"I refuse."
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, I instantly declined.
"Wait, wait. Hear me out first," She held out her hands forward, looking panicked as she tried to explain further. But come on. Do I really need to explain why I don't want to?
"Whatever the case is, as long as I have the option not to, then I wouldn't want to fight something like that beast." I gave her my answer with a calm and clear voice.
If someone else would have been asked to do this by a beautiful girl like her, that person would probably stammer and would have clouded judgment. However, if that person can think first before anything else, then he probably would make the same reasoning I did.
"I said here me out first! We don't have to fight him off directly. I just have to get the luminous eternal back from Valentine." Unfamiliar names came out of her mouth. Luminous eternal? it sounds like an object, all right. But the name Valentine somehow aroused more reservation from me.
If I remembered correctly, there was a demon going around with an artifact, influencing biological beings. That same demon also started the conflict between the spirits and the beasts.
"I think I know where this is going... Let me ask you first. Do you have a plan?"
"I was originally going to Ius Viride to obtain an artifact so I can match Valentine. But since I found myself a living, breathing artifact, I don't really want to go there anymore... if possible." She placed a hand on her upper arm with a dispirited expression.
Putting aside her circumstances, is she really asking me, a child several years younger than her, to involve myself with problems that could even make an uproar across the continent? I took a deep breath and analyzed everything.
If I did take her up, what's in it for me? Nothing. I don't want anything and nor do I need anything. As much as battle experience is needed in a world like this, I don't think battling an 80-story dragon would count simply as experience.
If I had to say what I want right now, it is to indeed grow stronger, but not to the point that I'll have to walk on the thin threads of death. Furthermore, my desire to just simply be selfish and take on an adventure is stronger than my desire to get uselessly stronger.
I also want to go to the academy on Eun Frigore, but that's something I can do later on when my body grows and after I go to whatever the other reality is like. I also want to avoid the attention of nobility if possible. On the contrary, if I go and join her, that would put both my wants and name in danger.
I could already imagine everything going downhill if I was to be known helping someone of opposing race, and I don't imagine any way that it could end well for the both of us. However, there is something I'm curious about.
"What made you think I can be of help?" Apart from my martial arts and swordsmanship, I don't recall ever allowing her to see my hell frost. If she did ask me about it though, I could just say that I used imaginary potential to condense and freeze the ambient moisture.
But that would only work if she doesn't know how imaginary potential works which have the possibility to come out as a lie. She knows Velxia after all.
"I don't know either. There's something about you that I feel like it could help. Whether it's your skills or the way you think, I just feel like you still have something more up your sleeves."
What an amazing gut feeling this girl has. Or maybe it's not a gut feeling. Anna's fists tightened as she made a vain hope expression. If I were her, I'd probably feel the same. Saying that I need your help because I feel like you can help, it would certainly feel doubtful especially with the circumstances in place.
"As much as possible, I would like to decline on anything dangerous. I know it sounds selfish and all, but I have my reasons for doing so. However, if you can think of a better plan, then I don't mind hearing about it."
I gave her my response, but it was basically just putting the conversation on hold. Anna's eyes lit up as she looked at me with a hopeful expression, but I returned a blank expression to tell her not to hope too much.
As if I could just happily agree on something that sounds like a suicide mission. If possible, I would still like to decline it, but something still bothered me.
"This may sound weird, but have we met before? Like, up in Bluoir before?" The weird feeling of familiarity and trust coming from the original White's emotions bothered me. It would be right to say that my decision was influenced by this, so I feel like I have the right to know where this feeling stemmed from.
Anna tilted her head to my question. "No? It's my first time coming here to the human and elven continent so I don't think so." I could tell she wasn't lying, but that only deepened my curiosity regarding the original White's emotions.
I closed my eyes to recall anything I can think of to piece something, anything together. But I wasn't able to make up even a hypothesis. At the same time, I didn't realize it, but the crystal clear ball of ice placed at the side of my bed caught Anna's attention.
"H-hey, what's this- ouch!" She looked curious as she reached her hand to grab it. But as soon as her hand made contact with it, no, even before it did, she pulled back in pain.
"What's that?! It's so cold that it actually burns!" She exclaimed, standing up and subconsciously activating her attribute. If I recall it correctly, demons are supposed to have high resistance against magic.
To think she would feel burned without even directly touching it. But I should muse about it later and think of how to divert her attention first.
"It's made with Imaginary potential, Velxia's ability. Anyways, what happened to Alfen?" Without breaking my expression, I answered her and instantly changed the topic. She looks at me with a scary expression while holding her reddened hand as if knowing my intentions but I smiled at her to signal her that I won't explain further.
