Roughly a few hours had passed since the other Jay escaped from Chris and Luna. After reinforcements stormed the training grounds, Chris managed to explain the situation before he and Luna were taken to the hospital. Their wounds were too grave to be treated with just some healing potions; therefore, they needed to undergo proper treatment and were ordered to rest in the hospital for at least a few days.
Sharing the same room, Chris and Luna blankly stared at the white ceiling. The window was open, allowing a fresh breeze to enter their silent space. Nothing was said—or rather, Luna did not even know what she should say to him. Chris, on the other hand, was too ashamed to say anything as he allowed a cadet to see him in such a pathetic state.
"Ehm..." Luna attempted to lighten up the mood, albeit awkwardly.
"The Royal Knight Selection will be canceled at this rate, won't it...?"
"You're really thinking about that now?" Chris replied, sounding slightly agitated and offended by that question.
Luna cursed herself internally for asking such an obvious and insensitive question.
"But no need to worry. As the captain and main instructor of this event, I declare that you have passed the selection." Chris sighed tiredly.
"Wait, wha- Ugh!" Luna shouted, lifting her upper body suddenly, which caused her injury to ache again.
"Calm down. How could I possibly let someone like you fail? From what I saw in the past days, you were one of the few who earnestly tried to improve and keep up with the others despite all your shortcomings."
Luna forced a slight smile while she had to hear him compliment and roast her at the same time.
"And to top it off, you tried your best to turn the tables on that guy, even when you had almost lost your life in the process. In my eyes, you have what it takes to be called a knight." he explained as if he was reading from a script.
Chris turned his head to Luna, whose eyes lit up.
"So what will it be? Do you want to become an official knight?" he suggested, smirking lightly.
[Congratulations! You have cleared the quest!
You are now Level 3!
You have 3 stat points. Do you wish to allocate them?]
"I..."
Having passed the selection did not necessarily mean that a person had to join the knight order. It just meant that they had the qualification to become one. What a person did after passing the event was up to them in the end.
Luna, in this case, had already made up her mind.
"I'm sorry, but I have to decline your offer. There's something else I want to do." Luna stated earnestly.
"I see." Chris replied bluntly, his smirk even wider than previously.
With that topic behind them, the two returned to staring at the unchanging ceiling of their room, with silence dominating the space again. However, that silence was quickly broken when someone entered their room after knocking a few times.
"W-we brought some fruits..." Neil, the first one to step foot into the room, stated. Sheepishly, he walked over to the small table and placed a basket of fruits on it.
Accompanying him was Jay. Unlike Neil, Jay did not look relieved—his expression was heavy with guilt rather than worry.
"I'm sorry." Jay said, still standing at the entrance. He looked into Luna's indifferent eyes for one second before he quickly averted them.
"Why are you apologizing?" Chris asked, sharpening his eyes.
"Neil told me what happened." Jay responded softly.
When Jay and Erik arrived at the training grounds for the Royal Knight Selection, there was already a ruckus. Knights gathered there and inspected the place as if it were a crime scene. Fortunately, Neil was there, who had explained the situation to them after he, too, was informed by other people. Thus, Neil led Jay to the hospital, whereas Erik decided to stay behind to investigate on his own.
"The person who attacked you... Let's say that he's someone I know." Jay elaborated, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.
"I don't know why he attacked you, but I'm certain why he targeted Luna..." he added.
Right now, Jay wanted nothing more than to go after the other version of himself and put an end to this chaos. Letting him walk free could only cause further harm to potentially other innocent people. Naturally, it was only the right thing to do to stop a menace to society; however, because that person was a part of Jay, he felt even more responsible.
But because he felt responsible, he had to check on the victims first and apologize.
"Don't apologize to me. It'd only make it more shameful for me." Chris sighed. He looked at the people in the room and noticed the mix of curiosity and confusion in their eyes.
"He challenged me to a fight and I lost." he stated, feeling the anger and shame boiling inside of him once more.
