Chapter 44 – Solicitation
“The Commander called you?”
“Yes, by sending a strange flying letter.”
“Hmm…”
Taking out a letter from Elroy from his pocket and showing it to him, the adjutant’s spirits were dampened.
The Commander called. What can I do?
The adjutant looks through the envelope.
However, no matter how much he examines the envelope, he cannot see through the contents, and since he cannot bear to open the letter of his superior, he cannot do anything more.
As he returned the letter to me, he said dubiously.
“It’s strange. There’s no way the commander called someone during tea time.
If it was urgent, it would have been solved in the morning instead.
Are you sure you really told me to come at this time?
Are you sure you weren’t lying?”
“Why would I lie like that?
If in doubt, ask the commander directly.”
“What? No, you don’t have to…”
“Commander! Are you listening?
Would you mind explaining to the adjutant here whether it is true that you called me and what our relationship is like?”
I raised my voice and called Elroy.
The adjutant seemed to be looking at me with disapproval for interfering with Elroy’s tea time, but I thought I wouldn’t bother my superiors with such a trivial matter, so I hit the ball.
As expected, the adjutant seemed flustered and tried to stop me, but it was already too late.
With the office door half open, Elroy must have heard my voice.
Unless you put a steel plate on your face and pretend you didn’t hear, you’ll have no choice but to answer.
“Hey! Isn’t that rude?!
I won’t say anything more, so stop and go!”
“Aren’t you curious, too, Lieutenant?
Why did the commander call someone during tea time…
Isn’t the adjutant’s duty to assist the commander?
I think I deserve to know this much for a smooth throne.”
“You are such an annoying person!
I told you to go in and not spread sophistry!”
“Hey, listen to me once.
If the Commander is rude and tells you to step back and come back later, I’ll step back right away.”
He raised his voice and said, “Listen to Elroy.”
If you think about it calmly, you can kick me out or avoid answering me.
If it comes out that way, there is no soup.
Did you call because you wanted to meet me?
Am I just leaving?
With the meaning of …
Our Commander is smart, so I believe he will understand.
How long had it been since I smiled and waited for an answer?
I can hear the sound of wandering footsteps from inside the office, not knowing what to do.
Elroy’s bewilderment was clearly visible.
Are you struggling to figure out what to explain to your adjutant?
Elroy is also a woman when she is in her prime.
She would rather die than tell the truth to her adjutant that she called me because she wanted to masturbate.
I’ve told you before that it’s a secret that I’m an expert on masturbation, so I can’t say that anymore.
But if I really go back after yelling out loud or claiming that I never called, that would be difficult too.
Aren’t you thinking about it too long?
Even the adjutant, who was just trying to get over it, thinks it’s strange because you’re so impatient.
After waiting for a while, the door to the office opened.
Elroy, with a calm expression, was staring at us through the open door.
However, I did not miss the fact that her expression, which at first glance seemed relaxed, was slightly stiff.
Of course, her adjutant, who had been aiding her for a long time, must have been the same.
Catch her lieutenant’s puzzled expression, she said in her slightly uneasy voice.
“Adjutant, it’s a trivial matter that needs no explanation.
She was just calling to talk about a bet she made privately.”
“Why did you call me at tea time?
You don’t have anyone by your side at tea time, do you?”
“That…”
Elroy tried to pretend to be indifferent, but I sneakily interrupted.
The story of the bet we made.
Even when she sent letters, she called me on the surface for that reason.
It’s just that there’s something else I want from my heart, but it’s also true.
Well done.
Is it worthwhile to think hard about what to say?
Then, if he had thoroughly concealed his true intentions and answered like that from the beginning, he would have passed without incident.
I’ve been thinking about it for too long to act like it’s nothing.
You’ve already raised suspicion from your attitude.
People are so upright that they are not used to lies.
I laughed inwardly without showing it on my face.
Elroy can’t answer me right away and she averts her gaze.
Even if she dares to ask why she called at tea time, it’s just a question she can’t answer either.
Because she didn’t call me at this time in the first place.
I can’t tell you the truth, can I?
It’s kind of like when she confesses that in the middle of the night she asked me to come to her bedroom.
“That’s… So…”
As Elroy hesitated, unable to speak easily, the adjutant made a strange expression.
