How a Two-Life Scoundrel Lives - Chapter 109
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 109】
“That’s not it… Phew.”
Carlisle let out a deep sigh as no one believed his words and said.
“Think whatever you want.”
“This bastard! There’s clear evidence and you’re still playing dumb!”
Carlisle didn’t answer.
Explaining the whole situation was bothersome, and he didn’t particularly dislike being misunderstood.
‘Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve been living too virtuously lately.’
From Carlisle’s experience, scoundrels could do anything and people would just brush it off thinking [that’s just how he is].
Conversely, when someone with usually good conduct went astray, even if they were forgiven once or twice at first, greater criticism and disappointment would inevitably follow afterward.
‘If I want to live comfortably, I should manage my reputation well in advance.’
Though the direction seemed somewhat strange, for Carlisle who prioritized living comfortably, it was a choice with no particular loss.
“Mmm.”
Beatrice rubbed her sleepy eyes and slowly raised her head.
“Where did oppa go?”
Beatrice’s red eyes, which had been looking for Carlisle, settled on Begman.
“Ugh.”
Beatrice frowned as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
“Mister, you’re ugly.”
“Wh-what did you just say?”
“Ugly mister.”
“I’m ugly?”
“Ugh.”
Beatrice made an expression as if she felt sick and was about to vomit.
“Puhahahaha!”
“That young lady has good eyes!”
“Kek kek! Kek kek kek!”
The scout members all burst into laughter in unison.
“These bastards are laughing? Do you want to die!”
Begman’s face contorted with rage.
Seeing his face turn bright red, he was clearly quite angry.
“Ah, why are you getting angry~”
“Just laugh it off~”
The scout members mocked Begman.
“Wh-what’s ugly about me! This much is at least decent!”
“Captain, you should look in a mirror.”
“What did you say?”
“Looking so fierce and rough, what’s decent about that? Puhehehehe!”
“This bastard!”
At Wilson’s mockery, Begman clenched both fists tightly.
“Ugh.”
Seeing Wilson, Beatrice’s face contorted even more severely.
“That mister is really ugly. Ugh.”
“M-me?”
“You look dirty.”
“I look… dirty?”
Wilson made a shocked expression.
“I-I see… I looked dirty…”
Wilson made an uncharacteristically dejected expression.
“Right, so that’s why she left me. Because I’m bald…”
“…”
The atmosphere became solemn.
Actually, Wilson wasn’t handsome, but he definitely wasn’t ugly either.
With his fairly masculine appearance, tall height, and muscular build, he possessed enough charm to appeal to the opposite sex.
The problem was his hair.
Being bald, Wilson would scalp barbarians and make wigs from their hair to wear, making his appearance very unnatural and grotesque.
He would look much more handsome if he just shaved his head completely, but the reason he insisted on wigs was supposedly due to trauma from his ex-lover.
“Ahem. Ahem ahem.”
Begman cleared his throat unnecessarily to change the atmosphere.
While Wilson had indeed joined in mocking Begman, seeing him become dejected made him lose the heart to tease him.
In these chaotic times with Carlisle’s desertion incident, if Wilson also deserted, it would be unmanageable.
“Young lady, don’t speak so carelessly. It’s not like we wanted to look like this.”
“Ugh.”
Beatrice made a disgusted expression and turned her head away sharply.
“Why is that young lady acting like that?”
“I wouldn’t know. Just let it be.”
Carlisle shrugged his shoulders.
“Is this not my problem? Huh? Is being handsome everything?”
“…”
Carlisle didn’t bother to respond and changed the subject.
“So you came to arrest me.”
“Then why else would we come.”
“Hmm.”
Carlisle thought for a moment then answered.
“Then I’ll go in a few days.”
“…”
This time, all the scouts including Begman were left speechless.
‘This guy is completely insane?!’
Without a doubt, such a deserter would be unprecedented in the history of the Decaron Army.
There couldn’t be many lunatics who, after being caught for desertion, would say they’ll go in a few days.
* * *
Helen these days sometimes regretted becoming a commander ‘very much’.
Especially when she had to force herself to do things she didn’t want to do, there were more than a few times she wanted to throw away her officer status and return to being an ordinary soldier.
Today was exactly one of those days.
As the direct superior of a subordinate who had deserted, she had to conduct counseling with someone she couldn’t stand the sight of.
“Private Carlisle.”
“Yes.”
“Does the military seem like a joke to you.”
Helen asked in an unprecedentedly stiff and businesslike voice and tone.
“Why no answer. I asked if the military seems like a joke to you.”
“I’ve never thought that.”
“Then why is your conduct in such a state.”
Helen shot back sharply.
“You committed insubordination against the Battalion Commander, which wasn’t enough, so you broke out of military prison, even deserted, and unable to abandon your sordid and promiscuous past, you even brought a woman to the battlefield…”
Helen stopped mid-sentence and closed her mouth.
It was because he couldn’t bear to bring up such dirty stories.
“If you were an ordinary soldier, you would already be facing execution.”
“Well, that would be the case.”
“So you acted this way knowing that?”
“Because I’m Sigmund.”
“What?”
“How am I the same as an ordinary soldier? I was different from the start.”
“Are you done talking?”
Helen’s quiet voice contained compressed killing intent.
“No. I’m not done yet.”
Carlisle didn’t even blink an eye.
“If I had been an ordinary soldier, the Battalion Commander wouldn’t have made my life hell either. He wouldn’t have been interested.”
