Reason

"There's a mob ahead!"

Christa and the others entered the hole where a giant boulder came rolling towards them not long ago. As they go deeper, they encounter more and more monsters, hiding and waiting for them attack.

However, with Christa who can sense their presence, their invisibility is pretty much worthless. Still, the monsters' presence are what rendering her from locating the exact location of the man behind the wall that seperates them with the other group.

"How long are we gonna keep on running, Christa?"

"..."

Christa continued going forward without saying a word, as she's concentrating into pinpointing the enemy.

Edle who asked the question to the girl in front of him did not get an answer, yet he still follows her along with everyone. Seeing that there is no other choice but to rely to the Crimson Eye into finding the culprit.

Without pause, they all go deeper inside the cave, and everytime they encounter a mob of monsters, they would always find the end of the line, with another hole entrance on the right side. Later, Itsuo realized that it was the case and asks everyone:

"Hey, it's been a while since we entered that hole made by that boulder, right?"

"What about it, Itsuo?" Selene asked.

"Everytime we reached the end of the line, we would always find an entrance on the right side of the cave. We've been doing that since forever. Don't you think we are just circling around?"

"That's...!" Selene jolted in realization. "You got a point. But, Christa kept on going forward. Since it was her, I'm sure she already realized it before we do."

"That is correct."

Kaien who is keeping up his speed as he follows behind everyone spoke.

"Christa should have realized that it was the case beforehand, but, she still kept moving forward. It's as if she's waiting for something rather than finding the one manipulating the tunnels we all went through. Or more rather, she already pinpointed the position of the enemy while waiting for the right opportunity to strike."

At the end of that conversation, Itsuo turned his eyes onto Christa's face in the far front. There, behind the right side of her pinkish white cheek, he saw a smirk printed over her face. He then realized that the endless run is about to take a stop.

"Itsuo, Selene, and Kaien..."

The three stared at the girl in response to her call.

"...This is where you'll do your part."

Somewhere inside the cave...

A figure of a young man is manipulating the shape of the cave over and over as he keep Christa and the others circle around in the same area. Beside him, is a figure of a woman with a long hair who seem to be carrying a bunch of scrolls and is opening them before giving it to the other guy where his hand would phase out from where they are hiding.

"Hey, hurry! Keep opening those gates!"

"I know!"

"Keep bringing monsters to them and tire them out."

For quite a long time, they've been doing this routine endlessly. And as time passes, the one who is manipulating the shape of the cave is slowly depleting his mana and so is the woman who hardened the walls, whereas the ones who they are supposedly trying to tire out keeps on running and dealing with the monsters rather easily.

"Dammit! Just how long are they gonna keep on running around like an idiot?! It's like they're not even getting tired when they're supposed to. At this rate, I'm the one who'll run out of mana and have my magic deactivate."

"I'm on the same boat. Soon my mana will run out and my hardening will deactivate." Says the woman. And then...

"...? What is this?"

"What is it?" the man with his hand phasing from the wall asked the one manipulating the cave.

"All of them are running until just a few seconds ago, but suddenly one of them disappeared."

"Huh? Did the monsters got one of the-"

*Crash!!*

Before the young woman finishes her sentence, Itsuo came out of nowhere, crashing the wall of dirt from behind with his kick.

"It worked...! Those three!"

As he breaks through the wall, the ones behind the cave and a bunch of gates being carried by the woman were found.

"Crap!"

"They found us!"

And then, behind Itsuo, Selene and Kaien followed in.

"So you three are the ones behind the neverending cave we went in, huh?"

"Give us the gates you have in your hands."

The three of them then landed onto the ground, as menacingly as their eyes glaring at the three in front of them.

"Don't think that you've won just because you found us!" Says the young fellow who can manipulate the surface.

"It looks like we are not getting a hold of those gates without harm." Selene continues to glare at the woman carrying a number of gate scrolls.

"If that's the case, we'll just have to take it by force." Kaien did the same and terriefied the three as a result.

"Let's go! Don't let them take the gates from us!"

