Chapter 145: Chapter 145: i am selfish
Amy didn’t deny it. She continued walking beside the bear, occasionally reaching out to brush her fingers over its thick fur.
"Yes. The secret mission was just an excuse to cover up what I actually wanted to do."
Caleb nearly stumbled over a patch of uneven ground. He turned to stare at her, his brows drawing together.
"Wait. What?"
Amy glanced at him. "What part didn’t you understand?"
"What exactly did you come here for, then?"
"I want my own divine beast companion."
Caleb stopped walking altogether.
Amy took another few steps before realizing he wasn’t following. When she looked back, he was staring at her as though she’d just admitted to stealing the territory’s entire treasury.
"You’re serious?" he asked.
"Do I look like I’m joking?"
He caught up with her, his expression growing darker with every step. "Do you have any idea what you’ve just told me? A place like this could change everything for Moonfist Territory. Divine beasts could give us an enormous advantage in the war, and you’re telling me you came all this way just to claim one for yourself?"
"That’s right."
"And you didn’t think to tell me?"
"No."
"Why?" His hands spread in disbelief. "Amy, this isn’t some personal secret you can keep to yourself! If you know where we can find divine beasts, then that information belongs to the territory. We could use it to protect our people, strengthen our forces, and improve our chances of winning this war."
Amy’s smile disappeared. She looked ahead, her fingers still resting against the bear’s fur, while Caleb continued to stare at her, waiting for her to show some sign of guilt.
Instead, she shrugged. "Yes, I’m selfish. Is that what you want to hear?"
His mouth tightened.
"I made a deal with Amelia, and part of that deal was keeping this place a secret. I’m not going to betray her just because you’ve decided this information would be useful to you."
"You’re putting a deal with one woman above the lives of everyone in Moonfist Territory?"
"I’m keeping my word. There’s a difference."
Caleb let out a frustrated breath and gestured toward the vast landscape surrounding them.
"Just look at this place! Do you understand what it could mean for us? We wouldn’t have to keep sending our people into battle with the odds stacked against them. We could bring something back that might actually help them survive."
Amy slowed down, looking at the flowers swaying in the breeze. The bear beside her gave a contented rumble, seemingly unconcerned by their argument.
"It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" she asked.
Caleb frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything." She turned to him. "If our people discovered this place and got their hands on it, do you honestly believe it would stay this way?"
He stared at her, apparently unable to understand why she was even asking. "We wouldn’t come here to destroy it. We’d come to protect our people."
"And what happens when protecting our people means taking something from someone else?"
"We’re at war, Amy. Sacrifices have to be made."
"By whom?"
"By all of us!"
"Then why should the divine beasts be the ones paying for our problems?"
Caleb’s expression hardened. "They’re powerful creatures. If they can help us win this war, why shouldn’t we use that advantage?"
Amy stopped walking.
"Why do you think these creatures exist?" she asked. "So we can come here whenever our own lives become difficult and take whatever we want from them?"
"No. I’m saying we have a responsibility to the people back home. You know what they’re going through. You’ve seen what this war is doing to our territory. How can you stand here, surrounded by all this, and pretend it doesn’t matter?"
She wasn’t indifferent to what was happening back home, and Caleb knew it. She had watched friends get hurt and had risked herself to protect others. He couldn’t understand how someone who cared so much could refuse to help when she had the chance.
"You’ve let your loyalty to Moonfist Territory make you so narrow-minded that you’ve stopped thinking for yourself."
Caleb’s eyes widened slightly. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Her voice remained level, but the patience she’d shown him earlier was gone. "I care about our people. I want them to survive this war just as much as you do. But that doesn’t mean I’ll sacrifice innocent lives to make it happen."
"They’re divine beasts, Amy. They’re not helpless little animals."
"And that makes it acceptable to drag them into our war?"
"If they’re strong enough to help us—"
"Then what? We’ll take them home, train them to fight, and send them to kill other creatures, they never had anything to do with our problems in the first place!" She shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her.
Amy stepped closer, making sure he couldn’t mistake the seriousness in her expression. ℴ
"Think about what you’re asking for, Caleb. This is the Divine Beasts Territory. Do you really believe the gods and goddesses who protect this place will sit back and watch us turn it into another battlefield?"
His gaze shifted briefly toward the mountains.
"You don’t know what would happen if Moonfist Territory tried to claim this place. Neither do I. But I’m not arrogant enough to assume the gods will forgive us simply because we had good intentions."
"We’d be saving lives."
"And you might destroy thousands more in the process." She paused, letting him sit with that possibility. "What happens when the beasts are forced into battle?"
She glanced at the bear, which had settled close to her side, then looked back at him.
"And don’t assume Moonfist Territory will be grateful to you just because you brought them something powerful. If your decision brings the wrath of the gods down on everyone, do you honestly think they’ll stand beside you and take responsibility?"
Caleb said nothing.
"They’ll blame you," Amy continued. "They’ll say you acted without permission, that you went too far, that you endangered the entire territory. And if blaming you isn’t enough to save them, they’ll hand you over as an offering to appease the very gods you angered."
"That wouldn’t happen."
" You are smarter than this Caleb."