored me completely, turning her head away.

Hmph, fine. Living with a pretty girl isn’t bad! Probably...

"Hmph, alright. Stay here then."

"Mhm~"

Whoa, she perked up instantly...

"By the way, how was your talk with Alto?"

"He’ll appoint me administrator."

"Great! I’ll entrust administration to you. Pick your own staff—assistants are easy to find."

"Mhm, I understand. I’m happy to help you."

"Hmph, I’m happy to have help too."

Finally, a professional for administration—no more messing around.

Hmph, the water management expert arrives soon too.

He handled the imperial capital’s systems before. His skills are top-notch.

After my letter, he immediately agreed to come to Baha Balm.

Beyond showcasing his talents here, he was eager to escape the chaotic capital anyway.