How to Become the Husband Everyone Respects (Part 1)
Valua Castle. Lord Aaron, Sylvia, and Leonard sat around a long table enjoying their morning meal. Lord Aaron, who hadn't seen his son's face since last night's events, had called this meeting to inquire about the mission with Cloud from the previous evening.
"It was amazing when you saved me. Especially the weapon Cloud has—it's truly incredible."
Leonard spoke with an innocent face, proudly recounting Cloud's heroic deeds.
Aaron listened in silence to the entire story, then finally got to the point.
"Oh? Is that so? Then how about I buy you a wonderful weapon?"
"A weapon?"
Leonard showed a moment of hesitation before breaking into a bright smile.
"Wonderful. Please get me a rare weapon made from unfair materials. Ideally light enough that I can carry it every day."
"Understood. I'll have Vuirrmir look into it by the end of this week."
Lord Aaron smiled inwardly. If his son obtained a weapon, he would naturally want to learn how to use it—and that would lead to him wanting to master martial arts. 'I should give Cloud a reward for this. And from now on, I need to pair him with Leonard again.'
Meanwhile, Sylvia quietly ate her meal, her worries piling up one by one. She couldn't swallow a bite. 'This is a big problem. Cloud is gradually catching Father's attention. If this continues, I'll lose control over him—I won't be able to intervene anymore.'
She had to stop Cloud. So she had made up her mind to meet him.
***
Early in the morning, Cloud and Lucy left the inn and, instead of heading straight to the military district, went to the commercial district to visit several blacksmiths. Among the spoils they had acquired yesterday, they now had a staggering 30 million zents in cash, enough to outfit the entire company with forged steel armor and weapons.
"Looking at your pretty face, I'll give you a 500,000 zent discount? How does that sound?"
Cloud had done nothing but carry the backpacks while Lucy negotiated with the merchants. She had a natural talent for haggling and scoring extra bonuses. Since she was so cute, the merchants couldn't bring themselves to price her out and actually gave her more than she asked for.
After roaming around for a while, they finally secured a deal with one blacksmith: sixty sets of steel armor to be delivered in three weeks.
"You don't want to buy anything else?"
Surprisingly, money had been left over, so Cloud asked as they walked through the commercial district.
Lucy had done most of the work, so Cloud wanted to give her something in return. Moreover, since Lucy had brought better gear from before enlisting, she hadn't ordered her own steel armor yet.
"I don't need equipment."
"How about a dress instead?"
"Where would I even wear it?"
"What do you mean? A noble lady would be invited to a party."
"I'm serious."
Lucy let out a light laugh. There was a new intimacy between the two since they had spent the night together. "Then how about a ring instead?"
"A ring? Why?"
"Just to wear it."
Lucy held up her ten fingers.
Cloud looked a bit awkward. "That should be for your boyfriend. You don't have anything else?"
"I'm not talking about some couple's anniversary ring or anything. I want us to make matching group rings to strengthen the bond between the squad and its officers."
"Oh, group rings."
Cloud thought it was a pretty good idea. "But I don't have enough money right now to make one for each of the sixty of us. So how about we two start now and the rest of the squad can earn theirs later? What do you think?"
"Sure, why not."
Cloud nodded lightly.
Then he realized his fingers looked a bit plain. Even the 500-man company commander Torres had worn thick gold rings on every finger.
Thinking that a company commander should look like he had something, Cloud coolly accepted Lucy's proposal.
The two soon headed to the jewelry store and each got a gold ring engraved with "10th Company Commander Cloud" and "10th Company Deputy Commander Lucy," along with the current date.
The price was steep—1 million zents per ring.
When Lucy slipped the ring onto her finger after leaving the shop, she looked incredibly happy.
"I'm going to wear this every day. Even when I bathe, even when I sleep—I'll never take it off."
"Yeah, yeah. It's expensive, so make sure you take good care of it so you don't lose it."
"It's not that at all~"
She bounced ahead, then turned around to wave her ringed finger at Cloud, who was following behind.
The ring sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.
"This is the ring that symbolizes the day my purity was taken~"
"What?"
Cloud looked startled.
"Hey! You can't think of it like that!"
"It's my feelings~"
"Stop right there!"
"I won't!"
Cloud tried to chase after her, but she darted away with surprising speed. He shouted as he pursued, but there was no catching her. By noon, Cloud finally arrived at work and immediately went to Torres's office.
Torres, seeing him late, gave a bright smile instead of questioning the reason.
"You've done an excellent job clearing out the bandits. Lord Aaron is very pleased. He says he's been watching you closely. And he's assigned you another mission while praising your hard work."
