Chapter 40

Camilla Riesenbourg was sitting at her desk in her dormitory room.

It was a day of rest, so she wasn’t in her uniform, but rather in riding pants and boots, with a simple shirt on top.

Several documents were spread out on the desk, and Camilla’s brow was deeply furrowed as she read through them.

“Not good at all…”

With her right hand, she flipped through the documents, and with her free left hand, she tapped the desk impatiently.

‘Probably… the report on the harvest in the west…’

‘Is the desertification getting worse?’

‘You don’t need to see the numbers; just one look at his face tells you everything.’

‘I see…’

Indeed, as Reinhardt had said, Camilla looked as if she had just bitten into a bitter pill.

Since she had been summoned to this world and immediately discarded, there hadn’t been much time to observe Camilla closely, but she had always seemed brimming with confidence.

This might be the first time seeing Camilla in such a state of distress.

She flipped through the documents, wrote down numbers, and repeated calculations, shaking her head slightly and sighing repeatedly.

The situation in the west must be particularly dire.

“Lord Kent, the western region is where the nobles supporting the first prince have their territories.”

According to Basten’s investigation, the Riesenbourg Kingdom was currently embroiled in a power struggle between the supporters of the first prince and the second prince.

Camilla seemed to be supporting the first prince, and the most pressing issue for the first prince’s faction was the desertification in the west.

The decrease in harvests directly impacted tax revenues, weakening the financial power of the first prince’s faction.

On the other hand, the nobles supporting the second prince, who mostly had territories in the east, were benefiting from the desertification.

‘So, the decrease in harvests is leading to higher grain prices, which is benefiting them?’

‘Exactly, Lord Kent, you understand well.’

‘I think I remember learning about supply and demand in class, but I can’t recall it clearly.’

According to Basten, the decrease in harvests in the west due to desertification had led to a grain shortage, causing grain prices to rise. This benefited the eastern farmers, while the people in the west had to pay higher prices for grain.

As a result, the eastern part of the country was thriving, while the western part was suffering even more.

For the second prince’s faction, the progression of desertification was actually advantageous.

‘But, doesn’t the decrease in harvests due to desertification lead to a decline in the kingdom’s power?’

‘That’s true, but if the focus is only on the factional struggle, it can lead to a lack of foresight and a sense of crisis, making it difficult to act as desired.’

‘I see… What about the second prince’s faction?’

‘I apologize, but I haven’t investigated that far yet.’

‘Sorry, I understand it can’t be done so quickly.’

‘However, among the citizens of the capital, the second prince’s faction doesn’t seem to have a good reputation.’

‘I see… Got it, can you continue your investigation?’

‘Understood, I’ll also look into the prince’s character and the main nobles.’

‘Thanks, I appreciate it.’

Just as Basten finished his explanation, there was a knock on Camilla’s door.

“Who is it…”

“It’s Shelia.”

“Hmph… Come in!”

“Excuse me…”

Shelia, unlike when she was seen in the committee room, was wearing a robe over her pajamas.

Camilla stood up from her chair, leaned back on the desk, and smiled condescendingly with her arms crossed.

“Is the snot-nosed hero still going to bed early?”

“Yes… He’s already asleep.”

“Can you fulfill your duties with that attitude?”

“I intend to do my best.”

Shelia answered with a mask-like expression.

“Hmph… Well, the snot-nosed hero will participate in the next real battle.”

“What? But, isn’t it too early for him to join a real battle…?”

“Hmm… Have you developed feelings for the snot-nosed hero?”

“No… No such thing…”

She tried to cover up her panic, but the moment she heard about Hayama’s participation in the real battle, her mask had fallen, leaving her unable to deny it.

The snot-nosed hero, it seems, has really captured her heart, which is a bit annoying.

However, the fact that Camilla mentioned the next real battle suggests that it might happen soon.

“Well, even though he’s just a snot-nosed kid, he has such potential that we don’t intend to use him as a sacrificial pawn.”

Upon hearing Camilla’s words, Shelia sighed in relief.

“However, if he gets killed by goblins or kobolds, there’s no need to save him. You can tell him that and leave now.”

“Yes, understood.”

After Shelia left, Camilla continued to struggle with the documents, but then stopped and let out a deep sigh.

She rested her head on her left elbow, closed her eyes, and remained still for about two minutes.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes, turned her head, and began to tidy up the documents.

If she was going to start drinking, it would be time to launch the operation, but it seemed she was going to take a bath first.

“What do you think, Lord Kent?”

“Hmm? No… If she’s going to take a bath alone, there’s nothing to see…”

“Even the smallest details… enemy information is important…”

“She might let slip her true feelings when she’s relaxed…”

Hmm… Maybe Reinhardt and the others want to see too? Can’t let go of their desires even if they’re skeletons?

To be honest, I want to see too.

So, here’s the second peeping time of the night after the committee room.

I can’t really criticize Giri anymore, can I?

Camilla did everything herself, from changing clothes to preparing the bathtub.

Usually, a dedicated maid would do these tasks, but on rest days, she let the maid rest and did everything herself.

I was surprised to learn that a royal princess, the third princess, would prepare her own bath.

“Camilla… is trusted by her subordinates and maids…”

“She is also highly regarded within the first prince’s faction.”

From what Fred and Basten have said, she seems to be considerate of those below her, but why is her treatment of us so harsh?

Is it because, as Reinhardt said, there is a clear line between friend and foe?

Camilla, who had neatly folded her clothes down to her underwear, sank into the bathtub and let out a deep sigh.

“Ah… I feel alive again…”

Still, she has an incredible figure.

