Chapter 184:
"I... I like the Tower Master. I couldn't express this feeling until now... and now, it feels like I'm going crazy. So I wanted to... tell the Tower Master."
Phoebe revealed her true feelings without holding back.
Dolores slightly bit her lip and swallowed her saliva.
'It's not easy to hear it directly from her.'
Even though she was somewhat prepared, accepting it was not easy.
It would be a lie if she said she didn't feel any rivalry.
In Dolores' eyes, Phoebe was the perfect woman.
Blonde hair, curvy figure. She had transformed from having the worst image in the Silence Tower to becoming one of the most beautiful women.
'But I can't let that happen.'
Dolores put strength in her eyes.
It was an act to shake off her distracting thoughts, but Phoebe flinched when she saw her expression.
"I-I'm sorry?"
"Why are you suddenly apologizing?"
"Because you were glaring..."
"Ah, I just wanted to snap out of it!"
Unintentionally, Dolores ended up suppressing her.
Dolores quickly changed the subject.
"How did you end up falling for him?"
"Well..."
As Phoebe hesitated, Dolores waved her hand and said,
"You don't have to answer if it's hard. I'm just curious. I have no other intention."
Upon hearing that, Phoebe began to tell her story.
From the beginning to the end, she laid out everything. Dolores tightly closed her eyes.
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She managed to suppress her emotions by wiping away the tears that welled up with a handkerchief.
"Phoebe, you've been through a lot because of your parents."
Phoebe had suffered under the control of her greedy parents, and found salvation through Reed. Dolores felt a sense of empathy.
Perhaps because of that, Dolores wished for Phoebe's happiness even more.
"Do you think he pities you?"
"If I accept that feeling... no one will be able to be happy."
Dolores' expression became even more serious.
"So, assuming there is a feeling of pity, would that be the end of your feelings for him?"
"Well..."
"Could you give him up if it was simply out of pity?"
Phoebe clenched her clothes. She knew that was impossible.
Emotions are capricious children that play independently of reason.
"I don't know."
"Is it not allowed even if I give permission?"
"It's not a matter of permission. I'm just... scared."
Phoebe trembled.
Her eyes became moist as if she was about to cry at any moment.
"I'm not as smart or as pretty as Dolores, nor do I have a good style. Who would like a slow and stupid woman like me?"
"..."
As Phoebe lowered her head, Dolores looked down at her with a stunned expression.
Is she really serious about what she's saying?
Feeling grateful for her consideration but also seeing Phoebe as an insurmountable wall, Dolores felt a strange mix of emotions.
Putting her personal feelings aside, she focused on persuading Phoebe.
"Why does that matter? Although you say you're not smart, you handle your work as well as the Tower Masters, don't you?"
"I made a lot of mistakes at first. I caused the Tower Master trouble more than once."
"That's the same for me too. I was always afraid of making mistakes, and I made many small errors. But we overcame that, didn't we? The management of the Wallin Tower went well too."
Dolores massaged Phoebe's hand to help her relax.
Dolores honestly shared her feelings.
"Also, every time I talk to Rosaria, I get jealous of you."
At those words, Phoebe was startled.
"Why, why? What did I do wrong...?"
"It's not that you did something wrong. It's just that I'm envious."
"Ah, I see."
Not knowing how to respond, she nodded vacantly.
Dolores continued.
"Everyone has something they're good at, but there are also people who can't do it. Because people are different. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"..."
Realizing her mistake as Phoebe's head tilted like a leaning tower, Dolores immediately gave her an answer.
"It means don't think that you're not suitable for him."
"Yes..."
Her answer was not very reassuring.
Although the conversation could have ended there, Dolores wanted to make sure.
If they remained in an awkward state, their feelings might pile up and cause a rift, and above all, Dolores wanted to become closer to Phoebe.
"Then let's do this."
Dolores composed herself and made a suggestion to Phoebe.
"Let's talk about what we dislike about him."
"Dislike?"
Phoebe's eyes widened at the unexpected proposal.
"Honestly, it's because he keeps not saying anything and hesitating, right? We are, strictly speaking, victims."
"It's just the timing..."
"Ah!"
Dolores covered Phoebe's mouth.
"Just say it, talk about the things you dislike about that playboy."
"Well, I also..."
"If you think about it, there are things that aren't perfect, even though he's good."
