"Right!" Elzen exclaimed as he slammed the table, surprising his squadmates.
"What happened to you, Elzen?" Quaaren asked.
"I have an extra, unofficial mission for everyone here. Of course, I won't force you to join, but I would like everyone to participate."
"Mission? Is that why you went to the commander's tent earlier?" Vivelle said without motivation.
"Yes and no, part of what was discussed in that attempt is what motivated me to think about this possible mission."
"Speak up then, stop stalling!"
"Don't get excited, Vivelle. I'll tell you the details and you'll tell me if you're in or not." He then removes a patch containing the poorly drawn map of the village of Maruum.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in my hands is the map of the village with the details of the festival, as you know it will take place next week and I want your help to prepare for this event."
"Wait, why do you want to prepare for the festival? We'll take care of the security of the place." Woltur pointed out.
"If you let me tell you the whole plan, you'll know that the commander will give everyone who participated in the attack on the stronghold a day off."
The young soldiers received the news with joy. They needed this day, and the possibility of enjoying the festival as ordinary citizens brought an extra glamour.
"Finally! I can't wait to see all the wonderful clothes they'll be selling at the festival." Vivelle displayed an unusual joy.
"I want to visit some stalls with perfumes and potions, I want to take some as gifts for my family." Julienne smiled happily.
"Exactly! I need your help with that kind of thing, especially both of you."
"What do you want?" Caristo approached Elzen.
"For those who don't know, I like Manila, and we kind of deepened our relationship a bit, and with everything that happened at the stronghold, I want to make the festival day something unforgettable for her."
A moment of silence makes the atmosphere awkward. Julienne is the first to break the silence in a shy way.
"I-I'm happy for you, Elzen, but I wouldn't want to get close to Manila right now. I've seen the results of her losing control in person. It wasn't pretty, and being honest, she scares me."
"Like I said, I do not want to force anyone to do this, but she's never had people to talk to or even spend free time with. I know what happened was scary, but it's something much more out of her control ."
"But that's the problem, Elzen..." Quaaren interrupted. "I believe she's a good person, but this instability of not knowing when she'll lose control again is scary. None of us could do what she did in the stronghold, and imagine if one of us accidentally triggers another accident."
Elzen remains silent. He understands his colleagues' fears well, and deep down, he is afraid that she'll lose control when he's around; he can't find the words to convince them to help. Woltur gently touches his shoulder and smiles, then turns to the others.
"I understand your fear, Elzen does too, but this is a squadmate we're talking about, someone who helped us a lot during the missions we completed."
"When we were climbing the Antera Hills and that group of Barghashees started following us, she was the one who stayed behind so that we, tired from the long journey, could escape and not be attacked. She used her resources to heal herself after the attack and defeated three creatures, which is impressive."
"We know that Woltur, you don't need to keep reminding us of something we experienced." Vivelle complained irritably.
"I think I need to do this, Vivelle, because it seems you've forgotten about it. Of course, that ordeal she went through was scary, but remember that if that hadn't happened, both she and Julienne would probably have died. "
"T-that's not true..."
"Oh, it's not true, Julienne? You were knocked unconscious by that man's first blow, weren't you?"
"Y-yes..."
"How were you going to defeat him then? Did you have some magic that we don't know about, something you need to be unconscious to release all your strength?"
"N-no, but maybe he wouldn't kill us."
"Oh, I see, so maybe by luck you would survive somehow, the bandits being attacked and cornered inside the stronghold itself, and they would simply leave two soldiers alive out of the kindness of their hearts." Woltur's sarcastic tone made Julienne shut up; she knew his words were true.
"What we should see here is the whole scenario, yes, she is in an unstable state, but none of us here will put her in danger, right?"
"No." The others speak in unison.
"Then why let yourself be overcome by fear? She is one of us, and maybe she needs us much more now. What would you do, Vivelle, if you found out that you had become a person capable of killing several others while you were unconscious?"
"I... I don't know what I would do, I would probably lock myself in a room and get away from everyone."
"Exactly, you would be afraid of hurting those close to you. How do you think Manila feels now?"
Another moment of awkward silence, this time longer since no one seemed to want to speak, was when Elzen again took the reins of the situation and broke the silence.
"Like I told you, I don't want anyone to feel forced to do this, but I would appreciate it if you could help me. She deserves a normal day to have fun and a different reality from the ordinary."
"Okay, okay, I'll help you with that, but you owe me one!" Vivelle said, throwing her arms in the air.
"Thank you very much, Vivelle! I'm sure her good taste in fashion will make her very happy."
"I'll offer to help too; it wouldn't be fair to leave Vivelle alone to take care of this." Woltur smiles at his colleagues.
"O-okay, I'll help Vivelle too." Julienne volunteers with a look of defeat.
Quaaren and Caristo also volunteer to help, even though they don't know how they could. The awkward atmosphere becomes lighter and more normal, and they begin to discuss the plans for the festival. An hour later, the plan has been drawn up.
Early in the morning, Julienne and Vivelle will accompany Manila to several stores and stalls that sell clothes, accessories, and perfumes, and they will help her dress as beautifully as possible for the occasion.
Woltur will accompany her to several food stalls and let her choose whatever she wants, but of course, always offering to help her, since everyone knows she doesn't handle gifts or even small treats well.
Quaaren and Caristo will take care of her in the early afternoon. They will be responsible for letting her have fun at the festival, visiting stalls, outdoor plays, and even some friendly competitions.
When the night starts to fall, it will be Elzen's turn; he will accompany her to the best spots for couples at the festival, and try to create a romantic experience that she has never had before and that she will perhaps never forget. All the papers have been distributed and understood; now, Elzen must inform Manila about this. He leaves the tent and heads to the commander's tent.
The commander's tent had some luxuries that the other tents didn't. In addition to its size, it had more elaborate furniture, such as a firmer and more luxurious bed, a desk, some mana lanterns, and a large trunk. Manila was lying on the bed, covered by a thick blanket made of fur. She slept peacefully while Commander Boltu watched her with an affectionate smile.
"Commander Boltu, the entire squad will help with the operation." Elzen said, saluting. Boltu just laughed, saluting back.
"Operation, huh? I'm glad everyone wants to help..." He looked back at Manila.
"Did you know that I've known about her situation for years, but I never raised my voice against the mistreatment she suffered out of consideration for my friend Mellorus?" His gaze slowly turned into one of anguish.
"There was nothing you could do; the Archduke's influence would be enough to keep you away, not to mention the stigma of getting involved in a family matter."
"I'm facing that stigma now, late, but I am."
"She is now an adult, according to the law, she does not have to respond to her family anymore, and I do not think she ever had to, but she was still Lord Mellorus' responsibility ."
"I hope I didn't take too long, it's the only thing I want right now." He looks at Elzen. "I don't want to pressure you, young man, but I hope you never hurt her."
"I won't hurt her, sir, I know my role in this, I gave her a reason to have hope, even if it sounds arrogant on my part, I believe I will be able to not only give her that hope but will make her see life as something better."
Boltu smiles at Elzen in a mixture of relief and happiness, what he wants most at this moment is for her to be able to live a better life, some challenges are inevitable and he already expects an exaggerated reaction from Mellorus, but he will try to do everything possible so that she can have a good life.
"I'm going out to take care of other matters, my boy, please watch her until she wakes up, it was difficult to make her calm down."
"Don't worry, sir, I won't leave her alone."
"Never forget those words, my boy." Boltu smiles again, leaving the tent.
Elzen looks at Manila and smiles. He holds her hand and kisses her forehead.
"Rest well, Manila, I'll see you soon."