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Chapter 14
“Does it suit your taste? I’m sorry, my skills are lacking…”
“Everything is delicious. Especially this seafood stew—I can’t stop eating it.”
“Anything As makes tastes amazing!”
“Clare, I told you not to talk with your mouth full.”
Dinner time was lively.
Reto surprisingly got along well with Clare, and As, after receiving a bottle of the Goddess’s Foam, kept fussing over him, offering all sorts of things.
‘…Somehow, this feels a little off.’
Noah wasn’t exactly pleased.
Still, it wasn’t as if he disliked Reto laughing and chatting easily with his family. If anything, it warmed his heart.
After the meal, they enjoyed dessert.
“Milk pudding made by As! This is my favorite!”
Clare stood on her chair, proudly raising her pudding dish.
“I told you not to stand on chairs.”
“You’re always nagging.”
“Then stop doing things that make me nag.”
“Oh dear, what are you doing in front of a guest?”
“Hahaha!”
After finishing dessert, they did the dishes. Reto, though a guest, rolled up his sleeves and offered to help.
Then he was promptly kicked out.
“Guests don’t do dishes.”
“Just play with Clare instead.”
“Uncle Brother-in-law! Should I play with you?”
While Noah and As cleaned up, Clare proudly showed Reto the toys she had brought from her room.
Among them was the tea party play set Reto had gifted her.
“This is Kitchen Knife Bunny! The invincible rabbit!”
“Ah, the same sticker that was on the invitation.”
Reto recognized it.
The rabbit plush had X-shaped eyes and was holding a bloodstained kitchen knife.
It seemed popular with kids, though Reto felt it was rather violent for a children’s character.
“Kitchen Knife Bunny is on the side of justice.”
Clare waved its arm around as she explained.
“Kitchen Knife Bunny’s parents were killed by illegal butchers! So the angry rabbit punishes bad guys who break the Livestock Hygiene Act and stuff!”
“Uh…”
Reto was at a loss for words.
For a children’s cartoon, the story was rather heavy.
“But hey, mister.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you gonna marry my sister?”
“Mm…”
Before answering, Reto glanced at the living room door.
Compared to a noble’s mansion, this house was smaller, but its layout and arrangement of rooms were similar.
It felt less like a commoner’s home and more like a grand noble’s summer villa.
So even though the living room was separate from the dining room and kitchen, his words still might carry. Lowering his voice, Reto said:
“I would like to marry your sister.”
“Oooh!”
Clare gasped.
“The courage of youth is admirable!”
“…”
Reto pinched his thigh to keep from laughing.
From the first time they met, Clare’s way of speaking had always been utterly charming.
“But I won’t help you!”
“Uh…”
Reto’s grin instantly fell.
“Even if I beg you…?”
He mixed a bit of heartfelt desperation into his plea, but Clare remained firm—more so than before.
“Of course I think it’d be great if you became my brother-in-law.”
“Right?”
“Buuut…”
Clare propped her chin on one hand, looking troubled.
“Problems of love like this… when a third party interferes, it never ends well, you knooow.”
She had secretly listened yesterday to the radio show ‘My Friend Who Soiled the Bouquet’, which said the same thing.
“What if I help, and then you fall for me instead, and then—uh, uhh—everything turns into a disaster?”
“…”
“Then I’d have to fight my sister, pulling each other’s hair out.”
“That won’t happen…”
“I’m this cute. Of course it’ll happen!”
It was then Reto realized.
He hadn’t known Noah had a suspicious older brother or sister, but he had heard about a younger sibling.
In the unit, tales of that sibling were told like urban legends.
At first, he dismissed them as nonsense. How much trouble could a kid really cause?
But looking at the little girl before him now, he thought maybe those stories had only scratched the surface.
“Clare.”
At that moment, Noah and As returned from cleaning up.
“Sis, As!”
Clare dashed over, grabbing both their hands tightly.
“Well then, I’ll be heading off now.”
“You could at least stay for tea…”
As sounded reluctant as she offered tea.
Noah shot her sister a look full of betrayal. Ever since she’d been given the wine, her attitude had completely changed.
“No, it’s fine. I’ve got work tomorrow, so I should head back early.”
“Aww, I wish you’d come play again…”
Clare pouted, tugging lightly at Reto’s pant leg.
“Then, you just have to invite me again, Lady.”
“I don’t wanna play ‘Lady’ anymore. It wasn’t as fun as I thought.”
“Hahaha.”
“Bring presents next time too!”
Reto hugged Clare lightly, shook As’s hand, and bid farewell.
Then he stepped outside with Noah.
“The night air’s chilly.”
“You’ve got work early tomorrow too, so you should go.”
“Are you still going to be formal out here?”
Reto leaned closer, his face inching toward hers.
“You’re relentless…”
Noah reluctantly dropped the honorifics.
