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They told me multiple times that fighting against other people is completely different from fighting against monsters, and if not for their help, I\'m sure that I would struggle way more.

Licia: "Uwah... almost."

I had finally managed to close the distance between us, but due to her dodging at the last second, I didn\'t manage to hit her head with the blunt side of my sword.

I still managed to get her shoulder though, but it didn\'t seem to be enough to give me a big enough advantage to exploit yet... even more so considering...

Jessica: "It\'s insulting that you are not taking this seriously. If you have a death wish, stay still."

A chain blade came quickly in my direction, trying to stab me.

It would be easy to deflect it, but... she keeps control of her chains even after I damage or cut them off...

The only ways I found to deal with them are to either freeze them completely or avoid them whenever possible.

Seems like she\'s able to produce and control these chains infinitely with her Gift, so if I recklessly used my magic at every opportunity I would be the one losing this fight.

Thus, I had to give up the momentum and the close-quarter combat to fall back to a small controlled area of my own.

Beatrice doesn\'t often practice with us unless she has an idea she wants to test out, or if Claire manages to provoke her enough into doing a showdown, but whenever we get her to participate, she makes a statement about the importance of setting up territory in a magic battle.

Claire\'s each attack is generally more powerful than Bea\'s, but thanks to her area of control, Bea can keep up and even sneakily attack Claire using it.

Well, she still has to pay a lot of attention to Claire\'s fire magic though, but she would definitely be in a worse position without taking control of a space.

This type of practice is not very necessary in dungeon raids since we are always moving around and rare are the monsters that use clever tactics like taking control of the mana around their opponents.

But in a battle against another human, I\'m seeing a lot of reason to keep my own little icy arena.

Jessica, the member of the AOTG I\'m fighting can use her chains to attack and defend effectively from both medium and close distances, not to mention that they rarely come at me straightforwardly like a sword, which makes fighting them quite difficult.

Even if I block one link, it does nothing to stop another part of the chain from attacking or a different one from whipping me.

It felt like I\'d only been able to fight back against her in the area where I took control.

In this small space, I could erect ice pillars faster to block the chains or freeze them without as much delay since my ice magic was ready before we even made contact.

Well, I did manage to close the distance between us this one time, but only because she overused her chains in a desperate attempt to break through this defense which left me a small opportunity window.

I at least managed to discover that she\'s not super patient.

Licia: "Um... Well, I mean no disrespect... I\'m not making it more difficult for the thrill of the challenge or anything, you know?"

Jessica: "Then what is your problem?"

Licia: "...I can\'t afford to make a mistake tonight. If I don\'t tread carefully, I\'ll risk everyone\'s future."

Miwen\'s decision is unclear.

I\'d love to be able to say that I see through him or that I can read his mind, but... I don\'t want to risk being mistaken.

All I can go off from are confrontations he faced, and the things he says.

But...

His words are hardly reliable... he talks about himself as if besmirching his own name and actions, not all portraying the things that everybody sees in him.

He refuses to accept himself as a good man, saying that we are just a special circumstance due to being his responsibility...

And yet, I cannot say for certain if this is another side of his kindness, shown in the form of cruel honesty toward himself, a warning to us not to trust what we see too deeply, or if it\'s just a complex about not having faith in himself...

The only way to know if he has been bluffing and lying or not is... the very situation we have right now... and I... cannot help but worry about it.

I\'m scared of what results today will bring, but... I\'ll do my best to not disappoint him.

Since I\'m not confident in his intentions... I\'ll simply follow his orders.

He told us to beat them, so I decided to do exactly that. Nothing more, nothing less.

Jessica: "Hah... you say he\'s a nice guy, but he leaves so much for you to carry, huh?"

Licia: "Yeah... I guess you have it easier?"

Jessica: "Hmph. I only see Lance extending his hand to throw a punch. I have no one to care or worry about."

Must be nice... I feel like the amount of people and things I have to care about keeps increasing.

The girls can wreak havoc in his house and Miwen will not only allow them but also call it cute.

He talks a lot about being responsible for us but if not for me, there wouldn\'t be any rules in the house aside from the basic "don\'t stab me in my sleep" he set up with Claire and me back then.

And even though I went to the trouble of setting the rules, I also have to enforce them even though he\'s supposed to be in control.

