Chapter 147: Bastions On Earth

I had trouble sleeping due to the announcement of the Divine Event. The contents were quite disturbing, as they basically meant that we were going to war.

When I woke up, the first thing I wanted to do was to confirm what I had heard and see how the discussion around it was developing.

I still took a moment to bask in the image of Licia and Claire sleeping peacefully next to each other though.

It has always been calming and motivating for me, and it seems like they have been sleeping better as they get closer to the power they had previously, and thus, more comfortable and confident, which allows them to rest more easily.

Cassandra: "When I saw your memories, I thought it was a bit creepy how much you enjoyed watching them sleep, but I think I get the appeal now."

Miwen: "It's a nice sight, isn't it?"

It took them a leap of faith for us to reach this stage.

Considering the strange circumstances, it was definitely even harder for them than it would normally be.

Still, we managed to reach this level of trust in our relationship. One where we can enjoy these peaceful nights and warm mornings without worry.

I'm proud that we accomplished this together, so of course, I'll revel in it every single day.

Cassandra: "No doubt about it. And yet, the look on your eyes doesn't reflect that."

Miwen: "Nothing I can do about that. This Divine Event might change a lot going forward, there's a bunch of things for me to consider."

No matter if Earth wins or loses, the world is bound to change.

Never before had we participated in an event with such high stakes, and our track record is not good enough for me to disregard the worst-case scenario.

Thankfully my family is inside the Dungeon, which means they won't get caught up in it no matter what.

Since my parent's raids usually take an entire month or more to end, nothing much will change for them, and if they end up needing supplies or resources, I can arrange for them inside the Kingdom.

Cassandra: "Uh-huh. But don't sacrifice your joy over it. Here, I'll make it an even better sight."

She jumped on the bed, taking the space I occupied between Licia and Claire.

She also made sure to pat their heads and bring them closer to her. All the while, she kept eye contact with me, with a smug smile that would normally be found on someone trying to show superiority.

It was quite a scene.

Miwen: "That's nice too. But why are you doing this?"

Since she's on night duty, it's understandable for her to go to sleep at this hour, but that's not exactly what bugs me.

Cassandra: "I just don't like seeing a kid like you looking like that, is all. I know that you're trying to keep a good balance between living your life and securing it while also striving for more, but if I do something like this, the burden on your shoulder should go down a little, right?"

Miwen: "Sure. But I'll have you know that I'm not a kid."

Cassandra: "I disagree. You've yet to go through an adult's experience. But I know that my words won't convince you, only life will be able to do that. But since you seem willing to hear, here's a piece of advice. You know... no one should be expected to succeed every time, so take it easy~"

That's a pretty nice approach to life.

I'd probably go for that too if I didn't have so many people to look after. As long as they rely on me, I can't afford to fail.

No matter what I have to use, or who I have to call.

It's fine if I don't emerge with a single victory of my own, as long as I don't suffer any defeat.

I don't want to experience what happened in the first event again.

Miwen: "Speaking about taking it easy, I've good no morning wood, and there's this funny sensation I'm feeling, you wouldn't know about that, would you?"

Cassandra: "Hmnh... ZzzzZ..."

Haah...

Leaving her on night duty might've been a mistake. She seems to have misinterpreted what the job entails.

She said she wanted to alleviate the burden on me a little, but she ended up giving me even more to think about...

My biggest worry is that the next event I selected is not an Invasion. From the description, it seems like I'll have to go to another world again.

The period will coincide with the Divine Event, so I'll have to choose between one of the two to focus on.

I have no plans of carrying the weight of the entire world on my shoulders though, but I can't shake off the anxiety knowing that this world is the one where my family lives.

The one where my home with the girls is.

If I'm able to do something to protect it, I'd gladly do it.

However, Cassandra's advice wasn't so bad, especially considering today's plans.

We were going on a small trip, so I woke up earlier than usual, and the girls also did the same, albeit a little later than me.

We quickly had breakfast and watched some news. Even if I didn't want to, it's not like we had much of a choice as there was a huge uproar and the broadcasts were non-stop.

As for the second match... it was a pretty interesting matchup.

