Chapter 156 – Cause and Effect
At the same time, the combined headquarters of the Empire.
When someone who has returned from a distant southern land is having a passionate time with his lover.
Another was suffering from chronic overwork.
—Square, square…
A double-headed eagle with wings spread under the brilliant sun. The sound of a pen nib rolling resonated regularly in a room draped with red insignia, symbolizing the military power of the empire.
The dark brown hair of the man who was watching her work with his upright posture and solemn expression gleamed with gray, and in his sharp, dignified expression, there was a hint of fatigue that could not be hidden.
Commander-in-Chief of the Empire, Craig Caul.
Despite the age of slowly looking at old age, the strong body showing traces of steady training and the extremely refined spirit are reminiscent of a well-forged sword.
The pen holder that had been rolling beside the stack of papers piled up like a mountain suddenly stopped.
A single word came out of his mouth.
“I want to commit suicide.”
The second-in-command and de facto general manager of the imperial military wanted to leave the world for a while.
If the immigrants from the north had heard it, they would have heard a toast. It was a remark that would have doubted their ears if a passing official had even heard it.
Looking at the pile of papers piled like a mountain with dazed eyes, he took out a cigar from the Cubana estate in the south, created a feverish aura on his index finger, and lit it.
“Sueueup…”
He took a deep breath of the cigar and, without exhaling smoke, opened the hip flask and poured strong brandy into his throat.
It must have been an act of shortening the lifespan of even a soldier who had reached the state of despair, but if he did not do this, he could not bear it.
And, Craig thought.
Terrible witchy old woman, no… Where the hell is the general and what are you doing right now?
He said he was going to the other side of the world to find his missing disciple. I don’t know if he ever came back or not.
Of course, even if he had returned, he would be leisurely arranging flowers in the cabin.
“Damn it. Where else does that guy disappear? It’s the same thing whether it’s a teacher or a disciple.”
Even with the biggest holiday of the empire ahead, he did not know that the work he had to deal with would stop at all.
No, I was even busier than usual.
In the Catholic Church, archbishops and cardinals come every day and stir-fry them.
Aren’t the nobles, filled with vain winds, blaming the military for the saintess’s disappearance?
Aren’t the crazy reactionary bastards called Eclipse going wild now?
Do they want to wage that terrible war again? How can I still not come to my senses?
In wartime, he was a commander-in-chief who could exercise unbridled power, but in peacetime, he would be better off as a scribe in a remote country estate.
If something happened, in the end, the easy side was the military who had to do it.
Because the Empire must always be at peace.
Whatever the reason, the responsibility for not keeping the peace was very great.
Even if it wasn’t his responsibility, it was the commander-in-chief who eventually had to clean up the shit that had spread all over the chain of command after something had happened.
No matter how busy you are, you can’t make the general do the work.
Except for the first emperor, no one tried to put a leash on the sleeping dragon.
The Empire’s guardian deity will do nothing unless the Empire is in crisis. As always.
After all, it seemed that I would not be able to return home even this holiday.
But even so, it wouldn’t matter.
My wife, who has already seen each other for decades, wonders if her snort will stop even if she dies, because her grown children seemed to be able to live well without her.
—Furr…
Craig stared blankly for a moment at the flames raging at his fingertips.
Then, he slipped the finger to his neck.
If you cut it off like this, you can be comfortable forever.
The war ended just fine. I must have set up a ball that goes right after that general.
As a soldier, as a knight, he seemed to have done everything he had to do.
The desire to reach the level of transcendence as a martial artist has long since faded away as you get older.
It seemed that the young monster, the apprentice of the general, was stronger than himself in terms of force alone.
What is it to live
I felt like I didn’t have to be myself in this world anymore.
The vacant position of commander-in-chief will be filled by someone hungry for a major career success.
He was a pretty good looking position until he learned the terrible truth.
—Support position…
“Um, that hurts a bit.”
Just like that, the moment the empire was about to lose forever one of the most capable soldiers in its thousand-year history.
-Smart
A cautious knock was heard outside the office door.
“Glory to the Imperial Family! This is an urgent report, Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief. May I go in?”
“…Come back in ten seconds.”
Today was also a failure. Craig sighed and shook his head.
