Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 817: Loan [2]

“Achoo.”

I stopped near the doorway and rubbed beneath my nose.

Three heads turned towards me.

Adrian sat at the table with a report in front of him, while Marcus and Vera occupied the seats beside him. None of them looked particularly pleased to see me.

Especially Adrian.

His eyes followed me as I pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Morning.”

Nobody answered.

“…..”

Well, I tried.

I placed my temporary card on the table and looked towards the empty seat farther down. There were still a few things on the desk behind it, although nobody seemed interested in touching them.

My gaze returned to Adrian.

He opened his mouth.

At the same time, the door opened behind me.

Everyone straightened.

I turned to find Liora stepping inside, a tablet held loosely in one hand. Her attention moved around the room before briefly settling on me.

Then she closed the door.

“I’ve gone through the reports.”

She approached the table and placed the tablet down.

Adrian sat a little straighter.

“Then you understand why I requested—”

“We’ll get to that.”

His mouth closed.

I leaned back slightly.

Liora brought up the map of the Pool, along with several images from before the lights went out.

“The operation was planned around a Ranked Gate. That changed shortly after you entered.”

“Yes.”

“The cause is still being investigated. For now, we’re reviewing how the team responded.”

She looked towards Marcus.

“The reinforcement at the entrance gave you enough time to move the equipment. That was good.”

He nodded without saying anything.

“Locating the civilians quickly also helped. The rescue teams were able to use the position you sent.”

Vera lowered her gaze briefly.

Liora moved to the next page.

“However, the conditions you planned for were no longer there. The water was rising faster, visibility was gone, and you didn’t know what else changed.”

“There were seven people inside.”

Adrian said, trying to make his case.

“We couldn’t just leave them.”

“I’m not questioning why you tried to reach them.”

Her finger stopped against the tablet.

“I’m asking whether everyone understood what they were supposed to do once the original plan stopped working.”

Adrian glanced towards me.

“Everyone received clear instructions. Crow chose to ignore his.”

Ah.

There it was.

“He was told to remain at the staging area. Instead, he followed us and became another person we needed to watch. I’ve already explained this in my statement.”

Liora let him finish before looking down at the report.

“Tessa was taken before he reached the gallery.”

Adrian’s expression tightened.

“Yes, but—”

“And Vera went after her before he arrived.”

“Yes.”

“Then why does your statement suggest that he was responsible for what happened to Tessa?”

The room went quiet.

I watched Adrian’s fingers press against the edge of the report.

“He distracted us while we were trying to recover her.”

“That’s something we can examine. It isn’t the same as saying he caused her death.”

Marcus moved beside him, but didn’t speak.

Liora looked back towards Adrian.

“The Gate increased in rank. That wasn’t part of your preparation, and we don’t yet know why it happened. Don’t fill in what we don’t know by blaming the person you like the least. You’re one of the elites that our Guild has spent a lot of resources trying to grow. Don’t shrink your responsibilities onto someone else. That’s pathetic.”

“…..”

I pressed my lips together.

‘Go, go!’

Let him have it!

This was becoming quite a good meeting.

Adrian took a breath before speaking again.

“With respect, you weren’t there. He wasn’t cooperating. He was dead weight.”

“Then it was your responsibility to account for that.”

His expression stopped.

“You’re the Team Leader. If you decide someone cannot contribute, you still need to make sure they don’t become another person who needs rescuing. In this case, they weren’t.”

“He was supposed to stay at the entrance.”

“With whom?”

Adrian didn’t answer immediately.

Liora waited as he eventually tried to make another excuse.

“The scout came with us. We needed the extra equipment.”

“So Crow was alone.”

“He was somewhere safe.”

“Somewhere that was flooding.”

Her answer came calmly.

“What was he supposed to do if the water reached the equipment?”

“Move it higher.”

“And when there was nowhere higher to move it?”

“…..”

I looked down at the table.

My fingers tapped lightly against my knee.

A small round of applause.

Clap! Clap!

