Ch 114: Puh Puh

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'I gave up on trying to convince them and changed the subject. Since I don't know anything about the army divisions, I asked about it.''

'"The rear army exists as a stand-in for the vanguard army. But because of that, we don't have many things to do."'

'"There is a board with missions, but they treat us differently from the others, and they only allow us to take the missions that are too easy."'

'"They look at us and they drool… I was about to fix their mouths with my saber"'

'Irina gives accurate information, while Zia is more conversational, and Miria is very direct.'

'"There is the army in itself, then the medium and small guilds, and then the adventurers. Both the guilds and adventurers were forced to come, therefore, they are given the privilege to accept quests. Which, if fulfilled, are rewarded in money."'

'Since I kept staring at Irina, she sighed and continued explaining.'

'"Infantry, cavalry, archers, and so on. If you have read a book about the past wars, you will realize that all of those divisions meet in this place. The most prominent is the magic squadron. Their attacks are as beautiful as they are devastating. We happened to see their training, and I must say that, no matter how much the enemy army protects themselves, only magic items will be able to save their life.'

'I kept looking at her, but I got the opposite result. Miria brought her hand to her saber as if to say 'One more step and you're dead'. At no time did I think of doing anything to her! I wanted to respond like that but... Mn, I thought about it, but… '

'Of course, it was just a thought. If I did something to her, then the word would spread to Alessia, and then to my parents. The end where they all grab me by the bootstraps would be just around the corner. Besides...'

'The kicks from someone with 50 points in luck would be terrifying.'

'With chills running through my body, I changed the subject.'

'"What kind of missions are they?"'

'"Usually the soldiers on patrol are in the range of the tens, but now and then there are smaller groups. There are missions where we seek to assassinate them, or investigate their purpose" Irina said.'

'"We once accepted that kind of mission, and the other side was similar to ours. In other words, adventurers completing a mission of their own army" Zia added information.'

'Right, I hadn't thought of that.'

'Just like me, there must be people investigating our side, and performing missions for the Drial Cenit kingdom. A casual glance at my map was enough to give veracity to this conclusion, since some red dots are wandering around in the forest.'

'"Of course, that's not always the case. I've been told that some of those missions were taken by small elite groups, where one wrong step and heads will roll" Miria made the gesture of cutting her throat with her index finger.'

'I can't help but have complex emotions hearing that. On the one hand, I feel excited, since I'll get great treasures from them if I kill them! And on the other hand, uncertainty. Will I be able to kill them?'

'"There are more pacifist missions, like driving the enemy away. These missions are about fighting them, but not necessarily killing them. Those errands are about marking territory. There are times when the enemies don't fight and move away on their own."'

'Without needing to ask again, they explained to me everything they knew about the war. From the guilds that have excelled performing missions, or those dangerous sections of the army where bad rumors have been heard.'

'By the way, I discovered Miria's talent.'

'She is good at gathering information, and she is very happy to tell how she has made many trusted friends along the way.'

'Maybe it's because we are in a war environment, but this time I wasn't treated so badly by them.'

'"Today is payday. How much did you get?"'

'Emir: "..."'

'Do you guys get paid?'

'"I see you are not as active as you boasted... Puh Puh" Miria held back her laughter.'

'Irina: "Puh Puh"'

'Zia: "Puh Puh"'

'Emir: "..."'

'I don't know whether to get mad or squeeze their cheeks.'

'It seems that all the people here have duties in the military and, as much as they are stationed just like everyone else, they are constantly doing formations and group movements. So that they are prepared in case they have to go into action.'

'"Everyone gathers round! It's time for military training!"'

'This is just the current case.'

'I bid them farewell so as not to interrupt them, and hurriedly walk away. After all, I wouldn't want to be mistaken for one of them.'

'"... ... ... Yair ... ... ... ... Yair..."'

'I'm repulsed to say this, but... Why can I make out that guy's name in a conversation I can barely hear?'

'They're all talking at the same time so, although I can vaguely make out that name, I can't tell which person it's coming from. If it's a talk about how to lower his rank, then I'll join in the conversation without hesitation.'

'If it's the opposite, then I'll make their planning fail no matter what!'

'"Hey! be more careful"'

'I was so immersed in my thoughts that I inadvertently bumped into a man.'

'"Sorry, I got distracted for a second." It was a slight push, so I just offered a corresponding apology.'

'The man in front of me looks like any other ordinary man. His only peculiarity is his big nose, but to be honest... Long noses are also common. According to the user interface, his name is Fabio.'

'Fabio responded with a nod, and I was about to leave when he suddenly stops me.'

'"Your badge has a cut, you must replace it."'

'Hm? Oh, right. The recon group's badge has a diagonal cut in it. When did I damage it? Mm... The only thing that comes to mind is the arrow with the Freeze skill. At the time of firing, it is surrounded by ice particles, and maybe one of them damaged the badge.'

'It's a good thing that the skill itself doesn't hurt me, otherwise, I would end up the same way as those soldiers.'

'"What?! You're wrong. Damaged badges represent the honor of having survived a battle!" Said his companion.'

'"Is that so? I see, but there must be a limit. If it's too damaged, then you won't be able to represent anyone."'

'"If they are framed, they are great. I have some from when..."'

'At some point in their conversation, they ended up forgetting about me and kept walking.'

'As for the badge, I have the same opinion as Fabio's companion. If they are damaged, these seem to have accompanied you in prosperity as well as misfortune. Perfect badges remind me of nobles who never do anything and yet, have 'memories' of having survived a great battle. When, in reality, they are the men who hired those who performed everything.'

'Well, it's time to go collect my pay.'

'I head into the forest, I change my clothes, change my gear and mask, and then walk in the direction of the commander's tent.'

'As I enter, I see no one inside.'

'Is he a busy man? All the times I've come here, I've seen him sitting at his desk. And the only thing he moves for is to get that magnifying glass out of his pocket... Well, I'm just saying this as revenge. If he's a commander, it must be for something, right?'

'Before I go, I'll leave him a note-...'

'[Your pay, brat Emir.]'

'In the place of the pay... There's a stone.'

'The same stone with which you shoo away a stray dog, or the one you use to bang on your neighbor's window when his damn dog won't stop barking at you.'

'An ordinary stone... Is that my pay?'

'Emir: "..."'

'Motherfu#*%!!'

'Is all my effort worth one stone?!'

'Stick the stone where it falls best for you!'

'***'

'"Deliaaa!'"

'"Even when I avoided the old man, he somehow managed to infuriate me," I said while stroking her tails.'

'Delia: "..."'

'- A Saint playing a psychologist?... ... ... Mn! Sounds like a lot of fun!'

'Delia kindly stroked my head, while her tails became more docile than a few seconds ago. But if she catches me off guard, she is capable of making me confess even the smallest crime. I must be careful.'

'To get out of this trance, I move my head from side to side and thereby rub my cheeks on her soft thighs. At the same time, I smell them to add more effectiveness to this technique.'

'Once my mind returned to normal, I unknowingly awakened the monster in my pants.'

'"Is there anything else you want to tell me?"'

'Emir: "..."'

'Delia entered her professional mode. Once she decides to do something, she does it with all her effort. That same thing is happening now. If she just had some aromatic essences on, I would mistake Delia for a psychologist.'

'My instincts detect danger in having a partner who is a psychologist… it is the worst thing that can happen to a man.'

'For example, at breakfast, you're having a quiet conversation with her and wham! You're unknowingly confessing that you cheated on her with another woman.'

'Female psychologists are to be feared!'