Chapter 116: Lucia’s Recklessness and Lovelenica’s Wisdom

Feeling the warm touch on her head, Lucia instinctively lifted her gaze, looking up slightly into Lovelenica’s crimson eyes.

“I’m sorry, Teacher. Did I cause you trouble?” Lucia’s voice faltered. “I heard her insult you, and deliberately bring up your painful memories. I couldn’t hold back, which is why…”

As she spoke, Lucia’s voice gradually faded.

“I see…”

Lovelenica gently ruffled Lucia’s hair once more. A faint smile touched her lips, and she let out a soft, helpless chuckle.

“My apologies,” Lovelenica began, “I hadn’t realized what you were thinking. Thank you for your concern; I didn’t find it troublesome at all.”

“However, next time, I hope you won’t act so impulsively. Since I was there, I would have handled it myself.”

“…Teacher.”

A wave of warmth washed over Lucia as she met Lovelenica’s gaze. There was not a hint of blame in Lovelenica’s words, which eased the guilt in Lucia’s heart. She took Lovelenica’s teachings to heart.

“I understand. I won’t be so impulsive again.”

“Hmph… that’s more like it.”

Witnessing Lovelenica and Lucia exchange apologies, Imeline’s expression finally softened. Her anger hadn’t stemmed from Lovelenica’s actions, but from Lovelenica’s apparent unawareness of Lucia’s impulsive outburst, and her failure to recognize Lucia’s protective instincts.

Now, with her subtle prompting, Lovelenica and Lucia had reconciled, finally dissipating Imeline’s frustration.

“Lucia, it’s not just about this incident. I hope that in the future, you also refrain from acting impulsively, especially during combat.”

Intending to further emphasize this aspect of Lucia’s character, Lovelenica placed a hand on Lucia’s shoulder and spoke with earnestness.

“Have you noticed? You tend to be hot-headed in battle, your mind easily unsettled. Whether it was during previous missions or this Monster Hunt Exercise, whenever you face intelligent Fantasy Creatures, you become exceptionally reckless.”

“The moment they show any inclination to flee, you immediately give chase. I know you detest Fantasy Creatures and wish to eradicate them entirely. But tell me, why exactly do you want to destroy them?”

As she spoke, Lovelenica gently took Lucia’s delicate hand, guiding her to sit beside her on the sofa. She placed Lucia’s hand on her own lap, softly pressing its back as she questioned her, seeming to speak from the heart.

Lovelenica believed it was crucial to have a proper discussion with Lucia at this moment, to rectify her perspective. In the original story, after Attestor was killed, Lucia’s hatred for Fantasy Creatures deepened, yet her sharp edges were blunted.

She understood that her impulsiveness and recklessness could cost her comrades their lives, leading her to become more composed and reserved.

Now, however, they had all survived unscathed. Attestor, though injured, had been healed and was out of danger. Victory often concealed many underlying team issues; as long as they remained unaddressed, these problems wouldn’t surface.

But once exposed, the cost could very well be their lives. Thus, Lovelenica needed to bring these issues to light before it was too late. Faced with Lovelenica’s question, Lucia responded almost without hesitation.

“Why destroy Fantasy Creatures? Because they are inherently evil! They only harm humans; they must be driven from this world!”

“So, the root cause is that Fantasy Creatures harm humans, correct?”

“Yes.”

Lucia pondered for a moment. Indeed, Lovelenica had hit upon the most crucial point.

“They are all beasts that feed on humans…”

“Precisely, just as you said. Now, if you were alone in the Lost City, facing a powerful Fantasy Creature, and you had two choices—to flee or to fight to the death—which would you choose?”

As the question hung in the air, not only Lovelenica, but Imeline and Attestor, too, fixed their gazes on Lucia. Both waited for her answer.

In truth, Imeline and Attestor had also noticed Lucia’s tendency towards impulsiveness.

It was important to remember that their team had neither a Guardian Nun nor a Healing Nun. Their margin for error was slim.

Lucia had only managed to avoid repercussions for her impulsive actions because she possessed a self-healing ability.

Perhaps, this very self-healing ability had become Lucia’s reliance for her reckless behavior.

“Of course, I’d kill the Fantasy Creature! How could I tolerate these creatures running rampant? I have self-healing abilities; I’m certain I could survive even a fight to the death!”

Lucia chose to fight to the death without a moment’s hesitation. Her reasoning was simple: she believed that with her self-healing ability and Holy Fire, she could overcome her opponent, even if it meant a desperate struggle.

“No,” Lovelenica clarified, “I mean a situation where fighting to the death would *definitely* result in your demise.”

“Then I still wouldn’t let the other party live.”

Hearing Lucia’s two responses, everyone fell silent for a moment.

As Lucia’s friends and teacher, all three knew her past: her parents had been killed by Fantasy Creatures. This was why she acted with such extremism.

Imeline and Attestor, whose parents were still alive, could understand Lucia’s hatred, but they didn’t condone her methods. They both wished Lucia would retreat and preserve her own life when faced with such circumstances.

Lovelenica shook her head helplessly. She believed Lucia had no idea what her actions truly implied. If she fought with such a mindset, Lucia might indeed survive unscathed due to her self-healing ability, but the same could not be said for Imeline and Attestor.

In such a scenario, it might very well be Lucia’s two friends who would pay the ultimate price.

“What about Imeline and Attestor, then? What if you were to force them to fight to the death alongside you against an overwhelmingly powerful, unbeatable opponent?”

“This…”

Only then did a hint of hesitation appear on Lucia’s small face. If it were just her sacrificing her life to eliminate a Fantasy Creature, she would, of course, do so without a second thought.

But if it meant risking the lives of her friends, that was an entirely different matter.

“You three will be forming a monster hunting squad in the future, and you’ll primarily be a team of three. You possess self-healing abilities, so naturally, you might be tempted to fight recklessly. You could also act as you did before, ignoring an injured Attestor to pursue the Black-robed Mage or that Incomplete Bloodkin.”

“Of course, if you act that way, you must consider the consequences. Attestor might not return because of your choice.”

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