Chapter 166: A Declaration
Arthur and Aziel looked at her confused, their minds struggling to process the directness of her question. The weight of her intimidating presence still pressed down on them like a physical force, making it difficult to think clearly. Arthur’s throat felt dry as sandpaper, and he could feel his palms growing clammy with nervous sweat.
The question echoed in his mind over and over again: Do you want to leave? It seemed so simple on the surface, yet loaded with implications that made his head spin. Was this some kind of test? Was she genuinely offering them an escape route, or was this her way of weeding out the weak before they even began?
Finally, after what felt like another small eternity of suffocating silence, Arthur managed to find his voice, though it came out smaller and more uncertain than he would have liked.
"E-excuse me?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Cara held his gaze for a moment longer, then leaned back and released a deep, weary sigh without breaking eye contact.
"Look, I’ll be frank with you," she began, her voice taking on a more conversational tone while still maintaining its underlying steel. "We need new teammates. But like I said, my criteria for guild mates is... strict. You two, however, were forced on me."
She gestured around the sparse room, emphasizing their limited numbers. "And like I said, these missions are dangerous—possibly the most dangerous out of any happening in District Three. But more than that, they hold absolute importance to our war effort."
Her expression grew even more serious. "I was informed by my higher-ups that you were both capable, but sorry to be rude, I only know you two from our brief stint in the Chosen Academy, and while there..."
Her gaze shifted to focus specifically on Arthur, and he felt as though she were dissecting him with her eyes. Every failure, every moment of weakness seemed to be laid bare under that penetrating stare.
"You were inadequate," she said bluntly, her words hitting Arthur like physical blows. "While I am glad to see you’re alive, it is a little hard to believe. You were the bottom of the class in everything... combat skills, tactical awareness, even basic physical conditioning."
Arthur’s face burned with shame and embarrassment, a flush of heat spreading from his neck up to his ears. Every word was true, and hearing them spoken so matter-of-factly made them cut even deeper. He could feel his confidence crumbling under the weight of his past failures, each criticism like a stone added to an already crushing burden.