Chương 25: [LD-1] 24. Boundaries

XXIII Boundaries I hopped off Kiba's back. A pool of shadow hung over the ceiling far ahead. Both of us looked up and focused on the message on our screen. Would you like to leave the Third Floor? Y/N— Exit confirmed. Air closed in, wrapped me in the tight embrace of a mother. My head grew light, and I threatened to stumble. A firm grip kept me upright. Then our view warped. With a whistle that pierced the air, the two of us were standing back in the chamber we'd fought the warlock at the edge of the pit.

Four students near us, who were staring out over the edge, yelped and leapt back. Their cries drew the attention of the others. The room paused. Then burst out in cheers.

"…Oh thank the heavens…"

"We thought the two of you…"

"Thank you for saaaviinng meeeee!" a girl cried her lungs out. I blinked at the reception, still leaning on Kiba's shoulder. Lily jogged towards us from the other end of the room.

"Glad to see you made it out." She turned to me in particular.

"You alright, Joy?" I nodded tentatively.

"I would've died if it wasn't for him." My free hand reached for my jaw without my explicit command. Rhaast had been the one to save us, truly…I glanced at the tired but cheerful expressions of the students. After a hellish day, they finally had a single win to their name.

'This is not the time nor place.' If need be, I'd pull Lily to the side and tell her. The girl tapped Kiba on the shoulder.

"Good going. Then again, you're just keeping your companion safe, huh?" I rolled my eyes. This girl—"It's my responsibility to bring her back," he said without blinking. —and deadpanned. I stared at the side of his head, but there was no change in his facial expression.

'He doesn't get what she's saying.' Lily, on the other hand, chuckled.

"That's what I thought, too." I opened my mouth to retort, but she turned around.

"Let's get away from the exit. We don't know if anything on the lower floor can climb up." At that, the few students studying the pit quickly jumped back. They needn't worry. The third floor was a ghost town.

'Was that what Rhaast meant?' He said we'd be able to enter and exit as we pleased.

'But why would everyone just leave?' It was the one thing I didn't understand, what raised the hairs on my neck and made me shiver as a chilling sensation crawled down my back. Though I didn't know what the Red Skulls were planning, I knew one thing: It wouldn't be in our favour. Flicks of the arm threw empty flasks against the wall. Discarded containers littered the ground. Lily had done another head count before it all went to shit. Sixty students.

Of those sixty, six had died in the initial ambush, seven in this battle, and another eight were injured enough that a single health potion was not enough to take care of the wounds.

"They're mostly stable," Lily exhaled. She cradled her swordarm near the elbow. I looked away. The storage room didn't have enough potions for everyone. She'd given her own to someone else that needed it more.

'They're good leaders.' Both she and her sister.

"But they're not fit enough to fight or make a long journey," she added.

"You said you didn't know where the cafeteria was?" I shook my head.

"We ran through the tunnels blindly. Finding our way back will be a challenge."

"That's what I'd been afraid of," she said.

"We're basically out in the open here." Though we'd beaten the warlock, there was no telling what else was hiding on this floor. The gallery had been destroyed, but the tunnels leading to other areas had not yet collapsed. I glanced at one in particular—the one the fat goblin had stormed through. Faint waves of mana wafted from the exit. The sensation was denser than that of the others. Lily followed my gaze.

"What was the third floor like? Is there anywhere to hide?" Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"We don't want to enter the third floor," I said without hesitation.

"Not until we level some more." The floor may be deserted, but we shouldn't take any chances. It could all be a ruse.

'Fifteen was the system's level recommendation.' I wasn't certain how it computed that number—perhaps it was an average over all enemies on the floor—but a level fifteen was not taking down the Lord, I could tell you that much. Students close enough to overhear me grimaced. A desire to cry replaced their mirth. Lily's expression grew harder.

"Then we'll need to enter those tunnels soon." That seemed the best option—"The forest guardian," Kiba said.

"Ah," I perked up.

"I'd completely forgotten about that." Lily tilted her head. I gave her the details. She almost fell over.

"Thank Saint Isshin, some good news to share," she whispered to herself. That's the second time she named the patron.

'Must be some kind of sword deity.'

"I'll let the others know our next destination," she continued.

"We'll just need to come up with a plan—""Lily!" The scream came from the entrance to the chamber. Alexa dropped her blade and dashed with the full speed of a professional rugby player. She tackled her sister to the ground. A small smile pulled onto my lips. I turned away to give them their privacy.

'Thank goodness.' We deserved some happiness after the shit we'd gone through. Beside me, Kiba let out a deep exhale. Ah, right. If she was here… Two of drones entered the room first. Then that pretty-boy face that I despised. Shota's gaze swept the room. He huffed.

"See?" He shook his head at Evans.

"I told you everyone would be alright."

'The commotion must've attracted them.' Likely, they'd already been following Kiba and I's trail before we entered the battle. The sound of the core exploding would only make us easier to find. A person I was happier to see was in the middle of the group.

"Joy!" Emily cried. She rushed over…and came to a stop when she saw who was standing beside me.

"It's alright," I said.

"He won't attack you." I side-eyed the shapeshifter.

"Right, Kiba?" He lowered his head.

"I'm terribly for what I did to you, Emily. I cannot apologise enough."

"Uhm," Emily mumbled. She tapped one foot against the other and chuckled awkwardly.

