Chapter: 291
“Am I really your mom’s daughter?”
Seeing Ms. Martina’s shoulders jump at those words, I shook my head vigorously.
With a rough understanding of the story, I could totally relate to Ms. Martina avoiding Maren’s gaze, unable to bear her own feelings.
But silence can’t last forever.
Unable to endure Maren’s unyielding stare, Ms. Martina finally lifted her head and shouted.
“Ahhh…! Yes, that’s right! I heard Natalia asking me to take care of you! So don’t even think about going to those dangerous places! What would I do if you died? How could I face her later!”
Right… How could one let their friend’s daughter, who was entrusted to them, charge into a dangerous situation?
As I nodded along, caught up in the moment, Maren opened her mouth towards Ms. Martina.
“…My mom, you see, trained me every holiday. Even though there was only one day off a week, she never missed it. But honestly, when I was young, I wanted to spend time doing something else with my mom. So once, I asked if we couldn’t do something different instead, and do you know what she said?”
“…What did she say?”
“She said ultimately, the only one who can protect oneself is oneself. She was concerned, so she trained me to be able to protect myself when the time came. Perhaps she knew even then that one day she might leave me behind. Just how much worry must she have felt to do that?”
As Maren smiled while saying this, her expression turned serious.
“But you know, the one who worried about me the most, my mom, directly trained me to become a hero. She knew I’d have to face dangerous situations as a hero yet still insisted on training me herself. Thinking about it now, I realize that while she hoped I wouldn’t get hurt, she didn’t want me to live my life locked in a safe cage either.”
“……”
“I don’t plan to live locked in a cage, just like what your mom wanted.”
Ms. Martina squeezed her eyes shut.
As I empathized with Ms. Martina while listening to Maren’s story, I thought, how on earth do we handle this situation…?
Maybe thinking the same thing, Ms. Martina’s voice came out, trembling from her internal conflict.
“B-but…”
“You said I need to succeed in order to protect everyone. And I’m definitely included in that. I want to join the Hunting Party to protect myself. Could you grant me permission?”
“Y-you…!”
In a situation where she couldn’t decide on anything, I heard Ms. Martina mumbling curses, about to cry.
I couldn’t help but shiver at Maren’s persuasive style that made it impossible for someone to refuse.
Maren, you scary child…!
If Maren were an insurance salesperson, I probably would have unknowingly signed the papers.
Even so, Ms. Martina seemed unable to outright say yes to Maren’s plans and looked at us as if searching for an escape route.
Then, after glancing over to where we were mounted on our vehicles, Ms. Martina exclaimed urgently, “That’s it!”
“I’d love to send you all off, but look…! It’s already full, there’s no room for you! I arranged the Hunting Party to fit the exact number of people that could ride the flying spell. Right, Miss?”
Realizing that this was her only excuse to refuse, Ms. Martina desperately asked Sylvia.
Indeed, there was no room left for extra passengers, rendering it impossible to take them along.
Removing someone from the already drafted team would be quite the task too.
Just then, Sylvia responded cheerfully.
“Well then, it’s not a problem. I think we can fit about three more people.”
“W-what?! But just earlier, you said it wasn’t possible…!”
“I’ve been growing stronger day by day, so I can manage a few more now. I’m glad we can bring more people who can help.”
“T-that…”
Ms. Martina’s face shifted to one of a tragic heroine who had been betrayed by someone she trusted, but quickly ran out of options as she desperately spoke to us.
“B-but others might not all agree…! There could be someone who doesn’t want a sudden increase in numbers…”
She must have hoped someone would refuse.
After all, some might be uneasy with such a sudden change.
But,
“Oh, I don’t mind.”
“On the contrary, it’s welcome. From what I know, they can definitely do more than just a single person’s worth.”
“Ah ha ha, I think they fight better than you did last time.”
“Well, I think we’re okay. If anything happens, we’ll protect them.”
Contrary to Ms. Martina’s intentions, everyone welcomed the children’s inclusion.
If they were ordinary kids, it might be one thing, but they were exceptional talents.
