Edo felt warmth, a warmth he hadn't sensed just a moment ago. It was something familiar yet entirely new, as if long-lost senses had returned. He lay still, trying to understand what had happened.
"Have I returned to my body?" the thought flashed through his mind, though the answer came almost immediately. Yes, he had returned. He confirmed this by feeling his body again, the warmth that hadn't accompanied him in his ghostly form.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and glanced around the room. Everything seemed the same as before—he was still lying on the same bed, in the same room. But now, he was certain he was no longer a ghost. He felt the heat radiating from his body, like a sign that had been missing earlier.
"So warmth is the indicator. It makes sense, ghosts don't have heat," he thought with relief.
He looked to his right, searching for the black-haired woman who had been sitting in the corner of the room before. As expected, she was still there—bent over a book, with a gentle smile, as if absorbed in the story she was reading. Her tired eyes glimmered in the light, and her long, black hair softly draped over her shoulders. She played with it absentmindedly, completely unaware that Edo had already woken up.
"Did she really not notice me, or is the book that captivating?" he wondered for a moment.
Without moving much, he pulled his hands out from under the blanket and tossed it aside. He sat up, which immediately caught the woman's attention. Her bright blue eyes turned to him, and a surprised expression crossed her face.
"You're awake! Finally, how long were you going to sleep?" she said in a louder tone, which seemed to be full of irritation, but her voice betrayed something else—she was truly pleased. She closed her book, setting it on the nearby table.
"I apologize for the lack of manners. I introduced myself earlier, but you were in such bad shape that you probably don't remember. My name is Leni, and I'm a court mage of the Kingdom of Ero." As she spoke, she lightly turned her arm, revealing an embroidered crest on the sleeve of her robe. Edo quickly recognized it—he had seen it before in this world, but only now did he realize it was the emblem of the kingdom he found himself in.
"You're Edo, right? I remember you saying it just before you lost consciousness, quite spectacularly collapsing onto the floor." She smiled gently as she continued. "You should be thankful that I took care of you. In this world, demons usually aren't helped, so you could've been lying there much longer, or worse."
Edo stared at her, mesmerized. Only now, with the adrenaline fading, did he truly see her beauty. Her long, black hair contrasted perfectly with the white and black robe she wore. Her blue, almost crystalline eyes sparkled in the light. But Edo quickly shook himself out of it. "There must be a reason she helped me. It can't just be pity."
"Umm... Thank you for your help. I'm really grateful. If not for you, I might not have survived that battle. I was fighting three opponents and could've passed out at any moment. But... I have to ask. Why did you help me?
Leni smiled mysteriously. "You're welcome. But you owe me a good dinner for it." She laughed lightly, but then her tone became a bit more serious. "Why did I help you? Well, I'd say it's because of experience. I used to be an adventurer too, and I found myself in situations similar to yours many times. I just wanted to help one of my own."
Edo nodded, still unsure of what to make of it. "Is she a demon?" he wondered, recalling what Stirk had told him about the distinct traits of the demonic race, which he himself belonged to. "Black hair..."
"Thank you for everything," he said with a somewhat embarrassed smile. "But I have to disappoint you. I don't have money for dinner right now, but I promise that as soon as I can, I'll repay you with the best meal you've ever had!"
Leni laughed again, this time more sincerely. "It's a deal. But I have another proposal for you.
Leni looked at him with slight stress, as if each next word carried something that was difficult for her to say, something that tormented her internally.
"There's a knight... Nolan. One of the Ten Holy Knights. He's ranked fourth. You might not know this because you're not from our kingdom, but here in the kingdom, we have ten court mages and ten holy knights. I'm one of the court mages, specifically the ninth. You can easily determine our rank because we have a number on our left arm. To move up, for example, if I wanted to become the eighth mage, I'd have to train hard, get stronger, and somehow contribute to the kingdom."
Edo watched her, trying to grasp the intricacies of this system.
"Sorry, I got a bit ahead of myself. Back to the point—Holy Knights have their own squads. We mages don't—at most, we take on apprentices, but that's our choice. However, Holy Knights are required to have a squad. At the head of each squad is a Holy Knight, but it's the guard captain and vice-captain who give orders and manage the squad. Nolan, the knight I mentioned, recruits only people with the fire element for his squad, meaning someone like you. I'm sure he'd take you in, considering how well you fight. I recommend considering the offer—you get a place to live in the castle, food, and a really good salary. You'd have to train daily, but nothing comes for free. So, what do you think, do you agree?"
Despite her stress, Leni spoke with enthusiasm, and Edo froze for a moment. The thought of accommodation, food, and work at the castle—all of it sounded like a dream come true. But suddenly, something struck him, and a sober thought flashed in his mind.
"What am I thinking? I don't have any fire element! What she saw was my ability to foresee events, not fire magic. Agreeing to this would be fraud, and sooner or later they'd find out the truth. I'd have to decline, even though it all sounds so wonderful..."
Edo sighed heavily, looking at the mage with a sad expression before saying:
"I'm sorry, but I have to decline. The offer is tempting, but I have my reasons."
Leni's reaction surprised him. He had noticed she was tense before, but now he saw genuine sadness in her eyes. Nonetheless, she quickly composed herself, and her face returned to its previous calm expression.
"I understand. It's a shame, but I couldn't expect you to agree. I don't know what your goals in life are, but I hope you find your path."
The room fell into silence, which was suddenly broken by a ray of sunlight streaming through the window. Edo realized that Leni had spent the entire day here, watching over him.
The boy felt he should say something, express his gratitude. He suddenly stood up from the bed and said:
"I'm really grateful for your help. If not for you, I'd probably still be unconscious downstairs. I refused, but if there's anything I can do for you now, just say the word. Even if I can't repay my debt right away, remember that I will someday!"
Leni looked at him and smiled sincerely.
"Thank you, Edo. For now, I don't need your help. But remember, Nolan's offer still stands. If you meet another demon, let them know they're welcome in his squad too."
Edo nodded and awkwardly smiled as he moved toward the door. But before leaving, he turned back and added:
"Thanks again for everything. I hope we meet again someday."
He closed the door behind him, then descended the stairs to the lower floor, ignoring the glances of other adventurers as he stepped out onto the street, reflecting on what had just happened.
"Damn, what do I do now? I turned down a dream job just because I didn't want to lie? My stupid pride wouldn't let me pretend. I could've agreed, who knows, maybe no one would've found out I was a fraud?"
Suddenly, a thought struck him, convincing him that he'd made the right choice. After all, if they had discovered he didn't possess the fire element, his fate would've been grim.
But before he could walk away, he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Wait!" Leni called out.
Edo turned around, surprised, seeing the mage, slightly out of breath, approaching him. After catching her breath, she said:
"There's a way you can repay your debt to me."