Chapter 34: Every life is valuable

“Don’t just stand there, help! If you can’t hit it, at least try to bind it!”  

Seth shouted at the dazed Kerman and Hilia.  

Right after, he used Silent Waterway to encase the adult beast’s body.  

But landing a hit wasn’t easy.  

True to its cockroach-like traits, the adult beast moved at an absurd speed.  

Starving, it bared its teeth at the warriors nearby without hesitation.  

“Ugh…!”  

Sercia, nearly bitten on the arm, leapt back nimbly.  

For a moment, black fluid dripped from its gaping mouth.  

Yellowed teeth glinted ominously inside, a truly chilling sight.  

“For everyone’s mental health, we need to kill it quickly.”  

Floria, spitting dryly amidst the tense atmosphere, drew her bowstring again.  

But the beast wasn’t foolish enough to stand still and take the hits.  

“What the—?”  

The beast suddenly began digging into the ground.  

Its frantic front legs churned the soil, forcing nearby warriors to shield their faces and retreat.  

Could it be trying to hide underground?  

As Rita reached out in urgency, the beast, unexpectedly, leapt upward, twisting its body.  

Everyone’s gazes followed its trajectory, and the mages shouted in unison.  

“Get out of the way!”  

Mikael, yelling loudly, grabbed Priest Roen and fled.  

But the mages reacted a beat too late.  

Kerman and Hilia, sensing the danger late, scrambled in opposite directions.  

Brena grabbed Seth by the neck and dodged to the side.  

Alois, left alone, stood frozen, staring blankly into the air.  

“Young Master Gradius!”  

As a horrified Valery rushed forward, Rita aimed her staff instead.  

“Path of the Shadow.”  

Rita’s body vanished into a tree’s shadow, reappearing instantly above the beast’s shadow.  

At that moment, Alois tripped and fell, and the beast swung its arm to seize his ankle.  

“Frozen Valor!”  

With an urgent cry, her staff turned into an ice spear, piercing the adult beast’s torso.  

As Rita twisted the spear, the beast’s body around it began to freeze white.  

As the rapid freezing slowed its movements, the others charged in.  

Sercia, Valery, Bailey, Felix.  

The four warriors’ swords struck the beast simultaneously, and an arrow from behind pierced its left eye.  

Floria’s arrow had finished it off.  

Alois, trembling on the ground, fainted outright, and the others wiped cold sweat.  

Rita, looking at the melting beast corpse and the unconscious Alois, sighed in relief.  

I thought for a moment he’s so useless and unskilled that we’d be better off without him…  

But after hearing Brena, she reconsidered—it was a wrong thought.  

Her own life was as precious as anyone else’s.  

She’d vowed to use her power more justly than Talos, so she couldn’t ignore the weak.  

I won’t judge people’s worth by their strength.  

Every life is valuable.  

My goal should be saving people, not just the world.  

Then I’ll be a better person than I was before.  

Rita’s face, looking at the once-dreaded Alois, softened slightly.  

***

“Ugh…”  

A throbbing headache woke Alois.  

Beyond the dim night, a campfire burned, surrounded by familiar faces.  

Stirred by their murmurs, Alois sat up, and nearby Kerman and Hilia reacted.  

“Hey, the young master’s awake?”  

Kerman smirked mockingly, but Alois looked clueless.  

“Um… what happened?”  

“What happened? You ran like a coward and fainted. A mage, and you didn’t even think to use magic, young master?”  

Hilia frowned at Kerman’s sneer.  

In truth, Kerman hadn’t done much either.  

Ignoring Kerman’s taunts, Alois sought Valery Gainer first.  

“Oh, Young Master Gradius. You’re awake.”  

Polishing his sword against the night sky, Valery smiled brightly upon seeing Alois.  

“Good to see you’re unharmed.”  

“I-I’m so sorry.”  

“It’s fine. Thanks to you, we got the beast, so it worked out.”  

Alois, confused by Valery’s hearty laugh, had darting green eyes.  

Valery reluctantly explained the events.  

“When you were about to be caught, the great mage stopped it, and we rushed in and stabbed it. The Child of the Forest finished it.”  

“Lady Rita saved me?”  

Alois, shocked, frantically scanned the area.  

After searching, he found Rita far off, talking with Eilin.  

Alois stared at her blankly.  

A fellow mage, close in age.  

The most outstanding mage in the Mage Tower.  

The direct disciple of the great Tower Master.  

Burning with magical ambition, Alois had made Rita his goal.  

That goal fizzled when Rita reached supreme rank, and he began to revere her.  

A sheltered noble, he’d volunteered for the Mage Tower with naive admiration.  

But reality was harsh.  

The Rita he admired was cold in practical situations.  

Still, Alois wanted to be of some help to her.  

But a greenhouse flower had no impact in the wild.  

After a few crushing experiences, Alois grew despondent, hesitating to return to the capital.  

And yet.  

Rita had saved him.  

His lifeless eyes sparked back to life.  

