Find Henry II

By looking at Carolyn's expression, Benedict could tell that she was serious about assisting him, but he couldn't accept her help yet.

"Let's go to my office to discuss further. Everyone, stop the afflicted children from hurting themselves, and call me if they show any strange symptoms."

"""Yes, Priest."""

After obtaining their response, Benedict and Carolyn went into Benedict's office. Benedict had used the addicts' mouths to dispose of the drugged foods, so they were no longer in his office.

"I believe you know by now that the Chief has very high expectations of you."

For the first time since their initial meeting, Benedict didn't have tea prepared, but Carolyn didn't think about it as she faced him.

"Yes. I'm not sure what he expects from me though."

"If you stick to your current path, you'll learn that eventually. All I'll say for now is that he doesn't really hope for you to take the frontlines when it comes to dangerous tasks like this. I can already hear the complaints he'll have if I let you go through with this, but at the end of the day, this is your decision. If you're really ready for this, then I won't stop you, but your resolve must be firm."

"Of course. There's no way I can sleep well knowing that that man is free to spread harm."

"You misunderstand. I don't doubt your anger. What I'm questioning, is your will to use violence."

Carolyn finally understood the message Benedict was trying to convey. One might think that there was greater danger of her using too much violence given her feelings towards Henry, but at her core, Carolyn was still someone who disliked hurting others. She could suppress her discomfort when necessary, but a moment's hesitation could result in her death or Henry's escape. At first she wanted to respond that she had no reservations when it came to beating Henry, but when she actually tried to imagine it, there was a faint tremor in her right hand.

If he asked if she could do it, then the answer was yes, but if asked if there would be no hesitation, she wasn't sure.

Benedict predicted this response, so he didn't push any further and went towards the door.

"You have until 4pm to make your decision. And there's no need to force yourself. We'll get him one way or another."

Carolyn didn't know how honest Benedict was being about having an alternative if she couldn't take part in his plan, but regardless, he wouldn't bring her in her current state. There were roughly three hours left until the deadline he provided, but this was the type of dilemma that could be solved in a minute or remain unsolved after a week depending on her mental state.

Fortunately, Carolyn had an idea for how she could attack Henry without hesitation. In her normal state, doubts might cloud her mind, but as long as she maintained extreme focus like her father taught her to, she would be able to overcome her inhibitions. This was already proven when she chased Derrick after he stole from her, and rushed to the church upon becoming suspicious of Henry and his 'medicine'. Although her aim wasn't to hurt people, she could do so without any reluctance if it meant accomplishing her task.

This might seem to solve her issue, but there was still one thing she wasn't sure about. She hadn't thought much of this state when she was learning from her father, but after using it in the real world, she eventually realised how frightening it was to lose her ethical restraints and act purely for the sake of a goal. If things went poorly, it could even result in her killing someone. Although Henry was a villain that deserved to be sent to the gallows, she felt nauseous imagining herself being the one to do the deed. It was a bit hypocritical, but she had experienced nightmares after breaking the fingers of Lety's attempted kidnapper, so she didn't want to know what might happen to her if a more grim case came to pass.

It didn't seem like Benedict was asking her to go that far, but was she willing to take the risk?

Meanwhile, Lavender read the note that had been passed to the madam of the brothel she was at. She didn't work here, but she was very familiar with the staff and sometimes got information they received by listening to the bed talk they heard from customers. She wasn't too surprised that Benedict knew she was here, and the details written on the note ensured that she didn't spend long thinking about it either. It was a brief summary of Benedict's situation and the plan he made in order to catch Henry. The plan had some worrying aspects, but she thought it was worth trying, so she left the brothel for somewhere else to bolster their chances of success.

Lavender had no memory of her parents or her birthplace, and although she had visited many regions inside the Alterna Kingdom, Vernum City was the only place that felt like home to her. With her connections and ability, it would be easy to leave the dying region and start fresh somewhere else, but she didn't want to give up on her home. She couldn't do anything to stop the economic disaster that was drying up the Amber domain, but she could punish a malicious invader trying to make a bad situation worse.

Back at the church in the slums, Carolyn left Benedict's office but had yet to reach a decision. She wasn't afraid to attack Henry at first sight, but to ensure that she didn't leave an opening, she had to enter a state of extreme focus, which left her at risk of going too far with her attacks. So the question remained: was she willing to take part in Benedict's plan if there was a risk of her seriously harming Henry?

Benedict didn't approach Carolyn when she left his office and continued looking after the children. If she didn't say anything before the deadline, then he would take that as her answer and move forward with his preparations. He told her that they would catch Henry one way or another, but since he had asked for her help, it was likely that their chances of success would be higher if she took part. She wanted to go up to him and give him a positive response, but she didn't think she could fool him with her half-baked resolve.

"Really, what should I do?"

"Carol, are you okay?"

While Carolyn was contemplating her decision, Lety approached her. As a child used to getting sick, she actively took part in the treatment of the drugged children while Derrick helped restrain the children trying to harm themselves or leave the church. Derrick initially planned on taking a minor role, but when Benedict asked the healthy children for help, Lety was one of the first to volunteer, so he had to join her.

Lety hadn't volunteered out of the kindness of her heart, but she didn't mention this to Derrick because there was no opportunity, and she knew that he would help her without hearing her motives.

"Ah, Lety. Yes, I just have something to think about. How are the children doing?"

"I can't say for sure, but we've been following the Priest's instructions pretty well. Are these the effects of the drug that's been going around?"

As a growing information broker, it was natural for Lety to hear about the drug, but Carolyn hadn't told her anything more than what she heard from the children.

"You could say that. But as long as they get over this period, they'll be on the way to recovery."

"I see. I hope they can think of it like that."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Although they're not frail like me, we've all faced some form of abuse or pain. But this? I doubt any of us have gone through something like this before. Even just watching them, it makes me a little scared. I thought I was good at enduring pain, but they seem to be struggling against something far worse than what I've ever experienced. If I had taken any of that drug then—"

Suddenly, Lety felt Carolyn embrace her.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? Why are you apologising, Carol?"

"I, wasn't thinking about how scary this must have been for you. You're so strong, Lety."

"Isn't that a contradiction? How can I be scared and strong at the same time?"

"No, it's easy to act tough when nothing's wrong, but only someone strong can show confidence despite their fear. I have a lot to learn from you."

Lety wasn't sure how to respond to Carolyn, but as she sensed the tremor in her voice, she returned her hug.

"The only reason I can act strong is because there's something I'm more afraid of losing. Do you have anything like that?"

"...I do. You reminded me of it."

"Then, good. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Derrick caught sight of the two hugging after holding down a struggling child, but he had noticed Lety's instability, so he left them alone this time.

Once she calmed down, Carolyn let go of Lety and faced her. Lety showed a bold smile, so Carolyn returned one of her own.