Eyes of destiny-Chapter 29: Decision

"Wake up, Edo!" – he heard a familiar voice. Something about it didn't sit right with him. He couldn't tell why, but somehow, instinctively, he knew what was coming. He quickly rolled to the side, leaping off the bed, just as Leni landed in the spot where he had been lying moments ago, her elbow aimed right where his stomach would have been. Had he not dodged, it would have ended painfully.

Edo, who had barely managed to get up from the floor, started shouting:

"Hey, what was that?! Are you trying to kill me, woman?!"

"Oh... I missed," Leni sighed, putting on a disappointed face. "Next time, I'll get it right."

"Hey, don't even think about it! There's not going to be a next time! That's the last time you pull a stunt like that!" Edo barked, visibly irritated.

"Ugh, if I didn't know about that weird habit of hers from her memories, I'd probably have a massive bruise right now," he thought.

"Edo... How are you feeling?" Leni asked softly, lowering her gaze.

"How am I feeling?! You just tried to tackle me, and now you're asking?! What even—"

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw her expression. The sadness radiating from her face made him lose the will to finish his complaint.

"Edo... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry... If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened. I was too careless... I failed as a court mage, I failed in battle, and I caused all of this. It's my fault... I shouldn't have taken you on such a dangerous mission. Even though I failed, you still saved me. I owe you my life, Edo... Will you ever forgive me?"

Edo looked at her in disbelief. He had never seen her like this before. Always cheerful and a bit chaotic, the mage now seemed completely broken. She sat on the bed with her head down. Her beautiful, long black hair fell over her shoulders, and her white court mage robe spilled out across the bedding. The usually radiant girl now seemed like a shadow of herself.

"Leni..." Edo said quietly.

The girl looked up at him with sad eyes.

"Don't worry so much. That kind of frown doesn't suit your beautiful face," Edo said with a faint smile.

Leni stared at him in disbelief.

"What...? Edo, this isn't the time for jokes. This is my fault... I should face the consequences. I should have tried harder. Because of me, you lost your arm, and because of me, you nearly died..." Her voice started to tremble, and tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"Leni!" Edo interrupted her firmly.

The startled girl fell silent and looked at him expectantly.

"This wasn't your fault," Edo said calmly. "You gave it your all."

Leni opened her mouth to protest, but Edo raised his hand, signaling her to let him finish.

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"I'm the one who screwed up. I went with you even though I wasn't ready. I'm no powerhouse or hero. It's my fault we almost died."

"Edo, that's not—"

"That's what I thought yesterday," Edo cut her off. "Just like you, I blamed myself for everything. But you know what? The truth is, we can never predict how things will turn out. Maybe if I hadn't gone with you, you would've died. Or maybe nothing would've happened at all. Maybe if you hadn't saved me back in that bar, I wouldn't even be alive right now. We'll never know."

Leni stared at him with wide eyes, speechless.

"What I'm trying to say is that fate is unpredictable. We should be grateful for what we have. We're alive and well... well, mostly," he added, glancing at the place where his right arm used to be. "Though I'm hoping that Adam guy will patch me up quickly." He finished with a wide grin.

Leni stared at Edo with her mouth wide open, clearly shocked and at a loss for words.

"Is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?" the boy asked, growing increasingly self-conscious. "Yeah, I know, I'm not much of a looker, but you don't have to—" He didn't get a chance to finish as Leni suddenly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly with all her strength.

"Thank you..." she whispered softly, but the tender words were unmistakably clear to Edo. She pressed her warm body against his, though that wasn't what he was worried about right now... She was hugging him so tightly that he started to feel like he was running out of air.

A slightly flushed Edo realized the situation was getting out of hand.

"Leni... you're... suffocating me..." he managed to choke out faintly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the embarrassed mage jumped back, letting go of him.

Edo slumped to the floor, immediately gasping for air.

"I just got up, and you've already almost killed me twice..." he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Leni looked at him, a soft, warm smile appearing on her face.

"You're just like them."

"What did you say?" Edo asked, confused, raising an eyebrow.

Leni seemed flustered, quickly shaking her head.

"N-no, nothing... It's nothing important," she replied, slightly embarrassed.

Under normal circumstances, Edo wouldn't have had any idea what she was talking about, but he knew her memories and understood what she meant.

"So, I remind her of her older brothers..." he thought, a faint smile spreading across his face. "Saron—pushy, confident, and brave—and Aron—goofy and lazy. Huh, there's some truth to that."

Lost in thought, Edo slowly got up from the floor. However, questions still swirled in his mind, refusing to let him rest. Why hadn't he taken on his spiritual form yet, as he usually did while sleeping? And then there was the matter of joining Nolan's squad—that was a conversation he could no longer put off, especially with Leni.

His musings were interrupted by the sudden opening of the door. Emil, the shopkeeper, entered the room with his characteristic playful smile.

"Well, well, I see you're up. How are you feeling?" he asked with amusement.

"Honestly, fine..." Edo replied, a bit awkwardly. "Not sure what else to say."

"I see. So, I guess you'll be heading to the castle soon to deal with your arm, right?" Emil asked, glancing at Leni.

"Yes! I just woke him up. Let's go, Edo, we don't have time to waste! It's already nine, and Adam might have a lot of work, so we need to hurry!" Leni said energetically, grabbing Edo by the hand.

