Chapter 182: Her Smile Was Worth It
● UPDATE! Hologram features have been integrated into System Mainframe, overriding the system's limited features.
· System has implanted a "Data Chip" in User's brain to allow easy access to all the system's current features. Only some limited features have been lifted but user is now capable of checking the status windows of other players or NPCs. Journal has also been added - view current, completed and failed quests by accessing it.
· Hologram card has been locked from viewing user's status and system updates for the foreseeable future.
· Quest [First Of Its Kind] has been completed!
· Completion score (94%)
· Title [Lady Killer] has been added!
· Stat Points earned: 0
· System automatically increased all stats by 25%!
· Experience Points earned: 140 000
· You levelled up!
· You levelled up!
· XP required until next level: 2,5 million
The following skills have been unlocked!
1. Martial God's Step(S): Gain the power of partial teleportation during combat! Can also be used to add more speed to one's reflexes.
2. Aura Force: Turns one's aura into an energy field capable of throwing enemies off balance using the power of aura-enhanced wind.
>*Intensity and power of the energy field will depend on the amount of aura used and the skill of its wielder*
To gain access to System's NPC Overhaul: Open hand and call upon the mighty system
Skill tree has been added to status!
· Class has been updated from Warrior(Common) to Bearer(Unique). All skills from warrior class will be allocated to Bearer's skill tree.
Allocating stats from Beta Player #3 "Supreme Sorcerer ● Lufulur" to Player-NPC Arnold ....ERROR…. restarting… Error 204… Unable to obtain information… System is unable to grant user administrator rights as user's profile is still in use…
System Warning: Duplication of one's character is prohibited. {error 204}
Fix: Log out from existing player account. If you are unable to and suspect that someone may have acquired your details then contact a developer with a support ticket.
BONUS REWARD!
- [Flow of The Tide] martial skill – [Essence of Hydra(D)] has been unlocked!
· [Essence of Hydra] – Absorb the essence of oxygen or hydrogen in the air to convert the energy into pure aura. Using both in the form of liquid water will cover user's body in the force of the deep sea. The ocean is your friend in combat!
· Warning: Do not use with weapons other than soul weapons as breakage is highly possible! Soul weapons will not be affected by the energy.
· Warning: Overuse of this skill may lead to organs rupturing and bones breaking due to body maintaining the force of deep waters. Bleeding out of all orifices is the first sign to stop using the martial skill.
· Final warning: Do not use with other martial arts.
------Status preview------
Arnold – Level 60
Class – Bearer(Unique Grade)
---
…Call forth "Status" to see final stats…
Update Note: "NPC" Arnold von Berkley is now officially part of the main quest of the [Rising Of A Hero] expansion. Quests, contracts, treasure hunts and side quests will be distributed throughout the main arcs.
· Alert – Arc 1, Chapter 2 – School Arc will begin soon.
· Countdown until Luke von Berkley's second year – 28 days
· Recommended level to complete School Arc quests – Level 40
· Luke von Berkley current level – lvl 25
Warning :Your choices will affect the main story somewhere in the future.
System will continue providing quests to help Player-NPC Arnold unlock his skills.
Warning: Your innate talent [Transcendent] has been locked. Progress will be severely hindered for the foreseeable future. XP gain has also been severely reduced.
· Perk has been added to skill tree – Understanding of Aura(Intermediate). Reach Grandmaster to use aura at its fullest potential!
Beginner>Intermediate>>High>Master>Grandmaster>Martial God
Important:
Ladiath's main quest will be offered at a later time once Player-NPC has reached the recommended level. _Quest will be marked next to all active quests on the Journal_
Keep up the good work~ Complete more special quests to earn XP and other rewards!
--This message will self-destruct in 12 hours--
◇◇◇
Ladiath's magic circles vanished, just a few minutes after he and Arnold returned to the real world.
Siana spoke up, "Is it done? Did you manage to extract her soul?"
Ladiath stood up.
"Indeed. Everything was a success. I would like to express my gratitude to these fine ladies who maintained the soul. They have made things easier for me, even though I didn't realize this before."
Tanaera and Rafaela silently bowed their heads.
"There is another concerning matter," Ladiath said while looking at Kalda, "Of course, the concern lies with you."
"What's the matter, Your Excellency?" Siana looked a little worried as she asked.
