Chương 322: B5—Chapter 42: Decision Made

It took two days, but finally, in the early evening of the second, Rima burst into my treatment room, practically vibrating with energy and bouncing on her feet.

"I learned! I know how to channel mana!" Her face stretched into a grin so wide it looked like it might split her face in two. I split my mind one more time, keeping the healing going as I glanced at her.

"Good job. Go rest, and tomorrow, we'll start working on spells." Mahya joined us in my treatment room and leaned against the wall. Rima bolted toward her, threw her arms around her in a quick hug, bounced on the balls of her feet a couple more times, and dashed out. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me. Judging by her face, she had to be at least thirty, but in that moment, she had the energy of a kid on their birthday. Switching to English, I asked, "How exactly did you teach her?

In case I'll need to do it for someone else." Mahya folded her arms and leaned the back of her head against the wall.

"My mother taught me gradually, and I did the same with her. First, she had to feel the mana in the air, then the mana inside her body—just the presence of it at first. Once she could sense that, I guided her to feel its pulse, the way it flows out of the power orb and cycles back in. After that, on the outward flow, she had to push it—not just along her channels but out through her palms. Once she managed that, it was just a matter of practice." She gestured toward the door.

"She's very committed." I nodded.

"Yeah, she's excited about being a healer." A shadow crossed Mahya's face, her mouth pressing into a tight line.

"It's not just excitement. A group of assholes from Almadris attacked a band of scavengers. Her husband was with them. He survived the attack but died from his wounds." A weight settled in my gut.

"Shit." She let out a slow, heavy breath.

"Yeah. This world is horrible."

"Well," I said, adjusting the blanket over my patient, "we're making it a bit better." Mahya studied my face, her eyes searching.

"How long do you want to keep making it better?" Her fingers curled around her midriff, her weight shifting restlessly from one foot to the other.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not against helping, but it's not our world. We have Gates to visit and a better world to find. I just want to know how long we're going to be stuck here." I finished with my patient, cast Clean on her and myself, then followed up with a Diagnosis. Satisfied, I let her rest and walked over to the table. Mahya pulled out a chair and dropped into it, watching me expectantly. I sat across from her, turning over my words.

"Don't get me wrong, I have no intention of staying here for years to build a society. But I do want to get them to a point where they're not constantly in danger, where they have enough food, where they can take in more people without breaking apart. Once that happens, I'll fly to Zarad and bring every willing slave here." Mahya's mouth fell open. She stared, blinking, as seconds stretched between us. Then, after at least a minute, she blurted, "That can take years!"

"Not if we work together to make it happen faster." Mahya planted her hands on her hips, her gaze sharp enough to cut steel.

"And when exactly were you planning to inform me and Al about this?" A sudden itch crept up my neck. I shifted in the chair, rubbing at the spot, buying myself a moment.

"I was trying to find the words to present it in a positive light." Her nostrils flared.

"Oh? And what part of 'let's delay our search for a better world to start a humanitarian project' were you going to spin as the good news?" I exhaled through my nose, choosing my words carefully.

"The part where we're actually making a difference instead of just passing through and pretending we don't see the mess." Mahya crossed her arms, her fingers drumming against her sleeve.

"John, I'm not saying I don't care. I do. But this?" She motioned toward the room, toward the sleeping patients, toward the entire broken city beyond.

"This isn't a small favor. This is us taking responsibility for an entire settlement. That's not something you just decide on your own." I dragged a hand down my face.

"I wasn't trying to hide it. I just—" I let out a breath, leaning back in my chair.

"I wanted to make sure we could actually do it before I brought it up." Mahya's stare didn't soften, but after a moment, she sighed and sat back.

"Al is going to lose his mind when he hears this." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I cracked a wry smile.

"Good thing I've got healing magic." She snorted but didn't argue. Al surprised both of us—Mahya more than me. The moment we passed the outer gate and began running, she blurted out, "John wants to stay here, help them build a stable city, and then bring the slaves from Zarad here."

"I wanted to suggest staying longer and helping them build," he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Mahya stumbled and made a strangled noise, smacking her chest as if she could physically dislodge the shock from her throat.

"You—what?" Her gaze snapped between us like she was waiting for the punchline to land. Al turned to me, his expression as calm as ever, ignoring her completely.

"Are you sure this isn't just an attempt to assuage your guilt over leaving your world to deal with the integration without lending a hand?" My jaw tightened. Sometimes, I hated the perceptive bastard.

"Some of it, yeah. I won't lie. But not all of it." I exhaled, rubbing a hand over my face before meeting his gaze.

