After killing all the Snow Rabbits and collecting their ears as proof, Mark and Liora walked back to the adventurers guild. The trip was silent with neither one wanting to speak, Liora still continued to feel bad about killing a beast she ad recently just befriended.
After a while of walking, the two of them returned to the adventurer guild. Mark had told Liora to go and wait at the table, while he would handle everything and collect their rewards.
Liora understood and went over to her table, leaning back in her chair and stairing up into the ceiling. The pain of killing her tamed Kick Rabbit still lingered fresh in her mind, and she only hoped that she didn't have to do that ever again.
As Liora continued to aimlessly into the ceiling, Mark had returned with the quest reward money, "Here you go, take it." Mark said, but Liora simply ignored him and simply said.
"I want to go home."
Mark understood and led them outside of the guild, he then pulled over a carriage and asked them to ride them over to the Rohart Mansion. The ride on the carriage was quiet, the tension in the air palpable.
The chatter of the people mixed with the grind of the wheels on the carriage, added a strange comfort to the situation, but it didn't take away the pain completely.
Liora could still remember it all, the trust the Kick Rabbit showed, the way it was nuzzled in her arms, and the way it's head came clean off with one strike of her sword, was all to clear for her.
"Liora," Mark started, "I know this was your first time having to kill a beast that trusted you, but you had to do it. If that Kick Rabbit saw you killing it's family, it would no doubt have turned against you and attacked you.
As Adventurers we have to be aware of the situation at all times, and complete the mission first before anything else."
Liora heard his words but chose to ignore him, she had killed monsters before, particularly Slimes, but those monsters weren't what she liked, and she would gladly have killed them a million times over.
But the Kick Rabbits were very similar to her Snow Rabbit Summons, and the fact that she betrayed a beast that fully trusted her, made her heart heavy with guilt.
When the towering image of the Rohart mansion came into view, Liora instantly remembered the challenge of Lance waiting for her would come soon, and she would need to be ready for that.
But right now, all she wanted was to rest, to get that blood curdling image out of her mind. As a Beast Tamer, the closer you were and more attached you were to your pet, the stronger you could feel it's emotions and pain.
When Liora had finished off that Kick Rabbit, a huge sense of pain spread through her being, but it was only for one second. But still, that one second was enough to bring her to tears, she could tell that the Kick Rabbit probably felt so much pain as it got it's life taken from it.
When the carriage came to a halt, Liora stepped out and walked towards the mansion gates, not even bothering to wait for mark. Her boots clopping onto the sleek marble floors, she hastily pushed the gates open and walked up to the door of the mansion.
Entering it, she walked down the hall way and into her room. Once inside Liora locked her door and immediately climbed into her bed covers, crying as she let out all the pain that had been accumulating in her soul.
The soft glow of moonlight seeped through the cracks in Liora's curtains, casting faint patterns on the walls of her room.
Her sobs were muffled by the heavy blanket she had pulled over her head, but they echoed in the silence of the night, raw and unrestrained.
Each tear that fell seemed to carry a piece of the guilt that weighed her down, though the pain in her chest refused to subside.
Images of the Kick Rabbit flashed through her mind again—the warmth of its fur, the light in its eyes as it nuzzled her hand, the trust that she had so easily betrayed. The memory replayed on an endless loop, like a cruel reminder of her failure as a Beast Tamer.
Liora clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms until it hurt. "I didn't have a choice," she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. "I didn't…"
But no matter how many times she said it, the words felt hollow.
A soft knock at the door broke the stillness, startling her. She quickly wiped her eyes, though she knew the redness and puffiness would be obvious to anyone who saw her.
"Liora," Mark's voice called gently from the other side. "Are you alright?"
She didn't answer.
After a moment, Mark sighed. "Look, I know you're hurting, but you don't have to go through this alone. I've been there too, you know."
Liora's throat tightened, but she stayed silent.
"I'll be downstairs," Mark added after a pause. "If you want to talk—or if you just need someone to sit with you—you know where to find me."
She listened to his footsteps retreat down the hall, her heart aching at the sincerity in his voice. For a brief moment, she considered going after him, but her legs felt too heavy to move. Instead, she curled into a ball beneath the covers, her tears slowly subsiding into quiet sniffles
The faint sound of laughter and chatter from the mansion's staff drifted through the walls, a stark contrast to the turmoil inside her. It was as if the world continued to move forward, indifferent to her pain.
After what felt like hours, exhaustion finally began to overtake her. Her breathing slowed, her body sinking deeper into the mattress. As she finally fell asleep.