A couple of moments later, Rin was standing beside Maria.

Their backs were pressed against a large tree, the cold midnight air wrapping itself around them like chains tying them both to it, as the woman prepared herself to tell Rin about her and Cara's history.

Judging by the complicated, reluctant expression on her face, it seemed like a hard thing for her to talk about.

"Cara and I have known each other since we were children," Maria began telling her. "We grew up together in Cradle. For many, many years, we were inseparable. We shared the same tastes, hobbies, likes, dislikes, all of that. Naturally, we shared similar dreams as well. Cradle can be... a rough place at times, so we both learned to fight when we were young. Along the way, we ended up becoming adventurers."

Maria's voice got slightly softer as she eased into her explanation of things. Her shoulders dropped a little, and her eyes remained fixed on the ground in front of her, as though she was getting lost in these memories.

"At the same time, I met someone. Taro. He was another up-and-coming adventurer like Cara and I, with a bright and charming personality. We got along well with him, and... that man would go on to become my husband. I loved him dearly," she stated, smiling a little. "I'll spare you too many details, but... The three of us formed a small party, and we would take missions together. We cleared ruins, raided monster camps, explored mysterious, haunted woods... We saw quite a large portion of the world together."

Maria tended to display a very easygoing personality at the academy, but even so, it wasn't too often that she spoke with the kind of fondness that Rin was perceiving at that moment.

"To make a long story shorter, we... well, we wanted to become famous. More so than we already were. We had been making a name for ourselves, but, we needed to sort of 'go over the line' if you will. The goal of acquiring fame and fortune has inspired quite a large number of people to go down the path of adventuring and we were no exception."

Suddenly, that fondness in her tone faded away, and she went right back to sounding as melancholic as she had earlier.

"At one point, we asked ourselves how we could achieve that. How we could acquire the prestige and admiration we wanted. The answer came to us quickly. Why, just become Rank S, of course. The idea took hold of our minds over time, as we fantasized about becoming a trio of Rank S adventurers. And so, we began thinking of ways to reach that goal. Again, the answer came quickly. Kill a Rank S monster together."

Maria scoffed, shaking her head with a self-deprecating smile.

"We were strong. Or, so we thought. We began researching Rank S monsters, trying to find any that we could take down. Rank S monsters are, thankfully, not common. One has to ask around, look into rumors, and pay attention to monsters' trends in the wilderness to come across such a being. Eventually, we found one. A dragon," she said. "The mere idea of it made us salivate. Earning the title of 'dragonslayers' and becoming the envy of our fellow adventurers was just too alluring a prospect to ignore. So, we went through with it."

"You... tried to fight a dragon?" Rin asked.

"Indeed," Maria nodded. "We prepared quite well, too. We brought poisons with us that are known to be effective against draconic creatures, we trained hard for months in anticipation, and we took down many drakes so we could try studying draconic combat patterns."

[With how strong Cara and Maria are, I could see them pulling something like that off.]

"When the day came, we thought we were ready. And, we found the dragon we'd heard of, and took it on."

"What happened?" Rin asked.

"Things were going decently well, at first," Maria replied. "Until... Until my husband was killed." Her voice shook as she said that. "I was powerless to stop it. All I could do was watch it happen."

She swallowed, looking away from Rin before continuing.

"We ended up killing the creature after that, but... At that point, I couldn't care less about being Rank S or money or... anything. All I cared about was that I'd lost the person I loved."

"Wow," Rin said, quietly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Maria replied. "It was... years ago at this point. Once Cara and I returned to the guild, they awarded us with the title of Rank S. But, Cara..." Maria inhaled sharply, visibly shuddering. "She rejected the title."

"Why?"

"How should I know?" Maria asked. "All I know is that in doing so, she spit on my husband's memory. That man gave his life for that mission, and she couldn't even accept the reward from it?"

She spoke loudly now, with venom lacing every syllable.

"She... She rejected the very thing my husband died to give us. How can I remain friends with someone who does such a thing?"

There was a pause. Rin took that statement in and then asked:

"Is... is that really why you hate her so much?"

"Is that not a good enough reason?" Maria quickly asked.

"I..."

"No," Maria interrupted her, then. "No, that is not the only reason I hate her."

"What else did she do?"

"She... I hate her because... Because..." Maria's hands balled up into fists. Her lips trembled. "Because she was there for me after my husband died."

Rin's confusion only mounted further.

"Huh? What-"

Maria spoke so quietly then that Rin almost didn't hear her.

"And, I told myself that I wouldn't love anyone ever again. I didn't deserve such a thing after failing my husband the way that I did. I was strong back then, Rin. Stronger than I am now. I could have saved him. I should have saved him. It was on my shoulders to carry that mission that day, and everything went wrong because I didn't live up to my own expectations. Someone like me doesn't deserve love," she continued. "So, I promised myself that. And... she was kind, she was understanding, and she was patient, and... she almost made me break that promise."

Rin's mind just about short-circuited when she heard that. Maria let out a long sigh, as though the words she just pulled out of her mouth had been weighing down on her heart.

"Even now, every time I see her, I feel like breaking that promise. But I can't do that," she stated. "After what he sacrificed for my sake, for our sake, I can't let myself do that."

She looked back at Rin, then. Tears were rolling freely down her cheeks.

"So, either, I hate her, and I do my best to push her away, or I spit on the grave of the man who quite literally gave everything for me. The man I failed. That is a choice I have to make. And, I am trying to make my choice."