"I can still sense this woman's soul power residing in her body. Not just that but she's alive."
'!'
Didn't Arnold strike her heart!? Also, he was certain that her lifeforce disappeared after the fight which was a sign of death!
'Don't tell me...' He realized something at that moment.
"I would assume that her soul power is the reason for that. I've never seen something like this happen before with other soul power users. They stay dead when killed. It would appear this woman has a special talent called 'Life Phase' which she obtained shortly after awakening her powers."
'...Just as I thought...'
Life Phase is essentially a hidden lifeforce or health bar. Only the bosses of Star Fantasy had these phases of life.
If a boss has three Life Phases then it means that they have to be killed three times. Some bosses become even stronger upon losing a Life Phase.
These kinds of bosses are the most troublesome bunch, even to veteran players. Imagine grinding levels for days on end, and spending sleepless nights gathering enough resources to get better gear and to level up to defeat a boss, only to be hit with a boss' second "life phase".
The Star Beast has one of the highest Life Phases in the game—five in total. The Demon King has five as well while each of her three demon lords have three.
"She… She's still alive…? Then did she… hear the things I said?" Siana looked at Tanaera, "Did you know about this?"
"No. I'm sure she was dead." Tanaera replied.
"Removing her soul could be what triggered her Life Phase. One is only blessed with a second chance at life once your first chance has been exhausted of lifeforce," said Ladiath, "The soul power feels faint but it's still there despite this person not possessing a soul anymore. While she is not as strong as before now that her soul power is weakened, it'll be wise to not underestimate her."
'Right…'
She won't be as much trouble as before. That said, Arnold was still recovering so fighting Kalda again is suicide.
"Of course, I wouldn't worry about her trying to fight all of you again."
Kalda suddenly moved just after Ladiath said that. She rose up like a mechanical doll. Her hair, which had been covering her bosom all this time, fell down revealing her nipples.
She looked at everyone with dead eyes.
All the knights stepped backwards while holding onto their weapons.
Caerwyn stood in front of Siana and Rafaela.
"Her soul—along with her memories—are gone. She knows none of you and has no recollection of what transpired yesterday or the hundred years before it."
Arnold walked up to the silent Kalda.
He waved in front of her face.
Her head followed his hand like a bird following a cracker.
She suddenly caught Arnold's hand with unbelievable strength. Arnold thought that she wanted to break his hand but what happened next was unlike what he imagined.
Kalda rubbed her cheek against Arnold's hand.
"Hmmm… Big… Hard… Veiny… like Papa's… Nn? Who is Papa…? Dunno…" She purred while continuing to rub her cheek against Arnold's hand.
Arnold looked at her blankly, unable to do anything as his hand was held captive by her gorilla grip.
He looked at Sceptim for help but Sceptim was pretending to adjust his gauntlet.
'You bastard!'
"That's… Kalda?" Siana looked dumbfounded.
She was standing right behind Arnold when he noticed.
"No, she is merely a shell of a human—A doll. Whoever you knew is gone now." Ladiath responded.
"Right… Her soul was taken…"
"She's now an emotionless doll. I'd say that she's useful in combat and pleasuring in the night but not much else. That's if she can follow orders, of course."
"Hmm…" Arnold looked down at Kalda, "Kalda."
He called her name. She didn't respond. She merely blinked while looking at him with an upward glance.
Arnold pulled Kalda's cheek.
"No reaction."
She didn't even show an expression of pain.
So this is what someone without a soul is like.
Arnold then used his free hand and grabbed one of her breasts.
"W-What are you doing!? Stop that!" Siana pulled Arnold's hand away from Kalda's breast.
"I was expecting a different reaction from her." Arnold said coolly, not minding Siana and Tanaera's glares.
"Nn?" Kalda suddenly put Arnold's hand, the one that she was holding onto, on her chest. She was imitating what Arnold did with his other hand.
"D-Don't do that, Kalda! A maiden should have more respect for herself!"
'Really now. Worried about the woman who tried to enslave you?'
Kalda glared at Siana when she tried to take Arnold's hand off her breast. Siana flinched.
Kalda proceeded to grab Arnold's other hand and place it on her other breast.
He was now rubbing both of her breasts.
"Ahn… Nh…"
Even breathing sounded loud in this heavy silence.