Normally, it's hard to imagine Licia winning against Claire due to the elemental advantage. She can definitely keep up a good fight, but unless she manages to catch Claire by surprise, it will eventually be her loss as she needs to use more mana than normal to block Claire's fire magic with her ice.

But without magic, it was pretty much impossible to guess who would win.

Both are excellent experienced fighters who know themselves pretty well.

Claire has a learned style, a little more rigid, but made for fighting against humans. Even though it's a sword style, and we weren't using weapons, it looked like she was taught how to fight without a sword too, as I can kind of see some of the fundamentals still being applied.

Especially her tendency to reset back to her basic stance.

Licia's style on the other hand is self-taught and made for fighting monsters. While it's way more flexible, it also requires improvisation and creativity, and she normally uses her magic to fill those gaps.

Licia seemed better at fighting barehanded, but since Claire knew her pretty well, she was careful to not create any opportunities for Licia to surprise her.

In the end, in an honest, no-tricks brawl, Claire narrowly stole the win as she had an easier time scoring points.

This took us to the last match...

Miwen: "Don't jump on the walls. Or the ceiling. And don't damage the floor either alright?"

There was no need to remind them of the rules in the other matches, but I knew that these two tend to get overly excited easily.

When their battle started, it became obvious that Mia was both slightly stronger and faster than Claire.

To counter Mia, she kept her movements to a minimum and allowed Mia all the space. She focused on not making any wasteful movements and just tried to score more hits than her when they engaged.

Licia: "I didn't think she could be so annoying."

She was just irritated that she lost to the same strategy. But it was true that this was a surprise.

Instead of going all out from the start like she usually does, Claire was using the rules to her advantage as much as possible.

Miwen: "Well, she's competitive so..."

Licia: "I guess... Who do you think will win?"

Miwen: "It's fifty-fifty... I think giving up the arena for Mia is the correct choice. There would be no point in fighting for control. Still, it's a sacrifice. Now that she's free to run around she can exploit a lot of different angles and approaches."

Licia: "Then I'll bet on Claire. If I win, you have to do something I ask."

I never said I would bet on Mia, but putting some stakes in it made things more interesting.

With the rules we set in place, the other matches ended after five or so minutes, but theirs went on for a little over twelve.

They were tied, and they would either need to lock the opponent or score a valid hit to end, but both of them were giving their all to avoid getting hit.

The pressure started to rise and it seemed like Mia was going to win, but... She took the space she had for granted for too long.

By conserving her energy, Claire had managed to match Mia's speed, and by using her leg she tripped her opponent. No one was expecting this match to end with a lock, but she managed it.

Just to have a little more fun we allowed the other girls to have a tournament of their own.

We got Bea, Ellie, and Liz to participate, as well as Sam.

I had Angelica and Cassandra sit this one out since they were in an awkward position as they were clearly in a league above them due to their levels, while still below the other four girls.

The first match was Bea vs Sam, and it was really funny to watch.

Sam knew what she was doing, and if not for her level she could definitely play in the big league with the other girls.

As for Bea...

Mia: "Open your eyes!"

Every time she tried to punch, she would instantly close her eyes too, which... didn't prove too effective.

She also tried to copy Claire... or maybe she wasn't confident that she could hit and run... but staying still didn't do much good for her either and she ended up losing quite easily.

The next match was a little more interesting. While it's not her focus, Ellie does know how to fight in close quarters.

On the other hand, thanks to the Horde event, Elizabeth had managed to get a level up, and she invested the points she got into physical status to make up for her deficiency, just in case she ever needed it again.

However, in this match her status didn't do much as Ellie simply had better coordination and tempo.

The final was between Sam and Ellie, and that was probably the first match where the difference in levels played a big role for the victor.

While Sam's abilities were better, Ellie could answer them very easily, and since she was not so far in that department either, she ended up winning.

The matches in this last tournament were quite quick, especially Bea's, so Claire wanted to do a last match between champions against Ellie.

Everyone knew what the result was going to be, and that Claire just wanted to show off.

Since Roy had just arrived, we ignored her and pretended we didn't hear her idea.