After the discussion ended, Colin announced they would take a short break before moving on. Taking the opportunity, Liamie approached Eirene’s side.
Seeing Liamie come over, Eirene gave a somewhat forced smile.
“Is there something you need?”
Looking at Eirene like this, Liamie didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
“You can’t keep going on like this. It’s only going to bring trouble to the team.”
At those words, Eirene immediately tensed up. She pretended not to understand what Liamie meant and tried to deflect with a question in return.
But soon, she abandoned that plan. She loosened her grip, lowered her head, and said in a muffled voice, “You’re right. I really can’t keep going like this. I’ll find a way to get myself together—I won’t drag everyone down.”
Seeing this, Liamie sighed and softened her tone. “I know what you’re thinking. You feel like you’re falling behind the team’s pace, right? Because Hifni’s level has caught up to yours, maybe even about to surpass you soon, and that’s making you nervous.”
Eirene nodded.
Liamie continued, “And with what happened earlier, you realized you weren’t very useful, so you’re anxious about your own weakness and incompetence. Am I right?”
Since Liamie’s words hit the mark, Eirene stopped hiding and spoke the truth one by one.
“That’s right. Hifni’s leveling up so fast made me anxious. And just now, I realized the full protection I put up was so fragile against the enemy’s attack. My confidence took a huge blow, which is why I’m like this now.”
Hearing Eirene honestly lay out her problems, Liamie breathed a sigh of relief. If Eirene had the courage to say it out loud, it meant she was already thinking about changing—or at least entertaining the idea.
That made things easier for Liamie.
“Improving your strength can’t be rushed. The more you rush, the more likely things will backfire. Not everyone is a genius like Hifni. You just have to take your own path slowly.”
“But if that’s the case, won’t I just hold everyone back? …Maybe I should just quit the team.”
Hearing this, Liamie frowned and quickly shot down that thought.
“If you really think that way, then I’m at an even lower level than you. Should I quit the team now? How can you think like that? The level gap among our team members has always been big, but haven’t we managed to keep going just fine? You have your moments to shine too—like when Colin talked about the enemy’s weakness just now. If that’s true, wouldn’t you be making a huge contribution to the team again?”
Eirene was clearly swayed by Liamie’s words, her eyes lighting up. But maybe she still lacked some confidence, or maybe she was just clinging to some meaningless stubbornness. She tried to argue back.
“…That weakness isn’t even confirmed yet.”
Seeing Eirene’s resistance, Liamie brought out her trump card.
“If I remember correctly, you were one of the members when Colin first formed this team, right? Did you ever talk to Colin about how you feel?”
Hearing this, Eirene shut her mouth, no longer trying to argue.
After a moment, she slowly said she understood and promised not to keep going like this.
With her goal achieved, Liamie left Eirene’s side.
Before leaving, Liamie glanced at Colin standing not far away, pretending not to have heard anything. Then, in a barely audible voice, she said, “You owe me one. Remember that?”
Though it was unclear if Colin heard her, he did give a slight nod, and Liamie finally left with a satisfied smile.
Not long after she left Eirene, Hifni and Lavinia came over.
“So? Has her problem been solved?”
Looking at the kind-hearted Lavinia and the slightly guilty Hifni, Liamie casually said, “It’s just because she lacks confidence and feels her level is too low. It’ll be fixed soon. And someone doesn’t need to feel like it’s their fault she’s like this. It’s just that her level’s risen a little faster—I’ll reach his level soon too!”
The “someone” Liamie referred to was obviously Hifni, and “he” meant Colin.
Hearing this, Hifni could only turn her worry into a smile.
But just then, Lavinia suddenly brought up a topic that piqued both Liamie and Hifni’s interest.
“Oh, so it was her level bothering her. I thought it was something else… Speaking of levels, I’ve been stuck at 79 for a long time. No matter what I do, I can’t level up. I don’t even know how Colin managed to get up.”
Liamie & Hifni: !!!
Lavinia hesitated mid-sentence, clearly trying to cover up what she almost revealed.
But Liamie didn’t care about Lavinia’s other guesses regarding Eirene’s mood. What mattered more was that Lavinia casually mentioned her own level—she was 79!
And Colin’s level! Lavinia actually knew Colin’s true level! This was something neither Liamie nor Hifni had ever known.
That was the real thing Liamie wanted to know, and Hifni felt the same. Colin’s level had been a mystery weighing on their minds. Could it finally be solved?
Thinking this, Liamie and Hifni asked in unison, “What’s Colin’s real level?”
“Ah?”
Lavinia was taken aback by their question, and Liamie and Hifni quickly realized it was a bad move. Colin must have had his reasons for keeping his level a secret. How could they just ask outright without understanding why? Maybe Lavinia was in the same boat—she only just revealed her real level. What were they all hiding?
But before Liamie and Hifni could apologize to Lavinia, her answer caught them completely off guard.
“…Uh, Colin’s real level? I think it’s 80. Just one level higher than me, and it probably hasn’t changed since. At our level, it’s incredibly, incredibly hard to go any higher!”
Liamie & Hifni: “What did you say?!”