Arnold could feel many sets of eyes staring at the back of his head. No doubt it was every women present in this room.
"Ahem, can you stop now?"
As much as he enjoyed rubbing breasts, the awkward silence was even worse than a blade held to his neck.
Kalda listened and let go.
'Phew. That was dangerous.'
Siana pulled Arnold's arm to get him away from Kalda.
"Lord Arnold is taking advantage of someone who has the mind of an infant." said Caerwyn from behind him.
'Is she mad? I can't tell by her monotonous voice.'
Siana then pulled Arnold's ear from the side.
"You're still touching her, Lord Arnold."
"Hey! I'm still recovering so that hurts!"
His body might've been fully healed but he didn't have his strength back so even Siana pinching his ear felt painful.
"He takes advantage of unwilling women all the time. This isn't so different. Disgusting pig." Arnold could hear Tanaera muttering that followed by a spitting sound.
'…'
Why were the two of them so mad? He told them that he was just looking for a reaction. If a guy touches a woman inappropriately then the suitable response is to cry for help or kick the shit out of him.
Arnold was expecting the latter since Kalda can definitely do that.
"I thought you were better than this, Arnold." He could hear Siana's disappointed voice.
"You were already low in my eyes so this changes nothing."
'Stop it!!'
Why are they still mad!?
He heard Sceptim say something as well:
"I thought Lord Arnold was into men. Was I wrong to assume so?"
'Yes, you were! Where did you get that idea from!?'
Arnold looked at Rafaela—who he assumed would also comment something.
"…." Rafaela was blankly staring in a random direction. She wasn't even paying attention to what Arnold was doing.
Ladiath clapped his hands to get their attention.
"I have other matters to attend to so let me uphold my end of the deal. Step forward, Siana."
"Eh? Ah, yes, Your Excellency." Siana let go of Arnold's arm and approached Ladiath.
Siana stood in front of Ladiath.
"Will I be able to use my ice magic if I lose my soul power?" asked Siana, "It's magic that I gained after awakening the soul power."
"No, but you will lose your immortality for good as it's a product of your soul power."
"I see… But the ice surrounding my heart will be gone at least so I don't mind dying of old age," Siana looked at all her knights, "I've lived for long enough."
"Show me your back."
"Yes." Siana turned around. She held onto her hair while Ladiath was getting ready to remove her soul power.
Siana looked at Arnold.
The two held eye contact as Ladiath's magic circles pulled Siana's power out of her.
….
….
Nothing special happened to indicate that her powers were gone.
The world outside was still a frozen wasteland and the inside of the palace was still covered with ice.
Siana fixed her hair before asking:
"Is it… really over? I don't feel any different. I thought that there would be some pain at least." Siana held her hands in front of her chest, "But the cold… it's gone…"
"No pain is a good sign. It means that my magic was able to remove the blight on your heart. It's remarkable how you were able to live with it for so long.."
"Well… Some days I couldn't even breathe properly due to the pain in my chest. I wanted to die so many times," Siana looked at Sceptim before looking back at Ladiath, "If I didn't have them by my side then I would've broken long ago. Kalda wouldn't allow me to die. I would've ended up like… like her…"
Siana looked at Kalda who was blankly staring into empty space. The only indication that she was alive were her eyes blinking.
"If you want to use this woman to aid you in combat then do so after teaching her how to control her soul power. It's back to its infant stage. When it grows it will become a great asset to have in battle."
"Thank you, Your Excellency." Siana bowed gracefully.
"I only held up my end of the deal so no thanks is necessary. I will put your and Kalda's soul powers to good use." Ladiath turned his head to Arnold as he said that, "I must be on my way then. This was a very pleasant meeting."
Arnold could feel him smirking at him.
"Ah!" Siana blurted out.
"Hm?" Ladiath, hearing that, looked at her again.
"I-If it's not too much to ask… Could Your Excellency… revive Fridulf?"
"A request even after I've done so much for you mortals."
"I'll understand if Your Excellency will not—"
"Forget it. Think of it as another debt paid," he glanced at Arnold as he said that then back at Siana again, "Did you bury it yet?"
"Not yet…"
Ladiath turned his head to look at Tanaera.
"You're a dark arts practitioner so I think you should be the one to do it."
"My magic isn't even strong enough to revive a person completely," Tanaera responded immediately after.
