Past and Present

"Don't hold on to life's grudges, think about what makes you happy."

These words were engraved in Edward's heart. At that moment, the person who filled him with happiness was... Arya. There was no doubt—she was the girl he loved.

It hadn't been long since the two had met, but every time she was around, he felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

He tried to keep his composure as much as possible, but he often found himself following her with his eyes or freezing up whenever they crossed paths in the house's hallways.

As the boy got lost in his thoughts, Belchior called his attention.

"Edward, are you alright?"

"Huh? Yes, I'm fine."

"Is something bothering you?"

"I've been thinking about what you said earlier... about someone I wanted to protect..."

"You're talking about Arya, right?" Peter said innocently.

"..." Edward was in shock. "Uhhh... Uhhh... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!! How? How do you know it's her?"

"What are you talking about? Anyone would have noticed." Peter wasn't exactly the most perceptive person when it came to these things, so it had to be really obvious. "You two don't know how to hide it!"

"No! It's not like that! You can't just go around making hasty conclusions!"

"Edward." Belchior interrupted. "Even an old man like me, who lived romance a long time ago, could see the way you two look at each other!"

"Aaaahh!!!"

Edward could no longer hide it. In fact, he had never really managed to hide it, but now he felt like his heart was exposed for everyone to see.

He had no idea how he would face her the next time he saw her.

"I think it's mutual," Peter commented. "But you know I'm far from being an expert when it comes to understanding women."

"Ahh... What makes you think that?"

"I don't know, it's just my intuition. Maybe I'm just saying this because I'm rooting for you... but she also has that sparkle in her eyes when she talks about you."

"I really don't know how reliable you are on this topic... I think you've made my situation even more complicated."

He gave Belchior a pitiful look, hoping for some advice from someone older to clear his doubts.

"Don't look at me. When it was my turn to deal with this, I didn’t know the answer either."

"Ah... Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy," Edward said, disappointed.

"Old man, how was your experience with romance?" asked Peter.

Belchior sat down next to the boys, crossed his arms, and began stroking his long mustache while searching his memories for the precious moments with his beloved.

"I was born near the Magic Academy, and it didn’t take long for me to discover I had a talent for magic."

"Hey, you're not supposed to tell your whole life story!" Peter complained.

"Shut up, brat!"

"Peter, don’t interrupt."

"Okay, go ahead..."

"After graduating from the Academy, I joined the Mercenaries' Guild, and through it, I traveled the world fighting demons.
It was a thrilling lifestyle, full of adrenaline, but I ended up giving it up when I met her."

"Her?" Edward asked.

"My late wife."

The comment caught the two young men’s attention, as this was a part of Belchior’s life they had never heard about.

"She was one of the villagers here. When I met her, it was love at first sight.
She didn’t want to leave her family, and I didn’t want to take her on my hunting missions, so I decided to settle down in this village with her."

"So you gave up your life as an adventurer?"

"Luckily for me, the Mercenaries' Guild doesn’t mind if mages want to settle somewhere, as long as they take on the role of protectors.
At first, things were easy since my senior took care of most of the demons, so I could enjoy my romance every day.
After he passed away, I had to take over, but I still managed to spend time with her. Those were the happiest years of my life."

"Wow, old man, I’m impressed. I didn’t expect you to have such a beautiful story."

Belchior became more serious than usual, and his expression carried an anguish that had been buried for years.

"Not everything is so joyful...
We had a daughter. Her name was Sara. She inherited her mother’s red hair—she was my greatest pride."

Even though he feared the answer, Edward ended up asking, "…What happened to her?"

"She had a talent for magic and wanted to become a mage, so I didn’t refuse when she asked me to train her.
One day, she went to fetch supplies in the nearest village, and on her way back, she was ambushed by demons."

Belchior held back his tears.

"She died."

The two young men remained silent. Neither of them knew exactly how to respond in that situation, but Peter made an effort to offer some words of comfort.

"My condolences..."

"Yes..." Edward agreed. "That must have been hard."

"A few years later, my wife passed away due to old age.
I ended up losing the two most important people in my life.
It’s impossible to avoid sadness, but it’s not as if I fell into despair."

Belchior put a smile on his face.

"Someday, I will be with them in Mors’ palace. All the stars in the sky are the souls of those who have already passed away."

Noticing the sadness on the boys' faces, Belchior tried to lighten the mood.

"Hey, hey, you don’t have to look so sad! It’s been a long time since all that happened."

"But still, death is such a difficult thing to deal with."

"Death is not a full stop. Mors is merciful to us humans. Even though she took the two from me, she still placed Arya in my life.
And recently, she placed you two as well. Even though you’re a bit of a handful, I appreciate the new opportunity."

Belchior had spoken before carefully considering the feelings he held in his heart, so he ended up feeling a little embarrassed.

"Hey, old man!" Peter gave him a thumbs-up. "You don’t have to worry, you’re the best teacher in the world!"

"Hoho... You really have no filter, brat."

"Belchior. No, Professor Belchior." Edward called out, a serious expression on his face.

"Yes?"

"I don’t want to let this happen again. I want to protect Arya, even with my own life if necessary.
If using necromancy puts her life in danger, then I want to become strong enough so that she never has to fight. Please!" Edward dropped to his knees. "Train me to be even stronger!"

After recovering from the surprise of Edward’s sudden request, Belchior replied:

"It’s fine, I accept. But you need to understand something very important, Edward."

"...Yes?"

"It’s not just about the strength of magic or physical strength. It’s about strength of will.
Arya has a frighteningly strong will. She’s stubborn and headstrong—if she feels the need, she won’t hesitate to fight."

"I’ll do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll make sure my stubbornness is stronger than hers."

"Hmm, then show me your determination! Come on, fifty push-ups!"

"W-what?"

"What are you waiting for?"

"Alright!"

Edward dropped to the ground and did the fifty push-ups as ordered.

"Huff... Huff... Finished..."

"Good job."

"Why did you make him do that?" Peter asked, curious.

"No particular reason, I was just testing how well he listens."

"You little—" Edward was too out of breath to complain.

"She needs the flute," Belchior said, locking eyes with Edward.

"Flute?" Edward was confused.

"In my room, locked in the chest under my bed, wrapped in a black cloth.
To use necromancy, she needs the melody produced by the flute. She knows she’s forbidden from using it, but as a precaution, I tried to keep it as far away as possible."

"So she can only use necromancy through this flute? If that’s the case, why don’t we just destroy it?"

"It’s not that simple. All necromancers carry a musical instrument that grants them the power of necromancy.
These instruments are like curses that haunt necromancers. They cannot be destroyed."

"Then why not just get rid of it? Throw it into the ocean or something?"

"We already tried, but this damned thing always finds a way back to its owner.
Arya and I once threw the flute into the sea, but when we got home, it was waiting on her bed."

"Something’s not right about that..."

"The best we could do was lock it away. That seemed to keep it stable.
That’s why what matters most is making sure she never gets near the flute again."

Edward responded with a serious look. "You can count on me. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen."

...