After having left the coniferous forest, Edward traveled with Lisa in his arms for a whole day until he was finally able to find a suitable and secure hideout for them.
It was a cave situated on top of a hill. This used to be the dwelling of a magical beast whom Edward made easy work of, and used it as fresh meat for dinner that night.
It had been a few days since then and on this day, Lisa walked out of the cave and went out to look for Edward. Although her face still looked slightly pale, she had recovered for the most part.
She walked to the area behind the cave, toward a grove where Edward mostly spent his time.
Living together for the past few days, things between Lisa and Edward had taken a strange turn. Lisa couldn't help but develop some feelings towards the youth. Although the relationship between them was strictly platonic.
She always knew that Edward had a crush on her, however, she never reciprocated this feeling. There was a lot on her plate, after all.
But now she was slowly beginning to.
As she entered the grove, she saw Edward standing in a clearing inside this small forest and shadow-practicing. His upper body was bare and was covered by a layer of sweat that made his muscles appear even more pronounced.
Seeing this, Lisa's face turned red and she looked away. However, from time to time she would cast a secretive glance at him, not being able to resist all that much.
Edward had entered a flow state as he continued to practice his combat techniques. He attacked with his fists, elbows, knees, and feet. All his attacks were simple, the most basic of basics.
However, every attack of his carried immense depth and momentum.
Adam had drilled it into his head, or more precisely, viciously beaten it into his body. The youth had told him only to focus on basic attacks before he took the next step and practiced any sophisticated combat techniques.
Edward had always taken Adam's words seriously. And thus, he only did as Adam instructed.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Ahem!" Edward's concentration was suddenly broken by a soft cough.
He looked over and saw that Lisa was standing at the edge of the clearing. His eyes lit up and he hurriedly walked toward her. "How are you feeling today?"
Lisa tried her best to not look at Edward's bare chest, and replied, "Why don't you wear something first?"
"Uh…" Edward suddenly realized what a mistake he'd made. His face flushed in embarrassment and he apologized, "S-Sorry, it didn't cross my mind."
"It's okay," Lisa replied softly and turned around, walking out of the grove.
Edward quickly took out a towel from his ring and wiped himself clean. Then he took out a set of robes and wore them. Only then did he catch up to Lisa, walking beside her.
"How are you feeling now?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.
"Much better today." Lisa absentmindedly started playing with her fingers.
"That's good to hear." Edward patted his chest in relief, an action which brought a faint smile on Lisa's face which she quickly concealed.
"So are you going to concoct that potion?" He asked curiously.
Lisa glanced at him and nodded, her eyes flashing with anticipation. "Of course! Thanks to you I have another set of blood, core, and heart of the Megalodeer. With two sets, the efficacy of the potion will be much more potent."
Edward tilted his head, his eyes squinting as if he was thinking of something. Then, he asked, "But… are you sure you can concoct the potion? I mean, do you even know how to?"
"Hmph!" Lisa flicked her hair back. "Adam has taught me the fundamentals of Herbalism. He said so himself that I've got decent talent to become a Herbalist."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Oh?" Edward's eyebrows rose in surprise. "If he's the one who taught you, then everything should be fine. Hahaha!"
Not only Edward but even Lisa had a great deal of faith in Adam. In their hearts, they didn't need to worry about anything as long as Adam was involved.
The youth gave both of them a sense of comfort and reliance that was difficult to put into words.
As the pair walked through the lush grove, the sound of crickets and the chirping of birds drifted into their ears and made them feel relaxed. Breathing in the fresh mountainous air seemed to further elevate that tranquil feeling.
Lisa raised her head and looked through the leaves, her eyes landing on the fluffy clouds drifting lazily in the skies of the secret plane. "He's really reliable, isn't he?"
"Of course he is!" Edward stated matter-of-factly.
Lisa simply smiled at his response. She even believed that if Adam told him to jump off a cliff, he would happily do us without a shred of hesitation.
Such was the relationship the two boys shared.
Thinking back to how much Adam had helped her over the years, Lisa felt extremely grateful. Not to mention the plan that he had formed about taking down the Gracie Family and the subsequent arrangements he had made.
Suddenly, she recalled something and secretly glanced at Edward. After hesitating for a while, she finally stated, "I don't like Kevin, you know? It's just that at the time I was forced to accept the marriage proposal because—"
However, she was immediately interrupted by Edward, "Lisa, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I know you did what you did to protect your family and I respect that."
Seeing Edward's genuine smile, Lisa bit her lower lip and her eyes reddened. Her fists clenched and unclenched many times as she thought about something else and became uncertain if she should say it or not.
Finally, she decided that she should just be truthful about it.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"At first, when I became friends with you, I did so because at the time I thought that being around you would send a message to the Gracie Family.
"That they wouldn't try to do something nefarious to my family knowing that I'm friends with the Young Lord of the Turner Family. That was what my intentions were in the beginning."
Lisa paused for a while and took a deep breath before continuing, "But as I spent time with you, I genuinely began to think of you as my friend… as someone dear to me…"
She looked into Edward's eyes and sincerely said, "I was selfish. I'm sorry that I tried to use your status—"
Once again Edward interrupted her. This time he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently said, "Thanks for telling me the truth."
"What?" Lisa was taken aback. "Are you… not angry with me?"
"I would have." Edward lowered his hands and started walking. "If you had kept it from me. But you didn't. And that's all that matters."
He then stopped, turned around, and smiled brightly at her. "So thank you for that."
Lisa was silent for a very long time, and then, she smiled back. "Mhm."
The pair walked side by side as they slowly exited the grove, the distance between them decreasing and their hands getting closer and closer with each step.
Until finally…
They held each other's hands.
None of them said a word.
They just smiled.