Dwight was said to be a wizard who might become a grand magician on par with the one who created barriers.
Maren was already seen as a daughter born to a captain and deputy commander.
Florene was said to have more potential than the former commander Telos, so no one thought they were merely inexperienced because of their age.
In the past, it might have been a different story, but everyone had grown accustomed to examples like Yoon Si-woo and Sylvia.
“Should Florene really be going…”
Eventually, even Diakonos, who had been determined, was swayed, and the atmosphere turned in favor of everyone.
Noticing how Ms. Martina was looking at me with unwavering intensity, I was puzzled.
“…?”
When I snapped back to reality, I found everyone was staring at me.
Why was Ms. Martina looking at me as if she were staring deeply into my soul?
In a moment of confusion, Sylvia turned to me.
“What do you think, Scarlet? You don’t mind, do you? About the extra numbers?”
Only then did I realize I hadn’t voiced my opinion yet.
Honestly, I thought my opinion wouldn’t be asked since I was riding with Ari.
Anyway, as for my opinion…
While I pondered, our eyes met, and Ms. Martina looked at me with a desperate plea, as if I were her last lifeline. I nodded slightly in her direction.
At that, Ms. Martina’s face suddenly lit up.
Just trust me, Ms. Martina!
To be honest, I was against it!
Reasons for my opposition? There wasn’t any special reason.
I just wanted my friends to avoid dangerous places.
To begin with, I had never wanted to participate in such a large-scale hunt in the first place.
However, it was already a predicament.
Saying no when everyone else was saying yes would be quite difficult.
It felt like being at a party and being the only one refusing to drink—awkward as heck.
People generally don’t like those who hold conflicting opinions.
Unless, of course, it was because someone filmed a drunken secret that would haunt them for a lifetime…
In conclusion, it’s not easy to voice contrary opinions without reasons, so I decided I needed to come up with an excuse.
But the real issue was… what kind of reason should I provide?
Honestly, my gut feeling was against going to dangerous places, but that wouldn’t be enough since I was already persuaded by Dwight and Maren’s words, unable to argue back.
How could I come up with a counter-argument that could beat their logic?
I wracked my brain for some time, but my inadequate mind couldn’t find a suitable reason.
So with that in mind, I decided to concoct any reason.
Even the simplest thing would do; I intended to find something I could latch onto to make my refusal sound valid.
I knew it was petty, but my desire for the kids to be safe outweighed all.
So I fervently searched the children for any faults.
Something to nitpick on…. There!
For instance, Dwight carrying not one, but two backpacks was quite suspicious.
You might think, what’s the problem with that? But doesn’t it feel like you get fined for excess baggage when flying?
All the other squad members were carrying only one backpack, but he had two—he looked like someone treating it like a vacation!
Not worrying about such trivial details showed he wasn’t ready to be a proper squad member. Ha!
That’s how I planned to find fault with him.
It wasn’t like I was bothered by someone traveling on a vehicle with excess baggage.
I was just trying not to be fined and trimming my stuff as hard as I could when a colleague I was traveling with casually rolled in two big suitcases, blithely saying, “Huh? There’s an extra charge for being overweight? Oh, well, I’ll just pay it.”
Not at all enviously, I swear!
So, having found something trivial, I was finally equipped with a reason to refuse, but there was still one more thing.
It seemed that any challenge wouldn’t sway these kids from their resolve.
So for the sake of my friends’ safety, I decided to become the most ruthless voice of reason at that moment.
I must think—me!
Like a certain scary British chef famous for his harsh criticisms, I needed to come up with something that would break Dwight’s spirits!
And just as that thought popped into my head, a small British voice within me yelled.
“Hey, Dwight! What’s with the double backpack? What do you think we’re doing here—going on a holiday? Your mindset is all wrong! We aren’t taking vacationers in this Hunting Party! You, and all your friends with you, are disqualified! All of you sandwich-loving fools!”
What a terrifying line that could easily bring someone to tears!
I was shocked to realize I had such a talent for cruel insults.
