Letia was not particularly surprised by this outcome.
After all, once Red left, the team lost its backbone.
Everyone was just wandering aimlessly, not knowing what they were supposed to be doing.
Even the mission to conquer the 24th Floor, which should have been a sure thing, resulted in the entire team nearly being buried inside.
It was undeniable that Liz’s individual strength was very high.
If the Lord of the 24th Floor had been anything else, Dawnblade might have been able to take it down.
Unfortunately, Liz, who specialized in physical damage, happened to encounter a Lord with extremely high physical resistance.
It truly felt like a cruel joke from fate.
But thinking about it, it was quite normal.
After all, these things were likely already arranged by the Script.
If Liz didn’t suffer a setback, the audience naturally wouldn’t be satisfied.
This young lady, who had once been quite arrogant, seemed to have matured a bit after finally hitting a wall.
Thinking of this, Letia couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for Red.
That man had followed Liz since they were children and clearly harbored some feelings for her.
He had probably always wanted to build a stable home for himself.
Instead, he ended up working for a capitalist.
That mountain of work he handled was truly the kind of labor meant for a workhorse.
Red took the front line, Red started the fights, Red managed the logistics, and Red did the commanding.
The only things Red didn’t have to do were probably the output and the healing.
Red was indeed impressive for being able to endure it for so long.
And the fact that Liz failed to realize how incredible Red was for so long was even more impressive.
Liz scanned the crowd.
Everyone had different expressions, but no one spoke.
She then continued.
“You must have many questions in your hearts, but this is indeed a plan I have considered for a long time. Is there anything you want to say?”
In response, Jessica was the first to speak.
“After we disband, do you plan to go to Judgment Holy Night, Liz?”
“Yes…”
Liz lowered her head and said in a low voice, “My abilities are not enough to hold the position of Captain, so I want to go and gain some experience.”
“I’m going too.”
Bethany was still the same little follower she had always been.
Wherever Liz went, she would go too.
But Liz only shook her head.
“The roster for Judgment Holy Night is already full. I’m sorry, Bethany.”
Hearing this answer, the expression on Bethany’s face turned into one of disappointment.
“So…”
Letia spoke up lazily at this moment, “Even at a time like this, the only person you’re thinking about is yourself?”
Letia’s words caused everyone present to freeze.
“Faced with a single setback, all you can think about is escaping? You choose to throw yourself into the arms of Judgment Holy Night and leave Bethany and Jessica behind to fend for themselves?”
“Or is it that you have never felt happy forming a Hero Party?”
Although her tone was calm, the slight mockery and reprimand within it were not hard to perceive.
At this, Liz clenched her fists as she recalled the past.
Back when Dawnblade consisted of only her and Red…
Although neither of them was very strong back then, and their adventures were quite pathetic — like rolling around in the mud and being chased everywhere by Lords — those days had indeed been happy.
Somewhere along the line, she seemed to have forgotten her original intentions and those past joys.
She had blindly pursued strength and progress.
The smiles on her face had become fewer, while the pressure on her shoulders grew, and her attitude toward Red had become increasingly terrible.
Faced with Letia’s words, Liz bit her lip and remained silent.
Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails seemed to dig into her palms.
“You… you’re right.”
Liz finally spoke.
It was clear her mood was quite low.
“But the current Dawnblade… it really can’t be maintained anymore…”
She admitted the reality she wanted to escape, and she admitted the fact that Dawnblade truly could not function without Red.
However, Letia didn’t really care about the ultimate fate of Dawnblade.
The reason she said those things was quite simple.
Having lived two lives, her mental age was much older than she looked.
After seeing Liz admit her mistake, she was willing to give her some guidance.
It wasn’t for anything else; it was just a return for the high salary she had been paid.
“If you ask me, Liz, you’ve been blinded by power.
The rabbit head is controlling the big head.”
“What rabbit head?”
Liz was a bit confused by the nonsensical names that Letia always came up with.
“Well… don’t worry about it. Anyway, since you feel that Dawnblade can’t be maintained, why don’t you think about how you and Red went from zero to where you are now?”
“Nothing in life is harder than the period of starting from scratch. But something even more difficult is climbing back up from the depths of a valley.”
“What Dawnblade lacks right now is a backbone. Liz… it seems you have already recognized your own lack of ability. So, while Mason, the Captain of Judgment Holy Night, is still here, why not ask him for more advice? That would be more practical than directly abandoning Bethany and Jessica.”
After listening to Letia’s words, Liz’s gaze fell upon Bethany and Jessica as if seeking their thoughts.
Jessica, who had originally intended to withdraw, ultimately sighed after seeing the expression on their Captain — someone who was usually so proud and cold.
“I have no objection.”
“Me neither!”
Bethany, the Elf Archer whose intelligence seemed to have all gone to her chest, visibly cheered up again.
“Ninety-five…”
At this, Liz felt her eyes redden slightly.
She spoke in a low voice.
“Thank you.”
She had thought that after returning from this trip, she would lose everything.
Having already been at her breaking point, she really didn’t expect that the precarious house that was Dawnblade could continue to stand.
Perhaps it was just as Red had once said to her.
Life is about moving forward through hardships, coldness, and ruthlessness, but… there are always people willing to mend the pieces.
However, just as everyone was rejoicing, Jessica’s gaze fell upon Letia.
“And what about you?”
With those three words, the expression on Letia’s face froze.
She shifted her gaze away guiltily.
As a salted fish, she really, really, really didn’t want to work!!!
Being a workhorse in her previous life was exhausting enough.
In this life, she just wanted to cling to Red’s leg and coast through her days.
She certainly didn’t want to struggle in a dark, desolate place like the Dungeon that resembled a sewer.
Seeing her guilty eyes, Jessica continued mercilessly.
“According to what I heard from the pub’s Boss Lady, you slept in the same bed as Red last night, didn’t you?”
“Uh…”
Faced with everyone’s stares, Letia could only offer an awkward yet polite smile.
“Look… an Adventurer must have her own life too, right! Red was so sad before; what’s wrong with me warming his bed a little?”
“Besides, Red doesn’t have an official girlfriend anyway, does he?”
At that moment, not just Jessica, but even Liz wanted to kick Letia out.
Letia: “I can’t believe you’re abandoning Dawnblade! Anyway, see ya!”
In reality though I’m not sure if she really should continue with them or not. She’d gain money and power by levelig up in the dungeon, but I don’t know if it’s really worth risking her life for.
It’s different for Liz, she was the founder.