Chapter 269 267: Growth Through Despair

As Victoria laid on the muddy ground completely defenseless, a pair of furry legs arrived close to her. They belonged to none other than Jagu, who looked at her with bewilderment on his face before turning his head back and yelling. "Aron! You need to see this."

After Aron had made the decision to act on the events taking place in the Drakarian mountains, he and the group started heading there immediately.

Jagu moved slightly further ahead of everyone else in order to act as a scout. It was during that time his sensitive ears picked up on the rapid movements of an unknown being.

They weren't coming too far from the path he and the others were planning to use so he moved in closer to investigate. It was then that he saw the familiar figure of Victoria Vonstein and approached cautiously.

Looking at her condition, it was only natural for him to assume she was perhaps fleeing from an enemy. Because of that he remained highly alert of the surroundings, even when Aron and the others arrived on the scene.

"Is that…" Jin couldn't hide the slight surprise he held as he saw Victoria laying on the ground in such a pitiful state.

"Victoria Vonstein." Aron confirmed with a curious look being expressed under his helm.

One couldn't forget she was a powerful pillar that stood above many. Yet there she was, lacking any of her majesty.

This was especially surprising to Mrah and Khalel who knew the weight of that name. For someone as powerful as her to be in such a state, it truly made them feel like insects that could die from a single swat.

Aron ignored the varied expressions being shown by the others and crouched down to inspect her body.

He could already tell even before coming close that she was alive, the sound of her breathing and beating heart couldn't go unnoticed by him and Jagu at such a close range.

What he was checking for instead, was how severe of a state she was in and how exactly she came to be that way.

He held up her head gently, which seemed almost like a child's in his large hand. From there he opened her eyes for a moment before stepping away.

"She just fell unconscious from exhaustion, her body has almost been pushed into a dormant state. Her wounds aren't bleeding at least so she'll live."

It wasn't hard for Aron to give a quick diagnosis on Victoria, not because the signs were obvious but instead because he had also been in such a state… more times than he would have liked.

He wondered if he too looked as pathetic to his father and even Argos, when he pushed himself till his body could no longer move.

His brief reminisce of the past was cut short as Jin posed the question. "Do we bring her along? Or…'

Jin didn't need to state the other option as it was quite obvious. The group was in a hurry and in her state, Victoria was only a burden.

Once again, another decision fell onto the lap of Aron. He turned and saw some looks of expectance from some of them… he didn't like it.

Having so many people around him was already a feeling he had yet to grow accustomed to, it was why he wasn't very outspoken, this was a learning experience for him.

And right now, he learned that having people depend on him wasn't something he liked. No exact reason existed for this, he just didn't. For the first time since he was young, Aron didn't bound himself to logic, instead he acted on feeling.

"Jagu, carry her as we go." This was the decision he reached.

He didn't weigh the pros and cons, nor did he think of the benefits and consequences of his choice, he just acted. Doing this gave him a sort of euphoric feeling he hadn't felt in a long time, freedom.

Bounding oneself to logic, although advantageous, it was restraining, mentally taxing and monotonous.  It was bigger revelation than he could ever realize, but in that moment he just turned and walked away after giving Jagu the instruction.

Although he himself didn't see any difference by acting on feeling, two sets of eyes that always paid keen attention to him did.

The first belonged to of course Rose, whose entire purpose in being present was Aron. She, who acted on logic like Aron could notice the subtle difference he showed.

Why? Because she and him thought alike, yet this time, Aron chose a decision that she saw as illogical and redundant for the first time.

'Odd.'

She didn't immediately believe anything changed with him, she just noticed something peculiar and took note of it. Only time would tell if she were wrong.

Meanwhile the second set of eyes belonged to Evanora, who acted only on feeling.

Unlike Rose, who had evidence to back her thoughts on the matter, Evanora didn't. She just felt Aron was different in that moment, it was that simplistic for her, she required nothing else.