No matter what, you can’t look ugly in front of others. He raised the collar of his uniform to the point of his chin.
Numerous burn marks were left on the thick nape of the old and exhausted soldier.
When the door opened, the bespectacled young female adjutant, who was in a nervous salutation pose, had no choice but to pause momentarily.
“Hmm? The smell of grilling meat…”
“What’s going on?”
Although the adjutant seemed a little taken aback by the strange smell.
Seeing the Commander-in-Chief ask with a solemn face as if nothing was wrong, I soon became unable to pay attention to such trivial matters.
“Ah! Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief. It’s nothing else…”
The content of the report, which was followed by a clear voice, was indeed a serious matter enough to disturb the commander-in-chief’s private time.
“Really? The missing saintess and the leader of the Black Lion Knights just returned?”
“Yes! This is a heartwarming message from the imperial family. It is said that Her Highness personally found the two of them.”
“…The princess solved a problem that neither the army nor the church could handle. This is disrespectful to see Her Majesty.”
Craig murmured a word in a self-deprecating tone, and then gestured for his lieutenant to go.
“Okay. Let’s go out and see.”
“Yes, Glory to the Imperial Family!”
It was fortunate indeed.
Still, with this, about 40% of the stress-inducing factors that drove the commander-in-chief of the empire to the brink of death were blown away at once.
—Flame!
The commander-in-chief, who had burnt down half the pile of papers in a flash of light, and left no ashes behind, resumed his duties with a lighter heart.
“I never thought I would have really flown to the other side of the world. How the hell did he come back alive? Indeed, those who die will die no matter what they do, and those who will not die will not die no matter what they do.”
Why is such a talented person acting as a mere knight commander?
When is the general planning to make his apprentice stop playing with children?
Since he seemed to have a lot of buds, as soon as the war was over, he was called to the headquarters, gave him two or three stars, and raised him as his successor.
When the war was over, he swallowed only a gulp of regret at the command of the general to serve as the captain of the knights.
Even so, the guardian deity of the empire, who cared so much for his one and only disciple, almost lost the disciple who swam around in his arms forever.
Maybe something will change because of this.
In order to effectively block Eclipse’s increasingly rampant movements, it was not necessary to deal with it complacently as it is now.
He was like that even during the war, but he was tied up by his subordinates and couldn’t demonstrate his true strength.
In order to handle the special weapon properly, a new strategy was needed.
“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to make a proper suggestion to the general.”
The commander-in-chief stroked his neck and lost himself in thought.
* * *
—Chewup, chung
“Ahh… I’m the owner…”
“Oh, this is delicious.”
I teased Alicia’s big, soft breasts while drinking a cup of cold bangsho made from the minibar in the corner of the large public bath.
Even while fainting from exhaustion from strenuous activity, if the tip is gently touched, the body will flinch and react.
What a lovely and lewd body this is.
“Let’s do it one more time.”
Seeing that made her lust again, but Alicia would be ruined if she went any further. Or her birth control spell is broken and she gets pregnant.
Of course, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to work hard to produce Alicia and the royal descendant of the empire, but it wasn’t the time yet.
The Empire’s laws are strict, but premarital pregnancy?
If you want to have children, you have to get married first. If word comes out that we are having a child, His Majesty will tear me into five pieces.
With that thought in mind, I took a big mouthful of bangsho and kissed Alicia as it was.
I would be thirsty from spilling a lot of this and that. You should drink something
—Chew… Gulp, gulp!
Bloody liquid flowing from mouth to mouth.
A drop of wine flowing down Alicia’s cheek is extremely sensual.
“Drink this and get your mind right.”
“Yeah… Yea chuu… Uh yea… Sweet…”
Repeat several times in the same way.
Alicia, having finished her glass of sweet drink like a baby bird eating her food, quickly regained her senses.
“Ah… My master… Stop touching my breasts… Don’t suck…”
I asked her cautiously towards her like that.
I was a little concerned about someone hanging around earlier.
“Alicia. Didn’t she say that her maids couldn’t come in?”
“Yeah. No one can come in… I even told her lady-in-waiting not to come in. She even put a barrier on her just in case…”
Um, why is something a little awkward?
Maybe it’s not a big deal?
