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chapter 52
“Pfft!”
“Kukuk…”
“Hey, don’t laugh.”
“Sniff…!”
Noah’s room was filled with the special ops team desperately trying to hold back their laughter.
The captain, feeling humiliated, trembled uncontrollably with anger.
Noah glanced at his clenched fist, ready to strike at any moment. Compared to that, the fist of the youngest member of their unit was far better.
“But…”
By now, Noah was genuinely curious.
“Who are you?”
Her feet weren’t particularly large, but she had never seen this person at headquarters.
“…You crazy woman!”
“Wow, the pirates called me that before they died.”
So, you really are on the level of a pirate.
“Have you completely lost your courage? You act this way just because we’re of the same rank? I graduated from the academy before you!”
“No need to tell me. Captain, your face already shows it’s been too long.”
He’s really aged.
Noah had learned a lot from meeting Leto, including the art of using words to really get under someone’s skin.
‘…This is more fun than I expected.’
So this is the thrill of teasing someone.
But now, it was more important to deal with the person in front of her than to enjoy the fun.
“I have some advice for you, senior.”
Since her opponent’s intelligence was in question, Noah spoke slowly and clearly, as if demanding careful attention.
“At headquarters, wearing anything other than the prescribed swimsuit is prohibited.”
Using training facilities for personal purposes was also forbidden, and interfering with special ops training was considered a serious offense tantamount to disobeying the chief of staff.
“And are you unaware of the recent defection incident? It was a time when internal supervision had to be strengthened and caution exercised.”
In short, Noah’s message was simple:
“Instead of disciplining my team members, mind your own discipline first, senior.”
“Captain…!”
Ami, moved, had tears welling in her eyes.
Pretending to ignore complaints all this time, yet still having someone side with her like this melted away all her past frustrations.
“…Haha.”
The captain, who had been trembling for some time, twitched his face.
“Seeing someone act all high and mighty just because they trust their husband is something to behold.”
“Make sure to distinguish between work and personal matters. And my husband trusts me when I act freely.”
Noah looked serious.
The captain, confronted for the first time by Noah’s real discomfort—having treated previous encounters as child’s play—flinched.
The icy intimidation made him pause, and embarrassment soon flushed his face.
He could not admit that he had briefly feared a woman smaller and weaker than himself.
A thick vein popped out on his neck.
“Y—!”
His fist, full of violent intent, lunged at Noah.
Noah did not dodge but watched the fist come toward her, then quickly pivoted to the side.
With no target to hit, the captain lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.
“Oh my.”
But a large hand quickly caught the captain’s head as he fell.
“Don’t dirty the pool.”
Leto, appearing behind Noah, raised a sly corner of his mouth.
Treating him like trash, Leto still held the captain’s head, squeezing it with more force.
“How dare you raise a hand against my team member?”
“Ahk!”
“Where’s the mouth of this trash?”
No sound should come out.
Leto’s red eyes flashed dangerously, half-lost in a delightfully cruel amusement.
The captain, finally crushed, dropped to one knee.
“Major.”
Noah said reproachfully.
“You’re late.”
“Had to host a guest longer than expected.”
Apologizing for the delay, Leto finally released his grip.
“…So you’re that captain.”
The swimsuit-wearing captain, slumping, covered his fragile head with both hands and lifted his face. Pain and a murderous glare filled his teary eyes.
“Seems your guts disappeared along with that swimsuit. No wonder you didn’t even greet anyone.”
Noah squeezed her eyes shut, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh—not because the situation was dire, but because Leto’s words were too accurate and hilarious.
“I’ll spend my entire life working under you, Major.”
Ami had fully devoted her life.
“Enough, leave.”
Leto gestured toward the exit.
“I’ll overlook it this time with my magnanimity, but if this happens again, you won’t escape punishment…”
“Not funny.”
The captain, staggering to his feet, squinted repeatedly at his lingering headache. Yet somehow, he forced a stiff, arrogant smile at Leto, as tight as his triangular swimsuit.
“Married a commoner, huh?”
“….”
“An aristocratic heir reduced to a commoner—how long do you think you can last here?”
For a moment, Leto had to double-check his ears.
“Do you even know what kind of family mine is?”
“….”
Having never been threatened like this, the captain’s judgment seemed to deteriorate rapidly. His intelligence even felt like it was regressing.
