Chapter 59 Emotional Warfare
"Tch—" Nami slapped Ethan's hand away and chose to chase after Lea. Even though Ethan had asked her to ignore Lea, Nami wasn't the type to ignore someone close to her, especially Lea, whom she now considered her best friend.
"That idiot!" Ethan muttered when he saw Nami choose to chase after Lea, who suddenly became emotional for no reason.
Ethan sat back in his chair and continued eating, which had been delayed. Sydney, Jensen, and Robin fell silent for a moment, unsure if they could talk to Ethan right now, considering he wasn't someone who was easy to talk to. However, seeing the dire situation between Lea and Ethan made Sydney feel uncomfortable.
"E-Ethan!" She said, calling out to him hesitantly.
Ethan turned to her with a cold stare, making Robin and Jensen shudder. They tried not to think about anything, considering that Ethan could easily read their minds.
"If there's anything you want to know, you can ask your stubborn friend directly," Ethan said. Sydney wasn't sure if she would continue her questioning even though he had already said that.
"What exactly happened? I don't know why Lea suddenly became so angry? Ever since the news of the meteor crash, Lea has seemed so paranoid, but when Nami and I asked her what happened, she just kept quiet."
"I don't think it's any of my problem!"
"Ethan, does this have anything to do with your ability to see the future?" Sydney asked hopefully, hoping Ethan would say something.
"Her grandparents probably live in the forbidden mountain area, where the meteor crashed."
"Lea's grandparents live in the forbidden mountain area? Isn't that illegal?" Robin snapped, not believing what he was hearing. He knew that villagers were forbidden to live in the forest area, as it was considered a dangerous area and a possible escape route for monsters.
"Her grandparents were a renowned scientist couple. They were once advisors to ERI, but quit about five years ago and decided to research monsters independently. They built a settlement in a forbidden forest area to observe the appearance of monsters in the area. It seems they were both victims of the meteor crash."
"So why is Lea mad at you?" Robin asked. He still didn't understand this part. But Ethan didn't answer right away, making the three of them even more confused by the situation.
Sydney tried to think of a reason why Ethan was the target of Lea's anger. She knew that Ethan had the ability to see the future, but wasn't the future something that couldn't be prevented?
"Ethan, did you know that a meteor would fall in the forbidden forest?" Sydney asked cautiously, knowing that Ethan wasn't someone she could push.
"Yes," Ethan replied curtly. Sydney swallowed, hesitating to ask the next question.
"S-so did you perhaps know that Lea's grandparents would be victims of the meteor crash?"
This time Ethan didn't answer right away; he paused for a moment, as if contemplating something, and that made Sydney feel very anxious. She really hoped her suspicions were wrong this time.
"Yes."
Sydney, Robin, and Jensen's eyes widened for a moment after hearing Ethan's short answer. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"E-Ethan, you-"
"The future is something that can't be changed and prevented. I can't do anything about it."
"Lea, wait...! Lea...!" Nami grabbed Lea's hand as she hurried off. Lea looked furious and frustrated.
Lea stopped walking. She knew she couldn't escape Nami, let alone break free from her strong grip. But now wasn't the right time to talk to someone.
"Lea, what really happened?"
"Nami, if you had immense power and saw an old woman nearly having an accident, what would you do?" Lea asked, holding back her emotions.
"I would definitely help that old woman."
"Really?"
"Yes, of course!"
"Yes, that's how it should be, isn't it? When we know someone is going to have an accident and we have the power to prevent it, isn't it natural to do something to help them?"
"That's a given, isn't it?"
"But that bastard didn't! He's a completely heartless person!"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Who else but that Ethan bastard...?"
"Ethan?"
Lea began to sob, looking so miserable and desperate. Nami stepped closer to Lea, wondering if she could wipe away Lea's tears and comfort her, as she had never done anything like this for a friend before.
"My grandparents live in the forbidden forest, they might not survive."
"W-what?"
"Ethan knew this was going to happen, but he didn't tell me that my grandparents would be victims of the meteor crash."
"N-no way, that's not-" Nami was at a loss for words. But seeing Lea sobbing in front of her broke her heart.
"He knew that my grandparents were in that forest area, and he also knew that a meteor would fall right where my grandparents lived. But he wouldn't tell me. If he had told me right after he saw the future, I would have tried to get my grandparents to leave that place immediately."