Hearing her name called, Claudia simply gave a curt "Um" without even looking at Aurora and kept doing what she was doing.

"Do you have something to say to me?" Aurora asked softly, seemingly perplexed as to why Claudia suddenly gave her the cold shoulder.

Claudia's hand abruptly stopped, seemingly hesitated for a moment before raising her head to meet Aurora's confused gaze. She took a deep breath before answering, "The matter you were discussing with Mr. Tix before... are you being serious, Captain?"

This time, Aurora was the one who fell into silence. "The eyes are a window to the soul," there was such a saying back in Aurora's previous world, and now reflected on Claudia's trembling blue eyes as she looked straight into them was a great sense of uneasiness, fear, and uncertainty tangled within her. Aurora felt her heart being prickled by a thousand needles for causing the kind and gentle girl to make such a brooding expression.

Seeing Aurora not offer any response and just sit there in a daze, Claudia became more anxious and afraid that her question would make Aurora feel that her authority as the leader was challenged, which would bring her ire upon herself.

No leader liked to be questioned by their members, more so by a stupid and ignorant girl like her. That was what she had learned in her mercenary life until now, and while Aurora didn't seem to be a petty or narrowminded person, that didn't mean that she could stomach such impetuousness.

The thought that Aurora might hate her made her stomach churn and her heart throb in wretched pain.

Claudia lowered her gaze, her fingers fidgeting restlessly. "Sorry Captain, I overheard your conversation with Mr. Tix before. I hope you won't get offended by my presumptuous action."

"Ah," Aurora waved her hand and hurriedly said, "You don't need to feel sorry, Claudia. It is I who should apologize to you instead for making such an important decision on my own, and I also forgot to explain it to you."

Claudia breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Aurora didn't show any anger or displeasure at her question. Feeling emboldened by Aurora's lenient attitude, she carefully expressed her thoughts.

"Captain, I think it's too dangerous. I know that you have your own consideration, but why don't you think about it more? I also hate that despicable Olsen and Raging Tempest, but is it really necessary for us to take such gamble?"

Aurora shook her head without hesitation. "This is our only choice, Claudia. You must have realized after the ambush that night, the grudge between us and Raging Tempest has already reached the point of no return. Either we or they will survive. Rather than being in a passive position, I'd rather take the initiative to deal with them. And also, our next course of action actually has a greater implication."

Tapping her fingers on the table, Aurora didn't know whether to reveal the whole story to Claudia, bitterly aware that it would reopen her old wound and cause her another pain, but still she decided to share it with her as she thought that she had the right to know the truth.

"Do you remember the woodrats' assault that happened in Halberry Prairie at that time and the black-robed man who blocked us in the trip back to Rosewood Town?"

Claudia flinched, her face wincing involuntarily as a foreboding began pervading her heart. Aurora knew that Claudia had some guesses in her heart but carried on with her explanation anyway.

"That black-robed man is Pittman, an operative from the Republic of Harmonia, and the one who controlled the woodrats. The thing that happened that day wasn't an accident, Claudia. The Republic of Harmonia wants to wage war against the Brigitt Duchy and the Arrentia Kingdom. Rosewood Town is their first target, and this is just the beginning."

Crash!

The cup in her hand slipped from her trembling hands and fell, shattering into pieces.

Claudia's mind went blank, and her complexion quickly turned pale. She didn't know what to make of the bombshell that Aurora just dropped. Her legs started wobbling, robbed of their strength to support Claudia's body, and soon she slumped on the floor.

Aurora stood up abruptly and rushed to help Claudia get up, carrying the limping Claudia to the sofa and taking the position next to her while tightly gripping her hand to offer some comfort.

The silence pervaded the room, even the insects outside seemed to be understanding enough not to make any noises at this moment.

Claudia didn't speak a word for a long time, while Aurora just sat patiently beside her, waiting for her to calm down.

After regaining her composure, rage slowly boiled up in Claudia's heart, but more than that, a sense of dread begin overwhelming her indignation, and trepidation quickly engulfed her like a deep abyss that opened its maw and swallowed her whole.

If Aurora spoke the truth, then it meant that they wouldn't only face the Raging Tempest but also someone who had the unimaginable power to even control something like woodrats, which most mercenaries in Rosewood are afraid of, and they might even face stronger opponents if the Republic of Harmonia was really involved in this matter.

Would they be able to stand against such behemoths? The memories of her comrades who had fallen under the flood of woodrats at that time started to resurface in her mind, making her breathless and suffocated.

How could Aurora not know what Claudia was thinking right now? But this was something she believed Claudia must face sooner or later and only she alone could help herself.

After a long period of silence, Claudia turned to Aurora. "Hey Captain," she said, her voice somewhat shaky, and her hand was clenching Aurora's hand so hard that Aurora started feeling a little bit painful. "Why don't we just run away from here? Yeah, I mean the four of us—Flamme, Caila, you, and me together and started a new life someplace far away from here? We can be mercenaries again, or maybe we should open a farm!"

