I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 299: 299:An argument.

Several days passed since Dillain and Silver had gone their separate ways, and in that time, the journey from Delta Four toward Delta Two had been far less troublesome than Dillain had originally expected.

There had been attacks, of course. Travelling through the Green and Yellow Zones could never truly be called safe, and even experienced Contractors had to remain alert whenever they moved between sanctuaries, but nothing had happened that could compare to the dangers they had encountered before. For the most part, it had been a smooth journey.

Dillain had even used the opportunity to grow stronger.

He had reached Rank Two in the middle of a life and death battle in the Yellow.

The advancement had been hard-earned, requiring him to absorb several beast cores and spend countless hours training his abilities whenever the convoy stopped.

His ice element had become considerably more refined, and his control over it had improved enough that he no longer needed to think about every movement when using it in battle.

Reaching Rank Two had also changed the way other Contractors looked at him. He wasn’t some inexperienced Rank One Contractor anymore. He was beginning to enter the range where people his age would start paying attention to him.

And yet, Dillain couldn’t bring himself to feel particularly happy about it. His gaze remained fixed on the road ahead as the convoy moved through the Green Zone.

The scenery was peaceful. Trees stretched across the distant plains, sunlight passed through the branches, and the road ahead remained clear. Several vehicles travelled in front of them while others followed behind, creating a steady stream of traffic heading toward Delta Two.

He should have been enjoying it; instead, he was tired,not physically but emotionally. His eyes shifted toward the other side of the vehicle.

The Maya, Selena and Iris who had remained with him were talking quietly among themselves. Their relationship with him had remained relatively stable, and despite the strange circumstances surrounding their journey, they had continued supporting one another. They had trained together, fought together, and shared meals whenever the convoy stopped.

Then there was Cruella. She sat farther away from them. Her arms were crossed, her expression cold, and her attention was fixed on the window.

Nobody was speaking to her.

Dillain looked away.

That had become normal. It hadn’t started that way. In fact, if someone had told him several weeks ago that he and Cruella would eventually travel in the same convoy while barely speaking to each other, he probably would have laughed.

They had once been close. But everything had started falling apart after the incident involving Silver and Ravenna.

Cruella had never accepted what happened although she pretended to at first. She had never accepted that Dillain had chosen not to support her. And she had certainly never accepted that the other three women had sided against her.

The first serious argument had happened only a few days after they separated from Silver.

Dillain still remembered it clearly.

It had been late in the evening, shortly after the convoy had stopped for the night. The camp had been relatively quiet, and most of the Contractors were preparing their meals when Cruella suddenly approached him.

"You really aren’t going to say anything?"

Dillain had looked up from the food he was preparing.

"About what?"

"Don’t pretend you don’t know."

"I genuinely don’t."

Cruella had stared at him.

"Ravenna."

Dillain’s expression had immediately hardened.

"Again?"

"Yes. Again."

She had crossed her arms.

"You allowed her to humiliate me."

"I didn’t allow anything."

"You stood there."

"Because I wasn’t going to let you kill her."

Cruella’s eyes had narrowed.

"She deserved it."

"No."

The answer had come too quickly. Cruella had stared at him for several seconds.

"No?"

"No."

"You’ve changed."

Dillain had sighed.

"Maybe I’ve just grown up more."

That answer had made her even angrier. She had accused him of becoming weak and of being influenced by Silver. She had even claimed that Silver had manipulated him into protecting Ravenna.

Dillain had tried to explain himself at first. He had genuinely tried.

He had told Cruella that whatever feelings existed between them, murdering Ravenna wasn’t something he could support. He had explained that Ravenna hadn’t attacked her without reason and that the entire situation had become complicated because of the circumstances surrounding their groups.

Cruella hadn’t cared.

To her, the matter was simple. Someone had opposed her. Therefore, that person had to be removed.

Dillain remembered staring at her that night and realizing something he hadn’t wanted to admit.

Cruella wasn’t angry because she believed Ravenna was dangerous. She was angry because Ravenna had challenged her.

There was a difference. And it was becoming increasingly obvious.

The memory faded as Dillain returned to the present. He looked toward the road. The convoy continued moving.

Selena who was beside him noticed his expression.

"You’re thinking about her again."

Dillain didn’t respond immediately.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Your face."

He sighed.

"I’m fine."

She smiled faintly.

"You’ve been saying that for a while"

Dillain chuckled.

"Then I must be very convincing."

She shook her head. None of them said Cruella’s name, they didn’t need to. Everyone knew.

Their relationship had deteriorated gradually rather than collapsing in one dramatic moment. Every argument had left another crack. Every accusation had made the distance between them wider.

Cruella had increasingly begun to isolate herself. At first, Dillain thought she simply needed time, then she started blaming the others.

Whenever there was a disagreement, she claimed they were ganging up on her. Whenever someone disagreed with her decision, she accused them of disrespecting her. Whenever Dillain tried to mediate, somehow the argument became his fault.

It reminded him of something Silver had once said. Not directly about Cruella, just about people.

Sometimes, when someone had already decided they were the victim, there was nothing you could say that would convince them otherwise.

Dillain had understood those words only after experiencing it himself and it was awful.

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