Master Zen was deep in thought, his mind meticulously considering every possibility.

'One of the kingdoms by any chance?' he thought.

'Maybe, but they don't seem to have enough money to dare. Was it the clans who planned it then? No, they seemed to have come here only to establish good relations; after all, they had a Trump card to play, and it seemed absurd to think otherwise. So that leaves only one possibility. It has to be them...'

"?"

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind him as he tried to find in his mind the group that had planned this whole charade. Then he turned around and took a look to see who it was.

"Tak."

"Tak."

'Oh?' Master Zen was a little surprised.

It was Tris from the Rousseau Clan.

'Did she realize what happened too?' he thought.

But after seeing the expression on Tris's face, he gave up those thoughts.

Tris respectfully greeted the celebrant and began to speak. "Master Zen, I have come here with a few concerns. One of the little ones I brought from our clan has not been around for some time. I see that Master Dharma is the same way. By any chance, is it because the two of them are together?" There was a certainty in his words that this was more or less what he had guessed.

'After all, it's a fact that those two brats get along well.' Tris thought.

Master Zen's expression darkened. 'So she's missing too... How come I didn't realize it before? But the fact that they're both missing at the same time, is that part of the enemy's plan too?' he thought.

Should he tell the woman from the Clan the truth about what he had found? After all, if the truth came out later, the temple's reputation might be tarnished, and it might not have people to defend it. It might have been better to find an accomplice now instead. After all, someone from the clan was also missing.

'No matter what, We don't have much time,' Master Zen thought. He made up his mind and looked seriously at the woman in front of him.

"Lady Tris, please listen carefully to what I am about to say."

...

"Hey, Dharma!" Helen called out, approaching him with curiosity. Dharma was startled by her sudden call. Helen looked at him intently.

'Why is she suddenly so excited?' Dharma thought. He was trying to get used to Helen's emotional ups and downs today. Just a moment ago, they had been chatting happily, and now Helen's mood has changed, and she seems to have something important to say again.

"What happened all of a sudden?" Dharma asked, trying to understand Helen's sudden change of mood. But inside, she also wondered what was behind Helen's sudden movement.

Helen turned her gaze back in front of her and then continued as she looked down at the floor.

"There's something I've been wanting to say for a while, but I haven't been able to tell you." she said, a look of obvious pain on her face.

As Dharma tried to understand what might be behind Helen's words, he also went into his own inner thoughts to understand what Helen was feeling.

He looked at Helen's expression and thought, 'What?, is she ashamed or something? but he quickly abandoned the thought. Because Helen's expression was not one of shame, but of some kind of suffering.

"Haha, you make it sound like we've been this open with each other before," Dharma said with a smile, trying both to ease Helen's distress and to soften the subject. However, Helen's reaction was not what Dharma had expected. After her smile, sadness appeared on Helen's face.

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Looking at the floor, Helen continued in a monotone manner. "Yeah, we weren't" Helen said.

Immediately afterward, she added. "At least I wasn't... But today I realized that this can't go on any longer."

Helen said with all the honesty in her voice. After all, if the brat in front of her could be so honest and relaxed, why couldn't she?

Helen wanted to change. Helen no longer wanted to be weak enough to be jealous of a tree, or fallen enough to be jealous of someone younger than her.

She could have been like that: someone to admire, rather than being envious of others.

'What does she mean?' Dharma's mind wandered with these words that he had not expected from Helen. He was trying to understand what Helen meant by that.

Perhaps because of that, Helen had continued to speak to prevent Dharma from raising questions in his mind.

"Dharma, I don't know how you see me, but I've always seen you as one of my family, maybe the only one..."

'After all, Is it necessary for someone to share blood ties in order to consider them as a family?'

After catching his breath, she continued speaking.

"So I don't want to do any more sneaking around or telling sweet lies to people I consider family."

Helen said firmly "Not anymore."

