NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 2. Friend Zone
After a 45-minute walk, Kara finally arrived home. The house where she and her father were living had only two rooms and a kitchen, but since most of the time she was living alone, Kara always had the impression that the house was too big. She probably formed this opinion in her childhood when her father would leave for 10-12 days on hunting missions.
That day, as usual, her father was away. Her father had an advanced class as a Beast Hunter, and his level was 120, so we can say that he had reached the peak of his career. It's no wonder he was in high demand.
Once she arrived home, Kara headed straight to the pantry, where she usually kept dried pastrami.
'Hmm. I think I'll make my specialty...', Kara thought.
That didn't take long because her specialty was a sandwich made of two types of pastrami without bread. More precisely, a piece of meat of one type is placed between two pieces of meat of another type.
After sitting down on a chair and starting to eat her sandwich, Kara began to think about what happened after the fight against Klaus. Although Alice's behavior was predictable, that doesn't mean she wasn't hurt, just like every time something similar happened. Anyone would be hurt if the person they have feelings for uses them to seek attention from someone else.
Kara knew Alice from before she learned to walk because many times, as a baby, she was left in the care of Alice's grandmother. When they were children, Alice had a more fragile body and was shyer, and Kara always played the role of protector for Alice. If Alice had a fever, Kara would sit by her bed and read to her, feed her with nutrient-rich fruits, and put cold compresses on her forehead. If Alice was bothered by other kids, Kara would immediately come and give them a beating.
But over time, many of Alice's problems were resolved. Although she was still a bit shy, the fact that she had become truly beautiful made socializing easy for her. Young boys would gaze at her, and girls wanted to be friends with her to enjoy the attention Alice received. Although this should have been a reason for Kara to be happy, it wasn't. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help it. Every time someone approached Alice and Kara was present, she always found a way to drive away the unwanted guests. It didn't take long for jokes to emerge, comparing Kara to a dragon guarding its treasure or a silver bear protecting her cubs.
This period of restlessness lasted for about two years until Kara turned 14 and received her class. On that day, her father threw a small party for her, and among the guests was a woman who often participated in missions with him. Although the woman was truly beautiful, what made her unforgettable for Kara was the fact that she didn't come alone, but accompanied by another woman whom she introduced to Kara as her wife.
The entire party passed by in a trance for Kara, many questions forming in her mind, among which the most important one was whether she and Alice could be together as the two women. Once the party ended, Kara went straight to her father to ask for more information. Until then, her father had only taught her things related to hunting, so all the things a young woman should know were taught to her by Alice's grandmother. Although Alice's grandmother was a kind woman, these discussions always annoyed Kara. Whenever she heard the words "lover" or "spouse" every 10 seconds, Kara could only calm herself by imagining herself slicing wild boars. Alice's grandmother was always a simple woman who never liked to gossip and never traveled the world, so we can't say she hid from Kara the fact that two women could be together. She probably never even thought about that option.
Markus, Kara's father, a man who never hesitated in the face of the fiercest beasts, found himself sweating in a situation for the first time. He could talk for hours about how to track games and how to set traps, but when it came to emotional issues and relationships, it wasn't as easy for him to speak. When Kara told him that she had some questions about relationships, the first thing that came to his mind was to tell her to ask Alice's grandmother, but seeing Kara's expression, he realized things weren't that simple. In the end, things weren't that complicated. The fact that Kara liked girls was easier to discuss for Markus than giving advice about dating boys.
Kara expected her father to have something against it, but it seemed he was actually excited. When she asked him what the reason was, he said that his daughter was too good and no boy had been born yet who deserved her. Of course, the reason was more complex, but Markus couldn't tell Kara that he saw her as a little child, and every time his acquaintances asked him when Kara would get married or suggested introducing boys to her, he would get angry and shout "Let's see who dares to steal my little girl!". Yes, he would much rather have his daughter steal other families' girls than have some insolent boy steal his daughter.
