Chapter 83 Torn Between Choices

Chapter 83 Torn Between Choices

[The Next Day]

"Good morning, Esteemed Otherworlders. It's really good to see you all in good health."

Right now, Rey and his classmates were standing in the open fields of their training ground.

All twenty-eight of them were facing Grandmaster Conrad, who had Brutus and Lucielle to his right and left respectively.

Conrad had a calm smile on his face as his long hair danced with the wind.

As usual, he was adorned in expensive jewelry and pristine clothing. There was no one who would doubt that this man was royalty.

"I am grateful for you being accommodating and understanding. You've been subjected to a lot of restrictions, and I am deeply honored that you chose to be patient with us."

Truthfully, if it hadn't been for Adonis calming the students down, there would have been a lot more resistance to the actions of the Royal Council.

After Adam's demise, it was clear that something had changed in the power balance.

The desperation of the United Human Alliance began to show, while the students grew a lot more uneasy about their place in the Estate.

This ultimately led to a shift in the status quo.

Right now, it was clear that the United Human Alliance had more to lose from letting the students go, and they had to be a lot more active in their management of their champions.

That was why Conrad—Grandmaster that he was—was standing out in the open to address the Otherworlders.

"All of that changes today. We will cease the barriers, and we will even allow you to explore outside the Royal Estate as you please."

As Conrad said all this, the annoyed countenance of a lot of students began to change.

Smiles and little chuckles began to reveal themselves among the dreary ones.

It felt like a miracle.

As the students murmured among one another in excitement, one of them was also grinning like an idiot, though his thoughts were far from what he showed.

'What a farce...'

Rey was the one who had this thought, and for good reason.

'He's making it sound like he's doing us a favor when, in fact, he has no other option.' This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Rey's classmates—that is, the Esteemed Otherworlders—were nearing the limits of what they could take from the Royal Council.

With their power weakening, it was clear that they had to make some compromises.

'Speaking of compromises, I'm sure they've run out of Mana Crystals to power the Grand Barrier, or they're pretty low on their supply. That's why they're stopping the barrier.'

Yet, the way Conrad made it sound, one would think it was a voluntary decision.

'I can see through you guys. It's almost sad how desperate these people are once you peel a single layer off...'

Underneath all that finesse was a Nation that desperately needed saving.

Besides, he had managed to form some sort of relationship with a few people during the time he spent in this world.

Noah, Adonis, Trisha... and then... Alicia.

Which brought him to the second, more sentimental reason, why he was hesitant to leave.

'I don't... feel comfortable leaving her behind.'

Even though Rey knew that Alicia was unaware of his true abilities, and that she wanted to return home if she could, he couldn't help but feel an irrational attachment to her.

'I just...' He found himself glancing in her direction, and much to his dismay, she was also looking at him.

She gave him a smile, and he found himself breaking into one as well.

'I'm happy she's feeling much better after witnessing that gory... hold on, what am I thinking?'

He found himself giving his biggest internal sigh.

Rey knew he was being stupid.

'You're not her type of guy, Rey. It's best to focus on improving yourself and maybe... maybe you can come back once you're good enough!'

Even though he had told himself this many times, Rey couldn't still bring himself to numb his feelings.

That's right!

Rey was in love.

... Or at least, he felt like was.

'Our connection is real! I can feel it! If we weren't interrupted that night, then maybe...'

Those immensely emotional thoughts were stopped by Rey's more negative line of reasoning.

'You would have embarrassed yourself by admitting your feelings, Rey. The best thing you can do now is focus on the grind!'

Right now, he was at war with himself.

Perhaps that was why he didn't pay attention to any other thing Conrad said until three words reverberated in his ears.

"... Royal Dungeon Expedition!"

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

What do you think Rey should do, fellas?