Don't Ask Me to Stay

Edward waved goodbye to the princess's carriage, then turned and went back inside. He locked the front door and activated the defensive Magic Array at full strength. Since the house had been renovated, this was the first time he'd pushed it this far outside of a test.

Back in the living room, he hesitated. Should he clean up the mess of cups and dishes first, or carry the beauty who was asleep face-down on the table back to her room? A few seconds later, he sighed and went over to Monica, intending to help her up.

Just then, the beauty, who had been "sleeping soundly" with her head on her arms, curled her lips into a lovely smile. She suddenly sat up and yelled "Boo!" at Edward, then said with a mischievous grin:

"Bet you didn't expect that! I didn't lose our drinking contest!"

Edward was speechless. "Have you and the one who just left not grown up at all? You're both too old to be pulling childish tricks like that."

With that, he turned to the table and began clearing away the mess. Monica turned her chair around and straddled it, leaning forward over the backrest. She quietly watched Edward clean up. She wasn't acting like a proper lady at all, but she was awfully cute.

"Hey, aren't you going to ask where I've been all this time?" Monica couldn't help asking first.

"Where have you been lately?" Edward asked flatly.

"Tsk, you don't sound very sincere. But since you asked, I'll be nice and tell you. Have you heard of Transylvania?" Monica rolled her eyes prettily.

"Isn't that the place in central Middle Earth where people say vampires are running amok?"

"This time, it's not vampires running amok. It's now the heart of a war between two armies. Do you know what I found there?"

Edward suddenly turned around and pulled a Pocket Watch from his pocket. It was the Alchemist Pocket Watch issued by the Alchemist Association to every Branch President. He'd only received it that morning.

Without changing expression, he opened the watch's back casing and held it out in front of Monica. Behind the turning gears was a scarlet gem, glowing faintly.

"Is this it?"

Monica looked up sharply at the Alchemist, startled. "You knew about it?"

"War is a giant meat grinder. It grinds up more than lives. It grinds up blood and souls, too. Those people are just carrying out what they call 'recycling waste.'"

He paused, then continued, his voice dry.

"It's a massive chain of profit. Even I don't know what kind of monster is lurking behind it all. Until you're strong enough to challenge them, you'd better not ask questions. Otherwise, you might die without ever knowing what killed you!"

With that, he put away the Pocket Watch and turned back to silently clear the mess from the table.

His words weighed heavily on Monica. Her eyelids drooped. After a while, she yawned and said, "You're so boring. I'm going upstairs to wash up and go to bed. And don't you dare sneak into my room tonight."

She stood up languidly and returned to her bedroom.

By the time Edward had cleaned up and restored the hall to its original state, the moon was already in the sky. He went up to the second floor to return to his own room. There had been so much going on that day that his thoughts were in disarray. There were still plenty of questions he wanted to ask Monica, but she'd already gone to bed. When he reached the guest room on the south side, he saw that the light was still on. He was still wondering whether to knock when the door opened by itself.

The beauty stood there with her wet hair loose around her shoulders, wearing a pure white bathrobe. She leaned against the doorframe at an angle, a finger resting against her lips as she smiled sweetly.

"Hey, handsome. Want to come in and sit for a while?"

Edward felt his nose start to grow hot again. It wasn't the only thing warming up, either, so he immediately turned and left before he embarrassed himself.

"Wait, wait—don't go! I'm not teasing you anymore. There's something important we still need to talk about."

Monica dragged Edward into the room. He could only pretend he was unfazed, stuff his hands into his trouser pockets, and take a seat in a chair.

"Go on. What else is there?"

Monica sat cross-legged on the bed opposite him. Head bowed, she spoke in a low voice, her mood heavy.

"Running into you this time was an accident. I'd planned to cut off contact with you and everyone in the Godfall Brotherhood for good, so none of you would get dragged into this."

"I don't mind. And the people in the Brotherhood are just ordinary people who've encountered a Divine Revelation. Whether or not they have anything to do with you, they're all going to have endless trouble from now on."

"I know. It's just that this time, I may have brought trouble to you again," Monica said weakly.

"What kind of trouble? Do you want me to go with you to the Rainforest Country and find that so-called temple?" Edward asked.

"No, that's not it. I don't think you'll be able to leave. The 'Hunters' could come after me at any moment."

Her voice carried an apologetic note as she continued:

"I heard at the port today that there was a Divine Revelation incident here, too. I could sense that one of the people there was a Baptizer. When those people come to investigate, you're the only one who can deal with them."

"Looks like I'll have to stay behind for you again," Edward said with a bitter smile.

"I should have stayed hidden for a while longer, but this time is different... It's really different. It may have something to do with that 'secret.' So I can't stop now. I'm sorry, Edward." Monica's voice grew even softer, and her head sank lower.

"Monica, listen. You don't have to rush off in pursuit of that 'secret.'" Edward paused to think about what to say next. "I've already crossed the hardest threshold. Look, I'm a full-fledged professional now. Could you... could you stay? We can wait until we're both strong enough to uncover that 'secret,' and then..."

Before Edward could finish, Monica suddenly raised her head and stared at him without blinking. He grew uncomfortable and turned his face away, unable to meet her eyes. She asked, "Wait? Until when? Until you become a Great Magister and I become a Sword Saint? Do you know that'll take decades?"

The beauty's voice was already breaking.

"Do you know how much it took for me to make up my mind to leave you? Do you know how comfortable I feel when I'm by your side? If I stayed with you and waited... I'd end up having a whole bunch of children with you and living happily ever after. Then when I got old, even if I became a Sword Saint, I wouldn't have the courage to leave you and the children to search for that 'secret'!"

By then, the beauty was sobbing too hard to speak...

Edward's mouth was full of bitterness. It felt as if a stone were lodged in his chest. His vision blurred. He slowly stood and held the sobbing woman in his arms.

"Monica, why can't you let it go?"

"Edward, I'm the only one left in this world. The only one, do you understand? If I can't avenge them, I'm afraid... I'm afraid I won't be able to close my eyes even when I die..."

The beauty murmured softly:

"Don't ask me to stay, Edward. I'd rather fall on the road to finding that 'secret' than live on in cowardice..."

Monica cried until her sobs gradually faded. The exhaustion of the past few days, the drinking contest that day, and the intense emotional turmoil finally overcame her, and she fell into a deep sleep...

Edward gently laid her down, covered her with a light blanket, and wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. Then he quietly slipped out.