"Yes, I knew I raised you well. A true hunter..." Markus repeated from time to time. This fact boosted his confidence in his communication skills, thinking that he may have unconsciously shaped Kara's preferences.
Kara was thrilled to see that her father encouraged her to "hunt other families' girls", but the fact that the relationship between women was unrecognized by religion and the state dampened her enthusiasm.
"When you are truly strong, the opinions of others don't matter. Everyone can have their truth, but when you are strong, your truth will shape the truth of those weaker than you. Kara, don't let anyone shape your truth in the future, not even me or the one you'll love. A true hunter doesn't hesitate because hesitation means death. During the hunt, a moment of hesitation can turn the hunter into the hunted and the hunted into the hunter."
After the conversation with her father, the chaos in Kara's mind disappeared. She realized that she loved Alice, and even if the rest of the world was against it, as long as Alice agreed to be with her, nothing else would matter.
Probably, that night after the conversation with her father was the calmest night of her life. But often, there is calm before the storm. Kara realized in those three years since she gained her class that the biggest difficulty wasn't the opinion of the rest of the world but Alice's opinion.
The day after the party, Kara immediately went to Alice, who, although she had been at the party, wasn't present when Kara met the two women who formed a couple. While discussing the party, Kara quickly brought up the topic of the relationship between the two women who had the mage class, but to Kara's disappointment, Alice showed only surprise, not enthusiasm.
From that day on, Kara had two main activities: to become stronger to impress Alice with her excellence and to stop the mouth of any person who would have something to say against them in the future, and to court Alice discreetly. The first activity was a real success. She quickly reached level 20, many of her skills reached their maximum level, and with the help of a friend of her father, who had the Master Assassin class, she gained experience in fighting other people. Unfortunately, the second activity didn't enjoy the same success, although there were many opportunities to transform their relationship after Alice received her Light Mage class, which also belonged to the intermediate class category. This fact was very surprising to everyone, even to Alice, who expected to have the same class as her grandmother, considering she had been her disciple since she was little. But the fact that she spent her entire childhood among magical potions and the unusually large amount of mana she has, all led to this fortunate event that opened Alice's path to a much more fulfilling future.
After this event, Kara took Alice on countless hunting expeditions in the forests around their city to help Alice increase her level. Many who receive a combat class wait until they turn 18 to be able to join the Adventurers Guild. The Adventurers Guild manages many beginner-level Dungeons, which are ideal for beginners who want to increase their level. Therefore, most of those who receive a combat class at the age of 14 and don't have many resources, choose to focus on training in safety, planning to venture into the Dungeons and increase their level once they become adults.
Fortunately for Alice, she had an important resource: Kara. For a beginner, venturing into the forests full of beasts without an experienced hunter is pure suicide because the creatures in the forests are much smarter than those in the beginner-level Dungeons. But with Kara by her side, Alice could walk through the forests without any worries, as if she was in the middle of the city.
Kara strongly believed that these adventures would transform her relationship with Alice, and that's exactly what happened. However, it didn't happen the way Kara expected, going from best friends to a romantic relationship. Instead, their relationship evolved into best friends for life. No matter what Kara did, whether it was giving gifts or offering help to Alice, Alice only saw Kara as her best friend, and when Kara tried to drop hints about her intentions, like saying "Everything for my future wife.", Alice laughed it off as a joke.
After two years of unsuccessful attempts, Kara came to the conclusion that she could only achieve the desired outcome by being clear and honest with Alice. On her birthday, Kara used all her savings to buy a beautiful magical gold ring for Alice, which had a storage space of 2 cubic meters and then, she kneeled in front of Alice to propose. Unfortunately for Kara, not everything went according to plan. Alice told her that she couldn't respond to Kara's feelings at that moment because her grandmother would never agree, and her deceased father, who was a healer in the Temple of the Sun God during his life, would turn in his grave if he found out about it. Alice continued by apologizing to Kara and expressing her desire to remain best friends. To prevent Alice from shedding a river of tears, Kara reassured her that they would continue to be friends just as they had been until then, and she also gave Alice the ring as a symbol that she would always be the most important person in her life.