Liora continued before Adrian could answer.

“You considered him incapable of helping, then left him alone in a place that was becoming unsafe. Not only that, but the main reason why he even came was that he realized you couldn’t handle the situation.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened.

“You went back for Marcus and Vera, and you brought them out, and nobody is dismissing that.”

Her gaze moved between the three of them before returning to him.

“But you can acknowledge what went wrong without looking for a scapegoat.”

I nodded to myself.

Exactly.

A very reasonable thing to say.

I was starting to think that perhaps I judged her too quickly.

“Crow.”

My head lifted.

Liora was looking at me now.

“…Yes?”

“You shouldn’t have acted on your own.”

“…..”

Ah.

“When you left the staging area, you didn’t inform anyone. Then, after reaching the gallery, you swam away again.”

I glanced towards the tablet.

The scout was quite thorough with his report, apparently.

“It is true that your appearance created some confusion with the team. Especially since you were asked by them to stay put.”

“Well…”

“It’s good that you made it back. That doesn’t make it acceptable.”

I closed my mouth.

“You don’t need to agree with every decision, but your lack of communication was the problem.”

‘Tsk.’

I looked away.

I hated the fact that I couldn’t argue against her.

“Understood.”

Liora watched me for another moment before picking up her tablet.

“Anyways, that’s all from me today. You won’t be assigned to another Gate for the time being. Take some time to rest.”

Adrian started to relax.

“And Crow will remain with the team.”

His expression stiffened again.

“Lady Halecrest—”

“The decision stands.”

She looked straight at him.

“Your team started with four members. There are four of you now. Your support requirements will be reviewed before another assignment, but in the meantime, it’s your job to make sure the team remains functional.”

“…..”

“Don’t let the same situation repeat itself.”

She left shortly afterwards.

For a moment, nobody moved.

I looked towards Adrian, wondering whether I should say something. Perhaps a few encouraging words to help everyone get along.

Before I could decide, his chair scraped against the floor.

He opened his mouth, looked at me, then clenched his teeth.

The report disappeared beneath his arm as he turned towards the door.

Marcus followed him.

Vera remained seated for a little longer, gathering her things before standing as well. Her gaze briefly stopped on me, but she left without saying anything.

The door closed.

“…..”

I looked around the empty room.

Then I tapped a finger against the table and shrugged.

“…I guess that went well.”

“No, it didn’t.”

My hand stopped.

I turned.

Liora stood near the doorway, looking at me.

“…..”

When did she get back?

I looked towards the door, then at her again.

I was quite certain I watched her leave.

“You don’t need to look so surprised.”

“It’s a little difficult not to.”

She approached the table.

I sat up slightly, wondering whether there was another part of the report she wanted to discuss.

“I understand that you weren’t responsible for everything that happened, and I know they haven’t made much effort to include you, but I still need you to try to cooperate with them.”

I looked towards the empty chairs.

That was easier said than done.

“Cooperation goes both ways, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, but you’re also not just any regular person, are you?”

“….”

“They lost a teammate. Don’t make things harder simply because you find their reactions amusing.”

My fingers stopped tapping.

How did she know?

For a moment, I looked at her without answering.

Then I leaned back.

“Well, I’ll try.”

She studied my face before nodding.

“That’s good.”

I watched her turn towards the door.

Then something occurred to me.

“Oh, by the way.”

Liora stopped.

“Can I borrow money from you guys?”

“…Hmm?”

She turned back.

“I heard the Guild lends money to its members.”

“Money?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

Finally, something productive.

“I know I’m only here temporarily, but I need quite a lot. I was wondering whether I could bor—”

My nose twitched.

I stopped speaking.

Then I quickly pinched it, holding my breath as the familiar itch spread.

‘Not now.’

Liora remained where she was.

I kept my fingers in place for another moment before slowly letting out a breath.

The sneeze didn’t come.

Good.

I lowered my hand and looked back up, ready to continue.

“…..”

Liora was staring at me.

But the look on her face was a little strange.