Bab 14: True Feelings

The carriage ride was rather… interesting. It was a weird mixture of awkward yet refreshing. Both Aurora and Myra sat on the same side of the carriage as I did, both on either side of me.

"This is a tight fit, I'll sit on the other side," I tried to escape only to be grabbed by the arms.

"No no, Lord Smarus, it is best if we sit on either side of you in the off chance that this carriage is attacked," Aurora smiled as she locked arms with me.

"Yup! We wouldn't want you to get hurt now," Myra said while mimicking Aurora.

I sighed as I accepted my fate. I always wondered what it was like to have a woman in each arm… It was not what I expected.

Ding! Aurora's character log updated! Myra's character log updated!

I wasn't even gonna bother with that. I sat between the twins for a solid 30 minutes before I reached my destination. Since I was banished from my home, there was only one spot my friends would be at. This was assuming their relationship didn't become intimate. I still thought about my motive.

In the game, Luna was a troubled woman who makes mistakes because she was mentally exhausted and weak. That wasn't an excuse for her actions, but still, I wanted to help her as much as I could.

"Um… Lord Smarus, this is just a forest," Myra stated the obvious.

"I know, but about 5 minutes from here, there is an opening. That's my destination."

Without hesitation, I began walking. The sisters looked at each other before they reluctantly followed me. It wasn't long before I could hear faint words.

"I care for you, Luna. It's just us against the world," A certain idiot said.

I picked up my pace just in time to see Ace making his advancement. I wanted to wait right before their lips touched so that I could make a cool entrance.

"Just you against the world eh? I didn't know losing my noble status also meant forfeiting my friendship!" I felt like a badass.

Luna looked back at me immediately with a surprised look. Once Ace realized it was me, a wave of anger flashed across his face. It was clear that I was the last person he wanted to see. It was petty, but I felt pretty good about myself. Get cockblocked dimwit!

"Hello Ace and Luna, it's been a while. Hope you didn't miss me too much," I couldn't help but smile.

This time I was aware of it. My eyes glowed as my emotions heightened. Anger at Ace and Luna as well as grief that I was about to lose at least one friend. Regardless, I had no intentions of backing down now. Luna stood up and stared at me. Her face also had a mixture of emotions.

"S-smarus! It… I… Ace was just helping me with…"

Smack!

To everyone's surprise, I slapped Luna across her face. The look of shock filled her face as well as Ace's. I heard a gasp from Aurora and Myra actually giggled. That was a bit alarming.

Ding! Everyone's character log updated!

Thanks system.

"Smarus! What are you doing!?" Ace was the first to recover from shock.

"Shut up Ace," I grabbed Luna's collar. "What is wrong with you Luna?"

I spoke in a calm, almost sinister way. I was able to see the faint purple glow bounce off of her face.

"Huh? The Awakening… and you breaking off the engagement… and at home, my father…" She spoke in parts, but I already knew the details. I just needed her to admit something.

"You don't think we don't have problems of our own!?" I shouted at her. "What gives you the right to shut down and shun people? To jump into the arms of the first man to help you? To take the position of the damsel of distress? As long as we are alive, we will continue to struggle," I tossed her down. "Do you know what makes us different?"

I tossed her pretty hard, so I felt bad. I had to keep up the act though. She looked up, on the verge of tears, but she managed to get a single word.

"What?" She said through tears.

"I refuse to stay beaten up and broken. I ask the help of people I trust," I pointed to Aurora and Myra. "I crawl, and struggle, and even cry, but I know that one day I will overcome this world! Why would I dare to stay down in hopes that someone would swoop in and save me? People are meant to help each other through the struggle. And if you don't have anyone to ask, struggle alone until you do," I crossed my arms.

I saw that I struck a chord with everyone here, but I didn't care. This was Luna's true weakness. She needed constant reassurance about everything. The trait itself wasn't a bad thing, but too much of it will make it become a toxic trait. Without showing remorse, I said one more thing.

"Get up Luna, I know you're stronger than that. You're an adult now, communicate with your words!"

She was crying until I said this. She wiped her eyes and forced herself to stand up. Her cheek was still red, but she made eye contact with me. I could tell she still wanted to cry, but I did not allow her that luxury. She cried enough already.

"Smarus, you are one of the worst people I have ever met! I gave you my love, but you were always so cold! Then one day you suddenly have emotions and profound wisdom!? Even now, I think you are only acting for your own benefit, and you did nothing but hurt me this last month!" Tears ran down her face as she confessed her true feelings. She wiped her eyes until they were red and puffy.

Aurora and Myra stepped up to protest, but I raised my hand to stop them. If Luna didn't communicate her emotions now, she would never reach a healthy mental state, and then the game would just repeat itself. I listened to what she had to say.

"You confused me and made me worried. Then there's Ace who is a horny bastard that just so happened to want to be involved in my life when you broke off the engagement! I hate how I felt left out of everything, and I feel alone every day!"

At this point, she was choking on her words, but she was almost done. She fell to her knees.

"B-but even if I am a damsel in distress… you still came to my rescue. Even now."

I nodded my head as I took everything in. I thought about everything she said. Even if I didn't agree with her, her feelings and thoughts were all valid. I didn't know what she was thinking, and I only received a fraction of it.

"In that case… what will you…"

Whack!

I was sent flying backward until Aurora caught me using magic. Blood dripped down my mouth and nose.

"You piece of shit!" Ace said barely in a whisper. "I spent a month doing everything I could for Luna, and you just come here and act like a hero? What a load of shit!"

I forgot about Ace. He was hotheaded, to begin with, but now that he actually attacked me, I might be in danger.

"Ace, what's the issue? I only wanted to help a friend," I forced myself to stand.

"Yeah right. You said it yourself that you didn't want Luna, but here you are now. Make up your mind you two-faced rat! First, you lost her, then your home, and now you will lose me as your friend! I don't get it, but you changed. You are just a wolf in sheep's clothing."

I would say I was hurt, but I wasn't. My opinions of myself weren't affected by idiots, and I had no intention of being scolded by someone who never once struggled in his life. His family was well off, he already had multiple marriage proposals, and even if he didn't become a hero, he still would barely need to work for anything in life. He was just a brat.

"No, you are the one who refused to change. I won't stay inside of your imaginary box if it means it is convenient for you. You're just scum," I cocked my head up and folded my arms. This was not where I planned this to go… and I was panicking.

Immediately, I pulled up his stats.

Name: Ace Lionheart

Age: 15

Strength: 4

Intelligence: 3

Agility: 3.5

Charisma: 4

Magic: 3

Class: Hero

Mana: 2000/2000

Figured. His class gave him a major boost in everything. Who would've thought that my first boss was my best friend? I sighed. I actually doubted that I could win such a one sided fight.

"You…" His eyes narrowed and his veins buldged on his neck. It seemed like he was about to pop a vessel. "You'll pay for that."

He pulled an actual sword from his spatial inventory and charged at me. I sighed as I pulled a wooden sword from my own inventory.

"Aurora, Myra, do not interfere at all," I commanded them.

They were against the idea, but they backed up. However, I was able to tell that they planned to jump in if things escalated too quickly. I doubted that I can come out of this unscathed, but I couldn't resist smiling. A challenge was every gamer's source of enjoyment. However, my life was very much in danger. Regardless I decided to muster up all the courage I had.

"Come at me then, Ace the Hero! We'll see who's the strongest, once and for all!"