Is it because she always insisted on acting confidently and with dignity, and it was because she didn’t match her usual self?
Well, I agree with you on that point.
As for Elroy, she looks noble and dignified like an aristocrat.
But sometimes you look like this, don’t you?
Turns her head and giggles.
Then the adjutant standing next to me glared at me as if to kill me.
It’s just a lively look.
In fact, he might think that Elroy, whom he respects, has become strange because of me.
Actually, it’s not wrong.
“Hey now…!”
“Stop!
Quit it Adjutant, I’ll be honest.
Commander Bon called him.
It’s personal and intimate.
She told me to come and find her so that no one would find out, but she should have been more thorough.
It’s my fault for forgetting that the princess, Jojang, is a mean person with a tree frog.
So don’t blame him.”
The adjutant was about to shout at me, but Elroy stopped him.
She took a step out of her office with a resigned expression.
She makes her adjutant look like the sky has fallen.
“You told me not to be found out by anyone… Commander, I can’t believe Izawa…”
“As I said before, it is a personal and intimate relationship.
It’s a bit embarrassing to say more than that with Commander Bon’s mouth.”
“That, like that…”
I thought I would think about it a bit more, but he admits it sooner than I thought.
Is it because he is fundamentally a hard-hearted person?
Elroy moderated her relationship with me without telling a lie.
It is a personal and intimate relationship.
It can’t be a word that clearly expresses our relationship.
The adjutant opened her mouth, as if she sensed a sense of closeness from her slightly sarcastic tone.
“But Commander, haven’t you hated this person every time you’ve met him over the past few years?
Were those reactions all false…?”
“Hmm…”
The adjutant staggered like a blade of grass before the wind.
It seems that he was in such a big shock.
Elroy said with a wry smile.
“No, that’s not it.
I was also surprised.
I never thought that emotions could burn so lightly and grow.
Apparently, until a few days ago, I felt nothing but unpleasant feelings from the captain, the princess.”
Elroy approaches me, looking straight at me.
She carefully reached out her hand and crossed her arms around her as if to hug her.
“He’s rude, vulgar, mean, impulsive, but…”
Words are harsh.
She slandered me and rolled her eyes.
Even so, the corner where he doesn’t let go of his arms tightly clasped is cute.
“Still, I think he is a lovable person.
I don’t know why, but my heart keeps going.
I honestly didn’t know I’d fall in love with someone like this…”
Elroy smiled shyly as she said so.
That became the deciding blow.
When Elroy herself admitted her concern, her adjutant bowed her head.
Like a man marrying off a daughter-in-law who doesn’t hurt even if he puts it in her eyes, she becomes visibly depressed.
This middle-aged man is the main one.
“Boo, adjutant. Don’t be so heartbroken.”
“…I’m fine, Commander.”
When the adjutant suddenly looked ten years older, Elroy was taken aback.
Elroy added hastily, as if she was trying to comfort him.
“Since he was appointed here, he has received countless help from his adjutant.
Without my adjutant, I would have wasted a lot of time adjusting to a new job.
There are many times when I feel like a father to the adjutant who helped me both physically and mentally.
I want the lieutenant to bless us.”
“…”
Stop!
If you do more, the adjutant will die!
I just cried inside
“…I’m really fine, Commander.
Joe… Joe… Congratulations on meeting a good relationship.”
The adjutant lifted her head and forced a smile on Elroy’s request.
Of course, unlike the words of congratulations, with eyes like dead mackerel.
I like this guy
“Haha, thank you.
Thanks to the adjutant’s blessing, I think we can become a long-term relationship.”
As Elroy interjected and snickered before he could answer, dark sparks flew in the devastated adjutant’s eyes.
He glared at me with his gaze, as if he were about to kill someone.
The languid look from a moment ago disappeared without a trace, and he seemed to have gotten twenty years younger.
After all, moderate anger is energizing.
The adjutant gritted his teeth and looked back and forth between me and Elroy, but what could I do? Elroy says he likes me.
Still, thanks to me, I was able to cheer up, so please forgive me, mister.
I silently begged the adjutant for forgiveness.
“…I’m going to go away.”
After saying that, the adjutant left as if to run away.
