Samuel thought to himself that Winslow truly had a way of influencing an insect’s heart.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
“Marshal!” Bain, who was following behind Winslow, was the first to salute, breaking the quiet of the room.
“Mm.” No emotion could be read in Samuel’s deep, dark red eyes. He looked expressionlessly from Winslow in the front to Bain in the back, seemingly waiting for an explanation as to where they were taking the male.
In reality, the Marshal’s hearing was exceptional. He had long since overheard his Major planning to take this male out on a date. Indeed, in Samuel’s eyes, going out for a private meal was a date.
Samuel was somewhat irritated. He wondered how the soldiers of the army could be so devoid of willpower. Every single one of them was easily captivated by this suspicious male, and this one was even rushing to throw himself at him.
Did they not consider this male’s origins at all? Did they not find it suspicious for a powerful male to appear alone on a frontier planet? What if they encountered danger because of him? Samuel had completely forgotten that his Major was a powerful A-rank soldier; his mind was entirely consumed by the fact that they were going on a solo date.
Samuel would not allow this to happen. He would stop it. A suppressed, nameless fire surged in his heart, yet his face remained stoic. He kept his gaze fixed on Bain, demanding an explanation.
Poor Bain had no idea that his plan for a dinner confession had already been aborted. He cheerfully began to explain the situation to Samuel.
“It’s like this, Marshal. Lord Winslow happens to have no more insects left for mental grooming, so I planned to invite Lord Winslow to dinner at the Garden Restaurant!”
Bain’s voice was happy and excited, as if this confession was already a certainty. The Marshal knew he liked Lord Winslow, so the Marshal would surely give them his blessing.
“No,” Samuel’s suppressed, husky voice rang out.
Blessing? Bain’s drifting thoughts were cut short by that “No.” What did he mean, no? How could it be no? Why was it no?
Bain’s eyes widened in disbelief. His blue gaze stared straight at the Marshal, as if trying to confirm that those weren’t the words he had just heard. He was disappointed, because Samuel said it again.
“No,” Samuel said, forcing his voice back to its usual tone. “The frontier planet has been chaotic lately. For the two of you to go out alone is not allowed. It is too dangerous.”
Bain was relentless, his blue eyes full of stubbornness. “But I am an A-rank soldier!”
“Even A-rank will not suffice. Have you forgotten how your mental sea collapsed and you lost your sanity?” Samuel glanced expressionlessly at his Major.
Bain’s rising morale deflated instantly. How could he forget? He had been ambushed by several high-ranking Tenghia soldiers on his way to find a meal, eventually losing his sanity after being overwhelmed. It was said that Marshal Samuel had arrived just in time to save his life.
“What should I do now?” he wondered. He had already promised Lord Winslow. Bain cast a guilty glance at the exquisite male standing beside him, who had remained detached from the situation, feeling a wave of regret.
Winslow evaluated the situation calmly, realizing it was unlikely they would be going out today. Seeing Bain’s dejected expression, Samuel knew he had successfully sabotaged their date. It was perfect.
Samuel was satisfied. He prepared to make a graceful exit to go on a patrol of the frontier planet. Just as he was about to leave, however, Samuel saw an incredibly familiar figure. It was that little white snake.
Samuel’s body stiffened slightly. The lethal sensation from that night surged back like a tide. He felt his body begin to heat up, and his pheromones struggled to break free.
The little white snake had originally been hanging upside down from Winslow’s back in a high-difficulty pose, waiting for Winslow to take it for a feast. When it heard these heart-wrenching words, it became so angry that it looked as though its fur would stand on end, if it had any. Instead, it straightened its body, took an aggressive stance, and stared straight at the culprit in front of it.
The culprit, Samuel, had completely forgotten about leaving. He looked at the little snake on Winslow’s shoulder and then at Winslow. Both master and pet were staring straight at him. Though their eye colors differed, Samuel felt a strange sense of similarity between them.
