The Achievement Junkie

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

As Jack finished speaking, Maura appeared with a plate of food. "Here, make sure you eat up. You haven't eaten a good meal for a long time, so enjoy it!"

"Thanks," Jack replied with a nod.

Picking up the toasted bread, Jack smelled it first, as if he had forgotten what toast was. He started to slowly eat, making sure to eat everything on his plate but also not rushing or savoring it in any way. It looked like eating was a chore for him.

"Jack, are you okay?" asked Maura as she came back to the other side of the counter and sat beside Jack. "With everything that happened… If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. I'm a good listener."

A tiny chuckle escaped Jack's lips. Only he and Maura heard it, but it was enough to make Maura feel a bit better.

Glancing to Maura, Jack smiled. This time, unlike his smile to Wain, it was genuine and pitiful. "Thanks, Maura."

Though Jack wasn't much for conversation at the moment, knowing that Maura was there to help him filled a small portion of the void in his heart.

He had spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting on everything while he was locked up in the conference room. Thinking back, Jack couldn't help but recognize that his relationship with Slivia was only in the early phases and didn't have much depth, despite what he had always thought.

True, if she were alive then it had a great chance at blossoming into a beautiful romance. There were no doubts concerning that. However, the opposite was also true. Since she had passed before they got too serious as boyfriend and girlfriend and she wouldn't be able to come back to life, then what good would it do for him to mope and wallow about something that never was or would be?

It was hard, Jack wouldn't deny that, but he understood that sooner or later he would have to move. As for whether it would be sooner rather than later, Jack didn't know.

Seeing Maura's gentle, caring side again touched Jack. During his many stays in the infirmary, it was always Maura that came and helped him. She was somewhat cold at times, but Maura would always help him and listen to him during those occasions.

Thanks to that, Jack's vulnerability made it easier to lean on Maura during such a difficult time. And if there were ever a time where Jack wanted a shoulder to lean on, it was at that moment.

"Then hurry up and eat, we'll go talk in my room." Taking the initiative after seeing Jack warm-up for once, Maura pulled Jack away from the bar and toward the dorms.

Jack meant to speak up and take her to his room but she kept pulling him away. Eventually, they wound up in front of Maura's and Keela's room.

Maura opened the door and checked if Keela was inside. Since she wasn't, Maura held it open and pulled Jack inside. Locking the door behind them, Maura noticed his confused, shy expression. She joked, "What? You've never been in a girl's room?"

"N-no…"

His nervous answer caused Maura to blush as she replied, "W-well I couldn't think of a better place to sit down and talk in private. Do you not want to be in my room?"

"No, that's not what I meant!" shouted Jack, still showing his nerves. "I just… didn't expect it, that's all." He still had the plate in his hand, but his small appetite had already disappeared, so he put the plate on a side table.

"Jack, you can now. Say whatever you want and forget about everyone else," said Maura.

"But what about--"

Maura raised her hand and let a flash of blue light leave her fingertips. The blue light filled the room and disappeared quickly, surprising Jack.

"Silence? You can cast magic?" asked Jack. He was stunned because everyone had said that Maura was a warrior, not a mage.

"Don't tell anyone else, okay? Other than my mom, no one else knows, not even my dad," stated Maura.

"Then, what class are you?"

"I'm a spell-sword, but that's between you and me, got it?"

"Yeah, of course," answered Jack. "It's just surprising, aren't spell-swords very rare?"

Thinking back to Ancient Kartonia, spell-swords were only common amongst heroes. Finding an NPC spell-sword was like finding a needle in a haystack the size of a continent.

With a nod, Maura smiled. "That's why my mom wants me to travel and learn more, but my father would never let me…"

"Why not? With that subclass, you could easily become stronger than that old fart."

"Because Papa always said it was too dangerous for me. Without him to protect me, he's afraid to let me do anything. Training basic water magic isn't too hard with my mom's help," explained Maura. "The only reason why Papa doesn't know already is because I've only recently leveled up and haven't officially entered my information yet. Once he sees that, there's no telling what he'll do."

Jack sighed, "That's too bad, having a spell-sword around would be a huge help."

"Jack, you're planning to leave Reinolt, right?"

"Yeah, but everyone knows that, so why ask?"

"I'm coming with you!" Maura took a deep breath before she blurted out her answer. Her tone was confident, but it gat shakier when her eyes met Jack's. "I need to get stronger and level up, that's only possible if I can leave and travel the world. And who better than to travel with than you?"

"I… Uh…" Fumbling on his words, Jack was struck dumb with nervousness. "This is pretty sudden… You know that I'm not like other people, right? I never know what I'll do next and I'm way too unorthodox to make travel easy. Traveling with me--"

"I'm going with you, tell me why I shouldn't! Do you not like me? Is it because you don't want me around?" Maura's voice had a hint of trembling in it as she started to think that Jack would refect her.

Jack sighed, not wanting to make her sad. After failing to save Slivia, Jack had become colder. What the others didn't yet release was the reason why. If he had fewer people close to him than he wouldn't always be worried about being too weak to protect others.

"Maura, it's not that I don't want you around, because I do. But I'm not strong enough to watch over you. I wish I was! Sadly, I've only recently passed lv. 22 after fighting dozens of undead. Who know's how long it'll take for me to be strong enough to protect you?"

As her heart felt like melting, Maura's nervousness disappeared. Though Jack hadn't realized what he said, exactly, hearing those words made Maura want to cry and hug Jack.

The only person to ever say that to her was her dad, and there was never anyone else willing to contradict her father and say such a statement. It was only a seed of love, but it was enough to make Maura's heart skip a beat.

"Jack…"

Out of nowhere, Maura stepped forward and hugged Jack tightly. Her eyes were watery and she said nothing else.

"Maura… I'm too weak to guarantee your safety. I don't want you or anyone else getting hurt because of me."

"Shut up, Jack." A soft whisper tickled Jack's ear, shutting him up instantly. "I don't care, I coming with you."

"Okay, you're coming with me, but this will be harder and more complicated than you think. If you're coming with me, then there are a couple of things you should know," explained Jack. "First off, doesn't this mean your whole family is coming with me now? You old man wanted to tag along for a little while, and we both know your mom doesn't want to be left alone."

"I'll talk to them, don't worry about that."

"Okay, then second…" Jack was still holding her and decided not to use his inheritor's pact with her since she was low-leveled and needed EXP. However, he still wanted some of the pact's benefits, like being mentally linked and sharing skills.

"What is it?" Noticing Jack's awkward pause, Maura looked up at him.

After thinking about it a little bit more, Jack thought he might be able to make a new pact like in the game, but that would probably take time. "Nevermind, it's not important right now."

"Okay!" Happy and excited, Maura hugged him tighter and buried her face into his chest. "Remember, if you want to talk, I'll listen. I'm not strong yet, but I can listen."

Hesitating, Jack almost patted her on the head but couldn't bring himself to do it. "I'll remember. You're the first person I'll find if I need someone to listen to me."

"Good, then what should we do now?" Maura finally let go of Jack and gave him a little more space.

"Hmmm… I still need to double-check on my new treasures from the last trip," Jack mumbled as he brushed his hand over the storage bracer he found a while back. Inside, all of his chests from Ponlinne's tomb were waiting to be opened.