The coldness in the eyes staring at me gradually faded, warming as they returned to their usual state. Her expression shifted back into that friendly, ever-present smile she always wore.
"Hmm? Didn't you have a meeting today?" Carol asked, tilting her head curiously.
If I were to judge her by this moment alone, she seemed no different than usual. But after witnessing her state just seconds before, my heart ached. Striving to act as I normally would, I spoke up.
"The meeting’s over. It’s already past noon."
"Eh!? Is it that time already?! Time really flies on my days off!"
"That it does. And since today is a holiday... you don't have to force yourself. Just be your natural self."
Carol gasped.
Until now, whenever she tried to feign being fine, I had turned a blind eye. Since the battle with Oliver six months ago, I had gradually lost the mental leeway to worry about others.
But that was nothing more than an excuse. I couldn't claim to be some grand savior who could rescue her, but I could at least help ease the burden for a girl who was clearly suffering.
"C-Come on, Master. I’m always my natural self, you know?"
She appeared slightly shaken, but just as she said, her expression, tone, and overall atmosphere were indistinguishable from her usual self. As I expected, a simple nudge wasn't going to be enough to break through her walls.
"I see. My mistake, then."
"That’s right! Geez, don't say weird things so suddenly, Master."
"Sorry, sorry. Even so, this is a nice spot. It’s quiet despite being so close to the city. It’s perfect for when you want to escape the hustle and bustle."
I sat down beside Carol, choosing my words carefully as I racked my brain.
"……Do you come here often too, Master?"
"No, this is only my second time."
"Heh. Ah, you came here with Sophie the first time, didn't you! Sophie told me about this place, too. She said it was her 'special recommended spot'!"
"Actually, I found it on my own."
"Oh? So Sophie wasn't involved?"
"Well, she wasn't involved in me finding it, but she's certainly part of my memories here. Back then, I was struggling with all sorts of worries about the future. I went looking for a place with a good breeze and ended up here."
"Even you have things to worry about, Master? I thought you decided everything decisively."
"Even I have my share of troubles. Everyone does, more or less. That goes for you too, right, Carol?"
"I……"
When I pushed a little further, Carol's eyes wavered.
"……This might be something you don't want to talk about, Carol, but I’m going to step in today."
Perhaps sensing the weight in my expression, I caught a glimpse of something like fear behind her smile. Even so, I had decided to face her head-on. If I continued to use roundabout language, she would only keep feigning her "normal" self.
I knew that by prying, I might end up hurting her more. In the end, this might be nothing more than my own self-satisfaction. But I believed this was my duty as her Master.
I cleared my mind and fixed my gaze on her.
"……I think you’ve already realized this, Carol, but I’ve heard about what happened before you joined the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. I know how the Cyclamen Cult treated you."
Her breath hitched. "—!"
"I would never claim to understand exactly how you feel. I don't think it's something I could even begin to imagine. That’s why I want you to tell me. Are you hurting right now, Carol? Or do you really feel nothing at all?"
"B-But……"
Carol’s heart seemed to waver, caught in a sea of indecision. That hesitation told me there were things she wanted to say—words she was desperate to let out.
"I care about the person known as Caroline Inglot."
"……Eh?"
"I’ve known since the moment we met that you were carrying a heavy burden. I also sensed that you didn't want anyone prying. But let me say this: Carol, you are a precious disciple and a comrade to me. You don't have to be afraid. No matter what happened in your past, I will accept you. Don't overthink it. Just for once, tell me what you're thinking. Let out what you're feeling. I think you'll find it makes things much easier."
I borrowed the words that had made me the happiest when I first joined the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky—words from the members of the First Unit. They weren't my own originally, but because they had resonated so deeply with my own heart—which once feared letting others in—I believed they would reach Carol, too.
"……Really? No matter what I’m thinking, will you still be my Master?" Carol asked, looking up at me tentatively. I could see a flickering hope in her eyes.
"Of course. I told you the day I became your Master, didn't I? No matter what happens, I will always be on your side. That will never change."
Carol looked down and whispered a soft, "……Okay."
After a long, heavy silence, she finally began to speak in a low murmur.
"…………My mother... before she died, she used to say: 'Smile especially when things are hard.' She said, 'If you keep smiling, a day will come when you can truly feel happy.'"
She let out a shaky breath.
"…………I’m…… I'm scared of people."
"I love Log, Sophie, Master, Big Sis Ruu, and everyone in the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. That's the truth. But... I know that there are people who won't even blink no matter how much someone else is suffering. I know there are people who will hit you just because they're in a bad mood."
The Cyclamen Cult was one of the world's most notorious criminal organizations. The list of atrocities they had committed was endless. To me, those incidents had always felt like someone else's problem.
However, in the last six months, I had found myself caught up in their schemes twice. Philly Carpenter, the mastermind from half a year ago, was a monster who manipulated memories and perceptions to treat others like puppets. Ozwell McCloud, involved in the incident two months ago, was willing to assassinate Imperial royalty without a second thought for the global chaos that would follow. He was likely the one who had hurt Carol the most.
I only knew those two, but they were enough to tell me that the Cult was a cesspool of the worst humanity had to offer. And Carol had been right in the middle of it. I couldn't say it out loud, but it was a miracle she had maintained such a kind, "good girl" personality. Her mental fortitude must have been incredible to preserve any sense of common values in that environment.
"It was so hard there. Every day I wanted to die. Eventually, I decided to just do it... I tried to kill myself. But I couldn't die. At that exact moment, this Ability—this curse—called Self-Healing manifested."
A curse, she called it.