“That, that’s…”
“Since the Battalion Commander gives me special treatment because I’m Sigmund, I have no choice but to exercise my sense of privilege too.”
“…”
Helen felt a bit ashamed of her anger at Carlisle’s earlier remarks.
“I’ll rest here for a while before leaving, so just tell the Battalion Commander that you’re looking for me.”
“Mm.”
“You should know that my desertion could be a weakness for the Battalion Commander.”
“…”
“So let’s wait and see for a few days. The Battalion Commander should pay a price too.”
Carlisle showed a twisted smile.
Helen couldn’t bring herself to agree with that opinion and quietly stood up from her seat.
“Please don’t cause any more trouble. This is the limit.”
“I’ll stay quiet, so don’t worry.”
“And…”
Helen glared at Carlisle with cold eyes and said.
“This place is outside the unit, so I won’t interfere, but if you bring the opposite sex into the unit or seduce female soldiers and engage in inappropriate behavior…”
“Whether you behead me or hang me, do as you please.”
“Don’t you have even a speck of intention to reflect?”
“Would you believe me if I said otherwise?”
Helen’s answer was somewhat unexpected.
“Why do you think I wouldn’t believe you?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“As long as I’m human, how could I not misunderstand after seeing that scene? But I am your commander. If you claim your innocence, I will believe you. Of course, if the circumstantial evidence is clear, I’ll make you pay the price for deceiving your commander.”
“…!”
Carlisle was surprised by the unexpected answer and was momentarily speechless.
“If you say it’s not true, I’ll take it as such. I believe there must be some circumstances. If not… I don’t think I could bear it without despising you.”
Helen said that and left.
“…”
Carlisle remained silent for a while at the unexpected trust.
* * *
Helen immediately returned to the fortress and reported to Battalion Commander Krabel.
“What? You lost Private Carlisle?”
“I’m sorry.”
“How utterly incompetent!”
Krabel exploded in anger.
“Is that all the 3rd Company Scout Unit amounts to? You can’t even catch one deserting private?”
“Battalion Commander.”
“What, do you have some excuse with that mouth of yours?”
“Have you forgotten that Private Carlisle is Sigmund?”
“That, that’s…”
At Helen’s counter-question, Krabel couldn’t say anything.
“Private Carlisle is strong. Even during the last operation, it was Private Carlisle who swept away all the enemies. It should be written in the post-operation evaluation report, didn’t you see it?”
“…”
“Please give me just a few more days. Engaging in a pursuit against Private Carlisle is not an easy task.”
“…I suppose so.”
In the end, Krabel had no choice but to agree with Helen’s words.
He also knew that catching a deserting Sigmund was by no means an easy task.
“Instead, catch him as quickly as possible. You need to bring him back even a minute, even a second faster. If an incident happens, both you and I will not only lose our uniforms but our heads will fly.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Effort alone won’t be enough!”
Krabel shouted angrily.
“This is a matter of our lives! Just concealing Private Carlisle’s desertion is enough to get us dishonorably discharged and kicked out!”
“Knowing that, did you drive Private Carlisle to that extent?”
“What? How dare you talk back to the Battalion Commander?”
“I’m just stating facts.”
“You don’t seem to care about your personnel evaluation at all.”
“Then it’s not too late now. I’ll send a messenger to higher command saying Private Carlisle has deserted…”
“Alright! I got it!”
Krabel hastily stopped Helen.
“I didn’t think you were like this, but you’re quite cunning.”
“Sometimes it’s necessary to act that way, isn’t it?”
“I can’t stand the sight of you, so get lost. Go catch Private Carlisle right now.”
“Loyalty.”
After Helen left.
“Damn, damn it. I wonder if I’m really going to lose my uniform at this rate.”
Krabel trembled with anxiety and couldn’t sit still.
However, all he could do was pray that Helen and the 3rd Company Scout Unit would safely bring back Carlisle, so he had no choice but to worry day by day.
* * *
Even after Helen returned, Carlisle stayed at Antiros’s research laboratory and spent leisurely time.
And Carlisle wasn’t alone.
With the baby dragon and Beatrice, as well as several scout members, he wasn’t particularly bored.
Among those who stayed together were Lieutenant Melvin, a junior officer, and Adrian, a new recruit.
Lieutenant Melvin was left behind by Helen under the pretext of controlling Carlisle as an officer, and Adrian ended up staying with the other scout soldiers by chance.
“When you go on search and reconnaissance, you need to pay special attention to surrounding sounds.”
The scout soldiers taught Adrian various knowledge and were enthusiastic about training the new recruit.
On the other hand, no one talked to Lieutenant Melvin.
Because of the incident during the first operation when his magic failed and nearly led the entire scout unit to death, he was branded as an unprecedented incompetent mage and received thorough neglect and cold treatment.
At best, Scout Captain Begman or Kudo, who was known for being good-natured, occasionally talked to him, but Lieutenant Melvin was thoroughly alone.
‘What’s this? How pathetic.’
Carlisle frowned because Lieutenant Melvin sitting alone in a daze somehow seemed pitiful.
That was an extremely rare occurrence.
Carlisle had absolutely no interest in others.
‘Why am I concerned about this?’
Carlisle frowned because he couldn’t understand his own feelings.
It wasn’t particularly that he felt sympathy, but for some reason Lieutenant Melvin was subtly getting on his nerves.
“What are you doing.”
“S-sorry!”
When Carlisle approached and asked, Lieutenant Melvin startled and answered.
Having lived with the words “sorry” or “I apologize” constantly on his lips, it seemed to come out as an automatic reflex.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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