Settling Personal Grudges in Public

"Move faster, everyone! You didn't have a hearty breakfast this morning!" In the group, Alexander was riding on a horse, arrogantly berating the members of the supply convoy, urging them to pick up their pace.

The encounter with the red-eyed wolf pack earlier, coupled with the difficult road, had caused some delays for the supply convoy. This made Alexander, who wasn't initially in a hurry, grow somewhat impatient.

Moreover, Alexander wanted to be the first to arrive at the wilderness plains. That way, he could leave a positive impression on the commanding officer there. Who knew, this might lead to appreciation and perhaps even a promotion. With this in mind, he was even more eager to increase the speed of their progress.

"I really didn't get to eat my fill," Brenton muttered under his breath.

Although they were part of the supply convoy, the food on the wagons was intended for the frontline soldiers. They didn't have the privilege to partake. They could only rely on the rations they carried with them and the meager bread provided by the convoy.

However, a single piece of bread was hardly enough, especially for someone as hefty as Brenton, let alone for an average person to feel satiated.

"Keep your voice down; don't let him hear you." Jake chuckled and nudged Brenton beside him.

Unfortunately, while Jake could bring things from this world back to reality, he couldn't do the reverse. If he could, he might bring over some flour, rice, and the like from reality. Whether for himself or for people like Brenton, it would be quite beneficial. However, it was just wishful thinking; it was entirely impossible.

"I'll speak as loud as I want. I'm not afraid of him," Brenton replied. Because of Jake and Eli's negative impression of Alexander, the members of Jake's team didn't have a favorable view of him either. Moreover, in the past couple of days, Alexander had been recklessly pushing the pace without considering the team's feelings, further worsening their opinion of him.

"What are you muttering about?!" At that moment, Alexander spurred his horse closer and questioned Brenton.

"General Alexander, he's talking to me about his experiences before he enlisted," Jake quickly interjected.

Jake himself didn't care much about enlisting or even death; he wasn't afraid since he wasn't from this world. However, Brenton and the others were different. They were natives of this world, and they only had one life. If Alexander were to find anything incriminating or an accident were to happen, it wouldn't be worth it.

"Hmph! If you have the energy to talk, use it to hurry up. At this rate, when will we even reach the wilderness plains?" Alexander said with a stern expression.

Alexander hadn't heard clearly what Brenton had said earlier. He had come over to pick a fight with Jake and his team, wanting to reprimand them.

"Yes, General Alexander, you're right." Jake nodded with a respectful attitude.

If it were just Jake himself, he wouldn't care about what Alexander said or how he acted. However, he had to think about Brenton, himself, and the several people under his command. He didn't want to offend Alexander needlessly and get himself implicated.

However, Jake's good attitude didn't lead to a better expression from Alexander. He still bore a grudge from Jake's straightforward rejection the previous day. He looked at Jake and said, "You, stop idling here and go to the back to help push the carts."

"Why should our team leader go help other squads push carts?" Brenton protested.

Each team had their designated vehicles, and the other members of Jake's team were currently pushing the cart. Brenton had just been relieved from that duty. As the team leader, Jake was entitled to not do this sort of menial labor.

And now, Alexander was asking Jake to help another squad push carts. Brenton, who had a deep admiration for Jake, naturally took offense.

"I told him to go, so he will go. I am the Commander of Skylark Camp, and I have the final say here!" Faced with a low-ranking soldier daring to argue with him, Alexander became furious. "You, come along too. Both of you go to the back and push the carts."

"General Alexander, isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Jake spoke up. Initially, he didn't want to put his team members in a difficult situation because of him. However, it seemed that Alexander wanted to make trouble for his team because of his own feelings. Even if Jake compromised, it wouldn't yield any positive results.

"Those are the vehicles of other squads. It's only natural that the squads responsible for them should push them. We are only responsible for our supply carts. If we leave and something happens to these carts, who will be accountable?" Jake reasoned.

"If I say you go, you go. Why so much nonsense?" Alexander didn't expect that Jake would also argue back at him, making him feel disrespected.

"If you have any more nonsense to spout, don't blame me for not being polite with my whip!" Alexander said, his whip already cracking toward Jake.

Ever since Jake rejected him yesterday, he had wanted to teach Jake a lesson. Now he finally had the opportunity, and he naturally wouldn't let it slip. However, his whip failed to land on Jake; as it swung through the air, Jake caught it with his hand.

"So audacious! How dare you resist?" Alexander grew even angrier, wanting to pull his whip back and give Jake a severe punishment. However, no matter how hard he tried, the whip remained in Jake's hand, utterly still. Alexander's face turned from anger to embarrassment, his expression unsightly.

"Are you seeking death? Won't you let go?!" Alexander fumed.

Jake looked at Alexander and said, "General Alexander, you're settling personal grudges in public. If I were to report this incident, I imagine it wouldn't end well for you, would it?"

"You, a mere soldier, think you can see higher-ups whenever you want?" Alexander sneered.

"I might not have that ability, but I believe Eli does. He should have a way to report your actions." Jake said calmly.

"You!" Alexander's face reddened with anger.

However, Alexander also felt somewhat hesitant. Eli had been in the Falcon Legion for many years, and he likely had connections. In case he really reported Alexander's actions, it could have detrimental consequences for him as well. Sacrificing his future for a mere soldier wasn't worth it.

"Unless you remain out of my reach forever!" Alexander stepped back and said.

After all, Jake was under his command. In Alexander's view, while he might not be able to take personal revenge, Jake couldn't remain flawless forever. As long as Jake made a mistake, he would seize the opportunity to discipline him severely. At that time, even if the matter was reported, he wouldn't be afraid!

"That day won't come." Jake released his grip on Alexander's whip and said calmly.