"I oppose this" said Samuel, sitting on his bed. He had just woken up from his sleep, well-rested, his mana fully regenerated. He held a wooden bowl filled with beef stew that Helydia had brought him in one hand, and a spoon in the other. He ate calmly, as if there was nothing urgent about the situation.
"What ? Why ?" Relia replied, sitting on one of the wooden chairs in Samuel's room, clearly confused.
"We don't owe anything to this village, it's logical" Samuel said, his eyes closed, still eating, relaxed as if there was nothing else to do.
"We told you he wouldn't agree," said Canon, leaning on the windowsill, elbows resting, smoking casually while watching the scene.
"It was obvious," added Kai, sitting cross-legged on a rug in the center of the room, his tone slightly mocking.
Relia, who had been calm until then, felt her frustration grow. She furrowed her brows, her fists involuntarily clenching."By the way, why did you tell the village chief that we were all level 30 ?" asked Dante, leaning against one of the room's walls.
"Because you are, right ?" Relia responded with an innocent look.
A heavy silence hung in the air for a moment. Relia turned to Helydia, sitting next to Samuel on the bed. Helydia shook her head slowly, signaling no.
"Wait, what ?" Relia said, confused. "But... you defeated the seconds of the Four Fundaments ? How is that possible ? The seconds were all above level 30!"
Canon, still detached, dropped the cigarette he had been holding and answered calmly: "Only the boss and you reached level 30. As for me, I'm level 23."
"I'm level 24," Dante added, not seeming concerned.
"And I'm level 25," Helydia chimed in, scratching her eyebrow.
"And I'm level 14," Kai announced nonchalantly.
Relia looked at them all, stunned. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "But how did you three defeat the seconds ?" she asked, turning to Helydia, Canon, and Dante.
Dante shrugged, a smile playing on his lips, and proudly responded: "Guess we were better, that's all."
Relia was almost dumbfounded. "But how are we supposed to help them then ?" she asked, her determination wavering in light of the situation.
Samuel, finishing his bowl of stew, looked at her calmly, irritation flickering in his eyes. "We're not going to help them. I've already told you."
Relia, now resolute, insisted: "But we killed the monster that protected their village. We have to repay them."
Samuel fixed her with a long gaze, his tone returning to a calm, almost icy one. "We did nothing wrong. This Venerable attacked us, we defended ourselves and killed it. End of story. The repercussions of its death are not our concern."
Relia, slightly hurt, responded in a softer, but still firm voice: "But I swore on my honor that we would help them."
Samuel stood slowly, his posture changing. His voice grew harder, filled with the authority of a former general. "What are you talking about ? What honor ? When you're under my command, there's no honor, no reputation, no dignity. When there's nothing to gain from someone, we don't help. I don't know what they taught you at the castle, but here, with me, those values don't exist. So forget your heroic, justiciar habits. You cut your finger for me to trust you, but I doubt you understand what that means. Because with me, if you want to achieve your goal and get your revenge, charity has no value."
A heavy silence fell in the room. Relia lowered her head, her emotions in turmoil. She stood slowly, then broke the silence in a softer voice, almost trembling: "Samuel... I mean... boss, all my life I hated monsters and half-monsters because I was told to. Even in me, I despised my elven origins. Everyone avoided me and mocked me. But when I discovered the truth and joined you, and let go of these ideas of human superiority, I discovered that humans and monsters could coexist and live in peace. Helping them today is my way of apologizing for all those years spent hating and despising them. And it's a way to honor my origins for the first time."
She stood up, then, in a solemn gesture, prostrated herself in front of Samuel. "Please, boss, let me help them. This will be the last time I disobey you and act on my own."