“System… is this truly, truly the end? You’re just letting them go?”
Observing Harvey and his entourage depart, surrounded by guards and a wave of devoted supporters, Leya spoke with a hint of indignation.
‘I never realized the System could be so generous before; it’s practically giving away equipment for free…’
“What else? Would you prefer to go back and teach them another lesson, Host?”
“…………”
“In other words, do you truly believe you have enough transformation time left to squander? Or do you think you, in your current state, are capable of truly annihilating them?”
!!?
‘Right…’
‘Oh, right!’
‘Alright then…’
Leya finally understood. This mission was no longer truly aimed at her original self.
Instead, it was focused on Leya’s Saber-form, imbued with a powerful spirit of chivalry after her transformation!
Such was the current predicament. Even if Leya still felt it wasn’t enough, Saber’s subconscious deemed it sufficient. They had been punished, and that should be the extent of it.
‘So that’s how it is…’
‘So that’s how it is… my ass!’
‘Oh, heavens…’
‘So much for subconscious influences on personality—it’s truly infuriating!’
‘Sigh…’
However, as if to swiftly resolve Leya’s confusion,
the System promptly offered her an alternative, a strikingly different answer and perspective, stating:
“Of course, that was merely one aspect of the reason. The other reason I wished for you, Host, not to resolve this purely through force, but rather to obtain your reward through a relatively peaceful approach, was to convey this: above all, I hope that in your future endeavors, you will cultivate a calm demeanor, act with less impulsivity, and embrace more rationality.
“You must remember that power is not everything. Conflict only begets more conflict, leading to endless catastrophe. Your current imperative, Host, is to devise ways to discover the appropriate balance between struggle and peace.”
****
Snapping back to reality,
the exchange with the System had concluded in an instant, taking no time at all after the matter was settled.
Only then did Leya find the spare moment to glance back at the two children and the old man.
However, a sudden headache afflicted Leya; she hadn’t considered what would happen next, after all. ‘Ermmm…’
Just then, two children, neither quite grown nor truly small, their eyes sparkling with adoration, rushed forward, positioning themselves on either side of Leya.
“Big sister, you’re amazing!” exclaimed the slightly older boy, Samson.
“Yeah, yeah! It’s my first time seeing anyone more incredible than Uncle Weiss!” added the second, smaller child, Adelaide.
“…Mm.” Unaccustomed to such overwhelming enthusiasm, Leya responded rather coolly.
Normally, Leya’s social skills, while not exceptional, were certainly not poor. After all, in an orphanage, one could easily be bullied without some connections.
However, in her current state, Leya’s personality had become outwardly cold but inwardly warm, a direct result of Saber’s influence. She found it difficult to clearly express her emotions.
“You… you two… you mustn’t be disrespectful to someone who has shown us kindness!” Bert, who had been helped to a corner by the children, spoke with a touch of urgency.
Bert was reminded of the two mischievous children’s usual sneaky habits, fearing such behavior might resurface with Leya. He dreaded to think if, in a fit of rage, Leya might truly strike them down with her sword.
Though he knew Leya was a truly kind person, they were still beggars, at the very bottom of society. It was better to be safe than sorry; if they truly died, no one would care, would they?
“Hmph… No way! Big sister is a good person! I would never do anything disrespectful to someone who helped Samson!”
“Exactly! Adelaide only steals from bad people!”
The two children grew agitated, their necks flushing crimson as they retorted, like ruffled roosters.
‘You just inadvertently revealed the fact that you’re thieves, didn’t you?!’
‘Sigh… fine then…’
Previously, Leya had genuinely believed them to be ordinary citizens.
Nonetheless, their adorable antics struck Leya as amusing, and the initial sense of unfamiliarity unknowingly lessened.
As for Adelaide’s mention of stealing money, Leya didn’t truly dwell on it. For one, she had no money on her person.
Secondly, could the petty tricks of these two rascals possibly escape her notice in her current state?
“Never mind, never mind. I believe these two children are good at heart, not truly bad… am I right?” Leya said softly.
Hearing her words, even the previously tense Bert was momentarily stunned. He immediately expressed his gratitude, saying, “Miss, this… Sigh, I owe you my life. If not for you, that woman would never have let us go.”
“No, that’s not true. If it wasn’t me, surely someone else would have intervened…” Leya murmured, comforting Bert, yet her expression grew solemn.
‘Damn it, my transformation time is almost up. I need to finish this quickly and leave.’
“Miss, if… ergh, *Pft!*” Before Bert could finish his sentence, his face flushed, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted forth.
‘What in the world?’
‘Internal injuries?’
‘But I don’t recall anyone hitting him?’
‘Or is it an old ailment?’
‘Alright then…’
“Grandpa!—” “Grandpa!—” Seeing this, the two little ones immediately rushed to Bert’s side, speaking with deep concern.
“Cough… cough, cough, ah… don’t worry. This is just an old ailment of mine. I’ll be fine once this bout passes, it’s nothing serious… cough, cough… *Pft!*”
As he spoke, another mouthful of blood spewed forth.
Leya was left speechless. ‘Fine,’ she thought, ‘since I’ve already helped, I might as well see it through and finish this good deed completely.’
‘After all, wasn’t this precisely why I offered them gold coins in the first place?’
Having made up her mind, Leya promptly produced a bottle of red potion and several gold coins, then approached Bert.
“This is a healing potion; it’s more than enough for your current injuries. And these few gold coins are for the children, to buy them some food and clothes. Yes, that’s it. I’ll be leaving now…”
‘About five minutes left, I suppose…’
After casting one last glance at Bert and the two children, she softly said, “Take good care of yourselves.”
With an acceleration, she vanished from the spot in an instant, like a bolt of blue lightning.
Through it all, Bert simply watched silently from the side.
He carefully put away the potion and gold coins Leya had given him, his heart continuously filled with emotion.
‘What a kind and beautiful angel!’
‘I never imagined… never imagined there could truly be such a person in this world…’
“Grandpa…” Samson, not understanding why his grandfather had suddenly become so sad, could only offer confused words of comfort from the side.
“Amazing… absolutely amazing… Grandpa, Samson, I’ve decided! I’m going to become a great hero and a great knight, just like big sister! That way, no one will ever get bullied again!—”
Only Adelaide clenched their fists, their eyes shining with an exceptionally bright light, fixed intently on Leya’s disappearing figure as they spoke with unwavering resolve!