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The opposite side of the cliff had big mounds of dirt to prevent excessive impact in the event of a crash like this, but it also served to greatly obscure everyone's vision, preventing them from being able to see exactly what had happened.
Emilia's expression didn't look panicked at all as she rushed straight into the cloud of dust and dirt, but only Cynthia could tell just how much the incident had affected her.
The turmoil in Emilia's heart at the moment was so great that the raven haired girl didn't dare to speak at all. She only hoped that the ever annoying perverted sis-con was fine, or things might take a turn for the worse.
Meanwhile, the other participants rushed to brake after seeing the accident. Although it was rare to encounter such a thing during a race at the Bucherer's, but whenever it did happen, the event would always be considered canceled, and all bets would be refunded.
There was no point in rushing to the finish line and looking like an inconsiderate asshole, regardless of who got injured, so the other racers also got off their vehicles one by one to check on the situation.
"Sam!"
Emilia didn't even breathe a sigh of relief when she saw the feminine figure cough and struggle to stand up from the pile of dirt she had crashed into, her bike lying almost a dozen meters away. There was also a boy not far from her, though his situation looked a little worse than Sam's, he also seemed relatively fine. From what Emilia could tell, all his limbs were attached, and he was still breathing.
Rushing to her position, Emilia quickly helped her unlatch the helmet as she took stock of the older girl's situation. Samantha's clothing was torn in a few places, but the injuries only seemed to be surface wounds. Of course, that alone wasn't enough to make her feel completely relieved. "Are you okay?!"
Samantha coughed, feeling like she had eaten a mouthful of dirt even through the helmet. "I-I'm fine, baby, just a few bruises. Don't panic, check the boy first. He kinda saved me."
Emilia nodded, her heart finally settling down a little once she felt that Samantha wasn't hurt. Turning to 'the boy' who had already been helped up by the medics and staff as they checked on his injuries, she finally realized why the name Theo seemed a little familiar earlier. Wasn't this that sis-con guy from the party?
Meanwhile, Samantha was obviously a little embarrassed by the incident. Truth be told, she had just been about to speed up in a last-ditch attempt to snatch back the first position when she suddenly lost control of her bike.
As for how that happened... she had no idea. Maybe something slipped, or maybe it was just her inexperience. She really couldn't tell.
Samantha had tried her best to balance herself and minimize the impact, and the boy next to her had also substantially helped her, though it ended up with the both of them crashing.
If he had avoided her or even tried to push her away, the situation might have been far worse.
Although the older girl usually appeared uncaring, she firmly believed that this kind of selfless act deserved recognition, so she calmly dictated the whole thing to both her sister and the surrounding crowd.
Of course, when people confirmed that no one had died or had been grievously injured, the atmosphere turned much lighter as they started showering 'praise' on the newly acknowledged hero.
"Whoa, Theo's a real man, huh?"
"I always thought you were kind of a creep, dude, but I guess you were a hero in disguise!"
Theo's face turned between pale and red from both anger and embarrassment. Were these people complimenting him, or making fun of him?!
Even Emilia knelt next to him to check with the medics about his condition, and Theo couldn't help but be feel a little embarrassed under the beautiful girl's close scrutiny. The teasing from the audience didn't help either.
Emilia obviously cared more about his physical condition, though. "How bad is it?"
The man on duty frowned. "Aside from the bruises, there might be a fracture, but only a hairline one. I don't think there should be any complication. We should still get him to the hospital for a complete checkup, though."
Noelle had obviously not completely left them alone at the venue, and had been monitoring the situation from afar. The moment something went wrong, she had rushed to them in a panic.
Needless to say, most of these staff were people from the White Deer Corporation, so they would listen to Emilia's instructions first and foremost.
The redhead sighed in relief. "Alright. Theo, right? I sincerely thank you for helping my sister. I don't know what I would have done if she got hurt."
