For the next several minutes, everyone took some time to rest and recover from the brutal battle they had been through. They were all exhausted beyond words. After all, this trip was exceptionally exhausting in terms of physical and mental aspects.
They went through one problem after the other in succession and didn’t even have a moment to rest. Even if this was a game and even if their real bodies were safe and sound, it still took a toll on them. Nobody wanted to talk for a while as they gathered their thoughts.
Arthur closed his eyes as he listened to the sound of the aircraft moving through the air. Surprisingly, it was not as loud or annoying as he had expected.
‘The engineering that went into this thing is so impressive. The propellers are making some comforting white noises.’ He thought to himself as he exhaled a small breath. His mind slowly went back to the battle.
Every single moment he closed his eyes, the image of his hideous arms returned like a vivid memory that never wanted to leave his head. As much as Arthur tried to take it lightly, the impact it left in his head was simply too profound.
The simple sight of it, overlapping with the destruction he left behind wasn’t simple at all. For a moment there, Arthur truly felt like a monster, no better than the creatures he was killing.
‘I know that this is a game and it’s far from reality. But… It is still very odd to see such a different version of myself. It’s like I’m a stranger in my own eyes now.’ He mused while he clenched and unclenched his fists as if he were making sure they were truly back to normal.
“What am I even thinking about…?” He muttered under his breath as he looked to the side. Everyone was relaxing peacefully, enjoying the moments of silence they truly deserved.
Here, they didn’t have to constantly worry about monsters that could attack them or humans that would chase them. They are simply cruising toward their destination without any problem and that was a huge blessing.
Meanwhile, Finlay and Serko were in the cockpit, controlling the aircraft so that it doesn’t fall.
His eyes moved across the room until they fell on one particular individual. Isla sat opposite to Arthur fiddling with her sword as she seemed deep in thought.
The boy thought for a moment before he stood up slowly and walked toward her. Everyone looked up instinctively when he noticed his actions.
Stopping in front of Isla, Arthur stared at her and she stared back, confused. As she was about to open her mouth, he spoke.
“I didn’t thank you for saving me back there. I would’ve not been able to do anything in that situation. I owe you.”
“…” Isla looked a little perplexed but then shook her head. “No, you don’t owe me anything. I simply did what is correct.”
“Still, you saved me and that’s enough for me to consider it a favor. I will return it sometime in the future.” He said as he turned around to go back to his spot. However, Isla stopped him at that moment.
“On second thought, can I ask one thing from you?”
Arthur turned around and looked at her with a smile. “If I can do it, I will do it.”
He didn’t really expect Isla to request something this quick but he was glad she accepted this as a favor.
“If you want to repay me then… Consider joining my team… Permanently.” She said.
The request was like a bombshell that dropped on the entire group as everyone went completely silent… Even though they were already silent.
Even Arthur was taken aback by the request. That was not what he expected to hear at all. Blinking slowly, he asked.
“Consider it?”
“Yes, I’m not asking you to join me permanently right now. But, I want you to at least consider that option for the future.”
“… Uh, are you really sure about that? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate your offer. But, I am frankly not that good at teamwork.”
Arthur knew himself better than anyone else. Although his journey so far with this group was fruitful and went way better than he expected, he still wasn’t really certain if he could join them permanently. Not only because he had his own plans for the future but also because he was… Afraid.
He was afraid that he might end up alone again if he accepted that offer and things went south. These people were the first group he could deem as ‘friends’ if even a little. Everyone else before that was just an acquaintance at best so the experience was new and alien to him.
Arthur couldn’t understand if he was truly good enough to stay friends with them or not. He was quirky, impulsive, and had an honestly incomprehensible sense of humor. On the other hand, this group was composed of exceptional young men and women with far more talent than he would ever even imagine.
Arthur wasn’t someone to look down on himself too much, but he knew that he was completely different from these people. Friends or not, they are all still from two different worlds.
“… I.” As he was about to speak, someone suddenly cut him off.
“I sincerely oppose this idea,” Danny said as he stood up with a cold glare on his face. Everyone shifted their eyes to look at Danny. The latter continued. “While I must admit, he had been very useful for us and had done some good things I still don’t believe that he is worth keeping around.”
“Danny, what a-” Herculia was about to open his mouth and snap at his friend for his ridiculous claims, Isla stopped him.
“Why do you think so, Danny?” She asked calmly.
“He is always out of order. We are good at working together because we have been together for a long time. But he isn’t a part of that. He doesn’t understand how our team works. Every single time we engage in a battle, he is always doing things on his own merit which can cause a lot of problems in the future.”
Danny believed in teamwork more than anything else. In his eyes, the whole was always greater than the sum of its parts. If the four of them put their abilities into coordination with one another, the results will always be exceptional.
Then, Arthur came by and he was like a sore thumb that stood out. He didn’t follow their rhythm or how they fought. Danny saw with his own eyes how Arthur completely ignored how they worked as a team.
He hated that guy, with every cell of his being. He could not stand him even when he knew that he was very strong.
“I see,” Isla muttered as she looked at Danny coldly. Then, she stood up and walked toward Danny until she stood right in front of him. Instinctively, Danny flinched as he stared into her eyes.
That look… It was something he would instantly recognize anywhere as rare as it is. Isla was angry.
Then, she did something completely unexpected.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3