"Yes! Why don't we go to the south? I heard from the passing bard that the south was a beautiful place with a lot of meadow, river, and mountains. We can catch a lot of fish! Caila must be very happy to live there. Flamme can help you raise chickens, sheep, or cattle; with her pure and kind soul, she will be perfect for the job! and... and... I'm an elf! I can help you with farming, even though I don't have any experience with it yet. I can learn about it quickly, I swear!"

"Or if you don't like it, why don't we go to the west, near the shore? There we can spend our time leisurely on the beach! Well I don't know what exactly we could do there, though, I just heard that it's really popular among the noble."

"Or... or..." Claudia's voice was getting more and more desperate, almost pleading. "Or wherever I don't care! As long as it's far away from here! I don't want to be here anymore!"

Getting no audible response from Aurora as she just sat quietly beside her, looking at her with a look of concern, Claudia became more frantic. She threw Aurora's hands off hers and shook her shoulders violently.

"C'mon Captain, why don't you say anything?" Claudia yelled, her voice rising higher than she intended to, almost screaming. "In the first place, why did we have to be the ones who stepped forward and faced them. Don't they have many mercenary groups more capable than us, like Moon Wolf, Scarlet Fang, or even Raging Tempest! Yes! They should just let those bastards fight against them and be destroyed together! Why do we, a small mercenary group, need to jump in and be involved in the fight between lion and tiger?! AM I RIGHT, CAPTAIN?!"

"And... and... why did you only say it today, Captain?! You already knew it from the beginning, right? You already knew from the start! So why... why don't you tell Captain Gard at that time? Why don't you tell... us? Why don't you tell me?!" Claudia screamed out loud, her throat burning with fire, and tears started forming in her eyes.

"Ah... I see..." The fleeting conversation she overheard in the market this morning suddenly replayed in her mind, and a self-mocking laugh escaped from her parted lips. "It's because I'm weak and useless, right? I'm not as reliable as Flamme, so you can't depend on me. And who in their right mind can trust the stranger they've just met for less than a month, much less a fool and coward like I am?"

"That's not true, Claudia! I—"

Before Aurora could explain, Claudia cut in with a calm voice, trying her best to hide her inner turmoil. "No, nevermind. Forget about it. Please forget everything I just said. Forgive me for saying all these nonsense things, please."

Aurora felt a wave of guilt wash over her as Claudia apologized to her, and she couldn't speak. She wanted to tell Claudia everything. She wanted to assure her that there was nothing wrong with her and that she shouldn't doubt herself.

But how could she possibly justify her actions when the only reason behind them was her own insecurity?

Seeing Aurora hesitating, Claudia hurriedly stood up and turned toward the door. "You must be very tired, Captain, so I won't disturb you any longer."

However, just as she was about to reach the door, Aurora subconsciously rushed to catch up to Claudia, stretched out her hand, and grabbed Claudia's wrist in panic to offer an explanation.

"Ouch, it hurts!" Claudia winced in pain.

"Ah!"

Startled by her cry, Aurora let her go without having the chance to say a word, watching Claudia go out the room followed by the banging sound of a door slamming shut right in front of her face.

"Damn it!" Aurora let out a long sigh, leaning her forehead against the door before dragging her body to the couch and sinking onto it, covering her ashen face with both palms . "You fucking mess it up, Aurora."

Her bad habit of making an arbitrary decision under heavy pressure was something that frequently earned her an earful of lectures from her guild members in the early days of Glory in the game.

Although it had improved later on, Aurora still sometimes committed the same mistakes, even after her golden time in Legend Online. Now that she was alone in this new world, the tendency to depend solely on herself once again recurred or became even more severe without her even noticing.

Aurora didn't regret what she did. Considering the potential disaster if the conspiracy concocted by the Republic of Harmonia succeeds, taking fast and decisive action would bring her more advantages than mulling it over for a long time. However, Claudia's reaction made her feel guilty for a second. She should have told her earlier, and she should have shared her thoughts with everyone else.

Perhaps if she did, Claudia wouldn't react that way. Or perhaps she would have been able to convince Claudia somehow. But instead she acted rashly and left Claudia worried and confused. It was just like her old self, but Aurora couldn't bear the thought that she had hurt Claudia's feelings unintentionally.

She buried her face deeper into her palms and groaned softly, letting out a few silent sobbing sounds until she regained her composure and wiped her tears away. After spending a while sitting silently on the sofa, she finally stood up and walked towards the window overlooking the garden, where a faint ray of light shone through.

This world is full of mysteries and unknowns. Aurora didn't understand why she was transported here or for what purpose she was chosen. What she knew for certain was that she had to survive in this strange land. That's why she decided to stay here and continue fighting against the Raging Tempest and whoever stands in her path to forge a future without any regret.

But at what cost?

She took another glance at the sky filled with stars and sighed. She had never thought of herself as perfect, but at least she knew that she should fix the mess she had unknowingly created.