Sasha: "Thank you for saving me. Please, let me repay you!?"

Arriving back at the tunnel where everyone was waiting, Solomon was met with an unexpected scene. At almost the same moment as he was spotted, Sasha had come stumbling towards him. Suddenly kneeling down in front of him, she had asked to repay him. Seeing the little girl act in such a way, Solomon was stunned.

Solomon: "Uhm, could you guys go and help the others?"

looking at the collapsed figures of the characters, as well as the unstably wobbling Nicholas and Tony, Solomon asked Alice and Gareth to go and check on them. after glancing at the prostrating figure of Sasha, they both nodded in agreement.

Alice: "Alright, but don't take too long."

After sending them off, Solomon looked back at Sasha. Feeling the fatigue settling into his bones, Solomon wondered why all the girls in his life were so hard to deal with. First was Pluvia with her dangerous methods, then Alice with her emotional collapse. Now he had this to deal with. Letting out a small sigh, he tried to pass off her offer

Solomon: "It's okay, you don't need to repay me."

Waving his hand at her, Solomon refused the offer. He didn't save her to get a favour from her, so it made would make him feel awkward accepting her request. In reality, he hadn't saved here for any real reason. In the moment, he'd considered her as one of his teammates. So without much thought, he'd instinctively helped her. He just saw that she was in trouble and acted. It was more of a natural response than a choice on his part. Now facing her offer, he couldn't shake the thought that if he accepted it'd come off badly. For the sake of their future relationship, he hoped she'd just let him drop the matter. After all, it wasn't like she could really repay him in any meaningful way anyway.

Sasha: "huh, But you saved my life. Is my life not even worth repaying in your eyes."

Misunderstanding his meaning, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. To her, his dismissive attitude was like him saying she wasn't even worthy of repaying him. So to Sasha, who saw Solomon as her saviour, this was a heavy emotional blow. Having spent a considerable time in Domain, she understood how a situation like her's would normally have gone. iF she was with any other guild and got injured to such an extent, they would have undoubtedly left her behind. That would have especially been the case if they'd been running away from an extremely deadly enemy. It was the common rule in Domain the strong prey on the weak. If you didn't have the strength to support yourself, no one else would step out to help you. So for Solomon to have taken such a huge risk to help her was mindblowing. If she'd been with almost anyone else, she believed she would've been long dead by this point. Knowing her brother, he also would have stayed behind with her. In a roundabout sense, that meant that head also saved her Nicholas as well. Thinking about that, Sasha was determined to repay him. But hearing him reject her felt like a hammer smashing down on her heart.

Solomon: "haah, is there no way I can convince you to just thank me and leave it at that?"

Seeing Sasha become so emotional, Solomon realised he'd stepped on a landmine. It seemed that he had underestimated her determination to pay him back. Letting out an exacerbated sigh, Solomon made a last ditch effort to have her give up on the topic. Addressing her directly, he asked if she would drop the topic. But without so much as a seconds hesitation, she firmly shook her head.

Sasha: "No, you saved my life and I have to pay you back for that."

Looking at the little girl's ardent expression and brightly shining eyes, Solomon felt his headache start growing worse. In the end, he decided to just give the girl what she wanted. From her reaction, he knew that there was no way she'd change her mind. Looking at her already tempered will, Solomon felt like he'd found Alice number 2. Just like her, Sasha wouldn't give up on her decision once she'd made it. Though he like that quality in her, it wasn't exactly easy to deal with. So now looking at Sasha displaying the same level of stubbornness, he couldn't help but fear for his future.

Solomon: "haaaah, fine. If you're not going to give it up, I'll just have to let you repay me."

Sighing deeply, Solomon gave the deceptively cute little girl standing before him. Kneeling down, he gently wiped the tear stains off her face. Thinking deeply, Solomon tried to come up with a way for her to help him. After a few seconds, he'd already come up with the perfect repayment. Lifting her up from the floor, he looked her in the eyes.

Solomon: "All right, here's what I want you to do."

Perking up, Sasha intently focused on what Solomon was about to say. Having already affirmed her decision to repay him, she prepared to etch his next words into her heart. Until she'd completed that task, she'd consider herself in his debt.

Solomon: "when we split up later on, I want you to look after Alice for me. Without me there, I need someone looking out for her."

