Chapter 71 - Amy’s true feelings
After making sure there were no more goblins hiding inside the nearby huts, I found a quiet place to rest and recover my mana.
Amy sat down beside me.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
The dungeon was strangely quiet.
Only the faint sound of water dripping from the cave walls could be heard.
Then Amy broke the silence.
"You did well today, little brother."
"For your first real battle..."
"You exceeded my expectations."
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"But..."
"Don’t push yourself too hard."
I looked at her curiously.
Amy rarely spoke in such a serious tone.
"What do you mean?"
She looked down slightly.
"In the past..."
"I was just like you."
Her voice became softer.
"I wanted to become the strongest."
"I thought that if I became strong enough..."
"I wouldn’t need anyone else."
"So I spent almost all my time training."
"I barely talked to people."
"Other than Mom and a few others..."
"I kept everyone at a distance."
She paused.
"It was... lonely."
I quietly listened.
I didn’t interrupt.
Amy didn’t often talk about herself.
So when she did...
I wanted to hear everything.
Then a small smile appeared on her face.
"But then..."
"You were born."
"You were always following me around like a little tail."
"You wanted to play with me."
"You laughed with me."
"You never cared that everyone else thought I was cold."
"You just saw me as your big sister."
A small laugh escaped her lips.
"Because of you..."
"I realized that being close to people wasn’t a bad thing."
"Slowly..."
"I stopped thinking that I had to become the strongest person in the world."
"And before I knew it..."
"I was actually enjoying my life."
She looked at me.
"Just like Mom always says..."
"We don’t have to become the strongest."
"We only need enough strength to protect the people we love..."
"And enjoy the time we have."
She became serious again.
"I’m not telling you to stop becoming stronger."
"I know how important strength is to you."
"I’m only saying..."
"Don’t throw everything else away just to chase power."
"If you hadn’t come into my life..."
"I honestly don’t know if I would have ever been this happy."
Her eyes softened.
"I don’t want you to walk the same lonely path I almost did."
"I know you worry about us."
"Even though Mom is one of the strongest people in the world..."
"You still train because you want to protect everyone."
She gently smiled.
"But you don’t have to carry everything alone."
"As long as Mom is here..."
"Nothing will happen to us."
"So..."
"Slow down a little."
"Enjoy your life."
"Just like you always used to."
I stayed silent, letting her words sink in.
There wasn’t even a trace of her usual teasing.
This...
Was the real Amy.
Looking back...
I finally understood why she had always been distant toward everyone outside our family.
From a young age, everyone had looked at her as the future head of the Starlight Family.
A genius.
Someone who carried countless expectations.
Those expectations slowly built walls around her heart.
And now...
She didn’t want the same thing to happen to me.
A small smile appeared on my face.
"I promise."
"I won’t become like that."
Amy looked at me for a moment.
Then she gently reached over and rubbed my head.
"I know."
"I just wanted to make sure you understood."
For a while, we simply sat there.
The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was peaceful.
Then suddenly...
Amy’s usual mischievous smile returned.
"...Well."
"Enough serious talk."
I blinked.
"Hm?"
She looked at me with the same expression she always wore before teasing me.
"Do you know something very important, little brother?"
I tilted my head.
"What?"
Her grin widened.
"You’ve already been engaged..."
"...since before you were even born."
...
My brain stopped working.
"...What?"
Amy immediately burst into laughter.
"I’m really looking forward to seeing how you handle your love life."
I stared at her in confusion.
"My... what?"
She only laughed harder.
Seeing her return to her usual cheerful self...
I couldn’t help smiling.
But then...
The meaning behind her words finally reached me.
"Wait."
"I’m engaged?"
"To who?"
"And how was that decided before I was even born?"
My mind filled with questions.
Amy looked at my completely confused expression and giggled.
"It seems Mother hasn’t told you yet."
She smiled mischievously.
"But sorry, little brother."
"I can’t tell you who she is."
"You’ll meet her in about two years."
Her grin widened as she watched my reaction.
Then she patted my shoulder.
"Alright."
"That’s enough resting."
"We still have to defeat the boss monster."
I stood up.
But before taking a step, I looked at her with disbelief.
"Hey."
"I went through all that trouble defeating the Goblin Lord."
"Aren’t we going to collect the loot from its base?"
Amy blinked.
"...Loot?"
She tilted her head.
"How do you know there’s treasure?"
I shrugged.
"I have good perception."
Amy sighed.
"That cheating skill again..."
She closed her eyes and activated her own perception.
Although it wasn’t as powerful as mine, her perception was still excellent.
After searching for a few moments, her eyes opened.
"I found it."
We walked toward the Goblin Lord’s hut.
Using Eclipse, I carefully cut through the wooden floor.
Hidden underneath was a small compartment.
Inside were several valuable items.
* An F+ Goblin Lord Mana Core.
* A small chest filled with gold and silver coins.
* A high-quality iron sword.
* A basic movement skill book.
Without hesitation, I stored everything inside my Space Storage.
The Mana Core would normally be extremely valuable for increasing someone’s rank.
Most adventurers relied on Mana Cores because they provided a fast and reliable way to advance.
However...
Neither Amy nor I planned to use them yet.
We wanted to build the strongest foundation possible before ranking up.
Mother had already prepared high-quality resources and potions for us.
They were far better suited for strengthening our foundation than rushing advancement through Mana Cores.
Once our foundation was complete...
We could use Mana Cores to advance much more efficiently.
After collecting everything, Amy and I continued deeper into the dungeon.
Along the way, we encountered several scattered monsters.
Compared to before...
The fights became much easier.
My movements were smoother.
My control over Gravity improved with every battle.
My sword felt more natural in my hands.
Before long...
We finally reached a massive stone door.
The boss room.
Amy stopped me before I touched the handle.
"Don’t be nervous."
"The boss is just another monster."
"It’s only slightly stronger than the Goblin Lord you already defeated."
She smiled confidently.
"You can handle it."
I took a deep breath.
Then I tightened my grip around Eclipse.
"...Alright."
Slowly...
I pushed open the massive stone door.