Side story: Sincere feelings

"Lia! Are you alright?"

He caught the girl who rushed into his arms Galan. He immediately felt that familiar fragrance and her body rush into his nose. Fortunately, he was not too late.

"Yeah, it's nothing! There were some enemies that appeared earlier, but Lucina took care of them all. I'm so grateful to her for protecting me."

Peeking out from Galan's chest, her aura grew inexplicably stronger with each word she uttered. Gradually, Galan felt he couldn't listen to her properly under these circumstances, so he took a step back and gently released Lia from his embrace.

"Did you also encounter Copy? Is it yours?" Galan asked curiously after calming himself down.

But as soon as he asked the question, he belatedly realized his mistake and, before Lia could answer, he already had the answer in his mind.

Galan was still a little dazed when Lia hugged him like that.

If it's Copy of Lia, then the battle should create a huge [Dense Fog turbulence], since her only attack method seems to be condensing Mana and then releasing it directly. But relatively speaking, this most primitive attack method seems to have the greatest impact on the Dense Fog.

"But the turbulence I just noticed wasn't very obvious. It was clearly not caused by Lia or her Copy." "It was Lucina's. I didn't see my Copy... Is it because I'm too weak?" Lia replied, then added playfully after thinking for a moment.

"You little brat," Galan said with a playful pinch on Lia's cheek, making her squeal with delight—clearly, she had pinched her a bit too hard.

However, this experience served as a lesson for the two of them. "Next time, I won't bring you to such a dangerous place again, and you can't whine to me anymore, understand? No matter how much you beg me, I will never take such a risk again!"

Seeing Galan suddenly adopt such a serious expression, Lia knew he was serious, so she didn't object and obediently nodded.

Honestly, if anything were to happen to Lia in the Dungeon this time, he would be filled with deep regret.

Because of a moment of weakness, this outcome is unacceptable to anyone.

Not far away, unlike Lia and Galan who were very friendly upon meeting Lucina also ran into Clinton and Pass, who were following closely behind.

"Lucina... Uncle Valet... was ambushed during the battle..."

Upon seeing Lucina, Clinton lowered his head and told her the news.

Although he didn't explain exactly what happened to Wallace, judging from their appearance and the fact that she hadn't seen Wallace, she could probably guess that he had been killed.

Although her teammate's sacrifice was heartbreaking, deep down, Lucina felt a secret sense of relief. At least... you're alright...

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault that things have come to this. If it weren't for Galan's timely help, Pass and I would probably be trapped there and die."

Clinton's tone was filled with self-blame; clearly, the death of his teammate was still a significant shock to him. However, because he had been in a dangerous situation, he had neither the time nor the ability to process the oppressive emotions he felt.

Seeing Lucina still safe and sound, for some reason, a feeling of helplessness and grievance welled up inside me.

How embarrassing... I'm supposed to be the team leader... I should be shouldering the most pressure in the team...

The two men standing beside Clinton clearly sensed that he was losing control of his emotions. However, Pass was a rough and unrefined man, and in this situation, all he could do was scratch his head and chin, completely unsure of what to do to calm his captain. Perhaps he should pat Clinton on the back and whisper that he had found a very interesting shop in town and would take him there later?

Looking at Lia Lucina, who was being held in Galan's arms in the distance and talking to him, a strange flutter stirred in her heart. This impulsive feeling prompted her to take a step forward... two steps... three steps. Then she reached out and picked up Clinton, who was clearly a size bigger than her.

1

Are you an idiot? You were the one who told me, "Don't face difficulties alone," that it's okay to rely on your teammates sometimes... You stupid captain...

Her voice was softer than ever before; if she hadn't been leaning so close to Clinton, he would have barely been able to hear what she was saying.

However, it was precisely because he heard it clearly that Clinton made a somewhat surprising discovery:

Lucina seemed quite different from usual at this moment.

Normally, no matter what happens, she remains calm and composed, without any significant emotional fluctuations.

This initially led him to believe that Lucina was somewhat shy and expressionless.

To help her better integrate into the team and avoid creating distance between her and the other members, he began to constantly try to approach this icy, always taciturn girl. He started with everyday conversations, and later, he would occasionally do things for her, even small ones, because he felt that doing so would at least let her feel some human warmth among teammates, thus better touching her heart.

But the girl before him was unlike anyone else at any other time. She was so gentle that Clinton couldn't believe it was the girl in front of him who could make that voice. Hearing that voice, he felt so at ease, as if someone was whispering in his ear, "It's okay to put down some burdens now and then." "Lucina?" A hint of doubt and disbelief appeared in Clinton's eyes, but more than that, he was flattered.

He had never seen Lucina so proactive before; her intimate gestures and tone left him momentarily speechless.

"Hmm? Didn't you hear me? Well, I'll have to lean close to your ear and say it again then?"

Seeing her beloved looking so pathetic Lucina found it somewhat amusing, but also felt a pang of sadness. Even just a little bit was worth it; she wanted to help him share some of the burden this time.

"It was all his own fault that Wallace died in the Dungeon."

If it were him, he would definitely think that way.

And this matter will continue to linger in his mind.