Silas, with newfound information, walked toward the cabin of Dante. His authoritative aura attracted the stare of the passing soldiers who saluted and greeted him.
Giving a polite nod to each of them, his heavy footsteps echoed in the hallways. Reaching outside Dante’s office, he knocked on the door and patiently waited for permission.
"Co in." A deep bass voice with commanding tone pierced through the door and echoed in Silas’s ears.
He pushed open the plywood door, entering the office. His eyes unconsciously looked at the insignia and awards displayed on the shelf, telling about the wise man seated on the chair, focused on the docunts on his black table with a glass tabletop.
The sunlight seeping from the glass window made the general’s office a bit warm and welcoming.
However, Silas never fell for the illusion. Welcoming? His foot!
"Sir!" He saluted with ease and even had schooled his emotion into a neutral one.
"Is there anything you would like to report, Captain Silas?" Dante’s indifferent voice echoed, followed by Silas’s confident response.
"Sir, I have recently found so details on the case and ca to report it." He told, his eyes shimring with confidence, causing the older man to finally cast a glance in the direction of the younger one.
"What is it?"
Silas relayed the information Ivy had told him and waited for Dante’s reaction. Sure enough, Dante was surprised by the findings. He never thought that the upcoming problem they were worrying about would be solved in a day.
Though they can’t say they have successfully co up with a solution, at least they got a hang of the situation.
"I will ask the research departnt to look into it." Dante’s eyes flashed with appreciation, which he masked before Silas could beco complacent.
In the end, he reluctantly dropped two extra words as praise. "Good work."
Silas often wondered how his father, with his laconic personality, was able to woo his philomath mother.
’This type of old man should have stayed single their entire life.’ Silas mused in his mind, his poker face betraying no emotions.
His thoughts eventually wandered to Ivy, and he couldn’t help but feel glee at the thought of how shocked Dante would be when he got to know that Ivy was the one who had relayed the information.
’He would be so downcast that the entire military might be shrouded in dark cloud for a month or so.’
He watched as Dante placed his pen on the table and asked, "Who is the source of this information?"
Silas, with deadpan deanor, replied, "My sweetheart."
Yup, he had deliberately said ’sweetheart’ to spite the old man. Sure enough, the temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees, followed by Dante’s thunderous voice.
"Mind your language, Captain Silas."
"Sorry, Sir," Silas replied, but his upwardly curled lips spoke volus about his good mood.
"You...! How can you be childish, Silas?" Dante finally couldn’t hold it anymore and bellowed.
"I don’t understand what you an, sir! If you are done with , please command to leave. My wife is waiting at my ho, sir!" Silas continued with his soliloquy.
Dante: (°ロ°)
"Ivy is living with you?" He growled. His dark expression was enough to convey his bad mood.
"Yes." Silas felt comfortable seeing his father’s gloomy expression. "I will also cuddle with her..."
"Kick her out." Dante gritted his teeth and ordered.
"No." Silas declined without hesitation. He knew Dante already knew about Ivy living with him, and now he was only putting up the show, just to show his authority.
"Silas... I don’t understand what you even see in that girl. She is just weak, pathetic, and spineless..."
"Father." Silas interrupted Dante, but Dante was hell bent on presenting his perspective.
"Silas, that girl will never love you. She has a weak mindset, and her response to every problem is to hide. She craves love from the wrong people and expects to succeed in her life. Girls are her are destined to have a bad life."
"May I leave, General?" Silas asked as if Dante’s words didn’t even affect him. His sullen expression beca even more apparent.
"No." Dante wasn’t finished with his speech, so how can he let Silas leave?
"What good point does she even have? In the face of danger, she will always expect you to rescue her. If it were before, I would have continued to turn a blind eye. But now?
In an apocalypse, what kills is not zombies. It’s weak people and weakness. You may hate to hear it, but your weakness is Ivy, who is a weak person."
"She is not like that. She is resilient, resourceful, and intelligent." Silas quipped, "The seemingly weak person rescued Uncle’s life, protected when I was unconscious, and has shooting skills far better than any of the soldiers you have trained."
"Stephen?" Dante selectively ignored the praise of Ivy, like Silas selectively ignores the criticism about Ivy.
Silas coldly told Dante about how Ivy had rescued Stephen, and saw a thoughtful expression on Dante’s face.
"Not only that, she has enhanced intelligence as her superpower, which I think she utilizes to the fullest."
Even though Silas knew that Ivy’s true superpower was space, he wouldn’t tell it to Dante. Neither any other person.
When it cos to Ivy, he couldn’t trust anyone, even himself.
"So stop calling her weak and pathetic," Silas uttered, his eyes flashing with disdain for the older man sitting ranks higher than himself.
Dante sighed, closing his eyes, and said,
"A leopard never changes its spots. She will be one of the first few people who will die if left unattended. Hear out and find soone else.
Soone who suits you and can watch your back during this dangerous ti. Soone like Scarelett. That girl is raised well. And doesn’t flinch at the slightest voice."
There was silence for a long while, and Dante thought Silas had started to consider his suggestion.
His features softened, and he opened his eyes saying in a rare gentle voice,
"I am saying for your own good... Silas? SILAS! CO BACK!"
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