Knowledge Thief

She'll find the Champion

While Lee was literally speechless by the revelation that his bracelet has come to life, he heard the said bracelet state, 'I am still waiting for that thanks!'

Lee couldn't control the bracelet's attitude and shouted 'Why would I thank you! You are just a bracelet!'

'What did you say!' came the reply. But before Lee could respond, the room's door sprung open and Mana came rushing in.

'Mr. Lee, are you OK?' asked a concerned Mana, who was standing beside the bed.

'Yeah! I feel better. Actually very good.'

Hearing that Lee was fine, tears streamed down Mana's face and she was trying hard to control her sobs.

All the while Lee was resting, Mana felt a deep sense of guilt. She was supposed to be his guide and protector but she never did anything to protect him. Now, he went to the barracks in her place. So she felt responsible for Lee's current state. So, when she saw that Lee was currently healed up, all her pent up emotions seeped out in the form of happy tears.

Lee, who was witnessing this, didn't know how to react for a moment. Mana was the first person he met in this world and hence, he formed a bond with her. His decision to go to the barracks was also partly due to the fact that he cared for her like a sister. From the moment he landed in this world, he hadn't seen the young girl sad. So this scene touched him.

'Mana, it's OK. Everything is OK' said Lee in an attempt to console Mana. However, she was still crying like a baby. So, Lee let her cry her heart out.

It took a few minutes for Mana to control her sobs and regain some form of composure. By that time, both Elvie and Elda came up to the room.

Elvie served a bowl of soup and some proteins for Lee and urged him to eat it while it was hot.

Lee nodded and started to drink the soup, while Elvie started to console Mana.

There were a few minutes of awkward silence in the room. Finally Elda spoke up, 'What the heck were you thinking going to the bunker?'

Mana had run down to Bees to inform them that Lee had gone to the barracks, and all three of them had to rush to barracks to save him. If they were even one minute late, Sheila would have gone through with her action.

Lee, who had just had a big spoonful of soup, stared at Elda while taking a moment to swallow.

'Elda! Don't you see that he is eating?' asked an angry Elvie.

By this time Lee had swallowed the soup, Mana interjected saying, 'It was for me. He went in my place. So don't be angry on him.'

Although Elda was angry at Lee for making her deal with Sheila, Mana's words calmed her down. Since Lee went to save Mana, whom she treated as a sister, she felt his actions justified. So she didn't react.

'Anyways, everything is fine because Mana came at the right time. If she hadn't thought of coming here, you would have died' added Elda.

Mana interjected once again stating 'Actually... It was Lee who secretly informed May about this. If she hadn't told me the same and urged me here, I would have stood there frozen for some time.'

Hearing this, Elda cursed internally 'Oh! Come on! Why can't I tell him off just once!'

Elvie was both surprised and impressed with Lee's presence of mind. All the while, she had thought that Lee was saved because of some luck and timing. But now she understood that Lee created his own luck.

Sensing that both Elda and Elvie don't have any more questions, Lee stated 'Thanks for saving me.'

Both Elda and Elvie brushed it off.

'Don't thank us and distance us. We will gladly save a friend in trouble' stated Elvie.

'Since you guys stated that you were friends, let me tell the truth' stated Lee. He thought 'Bracer' and lifted his hand while saying 'I am the champion!'

Hearing that Elda sarcastically said 'Oh, here we go again. I think he got hit...'

But before she could complete the sentence, she saw the shining golden bracelet on Lee's wrist.

Both Elda and Elvie were dumbfounded when they saw the bracelet on Lee's hand. In the past few days, they had heard rumors of a champion from various sources. However, both of them didn't think that a new champion would be summoned in such a peaceful era.

'I know that I should have said this earlier, but I wanted to keep a low profile and leave silently' added Lee.

Elvie, who was the first to gain her composure, said 'So that's the reason why Mana was called up to the barracks?'

Elvie knew that Sheila hated Mana, so she initially thought that the recent issue also stemmed from the hatred. Now looking back, she understood that she just assumed things.

'Yes. Sheila guessed that Mana would accompany the champion. So she wanted her' confirmed Lee.

After answering Elvie, Lee then looked towards Elda to check whether she has any questions.

Elda, who had silently stood there for some time, asked 'Why did you lose to Sheila?'

Lee was stunned by the question. He didn't expect Elda to be so direct. Even Mana who was standing by the side was surprised by Elda's question.

The only one who wasn't surprised was Elvie. In fact, she had expected this exact question from her sister even before Lee informed that he was the Champion.

Right from a young age, her sister took pride in winning fights. She would often brag about fighting Sheila and other champions.

When Lee was trampled by Sheila, Elda's pride must have been hurt. A person who was her equal in fight got beaten up by Sheila, which means that she would not fare any better. And the only way to nurse her wounded pride back is by learning the reason.

As Elvie recalled her sister's reasoning, Lee started to speak.

'Actually I wasn't concentrating on the fight. My concentration was on concealing the fact that I was a champion' said Lee.

After he finished speaking, he made the bracelet dissappear to denote what he was speaking.

'Oh right! Why didn't I think of that? He made the bracelet appear when he informed us, so he should be able to suppress his energy.' Realizarion dawned upon both Elda and Elvie as they understood the reason.

Lee continued 'Also, I think that whatever happened was for the best as it might put Sheila off our tail.'

'Not for long, she will not stop till she finds the champion' interjected Elda.

'Don't worry, she will find a champion very soon' said Lee with a smirk on his face.