A Matter of Trust
To get the Captain to say "I believe in you"...
Option 1: Force him to say it.
Failed... because of Emily.
Option 2: Trick him into saying it.
Failed... because I couldn't take it.
Option 3:
Make him say it out of his own heart.
...
...Haven't even figured out where to start with that one.
I kept thinking about it on the way to morning training, but I couldn't come up with anything good.
Come to think of it, it's been a while since he used the voice of command to make me run.
Maybe instead of forcing anything, it'd be better to just watch how things play out...
...
...No! Why am I saying like this?!
I just casually said something a trained slave would say!
Un... unbelievable... This is a nightmare... It's unbearable...
I have to get out of this! The sooner, the better!
I have to escape this stupid curse!
Bell's energy during morning training felt different.
C-Captain?
Yes?
I, uh...
...N-never mind.
That's the third time she's called out to me and then awkwardly backed off.
There's something on your mind, I can tell.
Ugh...
See.
It's okay. Just say it to me.
After hesitating for a long time, Bell finally spoke up.
Captain...
Do you... trust me?
Huh?
The question came out of nowhere. It completely caught me off guard.
I mean... do you believe in me or not...
(I've thought about it every which way, but whatever!)
(Maybe if I just ask directly... it'll work?!)
(C-come on! A Journey Captain trusting their Journey member! That's totally normal, right?)
(Right?! Right, Captain?!)
It came out of nowhere, but yes, of course I believe in Bell.
...Not that I trust everything about her.
But when it comes to her completing the Journey and carrying out her duty as a Savior...
Yeah. At this point, I do believe she'll make it.
Of course, I believe—
I was just about to say, "I believe in you."
...!!
I saw it. Her face. That dark, serious expression. Suddenly lighting up like she just won the lottery.
Even her breathing was getting louder.
Believe...! Believe...!
Say it—after "believe"! What comes next?!
Belie...
YES!! That's it! Come on, say it! Say it, Captain, now!!
Bell Rhys.
Tell me exactly why you are asking me that question.
BECAUSE IF YOU SAY "I BELIEVE IN YOU" IT'LL BREAK MY FAMILY'S STUPID OATH AND I'LL FINALLY BE FREEEEE!!!
...
...
...
...Ah.
Aaaaaugh!
Waaaah!!
WAAAAAAHHH!!
For the next 30 minutes, Bell rolled across in the training ground, sobbing uncontrollably, completely ignoring everything I said.
So that's why...
All of that happened.
Yeah...
But it's over now...
Now that you know how to break the oath...
You're never going to set me free...
I'll be stuck like this forever... Obeying every command... like a slave...
...Why would you think that?
How am I supposed to trust you?!
No, how can I trust anyone for that matter?
You think I can just believe whatever someone says, when there's no contract, no guarantee?!
That's not how the world works...
...But I really do plan on setting you free.
!!
Y-you do?!
S-s-sorry! I didn't mean to...
...Of course I will.
I know exactly how terrifying it is to be forced to obey someone, with no say in the matter.
Then hurry up and free me!
What...
Whaaat?!
I promise I will. Once the Journey's over.
The code to break the oath is I believe in you...
Makes me wonder. Did the person who created that oath go through the same thing we're going through now?
...Bell. You don't trust me?
Wh-what are you talking about?
You want to hear me say those words, right?
Y-yeah... I do...
Then you have to believe in me too.
...Wh-what does that...
Huh...? Uh... wha...?
She definitely needed time to process all that. And we wrapped up training for the day.
Bell sat in the middle of the training ground, completely spaced out, staring blankly up at the sky.