To me, an Ability was a weapon that saved my life. Most Special Ability Users likely felt the same. But for Carol, it was something to be loathed.
"Since I couldn't die, all I could do was smile. I had nothing to cling to but my mother's words. I forced myself to smile through the pain and the hardship, and after a while, it didn't hurt as much as it used to. And whenever I produced the results they wanted, they would smile back. In those moments, the pain stopped. No one hit me. So, I thought my mother was right. If I smile, I'm not in pain. If the people around me are smiling, they won't do horrible things to me. Everyone would be happy. —That’s why I smile. I want everyone to keep smiling."
My chest tightened. I had imagined her past was dark, but this was……
I had lost my parents and my entire village to bandits as a child. But I wasn't alone; I had Oliver, who shared my fate. And once I reached Tsutrail, I gained comrades and allies who supported me. Carol had spent years being treated like an object with no one to turn to.
I felt a cold rage settle in my gut. Those bastards in the Cult... I wouldn't be satisfied until they were rotting in the deepest pits of hell. It didn't matter if it was in the past or if this was just my personal anger. They had done something unforgivable to someone precious to me. I would never let this end with her just suffering in silence.
I renewed my vow to crush the Cyclamen Cult, but Carol took priority for now.
"……Thank you for telling me, Carol. I’m sorry for making you dig up those memories."
I reached out and gently stroked her hair.
"……Aren't you disgusted?" she asked, her voice trembling with confusion.
"Disgusted? Why would I be?"
"Master, you said it before... that being able to act for others was my greatest virtue. But the truth is, I was only doing it for myself."
"Is that what's bothering you? I don't find that disgusting at all. This is just my personal philosophy, but I believe humans are ultimately creatures that act for their own sake. Even when we do things for others, we're usually expecting some kind of return, even if it's just feeling good about ourselves. A person I respect once said that society is built on reciprocal relationships. I agree with that. In the end, people who can act for the benefit of others are the ones who end up gaining the most."
I knew this was an extreme view, and I didn't think it was the only "right" answer. It was just how I saw the world.
"……Is it the same for you, Master?"
"Yeah. For instance, I’m your Master and I'm teaching you the ropes of being an explorer. That isn't purely out of the goodness of my heart. If you guys grow and succeed, my reputation as the person who raised you goes up. Now, don't get me wrong—I truly do want you to become great explorers—but I have my own interests, too."
"……I see. So it's not just me."
"Exactly. You’re not strange, Carol. You’re just a normal girl. Meeting your siblings probably brought back a lot of old ghosts, but no matter what happened back then, you are Caroline Inglot of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky now. No one here will hurt you. You don't have to force a smile. If you're hurting, say it. If you're struggling, lean on us. Log, Sophie, and Luna aren't going to hate you for being human. —Right, you two?"
After saying what needed to be said, I called out to the trees. Log and Sophie, who had been tailing me, stepped out from the shadows with sheepish expressions.
"You two……" Carol's expression shifted to one of embarrassment.
"Ah, ahaha…… I guess it was reckless of us to think we could hide from Master," Log muttered.
"Carol, I'm sorry. We shouldn't have been eavesdropping," Sophie added.
"Ah, um, I……" Carol stammered, unsure of how to react.
"You both heard what she had to say," I said, looking at them. "Are you disappointed in her?"
"Not at all!" "Of course not!" they both shouted simultaneously.
They rushed over to Carol, desperate to share their feelings.
"Carol, it must have been so hard. I’m sorry I didn't realize and made you worry about us instead! I might not be as strong as I want to be yet, but I want to stay by your side forever! That’s never going to change!" Sophie cried.
"Someday, I—we—will make you laugh from the bottom of your heart," Log promised. "We’re going to make your life so full of happiness that you won't even have time to think about the past!"
"Yeah…… yeah. Thank you……" Carol whispered, tears finally welling up in her eyes.
Seeing the three of them, I was reminded of how powerful the bond between comrades could be. Satisfied that she was in good hands, I turned my back to head back to Headquarters. The rest of this conversation belonged to the three of them. It would be boorish to linger.
"Master, thank you! I feel so much better now that I've let it all out!"
I looked back over my shoulder. Carol was wearing the most genuine expression I had seen on her in a long time.
Yeah. A real smile definitely suited her best.
At the bottom of the hill, Luna was waiting in a secluded spot.
"Aren't you going to join them, Luna?"
"……No. I think I'll pass for today," she replied with a gentle smile. She didn't look like she was forcing herself. "Orun-san, thank you for helping Carol open up. You really are a wonderful Master."
"Give it a rest. I’m nothing of the sort. Like I said, I was just acting for my own satisfaction."
"Ah, the 'humans act for their own sake' theory?"
"Yeah. Between you and me, I just wanted to get rid of that weight on her heart."
"For the sake of the 93rd Floor conquest?"
"That, too. But... I also had a terrible premonition. I felt that if I didn't face Carol right now, I’d never have another chance. Not ever. I’m sure I’m overthinking it, though."
"……Regardless of your reasons, Orun-san, you gave Carol the push she needed to start looking forward."
"……I hope so. How she deals with her past is ultimately up to her. Our job is to give her the space to think and to watch over her. I’ll keep working hard for that."
"Indeed. I’ve been saved by Carol’s smile more times than I can count. I’ll do everything in my humble power to make sure she can keep smiling for real."
"That’s reassuring. I want to focus entirely on the 93rd Floor for the rest of the year. Can I leave the disciples to you for a while?"
"Hehe, you don't even have to ask. Those children are my precious comrades. Please, focus on your own goals, Orun-san."
"……Thanks, Luna."