He knows everyone listens when he talks, but he still passes most of the responsibility to me.

And then he has the gall to say that he\'s going to be a king. I\'d love to tell him that I can\'t carry a nation on my back, but...

If he asks me, I think I can do it.

Even if he doesn\'t...

Even if he doesn\'t say a word and even if it\'s impossible for me... I\'ll try my hardest.

I\'ll take the jobs he doesn\'t want to do. Tough work or plain bothersome, it doesn\'t matter.

Because... I am the happiest when I see him happy.

I want to see him realizing all of his desires, and I am proud of every little, asked for or not, speck of help that I can give him.

He\'s truly special to me, and I know that I want nothing more than to be by his side when he gets the things he wants and deserves.

I know the potential he holds, even if he denies it.

I believe him to be a genuine, kind man, even if he disagrees.

And I want others to know this side of him too, even if he says it\'s not his only.

It\'s this honest, kind self of his that I fell in love with, after all.

Licia: "I take it back... I think I already have it nice."

Jessica: "Hm. I see, in that case, you can rest in peace."

Licia: "Eh? Not at all... things will become a mess if I die. Poor Ellie is going to get overworked to death."

Sadly, Jessica didn\'t seem to want to talk anymore and resumed her attacks with the chains.

For the first time in our battle, she started using magic of her own to light them on fire.

Not only that, much like Claire does with her sword, by swinging the chains, she could launch fire blades that melted the ice blocks I erected around me.

Licia: "You know... you look a bit sad."

Jessica: "Shut up..."

Licia: "I mean, you said you had nothing to worry about, but I find that strange... when you love someone, it\'s normal to worry about them right?"

Jessica: "Only if they are a weak man. I don\'t have that problem, thank you very much."

Talking so much to an opponent is not something I\'m really used to... it might\'ve been the anxiety due to my inexperience in fighting another person. but...

I felt like there was something more bothering me tonight.

I had managed to strike up some conversation with her in the beginning. She didn\'t look like a bad person to me... but I felt my heart so heavy whenever she talked.

I... had a lot of pity for her, without even knowing why.

But I think I understand it better now...

She\'s youthfully immature.

The bad thing she did today... I believe she didn\'t do it while thinking by herself.

She\'s just following the person she believes in. And that by itself, is not so different from what I\'m doing.

Though, I believe Miwen\'s cause to be way more just.

Licia: "You know... I think it\'s valid to worry about strong people too... they also end up picking fights they cannot win, against things and people even stronger... Hell, they might do it more than the weak."

Weak people sometimes don\'t choose to fight, while strong people sometimes don\'t choose their fight. They simply hear the call and jump into action.

It\'s almost like unconsciously, the stronger you are, the harder the battles you pick.

Jessica: "Pfft... hearing you is really worthless! Let me tell you something... that guy will not lose. He was born for violence, it\'s all he knows and all he cares about. It\'s his nature.

He doesn\'t even care if we all die here tonight or not, he\'ll finish everyone with his fists if necessary. The boy you guys sent? Yeah, he ought to be dead now. And no need to worry about the other girls too, they should also be following him soon to the grave."

I must\'ve struck a cord. Unintentionally, she ended up being provoked by my words even though I didn\'t mean to offend her.

Still, her attacks ended up becoming way more predictable as we exchanged words.

It\'s a shame too, because I thought the strange patterns and angles made her really strong.

Anna and Miwen always disagree about the value of provoking opponents in battle, but I think I agree with Miwen, it\'s very useful when it comes to humans.

Even though she was still trying as hard as before, her feelings were making her weaker.

I wonder what is the difference between us since I feel like my emotions only work to make me stronger...

If I didn\'t love everyone so much... If I didn\'t want to protect our way of life... I think I wouldn\'t be able to fight her well...

When I think about it, it feels wrong... like I\'d only be doing a half-assed job.

Still... her words cut deep into my heart.

I don\'t want the others to suffer, and if what she says is true, then I need to help them... but I want to resolve things here too... both physically and mentally. I think it will be my loss otherwise.

Jessica: "Getting worried about your boy now?"

Licia: "...I got worried about the others, actually. What you said just confirmed to me that he will be alright..."

