"Your favor can go suck ass…”

So childish, Kruff thinks, but he doesn’t see Van any lesser. He just feels disappointed. With a hearty laugh, he tilts his head to the sides trying to avoid eye contact. “Ha ha ha ha~”

Never does he laugh like this before. If he is, he has long forgotten. “To say no, yes you have that right…”

“We all do.” The Warrior retorts.

And Kruff cannot agree just the better. “Yes, we all do. We are free to choose, but not free to regret our actions.” He stands up from a boulder, his wide shoulders bigger than they can ever be.

“Your words assure me, Van…” The old hunter grins playfully for the first time in a long time. “But Van, can you do it? Can you abide by your no? If I do leave this place and Pyla, can you leave her just the same knowing that I won’t come back for her? I might die. I might never return. Can you live with that regret?”

So in essence, the Warrior doesn’t have a choice.

Instead of a choice, it is more of a moral dilemma... or in Kruff's case, wordplay and sophistry.

“Weeks to a month… The days we have lived together are short and cannot compare to the bond of a grandfather, and daughter. I should not trust you, but I have seen you for what you truly are when you rushed back here in the mountains at the slightest thought of us being in danger.”

Kruff continues with his soliloquy, not minding the silence of his listener.

“You are a good man, but a lonely man. You don’t want to be alone. You want to have someone, maybe a family, a friend… This is an opportunity, and I am relying on you… My niece needs me. On this excursion, I might die, but that is fine. I am old and weary.”

No longer has the smile, grin, or any expression remain on his face… only a wizened empty yearning for a love that is not here.

“Let’s go,” At his words, he returns to the hut with the Warrior in tow.

Kruff pushes the door open, and when the cold is no more, he sees Pyla and Sofalia conversing together. The atmosphere is warm. Lovely. They are having fun. Kruff loves to watch the peace and happiness go on forever. But he cannot. He has to go.

“Sofalia Din Blumend,” The Warrior suddenly speaks with strength in his voice. “I will go with you.”

***

I can feel Kruff’s astounded lingering gaze on me, which I choose to ignore.

Similarly, Sofalia is surprised, evidenced by the frown her forehead is sporting.

Meanwhile, Pyla is confused about what is going on.

I cross my arms, feeling my hands to be a little cold from nervousness. If there is something to be nervous about, then it will be either Sofalia’s insistence on bringing the old man or the old man’s insistence to come along. I cannot have that.

“The old fool you call Arkruff is weak, and his abilities are declining with age. Not to mention his background. To bring him so suddenly like this in the dangerous political landscape of Blumend is tantamount to putting a target on your back. If you are the future Queen as you claim to be, then I judge you to be an incompetent one.”

“How dare you!?” Sofalia’s frown transforms into a scowl, her killing intent wildly apparent. "And what future Queen, I haven't staked such claims!?"

I provoke her for a reason. As a rational person, the angrier she gets, the more she tries to logic her choices. “The competent choice is bringing me with you, instead of this geezer.”

At that instant, I use my [Killing Intent Release] skill. It is a similar skill that Sofalia must be using. As I am Level 99, it is obvious which Killing Intent is stronger. There are no bound limitations to skills where they become stagnant and useless as players continue to level up, only the difference in levels matters.

The results are obvious.

Tier 9 ArcWarrior VS Tier 7 Knigic

The Killing Intent that radiates from Sofalia shrinks, and eating away at it is my Killing Intent.

Sofalia instinctively reaches for her sword, but it is not in her waist anymore. Her sweat becomes cold at that instant. Kruff flinches, and quickly gathers his thoughts by semi-activating a skill, a fiery orange orb glows on the top of his palm. Meanwhile, Pyla has become unconscious.

I approach the fainted Pyla and carry her to the bed.

“I will be frank. I can kill all of you without as much as breaking off a sweat. Kruff, the runes set up in your hut might hinder me, but not enough to completely stop me. Sofalia, even your [Ultimate Skill— Summon: Fenrir] is of no threat to me.”

I unsheathe my Darkbringer dangerously. This casual action sends Kruff and Sofalia into a frenzy. They want to retreat. They 'must' want to. But as they glance at the sleeping Pyla just behind me, they decide that they cannot.

“This is the easy choice— Sofalia brings Kruff. I stay.”

Sofalia explodes in fury. “You? Stay? You wield your sword like that and do you think I will trust you?”

It is only natural for Sofalia to react like this.

“If I mean any harm, you would be dead already… Now, the easier choice— I come with Sofalia…” I gaze at Kruff meaningfully. “I am giving you the freedom to choose, Kruff… There is no one choice in this world…”

By me saying it is the height of irony. There is no one choice… In the back of my mind, it sounds so ridiculous. As an AI bot, do I have the concept of choice when the only thing I know is grinding?

“Kruff,” I call to him once more. “You are her one and only family. You are her parent. When the King ordered his wife’s death, you followed as he instructed. You killed. However, that was not the most difficult choice you made.”

I remain wary of Sofalia, my sword tilting to her side, and just one wrong move from her, I will subdue her that instant. As if to warn her with my eyes, I tell her not to interfere with Kruff’s decisions.

I continue my narrative of what truly did occur. I might not know Kruff’s story from the game, but I can infer. “The most difficult choice you made is to desert, and bring Pyla with you because you knew…”

Kruff is old, and comes with age is wisdom. He is plenty old already at that time to know the fate of the infantile Pyla. “Yes,” He grits his teeth, and his voice is shaky. “I cannot leave her there… The Kingdom is in turmoil, and I know if I leave, it will calm down… Moreover, if I bring Pyla with me, more of the Kingdom’s problems will then cease… And Pyla… the poor little girl… I don’t want her to be used. She is so young… so weak, and his majesty knew, so he helped me cover our tracks…”

“What do you mean?” Sofalia turns on Kruff. “I grew up well, didn’t I? I grew up to be strong! There are no expectations. I just had opportunities on my way, and now, I have become like this. The palace has everything to offer! I lived a happy life, don’t I? So why can’t my little sister?”

“And how do you know she is not living happily now?” I retort.

“…”

And mercilessly, I clamp on her momentary weakness and silence. “If we take away her grandpa, do you think she will be happy?”

Tears finally pour down the old man’s eyes. Kruff falters, and his magic disperses from his palm. He reaches for his chair while tears continue to blur his vision.

This is so unsightly. I reckon Pyla will be hurt too if she sees her old man crying like this.

But it is fine. Crying is not wrong. I know because I can sympathize. I can still recall my first tears in this world. While I surrender myself to rage at the confusion of my arrival in this world, I remember crying and flailing like a child… except that child is wielding a Mythic-Grade sword and unleashing all sorts of skills at the same time.

Rather than crying, I might as well be throwing a violent tantrum.

Sofalia is quiet and internalizes her emotions.

“How about this? How about I give you the freedom to choose, Sofalia?” I turn to her, my sword already returning to my sheath.

“The Choice is yours.”