Chapter 765: Layla’s Fears
"...I’m worried that sticking with Arthur would put you at risk."
Layla hadn’t said could, but would, and Nicole didn’t miss that choice of words. A few seconds passed in silence before she quietly asked, "You think Arthur would hurt me?"
The way she said it made it sound like she couldn’t even imagine the possibility.
Layla ran a hand through her hair, ruffling the strands as she replied. "No. I’m not saying he would. I’m saying... being with him is the problem here."
She took a deep breath and added plainly, "Arthur is a problem magnet. You know that very well."
Nicole couldn’t argue with that. She didn’t even try.
Layla went on, her voice steadier now.
"If you get together with him, you’re going to be around him more than ever.
I mean, you’re literally heading to another universe with him in a few days. He’s a trouble magnet, and I’m worried you’ll get caught in the fallout from the chaos he attracts."
Nicole pondered her words for a moment, then asked, "And you’re not worried about him too?"
At that question, Layla turned to her with a deadpan expression and responded, "Nicole, you saw me lose sleep worrying about him when he left for that Valmone place."
This was something Arthur still had no clue about, and Layla would probably never let him find out, since he’d tease her out of Hell and back.
Still, it was clear that she did worry about him. But...
"As much as I do worry about Arthur, I’m much more worried about you."
Layla leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and cupping her cheeks in her hands, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
"I mean... the first time Arthur left this universe, he ended up fighting a literal planet.
A Planetary Consciousness that somehow managed to gain a physical body, leave its own system, travel across nearly half a galaxy—over a hundred thousand light-years—kidnap him and a few others, drag them all the way back to its home world, and had enough power to downgrade a High-Tier Deity Realm existence to the Transcendent level."
She shook her head, massaging her temples like just remembering it gave her a headache.
"That was his first trip out of the Hell Universe. And it spiralled into a scenario so ridiculous that if someone told me it was a fantasy novel arc with Arthur as the main character, I’d believe them in a heartbeat. That’s how absurd the whole thing was."
Still rubbing her temples, she added in a lower voice.
"And we both know that was just one of the many batshit crazy situations he found himself in over there."
Arthur didn’t tell them about everything he experienced in Valmone, but Layla was sure none of it was remotely normal.
Sighing deeply, Layla turned back to Nicole and asked,
"So, yeah. That was his first trip. Who knows what kind of cosmic nonsense he’ll walk into the second time? Or the third? Or the fourth? And if you’re with him, if you’re there while all this insane shit goes down, what’s going to happen to you?"
Nicole didn’t respond right away, and Layla took that as her cue to keep going.
"To be honest," she said quietly, "I’m worried about Arthur too. But I also know that, somehow, he’s always going to find a way to get himself out of whatever mess he ends up in."
She let out a small, hollow laugh.
"The guy calls himself a bug in the code of all existence, and after knowing him for as long as I could even think, I completely, fully believe him."
Her tone changed again as she reached out and gently took Nicole’s hand.
"But you, Nicole... you’re not an anomaly like he is.
You’re strong, yeah. Stronger than most. But you don’t have some sword that devours souls. You can’t manipulate cosmic energy. You don’t conveniently have artifacts that reduce Deity Realm existences to your level.
You can’t pull Deus Ex Machinas out of nowhere like Arthur does..."
Layla’s voice cracked slightly, but she kept going.
"And that’s what terrifies me. Because whatever insanity finds him is going to hit you even harder. And when that happens, Arthur’s probably going to throw himself in the line of fire to shield you from it, which means he’ll take more damage than he would’ve if he were alone, and that, in turn, will hurt you.
And then it just spirals down from there..."
Layla trailed off at the end, drawing in a deep breath as she tried to calm herself.
And after hearing out her worries, Nicole silently scooted closer to her.
"Arthur does attract a level of... unconventional scenarios. I wouldn’t deny that.
But precisely because I’m aware of this, I’m not stepping into it blindly. My decision to be with him, especially to follow him into this universe called Kriwon, is made with full awareness of the potential risks."
Moving closer, until there wasn’t even a millimetre of space between their shoulders, Nicole continued.