"Well, I guess—""That's exactly right," Shota cut through. The tip of his nose aimed at the ceiling. Evans and Douglas flanked him. Evans was looking at the floor. The taller goon stared Kiba down, his shield arm a twitch away from raising. Behind them, the student who'd led the orc brute to us, scratched the back of his head.

"You cannot apologise enough," Shota snarled.

"You seem to be back to your senses, so perhaps you remember what you did to my tank? Or should Emily refresh your memory?" Our healer pursed her lips. When Kiba didn't speak up, she whispered: "Douglas's arm was broken." My eyes widened.

'Kiba did that?' I'd assumed it was the brute. Kiba lowered his head further.

"I apologise—""You call that an apology?!" Shota yelled. Our reunion had already drawn attention. His rising voice drew that of the entire room. The Sarakawa heir whipped his finger out at Kiba.

"Did your parents not teach you how to apologise properly?! Or do monsters not teach the traditional values to their children?" A nerve popped on Kiba's forehead.

"What are you implying?" Shota crossed his arms.

"Get on your knees. That's the way a proper apology should be done." Silence gripped hold of the chamber. I heard Kiba's muscles strain as his nails dug into his palms. Shota, impossibly, seemed to look down on the white fang despite being a head shorter than him. Mana boiled inside the white fang. He must've wanted desperately to strike the idiot down. The muscles in his thigh contracted—"Ah," I cried and pulled up my recovering foot. The other's gazes snapped towards me.

"Are you alright?" Emily said, hurrying over. I held out my hand.

"I'm fine. It's just…still healing." I over-exaggerated the way I was leaning on Kiba.

"Kiba, I almost don't want to ask, but can you please carry me again? I'm tired of standing." He blinked.

"Uh…sure." He bowed and lifted me into a princess carry. Lily glared at me from the floor. My cheeks burned.

'This idiot! Why is he carrying me like this? I was going to hop on his back just like before!' I bit my teeth. Whatever. It already happened.

"Shota." I controlled my breath and met his gaze.

"I understand your feelings. Kiba nearly killed me, then dragged me through the dungeon like a sack of meat."

"So why do you sound like you're apologising for him?" Shota said." Because he also saved my life. It doesn't make up for nearly killing me, mind you. But it makes me believe he isn't a monster."

"Not being a monster does not excuse his actions," Shota scoffed.

"Also, don't think I don't realise what you're doing." Here, a dark light flashed past Shota's pupils. Impossibly, he looked down on Kiba even more than he already did.

"If he doesn't want to lower himself and apologise like any true man should, that's fine. But then he has no business being in any party of mine." Shota let his words register, then glanced at Emily and raised his brow. She rubbed the side of her arm.

"You went out of control because you were hurt, right?"

"I've heard—" Alexa got up from hugging her little sister to death and fixed her glasses.

"—it's a flaw of the members of your clan." A heartbeat.

"Yes," Kiba answered softly.

"Will it happen again?" Emily asked. His mouth opened and closed. He looked down, which gave me a perfect view of how his expression twisted. He'd remained in control during the fight with the warlock. But could he really promise it wouldn't happen again? With dirt in his mouth, he replied: "I cannot guarantee that." And so Emily had her answer.

"I'm confident in my class and abilities," she said.

"But, like you said, I cannot bring anyone back from the dead. If you ended up killing one of us…" she squeezed her arm, shook her head, then added: "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing for you to apologise for," he whispered. The smirk on Shota's face grew. His gaze flicked toward the student council president. Alexa did not speak immediately and stared at the white fang. Which was the opportunity Lily used to speak up.

"I think we should give him a chance." She dusted off her skirt.

"Alexa, if those two hadn't shown up, we would've all died." Did those words tip the scales at all? Alexa rotated and took in the room.

"I'm grateful that you saved our fellow students." My lips pressed into a thin line. I could already hear the 'but.'

"But you're too much of a danger to keep near, Kiba," she said.

"Our group is one thing, but if you attack one of the lower level students during a battle, they will not survive." Kiba's hands tightened on my arms.

"I understand." The president sighed.

"That said, we're not leaving you behind or making you fend for yourself. You can stay with us. You just won't be fighting alongside us." That didn't sound so bad initially. However, that meant he wouldn't be joining any parties. How was he going to gain experience? Shota chuckled.

"You're merciful, President. If it were up to me…" He held Kiba's gaze. Then snorted.

"Whatever. Please carry our precious joy to safety, will you? She's a member we can rely on, unlike you."

"Oy, Shota," I began—"It's fine," Kiba said. He headed for the other side of the room and quickly left the others behind.

"Where do you want to sit?"

"Get me away from the others for a second," I said. I wasn't a Kiba, but I didn't enjoy being in other people's presence for too long either. He found me a secluded spot near the entrance.

"This okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." With a nod, he stepped toward the exit. Seeing this, I lunged and grabbed his arm. He jerked to a stop.

"How about you sit down, too?" I whispered. My mind raced and tried to come up with a good reason to keep him here.

"You must be tired," flopped out. I resisted the urge to slap myself on the forehead.

'Really? That's the best you could think of?!' His head turned, though not enough for our eyes to meet over his shoulder.

"Thanks." There was something to his tone. It rumbled in a way that was vaguely reminiscent. Like a hole in the road that'd reopened after being sealed.

"But I want to be by myself." I bit my lips…and let my hand drop softly.

"Alright. Just…don't go doing anything crazy, okay? There are still enemies out there. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be careful," he said. It lacked any heart, but he walked off before I could say anything.