“Ah… I want to get married!”

Kali shouted from where she sat in the center of the training ground. At her words, the subordinates running laps around the perimeter gulped nervously.

The Kali Mercenary Corps. Named after their captain, Kali, everyone who mattered knew about them. They knew how fierce and brutally she fought.

No man had ever proposed to the empire’s greatest swordswoman.

Here in the Chev Empire, any woman past twenty was considered a spinster. At twenty-five, Kali was thoroughly and completely an old maid.

Her unfeminine, bulging muscles. Her fierce face. And her build—what about that? At 175 centimeters tall, she was considerably tall for a woman.

Her intimidating presence was absolutely terrifying. So many men looked up at her—literally.

Zeki called out loudly to Kali as he ran laps around the training ground.

“Captain! What will happen to the Kali Mercenary Corps if you get married? You can’t leave us!”

Ricky, running beside Zeki, also shouted.

“That’s right! Captain, you have to stay as our captain forever…!”

Kali’s boot flew straight into Ricky’s face. Thwack! The imprint of Kali’s boot appeared clearly on Ricky’s face.

When Kali—with her short black hair and flashing red eyes—glared at Ricky, he pulled his neck in like a turtle.

“Bring it back. …My boot!”

“Ah! Y-yes, ma’am.”

Ricky hunched his large frame and bowed repeatedly as he placed the boot that had struck his face back onto Kali’s foot. Her calves were so solid that even her long boots barely fit.

‘She’s not feminine at all. Even her voice is commanding.’

Even her voice had the quality of a general. Kali should have been born a man instead of a woman. Then she would have become a knight instead of a mercenary.

In the Chev Empire, women couldn’t become knights. So despite having more than enough experience, she couldn’t even take the knight’s exam.

And she was the daughter of a Viscount family, no less. Though admittedly, a fallen noble house.

“What are you staring at?”

Kali tapped Ricky’s face with her boot. Ricky grimaced.

“Hehehe. Nothing at all, Captain.”

But Ricky’s mouth was smiling. Looking at Kali’s red eyes, he felt fear. Sure enough, Kali’s fierce fist struck his head with a crack! The beating continued after that.

“You bastard! You were laughing at me for not being feminine! Take this!”

Thud! Thud! She kept kicking him. Ricky rolled on the ground, taking blow after blow from the heels of Kali’s fierce long boots.

‘Ugh. How did she know what I was thinking?’

While he was getting beaten, his older brother Zeki appeared. Zeki stopped Kali.

“Captain!”

“What?”

“It’s mealtime!”

“Already?”

Kali stopped beating Ricky and looked at the sun. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, she brushed the dirt off her boots herself. Kali turned around.

“Let’s go to Lina’s restaurant.”

“Oh! Captain’s the best!”

“See, our captain is the greatest!”

The mercenaries showered Kali with empty flattery. Lina’s restaurant was quite pricey, a place they only went for occasional group dinners.

The food was ordinary, but since it was run by a young woman, it was popular with the mercenaries.

Usually they went to Cooper’s restaurant where the prices were cheap, but Kali seemed to be in a good mood today. So they followed along behind her.

Lina’s restaurant.

Lina, with her yellow hair, brown eyes, and outfit that showed off her ample chest, greeted the mercenaries. When she appeared, Murphy whistled and tried to touch Lina’s large br*asts with his hand.

When Kali glared at Murphy with terrifying eyes, he smoothly withdrew his hand.

“If you harass a woman in front of me, I’ll kill you.”

“Ha…ha. What did I do? I didn’t do anything, Captain.”

Murphy raised both hands high. It meant he was innocent. When Kali looked elsewhere, Murphy spat on the floor and cursed.

“Damn it!”

“…Follow the Captain’s orders.”

Pavel quietly advised Murphy. They were seasoned mercenaries, but during a small war, they had tried to ass＊ult a female mercenary and were beaten nearly to death by Kali. Of course, that female mercenary had been Kali herself.

‘Kali Lopez.’ 

A woman who, despite being a noble, led a mercenary corps. Five regular mercenaries. Murphy and Pavel had been thoroughly beaten by her and then joined under her command.

Lina liked Captain Kali, who had stopped the mercenary from touching her chest.

‘Ah. Her muscles are magnificent today too. And how can her face be so handsome!’

Of course, Kali was a woman. Yet she was braver and more gentlemanly than any man. Lina swayed her large chest as she loaded food onto a tray and placed the dishes one by one on the table where Kali sat. Bread, beer, and chicken were set before everyone.

When Kali raised her beer mug, her subordinates, reading the room, raised their mugs.

“To my marriage!”

When Kali shouted first, the five subordinates’ eyes went round. They had naturally assumed this toast would also be ‘To the Kali Mercenary Corps!’

“What did you say, Captain…?”

“Huh?”

“Captain?”

Everyone stared at Kali, who had shouted the strange toast. Kali spoke quietly.

“Zeki.”

Zeki, who had been staring at Lina’s chest as she served, was drooling. Kali slapped Zeki’s cheeks repeatedly with her palm.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smaaack!

“Waaah! I’m sorry! Captain! Please forgive me!”