…

After that brief stop, Aron and the others continued to make their way towards the Drakarian mountains, where the earlier commotion also had the captives in a buzz.

Inside Amarr's den, which was a rather large and very open cave, a large open existed.

It was several meters deep and right at the center of the den, in it, countless male individuals of varying sizes.

Due to the commotion that had occurred outside earlier, the captives were all in a buzz. Some hopeful that the noise meant their rescue, while others scared that it spelled their doom.

Although most had only been captives for less than a Pesian month, it felt longer and more hellish.

Why? Because of the miserable conditions they stayed in.

One could actually argue that they lived in a worse environment compared to the prisons and dungeons back in Pesia.

Here, they were treated as livestock. Firstly, they were overcrowded in what was a crude hole that offered very little space for that many captives.

This led to unsanitary conditions very quickly. The hole had piles of excrement in various places, the only source of somewhat clean water came in the form of rain, dead bodies and rotting carcasses were left to rot in the hole and acted as food.

In that very hole, two familiar figures had a monopoly over the center of the hole, which was at least bearable despite the foul odor that prevailed in the air.

These two figures were Reginald, a follower of Belle and Xavier, a former member of Aron's Sovereign faction back in Pesia.

They had been captured relatively recently in comparison to the others present so they still looked healthy. Unfortunately, because they were captured late, they could do nothing about their horrible conditions.

Since the majority of captives were commoners or rather weak aristocrats, Xavier and Reginald had no trouble becoming the dominant force, having no choice but to kill those who wanted otherwise, much to the entertainment of Amarr who had just watched from above with a sinister grin.

"Some time has passed since the noise earlier… do you still think it was help? Is help even coming?"

Reginald sighed in defeat as the two sat on the ground with their backs turned to one another.

They too had hope briefly arise when they heard the noises outside, only to be disappointed when they stopped and Amarr returned, looking like she did before.

"Honestly… who knows? I just hope the girls are okay…" Xavier's concerns weren't for himself but another, even in such a horrible place, his focus lay elsewhere.

Upon hearing that, Reginald released an even heavier sigh. "You also had company when you were captured huh? And from the sound of it, it's someone you hold dear in your heart."

Xavier showed a bitter look when Reginald made an accurate guess. "Even before coming to this forsaken place, I always liked her. However here, as we travelled and struggled to survive together… I came to love her. Is it that obvious?"

Following that question, Reginald broke into a brief pitiful laugh while shaking his head. "No, I just see myself in you. In fact, you described my situation perfectly. My advice though, if we do manage to get out of this, show her just how much you love her."

Xavier's expression grew far more bitter as he heard those words. It was like they made an already painful situation worse.

"She already has eyes for another. Throughout our journey here, she didn't once stop searching for him."

Upon hearing that, Reginald showed a similar expression before laughing again.

"The irony… you really are like me…"

…

Meanwhile, at the same moment within another hole like prison, this time for females, three other familiar girls sat at the hole's center with their backs against each other also.

They were, Claudia, Scarlett and Aela. Two being former members and allies of Aron, while the last was a close follower of Belle Ettenheim. All three had also been captured not long ago.

"Hey…Scarlett, do you really think he'll come?" Claudia had her head tucked down as she hugged her legs and whispered in a low tone.

Scarlett glanced at her in the corner of her eye while juggling a rock in bottom.

"He will, now chin up lass, you're making an already depressing mood feel worse."

A weak smile appeared on Claudia's face. She was fully aware that Scarlett was simply saying what she wanted to hear, but that was fine.

Aela however showed a frown and snapped her back to reality.

"I hope you don't mean the very bastard who is the reason we are all here. Someone like him will never save us, if anyone will, it's Lady Belle. Just give it up with the fantasies, you're only going to be disappoint-."

Rumble! ~

Before Aela could say more, the entire area around them shook like an earthquake.  Everyone immediately grew alert and wondered what was happening, including Amarr.

"Don't tell me…"