The first rays of dawn painted the room with a soft, golden hue. Rizki's eyes fluttered open, and he found himself lying in an unfamiliar bed. The last thing he remembered was the confrontation with the beastmen and the cold blade pressed against his neck. He sat up abruptly, his heart racing, and took in his surroundings.
The room was spacious, with four identical beds neatly arranged in a row. The curtains billowed gently in the morning breeze, and the scent of flowers wafted through the open window. Rizki's confusion deepened as he realized that he was not alone in the room. Sitting at the foot of his bed was a woman he vaguely recognized—Liora.
Liora watched him with a calm expression, sipping her tea as if this were an everyday occurrence. Rizki rubbed his neck instinctively, expecting to feel the aftermath of a deadly wound, but there was nothing. His fingers met unbroken skin, and the shock washed over him as he muttered, "I'm supposed to die!"
Liora raised an eyebrow and set her tea aside. "The slit on your neck is only a bluff," she explained, her voice steady. "I asked Eva to stop you since we knew that warriors weren't going to obey the rule anyway."
Rizki's mind raced as he tried to process this revelation. He had been certain that he would meet his end at the hands of the beastmen, yet here he was, alive and well. Confusion turned to curiosity as he asked, "Then why did you save me anyway?"
Liora's azure-colored dress rustled as she shifted in her seat. Her gaze remained fixed on Rizki as she replied, "You have one job."
Rizki frowned, puzzled. "Protect the girls?"
She nodded solemnly. "Decimating the whole beastmen is one way to protect them," he argued, his voice rising in frustration. "Those beastmen were ganging up to decimate you guys slowly!"
"Decimating them won't make us any different from them, Rizki," Liora warned, her tone taking on a cold edge. She continued, her voice laced with sorrow, "I lost my husband and my sons during the war against them. If I choose to kill their hero's wife and sons, then I'm no different than them. And that's very disgusting to me."
She clenched her fist tightly on her lap, her knuckles turning white, but she composed herself and continued, "You have to know that there is no such thing as complete evil."
Liora's words cut through Rizki's anger like a knife. She nagged him in a motherly tone, her voice filled with wisdom as she stated, "You want to be a villain, but you act like a hero to us. So perhaps, other races would think of you as a villain. But we won't. That's what I'm going to say about you and ask you not to be reckless."
Just as the tension in the room seemed unbearable, Eva, who had been listening outside the door, entered. She interjected, her voice firm, "We don't want to marry a man who has innocent blood on his hands."
Liora sighed, her exhaustion evident, and she said, "I know you want to protect those sisters, Rizki. But you are clearly misguided by deciding to decimate them."
"They are animals anyway!" Rizki retorted, frustration bubbling up once more. Liora's eyes flashed with warning, and she said, "Then I have a reason to kill you now!"
Tension escalated in an unpleasant way. Eva stepped between them, her hands raised in a calming gesture, and she yelled, "Calm down, you both!"
Liora took a deep breath, her anger slowly subsiding. She spoke with a measure of sadness in her voice, "Animals or not, they are living beings, like us, like you too. We don't commit crimes or try to ensnare other races. But at the very least, we are righteous in that we won't do anything they would do."
Rizki sighed, a sense of guilt washing over him, and he apologized to Liora. She responded with wisdom, "You have the heart and talent, Rizki. All you need is a clear head. You could have outsmarted me yesterday if you had the heart to fight."
"Agreed," Eva nodded, her expression softening. She continued, "It's similar to gambling. You need a heart to feel and consider. You can't rely on logic alone, because if your heart doesn't align with your logic, then expect the worst."
Rizki, who had been silently contemplating his actions, looked at Eva and Liora as they nodded in agreement. The weight of his decisions hung heavy in the air, and he finally voiced his uncertainty, "So... Am I doing wrong by deciding to kill them?"
Eva moved closer to Rizki, her eyes filled with compassion, and she nodded gently. Liora echoed her agreement with a solemn nod.
"You have a heart to fight, Rizki. More than that, I admire your fighting spirit," Liora said, a small smile gracing her lips. She continued, her voice filled with a sense of wisdom earned over centuries, "In fact, you are one of the strongest warriors I have ever met in my long life."
Liora reached for her tea, took a sip, and placed it back on the table. Her next words carried the weight of her age and experience, "I have lived for 620 years. Although my metabolism and body resemble that of a 200-year-old elf, my age doesn't lie. I could have easily defeated you yesterday with my shining arrow technique, but time has consumed my vitality, and I can't perform as I once did."
With that, Liora rose from her seat, her azure dress swaying gracefully. She made her way toward the door, but before leaving, she turned back to Rizki. "You have potential, Rizki," she said, her eyes holding a spark of hope. "But you lack many things that you may need to develop. Find me at the barracks if you want to know more."
Liora extended an offer that carried both a challenge and a promise, "I will teach you everything I know, even if I'm the one who wins."