Winslow, who had been waiting nonchalantly, had not paid much attention to the back-and-forth between the two soldiers. He was thinking about the fact that the frontier military district currently did not have many insects in need of mental grooming. He needed a large amount of “black energy” to convert into mental power to continue perfecting his mental domain.
As his mental domain was continuously filled and constructed by mental power, Winslow felt as if something in his heart had come to life, and his connection with his spiritual body grew increasingly tight. For instance, right now, Winslow could clearly sense his spiritual body’s emotions. It was anger.
It was a novel feeling. Although it was anger born from missing out on delicious food, this bit of emotion still caused a stir within Winslow. He wondered if this was what anger felt like. The moment he sensed the emotion, he noticed something strange about the Marshal across from him.
The improvement of his mental power did not just enhance his grooming abilities; his five senses had also sharpened to a miraculous level. On a large scale, he could sense every blade of grass and tree on the entire frontier planet. On a small scale, he discovered that the Marshal seemed to be able to see his spiritual body.
Do Guides and Insects not have the legendary match rate? Only Guides and Sentinels with high compatibility can see each other’s spiritual bodies and play together happily. If it was not compatibility, what could the reason be? Was it because this Marshal was SSS-rank?
Because he was preoccupied with this thought, Winslow appeared to be staring intently at Samuel. Samuel thought so as well. Those emerald eyes were fixed on him almost without blinking. The usually powerful and composed Marshal suddenly felt a sense of panic.
Samuel, who never blinked or skipped a beat even on the cruelest battlefields, felt his heart skip a beat under the gaze of those eyes. He unconsciously rubbed his fingers. Yet, he thought to himself that Winslow really was a male who could influence one’s mind.
Winslow, the “mind-influencer,” silently used a manifested mental tentacle to soothe his spiritual body and prepared to say his goodbyes. It seemed this meal was not happening. Having already put on his coat and walked to the door, he decided to find Chris to ask where there were more soldiers in need of mental grooming.
Winslow had his next steps planned out, but before he could speak, Samuel spoke again. “Although one A-rank soldier is a bit insufficient to protect your Lordship, if Lord Winslow really wishes to go out to eat, I suppose I can accompany you.”
Bain was stunned. Winslow, however, did not care who accompanied him. Since he could see the environment outside the military district, and the little white snake was about to lunge at Samuel, he nodded naturally and agreed.
The man and the insect reached an agreement and turned to head out. Meanwhile, Bain grew anxious. He wondered why Lord Winslow was suddenly going to eat with the Marshal instead of him.
Originally, Bain thought that if taking Lord Winslow out was unsafe, he would invite him to eat in a private room in the cafeteria. One room and two insects might not have the same atmosphere as the Garden Restaurant, but it would still be a space for the two of them. Now, he was hearing that Lord Winslow was going out to dinner with the Marshal.
It would not do, even if the one intercepting the male was the Marshal. Although he did not think the famously cold-hearted Marshal would have any designs on Lord Winslow, they were having dinner alone. He worried that feelings might actually develop.
After all, Lord Winslow was a truly rare and charming male. While he had always respected the Marshal, he knew he had to look out for his own interests. Moreover, he had already heard that many soldiers in the military district were starting to harbor feelings for Lord Winslow. He had to take advantage of today’s time and strike first.
With this in mind, Bain’s burning blue eyes looked at the back of Marshal Samuel’s silver-grey uniform. His lips parted, ready to speak.
Samuel seemed to remember something. His long legs, clad in the uniform, came to a halt. Without turning around, he spoke casually. “By the way, Major Bain, Colonel Chris is looking for you. He is in the command room.”
Bain’s parted lips were forced shut. Colonel Chris was looking for him? His blue eyes were filled with confusion. He had just seen Colonel Chris on his way to the mental grooming room. They had greeted each other normally, and Colonel Chris had not mentioned needing him then. How did something suddenly come up, and why did the Marshal have to deliver the message instead of using a terminal?
Bain, whose brain capacity was not particularly large, racked his mind but never once considered that the Marshal might be lying to him. He mumbled a response and watched helplessly as Lord Winslow walked away with Marshal Samuel.