Ch 242: Yes, he is definitely treating me differently…

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I continue walking through the forest of the war zone.

Now I can already see the first tents of our army.

Considering how we concluded the day yesterday, I imagined that this morning all this stupid ‘punishment’ thing would have been forgotten between me and my girls.

However, when I woke up, Alessia and Delia were no longer in bed.

As I went downstairs, I found them happily eating breakfast.

The fact that I hadn’t received my morning blowjob gave me the cue that, according to them, I still had to do my ‘penance’.

So I decided to leave Alessia and Delia to have a girls’ day to let them cool down their fury while I went to the war zone to fulfill what Cael expected of me.

If leaving my girls alone in the Solitary Temple for only half a day was so positive for me, leaving them a whole day to miss me will surely be even better.

In this manner, Delia will adjust to her new surroundings, and Alessia, who hasn’t resided in the capital for a while, will again acclimate to our home.

Alessia was not very happy with the idea of letting me go anywhere alone.

But Delia convinced her to accept my proposal by asking the blonde girl to take her to see the city and the place where the Saint would be working from now on.

I thought it was a very good idea, and I left them some money to equip the clinic with everything they needed.

I remember that Alessia had a strange expression when she saw the 25 gold coins I gave them each, but she didn’t say anything about it.

When I finally make it to Cael’s tent, I see that the commander of the recon group today seems to be particularly stressed.

He’s standing with his back to me, one hand resting on each end of his desk, his head drooping.

“Hi. You look tired…. Commander,” I say as I walk over and watch as the man looks furiously at a stack of papers spread out on his desk.

“Ahh, yes… Hello to you too… It’s that stupid king of Drial Cenit’s fault….” he says absentmindedly.

‘Wasn’t that matter supposed to be settled already, thanks to pressure from the other kingdoms? No… I guess it was foolish to expect Cael to tell me everything he knew.’

“… For some reason, he keeps making stupid and meaningless demands as a requirement to cede us the portion of territory he initially offered us as a symbol of peace…” he says with a bitter laugh.

‘That’s strange… 

Isn’t it supposed to be the victor who sets the conditions? Maybe I’m wrong… 

I really don’t know much about these things’

“… Peace! As if there weren’t enemy troops in the forest, ready to attack us if we go into what is now supposed to be our territory! But the damn king says he won’t give them the order to retreat until we meet his demands. It almost seems like we were the ones who lost instead of them…” he says as he sighs in exasperation and continues talking, ignoring my lack of interest in the subject.

‘So I was right…. 

Anyway, the Drial Cenit king will still have to give up his territory….

How terrible can it be to comply with a few demands?… 

I suppose they can’t be unreasonable demands, considering the situation the kingdom of Drial Cenit finds itself in.’

“… The worst thing is, since they are harmless-looking demands and we have the Ephire and Holy Kingdoms watching our negotiations closely, we have no choice but to agree. It’s just… that I don’t like not knowing the important things that go on behind the scenes…”

In a fit of rage, Cael slams his right hand on his desk, leaving the mark of his clenched fist on the wood.

‘It is a good thing I didn’t say anything while Cael was talking…. 

I’ve never seen him so upset…. 

What’s more, come to think of it, I’ve never seen him lose his temper in general…

He must really hate the situation’

“… In one of his demands, for example, he asked us to promise not to cut down the trees in that territory for the next five years, while in another he asked us to hand over a list of all the people enlisted in the war. I don’t know what the hell they could possibly want that information for…”

‘What… a strange combination of requests. Anyway, who am I to know what is normal in this kind of circumstance?’

“… As you can see, the demands don’t seem to have any kind of connection with each other. It’s a more ridiculous demand than the previous one! It’s almost as if… Haa… But I realize I’m just boring you. Let’s see what you’ve brought me today.”

He’s right.

I only mentioned that he looked tired to make him notice that I was coming into his tent. 

But I didn’t expect to get all this spiel about inter-kingdom politics.

Without confirming or denying his words, I leave on top of the desk the 23 remnants of the enemy soldiers I eliminated. 

Then I hand him a map of the area with the locations and movements of the enemy groups that appear on my interface map.

“Wow!… You really excelled yourself today…” says the commander, very surprised while examining the remnants with his magnifying glass.

‘Come to think of it… 

I’ve never brought him so many remnants before…. 

Maybe I shouldn’t have… 

Now, he probably expects me to repeat this number every time.’

“… But I think from now on you’d better just bring me maps and leave the enemy soldiers alone.”

‘Or maybe not’

“Huh? Why?” I ask, very surprised by the request.

‘Just a few days ago, he went to the extreme of blackmailing me to keep doing what I’ve been doing for him so far, and now he’s telling me to stop? What’s the point of that?’

“Because we don’t want to give any excuse to the enemy king to put any more obstacles in the way of this damned peace treaty! Haa… I should have told you the last time we spoke, just in case. At that time, I still didn’t know we would have to deal with these stupid demands, but I should have figured it out…” he says, looking at me with a tired smile.

“… A few days ago, it was ordered that no one conduct hostile maneuvers in enemy territory. I guess I don’t have to explain the reason to you…”

‘Shit, is he saying what I think he’s saying?’

“…Anyway, you have nothing to worry about, kid. If the demand comes to us that we have to hand over the soldiers who have been attacking the territory that still ‘belongs’ to Drial Cenit, I won’t hand you over. You’re too valuable a resource.”

‘Good. That’s reassuring. Despite what he did, I have to concede to Cael that he seems to be worthy of respect.’

“… And speaking of valuable things, here’s your pay,” he says, depositing three gold coins on the surface of the table and dragging them towards me.

At the gesture, I raise my right eyebrow as I look at the commander.

‘I don’t understand. If he has me working for him through blackmail, why does he bother to pay me?’

“Yes… I know that amount of money is probably mere minutiae to you after the prize money, but please me,” he says with a slightly hysterical laugh.

‘I guess it’s for appearances sake.’

“… I am a firm believer that every job well done deserves a reward, and you have done a very good job this time in bringing in so many remnants. It is true that in the present circumstances, that may not be the best thing to do, but that is not your fault but mine.”

‘Poor Commander Cael….

I almost feel sorry to see him in this state. Almost. That’s the key word. He’s a good man…

And he saved my life once… 

If only he hadn’t crossed the line a few days ago by threatening my loved ones, I might even offer to help him….

Although I have no idea what I could do to help him.’

“Well, all right. Thanks, I guess, though I think I’ve told you and Dorian once before that I don’t do this for the money,” I say, taking the three gold coins and making them disappear in my hand.

As I do so, I make sure Cael can clearly see the storage ring I’m wearing.

“Yes, I remember. I don’t know what those reasons might be, but I don’t need to know. I already know enough about you. Anyway, in other circumstances, that kind of comment would just make you look suspicious…. I’m just saying. Be careful, kid…” says the commander, giving me a light pat on the back.

‘He may be right… 

Is it my idea, or is the commander treating me differently since he forced me to stay in the war zone?… 

Maybe he feels guilty for having blackmailed me…

Nah, it can’t be’

“… Well, now, if you have nothing else for me and you don’t want to listen to me grumble at trying to interpret the connection between these documents, I suggest you leave.”

‘Is he suggesting it to me?!… 

Yes, he is definitely treating me differently….. 

Well, it’s not a bad thing… 

Whatever the reason, I shouldn’t give the matter too much thought.’

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