Chapter 348: Too Scared to Look (1/2)
”So, it's okay to ignore her messages?” Gala asked with a frown as if she was displeased. ”Is it that hard to admit that you care a lot about her?”
Arthur paused, his hand turning into a fist. Then, he turned toward her and shouted.
”Do you want to know how I feel right now?” He said as he waved his hand. ”I feel sick and tired of your games. You say that you want people to feel things, but that's just a lie. There's no reason other than your desperate need for others to be as miserable as you are.”
”At least I know that I'm miserable,” Gala answered him calmly, despite his rage and hurtful words. ”I accepted what I am long ago. Did you?”
”Do you think that acceptance gives you the right to make others miserable? You try to make people care about each other, knowing that the end will be ugly. No, you want it to be ugly because that makes your end a little more bearable.”
”Well done, Seika. That's what I want. Nothing changed. You're still just a child that is too scared to look in the mirror.” Gala laughed as she stood up. She tapped the hand mirror on the table, and it lit up ten times. ”She left you ten messages, ten!”
”You hid them from me.” Arthur glared at her coldly for painting him as the villain.
”Because you acted as if you didn't care, even when I gave you the mirror. Even after more than two days, you didn't care to ask. I would have given you the messages if you asked just once, but the moment that you do ask, you tell me that you don't care.”
”You want me to weep every day because I miss her?” Arthur laughed. ”I need to build a city, but you want me to be a desperate lover just like you. I'm not, and I'll never be.”
”You won, Seika.” Gala smiled at him. ”You've hurt me more than I can hurt you. That's what you prefer, right? You would rather hurt others, to make them bleed, rather than get hurt yourself. Even if they were people that you care about. No, exactly if they were people that you care about.”
”Leave,” Arthur said through gritted teeth. Gala smiled and bowed formally.
”Yes, my lord.” She said in a mocking voice before she walked out, leaving the hand mirror on the table. Arthur looked at the artifact glowing subtly in the night.
He walked toward the mirror slowly, his rage still burning within him. He wasn't angry because of Gala's words, but because they were right. Arthur didn't want to care. He didn't dare to because he knew that he was bound to be disappointed.
”Hm, is this working? Can you hear me?” Dia's voice came from the hand mirror. Her nose and mouth were the only things shown in the message because she tried to speak too close to the artifact. ”The witch must have left this. Why did she...”
It seems not even Dia was aware of Gala leaving the artifact for her. However, she adjusted the angle, and Arthur got to see her face for the first time in a while.
”Good morning, Seika.” She said with a smile.
***
The next day, they had a conference meeting for the department heads to report their progress. Arthur wanted to check the progress himself, but he wanted to establish a proper system before things get too hectic.
”After the Seika's aid, we cleared up most of the small monsters around the area. We set out traps, but a wall would be necessary.” Big Bear reported.
”Building a wall is difficult for our current numbers.” The Knight of Courage rebuked. ”Furthermore, we're still in the development stage. Houses are still being built, shops are still being constructed, and even the roads are still not mapped.”
”We need someone to outline the city.” Arthur frowned. ”We can't simply build wherever we want and expect to end up with something decent.”
”That brings us to the list I made.” The Knight of Courage said, taking out the list. ”We don't have an architect, but there's someone we can invite. He's the person who built the capital of Livia and several other smaller cities.”
”Invite him.” Arthur nodded.
”The fees will be...” The Knight of Courage was hesitant.
”Tell him that we'll provide him with rare resources of architecture, books, and blueprints,” Arthur said. ”There will be no other payment.”
”I understand.”
”Gruen?” Arthur turned toward the dwarf.
”The smithy is underway, but the number of people we have is severely limiting.” Gruen shook his head. ”The builders that we brought along are building houses, workshops, and shops.”
Arthur nodded and opened his legacy, choosing the Professions choice from the list. A long list appeared.
[Profession.]
- Workers: 33.
- Knights: 30
- Salespeople: 15.
- Blacksmiths: 10.
- Constructors: 5.
- Potions apprentices: 4.