Direct Rejection

"Misunderstanding? There's no misunderstanding! I saw it with my own eyes," Alexander snorted coldly, his expression toward Jake no longer as friendly as before. "As the commander of Skylark Camp, are you suggesting that your judgment of the situation is better than that of the two of us?"

Originally, when Alexander saw Jake's skill, he had the idea to recruit him as a personal soldier, a protector under his command. After all, the stronger the personal soldier, the safer he himself would be.

But now, it seemed that this Jake was somewhat unaware of his place. Not only did he grow close to Eli, but he also spoke up in Eli's defense. This made Alexander quite unhappy.

"But..." Jake didn't agree with what Alexander said and wanted to defend Eli.

"Jake, don't say anything," Eli interrupted. Then he turned to Alexander and said, "General Alexander, although you're my superior, my position as squad leader was not appointed by you. You're not qualified to strip me of my title as squad leader. If you really want to remove me from this position, I suggest you report it to higher authorities. Only with their decision will I have no objections."

Eli's meaning was clear: Do you want to remove me as squad leader?

You don't have the authority! Although Alexander was the commander of Skylark Camp, the appointments of the various squad leaders were made by higher authorities, not by Alexander himself. So, if he wanted to remove Eli from the position of squad leader, he could only seek approval from above. He might have the power to suggest, but he didn't have the final say.

"You!" Alexander was getting frustrated, pointing at Eli. "Don't get too pleased with yourself! I'll write a letter of inquiry. I promise you won't be the squad leader for much longer!"

Although Alexander couldn't directly dismiss Eli, as the commander of Skylark Camp, he still held sway. The higher-ups would likely consider his opinion on appointments, so as long as he persisted in his decision, he believed they would agree.

"Feel free," Eli said calmly, showing no signs of panic on his face.

"Fine, very well." Irritated by Eli's nonchalance, Alexander's expression turned fierce. Then he turned to Jake and said, "As for what I said earlier, you can take some time to think it over. Not everyone is qualified to be my personal soldier. It's an honor for you. Also, stay away from Eli in the future to avoid being implicated."

With that, Alexander was about to turn and leave. The other squad leaders also looked at Eli with a hint of schadenfreude, preparing to leave as well.

"Wait!" At that moment, Jake suddenly spoke up, stopping Alexander and the others.

"What? Have you made up your mind?" Alexander turned around to look at Jake. "That's right. Being my personal soldier is your chance. I won't treat you poorly. Don't be like Eli here, not knowing your worth!"

"General Alexander, I have indeed made up my mind," Jake said, looking at Alexander. "I've decided to decline your invitation. I don't want to be your personal soldier. I only want to be an ordinary soldier, a soldier of the Third Squad under Captain Eli."

"Keep your honor and opportunity to yourself." Be your personal soldier? Be your private bodyguard? Only if I've gone mad would I agree! Jake didn't feel the slightest temptation by Alexander's offer, especially after witnessing his behavior. He felt no positive feelings toward Alexander whatsoever.

"Fine, fine, you two are quite something!" Irritated by Jake, Alexander, who had been confident that Jake wouldn't miss this opportunity, was surprised by how straightforward and direct Jake's rejection was. Just like Eli, he was giving him no face!

"You'll regret begging me one day!" Alexander huffed angrily and then left.

"To be honest, you didn't have to say that, it's not to your benefit," Eli said to Jake. He didn't want Jake to speak earlier, as he didn't want Jake to make an enemy out of Alexander. However, he hadn't anticipated Jake's straightforward response.

"Does Captain Eli want me to be his personal soldier?" Jake asked.

"Of course not," Eli denied.

"Then isn't it settled?" Jake grinned. "As long as I decline his invitation, no matter what, he'll feel that I'm not giving him face and not showing respect. The end result will be the same; he'll bear a grudge against me."

"You're not wrong with what you're saying," Eli chuckled. "This Alexander is really petty. He has no real abilities, yet he always carries an air of self-importance. When he asked you to be his personal soldier, as long as you refuse, he'll think you're arrogant."

"But don't worry, with me around, he won't dare to do anything to you," Eli said. "At worst, I'll get you out of Skylark Camp. I have that much influence."

In reality, Eli had been wanting to get Jake out of this makeshift army and into the regular military. This might be an opportunity. If Alexander acted too outrageously, Eli could use this chance to get Jake out of there.

"I'm not worried," Jake smiled.

Jake valued the resources in this world, the treasures he could obtain here. He didn't care much about positions or titles.

"It's you, Captain..." Jake said, "I don't think Alexander will just give up easily. Will you be okay?"

"Okay? What could happen?" Eli said. "At worst, I won't be the squad leader anymore. I don't care about that title."

The position of a squad leader in a makeshift army was truly unimportant to Eli. However, he couldn't stand Alexander's petty behavior. Jake felt somewhat indignant on Eli's behalf.

Eli had the capability, but unfortunately, he encountered someone like Alexander. If Eli hadn't timely led the members of the Third Squad to confront the wolves, they would have likely been defeated by the Red-Eyed Wolf Pack by now. The losses would have been even more severe. However, Eli's foresight hadn't brought him honor; instead, it made him a target.

Initially, Jake had thought that charging into the wolves and slaying the leader might have earned him merit. He had even wondered if he could be exempted from military service afterward.

Now, it appeared he had overthought it. He was fortunate enough to not be nitpicked like Eli. Nevertheless, his actions hadn't earned him any credit.

"It seems that trying to earn merit to avoid military service isn't that easy after all," Jake reflected.

Still, aside from using this method to get out of military service, Jake had no other options. He had also thought that if Alexander got too angry, he might just expel him. Unfortunately, military conscription was an imperial decree, and even if Alexander held a grudge against Jake, he didn't have the authority to "dismiss" Jake. At most, he could prevent Jake from advancing in rank, assigning him more tiring, difficult, and dangerous tasks. Those were definitely not outcomes Jake wanted to see.