"That's because you do not possess the right spells for it. Here." A book appeared in Ladiath's hand out of thin air.
It floated over to Tanaera.
"I cannot revive something as I am not capable of using dark arts. You, however, should find it easy once you master the necromancy spells in that book. It's of the highest quality that you will not find in any of the realm academies out there. I believe Fridulf is a divine beast? Its name sounds similar to the beast that swallowed moons and stars during its rampage many eons ago. There won't be any difficulties reviving it even if it's not a mortal."
Siana looked at Tanaera.
"I'm sorry for relying on you for this…"
"It's fine. I can gain more experience with handling necromancy this way. I cam revive your knights as well if you want."
Sceptim was the one who answered Tanaera this time.
"While we appreciate your offering such a thing, that is something we cannot do, Miss Tanaera. Those knights died protecting their queen. Bringing them back from the dead will only stain their devotion."
No warrior wants to be revived after serving their purpose.
"Is that so… I understand." Tanaera put the book away.
A giant magic circle appeared under Ladiath.
"It seems nothing is keeping me from leaving this time, hm? I shall depart then."
"Thank you for saving Her Majesty!" the knights shouted in unison.
Ladiath bowed with his head before shouting:
"[Interdimensional Teleportation]"
He vanished immediately after.
◇◇◇
The knights left the room after Siana gave them the order to go rest. They wouldn't leave her side unless she orders them to.
They deserve the rest after what they went through for Siana's sake.
Caerwyn took Kalda to another room to put some clothes on her. She couldn't just walk around naked, after all.
Sceptim, Tanaera and Rafaela also disappeared in the crowd.
Arnold and Siana were walking side by side down a hallway.
Arnold had already finished writing the letter that they'll have to give to Lunaria once they arrive in Whitage city.
Regarding the placement of Siana's private army: Lunaria will have to handle the placement on her own. It's better to organize the troops early instead of waiting for the 500 knights that Vetis promised.
Soldiers will be hired from nearby territories since the city has little to no capable fighters who can carry out dangerous tasks in the western regions of the empire. Their objectives won't be to protect the citizens alone, but also to monitor any suspicious activities in the mountainy areas since the crystals are more commonly found there.
Arnold doesn't want his minerals being mined illegally by bandits or even his own people.
If push comes to shove then he'll have to threaten them with execution since they'll be harming the city and its citizens by stealing the one thing that will make their land wealthy. If he allows them to roam freely even after selling his crystals then people will think that Arnold is a gullible idiot, which contrasts the rumours surrounding him.
This, in turn, will motivate more people to mine his minerals which he can't let happen.
Arnold included all his worries in the letter(which were quite a lot).
He also wrote something personal using the Magic Pen that Ladiath gave him. It will only appear to Lunaria, unlike the other content in the letter.
· Track down Denise Redfoar.
"Here." Arnold handed the World Ring to Siana after he finished telling it where to go.
While the one in their possession is just a fragment of the whole artifact, the World Ring has its own will. That will was split into four different wills. They're almost like living artifacts. You could call them quintuplets.
Just like the artifact that will take Arthur and his classmates back to their world, the World Ring can store coordinates to go to specific locations.
This feature of the artifact is useful when a player tells their friend to go to a specific location but that friend has no clue where that location actually is. The World Rings allow you to encode coordinates without the need to give detailed directions.
Siana looked at the artifact in puzzlement:
"There's some kind of rune inscription on the surface of the artifact."
"Yeah, it's the coordinates that leads to my world. The artifact can take you anywhere as long as its within our realm. Unlike teleportation magic items, the artifact won't remember places that you've visited before so you'll have to add coordinates yourself every time."
That's the only downside to this artifact. It can take you anywhere you want to go but won't read your mind and just go "Oh, you want to go there? No problem".
Siana put the artifact away.
"What will you do with Kalda now that she's alive?"
"…I haven't thought that far ahead. I didn't even expect her to live."
Life Phase bosses are extremely rare early on in the game. They don't show up for low level players because they're designed for mid level cap players. While rare, that doesn't mean that they don't spawn at all. Players who dig deep enough will eventually encounter these bosses.
Even players have no idea they're going to fight a boss with two or more lives until the boss' health bar appears.
The reason Arnold couldn't see Kalda's health bar is because the system is exclusively Lufulur's so it won't give complete access to just anyone. Why didn't he think of that before?
