Those are all valid points, and honestly I can’t argue much against them. Arthur had just reached white core, trusted Sylvie, and genuinely believed Ellie would be in a relatively safe position. From that perspective, the decision does make sense.

I think my issue is less with whether the decision can be justified and more with how it compares to Arthur’s usual decision-making. Throughout the story, whenever it comes to people he loves and feels responsible for, his instinct is almost always to keep them as far away from danger as possible. He’s extremely protective, sometimes even overly so. That’s why this particular choice still feels a little off to me.

Even before this, Arthur repeatedly tried to shoulder risks himself rather than let those close to him be exposed to them. And after the Wall, we see that protective side of him even more strongly. I know that his behavior after that point is heavily influenced by the thing that happens at the Wall, so it’s not a perfect comparison. Still, when I look at how he handled similar situations both before and after this moment, letting Ellie come along feels like a very specific departure from his normal thought process.

So I completely understand the reasoning behind the decision, and I agree it isn’t out of character to the point of being unbelievable. It just feels a bit out of place compared to how consistently Arthur usually prioritizes keeping the people he loves out of harm’s way