Becca patted my back. "Don't worry Nick, by the time another war starts, I'll be part of the Royal mages with you, so we will be fighting together. We will have each others back and protect each other."
This realization made me hesistate. I looked at Becca with a frown on my face. I stared into her eyes for a second before explaining, "I don't want you to go to war either…I would be so worried about you every second out there…on the battlefield, one random unguarded shrapnel could be the difference between life and death…"
Becca held firm, "Nick, you have to trust in me and my strength. Don't be like Tanya's husband and put me in a cage because you are worried I'll be hurt!"
I sighed, "I know, I'm not saying this because you are a woman and I think you are weaker than me, I'm saying this because I'm equally worried about both of us…war is so dangerous…we should only join if it is the absolute last option for us."
Becca also seemed to be brought down by my mood. She had a worried face for a moment, but she then balled her fists and looked up at me with conviction. "I promise to not join you in a war until I have become an advanced water mage. Once I unlock that power, it will skyrocket the chances of our survival. As for you, make sure to teleport away to safety if you ever notice any danger to your life or someone too strong."
My eyes widened at her suggestion. Advanced water mages gain the power to heal themselves and others. With that power and the fact that we would be two advanced mages working together, we would be practically invincible!
"It would really set my mind at ease if you were able to gain the healing ability of an advanced water mage, but I don't want to put too much pressure on you…there are plenty of talented mages that never became advanced mages and I don't want you to feel bad if you never reach that level…"
Becca put her hand on my cheek. "Believe in me, Nick. Trust that my hard work and talent will make it inevitable for me to become an advanced water mage…and if I end up reaching a plateau that I can never overcome, comfort me then. As long as you are by my side to support me when I fail, I will never succumb to despair. I will always be able get back up when I fall and look foward."
Becca's powerful words suddenly gave me a strong urge to embrace her, but I was still vaguely aware that James was sitting across from us trying his best to camouflage into the background, so I had to restrain myself.
"Thanks Becca, I was starting to be pessimistic by only thinking about the worst case scenario. Sometimes I worry too much about things that probably won't ever happen…next time I start thinking that way, I'll put my faith in you. I'll trust that as long as you are there, things will always turn out better than expected.
Also, I really do believe that you will reach the level of an advanced mage within a few years…if anyone can do it, I know it's you…and knowing you, you might blow my prediction of the time it will take you to get there out of the water. Just please don't put any pressure on yourself. Having you become an advanced water mage is just an added bonus."
Becca smiled happily, "I will always be there to change your mindset when you are thinking negatively like that. The same way I know you will always be cheering me on to achieve greater heights."
With our moment done, we both turned to look across the table to James. I was the first to speak, "so James, what more do you need to inform us about?"
James looked a little hesitant to speak. I was thinking that it was because we made things too awkward for him. However, he explained, "I'm not sure if it is something that you want me to say now that my Lady is here with us…"
I titled my head in confusion, I didn't have any secrets from Becca…Becca, on the other hand, was rightfully worried. Her head quickly moved back and forth between me and James. "What kind of things are you hiding from me that would be so bad for me to hear?!"
James quickly shook his head when he realized that he had been misunderstood. He coughed with his fist covering his mouth, then added, "it is a nice surprise that Nick asked me to work on for Rebecca. I just don't know if it is at the level that I should not reveal it to Rebecca until it is completely ready or if it is okay to let you know what we are working on ahead of time."
I didn't have much idea what James was talking about. There was always a few things in the air that I wanted to do for Becca at any given time. And if it was something I couldn't remember right away, then it wasn't too bad to let her in on the surprise early.
I turned to look at Becca and she was looking at me with curious eyes. I could tell that she wanted to know what I was planning, so I let James know, "it's fine. You can say it while she is here."
"Ok, so I have gotten into contact with the Peanut farmer like you told me to. He said that he is available to come negotiate a deal with you. As long as you are okay with it, he will be coming to the manor tomorrow."
I was surprised that James was able to handle the request I gave him right before leaving for our trip so swiftly. "Yes, I don't have any plans tomorrow, so that should be good. Hopefully we can set up a good contract with him, so we have plenty of peanuts at the manor."
Becca looked at me with a sweet smile on her face. She half-heartedly said, "you don't have to do all that for me…I am okay with almonds..."
I rolled my eyes since it was obvious that Becca was really happy with the peanuts. "Only the best for my wife, I can't let her eat almonds in our house when I know peanuts are her actual favorite!"