Chương 69: Henry’s Letter

I suddenly wished I had a mobile phone so I could call Henry and grill him on everything he'd learned over those hundred resets. My thoughts were interrupted when Lealia stepped out, carrying a small oil lamp and still wearing her nightgown.

"Asher? You're not asleep yet?"

"Yeah, I'm having some trouble sleeping. You too?"

"No, I just remembered something. This afternoon, when the group fetching water returned, they said someone had sent a letter for me. The sender is Henry McCaley. But when I opened it... it seems it was actually meant for you." I nearly snatched the letter from her hand and jumped for joy. This was exactly what I needed—the response from the universe to my sincere manifestations, chicken soup for the soul.

Seeing my haste, Lealia moved the lamp closer and murmured, "It's too dark here; you won't see the words clearly. Maybe go inside and light a torch." I was in a rush and replied, "No need, I can read it." On the paper was Henry's messy handwriting, concise and to the point. To Asher Griffin, I just remembered a few things. My memory is a bit of a mess. I don't know if this info will help, but I thought you should know. The Church's Miasma-resistance experiments began moving to Grasiva after the Battle of Yathen.

By the time I learned of this, there was no town left in Grasiva. If possible, leave soon. Henry McCaley P. S. Negotiations were successful. Claire Cassandra will enter Imperia next week. Short as it was, I had to read it over and over because of how many shocks it contained. The Church's Miasma-resistance experiments began moving to Grasiva after the Battle of Yathen. Yathen was the city next to the capital, the site of the battle against the ghoul army. That event was supposed to happen a month or two from now.

When Henry previously mentioned the Church's experiments in Grasiva, I had assumed they had been happening here for a long time. But now he says they only moved here after Yathen? Are the two events connected?... there was no town left in Grasiva. Could an entire town vanish without generating any news? Actually, yes. Grasiva's geography is incredibly isolated. There are only three ways out, only one of which can take a carriage, and all pass through the mountains.

Any natural disaster affecting mountainous areas can completely cut off transportation and communication. In a world with medieval technology, no phones, and no internet, a few powerful people could easily hide the disappearance of thousands. There was so much information I needed to verify, but the man providing it was overly brief and suffering from memory loss caused by too many loops. To think he only remembered such vital information after I'd already left.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Would he die if he just wrote a few more lines to explain the situation?

"Asher, what is it?" Lealia asked. I crumpled the letter into a ball and lied, "Nothing." I turned to go inside, but Lealia's voice stopped me.

"You're lying." I froze and looked back at her.

"I told you about the Vice-Captain of the Knights killing someone. Why did you get a letter from him?" So much had happened that I had forgotten Lealia had witnessed Henry killing Claire Cassandra. If I wanted Lealia in the future Hero party, I should probably resolve the friction between those two. Or maybe not. I suddenly realized a major flaw in my own behavior. Why was it that whenever someone else had a problem, my first thought was that I should fix it for them?

I was acting exactly like my self from ten years ago. If it were something affecting the big picture, I might try. But personal relationships were something they should handle themselves. If Henry and Lealia truly became a team later, I couldn't exactly follow them around to translate every word they said to make them sound nicer. If anyone should fix this, it should be Henry, since his actions caused the problem. So I said, "Maybe you should talk to Henry about it." Lealia shook her head.

"I don't want to... I have no connection to him. But you're different, Asher. Why did you want to be my assistant on this trip?"

"I told you before, it was out of gratitude..."

"I know you're lying."

"..." It seemed I had been too arrogant. Lealia might be naive, but she wasn't stupid. She had likely begun to sense that my approach was calculated. She broke the silence, sounding uncertain: "Do you like Iris?" I was stunned.

"No! What are you thinking?"

"Well... I heard people say you and Iris were close before. But then she became a Hero Candidate and got more famous... When I joined Class F, all I saw was you avoiding her. Then you suddenly wanted to be my assistant on a mission where Iris is present, and you've been antagonizing her the whole way..."

"So you think I'm doing this to get her attention?" Lealia didn't speak, but her eyes said she agreed. Maybe I really should reconsider my behavior. Why does everyone think I like Iris? Is my thought process abnormal, or is "love" just the only motive teenage girls use to explain everything? I've lived for thirty years; I find nothing attractive about a narcissistic seventeen-year-old, okay? I rubbed my forehead.

"Listen, I don't like Iris. Please tell that to anyone who says otherwise. I'd be very grateful."

"Then why are you using me to compete with her?"

"... Because I think you deserve it." I wasn't lying, and I thought it was a pleasant, satisfactory answer. But Lealia still shook her head.

"I don't know, Asher. I know you're hiding something from me. Like how you know Henry McCaley, why you suddenly changed your attitude toward Iris, why you know things about me that I don't even know myself. That's why I didn't agree with you this morning. Even though I knew Iris's way wasn't right, I..." She trailed off, but I think I understood.

"You did it to see if I would be disappointed and abandon you? Because you don't see your own worth, you believe my support must have some other motive?" I was facing someone with a serious crisis of self-worth. My secrecy had triggered her anxiety, leading to her skewed conclusions. This couldn't be fixed by mere encouragement. Self-confidence must be built from within, and that was something I couldn't do for her.

"I've said what I can say. If you feel like you're being used, or you don't trust me anymore, I won't interfere in your business." I sighed.

"From what I know, you can't fully give up the Candidate title, but you can choose to be like Nathan—do nothing and leave it to fate. Just keep yourself safe." With that, I walked decisively back to my room. I guessed that after this trip, Lealia would make her final choice. And I had a feeling she would quit. I wouldn't hate her for it, and I wouldn't regret it since I'd done my best. Still, I would be disappointed. Maybe I had to start considering Edgar.

And if Edgar didn't work out, maybe I'd have to personally fill that empty support slot. The food I cooked could provide mana, and I had First Aid on my skill list. It wouldn't fully replace a healer, but it could be made to work. Suddenly, I felt a bit discouraged. The only person I was certain would be in the Hero party was Henry, but he was no longer the upright Knight he once was.

Dying and reviving hundreds of times had eroded his spirit, causing him to lose common sense—as evidenced by his plan to kill Claire without a clear backup. Rachel seemed a bit more reliable, but the mess between her and Claire's reputation created a variable I couldn't predict. No matter how I calculated, nothing was certain. I used to be confident in my adaptability, but running a plan with this many variables was exhausting. My head felt heavy as lead.

Despite knowing I needed to plan my next steps in Grasiva, a heavy sleep claimed me.