Jessica: "...Did you not listen to anything I said?"

Licia: "No, no, no, I did... It\'s just that... I don\'t know how used to fight people Miwen is... but monsters? Yeah, he has the experience with those."

He had a couple of excellent teachers. I\'d get mad if he lost to an unthinking, unloving beast who only has violence in his mind.

As soon as I answered her, the attacks coming my way increased in speed and power, destroying the ice blocks in a hail of whipping hits that didn\'t allow me an opening and made it way too costly to keep up my arena.

She had finally started using her power to its maximum potential.

I had to answer in kind, so...

I summoned a few ice chains of my own.

Every time they clashed, mine would freeze and break hers, but most importantly, I could advance while extending them from my small area of control, which allowed me to protect myself while closing the distance.

Licia: "This is really useful. Thanks a bunch."

Jessica: "Tsk."

Before I could hit her, she summoned more of her chains and made them into a dome around her. When my sword met the chains, she used them to throw my weapon away.

Then, she used a chain blade to pull herself back, creating distance between us and then surrounding me with all the chains on the floor.

This battle had become a chaotic mess, there were dozens of chains broken or being held in place by ice spikes in the ground. Their frozen metal still had to melt while my icy chains met hers in the air dropping even more frozen links.

The temperature of the room was slowly but surely decreasing too, as was my mana...

If I wanted to help at least one other girl tonight, I would have to finish things soon.

Licia: "One last question then... if you love him, why don\'t you help him become better?"

Jessica: "Are you stupid? Because I like him the way he is. Is it not the same for you?"

Miwen is full of mistakes and problems here and there... if I let him run everything the way he wants he\'ll sink the ship with a big dumb smile on his face while he says that everything is alright.

He\'ll probably even joke about it being part of the plan for another beach day where he can ogle at our swimsuits.

Because if there\'s one stance where he might lie... it would definitely be to not worry us. To make everything seem seamless and alright.

As if he doesn\'t believe us capable of supporting problems. As if he wants to carry everything by himself, both his problems and ours.

He still doesn\'t understand properly when we tell him that we are his strength. It\'s our job to support him, not the other way around.

After all, he already does more than necessary for us.

Licia: "I think that\'s where we differ... I do my best not to allow him to remain who he is... but to facilitate him becoming the man I know he can be. I want him to be the best version of himself because I know there\'ll be no other like him. I believe he is amazing, and that he can be even more incredible.

So I\'ll correct him when he\'s wrong, and I\'ll prevent him from making mistakes when I see them... because I know he can do better, he can always be better. His potential is endless, and as long as he keeps walking forward, on a good path, he\'ll be the greatest ever."

He\'s the man I chose to believe in.

It\'s my duty to help him realize himself.

And I plan on helping him every step of the way, enjoying every second of the best version of the man I love, knowing I did everything in my power so that he could be satisfied.

With himself, with me, and with whatever he achieves.

As such... I shall not allow myself, him, or the others to make a mistake here tonight.

Nor ever.

I\'ll demand their best at every turn. And I do understand that this means I have to be implacable too, that it will only give me more weight to carry, a responsibility no one is trying to put on me.

But.

I\'ll happily do it for him.

And as for this battle... I\'ve seen enough. I have my answer about Jessica.

She was a surprising opponent and provided a very fun challenge, but there wasn\'t much else that she seemed capable of doing, so I used a trick that I\'ve been keeping on my sleeve for a while now.

A frost coat started corrupting the chains that were frozen in place by my ice spikes.

She tried to set them on fire to offset it, but it was no use, as the flames were quickly put down with the layer of ice covering the chains only thickening and spreading.

It\'s not my usual ability... it\'s the [Ice Veil] skill.

It\'s normally used for defense as it freezes anything that touches the veil, but... It can also be used against an opponent\'s weapon.

And in her case... she needs to let go of the chain or the freezing would reach her.

Of course, with how many chains she was controlling in this mess, it was hard to determine which ones to let go of, so she could either extend them to buy herself time or let go of every single one of them.

Since they don\'t cost her any mana, she chose the latter.

Well, there was no right answer... either way, the battle would have been over.

As soon as I sensed the opportunity, I closed the distance, and as she tried to protect herself in a new dome made of chains... I started freezing them by having my own icy chains covered with [Ice Veil] collide with hers.