Cloud accepted the order with satisfaction. This time it was goblin extermination: "The goblin sightings have increased recently in the village of Seda within the territory. Lead your men to their nest and exterminate them all."
"Leave it to me."
Cloud took the order and headed to the company building.
"No rest, straight to work, huh? Whatever."
Muttering a complaint, he opened the 100-man captain's office door.
Unexpected guests were waiting inside.
"Sylvia?"
"Cloud!"
She pushed back her hood and warmly hugged Cloud. Behind her stood Felipa, the black-robed maid, watching over them.
"You two can talk freely. I'll wait outside."
After exchanging a strange look with Cloud, Felipa left.
During this time, Felipa had been monitoring Cloud on Sylvia's orders and had even noticed Elena's pregnancy at the Tyronde Inn. But she hadn't reported it to Sylvia. By secretly serving Cloud as her master, she had gained his submission in exchange for her secret relationship. But Cloud had been refusing to continue their affair for some time now—ever since he learned about Elena's pregnancy after leaving the training grounds.
In the silent exchange of gazes just moments ago, there was a hint of jealousy toward Cloud in Felipa's eyes.
"Hmm? What kind of ring is this?"
Sylvia immediately noticed Cloud's ring.
Women's instincts were terrifying. "Oh, this? We made matching rings to cheer everyone on. They're group rings for the squad."
Cloud scratched his head awkwardly. "Ah, yeah. I have one too. It's the friendship ring knights make with their comrades."
"Can you show me later? I want to see what a knight's ring looks like."
"If you come to my room again, I'll show you."
"Your room? When are you going?"
"You can come through the window at night."
"You pervert."
Cloud laughed and lightly pinched her cheek.
Then they exchanged glances. Sylvia looked up at him with sparkling eyes, nestled in his arms. Cloud smiled down at her with satisfaction.
"Huff."
The two couldn't contain their surging desire. They shared a deep kiss, then made love right there, clothes still on. After they finished and tidied themselves up, they sat together on one chair. Sylvia sat on Cloud's lap, and he pulled her waist close, wearing a blissful expression.
"How did you get here so suddenly? Without Felipa?"
"I came because I needed to say something important to you."
"What is it?"
Sylvia looked serious.
"Lately, Father has been keeping a close eye on you."
"That's good news."
"No, it's not good. If this keeps happening, the 10th Company might end up participating in a witch hunt."
Sylvia's voice was filled with deep worry.
But Cloud gently stroked her chest and smiled. "A witch hunt? What's the big deal? Why run away? What are you afraid of?"
Sylvia was startled. Cloud's demeanor felt different from before.
"Aren't you afraid of war?"
"Sylvia, you're underestimating me too much. I'm not the same Cloud as before."
Cloud shrugged.
"I want to be a strong man who can protect you instead of being protected. And I want to be a brave husband who matches your elegance."
"Is this because you're a commoner and I'm a noble, and you feel inferior?"
"Honestly, I want to be a man who is respected by you."
"..."
There was a brief silence.
Sylvia carefully studied Cloud's face before speaking.
"I still respect you. You're smart and handsome."
She stroked his cheek.
"Look. Such a wonderful, admirable person—who wouldn't respect you?"
Cloud burst out laughing.
"Don't butter me up. Just a little while ago, I was a shameless womanizer who raped anything that moved."
"If I don't participate in the witch hunt to save my own life, you'll forever see me as a coward—a spineless weakling."
"That's not true!"
Sylvia stood up abruptly and faced him.
"I've never thought of you as spineless! I only sent you to the witch hunt because I didn't want my loved one to be there! It's jealousy! Because I'm a noble and you're a commoner!"
Cloud stared at her silently, then spoke.
"Even if it's jealousy, I don't mind. My heart is filled with the desire to become a man worthy of you. Someone magnificent that you can brag about to others. For that, I need a splendid career, right? Like cutting off a witch's head in a witch hunt. It's not just a choice—it's a necessity for me, a commoner. Only then can I reach greater heights. Don't you understand what I'm saying?"
Sylvia narrowed her brows. "I understand how you feel, Cloud. But witches are dangerous."
"They're not dangerous at all."
Cloud answered immediately.
"I thought it would be worth trying after seeing you. With the Yorganism Cannon our army has and the Gesaengquiya I possess, along with Hez's necklace—it's more than enough."
Sylvia let out a long sigh. "Why have you changed so much?"
"The position makes a person. Becoming a soldier makes me want a bigger dream. As a 100-man captain, I have ambition to keep rising."
"I don't think ambition is always bad. A man should have big dreams."
"Then you'll support me?"
Without answering, Sylvia sat back on Cloud's lap and took his hand, placing it over her chest.
She spoke softly.
"If my husband wants to do that, a wife should quietly support him."