However, Edo quickly pulled his hand free, raising it in protest.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up! Are you kidding me?! You expect me to show up at the castle like this for the first time?! First impressions matter! And look at me—I'm dirty, wearing the same clothes as yesterday, and I stink. And there, for crying out loud, will be the elite of the country! How do you even imagine this?! No way! Absolutely no way. I need to freshen up, wash up, and change clothes!" Edo declared firmly, clearly offended.

"Edo, come on!" Leni tried to convince him. "Nobody there cares about stuff like that. Everyone wears the same court robes. Oh, please, Edo!" she begged, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"No, no, and no!" Edo said resolutely, crossing his arms over his chest. "Emil, do you have any spare clothes I can borrow?"

"A hundred gold coins," the shopkeeper replied without hesitation.

"Ugh, you damn scammer!" Edo growled, rolling his eyes. "Fine, I'll wear the same clothes as yesterday, but at least let me wash up, you dirty people!"

"I never said you couldn't wash up..." Emil responded, slightly perplexed.

"Doesn't matter! You're just a dirty scammer!" Edo shot back, pointing at him accusingly before quickly grabbing his jacket and heading toward the bathroom.

Emil sighed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

***

"Are you ready, Edo?" Leni asked with clear impatience, watching Edo step out of the bathroom.

"Hey... it literally took me six minutes. Why are you talking to me like that?" Edo replied loudly, irritated, as he fixed his hair and wiped water droplets from his face.

"Alright, since you're ready, let's go. Come on, I've got your arm in this bag," Leni said, pointing to a leather bag with a satisfied smile before heading toward the exit, weaving her way through the rows of store shelves.

Edo sighed heavily, leaning against the doorframe.

"I don't know whether to be scared or amused that she's the one holding my arm..." he muttered under his breath as he slowly followed her.

As he crossed the threshold of the room, he found himself in the narrow aisles of a shop packed with goods. The room he had been in was directly connected to the store. Leni was already outside.

"I see my favorite customer is impatient again and doesn't wait for her savior!" a cheerful man in a yellow sweater called out from behind the counter. It was Emil.

"Shut it, smart guy. I appreciate the rescue, but that doesn't excuse your little scams. I have an important question for you... Have you seen our horse? The one we rented from... uh... what was his name again..." Edo frowned, trying to recall.

"Bob?" Emil asked.

"Yeah, that's it. I've never been good at remembering the names of side characters. We borrowed a horse from him, and it ran off when a monster attacked us. Have you seen it?"

"Don't worry about it. The horse made it back to Bob. When I was on my way to pick you up, I found the poor, frightened thing and returned it to its owner. Also, you really should start remembering people's names," Emil replied.

Edo frowned, looking slightly embarrassed.

He made his way toward the exit, but just as he was about to leave the shop, Emil called out again.

"When the king returns with reinforcements, watch out for the First Court Mage. He's also capable of detecting energy in the surroundings, so you'll be a target. That's all."

A cold chill ran down Edo's spine, but he took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Thanks for the heads-up..." he muttered over his shoulder, leaving the shop.

***

"Are you sure they'll let me in dressed like this? I look like some random townsperson, and I wasn't exactly blessed with good looks, so I can't even count on charm..." Edo said dejectedly, walking beside Leni through the crowded streets of the capital.

"How many times are you going to ask that question? Relax, I'll take care of everything. I'll make up a little story, say I found myself a student, and I'll even get you a room in the castle itself. I'm amazing, right? Hehe," Leni laughed, puffing out her chest proudly.

"I'm not entirely convinced, but I'll have to trust you," Edo replied with a slightly forced smile, giving her a thumbs-up, which made her grin broadly.

As they continued walking, Edo couldn't shake the thoughts swirling in his head. Finally, he decided to voice the question that had been nagging at him ever since the helpless moment in the forest.

"What if I accepted your proposal and joined Nolan's squad like you wanted from the beginning?" he asked hesitantly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Wh-what?!?!" the startled mage shouted, stopping dead in her tracks.

"You know... I've been thinking about some things and realized it's not such a bad idea. Especially for someone who doesn't really know what to do with themselves. Besides, as a soldier, I'd have a guaranteed place to sleep within the castle grounds."

When Edo looked up, he saw Leni in front of him, laughing and excited, practically bouncing with joy.

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Edo! You might not be the strongest, but you have potential. Nolan will turn you into a warrior worthy of his squad!" Leni exclaimed, almost dancing with excitement.

"Just as I thought... At least now I understand why she wanted me in that squad so badly. She owes her life to this Nolan guy and wanted to repay her debt. She's a good person..." Edo thought as he followed the mage toward the castle.

"As for rooms in the castle – there are plenty. I don't even have to pretend you're my student anymore. All I need to say is that you want to join Nolan's squad, and you'll be allowed to stay on the castle grounds until he returns with his troops."

"Thanks, Leni," Edo said quietly, his words bringing a warm smile to Leni's face.

"No problem," she replied cheerfully, her smile so genuine that Edo felt a sudden warmth on his own skin.

"Ugh, I really need to work on handling my emotions when talking to beautiful women... I have a feeling I'll be talking to them a lot in this awful world," Edo thought, embarrassed.