She looks like a gravure idol who could run away barefoot.

Yet, her arms, thighs, and calves are well-muscled, and her abs are faintly visible.

“She trains every morning without fail…”

Even if she stays up late reading documents, Camilla wakes up early and doesn’t neglect her training in swordsmanship, martial arts, and horse riding.

She is strict with herself but considerate to her subordinates, which is why she is popular and trusted.

If she showed even half of that consideration to us, things would have been much easier.

After getting out of the bath, Camilla put on her pajamas, wrapped herself in a robe, and started preparing for her nightcap.

Let’s start the operation, shall we?

I took out a case containing sleeping pills from my pocket.

The case contained large sleeping pills divided into eighths.

Even one of these would make her sleep so deeply that she wouldn’t wake up even if you hit her, but I’ll use two just to be safe.

Camilla poured a third of a glass of wine, savoring its rich aroma and slowly tasting it.

With her eyes half-closed and a relaxed expression, Camilla was a beauty that would make any man fall in love.

If she had a good personality, there would be no complaints, but considering how she discarded me and made Hayama an example, I can’t bring myself to fall for her.

I’ll start the operation when Camilla finishes her first glass and starts on her second.

“Alright, let’s start the operation… Project Maisa, go!”

Sounding cool, but the first stage is just about finding the right spot in her stomach and slipping in two pills.

“Lord Kent, is the ‘Maisa’ in Project Maisa the same as the Maisa from the boarding house?”

“Yes, that’s right, the Maisa from the boarding house.”

“Does it have something to do with the operation?”

“Yes, you’ll see soon.”

The effect of the pills was immediate.

Usually, Camilla would walk steadily to her bed even after two glasses of nightcap, but tonight, she started yawning repeatedly and stumbled to her bedroom, collapsing onto the bed.

After a few tosses and turns, she started snoring.

“Let’s wait until she’s deeply asleep before moving on to the next stage…”

I waited for about an hour until Camilla was deeply asleep.

I poked her cheek from the shadows, but she showed no signs of waking up.

“She’s completely asleep, so let’s move on to the next stage…”

I prepared a large mug, and then moved it.

“Lord Kent, what are you doing?”

“Sorry, I need to do this…”

I apologize for the crude part, but I filled the mug with my urine and poured it into Camilla’s crotch.

Yes, a beautiful map was drawn on the expensive bedding.

If her crotch was wet and there were no signs of anyone entering, what would Camilla think?

“Hahaha! Indeed, it’s Project Maisa, but this is quite cruel!”

“Lord Kent… extremely evil…”

“Wow, to a royal princess before her marriage… Lord Kent, you’re something else!”

“No, compared to what you did to me and Hayama, this is mild… Let’s finish the setup and go back.”

I made sure to cover her with the blanket and returned to Volzard.

I asked Fred to keep an eye on her when she woke up.

The next morning, I rushed to Lastock upon receiving the news that Camilla had woken up.

Camilla usually wakes up on her own and heads to training, but this morning, she woke up even earlier.

When I arrived, Camilla was standing by the bedside, looking dazed.

Her face, which had always been brimming with confidence, was pale, and her eyes seemed unfocused.

Her gaze kept moving between the bed and her crotch, unable to accept the situation.

“Hahaha! Look, look at that face… Hahaha…”

“Hahaha! This is a significant psychological blow!”

“Guh… Guk… Stunned…”

“Hahaha, Lord Kent, you did it!”

“No, no, Project Maisa is just getting started.”

I showed them a confident smile.

After standing by the bedside for a while, Camilla finally seemed to regain her composure and started thinking about what to do.

She picked up a large water pitcher from the side table.

She let out a small sigh, sat on the bed, and considered the angle and twist of her body while holding the pitcher.

Finally, she let out another sigh, and in the bed, she poured the contents of the pitcher from her chest to her crotch and onto the bed.

This is a common method of evidence destruction.

Camilla, now drenched, called for her dedicated maid.

“Sorry, I was sleepwalking and knocked over the water pitcher…”

“I’ll take care of the cleanup.”

“Thank you…”

“Camilla, are you feeling unwell?”

Camilla weakly shook her head and headed to the bathroom.

The maid looked worried at Camilla’s unusual behavior.

The maid, who had prepared Camilla’s clothes, started cleaning the wet bed, but stopped when she peeled back the sheets and sniffed the air.

Ah, I’m sorry, I was tired and had taken sleeping pills and magic recovery potions, so it might have been quite smelly.

The maid, realizing the source of the smell, gasped and quickly stripped the bed and started cleaning.

Meanwhile, Camilla, in the bathroom, sighed repeatedly, washed herself thoroughly, and even sniffed her body after returning to the changing room.

Dressed in comfortable clothes for training, she returned to the living room with a determined expression, but there was an awkward tension between her and the maid.

“Umm… Yes, please keep this morning’s incident confidential. As the commander of the garrison, it would be unprofessional to spill water while sleepwalking.”

Hehehe, she said it twice because it’s important, right? But the maid seems to understand.

“Yes, I understand. I won’t tell anyone, I promise!”

“T-Thank you…”

Hehehe, my stomach hurts, it really hurts… Camilla is pleading with the maid with teary eyes.

“Hahaha, Lord Kent, you did it. This should leave no physical damage but a deep psychological scar.”

“Yes, but Reinhardt, Project Maisa isn’t over yet.”

“Really? What else is there?”

“Yes, but I’ll tell you later, after I finish my business in Volzard and return.”

Camilla, feeling the maid’s warm gaze, drank her tea with a troubled expression and headed out for her usual training.

This isn’t the end, you