It's not like he can just go around asking people if they can see their status bars while wishing that one of those people happen to be players. He'd expose himself and reveal that everyone is just an NPC from some game.
"I know Kalda's still strong but other people will take advantage of her. You heard what Ladiath said. People can throw her around in circle orgies as they please and they can use her to fight their battles because of her strength. Her soul power might not be as much of a threat as before since most of its power was stripped away along with her soul, but someone will try and use that power for nefarious reasons. It's possible that someone will even be able to help her get back her former strength which will create a lot of chaos."
"You know," Arnold put a finger on his chin with a serious expression on his face, "I can always take her along with me through the dungeon. I might find a suitable home for her—"
"No."
"…Alright. It was just a suggestion," he cleared his throat, "Maybe you should make her your knight? Even children can follow instructions as long as you lead them the right way. Kalda shouldn't be too hard to train. You saw what she did when I touched her, right? She mimicked my action. If she sees knights fighting bad guys then she can mimic that as well which will make her a great ally for your knights."
'Thank goodness she didn't slap me back, though.'
"Yes, but how will she differentiate friend from foe if everyone wears armour? There's a reason why we fly flags when in field battles or the like. Things will get out of hand if a third party tries to assist us in battle but Kalda attacks them. I don't know how many people in your world are on her level but I'd rather not have her kill her allies or any potential allies willing to assist us."
"Then you should just keep her by your side. At least until we find some other use for her. Didn't the two of you used to be lovers? Just continue that charade in public. If nobles ask about her—how do I put it—strange condition, just say that she had a brain injury recently which left her mute and unresponsive to certain stimuli. I don't have to tell you that you should always keep an eye on her, right?"
"A single woman with a vegetable wife—doesn't that sound rather sad? I may never get a husband at this rate or adopt children. Orphanages will mark her a danger to youths. Think about what she'll do if a child upsets her. She has no morals left, nor a will of her own. All she'll do is act on instinct depending on what she saw other people do in the same situation."
"Hmm…"
Imagine if Kalda saw a mother hitting her child for breaking something in their house? Kalda will imitate that action.
Now imagine an demigod-level Golden Slime hitting a normal human child.
"I have an idea." said Arnold, "It's a temporary solution but I'm sure Kalda will learn a lot from it."
"Do tell."
"What if I make her a member of my adventuring party? Adventurers exist for the sole purpose of helping the people against monsters and other threats. Their purpose is to protect humanity. Kalda will be able to learn how the world works that way."
It's certainly possible for a soulless individual to develop human emotion and common sense. It's also possible for a new soul to grow.
People who have ended up losing their souls were either involved in cultist activities or they were exorcised by a priest. Exorcism not only removes a demonic entity from your body, it also takes pieces of your soul with you or even the entire soul.
These people go on to develop different personalities after a period of time. While they are very different from their previous selves, they end up becoming normal again after many years.
Having Kalda as a potential combatant in battle will benefit the city a lot.
Siana came to a stop. She leaned on the nearby open window.
Arnold waited.
She muttered to herself a few times.
After what felt like several minutes she began walking again.
She looked at Arnold.
"I think what you said is the best course of action. I considered all possible options I could think of and find this one to be the best option. Kalda will be a danger to many people if she doesn't receive guidance and isn't monitored by others. Adventurers are rarely engaged in bad things. In fact, I've only heard good things about adventurers from others. Am I correct to assume it's no different in your world?"
"There are some bad ones but I won't let Kalda be influenced by them."
High class adventurers have no reason to be involved in sketchy business since they make enough money off quests to live comfortable lives.
Back to the topic at hand, Elora can be Kalda's guardian since Arnold trusts her the most. She is probably the only person he can trust with this. She resembles Siana in some ways.
"I'll have to keep her by my side until you return then?"
"Yeah. Just don't let her wander the city. I don't know how different everything is right now but there are some sketchy things going on in those streets."
It's impossible to get rid of the bad apples after just a few months. Lunaria must have a lot on her hands. Arnold just keeps adding more to the pile.
He apologized to her in his head and promised himself to give her a raise and paid vacation.
"Arnold, I have been wondering this for a while now but are you married yet?" Siana asked after the two of them passed a corner.
"It's complicated."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Well—"
Arnold gave her the short version of it.
