Chapter 14: The Seduction Mission

“You certainly hold your liquor well, haha…” Fran chuckled, clinking glasses with the Teuton soldier beside him. Yet, his gaze kept drifting towards the silver-haired girl across the room. She had occasionally glanced his way earlier, but now, a storm seemed to have erupted within her, culminating in a loud, furious argument.

The specifics of her outburst were lost to the noise, but it was clear the Teuton soldiers present were reluctant to cross her. Soon after, a black-haired man, who appeared to be her attendant or assistant, gently led her away.

She then entered a private room. Later, the black-haired man reappeared, sought out a few women, and eventually guided a blonde woman back into the same room.

Oh.

Fran’s thoughts clicked into place. ‘Well, well, it seems they’re off to enjoy themselves.’

A faint ‘Tsk’ escaped Fran’s lips. A pang of regret struck him. He had just walked right past that woman, so why hadn’t she approached him?

His tightly wound emotions began to unravel. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over him. ‘What if Yuli doesn’t actually care for me as much as I thought?’ he wondered. ‘What if she’s just here to carouse and indulge in pleasures every day?’

Then, could he even accomplish his mission?

****

Some time ago—

Within the secluded inner room of the tavern, Fran gently pulled open the door. In the dim light, Alina sat at her desk, meticulously comparing a stack of photographs. She appeared utterly engrossed in her task.

Fran tiptoed, carefully closing the door behind him. He crept silently to Alina’s side, then leaned in close, peeking over her shoulder. With a sudden, loud burst, he shouted:

“Teacher!”

He fully expected Alina to shriek in fright, her face paling dramatically, before letting out a delicate “Oh my~” and playfully swatting his shoulder. ‘Yes,’ he mused, ‘that would be a rather delightful outcome.’

Instead, nothing of the sort occurred. Alina merely held up the photographs, a chilling smirk playing on her lips. Her voice, slow and cutting, dripped with an icy composure.

“I knew you were coming.”

“Hmm… Teacher, you truly don’t give me any credit at all.”

“It is *you* who should be cooperating with *me*, little one~”

With a playful smirk, she passed the photographs into Fran’s hand. He accepted them, still utterly bewildered.

‘What… what is the meaning of this?’

Observing Fran’s perplexed expression, Alina shook her head. ‘This fellow,’ she thought, ‘why is he so utterly dense?’

She pointed to the figure in the picture, prompting Fran. “Look at this woman in the photograph,” she instructed. “Is she the Yuli you encountered some time ago?”

Fran inhaled sharply, his gaze fixed on the photograph. The black-and-white image depicted a young woman standing at attention in military uniform. Her flowing long hair and refined features undeniably mirrored the girl etched in Fran’s memory.

“This… it certainly appears to be her. I’ve seen her in military uniform before, and this matches my memory quite closely. Moreover, even if one scourred the entire Teuton army, female officers like her are exceptionally rare. I’m quite certain it’s her.”

“Hmm… in that case, things become much simpler.” Alina, uncharacteristically, offered a relaxed smile. Her gaze upon Fran held a peculiar quality, as if an unexpected weight of expectation had suddenly settled upon him.

“What… what’s so simple?” Fran tilted his head in confusion. Alina merely smiled, retrieved the photograph, and then presented Fran with a sealed dossier.

This time, Fran had learned his lesson. He immediately broke the seal on the dossier, extracted the documents within, and began to read.

Ah…

Name: Yuli von Gustav

Gender: Female

Date of Birth: Unknown

Resume: Major rank, graduated from Purburg First Army Officer Academy. Formerly served as commander of a tank battalion in the Teuton Eastern Front Army. Recently received an exceptional promotion to Station Chief of the Teuton Army Intelligence Department, Purburg Station.