The same was true for the other team members.
“Let’s see how long you can hold out.”
Thinking the threat worked, the captain waddled out of the pool, still in his swimsuit.
“…I miss the Royal Knights.”
Better to be a spy.
Homes nostalgically recalled the past days, a sentiment shared by everyone.
“Major.”
Ami raised her hand to speak, and Leto granted her permission.
“Can I bet money that guy will later mess up, lose his retirement pension, and end up in the brig?”
“No gambling in the unit.”
So Leto told them to do it secretly where he couldn’t see. The moment permission was given, everyone bet, but the damned swimsuit captain bet all his money on going to the brig. The bet fizzled out in the end. Shouldn’t have done that.
Despite unfortunate events delaying the schedule, they managed to complete the day safely.
“Lieutenant Riken Epherena.”
On the way home, Leto drove with every ounce of energy he could muster just to get off work.
“Graduate of the 134th class of the Naval Academy.”
“You were classmates?”
Noah, who had been secretly yawning, jumped in surprise.
“I was surprised too. I thought he was much older.”
“That guy…”
Had he really just been way behind in age?
Noah, fully awake, compared her husband and Lieutenant Epherena.
Epherena wasn’t ugly, even somewhat decent-looking. But compared to Leto’s flawless features, he didn’t stand a chance.
“I’m better, right?”
Feeling her gaze, Leto raised one corner of his eye slyly.
“Of course.”
Though cheeky, Noah admitted it this time. Encouraged by his wife’s sincere praise, Leto continued.
“Lieutenant Epherena is heir to the Viscount Epherena family. His father is currently negotiating with Adbello on joint military weapon development.”
“With Adbello….”
“That must be the reason he dared act so boldly earlier.”
Noah couldn’t even laugh.
Lieutenant Epherena’s behavior was rude—his condescending attitude, manner of speech, and disdain for commoners disgraced the navy he belonged to.
“Ami hates that type the most.”
“He’s not the only one.”
Complaints about him weren’t limited to the special ops.
“Reports of complaints about Lieutenant Epherena keep coming in.”
At first, just minor disputes or excessive remarks. But over time, the complaints grew severe: unfair orders, lazy work habits…
“If we add today’s incident, it counts as attempted violence too.”
Leto regretted it.
He felt sorry for Noah and the team, who endured such humiliation at the pool, which wouldn’t have happened without the sudden intruder.
“…Ah.”
Remembering something temporarily forgotten:
“Noah.”
“Yeah?”
“I met Tenebre earlier…”
He tapped the steering wheel lightly.
“…Seemed like your older brother?”
“…”
“Is that right?”
Noah turned her head toward the window instead of answering. That was answer enough.
Finally, dropping her head and rubbing her face repeatedly, Noah asked in a tired voice:
“What did that guy say?”
“He asked about the things in his room. I told him the furniture was discarded, but the items were stored in the warehouse. He just nodded and left.”
“Should I tell our executor?”
Leto was worried, not just that Tenebre was her brother, but more about As.
“For now…”
Noah pondered more seriously than ever.
There was no need to worry.
“Did you see my brother?”
At home, Clare whispered about meeting her older brother earlier in the park.
“Playing with friends, I saw my brother. He still looked clueless.”
“Does As know?”
Noah asked.
“No, absolutely not.”
Clare placed a finger on her lips, sternly warning As must never know. Even a child understood the seriousness of the situation.
Leto, touched, praised Clare:
“What a kind child!”
“That’s me!”
“Everyone, our sister-in-law is amazing!”
“Hehe, this is nothing!”
With Leto’s applause, Clare danced happily.
Noah, who had been deep in thought, called Leto over:
“Why did your brother join the military?”
“For that injured person at our wedding in the cathedral.”
“Ah.”
Noah, guessing, twitched one corner of her mouth.
At the time, all the team members had kept a close eye on that suspicious injured person.
Impressed by their quick, sharp judgment, Leto asked Clare to come briefly to the living room.
“You hid a present?”
Clare’s eyes sparkled at the mention of a hidden gift.
At the same time, Noah finally let her irritation show:
“How dare some dog lurk around the sea?”
No matter if it was the king’s dog, any soldier with pride in their territory resented intrusion or interference. Her brother or anyone else was irrelevant.
Leto said,
“That suspicious person turned out to be your brother’s colleague.”
