Chapter 279: Tough Guys (1)

It was two weeks later when the letter announcing the deployment to the Eastern Plains arrived. No matter how promiscuous I was, I couldn't just grab AA and have sex with her for two straight weeks. No matter how delicious the food is, you get sick of it if you eat it for days on end. The day the letter arrived, Sieri and Aira were asleep next to me. I was reading the letter while stroking Sieri's hair.

Since the letter arrived late at night, my face was filled with annoyance. The messenger who delivered the letter stood at the door, bowing his head with a face full of tension.

"You're saying I just need to sign the signature block?"

"Yes. It's an essential procedure because we have to prepare separate barracks depending on who is deploying. I am sorry for waking you up and bothering you at this late hour."

"Is that so? This requires an autograph, right?"

"Yes. That is correct. I heard that Sir Hero is also here right now. Um... I'm sorry, but could you also get Sir Hero's signature, ah, um... If she is asleep right now, you don't have to wake her. I will wait until tomorrow morning."

"No. I'll wake her up and get the signature for you."

This bastard. What kind of motherless bullshit was this, waking me up because it was a document containing a royal command, yet waiting for the hero to wake up on her own? Was he a racist who discriminated against half-elves? When I shot him a sidelong glance, the messenger trembled and rubbed his hands together as if he felt uncomfortable. I ignored him and first headed to Eve's bedroom.

The messenger tried to follow me but stopped in front of the door. I asked the messenger again.

"I just need to write down everyone who is participating. Right?"

"Yes. That is correct."

I opened the room door slightly and called Eve's name.

"Eve. Are you sleeping?"

"Huh? Husband. What is it? Suddenly... Is something wrong?"

"A deployment order for the Eastern Plains came down from the kingdom. It's in a month, so what do you want to do? Are you going too?"

"Huh? The Eastern Plains? What's there... Ah, that... You mean killing those Church of Love bastards. Yeah. I'll go too."

When I opened the door wide, Eve only lifted her head from under the covers. She frowned as if blinded by the light pouring in from the hallway. She was practically half-naked from dressing so carelessly, and the messenger stood far away from the door, likely having noticed that the person I was talking to was my wife.

"Wait in the reception room. I'm going to meet a few more people now. Are you going to keep following me around?"

"Ah, understood. If you are going with your wife, I would appreciate it if you could add another signature for 'Lady Peta' next to Peta Lusius's signature block."

"What about an escort guard?"

"Pardon?"

"An escort guard is also going. Should I do the same for her?"

"Yes! I would appreciate it if you did."

"Got it. Go wait in the reception room. If you're sleepy, tell the night shift guard to give you a cup of tea."

"Yes, sir!"

Only after the messenger disappeared did I enter Eve's room. Eve had fallen asleep again in the meantime and buried her face in the pillow. I stroked Eve's hair and called her name again.

"Eve. Wake up."

"Huh? Ah, I wasn't sleeping. I wasn't sleeping. Yeah. What did you say again? You said you were going to love the Church of the Plains?"

Half-asleep, Eve was spouting nonsense. Glancing next to Eve, Cellu was sleeping while hugging Eve tightly. Eve briefly looked at her mother clinging to her waist, then rubbed her back to wake her up.

"Mom. Wake up. My husband is here."

"Mhm... What is it... Why are you here at this hour? Should I step aside...?"

Cellu blinked her eyes and looked at Eve and me. I asked.

"Cellu. Why are you sleeping here? You usually sleep floating around like a corpse in the swimming pool."

"Huh? You didn't know? Our Eve calls me over when you're not around because she doesn't want to sleep alone, and she hugs me just like this while sleeping... Hehehe. Our daughter is cute, isn't she..."

It was a fact I hadn't known. Cellu chuckled softly and collapsed back onto the mattress. She raised her hand up like she was swimming and said.

"If it's nothing major, I'm going back to sleep..."

In the meantime, Eve was dozing off again, her head nodding downward. I pinched her cheek and called her name again.

"Eve. Wake up. Sign this and then sleep. Sign."

"Huh? Ah, yeah. Mom, Mom, wake up."

Seeing Eve trying to wake Cellu again, I placed the pen and paper in her hand and said.

"Eve. Sign. Sign it. I didn't come here to talk to Cellu. Hurry."

"Sign?"

Suddenly opening her eyes wide at the word 'sign', Eve read the contents of the paper meticulously, then let out a scoff and roughly scribbled her name at the bottom. Then she buried her face back in the pillow and muttered.

"You startled me. I thought it was some kind of contract. Husband. It scares me when you joke around like that... I'm going back to sleep."

"Alright, sleep well. Sorry for waking you."

"Yeah... Good night, husband."

As if she didn't care where I was, Eve waved her hand absentmindedly in the air before dropping it with a thud. I added a section for an escort guard to the document and then went to find Elsi. Elsi usually handled night guard duties from her room on the first floor, so she was awake at this hour.