Rita was, as expected, amazing.  

Alois reignited his dream.  

To become a great mage, helping Rita and contributing to the world.  

“Um… Great Mage?”  

After waiting for a chance, Alois approached Rita.  

After Eilin left, Rita, taking in the night air alone, froze at his sudden approach.  

“Thank you for saving me. And I’m sorry for being a burden.”  

“No… it’s fine…”  

Alois’s incessant bowing flustered Rita.  

A noble from a prestigious family, treated respectfully even by Valery, was bowing to her.  

The Duke of Gradius would be appalled.  

Stumbling over the awkwardness, Alois gave a sheepish smile.  

“I’m sorry for constantly disappointing you despite my bold volunteering.”  

Rita was baffled again.  

She’d never expected much from Alois to begin with.  

But she wasn’t tactless enough to say that aloud.  

She’d learned, somewhat, that blunt words could hurt.  

“I want to do well… but I’m lacking, so it’s a bit hard. I wish I could react with quick judgment like you, Great Mage…”  

Alois sighed, and Rita felt awkward.  

She couldn’t understand why he was confiding in her with such a shy expression.  

Is he hoping I’ll encourage him?  

Maybe for Brena or Seth, but Alois?  

Rita couldn’t fathom it.  

Noticing her hesitation, Alois smiled embarrassedly.  

“I know I’m making you uncomfortable. But please, treat me casually. I want to learn a lot under you. I’ll try harder.”  

Bowing politely, Alois fled the scene.  

Left alone, Rita couldn’t make sense of it.  

He seems like a genuinely kind person now.  

But thinking of his past life…  

Could she trust his words?  

That was the question.  

Alois’s bright, eager demeanor and sparkling eyes, so different from her memories.  

Recalling Talos, she wondered.  

Was my first impression of Talos like this?  

Alois.  

Honestly, he wasn’t the material for a great mage, despite the Duke of Gradius’s hopes.  

His timid, quiet nature could be excused as personality, but he always shrank back, lacking confidence.  

I thought Talos kept him around as a decorative pawn for his own greed.  

But now, it feels strange.  

Perhaps in her past life…  

Like how Alois now looked at her, had he approached Talos, the great mage, with special admiration?  

Come to think of it, his first impression might’ve been a smiling face.  

The thought piqued her curiosity.  

If this is his true personality, why did he change in her past life?  

For some reason, she felt a slight curiosity about Alois that night.  

“Night watch.”  

As she pondered, Seth suddenly approached.  

Startled, Rita’s gaze met his, but he looked straight ahead, ignoring her.  

Her brow furrowed slightly at his blatant dismissal.  

He hasn’t sorted out his feelings yet.  

Of all people, Seth was on the night watch.  

Enduring his sullen face all night would be a chore.  

I miss the mature Seth for the first time.  

When did he start acting so cold?  

She recalled Seth from her past life, protective and brotherly.  

But it wasn’t clear.  

Back then, she’d found him annoying.  

I really didn’t care about others.  

It was another moment of reflection. 

***

The next two days of pursuit were relatively smooth.  

Only a few small juveniles, likely Baal’s, were dealt with in passing.  

It was odd how little danger there was, despite being far from the camp.  

“They probably prioritize areas with more ‘prey.’”  

At breakfast, Rita’s practical comment paled everyone’s faces.  

Her matter-of-fact expression came from stating the most likely theory.  

“If we’re not careful, the main camp could be in danger. We need to catch it as soon as possible.”  

Spoons scooping stew moved faster.  

“Freshly laid eggs are vividly white. Focus on clusters of small, white eggs.”  

Baal was likely preoccupied with breeding.  

Finding egg traces would lead to Baal, everyone agreed.  

Rita’s group, setting out early, crossed dense forests multiple times.  

Following egg traces, they reached a mossy rock valley.  

“Let’s rest and drink some water.”  

Noticing Sercia’s empty canteen, Valery suggested.  

Priest Roen, whose feet ached on the rough path, agreed first, securing a thirty-minute break.  

“Phew…”  

Rita, setting down her gear and staff, quenched her thirst at a cascading stream.  

It tasted slightly fishy but was still drinkable, untainted.  

Considering food and water, the war needed to end quickly.  

As she sighed, Floria approached, cupping water to drink.  

Rita, glancing over, couldn’t help but stare.  

Floria’s slightly lowered eyes, sharp jawline, refined nose, and moist lips.  

A face as if from a painting.  

She’d brushed off Mikael’s praised beauty due to past-life familiarity.  

But the Children of the Forest were rare, so Rita found Floria’s beauty striking.  

Kerman and Hilia said standing with Eilin, Floria, and Mikael was blinding.  

She’d dismissed it as nonsense then, but now, it didn’t seem wrong.  

Rita nodded unconsciously.  

Floria, done drinking, blinked at her.  

“Something to say?”  

“Oh…”  

Rita, flustered, bowed reflexively.  

Floria blinked at the sudden gesture.  

An awkward silence hung between them.