Chapter 53: Harsh Reality

"Sniff...! Big Sis Victoria... thank you so much!"

Venting his emotions, Terry couldn’t hold back; after all no matter what he was just a kid who hadn’t even turned 18 yet

Now seeing someone who had cared for him after suffering for so long, like a broken dam, his emotions burst forth

A situation, that made Ethan who had been thinking of disposing of the kid feel awkward

However, hearing Terry’s story, although he felt a bit bad, that was just it

A bit.

After all, who didn’t have a story among them? Even the clown he killed a while ago had a story

If he started acting out based on emotions, then it wouldn’t take long for him to get devoured by said emotions

Thinking of this, Ethan turned towards Elena and Victoria

"What do you guys think?"

"Now that he’s seen us here, there are only two options"

"Either we eliminate him to avoid future troubles, or we take him in with us"

"Let’s decide" said Ethan

Although he was curious about the elemental summon ability Terry possessed, if the girls said eliminate him,

Then he would force him to use the ability then kill him after analysing what he could

Though in that way he probably wouldn’t be able to fully understand it.

"Wait a minute Ethan, while it is true that I do know Terry and I feel bad for him, it’s been years since we met" said Victoria, a look of struggle flashing across her face

"Although right now I might not be as brave or ruthless as you or sister Elena, I understand our situation"

"If we carelessly recruit or bring home the wrong people, it can bring all kinds of disasters"

"In that case, although Terry is someone I knew when I was younger, that’s all in the past"

"I’m sorry Terry, but I can’t put the others at risk because of you"

Lowering her head, Victoria made her decision

Yes, even though this was the kid who used to follow her around and call her big sis

But how long ago was that? She more than anyone else knew that people changed

What kind of thoughts he harbored in his mind, what kind of person was he

She didn’t know; in that case, it would be dumb of her to vouch for him

And Terry listening to this, couldn’t believe what he just heard

Boom!

It was as if a giant explosion just went through his mind

Just a few minutes ago, he was so happy that he had met his saviour

They had taken out his bullies, and she was someone who took care of him as a child

However not only did she choose not to take him with her, but she would let him die!

’Why?..’

’Why...??? Wh..??’

Unable to understand what was going on, his mind was completely in a scramble

On the side, Ethan and Elena seeing Victoria answer like this, secretly nodded at each other

Although not a test, if she had chosen to take Terry with her, they would have been disappointed in her

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Clap Clap!

"As expected of my sister-in-law! What a fine answer"

"Already looking after the family home! Brother! What do you think?"

Clapping her hands, Elena said with a smile on her face

"I personally don’t mind bringing the kid over; after all didn’t Brother say that people with abilities are rare?"

"If we train him and put him to good use, wouldn’t that be for the best"

"An extra combatant to the Smith family"

Glancing at Victoria, Elena couldn’t help but chuckle

As Ethan’s sister, she could guess what her brother meant by his question

Nothing more than to test where Victoria’s loyalty and mind lay

Perhaps he never even intended to send away the kid, and just wanted to hear her answer

And fortunately she passed.

"Wait a minute! Who are you calling sister-in-law"

"Me and Ethan aren’t like that! We haven’t even known each other for up to a month"

Blushing slightly, Victoria who was the future queen of ice currently had steam coming out of her ears

As for Ethan, seeing the two girls like this, he just smiled as he put a hand on Terry’s shoulder

Seeing the kid still in shock, Ethan just sighed.

He truly was just a kid.

"Hey kid, look at the sky" he paused pointing upwards.

"The sky turned red, and monsters of all kinds roam the world"

"People with abilities have emerged and most technology has now become invalid"

"In such a situation, do you think it makes sense to trust someone you haven’t seen in years?"

Hearing this, Terry fell silent; although he was disappointed, he was not a fool

The current world was almost akin to those apocalypse novels and movies he had watched

In those shows, things like betrayals and backstabbing were an everyday thing

In such a situation, it wasn’t a surprise that Victoria was wary of taking him with her

However even though he knew this, he still couldn’t help but feel disappointed

The big sis he had thought of every day since leaving the orphanage had rejected him after they met

Thinking of this, his head dropped as he didn’t have any words to say

"Good, it seems you understand"

"In that case, don’t blame Victoria too much for her choice, as it’s the sensible thing to do"

"In fact, if it wasn’t for one reason this wouldn’t even be an option at all"

"I would have just killed you on the spot"

"And do you know the reason?" Said Ethan with a smile on his face

Actually, there were two reasons with the second being to study his ability, however, Ethan didn’t plan to tell him that.

Not giving Terry a chance to react, he activated his body-strengthening spell and smashed the ground with his foot

Boom!

With his foot landing, the ground around him cracked so much that Terry almost fell backwards

Fortunately, Ethan caught him in time

"The reason is, that I’m strong enough"

"Even if you dare betray us, I alone am enough to suppress you with one hand"

"In that case, I say it’s fine to take you"

With a smile on his face, Ethan stared at the mana core in Terry’s abdomen with curiosity

"However, the question now lies with you"

"Knowing that you’ll have no option but to work for us when even the person you looked up to didn’t want to take you"

"What will you choose? Will you come with us and work? Or die here painlessly"

"Don’t worry, with my current strength, you won’t even have enough time to realise you’re dead"