番茄乐园

It\'s been a few hours since Maria let her emotions loose. During this time, Celaine and Asami visited to ensure she was okay, but they didn\'t stay long as they could tell that Mira and Maria needed some alone time. However, they did drag Dominique out of the room.

Other than that short little visit, the two haven\'t said a word, just basking in each other\'s presence.

…Until Maria said those words, that is.

Mira stared at Maria with an indifferent expression upon hearing what Maria wanted.

\'So, the time has finally come, huh?\' Mira thought and released a bitter sigh. She expected something like this from Maria, just not so soon.

"Why do you want to go? You should know that-"

Maria cut Mira off, "Ah! I know what you\'re going to say, Mira. You\'re going to say that this is probably the worst time I could leave since there\'s an unknown enemy out there after you and me, right?"

Mira nodded, so Maria continued.

"I already know that. In fact, it\'s for that reason that I think I should go on a trip! What better way to raise my strength than to feel pressured from all sides? Isn\'t that what you\'ve taught me? That only when we\'re in despair can our talent shine? T-That\'s why I think I should leave…"

Maria tried to stay upbeat when she said that, but from the slight trembles from her body and narrowed eyes, Mira knew that wasn\'t why she wanted to leave.

"You want revenge, huh." Mira nodded and muttered.

"Kugh!"

Maria avoided eye contact with Mira but didn\'t deny her words.

How could she not want revenge? She literally just watched someone torture her parents, and for what? Because her emotions would bring Mira discomfort? What a pathetic reason to make her endure all this guilt and anguish!

She refused to look the other way just because the other party is an entire Faction that rules the underworld of Human society on the Western Continent!

Maria\'s eyes burned with fury at the thought of the Unorthodox Faction and their horrendous deeds!

\'If I can\'t make them feel the same pain as what I\'m feeling right now, I won\'t be satisfied!\' Maria\'s nails dug into her palm as she clenched her fists.

A vein popped in Mira\'s head, seeing the normally bubbly and cheerful Maria so full of rage, but it wasn\'t because of what her lover was feeling.

No, the worse Maria felt about this whole situation, the more hatred and anger Mira had toward those who made her like this.

\'Just sit tight and wait because I\'m coming for you.\' Mira inwardly swore.

"Yes, I want revenge! I want to crush the bones and melt the skins of the ones who made me feel like this! No, such people deserve worse than that!" Maria declared, which was something Mira could agree to.

"However, as I am right now, I\'m too weak to even think about such a thing." All of Maria\'s vigor deflated like a balloon. She knew that revenge was just wishful thinking if she didn\'t have the status or power to back it up.

"I know this decision might sound impulsive, and it probably is to some extent, but it\'s not like I haven\'t thought it through. Actually, I\'ve been meaning to go on a little trip for a while now, but I didn\'t have a reason to go."

Mira tilted her head as she didn\'t know Maria wanted to go down the mountain and explore the world.

Seeing Mira\'s confusion, Maria explained, "Do you remember when you sparred with Nova? Before the mission the Sect Master gave us?"

Mira nodded.

Maria scratched the side of her head awkwardly and continued, "Yeah, well, it was after you lost to her did I seriously begin pondering on my future and our relationship. That\'s when I realized…" Maria took a deep breath to calm herself.

"...I\'m just a parasite leeching off your strength and goodwill."

"....What?"

Question marks appeared above Mira\'s head as she couldn\'t comprehend this situation, but Maria didn\'t stop talking.

"Unlike my parents, who supported each other in all their endeavors, I\'ve just been following you, using up your time and resources, without giving anything back."

"That\'s not true-"

"No! It is true, Mira! I know you say that I\'m here as your emotional support, but I\'m sure you\'d be fine even if you didn\'t have my support," Maria looked down at her hands and muttered, "Is that all I amount to in this relationship? If so, that\'s really pathetic of me. With your ambition and strength, I should be doing so much more, but ultimately, I\'m more of a burden than an aid!"