"This world needs a helping hand, and this settlement is worth helping. It killed me to see the poverty in Tolarib, to see the slaves in Zarad and not be able to do a damn thing about it. That feeling of being powerless—of wanting to help but knowing I can't—it gnawed at me.

"And yeah, I still feel guilty for leaving Earth to deal with the integration on its own. But I also know they'll handle it a hell of a lot better than this place. The society there is different. Sure, there'll be plenty of assholes trying to carve out their own little kingdoms, playing warlords with whatever power they manage to grab. But it won't be like that everywhere. I know for a fact that there are good people there—people who'll step up, build safe, stable cities, and look out for each other.

"Here? It's different. This world was already a mess before the integration. Whatever stability it had was built on a rotten foundation, and now that the system has shifted, there's nothing left holding it together." Mahya narrowed her eyes at him, lips twitching.

"Who are you, and what did you do with Al, the snooty prince?" I laughed. Al shot her a look that could curdle milk.

"I am myself. Always. My upbringing may have been royal and shielded me from many hardships, but I am not blind. I have my own thoughts, my own feelings, and what I have witnessed in this world is unacceptable.

"Yes, we are Travelers. We are merely passing through, and eventually, we will leave this world behind. But tell me, is there truly a pressing need for haste? The cosmos is vast, and we have years ahead of us to explore it. If we choose to spare one or two of those years to make a lasting difference in one small corner of existence, would that truly be such a waste?

"I know, without a doubt, that in the years to come, we will look back on this time and say with pride, 'I did that. I helped build that.' And when that moment comes, I want to know that I made the right choice—not just for the people here, but for my own peace of mind. If I must invest my time to remain at peace with myself and my morals, then so be it."

"Al smart," Rue informed me with a solemn nod, his tone heavy with the weight of revelation, as if delivering a great truth. The others gave no reaction—private communication, then.

"Yeah, he has his moments," I sent back, keeping my thoughts between us.

"Weren't you the one that told me not to get involved in local affairs back in Tolarib?" I asked Al, dodging a branch.

"This is different."

"What's the difference?" I glanced sideways as I jogged beside him.

"The situation here is clear-cut and conclusive, without unknown factors that can change the picture." His eyes stayed forward, tone clipped. Yeah, I wasn't buying it.

"Sounds like a whim to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it," I said, "but the change of mind seems like double standards or inconsistency to me." Al shrugged mid-stride, expression unreadable.

"The situation here feels different." Mahya looked between us, exhaling through her nose as she shook her head.

"I thought I was traveling with a spoiled brat and a flighty adventurer—not with two philanthropists."

"Hey!" I protested.

"I resent the description," Al said simultaneously, his tone crisp with offense. I leveled a death glare at her.

"Funny, I didn't realize I was traveling with a judgmental bitch who views her friends so poorly." She exhaled heavily.

"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for, and I didn't mean it. You're both great in your own weird, unique ways, and I let my annoyance do the talking. Truly, I am deeply, profoundly sorry." She let out a long breath, nudging a stray pebble with her boot before slowing her pace. As we adjusted to match her, she reached out to scratch Rue's ear absentmindedly—then, without warning, threw her arms around our waists in a dramatic squeeze.

"Fiiine," she groaned, flopping her head against my shoulder like the weight of the world had just landed on her.

"I'll help," she declared, her voice thick with exaggerated grandeur.

"We're a team, after all." She pulled back, meeting our eyes, her usual smirk replaced with something softer—genuine regret on her face.

"I'm sorry for being a bitch," she admitted, looking down.

"Sometimes my mouth runs ahead of my brain… way ahead." Then, she lifted a finger, eyes gleaming.

"But! In exchange for my great sacrifice, my unbelievable selflessness, and my godly patience, you two will help me collect more cores."

"More?!" I half-shouted.

"You wanted a hundred, and we're almost there. How much more do you need?" She rolled her eyes and flicked a hand in my direction, as if batting away an unimportant detail.

"Oh, please. I said the highest number I thought I could get away with. If it were up to me, I'd collect at least five hundred." Al and I turned to her in perfect sync, murder in our eyes. I seriously considered strangling her. She lifted both hands in surrender, grinning nervously.

"Don't kill me. I said if it were up to me. But it's not only up to me. So… how about three hundred?" We just stared.

"Two fifty?" More silence.

"Two hundred! Final offer!" I exhaled.

"Fine." Al shoved my shoulder.

"You folded too fast, my friend." I shook my head.

"It's easier this way." Mahya beamed like she had just brokered the deal of the century. She kissed my cheek, then turned to Al, but he stopped her cold with a hand on her shoulder.

"No need to get carried away." She stuck her tongue out at him like a brat, then bolted. Al and I shared a look before taking off after her, laughter trailing behind us, our footsteps kicking up dust.