Chapter 1015 Dalia's Hope 1
Tucking a wisp of hair that had gotten out of her bun behind her ear, Helena continued to run through the camp while looking for her daughter.
There were many people who greeted her, as she was quite a famous figure now on the continent. As the one who had supported the Godking long before everyone else had even known of him, and as someone who had built such a large empire single-handedly, she was admired by many, and was even a model for many young women who wanted to strike out and make a name for themselves.
A lot of the people who saw her were puzzled, though, because they could see the panic in her eyes and the sweat running down her brow. They tried to stop her so that they could ask what was wrong, but she ignored them and continued to look around frantically.
Finally, after a few more minutes, she saw something that gave her hope, and a few moments later, she had already reached the spot that she had set her eyes on.
She came upon a young woman who was talking animatedly with three others, and the moment she came near, she flung her arms around her and hugged her tightly.
Startled, the young woman could not talk for a few moments, but after that, she blinked and exclaimed, "Mom! How did you find me here?"
Her tone was filled with frustration, and hearing this, Helena was shocked out of the feeling of relief that had filled her mind.
Narrowing her eyebrows, she shot a look at her daughter which immediately made the young woman close her mouth and gulp, and before she could say anything, Helena started to lead her away from the group.
It was only after they had walked a few steps away that Dalia managed to find the courage to turn back and say, "I'll be back," but the moment she said it, she was tugged even more fiercely, which made her go silent and begin to plan just what she was going to do about the situation which she had found herself in.
At the edge of the tent, her mother found a mage and had a quick conversation with him before he teleported them to a command tent that was empty.
Helena thanked the mage who shot a curious look at Dalia and left.
They were now alone, so she prepared for the scalding remarks that would soon come from her mother.
However, instead of admonishing her, Helena shakily sat on a chair nearby, and burst into tears.
Shocked, Dalia quickly ran to her and began to wipe away the tears from her face while asking, "What's wrong? What is it?"
This wasn't the first time this had happened, so she had been expecting the conversation to go in the same way that it had before.
Only, Helena was in no state to speak, and it was only after a few seconds that she finally managed to control herself.
She hugged her daughter tightly again, and that was when she spoke.
"One month, Dalia. You were wrong. The war is not months or years from now. You do not have that much time to grow and become someone who can make a difference in the fight. In one month, you will still be the same. Please stop running away. Please let us take the king's offer to take shelter with all the important individuals in the Kingdom. I can't… Handle this stress alone. I need you. And I need you to be with me, so that I don't need to worry about you. Will you please do this for me?"
Her words struck Dalia dumb.
One month?! That was it?
As tears started to come to her eyes, too, Dalia fell on her knees and was speechless.
She had thought that she would have time. She had wanted to be on the front lines, if possible, so despite her mother telling her not to go, she had repeatedly run away to join the legions of people who were training even though they had no talent in either Path.
Even if she might not be able to make that much of a difference, Dalia had been determined to do something. The idea of sitting safely while others fought and died for her home was something she couldn't stomach, and because she had always been a headstrong child, she had gone ahead with her plan even though she could be said to be one of the most important civilians in the continent.
She had hidden her identity by dying her hair that had been a beautiful black into a shade of yellow, and because she had joined up late, she had been put into the bottom-level group which was still learning the basics.
There weren't many of these individuals, as those who were going to fight had already heeded the King's call before, and were already in the advanced classes where they could deploy their power together.
She had burned with jealousy when she saw them, and she had been determined to reach their level as quickly as possible.
Now, though… it did not seem like she would be able to do so, at all.
If she was someone who had grown up in a privileged household without any exposure to the real world, Dalia would have continued to remain senseless for quite a long time due to this sudden news that had upended all of her plans.
Thankfully, hers had been a harsh childhood filled with difficulties until that point when everything had changed, so snapping out of the shock, she began to think about what she could do.
She had not wanted to use the privilege of her position, but now, it looked like she had no choice.
With a determined expression on her face, she touched a trinket that she had hidden in the deepest pockets of her dress, and a moment later, two women appeared in the tent.