She couldn\'t do her dome as it would simply freeze her, so she went for the chain blade retreat strategy.

But as soon as I saw that blade being fired at a wall, I erected an ice block and shot an ice spike from it in my direction.

The blade stabbed the ice spike, and instead of pulling her body back, she ended up pulling herself forward as I froze the blade in a block of ice behind me.

Thus, our dance ended.

A single stab in her arm and it froze instantly. Courtesy of the room temperature, my ice magic at its fullest power, and the [Ice Veil] skill.

The only way for her to still have a chance was to cut off her arm but... she didn\'t have the courage.

The freezing spread, and she became stuck in a solid ice block.

Licia: "You should\'ve gotten rid of some of the chains earlier... when you decided to do it, it was already too late..."

It wasn\'t like she could hear my advice though...

The next step in my way was probably going to be Claire since I saw her getting caught by a water mage, but before I left the building, all the girls appeared.

They were pretty roughed up considering they had a healer with them, so it seemed like they had a hard time with their fights.

Not that I can say too much since I wasted a lot of time just talking with Jessica.

Angelica: "Then, I\'ll start."

Claire: "No. Wait a second."

Angelica: "Hm? But Miwen\'s orders were to-"

Claire: "I know. But if she doesn\'t agree with it, he might change his mind."

...In the end, things were how Beatrice had predicted.

Miwen wasn\'t going to show any mercy to them tonight.

The man he is to us, and the man he was going to be to them, were two completely different people.

I also thought that this could be the case, but...

Deep inside I still hoped for a more peaceful resolution.

The problem was that... I wasn\'t going to be able to correct Miwen this time, even though I said all of that to Jessica.

To keep him on a good path I cannot criticize him every time, nor do it when I don\'t believe my own words, and in this situation....

Licia: "...Sorry Claire... I would\'ve done the same if it was my sister.... so I won\'t reprimand him this time. It sucks, but I think he\'s justified."

Claire: "Well... Are you sure? You\'re not going to regret it later, right?"

Licia: "Heh... I\'ll talk with him a little bit... but I think it wouldn\'t be good to say anything right now."

A few of the girls were more alright with it than the others...

Ellie seemed very worried about everything, while Anna and Mia were indifferent.

Claire was more worried about me than about Miwen\'s decision, and Beatrice seemed to be a bit lost in thought.

Still, we were all pretty much in agreement that we shouldn\'t hold him accountable this time.

I think we all want him to be happy, and we know that he tries his best to be good to those around him.

But we cannot ask him to bury his feelings like this either... even more so when most of us would\'ve done the same or worse in his place.

I\'ll look for a better chance to limit him when it comes...

And as for Jessica... I simply melted some of the ice, allowing Angelica to perform her job as we prepared to leave.

It felt soul-crushing to do this after talking with her so much... I truly believed she could do better, and that she was just blindly following the wrong guy...

But still, blinded or not, it doesn\'t change what she has done.

And so, this was the fate she met.

The same as all the others.

Licia: "Hm... so these are the orbs you can make with your Gift..."

Angelica: "Yes... if I get lucky I can acquire one of their Gifts for us, but, no such luck yet... these ones just improve status."

Licia: "But... aren\'t we missing one then?"

Claire: "That\'s because Ellie was the one to kill her opponent."

She what.

Seeing as Ellie was hiding her face in shame while Mia patted her on the back, it seemed like it was true...

I\'m sure she had her circumstances, but I wasn\'t expecting her to do something like this.

Licia: "I think I misjudged you, Ellie. Sorry about that."

Ellie: "...N-no..."

Claire: "Don\'t bully her too much."

So she says, even though according to Bea, together with Mia and Anna, they were the ones who bullied Ellie the most by commemorating her kill.

Still... I\'m glad everyone was alright. Especially Ellie and Claire.

One of them is too much of a sweetheart for these types of battles, while the other was caught by her natural enemy.

I couldn\'t help but worry about these two...

But now that I confirmed that everyone was fine... the last stop was Miwen\'s battle at the rooftop of the building he threw that guy at.

Since he was with Elizabeth, I knew things would be fine, but...

I wanted to be there to offer him my power nonetheless.