After that day, Kara stopped making suggestions about a romantic relationship and tried to make everything appear as it was before. She buried all her disappointments deep in her heart but continued to hope that her sincerity would eventually convince Alice.
Unfortunately, everything changed a month later with the arrival of Klaus, the only son of Count Uther Bronhill, who ruled the city. Klaus's family had lived in the capital for the past 12 years, with his wife holding a position in the Institute of Magic Research, and their son attending an academy that trained future leaders.
Klaus, whose position as a Count was practically guaranteed through inheritance, mainly focused on showcasing his fighting abilities, aiming to surpass his father, who held the class Magic Knight, by aspiring to become a rare Paladin.
Shortly after settling in the city, Klaus presented himself at the training field, where he challenged one by one all the youths of his age, mainly the sons of city guards and a few nobles, effortlessly defeating them all.
Unfortunately for him, one of the nobles' sons who was humiliated by Klaus knew Kara. After numerous pleas and a generous donation of 100 silver coins, Kara was persuaded and agreed to fight Klaus. Although Kara's class was not ideal for fighting against other humans or similar races, she had trained for two years with her father's friend, who was a Master Assassin. Her speed and agility were always unmatched compared to others at her level, regardless of their class. With her teacher's help, she adapted many of her skills used to confuse and immobilize beasts, making them useful when facing a human opponent. The fight between the two was very short, as Kara immediately immobilized Klaus after he attacked with his sword. Of course, Klaus had no intention of accepting defeat and tried to escape, but Kara quickly dislocated his hand, calming him down.
After a week of intense training, Klaus inquired about Kara's whereabouts and went to her house to challenge her to another fight. Unfortunately for him, he didn't find her at home and learned from the neighbors that Kara had gone hunting in the woods. We can say a lot about Klaus, but we cannot say that he is a person who will give up easily. He waited for five hours at the city gates, through which Kara was expected to return, and eventually managed to meet her as the sun was setting.
Kara, who was returning from the woods with Alice, immediately declined Klaus's proposal, arguing that she had nothing to gain from the fight. Furthermore, she didn't believe Klaus could make such progress in just a week to be able to defeat her. Klaus tried to offer Kara money, but she refused again, stating that it wasn't fair to take money from someone and then kick the ass of the same person. Fortunately for Klaus, who was about to explode with anger, Alice, seemingly more enthusiastic about duels than ever before, convinced Kara to participate in the fight.
The fight ended as quickly as the one from the previous week, Kara wanting to show Alice how cool she was. Unfortunately for Kara, when Alice saw Klaus lying on the ground, she immediately went to him in concern to check if he was okay, even offering him a health potion, although Klaus wasn't seriously injured. Moreover, Alice reproached Kara, saying that she had been too heavy-handed.
Kara was greatly surprised by Alice's behavior, perceiving all these actions as something fantastic that didn't belong to this world. The only thing that snapped her out of her trance was the idea that Alice was doing all this for her good, trying to protect Kara from a conflict with Klaus, who was the son of the city's ruler.
From that day on, the same scenario repeated every Friday evening. No matter how blinded Kara was by her feelings for Alice, she realized that Alice's behavior had one purpose: to impress Klaus. Until then, Kara could console herself with the fact that Alice considered her the best friend. However, from that point on, Kara realized that for Alice, she had become just a way to gain Klaus's attention.
'What attracts Alice to Klaus? Is it the fact that he is the son of the city's ruler? Is it the fact that his class offers more prospects than my class? Or is it simply because Klaus is a handsome boy? Does Alice not realize how much she hurts me with her actions? Or does she realize but doesn't care, prioritizing a future relationship with Klaus over our lifelong friendship?' These were the questions Kara had been asking herself in the past months, and she was still pondering them as she sat at the table, consuming her sandwich.
