Chapter 74: Argument

Chapter 74: Argument

Bran followed at the back of the party, constantly swinging and sheathing his blade. Each time, it inevitably cut down some insect. This wasn’t just observation with his eyes; it relied much more on feedback from the Mana Web. After his vision, hearing, and touch unified with the Mana Web’s perception, they began to grow sharper. It wasn’t simple adaptation or synchronization; his body’s senses, coordinated by the Mana Web, formed a kind of synesthesia, making his perception more comprehensive and layered.

The flashes from Bran’s blade caught the attention of several teens. Even back in the Swamp, they had noticed his blade always gleamed with golden or silver Starlight. But after emerging from the Swamp, Bran had kept his distance from them. Things had eased between them over the past two days, so after seeing the flashes again, his cousin came over.

Dia watched for a moment and said, “Bran, let me see your knife.”

Bran ignored her; most Northlanders would ignore such behavior. Seeing Bran show no reaction, Dia felt awkward and muttered softly, “Stingy.”

Most young girls have little resistance to beautiful things, so Dia quickly tried a different approach: “Who forged your knife?”

“Wasn’t forged. I made it myself.”

“Boasting again!”

Bran swung his blade, cutting down an insect. This one, however, was extremely close to Dia’s face. A faint puff of wind from the blade struck her cheek and dispersed, feeling as if the blade had actually grazed her skin, startling her so much she jumped aside. She carefully touched her face, breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming she was unharmed.

Recovering, she furrowed her brows and yelled at Bran, “Idiot! What are you doing?”

Bran swung his knife again, cleaving another insect, and said casually, “Fly. Cut it.”

Furious, Dia stomped her foot and walked away…

…

The real shock came when they encountered a small Beehive. Bran stopped Danny and pointed at the Beehive. “My treat,” he said.

Then Bran walked towards the Beehive, cutting down every Wild Bee encountered along the way. Only when the bees surged from the nest and rushed towards him did he fully unleash the light from his blade. His whole body also began moving rapidly around the Beehive, dodging and shifting within a small area, completely enveloped in golden and silver Starlight. The starlight gradually merged into one, writhing like two intertwined serpentine beasts tightly wrapping around Bran.

The flashes of the blade ceased. Bran, breathing a little heavily, stood beside the Beehive and grinned at Danny, looking like he was waiting for praise.

At mealtime, Bran got busy. He hunted a cow and gathered several bird eggs. Finding a flat stone slab, he gave it a simple clean and fried the eggs in cow fat. He then stir-fried some beef, carried the food to Danny, ignored the others who were drooling, and started eating together with her.

After finishing, Bran casually mentioned helping them with their weapons and gear. Just as Bran had ignored Dia, nobody paid him any mind. Only Danny smiled and placed her weapons one by one before Bran, watching as he carefully examined each piece, touching and turning them over.

Handling Danny’s weapons, Bran said, “It’s good being with you. The gains over these past few days finally settled and absorbed during the rest.”

“Danny, you know…” Bran hesitated, seeming unsure how to say what came next.

Danny hugged him and asked, “Wanting to travel alone again?”

“Yeah,” Bran said, reaching out to pat the large head of his own White Wolf nuzzling near him.

“Alright. Be extra careful yourself,” Danny did not try to stop him.

“I’ll leave early tomorrow morning. Escort our cousins for a stretch, then head back to our Mountain Villa. I really can look after myself now; you don’t need to worry too much.” Bran hugged Danny again, expressing a little reluctance.

“There’s another place I need to go. It’s safe there, so I won’t delay their journey.”

“Be careful yourself. Don’t do things like challenging the Lion King again,” Danny cautioned.

Bran bared his teeth in a grin. “Yeah, relax, I won’t. What I need now is to solidify what I have, not desperately seek breakthroughs under pressure.”

…

Hearing Bran planned to leave alone, his cousins were very displeased. They felt it showed Bran didn’t trust them and was holding a grudge over the Swamp incident.

Dia even yelled at Bran, “We came to help you, and now you’re abandoning us? This is ingratitude!”

Bran looked up at the other girls, hoping for a different response, but found none. So he sighed and said, “There are things I didn’t want to say. But since so many days have passed and you’re still blaming others without reflecting on yourselves, it’s better to make some things clear.”

Dia argued, “What’s unclear? You’re just unhappy about what happened in the Swamp. That was completely an accident.”

Bran smiled bitterly. “I know it was an accident. Reasons include us spending too little time together, knowing each other poorly, lacking feeling for each other, and having no coordination or understanding.”

Lia said, “But we stayed. We didn’t abandon you and run away alone.”

Bran looked at her. “Actually, I would have preferred you to run away then. Or at least put some distance between us. You have good judgment; you knew your reactions and speed were unlikely to dodge the ambush, so you didn’t join the frontal fight.

What I needed most at that moment was space. But only because I temporarily held off that bug, you tightened your circle. You had already figured out I stayed to stop you getting hurt. Feeling safe yourselves, you never considered leaving me any room to maneuver, forcing me to fight that bug for dear life within a tiny area.

Why? For your competitive spirit? To prove you were brave? You backed me into a life-or-death situation. And now? You’re still proud you ‘stayed behind,’ feeling like it made you look very brave, very impressive.”

Bran sighed and continued, “Later on, the situation actually started improving. I was beginning to adapt to its attack rhythm; I could have held out a while longer. For bystanders like you, this should have been obvious. But when help was right there, whether fighting for credit or showing off your bravery, you threw your spears—without giving a single thought to endangering my life.

Truth is, opportunities to strike existed earlier. You never took them then, probably knowing you’d be in real danger if I fell, so you hesitated. But when rescue appeared? My life or death didn’t matter anymore. That’s when you struck decisively. Haven’t you realized yet why you struck at that exact moment? Often, our unconscious actions truly reveal our hearts.

It’s fine. I understand this kind of thing. I don’t truly mind it either, but I can’t have you as companions in battle anymore.

You keep stressing it wasn’t intentional. I know. They were unintentional acts. But that’s precisely what makes it terrifying. If you haven’t realized it now, what about next time?

You apologized; I said it was fine. And it really is fine now. What happened is over. Done. What I forgive is what has already happened. I won’t hold the past against you, I won’t blame you for the past.

But going forward? I will keep an appropriate distance from you. This isn’t holding a grudge. It isn’t being petty. It’s just a lesson. A lesson I must remember. Because traveling together like this? Such things would happen again. And I can’t rely on having luck like that forever to escape danger brought by companions.

For everyone’s safety, I choose distance. Because next time, should a similar situation occur? I might not put your lives first anymore. I might abandon you. Or even use you as bait. Rather than that, for both sides, it’s better to separate. This isn’t just for me. It’s also for you.”

“Maybe this is the meaning of the Trial. We meet different people along the journey, experience many things. We grow from these experiences. Understand others, and also understand ourselves. I’m starting to get it now. At first, I thought the Trial was about weeding out the weak. Then, I thought it was about gaining power. Now? I realize it’s a journey to find oneself.”

Bran stopped talking. He paid no further heed to any of their arguments.