“She was promoted that quickly?” Fran furrowed his brows. Still, what did any of this have to do with him? His teacher had made him identify the woman, then review her resume. This…

Alina propped her chin, a rare, mischievous grin spreading across her face. She took Fran’s arm, gazing at the utterly bewildered young man before her, and murmured conspiratorially:

“Fran, do you know? The surname Gustav is far from ordinary. General Gustav, the Commander-in-Chief of the Teuton Army’s Western Front Armored Group, bears that very name. I’d previously learned that Marshal Gustav has a daughter. And this Yuli, according to our investigations, appears to be none other than Marshal Gustav’s own daughter!”

“Ah…” Fran blinked, momentarily stunned. Indeed, this revelation certainly explained Yuli’s meteoric rise. Not only had she become an officer at such a young age, but she now commanded an entire intelligence station for the Teuton Army. This woman, he realized, possessed an incredibly formidable background.

“And then? What does any of this have to do with us?” Fran persisted, still utterly bewildered. Alina merely tapped him lightly on the head. Fran, looking completely blank, clutched his head and gazed up at her.

As he met Alina’s mischievous gaze, a flicker of understanding suddenly ignited within Fran.

Wait… wait a moment!

“Teacher, you’re not actually suggesting…” Fran began, shaking his head in disbelief. Sensing that Fran had finally grasped her meaning, Alina simply rose to her feet and nodded.

“That Yuli has always harbored feelings for you. I’ve observed her coming to this tavern multiple times recently, each visit involving a brief search for you before she departed if you weren’t found. Given her obvious affection for you, and her current position as a high-ranking Teuton intelligence officer, what do you think… about us placing you right by her side?”

“Me?” Fran recoiled almost immediately, frantically searching for an excuse. “No, absolutely not! Alright, I finally understand why you’ve kept me out of sight lately. So this was your grand scheme all along! No, I can’t do it. I simply can’t…”

“Besides, I’ve already rejected her once. To suddenly go back and seek her out now would be far too peculiar…”

Fran gripped his glass, still shaking his head emphatically. ‘Absolutely not,’ he thought.

“It’s precisely *because* you rejected her that I kept you from public view,” Alina countered. “While she’s been searching for you, I suspect her impression of you isn’t exactly favorable.”

“That’s… understandable,” Fran admitted. “I was in a bad emotional state back then and spoke rather foolishly to her. She must surely believe I’m not an honest person. So, let’s just forget about it…”

“But Fran, you must understand,” Alina pressed, “if we can successfully embed an agent beside someone of her caliber, the intelligence we gain could potentially outweigh the combined efforts of our entire underground network!”

Alina spoke with earnest conviction. “I know this is an arduous task, Fran, but trust me, if we are to save our nation, this is the most crucial role you can possibly play!”

“I…” Fran’s face contorted in a conflicted expression. He stammered, “Then what… what exactly should I do?”

“I need you to get close to her, Fran. And you must do so using a method that raises no suspicion, appears utterly passive, yet will ultimately make her fall completely and utterly in love with you!”

Alina continued, her voice firm. “Fran, you’re aware of the character of those Teuton soldiers, aren’t you? Francis’s women, ha, they’re discarded once he tires of them. While you are a young man, I fear that in any interaction with Yuli, you might find yourself the more vulnerable party.”

“If, after only a couple of days of interaction, she discovers you’re not at all what she imagined, and then discards you out of boredom, all our efforts will have been for naught. Therefore, Fran, I need you to make that woman utterly and irrevocably dependent on you.”

“So, I should…” Fran tilted his head, seeking clarification.

“Playing hard to get, feigning disinterest to entice! I will personally train you, Fran!” She cradled Fran’s face in her hands, gazing at his handsome features, soft as a flower petal. “I will transform you into the most captivating young man imaginable.”

****

The memory dissolved. The young man raised his wine glass, his eyes fixed on that private room.

He drained the entire contents in a single gulp, then, in awkward Francian, he spoke to the soldier beside him, “My apologies, I must excuse myself for a moment.”

With that, he rose and walked directly towards the private room.