First Meeting with "Manipulator"

In the carriage slowly pulling away from the East Balam Veteran Officers Club, Angel gave her butler Ribak instructions in a low voice:

"Our cooperation with Mr. Sander is complete. He may have other assignments for me soon. Contact him regularly and maintain a good relationship."

"Of course, Miss Theresa."

Ribak, whose temples were graying and whose eyes were lined with wrinkles, noted this in his notebook as he answered.

It isn't that he can't remember these simple things. He's taking notes to show how seriously he treats my instructions... Watching her meticulous butler, Angel suddenly asked:

"Do you know of any female commanders in the military? At least field officers."

Ribak froze, his pen coming to a halt. He lowered his head and thought for a moment before answering carefully:

"None come to mind. Whether in the garrisons across Loen, the troops stationed in Balam, or the various naval forces, women rarely hold important military posts..."

Stealing a glance at Angel, he added:

"This isn't a matter of gender bias. It is simply military tradition."

This did not surprise Angel.

The Loen Kingdom's military, especially its navy and colonial forces, was deeply influenced by faith in the Lord of Storms. Its values were quite traditional: women were not supposed to appear in public and should defer to the men in their households, while men, in turn, had an obligation to protect women.

As a result, women made up less than one percent of both the army and the navy, and were mostly concentrated in logistical roles.

But Sander mentioned a woman in charge on the military's side... After a moment's thought, Angel considered another possibility:

The woman was a military Beyonder of a fairly high Sequence, which had earned her command of a department.

*Given how seriously Sander treated