"Uhm..."
"Then I'll go first. I'm annoyed that he keeps treating me like a child."
"Recently... he seems to be a bit obsessed with cheeks."
"Ah, that's true. It's so annoying. I don't know why he has to touch my body like that, it makes me feel guilty!"
It was difficult to start, but once they did, they began to pour out their dislikes like a broken dam.
"He's stubborn!"
"He's unnecessarily kind to women!"
"The tests are really hard!"
Phoebe and Dolores angrily spat out Reed's flaws.
If he had been listening, he might have been shaken by the number of drawbacks that emerged.
As they shouted at each other, they eventually caught their breath and silence followed.
They looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Indeed, there's nothing better for lightening the mood than talking bad about someone."
"That's true."
"See? No one is perfect. Talking like this makes me realize he has a lot of flaws too."
"You're right."
Phoebe hadn't imagined that so many flaws would come out.
"So don't say that you're not worthy, Phoebe."
"Th-thank you..."
Dolores spread her arms, and Phoebe embraced her.
At the moment they hugged, they felt it.
'It doesn't seem like we're at that stage yet...'
'Is this... okay?'
As soon as they felt the anxiety, an awkward atmosphere flowed between Phoebe and Dolores.
They couldn't figure out when to end this hug.
'Looking back, it was awkward... but it was still nice.'
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"What should we do?"
"First, we have no choice but to hold out with the fortress's barrier. Let's come up with a strategy in the meantime."
Even the tacticians, who were called the sages of each country, were too pressed for time to come up with a strategy.
Larksper, who had been standing quietly in the dying silence, picked up his axe and spoke.
"Larksper can fight."
"You can't. You are the leader of the Balten Alliance. You must lead the remaining orcs."
Commanders have to endure.
Larksper understood the feeling of enduring, but he hated it.
He felt pathetic, unable to do anything as his comrades were dying.
In sync with his mood, the black-haired woman who had been lying down got up from her seat.
"..."
"Rachel, you can still feel the pain. You won't be able to fight if you move."
"..."
At Isel's dissuasion, Rachel reluctantly lay down again.
She had fought in the front lines with the Knights of the Althea.
She held out until the end, but she eventually fainted and was transported back to the fortress.
"What on earth is the Silence Tower Master doing?!"
They were buying time for him, but there was no news.
They even thought that he might be leisurely carrying on without knowing their desperate feelings.
"Don't vent your anger in the wrong place."
"Shouldn't we have waited for more completion and then lured that damned dragon? We should have done that!"
"Everything has its time. The Silence Tower Master said that now is the time, and we followed him, so there's no reason to blame."
"What if that's a lie too?"
As opinions diverged, the fight escalated.
Bang!
Someone slammed an axe on the table.
"Stop whining like little girls."
It was Larksper.
"Can't humans trust others?"
"We can't just trust when we've come this far!"
"We meet one of two people on the battlefield: an enemy or an ally. Is the Silence Tower Master our enemy?"
"..."
No one could answer Larksper's question.
Larksper pulled the axe out of the table and spoke.
"I will buy more time with the orc warriors."
"They are already injured. If you fight more, you will only die."
"An orc's honor is to die on the battlefield. Larksper knows. If I step forward, they will follow."
Larksper didn't hesitate any longer.
He armed himself and prepared to go outside.
"I will accompany you."
At that moment, one of the commanders followed Larksper.
It was Adonis, the commander and ruler of the Hupper Kingdom.
"Can you fight?"
"I feel like I'll start a fight inside if I just listen to the complaints, so I have to fight together."
"For the same reason, then."
Larksper grinned.
Adonis and Larksper prepared to go outside the fortress.
No other commanders followed them.
"What a pathetic situation."
The old man, who was the empire's chief magician and a master craftsman, stroked his beard and said.
"It's a shame that young people throw away their lives in such a hot-blooded manner."
"Indeed... it is."
The chief magician smiled pleasantly.
"I guess I should feel the rejuvenation after a long time."
He got up from his seat and walked somewhere with short steps.
The magicians who had been assisting him asked.
"Where are you going, Master Craftsman?"
"Where would I go? Does it look like this old body can run away?"
The old man laughed heartily.
"With the young ones so full of energy to carry on the future, the elderly must do what they can."