The three of them immediately sprinted away from Kaien, Selen and Itsuo.

"They ran away..."

"Then we'll just have to follow them."

They all did what Kaien said and chased the enemies that ran away in haste. Meanwhile on the other side of the wall that Itsuo destroyed, Christa and Edle are standing together side by side as they face the dead end of the cave.

Edle could not erase the thought of why they are facing the end of the cave in his head, and so he proceeds to asks the girl beside him:

"C-Christa... Why are we standing idle here and not follow after them instead...?"

He still seem to stutter his words whenever he's with Christa. As usual. Now that he is close, he realized that he's a few inch taller than the girl.

"Actually, the moment we entered the hole, I already found the three hiding on the other side of the wall were circling around. But seeing as the hardening magic is placed on the entire cave, there would be no way for Itsuo to break it with only a single strike. That is why I had us run endlessly in a neverending circle. So that the one that's hardening the walls would eventually ran out of mana required to keep the walls hard enough to break."

It was indeed as Kaien suspected with his intuition. Christa had already pinpointed the location of the enemies hiding from them right after they entered the hole. But the one thing that makes Edle's mind restless is the fact that Christa has always been a strong adventurer, a lot stronger than Itsuo who she mentioned to the prince.

Why did she have to rely onto her friend who is clearly inferior to her in terms of power to break the walls and chase down the enemies?

"Why did you have to rely onto that man into breaking the wall and chase down the enemies instead of you doing it alone? You're definitely a lot stronger than him, right?"

Edle translated the question from his head onto Christa. Not just because of her questionable decisions, but also to her relationship with Itsuo. What relation does she have with Itsuo for her to make him do things that she can do without worry?

That, she answered with:

"I'm teaching them."

"Huh...?"

"Yes. I am their teacher, and they are my students. And I am teaching them how to fight."

Edle did not expect the answer he was given, but somehow, it gave him some peace of mind. That Itsuo and Christa's relationship are just friends teaching other with a lot of things.

"Teaching, huh?"

"A month has passed since I became an adventurer. On that same day my rank was evaluated by the Guild Master, I met both Selene and Itsuo. We formed a party and embarked on our very first quest as adventurers and as a party."

The first quest they took was from the village of Karna where the village is suffering from drought and dead vegetables caused by a goblin's curse. They had to destroy a goblin's nest residing not far from village in order to dispel the curse. And so they did.

"I'm not gonna lie but Itsuo and Selene are both still new into fighting and weak back then. That's why I had to do most of the work."

"You did?"

"It's not like I dislike dealing with monsters alone. In fact, I even tried to negotiate with them so that only I would go to the nest. But, Itsuo's lack in strength, makes up for his determination and reason to act."

Christa proceeds to close her crimson red eyes and makes an expression of content in her face.

"Having a reason to face hurdles he knew he couldn't accomplish alone, having the will to act for his reason, having the determination to grow for his reason... I don't know why, but I find it amazing."

His will and determination to face hardships for his reasons is what compelled Christa into accepting his request. To train him.

"I want to see how far he can grow for his reasons. I want to see how far he can go to protect that same reason."

Christa's turned towards Edle's. She then gave him a genuine look which made him flustered.

"I'm sorry for using you and the rulers as an opportunity to make them grow further."

"I-It's nothing..." He replied in a flustered manner.

And then, the wall they are facing just now suddenly beginning to fade slowly.

"To return the favor, I'll help you get to King Castile and Queen Elena and save them."

After the exchange of words, Christa went in inside the cave that appeared right in front of them. Edle recompose himself and wordlessly follow behind the girl with crimson eyes.

Following the girl in front of him, a thought came to find relating to what they discussed earlier. He then asked himself:

"Christa, we've bumped into each other quite a few times. Everytime we do, she's always involved into something. A reason drives oneself to face hurdles, to act, to grow. If that's the case, then what drives Christa to be always in the middle of a conflict? What drives her to become strong like she always has been? If her friends weren't here with her, then what reason would drive her into helping us rescue Mother and the others? What would be her reason to fight?"