Bella's Concern

Flora found Ellen’s recent behavior utterly bizarre.

Ellen had never been anywhere near ordinary, but lately, her symptoms had grown noticeably worse.

Even while calmly talking with Max, she sometimes creaked like a broken machine, and the frequency of her incomprehensible impulsive acts had increased sharply.

Looking back on when those strange changes in Ellen had begun, wasn’t the Wasteland assignment the turning point?

‘No doubt.’

The conversation between Max and Ellen that Flora had secretly overheard at the Salami Motel in the Wasteland was proof enough. As far as Flora could tell, Ellen had liked Max from the very beginning.

Of course, it probably hadn’t been enough to develop into romantic feelings yet. Even saying that she was drawn to him would have been inaccurate.

‘The battle in Junktown probably filled that gap and drove the final nail in···.’

Flora could understand that, too.

In an age when morality had been buried, someone with devotion and a sense of duty would naturally shine with unmistakable clarity...