Galaxy Fall: All My Skills Are Maxed-Chapter 181: The Hidden Motivation
"Princess Delphine!!" Hayatobi snapped. The sudden, thunderous vibration in his voice was like a physical blow, shocking Delphine into a stunned silence.
"You already lost people in this mission!! And these guys here are too exhausted to continue. Look at them, if the devil cult could ambush you here with a Leader, what do you think will happen in Ragon city?!!" He yelled at her, his silver eyes flashing with the cold pragmatism of a man who had survived a thousand battlefields. "By now! That city would be running with Devil Cult members, a right military force will help settle this!!"
"But... But..." Delphine clenched her fist so hard her knuckles turned white. In the private theater of her mind, Xavier’s smiling face appeared—the way he looked in the Imperial Garden, promising to wait for her. If she waited for the slow-moving cogs of the Imperial Army, she might only arrive in time to find his corpse.
"I don’t care!! I won’t go back, I will continue this Journey! Even if I am the only one!!" She yelled back, her raw, unyielding stubbornness stunning everyone in place. The sheer desperation in her voice cracked the air.
"I won’t ask you to risk your lives anymore!! You’re all free to leave!! I will continue." She said, as heavy, hot tears finally rolled down her cheeks, betraying the terrified girl beneath the royal resolve.
"Hmm..." Hayatobi stared at her, momentarily lost of words. He saw not a spoiled princess, but a woman possessed by a singular, frantic purpose. He turned his head sharply toward the Leader. "Yakima, take everyone back to the empire."
"But Dad! I am Delphine’s personal guard, I must stay with her!" Yakima yelled in fierce disagreement.
"She wants to continue, and Looking at her, I see nothing will change her decision! But I can’t risk you guys’ lives due to her foolishness... Yakima, your task is to take everyone back."
"But--"
"--A five-star god general is giving you an order!! Why are you disobeying!!" Hayatobi snapped at her. His Aura erupted, spreading all over the place like a tidal wave of physical pressure, causing Yakima to instinctively take a staggered step back.
"It’s my job to keep the Princess safe, you take the others back, and we will meet again in the glory flag competition!" He said, his tone shifting to a grim finality as he stared at the remaining survivors. Delphine stared at Hayatobi in surprise, her breath catching; she hadn’t expected the most powerful man in the room to actually validate her reckless choice.
Yakima swallowed hard, the weight of the General’s command crushing any further protest. She turned to Delphine, who slowly and solemnly nodded at her.
"This Leader will obey the God General’s orders." Yakima said with a formal, shaky bow. She turned to the battered group, her voice regaining its command. "Everyone! Get ready to move!!"
"I want to come alo--!" Austin, fueled by a misguided sense of chivalry, began to step forward. But before he could complete his sentence, Hayatobi’s silver gaze locked onto him. The sheer killing intent in that look made the boy’s blood run cold.
"I want to come along with you, Lady Yakima!" Austin quickly completed his words, performing a frantic 180-degree turn and walking toward his horse, cold sweat pouring down his face.
Hitachi walked toward Hayatobi and Delphine, his expression one of somber regret. He bowed lightly. "Be safe Princess, and I am sorry I can’t be of any help."
"Go back, Hitachi... You need to get ready for the competition. Send words back, Mirabella is the Leader of our dragon empire team." Hayatobi said, already thinking ten steps ahead to the political ramifications of this journey.
"I understand." Hitachi stood upright, turned, and walked away with a heavy heart. ’Where is Mirabella?’ he wondered, casting one last look at the smoking ruins.
The two watched in silence as the Dragon Tooth members mounted their horses and rode away, the enchanted carriage trailing behind them through the dust.
_
"Thank you, Lord Hayatobi." Delphine said in a low, trembling voice. She watched the carriage disappear over the ridge and exhaled softly, feeling the crushing weight of loneliness.
’If only Mirabella was here to also assist us,’ she thought, feeling the absence of the girl who seemed to solve every impossible problem.
"I don’t even want to know why you aren’t with them." Hayatobi remarked dryly, his eyes fixed on a patch of empty air.
"Huh?"
Delphine was confused, and looked over her shoulder. Standing exactly ten meters behind them, leaning casually against a charred tree with her arms crossed on her chest, was Mirabella.
"Lord Hayatobi, I promised Princess Delphine here to look after her. You should know me by now, I don’t go back on my words." Mirabella said with a small, knowing smile.
Hayatobi stared at the young woman, then back at the Princess, his brows furrowing. "What did you give to her? Mirabella will never do anything that won’t benefit her." He asked, sensing a high-level transaction.
"Huh? I gave her a legendary skill scroll." Delphine answered truthfully.
Hayatobi simply sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in disbelief. ’Legendary scrolls are very rare!! This girl will rather give it to Mirabella, then use it on herself... What is she thinking? And Mirabella, even an epic class skill scroll will be a mega bomb in her hand. Is it good to have this much power?’ He thought, the power-scaling of the world tilting further into chaos in his mind.
"Princess Delphine." Mirabella started walking toward the two, her footsteps silent on the scorched earth. "I like your spirit, doing everything you can to help Ragon city civilians, but I want to ask you one question."
She stopped directly in front of Delphine. The Princess swallowed hard, feeling as though Mirabella’s blue eyes were scanning her very soul, searching for hidden data. Hayatobi watched the interaction, completely at a loss for words, sensing a shift in the atmosphere that even he couldn’t control.
"Is this the only reason you’re heading to Ragon city?" Mirabella asked, her expression becoming flat and dangerously perceptive.
"Huh? What... What are you saying?" Delphine stammered, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Don’t play such games with me Princess, I am not Yakima... If you want us to cooperate without any issues, you have to tell me your true reason for coming out here. Decide, your time is running out."