There’s nothing to be done with being here anymore, and he probably didn’t want to see me and Elroy having a good time.
Arm in arm with Elroy, he enters the office.
The smell of fragrant tea leaves was floating in the office.
Papers were scattered on the conference table, suggesting how busy she was with her work.
“Do you enjoy watching other people in trouble?”
“Yeah. Aren’t you Elroy?”
When Elroy asked as she untied her arms, I answered without hesitation.
She shakes her head as if bewildered.
“Haa… That’s a question not even worth answering.
And as I’ve said many times, don’t call Commander Bourne that.
I am still your superior, and even after the hunting unit is disbanded, I will treat you as a count…”
“You’re the real commander, so the self-proclaimed title goes back and forth.
I’ll just call it whatever I’m comfortable with. Huh?”
She cuts her off and pushes through her grumbling.
When I insisted, Elroy slightly blushed and bit her mouth shut.
Seeing that there is no rebuttal, he must be doing what he wants.
When I laughed single single, she was dumb and raised her displeasure.
“I was told in a letter.
Come find me at half past nine so that no one will find out.
She even said that if you break either of them, you will be punished severely.
But you didn’t even pretend to follow my instructions.”
“…Did you really think I would obey?
Or did you do it on purpose because you wanted to be swayed by me?”
When she asked sharply, Elroy slightly averted her gaze, perhaps stinging.
It may not have been intentional, but it seems that I was expecting it from the bottom of my heart.
“Look, you wanted it too.”
“It went too far. Even the adjutant was disappointed with me and was heartbroken.”
No, it’s not that I’m disappointed in you…
No matter what.
She shrugged her words in silence as Elroy asked, tilting the teapot and filling her fine teacup.
“And where did the leader Jiah Kang go?
At the end of her letter, she should have told me to remember to bring her.”
“Huh? I didn’t hear that.
Ah, come to think of it, my magic power ran out and the letter was cut off midway.
I must have missed it.”
“I can’t even hold that much capacity…
After all, it seems that there was a reason for that.
I will never write again.”
She said calmly.
One black cow was saved like this.
How would they react if I told them that they recorded all the parts they didn’t want to hear?
Sounds like fun, but bear with it for now.
Because I already played a lot today.
But don’t forget to bring her pooch?
What do you do when a doggie is brought?
Well, whatever she was thinking of doing, Kang Ji-ah was dead now.
She couldn’t even step out of the tent, let alone let her meet Elroy.
Let’s take a quick look around.
“By the way, Jiah Kang left her unit. I’m not really interested in rewards.
I’m sorry if I wanted to meet you.”
“Yes… You left the unit.
Then there’s nothing more to see.
I just wanted to talk about my relationship with you.”
Elroy didn’t ask any more about Jiah Kang.
I don’t know if she’s really not interested.
She immediately changed her subject and got to the point.
“Before we talk about betting, I have to ask you something.”
“What?
I’ll answer everything except ask what you’re having for dinner tonight.”
Elroy laughs.
She smiled for a moment, then asked with a serious expression.
“When the hunting unit is disbanded, won’t you go up to the ecliptic with me?”
“Let’s go to the ecliptic?
I don’t think it’s a tour or a visit…
You want me to live there?”
“Is it so.
Although the empire is large, there is no other city as safe and livable as the imperial city.
There are no beasts, the security is great, the water supply never runs out, and you can get anything with money.
Oh, and you don’t have to worry about the zodiacal residence permit.
You’ve heard rumors that His Majesty awards rewards to members of your hunting party who successfully slayed an ancient beast.
There will be an official announcement soon, but I’ll just give you a glimpse here.
The reward is the presentation of special entitlement to the Imperial Army and a permit to reside in the imperial capital.
As long as you like it, you can live in the ecliptic.”
When Elroy resides in the ecliptic, he begins to splurge on good things.
She served tea and snacks, appealing as if she were a clerk at her clothing store.
Today’s snack is simply a variety of fruits pickled in honey.
When I took a bite, it was refreshing and refreshing.
I told her, enjoying her white flesh like her peach eyes.
“But the emperor pays house prices out of the blue and collects a lot of taxes.
It’s a bit burdensome for small townspeople.
Wouldn’t it be a bit like throwing away the money you’ve earned by risking your life over the past few years?”