Hearing his request, Sasha's heart shrank. Being given such an important task, she began doubting herself. It was no secret that out of everyone on the team she was the weakest. So why had he asked her out of everyone to look after Alice? It was more likely that the opposite would be the case.

Sasha: "I'd like to say I will, But I'm not strong enough to make that promise."

looking down slightly, she told Solomon her honest thoughts. Though she really wanted to accept his request and promise him that'd she'd protect Alice, she didn't have the confidence to do so.

Solomon: "hahaha, I think you've misunderstood."

Seeing Sasha admit her weakness so openly, Solomon's impression of her grew greatly. Most adults wouldn't have the maturity to admit that, let alone a little girl like her. It really showed how mature she was. Thinking about the troubles she must have faced as a contestant in Domain to gain that maturity made Solomon feel sorry for her.

Solomon: "I don't want you to protect her, I want you to help her emotionally."

Knowing that she was only an unranked he, of course, wouldn't ask her to protect Alice. What he wanted, was for Sasha to be Alice's crutch. Seeing how uneasy she became after him leaving her for a little while, he couldn't imagine how distressed she'd feel leaving him for several hours. He hoped that at that time Sasha could be there for Alice, helping her to stay focused. Letting his words sink in, Solomon waited for Sasha to think about his words.

Sasha: "Emotionally? How can I help her emotionally?"

Thinking over what he'd said, Sasha tried to decipher the meaning in his words. But even with her mature attitude, she was still only a little girl. Understanding matters of the heart were still way beyond her. Looking up at Solomon feeling a little embarrassed, she had asked him what he meant.

Solomon: "when I go off with Gareth, I know Alice isn't going to take it very well. She'll end up still constantly worrying about me. If she's in that state of mind, she won't be able to fight with her all. In that case, it'll be a big risk for everyone on your side. So what I want is for you to do everything you can to keep her focused. Can you do that for me?"

Realising that even though Sasha was mature for her age, she was still a child, Solomon explained his meaning to her. After just witnessing how distressed Alice was from a few minutes of separation, he dreaded to think what would become of her after several hours. By having Sasha stay by her side, he hoped that she could ease her heart. After all, Alice wasn't the sort of person to put an 11-year-old girl in danger. So if it came down to it, he was sure that Alice would step up to the situation. So by keeping Sasha at her side, he hoped that it would encourage her to give it her all. Even if she was emotionally troubled, he hoped that motivation would be enough.

Sasha: "I, I think I can do that."

After a moment of hesitation, Sasha agreed to his request. Though she wasn't entirely confident in herself, she didn't want to refuse Solomon's request. After listening to him, she was still a little confused as to how she could prevent Alice from becoming distracted. But after thinking it through, she realised how important of a role it was. If Solomon was asking her to do it, he had to believe she had the potential. If not, why would he ask her in the first place? She just didn't think she'd figured out the method quite yet. In the worst case, it wouldn't make a difference if she accepted or not. If Alice really did become distracted and ended up being defeated, then there was no chance for her to survive. So it was also in her best interest to help keep Alice in a good state of mind.

Alice: "Hey! Are you two done yet!?"

Hearing Alice's voice, Sasha was jolted out of her thoughts. Looking towards the voice's origin, she saw Alice standing a little ways away waving at them. Looking over at her, she realised that everyone had gathered beside her. Though the characters were still unconscious, Tony and Nicholas were both up and back on their feet.

Solomon: "looks like everyone's ready to go. Well, I'll leave Alice to you then."

Looking over at the figure of Alice waving at them, Solomon said his last bit. Getting to his feet, he also helped Sasha to hers. Without wasting any time, Solomon started walking back towards everyone. Following behind him, Sasha looked worriedly towards the figure of her brother. When she had woken up a little while ago, she'd found him passed out on the floor beside her. According to Alice, it was because he'd been hurt by a long-range attack of the Queen's. Hearing that, she became concerned. But now seeing that he had woken up, her worry disappeared. Eager to get back and see how he was, she followed closely behind Solomon.

Solomon: "so, what’s the situation?"

Arriving at Alice's side, Solomon asked her for an update. Looking at how her face became distressed at his question, he prepared himself for the bad news. Glancing back at the cave for a second, Alice's face grew even more ugly. Sighing slightly, she spoke.

Alice: "haah. well, it's not very good."