Chapter 51 ...Are You In Pain?
Next day.
Fiona had a bad feeling and left her house early in the morning. She was waiting for Aaron Gale in front of the [Seal Temple] teleportation circle.
At this time, Aaron had already moved the main exploration level to 36 floors below. On the other hand, Fiona, who had just managed to break through the 30th floor by forming a temporary party, still couldn't teleport to the 36th floor.
If Aaron were to dive into the labyrinth out of habit, Fiona would not be able to stop him. And in Aaron's current state, nothing good would come of the exploration. Even if he fought monsters that wanted to die, he would be killed soon enough.
Her bad feeling came true.
Aaron arrived at the [Seal Temple] much later than usual.
His expression was the same empty one she had seen yesterday, as if he had lost interest in everything.
"Hey! What's wrong with you!?"
She stifled her fear and tension and deliberately raised her voice in a sharp tone.
"......"
In the sanctuary, his vacant eyes turned to her.
It was hard to tell if he even recognized her.
She desperately held back a shudder and arrogantly declared,
"Hey, lend me your face."
"............What for?"
The words that came after a long silence were uttered in a terribly emotionless voice.
The moment she heard that voice, Fiona's fear and tension faded.
She was more saddened than frightened by the stark difference from usual.
"Spar with me. I'm going to beat the crap out of you today."
"......"
What was the relationship between her and this guy?
They were not lovers, friends, or family. Perhaps calling it a master-disciple relationship, as Aaron had hinted, was not accurate either. She realized that there was no solid connection between them.
No, she had realized it.
Aaron Gale was a carefree joker who never got deeply involved with others. There was a sense that he avoided it, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Fiona did not know what had happened in Aaron's past at this time.
However, she guessed that someone who had been sleeping in that grave was an exceptional existence for Aaron.
"......"
Aaron looked away from Fiona, uninterested, and tried to walk past her.
Fiona couldn't help but bite her lip and grab Aaron's arm as he walked by.
"Don't ignore me!"
"......"
She pretended to be angry and tightened her grip.
Her relationship with him was fragile. And objectively speaking, there wasn't any reason for him to like her. To Aaron, she might just be an annoying and talkative person who always picked on him.
If that were the case, the only emotion she could give Aaron at the moment was anger.
But that was okay.
Emotions are attachments. Even anger is an attachment. If there's something to be attached to in this world, then surely there must be a desire to live.
"......Hey."
"Just shut up and follow me!"
With Aaron's arm still in her grip, Fiona dragged him out of the [Seal Temple].
She intended to go to the guild's underground training ground. For now, she didn't want to let this guy into the dungeon.
Aaron didn't have the energy to resist, so he just followed Fiona, letting her pull him along.
That day, Fiona and Aaron practiced sword fighting until the sun went down, but Aaron didn't fight back at all.
* * *
For the first week, Fiona dragged Aaron to the training grounds every day.
As time went by, Aaron started to show his frustration, looking annoyed and fed up.
It was around that time that she noticed the "aura of death" that had been surrounding Aaron start to fade away.
Later, she found out that Lion, one of Aaron's few friends, had been worried about him and was trying to help.
Fiona couldn't tell if Aaron's emotions started to come back because of her own efforts to reach out to him multiple times, or if it was because of Lion's help.
But one thing is for sure.
If she could perceive a world where different possibilities unfold, Aaron would have died if she hadn't grabbed his arm at that time.
However, Fiona is unaware of this fact.
Aaron also doesn't know that his life was saved.
Still, Fiona doesn't tell Aaron that she was trying to save his life.
――Protecting the important person she wants to protect.
More importantly, Fiona's self-realization here was quietly achieved, and for her, that was enough, and she didn't intend to seek more.
So, Fiona doesn't realize that the emotion she gave to save Aaron was never anger. It wasn't an action expecting anything in return from Aaron.
And from this point on, Fiona's obsession with strength would have faded considerably.
Realizing that strength alone isn't the only power that can protect people was significant.
However, Fiona found herself seeking strength again.
* * *
Time has passed, and it's now.
Five days have passed since Aaron suddenly disappeared from Necronia, and it's the night he returned.
In a corner of Kirke's mansion, Fiona, who visited the room given to Aaron, said to him,
"I want you to make me stronger――."
"Want me to make you stronger... Even if you say that, is there a reason?"
Aaron asked, with a faint sense of confusion at Fiona's serious demeanor.
Fiona's voice in response was heavy.
"Did you hear? The party that was searching for clan members with me, ≪Flames of Dominance≫'s members and another party, had their members killed or gone missing."
Fiona had been searching for clan members with Claire and the others, and during that time, they were attacked in the labyrinth, resulting in casualties.
In fact, she had [Foresight] of the attack beforehand and could have warned Claire and the others.