“The tax rate is definitely higher than in other regions, but the magic doesn’t kick in instead.
Don’t you think that alone improves your quality of life?
If you’re worried about money, ask me for a bet.
I own quite a bit of real estate suitable for making a fortune.
I’d like to transfer the names of a few shady buildings.
If that’s the case, I don’t think there will be a big problem in eating and living for the rest of my life.
Of course, I will pay the gift tax separately.”
Wow.
She spoke without hesitation, as if she had prepared in advance what to say.
How many buildings are there in the ecliptic?
It’s not at a level where you can eat and live.
Even if you lay on the floor and live only on rent, how much would that be?
The conditions are good enough to make anyone salivate.
To be honest, I was also a bit tempted.
But…
After examining my expression, Elroy’s complexion darkened slightly.
I guess you can guess what kind of answer I will return.
I sipped my tea and replied.
“I’m thinking of leaving here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
I’m not interested in the special recruitment for the Imperial Army.
In the first place, I’m not the type to be in the military.
That’s enough. I’m leaving with a reward or something.”
“It doesn’t matter though.
It’s very easy to get one of you into the ecliptic.
I did a bit of research on you, and I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary about you, with no criminal record.
If I do my best, I’ll get a permit tomorrow.”
“Actually, it’s burdensome to own a building.
Rather, it seems to be entangled, and management is troublesome.”
“…Jeong, then I can give you cash.
If you want, I can arrange a good property manager for you.”
“I don’t want to live like an insectivore while taking money.
There are so many things I want to do…”
“Then tell me what you want to do.
I will help.”
Good to have a building. I think the life of an insectivore would be nice because it was comfortable.
And what I want to do, you are already helping.
I’ll continue to manipulate and eat whatever I can, so you’ll be happy to cooperate, right?
I scratched Elroy’s insides with outright lies.
But she seemed willing to accept any condition in order to live in the ecliptic with me.
It hurts my heart to refuse with a single knife because my desperate heart was clearly visible.
Say the conditions that are difficult to accept and turn it down well.
I smiled and told her.
“Can I live in your house then?”
“That, that’s…”
“As most of the nobles reside in the imperial capital, political exchanges are actively taking place?
At least, rumors will spread overnight.
It is famous that nobles have many concubines, but it is an unwritten rule that at least they get married.
Nobles take it for granted to get married right away without dating.
Wouldn’t your honor be giblets if it were discovered that an unmarried woman had a cloth that only flattened her face as her pillar?
A noble and clean image goes beyond water.”
Elroy catches her breath.
In fact, I’m not sure if nobles have any interest in honor.
There are too many bad examples for that.
But our cute commander is different.
She is a noble and aristocratic person in the true sense of the word.
You could call her a romantic, an idealist.
He must have valued honor more than life in a sense.
Even if it could damage not only oneself but also the honor of the family, it would not be able to be taken lightly.
“…Great.”
“Yeah, well thought out. I don’t want your reputation to be tarnished either.
…Huh?”
Wait, what did you just say?
Good?
Elroy blushes as she opens and rounds her eyes.
“You are right.
It is unacceptable to bring the opposite sex into a house without being married.
It’s neither honorable nor noble.”
“Yes?”
But why are there likes?
Didn’t I say the fuck up wrong?
Elroy continued speaking without hesitation.
“I can’t do that for myself or for my family.
But there is one way to solve the problem.
If the problem is that I’m not married, it’s a simple matter to fix.”
“Wait, wait!
Will you marry me?
You wouldn’t know if you checked my identity.
I’m nothing. He’s not the right person for you.”
Elroy frowns at her as I shake her hand.
“You think I’m stupid?
You are not an ordinary person.
I looked for your records left on paper.
It was too formal and clean.
These are traces that are routinely left by those who launder their identities through illegal channels.”
She said sharply.
I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.
“There is another strange thing.
I felt it when I fought the weapons of ancient civilization.
I can see that I received magic from everyone and used magic.
Captain Jia Kang also sent a considerable amount of mana to me, but it couldn’t compare to you.
You have ten times the magical power of an average adult.
That’s a lot more than me.
As an individual’s magical power, it is one of the few in the Empire.”
“…”
“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to dig into your past.