Zeki was crying because his cheeks hurt so much. Watching his tears, Kali stopped her hand and called out again.

“…Vice-Captain Zeki.”

“Yes!”

Zeki answered and jumped to his feet. Kali looked him up and down.

“From now on, Zeki will take over as captain of the Kali Mercenary Corps.”

At her words, the other four jumped to their feet.

“What?”

“What?”

“Does that make sense, Captain?”

“Damn it!”

“……”

Everyone was glaring at Captain Kali. When Kali widened her eyes, they all hesitantly sat back down. Kali cleared her throat and spoke somewhat embarrassedly.

“There’s going to be a competition to select the Crown Prince’s Consort. I plan to participate.”

Kali’s cheeks flushed pink. Zeki, Ricky, and Mickey’s mouths fell open in absurdity, then they shook their heads.

Murphy and Pavel listened to her words and silently drank their beer. Zeki spoke.

“Surely… Captain. You don’t think you’ll actually become a consort, do you?”

Ricky nodded.

“There’s no way the Crown Prince would choose you, Captain. He has eyes, after all…”

Mickey spoke mockingly.

“Even if you were the last woman on earth, Captain wouldn’t be…!”

Mickey went flying, chair and all, and crashed into the corner. Kali had merely kicked under the table, but he flew that far.

Zeki and Ricky shut their mouths. Kali looked at Murphy, who was clenching his fist and smirking.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Well… Captain. What mortal sin did the Crown Prince commit to deserve you when even ordinary men can’t handle you…”

Murphy also went flying with his chair to join Mickey. Looking at the two nicely tucked away in the corner, Kali raised her foot high.

“Are you telling me to give up without even trying? I’m twenty-five years old! I’m an old maid who’s aged as much as possible. I remember seeing the Crown Prince once when I was young. Hmm. I saw him at a ball, and with that flowing golden hair, unlike you lot, he was quite pretty. He’s also my first love. Ahem.”

“First… love? Captain, you had such a past?”

Zeki looked at Kali in surprise. Kali nodded. The palace ball came hazily to mind.

“Of course. I may be like this now, but I was once a proper young lady of a Viscount family. If my family hadn’t fallen, I wouldn’t have made my living as a mercenary.”

Mickey and Murphy, who had crashed in the corner with their chairs, returned to their places. Murphy spoke.

“Since the chances of Captain becoming a consort are slim anyway, why bother handing over the captain position to the vice-captain? Just come back after the competition.”

Murphy grumbled as he picked up a chicken leg. Then Kali grabbed his hand tightly. Murphy’s hand trembled from the strong grip. Murphy looked at Kali’s fierce expression and asked.

“Why… are you doing this?”

“The chicken leg is mine, Murphy.”

“…I’m sorry.”

When Murphy let go, Kali picked up the chicken leg and chomped on it like she would eat it whole, bones and all. Kali devoured all the other parts too.

Today, as always, the chicken belonged to Kali. Watching this, Pavel spoke heavily.

“Captain. What about dieting…”

It was something women said they would do every day but never did. Similar to how men smoked cigarettes every day while saying they’d quit tomorrow.

When Kali sent k＊lling intent toward Pavel, he bowed his head deeply and quietly ate his meal. Everyone was thinking the same thing.

‘The Consort selection competition. There’s absolutely no way the Captain will be chosen. What a waste of time.’

At the very least, the other noble ladies would be dieting right now for the competition. And they would certainly be preparing far more than Kali.

The rear palace.

Crown Prince Cliff, with his flowing golden hair, was licking Violet’s br*asts. Her large, perky br*asts were fragrant and soft.

His beloved consort, Violet. Completely smitten with her, he fondled her petals with his hand today as well. Cliff lowered his pants and brought forward his robust member.

“Violet!”

“…No! Lord Cliff.”

Violet gently pushed Cliff away. Tears flowed from Violet’s eyes. Cliff looked at her in confusion.

“Why…! Why not?”

Cliff’s member stood firm and er*ect. Violet lightly traced it with her palm and shook her head.

“…There’s going to be a Consort selection competition, isn’t there?”

“Ah… that? The Empress Mother is organizing it. I’m just judging.”

“Sob. Lord Cliff… Those consorts will all be noble ladies, of course… But I’m a commoner with no backing… Sniff. Even now, Her Majesty the Empress and Her Highness the Crown Princess see me as a thorn in their side. If that consort does too, how am I supposed to survive?”

Cliff grasped both of Violet’s hands tightly. His amber eyes gleamed.

“I absolutely won’t let her look down on you. …Actually, I have a good plan.”

“…What?”

“The Crown Princess bothers you, doesn’t she? So I’ll select a consort to take your place!”

“What do you mean…”

“If I favor the consort, won’t the Crown Princess be jealous of that consort? Then you’ll be free from the Crown Princess.”

“……”

Violet smiled a rotten smile. In truth, the Crown Princess didn’t bother Violet. She looked down on her, but had never openly harassed her.

However, Violet had told Cliff that the Empress Mother harassed her, that the Crown Princess did terrible things, making up facts that didn’t exist. Violet bit her lip hard.

“I don’t need another consort. That consort might side with the Crown Princess and bother me instead…”