"If Arthur’s presence means more danger for me, or if my presence could cause him to deal with more than he would alone, then I have two options: either stay away, or strengthen my defences to the point where it doesn’t matter."
Turning to face Layla, Nicole quietly stated,
"I happen to prefer the latter."
At this, Layla frowned.
"That’s easier said than done, Nicole."
"I know that. But since my intention isn’t to be a liability to Arthur, I have to face that difficult path and make that intention a reality."
Nicole’s voice was as calm as ever, and when Layla met her eyes, she immediately realized something.
’This... she’s clearly thought this through before...’
Despite noticing Layla’s eyes widen slightly, Nicole spoke on as if she hadn’t.
"The problem isn’t Arthur himself, but the external dangers drawn to him. If I want to be with him, the solution isn’t cutting ties but mitigating the fallout.
If I were to distance myself out of fear for the potential danger being together could bring us both, would that really make me safe? Or would it just leave me less informed and less prepared for the potential future impacts of his existence, which could still ripple out to affect me indirectly?"
"..."
Layla was silent at the question, and as if not expecting a response, Nicole went on.
"It’s far better to engage with the potential danger on my own terms and, like I said before, strengthen my defensive capabilities—my power—and my situational awareness to a..."
She paused, her left hand rising to her chin as she pondered what words to use.
"...as Arthur would put it, a ’new high’..."
Putting her hand down, she continued.
"And besides, I’m pretty sure that staying close to Arthur will help me achieve that.
Sure, he does get caught up in unconventional situations, but his power has skyrocketed because of them. The same was true for the companions he mentioned having while in the Valmone universe.
So why wouldn’t it be the same for me?
Overcoming one unconventional, potentially life-or-death situation would lead to power leaps that make handling the next ones much easier."
Since she was facing ahead while speaking, Nicole noticed the silver-haired young man who was the subject of their conversation stepping out of the Castle, and in the few seconds before he reached them, she concluded her words.
"In the end, the answer to all your worries and concerns is simply to get stronger. Not just me, but you too.
Because, as I said earlier, even away from him, the ripple effects of his existence could still indirectly impact those close to him."
Just as she finished speaking, the space in front of them warped, and Arthur, appearing through the distortion, exclaimed,
"I got permission!"
He casually grabbed Nicole and lifted her by the underarms into the air, leaving her blinking in mild surprise.
Not because he’d suddenly lifted her up—she was used to that—but because her father had actually agreed.
"What did you tell him?"
"That I wanted to take you with me outside the universe. What else?"
Arthur said, tilting his head, then added after a moment,
"I did mention that I planned to make you stronger too."
Nicole looked at him silently, her experience with Arthur telling her that wasn’t nearly all he had said.
’And I bet his next move will be to brush it off casually. Maybe... ’Don’t sweat the small stuff’?’
As if she were the one with the power to see the future, Arthur said exactly what she had just thought.
"Don’t sweat the small stuff. What matters is that he knows you’re coming with me and he’s fine with it.
We do have to send an official missive to Kriwon to let them know a Count’s Daughter is coming over, though."
Hearing Arthur’s words, Layla, who had used the brief moment he was focused on Nicole to compose her expression, asked,
"Weren’t your trips outside the universe supposed to be secret? Sending an official missive defeats the purpose.
Even if it only has Nicole’s name on it, it still raises the chances that news of you leaving will leak out."
Her concerns were valid, and Arthur nodded in agreement.
"But I don’t really care about news of this trip getting out. It’s only supposed to last, at most, a month, and we’re not broadcasting it to everyone.
By the time anyone with... nefarious intentions realizes anything, we’ll already be back."
Arthur sat down on the bench as he spoke, placing Nicole on his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist.
"It’s after this trip that the one meant to be secret will happen."
That trip was to Draco Sirus.
’Speaking of which, that Divine Dragon I got in Valmone is still with Lewis and the others, right? Last I checked, it was nearing Transcendence, so it should be at that level now.’
Arthur briefly thought about how many years had passed in Valmone and, after calculating, decided he’d head there right after returning from Draco Sirus.
