Chapter : 687

Risa lowered her head. She squeezed her teddy bear even tighter. A single tear rolled down her cheek. It dropped onto the wooden floor.

"I know I am a liability," Risa whispered sadly. "I know about my recent volatile outbursts. I lost control of my magic last week. I panicked. My vines almost destroyed the training courtyard. I almost hurt people. I know everyone thinks I am just a walking bomb."

Naomi stood near the wall. She wore simple dark pants and a green shirt. She frowned a deep, serious frown. She stepped forward.

"Nobody thinks you are a walking bomb, Risa," Naomi stated firmly. She wanted to reassure the young girl. "You just have very unstable nature magic. Your magic reacts to your emotions. It is hard to control. We understand that."

Risa looked at Naomi. Her green eyes looked desperate.

"But I feel like a bomb," Risa confessed. "I feel guilty. I sit here in the estate while you all fight. You risk your lives. I just wait for you to come back. I am so scared of my own destructive potential. I am terrified of hurting my own friends. I need to prove I can control it."

Ken Eliot sat at the long wooden dining table. He wore his baggy gray sweatpants. His white t-shirt hung completely untucked. He sagged his shoulders as far as they could possibly go.

He ignored the serious conversation. He was busy with a very important task.

Ken had a massive pile of gummy bears on the table. He carefully sorted the gummy bears by color. He put the red gummy bears in one pile. He put the blue gummy bears in another pile. He put the yellow gummy bears in a third pile.

"Risa is making a very solid point," Ken announced lazily. He popped a red gummy bear into his mouth. He chewed it slowly. "You cannot explore a poison swamp without a dedicated white mage. It is a fundamental rule of video games."

Zinia crossed her muscular arms. The strong earth mage looked confused. "What is a white mage?"

"A healer," Ken explained casually. He pointed a lazy finger at his candy piles. "The red gummy bears are health potions. The blue gummy bears are mana potions. The yellow ones restore stamina. A poison swamp constantly drains your health over time. You take constant damage just by walking around. We do not have enough red gummy bears to survive. We need a healer to cast area-of-effect healing spells."

Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. The intelligent Vice-Captain opened her neat notebook. She clicked her silver pen. Click. Click.

"Ken's bizarre gaming analogy actually holds mathematical value," Sayma noted politely. "The ambient radiation in the Wastelands will degrade our magical shields. We will experience physical degradation. We require continuous medical support. Risa is our only dedicated healer."

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Laxmi punched her open palm. A tiny orange spark popped between her fingers. She grinned a wide, excited grin.

"I vote Risa comes with us!" Laxmi cheered loudly. "We are going to fight a master thief! We are going to smash a secret laboratory! Risa needs to see the action! If a mutant monster tries to eat her, I will just roast it with fire!"

Luna lay flat on a long wooden bench. She rested her head on a soft pillow. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a loud, dramatic yawn.

"I vote Risa goes," Luna mumbled lazily. She closed her eyes again. "If Risa stays here, she will cry. Crying is very loud. Loud noises ruin my naps. Please take her with you. I just want to sleep."

Ira stood perfectly still next to the window. Her pale face showed zero emotion. "Statistically speaking, an unstable magic user increases overall mission risk by forty percent. However, the lack of a medical officer increases mortality risk by sixty percent. The logical choice is to deploy the healer."

Risa looked back at Princess Iris. She desperately wanted redemption. She wanted to stand on the front lines. She wanted to prove her worth to the 13th Unit.

"Please, Princess," Risa begged one more time. "Let me fight beside you. I will not lose control. I promise. I will stay calm."

Princess Iris rested her chin on her hand. She thought very carefully. She analyzed the entire situation.

Iris knew Risa possessed terrifying, uncontrollable power. If Risa panicked, her nature magic would erupt. Massive, aggressive vines would feed on ambient mana. She would destroy everything around her. It was a massive risk.

But Iris also understood human psychology. She looked at Risa's shaking hands. She saw the intense guilt in the girl's eyes.

If Iris forced Risa to stay behind, Risa would worry constantly. The young girl would sit alone in the empty estate. She would watch the news. She would hear about the deadly toxic radiation. Her fear for her friends would grow. Her anxiety would build up.

Iris realized a terrifying truth. Suppressing Risa's power was a terrible idea. Forcing her to stay behind might actually cause another catastrophic overload. Risa could easily explode from anxiety right here in the capital city. She would destroy the entire estate.

It was actually safer to bring Risa along. Risa needed to feel useful. She needed an outlet for her energy.

Princess Iris stood up from her armchair. She smoothed her silver dress. She smiled a very gentle, understanding smile.

"You may come with us, Risa," Princess Iris decided firmly.

Risa gasped. Her bright green eyes widened in joy. She smiled a massive, beautiful smile. "Thank you! Thank you so much, Princess! I will not let you down!"

"You are officially part of the expedition team," Princess Iris continued. "But you must follow orders exactly. The Wastelands are unforgiving. You must stay close to the vanguard. You cannot wander off."

"I will stay right next to Naomi," Risa promised eagerly.

"Excellent," Princess Iris nodded. "Everyone, start packing your bags. We leave very soon. The Emperor expects us to mobilize immediately. We must find the missing artifact."

The girls scattered to their rooms. Laxmi ran down the hallway. Zinia cracked her knuckles and went to gather her armor. Luna groaned loudly and rolled off the bench.

Ken stayed at the dining table. He carefully swept his sorted gummy bears into a small plastic bag. He zipped the bag shut. He slouched his shoulders.

"This is going to be a massive disaster," Ken mumbled lazily to himself. "A poison swamp mission with an escort quest attached. Escort quests are the worst. The non-playable character always walks too slow. They always get stuck behind a rock. I am definitely going to need more snacks for this."

Princess Iris did not leave the room. She turned around. She looked directly at Ken and Sayma.

"Ken. Sayma," Princess Iris called out softly. "Please stay here for a moment. I need to speak with both of you."

Ken stopped packing his candy. He let out a long sigh. He dragged his cheap shoes across the floor. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He walked over to the Princess.