It hurt to think I’d have to say something so harsh to a friend, but it was all for the sake of my friends, so I steeled myself, preparing to channel my inner Brit.
Right when I was about to spit it out, Dwight approached the dazed Florene.
“Hey, Florene, take this.”
He handed her one of his two backpacks.
…He just handed it over. Why?
Florene looked equally bewildered, mirroring my goofy expression as she asked, “Uh… what is this?”
“Your belongings. I figured you’d just throw yourself into the Hunting Party empty-handed, so I packed what you might need. How is it that my assumptions were spot on… Were you going to go in empty-handed?”
“Um…”
Dwight muttered like he found her pathetic, but Florene looked genuinely touched.
Oh, I see. Dwight wasn’t just a bourgeois carrying two backpacks; he was a decent guy bringing his forgetful friend’s things!
It was a heartwarming story.
But that meant my perfect plan for finding fault had…?
My head felt completely blank.
At that moment, Sylvia’s voice came pressing from the side.
“Um, Scarlet? You seem quiet, so I’m guessing you’re on board with this? You’re not against it, are you?”
“Ah… yeah… I think it’s fine…”
Before I knew it, I was nodding along, agreeing with everyone.
In that moment, I could hear Ms. Martina’s silent cry of “I believed in you… I believed in you…!!”
I’m sorry, Ms. Martina… I didn’t live up to your expectations.
At any rate, with my agreement, the entire Hunting Party ended up supporting the children’s inclusion, leaving Ms. Martina feeling defeated as she sighed and finally spoke toward Maren.
“Whew, I’ll let you go, but… you absolutely have to come back safe, okay?”
“Yes. I promise. We’ll all come back safe.”
Having answered affirmatively, Maren hugged Ms. Martina tightly before she, along with the others, got onto the starlit creation Sylvia had made.
And as soon as they boarded, Sylvia said something to them.
“Phew, I’m glad it worked out, huh?”
“Yeah, thanks to you, it turned out well.”
Dwight nodded gratefully, keeping his head bowed at Sylvia’s meaningful words.
What was that? What was it hinting at?
As I watched their conversation with a blank stare, Sylvia caught on and smiled slightly.
“Oh, I never told you, Scarlet? Actually, I asked Dwight for a favor yesterday. I wanted to know if he could help if something like this came up tomorrow. I had asked him to help when he assisted you with your escape, so I thought it’d be fitting to repay him.”
From the beginning, there had been a mole inside our ranks!
Hearing Sylvia’s words, I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh of despair.
Ms. Martina, this struggle… it was a battle we could never win from the start.
I took a moment to soothe my pain of defeat, then turned to the children, who were celebrating their victory, and asked something I was curious about.
“By the by, it didn’t seem like Florene and the others had conferred beforehand, so what’s the deal?”
When I asked, Maren smiled widely as if I had asked the right question.
“Oh, that? You see, Florene had been feeling really down lately, but when she heard about the Hunting Party, she said she wanted to go too. And then Dwight—”
“…That’s enough.”
It was then that Dwight cut off Maren mid-sentence.
But seeing Dwight’s reaction, Maren only laughed louder and continued.
“So Dwight was super adamant that Florene wouldn’t be able to join the Hunting Party alone and that we needed to help her! I never imagined he’d be so enthusiastic for Florene’s sake, considering how he’d usually just complain!”
“Dwight…”
Florene looked at him with sparkling eyes, as if she were touched by Maren’s words.
Dwight accepted Florene’s gaze, appearing indifferent, but eventually turned slightly away, mumbling.
“…I just couldn’t concentrate on my magic with this kid moping around, that’s all.”
“Wah… Dwight, I love you!!!”
“…Shut up. You’re bothering me, so don’t cling to me.”
Dwight brushed Florene off as if it didn’t matter, but I caught the hint of color rising to his ears.
Seeing Dwight flustered was a rare sight.
While everyone else was smiling brightly at them, only Diakonos wore a complex expression.
And so, amidst all the commotion, a single bird and a starry cluster gradually ascended from the land.
It was summer—a departure.
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