Encouraged by her own words, she continued. "In the eyes of my clan, I hold little value. In fact, the only thing of significance I offer to them is my connection with you at this moment. Yes, that's the truth. That's why I wanted you to know that my clan, my so-called family in the clan, even indirectly me, is using you to survive. Keeping this truth from you feels like deceiving a cherished member of my own family."

Dharma continued to look at Helen. He had a thoughtful expression on his face and was still trying to process what Helen had just said.

Looking at the look on Dharma's face, Helen couldn't help but feel her heartache. But she had to say it.

'In the end, no matter how much I try to avoid it, it is the truth. I'd rather tell her now than hear those words one day from someone else.'

Dharma's mind was in turmoil, surprised by this sudden confession.

'I should have expected this.' Dharma thought.

From the moment his powerful gift was unveiled, the elder cautioned Dharma to be wary of his surroundings. He forewarned that others would seek to exploit him, draw near to him, or take advantage of his power and influence.

But he never thought that Helen would be one of them.

And yet, for Helen to say that she saw him as family...

'Well, those are very precious words for a temple orphan like me,' Dharma thought.

After all, he didn't think otherwise about Helen... As much as he didn't want to admit it, apart from that old shit and Helen, there was no one in the temple he could get along with or consider close.

'Haa... Maybe I should be a bit friendlier, so that such remarks don't affect me so much' Dharma thought, as if mocking herself.

Before speaking, Dharma inwardly invoked the Buddha's name in prayer.

When he finished his prayer, a sour expression came over his face.

'I can't believe I did that.'

Moments after praying to the Buddha, utilizing the newly bestowed blessing, Dharma sought the ability to perceive the inner state of others clearly, albeit with certain limitations. It was a modest request, but for the time being, it would suffice.

But he was not at all happy about the blessing he had received. Using this kind of blessing on someone he considers close disgusted Dharma.

After all, no one would be happy to use something like that on someone who had been his family for so long.

'But I have to verify this.'

Dharma, however, chose to use his head instead of his heart, even if it meant distrust.

He longed to hear the truth directly from Helen's lips. If she had indeed professed to consider him family, Dharma desired to ascertain whether those words held genuine sincerity or if they were merely a falsehood.

After all, the clans could try to take advantage of her, Helen's family could use them both for profit, and even the temple could do so.

But not Helen. Not her.

Finally, Dharma turned his head to Helen and spoke. There was a slight tremor in her voice.

"Tell me, Helen. Do you think so too? Is that really why you befriended me like the others?" said Dharma.

What truly mattered to him wasn't the opinions of others, but rather Helen's genuine thoughts and feelings towards Dharma.

Helen finally faced the question she had been waiting for. She calmed down and spoke as she looked up at the high branches of the big tree in front of them.

"What am I thinking?"

After a brief chuckle, her expression hardened.

"I think it's nonsense." Her voice was resolute, her gaze piercing. "I never saw you like this."

"I would never want to take advantage of someone I consider family, even if I know I'm doing it involuntarily. And I don't want it to be like that anymore. That's why I told you this, with all the facts, so that there would be no more lies or secrets between us."

Her words were bitter but also sweet. The kind of words Dharma had been waiting to hear.

"I understand..." A smile graced Dharma's face. Helen's sincerity was evident; these words truly emanated from her heart. She had been truthful from the start.

Dharma felt that the last wall between them had been breached and that neither she nor he would ever doubt each other again.

He turned towards Helen. He was about to say something when he noticed a flash of light coming from behind her.

"!"

Dharma rushed towards Helen and pushed them both forward from their seats.

"Uh? Dharma, what are you doing?" Helen asked angrily about Dharma's sudden movement.

"Huh? What's that?" But her words turned to confusion as she saw the arrow that had just fallen into their position.

As Helen tried to process what had just happened, she heard footsteps approaching their position.

"Tak"

"Tak"

It was a man dressed in black with a crossbow.

"What a waste, I missed it." said the stranger in black.

"They were made of a very precious material." His words conveyed a deep sense of regret for the arrow.