"I understand," Jake said.
"If that is the case, why don't you compromise a little bit?" Louise asked. "Even if we don't join Frederick's guild, we can still increase the number of members in this party. If you were in our position, you would understand how tough it is to see a friend getting hurt like that fighting monsters while making sure that they won't target us."
"It would be a pain in the ass, besides, you guys are anomalies, few people would be able to withstand me," Jake said. "Considering that neither of you really like this place, you really should join the guild. After all, you will obtain more information and obtain the strenght from their numbers. Don't worry about me, whatever happens from now on, I won't regret my choices and you should do the same. Even if I were to die somewhere due to it, it is fine. I lived until for many years relying on myself alone and I will keep doing that until the day of my death."
That was a pretty sad thing to say, but Jake said that while looking pretty proud of himself. It seemed that despite the fact that they had been working together for weeks and accomplished many things, Jake didn't feel much loyalty toward the party. That was more than enough to make Louise more than a bit sad and Lana angrier than usual.
"Like I said, there's no reason to worry, you guys can join Frederick's guild and we can still be friends," Jake said. "If you need my help with some difficult mission, I will give you a hand. Just do whatever you think is fine and do your best to keep going without regrets."
After hearing that, Louise and Lana sighed. In the end, neither of them could compromise, so they could only choose what was the best for themselves. Jake believed that keeping working without the help of a guild was the best option, and the girls thought that working with a guild was the best option to prevent Jake and even their deaths. The party came to an end, but despite the girls' assumptions, it didn't end in a bad way. They just weren't going to work on the same missions every single time, but they could always team-up. However, before that can happen, Lana and Louise want to obtain the power where they wouldn't have to be protected while seeing their friends get beaten up so badly by bosses. As for Karina, she didn't have many feelings about that regarding the party, but she still wanted to help those who helped her. Besides, she didn't have any strong feelings regarding guilds despite what Rick had done.
"Someday, I will pay my debt," Karina said to Jake.
"I will try not to put my expectations too high," Jake said.
"I hope that you won't die in the very next mission due to your stubbornness," Lana said.
"You really have low expectations of me," Jake shrugged.
"Let's create this party again, in the future," Louise said. "When all of us become strong enough to overcome all bosses without spilling too much blood."
"I won't make any promises since I am a busy and popular guy," Jake said.
In the end, Jake didn't say anything more than that. He didn't like goodbyes or overly dramatic situations. After all, he just offered them a handshake and then selected his next mission.
"... Is this really fine?" Karina asked as soon as Jake disappeared.
"It is fine," Louise said. "Jake has his own goals and we will have the chance to have ours as well. Once I return to Earth and confirm some things, I will do my best to create an environment where others will have the chance to grow stronger and find the answers that we are looking for. What do you want to do?"
"I want to heal as many people as possible," Lana replied and then began to think more deeply about it. "After that… I want to find a way to give the members of smaller guilds hope and perhaps help them return home as well."
"I… don't know what I want," Karina said. "I only want to help you three who gave me back my freedom."
"That is fine as well, you are the youngest of us, after all," Louise said.
"… I know that we are going the right thing, but… I am worried about Jake," Lana said. "He is someone who couldn't rely on anyone in the recent years, so this might be…"
"Let's not think about that," Louise shook her head and then said. "Even if we stayed with him, it wouldn't solve the real issue, Jake would keep forcing himself to get all the aggro of several monsters and would ended up hurting himself more. I really believe that this break will help our group as a whole."
"Yes, you are right… I will miss his cooking, though," Lana said and then laughed a little.
"Hahaha, let's get going," Louise said. "We don't have time to lose… while having a guild will help us a lot, we need to keep trying harder."
---- ----
Jake felt a bit weird as soon as he appeared in Rainia. It was probably because he wasn't used to saying such things. He didn't like to get all sentimental either. Still, he felt satisfied with ending their partnership like that on a high note. Nevertheless, it was time to change his mood since he already could see some enemies in the distance.
Walking Beehive
Lv 69
Wind/Poison
Health: 350/350 (1.1)
Mana: 950 /950 (1.1)
Stamina: 410/110 (1.1)
Strength: 150
Dexterity: 250
Speed: 150
Intelligence: 450
Endurance: 200
Control: 290
Mentality: 240
Luck: 250
Recovery: 660
Willpower: 240
Coins: 00
Status: 00
When Jake saw those weird monsters, he couldn't help but frown. They were exactly like their names implied. They were beehives that had legs and could walk. The weird thing about them was that Jake couldn't see anything else on their bodies, aside from some Giant Bees flying around them, and when the nearest monster looked toward Jake, the bees flew toward him.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel