"What's wrong?" Elise asked, concerned about Gil's distress.
"Nothing... Just a bad dream," Gil replied, the vivid images still lingering in his mind as he remained in a trance, pondering the meaning behind the unsettling vision.
"Want to tell me about it? Maybe talking about it will make you feel better," she suggested, offering a comforting smile in an attempt to calm Gil.
Gil looked at her, frowning in suspicion. "Why are you suddenly being nice and caring to me?"
Elise blinked and averted her gaze, attempting to dodge Gil's question. After a moment, she stammered, "W-well, it's just the two of us left. We should try to get along, I suppose."
Gil still harbored suspicions but chose to brush them off after considering Elise's words. The memory of the other two members of his party hit him hard – he didn't care much for Anderson, but the fate of Lack weighed heavily on him. Adding, the distressing dream where Lack was cucked by Anderson only intensified his sorrow for his fallen comrade.
This depressing look Gil made did not go unnoticed by Elise. She gently moved closer to offer comfort, attempting to rest her hand on his arm, but Gil abruptly brushed her off.
"Who gave you permission to touch me?" Gil said, his glare fixed on her.
Elise managed an awkward smile, quickly retracting her hand, and then pouted in frustration at her failed attempt to console Gil.
"At least a 'thanks' would be appreciated. I practically dragged you out of there myself," she remarked, her pout still evident.
Hearing that, Gil muttered a short and half-hearted, "Thank you."
The lack of sincerity in his gratitude was certainly felt by Elise. She sighed and added, "Oh, well whatever. Anyway, to think that you revealed to me that you can receive mana from others. That's surprised me."
Gil tilted his head in confusion and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Elise found it strange that Gil didn't grasp the significance, realizing he might not be aware of how unique his ability was. She blinked, processing this, then inquired, "Wait, you mean you don't know that your ability is something rare?"
"Ha? Rare?" Gil replied, genuinely surprised.
"Don't 'Ha' me like that. Your ability is bestowed only upon chosen individuals. Don't you understand the basic mana principle? The church has been teaching it since we were kids," Elise explained.
This revelation startled Gil. He was completely unaware, having been transported to this world as an adult. If he displayed ignorance, Elise might become suspicious. So, he took a guess, attempting to feign a lack of knowledge. "Uhhh... I don't remember much. I usually skipped class back then. Is it related to how our bodies function?"
"You skipped the church lectures? That's quite bold of you," she remarked. "Oh well, whatever. It's surprising that you don't know something as basic as this. I wonder how you managed to get into the academy, though."
Elise continued, "Your guess wasn't far off the mark. While there's no concrete fact about this, according to church teachings, we, as living beings, possess a physical body and a soul. This soul takes on an astral form and contains our mana. Each living being has a unique soul, and hence, a different kind of mana."
She leaned in closer to Gil, emphasizing her point. "Do you understand my explanation? Essentially, every person possesses a distinctive soul, resulting in a unique type of mana. Mixing mana means potentially endangering your soul to destruction."
This was the first time Gil had heard about this concept, and he couldn't help but reflect on the times he had experienced pain while receiving Elise's mana. It seemed to corroborate what she had just explained about the risks of transferring mana.
"Then, how I stay alive?" He asked.
"Didn't you hear that I said that you have a rare ability?" he asked. "Well, if you want more explanation, there were people with exceptions with that kind of ability in our history. And you know right, who they were?"
"No..." Gil replied, his expression troubled.
"Geez, you should read more, Gil." She said, mocking Gil's cluelessness. "It's the hero, dummy."
Gil's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open in shock at what Elise had just revealed.
***
Outside the dungeon entrance, Elise and Gil finally emerged.
"Finally, fresh air and sunlight!" Elise exclaimed, stretching her arm up and accentuating her body's curves with her attire, deliberately catching Gil's attention.
Elise's figure and choice of attire exuded a captivating allure, one that could easily ensnare any guy's attention. She intentionally used this to her advantage, directing it towards her male teammate, Gil.
However, Gil remained oblivious to Elise's deliberate display as he was lost in a trance from the revelation that he might be a hero candidate.
Aware that Gil was still absorbed in his thoughts, she gently added, "It's not that bad being a hero, you know. You'll get everything you want."
However, Gil's expression turned sharp, far from calm. While her words held truth, he couldn't overlook the grim contrast between this world and the classic hero-saves-the-world narratives. In a typical heroic tale, he would have been elated, but in this grim reality of the NTR Games world where the fated hero, like Sid, endured a series of dreadful events, there was no way Gil could stay calm about it.
Being glared at, Elise retracted what she said earlier, "If you don't want to become one then it's up to you. I won't tell anyone about your ability to get mana from other people. But, you can't hide it forever, you know. The church will eventually know about your gift."
Gil's lips curled in a pained expression as he responded, "I know."
But, inside his mind, turmoil raged as he grappled with the unsettling possibility of actually being a hero. The most dreadful thought he could conjure was that he might be Sid's replacement.
'That can't be true, can it?' he anxiously pondered.
Despite his efforts to dismiss the unsettling thoughts, Gil couldn't rid himself of them entirely, especially considering he had effectively ousted Sid from the academy, leaving room for the whims of the gods to decide. 'You should replace him since he has gone.'
Seeing Gil still visibly troubled, Elise suggested, "Let's rest in the village first, okay? You can sort out your thoughts there."
With no better option at hand, Gil accepted Elise's suggestion. The two of them then headed towards the village, where the residents were left shocked by their sudden unexpected presence.