"So, you're allied with a Vampire Lord's nation who is also the one supplying you with military power? Not just that but you're disowned as well. And if you accept the Penston name then it means that you're not independent from the empire since that House is connected to the throne and your alliance will cause chaos among the nobles?"
"…Yeah. A lot of people hate Selia. They'll put pressure on my father to give the land to the Imperial Court which gives the court the right to my minerals. I want to meet up with Selia in the future to discuss what we should do."
In their eyes, Marcus still owns the land even if it was signed in Arnold's name. While the Berkley House is very powerful, they can do little if the entire aristocracy gets involved in the mess.
Documents will be forged, falsified cases will be opened, people will be killed—they'll do anything to destroy Arnold for siding with Selia, even if that means destroying a ducal household in the process.
"Just declare independency as a city. You can grow your city into a kingdom and decide whether or not you want to bow down to the imperial crown."
"If only it was that easy. Ignoring the amount of land that I'll have to purchase and the networks I'll have to set up, I can only do that without worrying about the repercussions if Julius takes the crown. The two of us are on good terms. No, it's more like he trusts all the Berkleys and sees us as family. The same can't be said for his bitch of a sister. She'll jump on the train of bringing the Berkley House down along with me."
Bringing him down is putting it lightly. She'll halt all supply runs to and from his city, increase taxes for anything he or his citizens purchases from the empire or any of its affiliated kingdoms, plant spies in his noble circle to gain information to use against him…
The list goes on.
Siana smiled wryly, "So, you weren't jesting when you said that there is conflict in your world."
"It's exhausting. I'll be in the middle of all the chaos if Ronia gets chosen. Unless…"
"Unless?"
"I could always do something about her early on…"
"…You want to have her killed?" Siana looked at Arnold with narrowed eyes.
"No. That's not even an option since she's really good at hiding even in public."
He wanted to elaborate on those two key words but decided not to since Siana doesn't know Ronia.
"How will you make her silent then?"
"I could always threaten her with a secret that only I and a select few know."
'I should've done this sooner. There are some risks involved but it will at least remove that bitch as a potential heir to the throne. I might even be able to make her an asset in my plans.'
He'll still need to be cautious, though. It's not smart to just go have tea with her and reveal her deepest, darkest secret in confidence.
The "select few" who know her secret as well will be a major obstacle for him.
"Why did you want to know if I have a wife, anyway?"
"Uhm, no reason." Siana averted her eyes with a blush, "Anyway, you should go have some rest. You've been working very hard lately."
"Yeah. I won't be leaving my room for a few days at least."
While he wanted to hit the road again, he knows his limits. The 80 to 90 floors are very dangerous. Well, dangerous is sugarcoating it since he can find himself fighting divine beasts and demigod beings on a regular basis.
Of course, with Rafaela in tow, that might not be that big of a concern since her master marked safe paths for them to follow. They've avoided most conflicts that way.
'Let's hope I don't end up using all those weapons I took.'
"We will get ready to depart while you rest. Is there anywhere you'd like to be dropped off?"
"No, Rafaela and I will continue our journey using the portals."
"I see. May I ask you something?"
Siana stopped.
"Sure."
"Would you like to visit my residence—assuming I have one by then—for dinner once you arrive in the city? There is a lot I'd like to talk about."
"It might take a while for me to go to the city."
"It doesn't matter. I will wait for you."
"…I need to go to the empire to review my levels at the academy. It's mandatory for every student in every new school year."
"I will wait."
"…."
'She's not going to let this go, is she?'
It could take months for him to have free time again. He wants to focus on his studies now and the School Arc as a whole. Things are going to get interesting in Luke and Lauran's second year. He wants to be there for it.
"Hmm… Alright, I'll go to the city first after I leave the dungeon. But I won't stay long. I'll be there for a few days at least."
He needs to check on some things anyway so he wasn't just going there for Siana.
Siana smiled.
"I see."
"….."
Siana walked ahead of him but turned around as if she forgot something.
"Don't forget to say goodbye before you leave, okay?"
"…Yeah."
She smiled again before leaving his side with a skip in her step.
Arnold watched her back as her beautiful long white hair danced as she walked.
Seeing her smile like that when she was wishing for death just yesterday made him think:
'Saving someone's life doesn't feel that bad.'
Her smile was worth it.