"Particularly friendly..."
That was the first time Cashel had ever heard anyone describe Andeen that way.
No.
In fact, it was probably the nicest thing he had ever heard anyone say about his wife.
She was the nicest and most adorable person he knew, and he was not even doing justice to how she was. Despite her situation, she still managed to outrank the healthy normal women he knew.
Not to mention the ones that came onto him.
Then there was her resting bitch face that gave the opposite impression.
Was there anything he had not been told about his wife?
"She’s very rude. You should teach her manners before she gets slapped on the street one day."
"Oh my God! You’re such a darling... why would you be married to someone like that?"
"She’s an awakened hunter in the military, so what? Her condition shouldn’t be an excuse for her to act like that. Better get yourself a better woman."
"Cashel, you dumb idiot! Didn’t you see the look she gave me? She’s very uncultured."
"Eww, you’re married to that inexpressive thing? I heard she’s a robot. Why are you still..."
Cashel squeezed his eyes shut as those images and scenes played in his mind, and then what followed after they spoke about Andeen like that.
He almost laughed at the thought.
They were both menaces, but at least one showed her displeasure openly. The other smiled sweetly before beating you into the ground for crossing a boundary.
He had lost a lot of friends for that reason and nearly got arrested if Andeen had not interfered.
He turned to look at Andeen, who was completely in her own world, ravaging through the things in the bag, her hands feeling around the items while she shut her eyes and stuck her tongue out.
The complete opposite of the mask she wore outside.
’She seems to be comfortable around the general, huh?’ he thought and turned back to Rain. "General, I don’t understand. Please elaborate."
Rain crossed her arms under her breasts and leaned on one leg. "She attacked the entire First Division on her first day in the SAMD."
Cashel glanced at Andeen, who was now looking up, having heard that, then he turned to Rain. "Why? What did they do?"
"The Division Commander was her childhood friend, and apparently she got into an argument with his assistant about a certain marriage ceremony that none of them were invited to."
"That was not why I attacked them," Andeen finally spoke up. "He was stalking me and taking pictures of Cashel."
"Wasn’t enough reason to lock down the field and start showing ice needles and cold flames," Rain stated with a stern look on her face. "Sure, they were invading your privacy, but you shouldn’t have attacked your colleagues."
"They called my husband names and ordered me to return him where I found him. I warned them countless times, even if it was a joke. Cashel is not a thing. He’s my husband, and I have every right to decide who gets near him, how I protect him, and do whatever I want with him."
"..."
’I’m standing right here.’
Andeen shoved Cashel aside and stood closer to Rain in a defensive stance. "You know this very well, General. What I did that day was necessary."
Rain exhaled deeply, a hint of exasperation laced in her tone. She unfolded her arms and placed them on her hips. "I understand you’re not alright with the Deputy being a former Agent..."
"Of course it’s that!" Andeen shot back, her voice rising louder than usual. "That bastard was a former Agent, and not just any agent. That wretched evil organisation claiming to be a special kind of SAMD. They are posers and we hunters are not like that. You can’t tell me Eclipse is better than the Special Awakened Military Division."
Thump.
Cashel froze, his expression instantly twisting and darkening as his brain processed the words.
’Impossible...’ he thought. That name had no business being there, not in this world, not near Andeen, especially after everything that had happened.
His fingers curled into tight fists as specific memories from his past life came rushing in like a wave.
Eclipse, an organisation tied to the black market in his past life.
He had belonged to a one-man organisation with a political sponsor while Eclipse was an entire organisation.
Eclipse, the black sheep of the black market. They were not ordinary criminals. Nope. They were the enemies of the people they were supposed to be allies with.
They hunted other criminals, placed bounties on those who refused and on independent agents just for the fun of it, and they had no problem killing them. Even regulated citizens were not out of it.
The rate of civilian deaths and each investigation leading back to Eclipse was higher than the assassinations from the black market as a whole.
And unfortunately the actions were for pointless reasons.
Cashel had been approached once and he refused. They responded by placing the highest bounty on his head.
Nineteen years.
That was how long he had been hunted by Eclipse and various interested individuals.
Cashel felt his body go cold.
’I must be hearing things. This is a world with systems and games. What the hell are they doing here?’ He slowly turned away from the arguing women and subconsciously started walking away while his mind was occupied.
’And they are with the military in this life too...’
He dreaded that. No, in fact, he dreaded the fact that the word Eclipse as an organisation existed in this life, and that there was a former member who knew Andeen.
Cashel’s hands instinctively reached up to his jaw to stroke it. That was when another thought suddenly settled.
’There’s a possibility he’s here too,’ he snapped his head up.
’Or maybe an alternate version.’
’If there’s already a Cashel here then...’
Two versions of the same people.
It was an absurd thing to think about, not when his case was completely coincidental.
This former Cashel Altar of this world was a banished man from a country very far away, and he got himself tangled with the black market at a young age.
Slaved, overworked, and did all he could to survive until he met Andeen and that moment he died and woke up in that body.
So the fact that Eclipse existed and this Cashel was not in the military meant there had to be someone with his dead friend’s name, or maybe the exact person.
A small smile slowly appeared on his face. It was the first time a genuine smile came at the thought of his friend and while remembering how he died.
For years, Cashel had accepted that his best friend was gone. There had been nothing left to hope for.
But now... What if this world had him too?
What if somewhere out there, that idiot was alive?
Maybe he was not the same person, maybe not, but there was no harm in finding out.
Regaining his composure, Cashel turned around swiftly and turned back to the women. They had finished arguing and Rain was now scolding Andeen.
"General Rain."
Rain turned toward him, frowning.
Cashel’s expression had already returned to normal. He smiled warmly. "Where do I apply for tomorrow’s missions?" He paused.
"And where can I submit a request to the ARM?"