I just think that people with outstanding abilities deserve the same treatment.
You have great abilities.
It is unforgivable to denigrate it for no reason.
Even you yourself are no exception.”
The golden eyes of Elroy, who was assertive, sparkled like pumpkins.
She admired
How far do you intend to impress me?
Looking at her, I feel like an idiot myself for turning around for no reason.
“Sorry, actually, I just did everything.
For some reason, I can’t go to the ecliptic for a while.
I also want to be with you, so when I finish my work, I will definitely go to the ecliptic.
It won’t take that long.
I’ll tell you what I’m asking of you then, so don’t meet other men until then and wait patiently.”
Raise both hands as if surrendering and confess your true feelings.
Was it a little ugly to emphasize that you shouldn’t date other guys?
Even without saying that, Elroy is already infatuated with me.
No, affection is originally a childish law.
There are times when a raw, sincere word conveys deeper feelings than well-packaged words.
Elroy smiled after hearing me.
It must have been quite pleasing that I rarely revealed my inner feelings.
The anxiety he showed when he tried to grab me earlier had already flown far away.
“I’ll say that from the beginning.
He’s a very twisted person.”
“The tree frog has no face.”
As she shrugged her shoulders in reply, Elroy giggled and giggled appropriately for his age.
I opened her mouth as I watched her fresh appearance.
“Anyway, it’s not easy to say things like marriage.
What if I was a heinous criminal?”
“I only judge people with my own eyes.
I don’t think you are that kind of person.
Even if I’m wrong, it’s my fault for seeing people the wrong way, and I have no intention of blaming you.
And…”
Elroy took a piece of her pear into her mouth, taking her luck with her cheery look.
“Obviously, the talk of marriage was sincere.
If that’s the case with you, that story is still valid.”
“I’ll give up now.
We’re too young to get married. And in the eyes of others, I’m still just a lowly guy.
Do you really care if my husband is me?”
Elroy snorts at my question.
“What do other people’s eyes look like?
As I said before, honor dwells in the soul, not in the blood.
Originally, the title of nobility bestowed by His Majesty is not given by blood, but by magic itself passed down from generation to generation.
We are just those who inherit and use that magic, and there is no need or reason to cling to our lineage or family any more than necessary.
I admit that at some point most of the nobles forgot that mindset.
It’s not that we don’t understand their thoughts in today’s society, where the usefulness of unique magic is directly linked to human values.
I have no intention of interfering with them.
But no matter what they say, I won’t change my ways either.
Any cheap honor that would be damaged by marrying a non-nobility would be rejected by me.”
“Yeah, I really like that.
FYI, I only did identity laundering because I wanted to live a new life.
It wasn’t like he was wanted or anything.”
Elroy sipped her tea with her eyes closed and gave her a slight nod.
She really doesn’t seem to care about who I was, other than what she saw and judged for herself.
It’s really not normal.
Amused, I quietly asked.
“By the way, did you notice that identity laundering was done just by looking at the documents?
That’s great too.
Growing up as a lady in a noble family, you know all the tricks of the dark path.”
“To tell you the truth, it was not me, but the main unit personnel who requested the investigation.
Do you think I’ve done a background check or something?”
“I’m sure you haven’t. I knew you would.”
After my answer, the office became quiet.
A few satisfying minutes passed in the stillness where only the sound of cars could be heard.
At that moment, I suddenly realized something important.
The fact that I forgot the original purpose of my visit while answering Elroy’s question.
I don’t have much time left now.
I said urgently.
“Isn’t there anything more to ask?”
“Yes, I have heard all the answers I want to hear right now.
There are only a few minutes left for tea time, so take it easy for the rest of the time… Huh?”
Clap!
As usual, I close her eyes and quietly approach Elroy enjoying the taste of the fruit.
I took her hairy handcuffs and eyepatch out of her pocket and put them on her arms and over her eyes, and she reacted as if she didn’t know what she was thinking.
She was left helpless as her vision was blocked as she held her hands together in front of her body.
“Wait… Princess Captain!
What is this now?
How dare you… Hehe?!”
Elroy screamed at her sudden restraint, but when I stroked her delicate neck, she instantly shrank and let out a rigid scream.
As I watched her tremble with fear, I felt her sadism welling up.
