Chapter 9: The Fate of the World
After finishing Meileen’s examination, Mr. Bennett handed Kenta a recipe for nutritious liquid food that would be easy for a heavily nauseous pregnant woman to eat. With Kenta’s Teleportation Magic, they returned to town alongside Ivern and Yulia.
Once Bennett confirmed that Kenta had teleported away, he let out a deep sigh.
“Good grief, what a mess I’ve gotten myself into.”
Bennett shot a sidelong glance at Ivern and Yulia.
“Ahaha… Well, there was no one else we could rely on besides you, Mr. Bennett.”
Yulia said this with an awkward smile, but she firmly believed there was no other choice if it meant helping her friend.
Hearing her words, Bennett couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.
“You really care about Meileen, don’t you?”
“Yeah! She’s my best friend!”
Seeing Yulia’s beaming smile reminded Bennett of her unfortunate past.
“The pain of not being cherished by family is something only those who have experienced it can understand. It’s even sadder when the people you wanted to cherish betray you.”
Yulia’s expression turned somber as she spoke.
Having heard their circumstances in detail at Kenta’s house, Bennett felt a pang of sympathy for her.
For a brief moment, Yulia looked sad, but her smile quickly returned.
“That’s why I trust Kenta to protect Meileen no matter what. I want those two to be happy, absolutely!”
Bennett, disarmed by Yulia’s innocent smile, glanced at Ivern.
Ivern didn’t admonish Yulia either.
“I feel the same way. I believe those two have the right to be happy. That right cannot be infringed upon by anyone.”
He continued, “Even if their hearts are somewhat broken, I will still bless them. The ones who have hurt them are the people living in this world. They should have every reason to retaliate, yet they remain quiet. We should be grateful for that alone.”
Bennett’s eyes widened at Ivern’s words.
“You… you noticed that their hearts are broken?”
At Bennett’s question, both Yulia and Ivern nodded.
“Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to so easily talk about killing people. In fact, some particularly vile bounty hunters have gone missing.”
“Meileen is usually gentle and kind, but when it comes to the Demon Tribe Nation, she says with a straight face that everyone in the new regime should just die.”
Listening to their conversation, Bennett felt a chill run down his spine at how dire Kenta and Meileen’s situation truly was.
He swallowed hard and said seriously to them, “Listen. The only reason those two can maintain their humanity is because you are their friends. You make them believe there are still people in this world they can trust. So, understand this: never betray them. If you do…”
Bennett paused for a moment before continuing, “This time, they will bare their fangs at the world.”
Ivern and Yulia listened quietly to his words.
“If that happens, this world will truly come to an end. Recognize that the fate of the world rests in your hands.”
After Bennett said this, Ivern and Yulia exchanged glances before breaking into wry smiles as they looked back at him.
“That goes for you too, Mr. Bennett.”
“…”
When put that way, he couldn’t argue.
By sincerely examining Meileen, Kenta and Meileen had opened their hearts to him quite a bit.
“…We’ve really gotten ourselves into a troublesome situation, haven’t we?”
As Bennett waved the Permit for the Barrier Kenta had given him, he couldn’t help but smile wryly as he left.