"Elsi. It's me. Lusius."

"Priest?"

When I knocked on the door, a flustered voice rang out from beyond it. There was a brief commotion before the door swung wide open. Soya, who was with Elsi, stood up from her seat with a bewildered face. I furrowed my brow and asked.

"Soya. What are you doing?"

"Ah, um... I couldn't sleep. So I was chatting with Ms. Elsi for a bit."

"Is that so? Good timing. Soya, you sit down here too."

I presented the paper in front of the two of them. Elsi picked up the pen that barely fit in her hand, inspected it this way and that, and asked me.

"Priest. What do I need to do?"

I asked if they would participate in the Church of Love subjugation incident happening in the Eastern Plains. Elsi violently shook her head before I could even finish speaking and replied.

"I'll participate! Of course I will! Those bastards who tormented my kin! I'll tear them all into three pieces and kill them!"

Her face contorted in anger had a unique charm of its own, but causing too loud of a commotion late at night would summon the standby team. I gestured for the servant who had rushed out into the hallway to go back in, then clamped my hand over Elsi's mouth. Her sharp teeth brushed against my palm before pulling away. I stroked behind her ears to soothe her anger. With her fur bristling, Elsi gradually calmed her mind and took a breath.

"Now, Elsi. So you're going, right?"

"I'm going."

I signed on behalf of Elsi, who couldn't use a pen. And then I spoke to Soya.

"Soya. I told you to sit because I wanted to explain a bit why I'm not taking you this time. Is that alright for a moment?"

"Ah, yes..."

A gloomy expression was cast over Soya's face. She twiddled her fingers and stared at her legs. She was probably thinking I wasn't taking her because she walked with a limp. I said.

"Soya. It's not because of your legs. If I take Eve and Elsi, Sieri and Aira will have to protect the territory. Even if Robin and Cellu are here, who knows what kind of accident will break out when or where?"

"That's... true."

However, Soya seemed to feel that my words were merely said out of courtesy. I placed my hand on her leg. I felt Soya stiffen her body. I slowly stroked her from the knee down to her toes, then looked up at her again. Soya's face was flushed red.

"Soya. Do I look like the kind of person who would cast you aside in the mansion because you're of no help?"

"B-But..."

Soya was on the verge of tears. Elsi awkwardly looked back and forth between Soya and me before gently wiping the tears flowing down Soya's cheek. Sniffling, Soya spoke.

"But... Gasp... Sniff..."

"Why are you crying, Soya? It ruins your cute face. Hmm?"

"C-Cute? Me?"

Soya blushed at those words. I nodded and held her hand. Since she was a mage who also did handicraft work at the same time, her hand was surprisingly rough. I told Soya once again.

"Soya. Please take good care of Sieri. I'm counting on you."

"Ah... Yes!"

Soya welled up with tears as if she were moved. It was a relief that she was such an easy woman.

I carried the document and went back upstairs. The hero was sleeping in the last room on the left side. I knocked carefully and opened the door. I saw AA sleeping with the blanket pulled over her. I took careful, noiseless footsteps one by one. Had I taken about five steps? Something squirmed under the covers, and then AA lowered the blanket slightly to check who it was.

"Sir Priest?"

She looked at me with a puzzled face, let out a deep sigh, and pushed aside the sword she had kept under the blanket. She grumbled at me before I could even bring anything up.

"Sir Priest. Still, isn't this hour a bit too much? Even if I was the one who asked for it, really... I never expected Sir Priest to change like this."

"Pardon?"

AA naturally took off her pants and pulled down her panties. Having lowered her panties down to her thighs, she turned her buttocks toward me and said.

"...Do it quickly."

What was this? Did she mean she was going to sign with her buttocks? I felt a genuine impulse to jam the pen in there, but I barely managed to hold it back. If I did that, I felt like I would actually die. I held the paper and pen and spoke to AA.

"...I came to get a signature. A participation request for the Eastern Plains subjugation arrived today."

"..."

AA froze stiff with her buttocks still stuck out toward me. Even without seeing her expression, I could see her hands trembling slightly. Her ears turned red, and her legs were trembling minutely as well. Without a word, she picked up her pants and pulled her panties back up. Her buttocks stood out prominently through her tight-fitting panties. Once AA had put her pants back on, I teased her.

"How obscene."

Whack!

AA raised the pillow and swung it at me with all her might. It was definitely a pillow made of cotton, but a heavy shock akin to being hit by a sack of flour enveloped my body. The moment I collapsed to the floor, the pillow burst, scattering feathers into the air. Feeling dizzy, I hastily waved my hands and shouted.

"Ack! W-W-W-Wait! Hold on a second, Sir Hero! Sir Hero! Calm down!"

I thought she was going to beat me while I was down, but she only raised her fist before finally letting out a sigh and suppressing her anger. She picked up the pen and paper that had fallen to the floor and grumbled.

"...It's your fault, Sir Priest. Only ever teasing me like that..."

I almost fucking died.