As far as I can see, her hand was only red. For my "Ice magic" that doesn't discriminate against any state of matter, it's a good thing she didn't turn into a popsicle. I don't even need to voice out how grave my situation would become if that happens.
"... Alfen's fine now. He's holed up in the clinic and is being treated. He also told them what you told him to and it doesn't seem like he'll be punished along with Lester and his companions. As for Sitri and the others, they're currently analyzing the dungeon that 'Lester and his companions' cleared. Oh, and I heard they've been reprimanded as well."
She looked at me with a small pout before speaking up. It looks like everything went well. I might have to be asked by Sean and the baron later on, but I can just play it off with ignorance.
"I don't understand it. How did this and that happen when I didn't even understand what was going on?" She placed both her hands on her forehead as she sighed heavily. I suppose they would be confused as well, but it wasn't really that confusing if you think about it much.
"Hmm, where should I start. I actually had to switch plans mid-way because of a certain someone revealing her identity, but it doesn't really matter since I arrived at the result I wanted."
"W-what?" I explained to her my plan. starting from the talisman I took out of Lester's ring. Since the talisman is designed to signal everyone who has the same talisman, as long as I took Lester's, I already achieved a great part of my goal.
Lester and companions still didn't trust me, so I appealed to them as a money-loving arrogant commoner. That didn't mean they trusted me though, but it didn't matter since they knew of my goal. Since I also 'took' a portion of the lumoine, then even if they didn't trust me, they would have leverage against me.
That way, I can somehow calm their worries down and give us more time. To make my calculations as close as possible, I counted the seconds mentally for a couple of hours and used Imaginary potential a couple of times here and there. Specifically, Lester's ring, the 'Lumoine' I brought with me, and the roots on the dungeon's ceiling.
For Lester's ring, I made it so that it would have the purpose to switch its inventory with a fellow ring. So when I killed the boss and moved through the short smokescreen of ashes, I took out the lumoine I made with my ability and placed the real lumoine inside my ring. So when I shook hands with Lester, the real lumoine was transferred to his empty ring.
Seeing the 'lumoine' on my hands and the unperceivable effects of imaginary potential, his mind was in a state of delight as it treads the line of common sense, not knowing I was making my moves beyond that. So he let us go easily and gave us more time.
At this point, having used imaginary potential actively twice, I was already feeling a bit weary. But I also gave the purpose of 'becoming my barrier' to the roots. Since Imaginary potential follows the will, as long as I haven't deemed its purpose to be satisfied, it wouldn't just lose that purpose anytime.
This is why it only ended when I fell asleep when I knew it would only be a matter of time. However, when we came out of the dungeon was when I changed my plan. Initially, I was opting for having it be Anna's idea to rescue Alfen, and that I only tagged along.
With Alfen and my obviously dreadful complexion of having used imaginary potential for the third time, it would look like we were caught into trouble. There, I would have told Alfen to say the truth, but play the victim. Since I and Anna came with him, that witness, being Alfen, would have people to confirm the truth and thus successfully ended the story.
But If I continued with that plan, Anna would have been in danger since that was a plan that essentially pushes all the acknowledgment to her. But if they somehow knew that she is a demon, then it would have been over for her.
This is why I switched my plans to make Alfen look worse so that the imagery of a heavily injured man would come out. Out of sympathy, it was obvious that the neutral party's decision-making would take on a kinder approach to his statements, even without others to back him up. This was something that wouldn't have happened if he came here with Lester's companions, though. And even if it did, proving it would be another story.
So in the end, we secured Alfen's 'trustworthy' statements. As for Lester's excuses, since the lumoine I had was basically an illusion and that he actually has it, it would turn null and void. He also didn't have his talisman which I destroyed which would make him all the more suspicious. Even if Sean and the baron were to have a suspicion of me, it would remain as that since I even took the effort to make it look like that wasn't even an option.
And that was with my sickly condition. As for Anna, she could just feign ignorance since she was essentially injured, to begin with. With everything said and done, we successfully conquered the dungeon, took our spots out of the limelight, and also captured Lester and his companions.
If I were to say what my regret was, it was definitely not thinking of how we can get inside Bellos without having to go through the gate when I changed my plans. This lead me to use imaginary potential for the fourth time on that leaf, overtaxing my body much more than I anticipated.
Finishing up my explanation, I touched my neck, feeling a bit uncomfortable with my dried throat before turning my attention back to Anna. To my dismay, however, the girl looks as if she didn't understand anything I just said.
"C-can you repeat that?"
"No."