What Are Those Tears of Yours Worth?!

Ed came to Elfman's room. After knocking, he pushed the door open and went straight in, finding Elfman lying blankly on the bed while Lisanna sat quietly nearby.

When she saw Ed enter, Lisanna stood and greeted him. "Ed, you're back. Have you reported to the Guild Master already?"

"I have. How's Elfman?" Ed asked Lisanna softly.

"Ever since Elfman woke up, he's barely said a word." Lisanna looked troubled. "Ed, is there any way to lift Elfman's spirits?"

"Tch... Another troubled kid..." Ed said. "Fine, leave it to me. Mira's in the living room. Go talk to your sister. I'll have a word with Elfman."

Seeing that Elfman was awake but looked half-dead, Ed gestured for Lisanna to leave first so he could spend some time alone with Elfman.

"Huh? Oh... Then I'll go find my sister." Lisanna obediently walked out, leaving Ed alone with Elfman.

Looking at Elfman's current state, Ed said with frustration, "How long are you going to keep moping, Elfman?"

"..." Elfman did not answer and remained silent.

When he received no reply, Ed's tone grew harsher. "Where's your answer? What you should be doing now isn't playing dead in here. Lisanna and Mira have both been worried sick about you. Are you really going to keep acting like this?"

Hearing that his sister and younger sister were still worried about him, Elfman finally reacted. Two streams of tears ran down his face.

"Ed... I almost killed Lisanna... It was all my fault... Maybe I shouldn't have become a wizard... I can't do anything right... I'm supposed to be the man of the family, yet I always need my sister to protect me. I even hurt my younger sister..."

Ed immediately flared up when he heard that. "What is this pathetic state of yours supposed to mean?! What is that look in your eyes supposed to mean? And what are those two lines of tears on your face supposed to mean?! Can your tears protect Mira and Lisanna? Can crying make you stronger?!"

Unable to endure Ed's questioning any longer, Elfman burst into tears. "Aah... It's because I'm too weak that things ended up like this..."

"Being weak isn't a mistake. The real mistake is wallowing in your weakness and being unable to move forward. No one is born exceptionally strong," Ed said seriously.

"Take your sister, for example. You told me that when you were children, she unconsciously awakened her magic, and the three of you were driven out of your town. Back then, your sister never thought of giving up. She brought you all the way here!" As he said this, Ed bent down and stared intently into Elfman's eyes.

"Elfman, do you remember what you told me before setting out?"

"I..." Elfman recalled how high-spirited he had been before they left. "I said that, as the man of the family... I would protect my sister and Lisanna..."

"That's right. Now look at yourself. And because of this mission, Mira can't go out and work for the time being. If you keep this up, who do you expect to take care of Lisanna?" Ed continued pressing Elfman.

"What? What happened to my sister?" Upon hearing news about his sister, Elfman hurriedly sat up and anxiously questioned Ed.

Ed sighed and spoke slowly. "Mira has blamed herself entirely for what happened. She thinks she was too impulsive and nearly caused you and Lisanna to kill each other. The overwhelming guilt has made her instinctively reject herself, so until she gets past this, she probably won't be able to use Take Over Magic."

Ed looked at Elfman with disappointment and continued, "And what about you? You're sitting here blaming yourself. If you keep going like this, Mira will never be able to escape this shadow for the rest of her life."

"Then what should I do, Ed? No, Ed! Please teach me!" Upon hearing that his sister could no longer use magic because of him, Elfman dropped to his knees on the bed and bowed his head to Ed for help.

"What you need to do is simple: become stronger. Become strong enough to protect Lisanna. Learn to control the Beast King's Soul. Prove to Mira that one failure hasn't made you sink into despair. Defeat your past self, and let both yourself and Mira walk away from that failed experience!"

Ed spoke with absolute conviction, and Elfman replied loudly, "Yeah! I understand, Ed! I'll become stronger! Until my sister gets over this, I'll protect both her and Lisanna!"

"I'll protect Mira, so stop trying to steal my job." Seeing Elfman regain his fighting spirit, Ed smiled and teased him before standing and heading straight for the door.

He pulled open the door, and Lisanna and Mira, who had been pressed against it eavesdropping, suddenly lost their support and stumbled into the room.

"Now that you've heard it all, anything you want to say? You three siblings should have a good talk. I'll go buy some ingredients and cook tonight." Ed waved and walked out, leaving Mira and her siblings staring at one another.

Ed had no idea what the three of them talked about, but by the time he returned, they were all waiting in the living room. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to have let go of at least some of it.

Ed greeted them, saying, "I bought some beef and vegetables. I'll try making beef stew and vegetable salad." Carrying the ingredients, Ed headed for the kitchen, and Mira quickly followed. "I'll help too."

After entering the kitchen with Ed, Mira quietly said, "Thank you for talking Elfman through this. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known what to do."

"Why are you being so polite with me? Besides, even without me, you could have talked him through it. You just might have had to bear a little more pressure. For now, let him recover. I'll train him and help him master the Beast King's Soul."

"Mm, then I'll leave it to you~ Though that's true. You are his brother-in-law, after all. If you don't help him, who will?" Mira seemed to be in much better spirits after talking with her siblings. Ed chuckled in response and continued cooking.

After they finished eating, Ed got up to return to the dormitory. Mira walked him out as usual. As they strolled down the street beneath the bright moonlight, Ed could not help saying, "The moon is beautiful tonight."

Mira looked up and smiled. "It is."

As time passed, two months flew by. Elfman finally recovered and was ready to train. After learning from the doctor that he was fully healed, Elfman hurried to find Ed, intending to begin training to master the Beast King as soon as possible.

Mira, who had changed drastically since returning, happily said when she saw Elfman approach, "Elfman~ Your injuries have completely healed?"

"Yes, Sis. Where's Ed? Isn't he at the guild?" Elfman asked directly.

"Ed? He went out for work two days ago. He should be back today. What is it?" Mira asked curiously.

"I want to master the Beast King's power. I need Ed's help," Elfman said seriously.

"..." Mira fell silent for a moment. Then, seeing that Elfman had regained his energy, she smiled. "Just don't be afraid of pain when the time comes~"