Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Page 1957

Hector frowned as he listened. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Garovel hovering toward them from the direction of the Tower of Night.

"That monster was... just... so terrifying," Selena said, and Hector could see her hands trembling slightly. "I never thought real combat would be that frightening. I... remember being so scared that I couldn't even move--or think. I just... it was..." She broke for a sigh. "And then, later, there was the fight with that man... and he overwhelmed everyone so quickly. I thought we were all going to die..." She touched a hand to her forehead and shut her eyes.

What man was she talking about? Oh, it must've been Leo, Hector realized. Hmm.

Ojarea was just staring at him, waiting.

Garovel was present for the conversation now, but he remained quiet, perhaps sensing that it wasn't a good moment to intervene with greetings.

Hector considered his next words carefully. "You're not wrong," he said. "Real fights can be terrifying, even for servants."

Selena looked at him with big, despondent eyes. "I'm pathetic, aren't I?"

Hector's frown deepened. "No, you're not."

"I am," she said with surprising calmness, as if stating an obvious fact. "Everyone else is so brave, but I..." She hesitated again. "I've always been clumsy and weak. I thought that would change once I became a servant, but it hasn't, really. And on top of that, I just... I hate violence. I don't want to get hurt, of course, but I also don't want to hurt anyone else, either. Even if--even if they deserve it, I'm not sure I could--ah..." Her gaze returned to the ground.

Hector scratched his cheek with one finger as he thought. "Well... that's okay, too."

Selena looked up again, surprised.

'What?' said Ojarea.

"You do need to be able to defend yourself," said Hector. "You're a Rainlord, after all. But... I also think there's a big difference between training to defend yourself and training to fight on the front lines." He motioned around the main courtyard, toward the throngs of people bustling to and fro behind him. "This is a group effort. The important thing is to contribute. And there are a lot of ways to contribute besides just fighting."

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