The Founder's POV

Chapter 61: To the City

'Elara!'

Jin immediately stood up when he saw him and reached him within moments. 'What happened to him, for God's sake?!' His shock was evident on his face.

He looked at Elara's pale face, his body and clothes soaked in blood, and couldn't help but shudder.

"B-But how?" Jin spoke in disbelief.

Unfortunately, the soldiers carrying his body didn't give him enough time to assess his friend's condition. They continued walking towards the vehicle in a hurry.

"He's in very critical condition. His survival depends on whether he gives up or not." One of the soldiers gave a brief report to Jin, out of respect for his strength.

"But even if he recovers completely, there's no way to reattach his leg." Jin's expression collapsed when he heard the end of the report.

Just moments before he was transported to Cassian, Elara was in perfect condition, having defeated a war machine with ease despite just breaking through.

'What happened when I was transported?!' Jin gritted his teeth, looking down, blood seeping from his clenched fist.

He watched as Elara's form disappeared into the carriage, feeling deep sorrow and regret. 'What should I do? He will become disabled even if he survives... How can I compensate him for losing a limb?'

***

"What happened to him?" Cassian frowned as he looked at Elara on the bed, unconscious and extremely pale.

Unlike with Jin, the soldiers paused to let Cassian take a better look at him.

"Can't his leg be reattached?" Cassian asked, recalling what he did in Mountain of Fog.

"Only if it were intact. It was brutally severed and fell from a hundred-meter height without mana to protect it. It happened to land on a pile of sharp stones. If we reattach his leg, it will only be a hindrance." The soldiers explained the situation briefly before continuing towards the medical room.

"We will provide the best medical care soldiers like us can offer, but unfortunately, we must part ways afterward." Lucas placed his hand on my shoulder as he spoke, consoling me.

I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty seeing what happened to Elara. "Do we have anything in the family's stock that could help him?" I asked after some hesitation.

Lucas looked at me with a bit of confusion and lowered his hand from my shoulder. "Yes, of course, but why? If it's to win him over, there's no need to do that! There are plenty of -S rank warriors in the family, many of whom will gladly serve under you once you command it!" Lucas explained with a bit of agitation, wondering why I was putting so much pressure on myself.

"You don't understand..." I turned my gaze away from Lucas and went to rest on a nearby seat. Only Jin and I knew the real reason behind Elara's injury.

If I hadn't been in such a dangerous situation, Jin wouldn't have been forced to be transported to me against his will, and he would still have been with Elara when the enemies attacked...

If Jin had been with him, he would have at least come out in one piece... All because I put myself in a dangerous position...

Although I don't consider Elara extremely important to me, I still see him as an ally. And my personality, which I decided not to abandon, tells me I need to compensate him.

Even though he's a stranger to me, he had to endure significant pain and injury partially because of me. I don't want to just pass it off as if it happened without any relation to me.