Chapter 138: Logic and Empathy
Riyala slowly picked the egg up with the fork, and Jason watched curiously as she took half of it in her mouth and tore it with her sharp, jagged teeth.
For a moment, there was no reaction and Jason wondered if he hadn’t made it properly, but then Riyala’s eyes brightened and she turned to Jason with a starry gaze.
"This is amazing. T-Thank you!"
Jason smiled at that. Jason knew that Riyala’s palate would be different from a human’s, so he added a shitton of pepper to the food to try and make it hotter than normal. Thankfully, he hadn’t messed up and Riyala actually liked it.
Jason waited calmly as Riyala basically tore through the omelet. She hadn’t eaten anything for more than two days, so he could understand she was really hungry. Once she was finished, she drank down the juice and put the plate to the side respectfully. Even while eating, both Jason and Gina couldn’t help but notice how regal Riyala’s movements were. There was no doubt they were watching a princess from the way she acted.
Jason spoke once Riyala was done.
"I might be able to help you get to the world you were aiming for initially, but to do that, I’ll need to know the world’s name and the exact location where you wanted to create the dimensional tear."
Riyala frowned at that as she looked at the ground in thought. She stayed silent for a few seconds before she finally spoke.
"I’m sorry, but I don’t know the world’s name. My father just told me that I had to make it to the Cave of Broken Fangs located in the Geth Valley. It’s a sacred place for my family and we would normally go there to offer prayers to our ancestors. But I never knew there were Dimensional Tears located nearby."
Jason sighed and folded his hands while asking the system if he could use that information to locate the world she was aiming for.
[The information is insufficient. There are 17 worlds connected to the Cave of Broken Fangs in the Geth Valley in Radagan. A more specific location is required.]
’That’s what I thought. At this rate, I’m never going to pass that mission.’
If Jason didn’t find some way to send Riyala to where she wanted to go, then he wouldn’t pass the [Guard the Radagan Princess] mission. But he also didn’t want Riyala to stay here any longer than necessary since the longer she remained in this world, the more likely it was for someone to come here looking for her. And no matter how much Jason felt for her, he didn’t want to endanger any of the people close to him because of a choice he made.
Riyala watched Jason closely and she could sense the turmoil going through his heart. She knew her presence here was something he hadn’t planned for, and she was very grateful for what he had done for her already! Riyala would feel terrible if she caused him any more trouble by staying here longer than she needed to!
Riyala spoke up resolutely while looking Jason in the eye.
"I think it’ll be best if I went back to my world and found my way to the Geth Valley. If I arrive back where I left, then it wouldn’t be that hard to figure out where I need to go."
Jason narrowed his eyes curiously, and Riyala kept her eyes locked on his own to make sure he knew how serious she was. At the side, Gina looked completely lost as she turned from Jason to Riyala quickly! What were they talking about so seriously!? Gina asked Jason to tell her what was going on and Jason scratched his chin while telling her that they were thinking of what to do next.
"Riyala thinks she can find her way to somewhere safe if she goes back to her world."
"What? But aren’t they looking for her there? If she goes back, they’ll definitely capture her, right?"
"Yeah, most likely..."
"Then she can stay with us! Jason, she doesn’t have anyone to depend on. Her parents are dead and the world she once knew has been taken from her! If we let her go like this, then there’s no way she’ll survive! We can’t just abandon her."
Jason released a calm sigh as he leaned forward seriously. He knew that Gina was right. It would be almost impossible for Riyala to survive out there on her own. If they allowed her to go back to her world, then it would be no different from signing her death warrant. But Jason was still not convinced. He couldn’t allow emotion to cloud his judgment.
Gina came forward when she saw the serious look on her boyfriend’s face and she took his hand in her own to speak to him softly. She knew that Jason was thinking about things in his own logical way, but she didn’t want him to use cold logic all the time like this. Sometimes, you just have to do things because it’s the right thing to do.
"Jason, if we abandon her now, she’ll die. Either her people get her or the government gets her. We already know that everyone is looking for her. Let’s just take care of her until she can figure something out. Please."
In the short time that Gina had spent with Riyala, she had grown fond of the girl, almost like an older sister growing fond of a younger one. Gina didn’t want to think of what would happen to her if she was left on her own. It was likely that she would be captured by her people or even worse, she would be captured by the government here on Earth. Both of those possibilities were horrible to think about.
Jason sighed. It wouldn’t be impossible for them to take care of her, especially since he could use his summons to protect her from anyone who tried to attack her here.
’If we wait for a little longer, then things will calm down in her world. I can take her back and she’ll find her way to the Cave of Broken Fangs.’
Jason finally decided that it would be more sensible to keep Riyala here than to send her back, so he just sighed and gave Gina a smile. Gina’s face immediately brightened up again and she tackled Jason in a grateful hug before she turned to Riyala and told her that she could stay!
Riyala tilted her head to one side in confusion since she didn’t understand a word Gina said, and Jason spoke up.
"You can stay with us until we figure out what to do. Just make yourself at home."
Riyala’s eyes widened and her hands squeezed on her lap as she looked down.
"B-But, I don’t know how long it’ll take, and—"
Jason cut her off with a shake of his head.
"It’s fine. We’ll figure it out."
At that moment, Jason sounded so certain of himself that it gave Riyala pause. Riyala had gone through a lot over the past few years on Radagan. The coup had lasted for a long time and they had been running and hiding from the Dragonriders while trying to fight back and take the land that had been taken from them. There hasn’t been a single day when Riyala could remember having something to be happy about in that world.
So seeing the complete confidence in Jason’s eyes as he did something so selfless and kind for her made Riyala’s heart explode with emotion, and she didn’t know when tears began to gather in her eyes!