But she blocked his lips with three fingers, guarding herself.
Still, she didn’t push him away.
“You remember the conditions I mentioned, right?”
“Ah…”
Caught in her gaze, Reto’s eyes flicked aside awkwardly.
Then he gently took Noah’s hand, the one blocking his lips, and drew it toward himself.
Again, Noah didn’t stop him.
“…”
But she couldn’t help wondering at his hesitation.
‘Why does he act like this?’
Her conditions were hardly anything.
The matter of the sword could wait, and as for the reason he hindered her promotion—she was beginning to guess.
That guess was unpleasant, but not an issue she had to confront right this moment.
So why couldn’t he simply say he loved her?
‘Is he just toying with me?’
At first, she thought so.
Each time they met, she wondered if he just saw her as a passing amusement.
Whenever that thought came, she felt miserable, but her pride wouldn’t let her be the first to confess either.
Yet now, the Reto before her was nothing but a coward.
The massive wall between them—perhaps that was the reason he kept hiding his true feelings.
“…What exactly are you afraid of?”
Noah asked, as if feeling out the invisible wall between them.
“…”
Reto only smiled from behind it.
The next day.
Noah went to find Ami first thing after arriving at work.
Since Ami lived in the barracks, she always arrived earlier than the others—and sure enough, she was already seated in the office.
“Ah, that motherf***ing bastard…!”
But today, she was muttering vile curses, radiating bloodlust.
“What happened?”
Noah handed her a lunchbox. As had made too much breakfast, so she packed sandwiches for the squad to share.
“I was just picking something up at the shop, and some punk had the nerve to chew me out for being undisciplined! And he was a captain!”
“Well, I’m a captain too, Lieutenant Chitia.”
“Ugh, whatever! Anyway, I memorized his face and name, that’s what matters.”
Ami fumed for a while, then gave a wicked smile.
“…I’ll tell the major general everything.”
Reto, infamous as a mad dog, was well-known even among his subordinates for his bad temper.
But that kind of nature shone brightest when aimed at enemies.
Just like now.
“Times like this, it’s really nice to have the major general on our side.”
Having calmed down a bit, Ami took a big bite out of the sandwich Noah had given her.
“Yeah.”
Then she pulled something from her pocket and handed it over.
“What you asked me to look into.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed as she read the note.
…?
She had asked Ami to investigate Major General Flanchi.
But Ami had found nothing.
Or rather—there was nothing to find.
“Information is restricted?”
“Normally, getting access to admiral-class intel is tough…”
“Not even with your clearance and skills?”
“Friend, I appreciate the high praise, but…”
Having already finished one sandwich, Ami licked her fingers as she replied.
Her casual tone couldn’t hide the suspicion darkening her black eyes.
“…This is different.”
The information itself was completely blocked.
“Who else could block a major general’s records?”
At that, Noah frowned.
Restricting admiral-level intel was not only difficult but also something few could do.
In short, only those above a major general could suppress it.
With Chief of Staff Advelo’s position currently vacant, only one person had the power to do it.
“…The major general himself.”
Ami silently nodded.
“I don’t want to suspect Major General Flanchi, but I hate the thought of suspecting him even more.”
“That man never does anything without a reason.”
“Exactly.”
But backing off now would bruise her pride.
So Ami dug up information on Flanchi through another route.
“These are the entry-exit logs from the Logistics Command.”
She twirled her fingers, and Noah flipped the note over.
On the back were Flanchi’s outing records.
“Hah…”
Noah let out a hollow laugh.
The day Major General Flanchi went out was the exact day Noah had rushed to Maray School after As called.
The same day Clare fought with Lord Dellat’s son.
“Lord Dellat said he was coming with his family to promote exchange. His direct subordinates too.”
Though they had rudely shown up at Naval Headquarters the day right after announcing the visit, Lord Dellat himself had been absent from HQ that day.
“…Pathetic.”
Noah crumpled the note in her fist.
“How should I kill them?”
“Oh boy.”
Ami pretended not to hear, munching on her second sandwich.
‘You’re dead now, bastards.’
Chewing her delicious sandwich, Ami watched the other “mad dog” before her with interest.
“As expected.”
Lieutenant Colonel Ice handed Reto a report.
Stamped across its cover was a glaring red mark: Confidential.
Reto flipped through the pages.
“On the day you went to Maray School with Captain Velo, Major General Flanchi and Lord Dellat were confirmed to have met.”
“The meeting place was this tavern?”
The name written there was familiar.
“I confirmed it five times. Unfortunately, yes.”
“What nerve, to go there of all places?”
“Well…”
Lieutenant Colonel Ice thought for a moment.
“Perhaps he traded intelligence for courage.”
“Right. Otherwise, no sane man would drink in that place.”
“In any case, we finally caught them.”