"So he didn't ambush you randomly...?" Luna asked.
"B-but to think that the captain lost..." Neil murmured in astonishment.
While Chris answered their questions, Jay realized something. Maybe just like him, the other versions of himself were trying to ascend the tower as well, and if they did so, they obviously had to clear quests. So what if the others had to do similar or even the same quests Jay had to clear?
"Could it be that it was a part of that person's quest?" Jay blurted out, remembering that he had to defeat Chris in a fight, too.
Chris turned his gaze to Jay. Hearing that theory made him recall the day when Erik and Jay appeared in front of him and challenged him the same way the other Jay did today.
"Why did I become the target of so many people all of a sudden...?" Chris sighed again, scratching the back of his head.
"Anyways... It's my fault for losing, so that's it." Chris grunted before he tucked himself into his bed and tried to sleep.
Jay let out a quiet chuckle.
"The captain is so admirable...! He takes the blame so that others won't feel bad...!" Neil squeaked. His eyes were brimming with pure respect as he practically revered the sleeping Chris.
"Some things are better left unsaid, Neil..." Jay muttered wryly as he took a seat beside Luna's bed. He stared at her face as she gazed out the window.
"I-I will leave you two alone then...!" Neil whispered to Jay awkwardly, although Jay did not care if he stayed with him there.
After handing Jay a plate with apples, which Neil peeled during the conversation, he left and waited outside.
"What's the matter, Luna? Why so silent?" Jay wondered, passing the plate to Luna.
"It's nothing." she replied indifferently, accepting the apples.
Jay expected her to flip out because of the injuries—even whimpering like a child or shouting to let out the pent-up frustration. However, here she was—calm and collected as if she had come to a decision.
"It hasn't been long since I entered the tower. I thought that I could enjoy a new life here, and that this life could turn out like I always wanted it to be. I wanted to go on adventures, have fun with friends, and just be happy." she said, staring at the apple slices, melancholic.
"However, I've come to the realization that I can't obtain such a life in my current state. If I want to do the things I want to do, then I need to become strong enough...!"
Without strength, she could not take on quests or go on adventures. But most importantly, she would not feel safe as danger was always lurking around—especially due to every individual possessing skills that could be dangerous.
"Luna." Jay interrupted her before she could continue.
"It's good that you want to become stronger... I fully support that, however..." he searched for the right words while his gaze wandered across the room. Jay knew exactly what Luna wanted to tell him. He knew what she had to go through during her short time inside the tower. However, it was precisely the reason why he had to stop her here and now.
"Of course, you will face danger if you continue to climb the tower. The more quests you complete, the more difficult they will become. You will grow stronger on your own as you progress through the tower."
He smiled at her even though his eyes emitted a contrary emotion.
"But Erik and I were still right... It's better for you to stay away from-"
"Let's form an official party."
Jay's eyes widened when Luna cut him off abruptly. It was exactly the phrase he feared to hear from her. He thought that he could somehow convince her to stay away from them because the threats she had to deal with in the past few days were all connected to them. Even the reason she was in the hospital was because of them.
"Listen to me, Luna...! We're dang-"
"I know what you want to tell me, and I know what will await me if I'm at your side. But I won't change my mind!" she huffed, crossing her arms and puffing out her injured chest.
"But!"
"No buts! I mean, joining you two monsters will probably be the fastest and most efficient way to become stronger, am I right?"
Jay could not argue back. Since Erik and he were a lot stronger and more knowledgeable than most beginners, it might be better for her growth. However, at the same time, it would mean that she had to face even greater obstacles and threats.
"You can't reject me!" Luna declared, pointing her finger at the speechless Jay.
And for a short moment, Jay gave in. Maybe it would not be so bad to let her join them. Maybe they could become closer friends as they accompany each other in their journey. And maybe she could make that journey fun.
"Alright... You-"
However, the door suddenly burst open, and Erik revealed himself with a stern expression. He glanced at Jay and Luna as if he had been listening to their conversation.
"She can't join us."