However, [Foresight] is not perfect nor all-powerful. It cannot predict the difference between a monster and a human attack in advance, and even with the power of [Foresight], if someone stronger than oneself attacks, there is no choice but to be defeated without being able to do anything.
Besides, Fiona and the others were not always together in the labyrinth. It would be more efficient to search separately. However, they were still within a range that was not too far apart on the same floor.
However, they were targeted during that gap.
When Fiona and Claire rushed to the party that was acting separately, the battle was reaching its end. After joining forces, they were able to repel the attackers, but the comrades who were under attack had 3 deaths and 2 were critically injured.
Even with the potions they had, they couldn't stop the bleeding, and the 2 survivors died soon after due to hemorrhagic shock.
"If I were stronger, I could have saved them."
Without mentioning [Foresight], she simply said so.
Fiona was the first to notice that the party acting separately was under attack. [Foresight] cannot predict the danger that is directed at someone other than oneself or the crisis that comes from shallow connections with others (based on the intensity of Fiona's emotions). However, she noticed it faster than anyone else with her sharp intuition.
That's why she thinks that if she had the strength of Aaron, she wouldn't have let the clan members die in vain.
"Well, that may be true...but there's no end to what-ifs, I think."
Aaron said with a look of disbelief.
There would certainly be no end if they started saying things like "If I had done this at that time" or "If I were stronger than now".
Fiona doesn't think there's any meaning in hypothetical situations either.
However, recently, she has been keenly aware of her own powerlessness. She is an Expert Explorer. Undoubtedly, she has superior combat abilities even in Necronia. However, recently, the opponents they have been facing are all powerful individuals who easily surpass even someone like her.
With her current power, she cannot keep up with the battles that lie ahead.
Aaron and she can't fight together.
Fiona had a feeling that was the case.
Besides, she didn't think getting stronger was a waste of time.
"I want to get stronger... Please."
She said, looking straight at Aaron.
Aaron looked like he was wondering about it and asked her,
"Ah, wait, you mean not just training like before, but more intense training... Is that it?"
"Yes," she replied.
Up until now, Aaron had only trained her by having her spar with him. But instead of doing that, she wanted him to give her some real training. That was Fiona's request.
Seeing her nod without hesitation, Aaron scratched his head and sighed before saying, "...Fine."
"I'm not gonna let you off easy since you're asking me to do this. There's no point in half-assing it. But... just to warn you, it's going to be tough. My training is hard."
"Of course, I'm ready."
Aaron asked her if she was sure, his eyes piercing, and she nodded firmly.
Aaron said, "Fine," looking at Fiona like that.
"I thought...this day might come someday..."
He looked at Fiona with admiration.
"That's why I've been getting ready."
"Getting ready?"
"Yeah. For your training stuff."
"Seriously...?"
She was surprised.
Aaron Gale was a good guy. She already knew that from the fact that he still trained with her. Even though he always seemed annoyed, he would spar with her and give her advice on what she was doing wrong and how she could do it better.
But Fiona never expected him to take her this seriously.
If anything, she thought he kind of hated her.
Fiona squeezed her cheeks. If she didn't do something, she would have started smiling like an idiot.
"Ah. Fiona, take this first."
"Sure. Thanks..."
Aaron pulled 2 things out of his storage ring and placed them on the table.
Fiona thanked him without thinking and reached for the things he offered her――and then she froze.
Fiona slowly lifted her face and asked Aaron in front of her,
"This... what is this?"
She pointed at the larger of the 2 objects.
"That's Treant Lumber."
Aaron answered calmly. It seemed he had no doubt of his own words.
Treant Lumber――as the name suggests, it's lumber from a Treant. In the [God's Remains Labyrinth], it's a material that can be obtained on the "Grassland Floors," which span from the 11th to 15th floors.
Although it's called the "Grassland Floors," there are also forest areas within the levels, where a tree-like monster called a Treant lives. One of the materials that can be dropped by defeating it is this Treant Lumber.
It's sturdy and can be processed into a variety of products, making it one of Necronia's important export products.
"...Then, this?"
Fiona asked, now pointing at the smaller of the 2 objects.
"That's a knife. I made it myself, by processing the core wood of an Elder Treant."
Fiona picked up the jet-black, glossy knife. Then, she ran her finger along the part that would normally be the blade, but there was no blade there.
The Elder Treant's core wood was a material so hard that it would be possible to make it into a sharp blade. But the blade of the knife in front of her had been crushed and rounded off. It wouldn't even be able to cut as well as a letter opener.
Fiona cocked her head, her eyes vacant.
"There's no blade, but?"
"Yeah. If there was a blade, it wouldn't be training."
Aaron nodded as if to say, "That's obvious," and faced Fiona again.
His expression was the most serious she had ever seen. He stared at Fiona with clear, untroubled eyes, with no doubt in his words or actions.
And, Aaron said,
"Fiona... make a wooden sword!"
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