The boy coughed in embarrassment as he looked away. "W-Well, I won't lie, I dare not let the heiress of the White Deer Corporation get injured right next to me. Ahaha…"
Emilia chuckled. "Still, I'll let them take you to the hospital for a checkup for now, and will visit you later, okay?"
Theo hurriedly waved his hands as he saw the regretful and furious expression on Sam's face. She was clearly rethinking how wise it was to bring his heroic deeds to light. "N-No need, it's fine!"
Wouldn't it be hilarious if the older girl started framing him after changing her mind? It was better to get out of here fast!
Emilia didn't really have the time to care about his thoughts as she saw him off with a smile, her expression turning colder as she turned to the nervous looking gray-haired girl by her side. "Noelle."
For once, Noelle didn't look calm at all as she fidgeted on her feet. There had been very few times that she felt like she had messed up, but she really had no way of predicting today's situation at all. "Y-Young miss, we have—"
Emilia shook her head to interrupt her as she held her older sister's hand. "I don't care what preparations you have to take care of her injuries, I'll handle that myself."
Noelle nodded nervously as she led the two of them to the vehicle she had already prepared in advance, and neither of the two entertained any of Sam's protests.
The older girl couldn't help but whine. "I'm really fine! You're overreacting... Let's continue our date, please?"
Emilia gently pushed her into the backseat of the luxury car before kissing her on the cheek. "Be quiet, sister. I'll be with you in a moment."
Brooking no further protest, she closed the door, instantly silencing Sam's protests as she turned to Noelle with a grim look on her face.
The gray-haired woman gulped. "Y-Young miss?"
"Find out who did it."
Noelle blinked in surprise. "Y-You mean this wasn't an accident?"
Her shock wasn't unjustified, since she had obviously checked the security at the venue quite thoroughly after Emilia had decided on the location where she would be taking Sam on the date.
Moreover, this was a place where Sam often came to race, and nothing had ever happened so far. Bucherer's was considered a pretty secure location on its own, disregarding the inherent dangers of the activity.
Emilia nodded. "I want to you to look thoroughly. I definitely saw something."
Of course, Noelle didn't dare to overlook anything or disregard Emilia's instructions at this point, and nodded seriously. "Don't worry, as long as there is even a hair of someone that shouldn't be here, I'll find out within a day."
Emilia smiled, though it contained not a single hint of warmth. "Good, let me see who dared to try laying their hands on my precious sister."
At this time, the so-called 'McQueen' had also arrived at their location, looking incredibly embarrassed from her posture even though she decided to keep her helmet on.
Emilia gave her a strange look, wondering what she wanted.
The strange woman coughed. "W-Well, I came to apologize. I was a little overexcited during the race, you know. I might have... made everyone panic a little."
Thinking about it now, Mrs. Macmillan couldn't help but regret it all in her heart. In the end, what would she have lost even if she didn't get the first place? At worst, she would go home empty-handed. She would still have all her savings, and she would still be getting her regular salary.
The only thing she would lose would be the winnings from earlier. But if something had happened to her student because of her rash actions today, would she still be able to live with it?
Not at all, she would have to bear that guilt for the rest of her life.
Emilia's furrowed brows loosened a little upon hearing her apology, and looking at the embarrassed Allison behind, she guessed the other woman felt about the same. "There is no need for you to apologize. What happened... wasn't your fault."
Truthfully, she had been somewhat angry with 'McQueen', but blaming her for something she didn't do wasn't Emilia's style. The reason for Sam's accident was still unclear, and she would rather find the real culprit than punish someone unrelated, just to feel relieved.
Allison blinked as she gave the younger girl an appreciative look. She had thought Macmillan's student was quite a petulant child, and did things on a whim. A typical rich girl, so to speak, only prettier and richer than most. But clearly, this girl was far more open-minded than Allison had given her credit for.
Thinking of all her goading and taunting from the before, the dark haired woman couldn't help but feel embarrassed.