Mira opened her mouth but couldn\'t find the right words to say.

Truthfully, she didn\'t care whether Maria was a burden or not. She was the first person in who knows how many years she could trust unconditionally. That in and of itself was worth more than anything Maria could possibly give her.

Strength was important, yes, but what attracted her to Maria more than anything was her loyalty and trust.

However, it seemed things weren\'t so simple. Just because Mira didn\'t care what Maria did to pull her wait in the relationship didn\'t mean Maria felt the same.

"We\'re supposed to be a team, but I feel like I\'m stuck as a spectator."

"..."

Mira\'s brows furrowed, but she still wasn\'t sure what to say. Thus, she just kept quiet.

"I want to be more than that. I want to be like my parents. I want to get revenge with my own two hands. I want to be there, behind you, supporting you during tough times. However, I\'m incapable of all that, and I will continue to be if I don\'t make a change."

Mira sighed once again while suppressing the annoyance bubbling in her heart. She wasn\'t irritated with Maria per se, but just this whole situation.

It felt like she was given a problem with no right answer.

She could either let Maria go on her trip or make her stay; they both sucked. There were other answers, of course, but those were the only two Mira was willing to think about.

"So, you think this so-called trip will help you find yourself or whatever? Do you have any plans for what you want to do? How will you transition from a spectator to a player?" Mira asked, and Maria answered without hesitation.

"My goal is to create a network of people and businesses that will be at your beck and call!"

Mira raised an eyebrow, signaling Maria to continue.

Maria\'s smile grew a little, and she explained, "From what I\'ve observed, your main weaknesses right now are the lack of resources, time, and information. I want to take away that burden from you and give us something to fall back on in case everything goes to shit."

"Hmm~ That\'s certainly true. I haven\'t had the time to lead my subordinates properly, nor do I have the resources and patience to wait until they become strong enough to use."

Hearing what Mira said, Maria clapped her hands, "Great! Then, why don\'t you hand them over to me? I\'ll make sure to put them to good use, so we can slowly build our empire, taking a foothold in this world! By the time I\'m done, nobody, not even the Sect Master Aelina, will be able to contend with us!"

Mira was stunned by Maria\'s words as she had never thought of \'trying to gain a foothold in this world\'. While her ambitions have always been high, she\'s only ever cared about her personal strength and revenge. It never dawned on her that she could do so much more.

Though, part of that is because she never wanted to do more in the first place…

However, if she could leave all that troublesome stuff to Maria while reaping all the benefits…

"It seems like going on a little trip will do you some good, after all." Mira gave Maria a light pat on the shoulder.

Maria stared at Mira, speechless! She thought she\'d have to spend a bit more time convincing Mira to let her go out. She never thought it\'d come so easily, but she wasn\'t going to complain!

"You\'re dead set on this, huh?" Mira asked, and Maria nodded her head.

"I would\'ve done this regardless of the situation, and I feel like now is the perfect time to lay down the foundations for our future."

"Is that what your intuition is telling you?"

"Yes. Where there is strife, there is an opportunity, and I can smell the chaos enveloping the Continent from a kilometer away. Now is the perfect time to make use of the disorder that\'s about to come!" Maria declared with her fist raised high.

Looking into her firm, determined eyes, Mira couldn\'t say no. Rather, if she did say no here, she might ruin everything. Plus, there was a very simple way to prevent Sue Ming and the Unorthodox Faction from catching word of Maria\'s location when she was out in the world.

"Very well. Go out there and make a name for yourself. However, before you go, please talk with one of the Elders or Aelina herself about them disguising you and all of my subordinates and sneaking you out of the Sect. Your life will be much easier without the Unorthodox Faction down your back."

Maria didn\'t hesitate to agree to Mira\'s terms as she was going to do that anyways.

"Yay!" Maria jumped on Mira and hugged her, "Thank you for believing in me!"

Mira just nodded, but inwardly she had an evil smirk on her face.

\'If it\'s chaos you want, then… Hehehe~\'