Chapter 23: Chapter 23 - Decision

“Mila.”

A soft voice called out her name. Mila felt a gentle touch brush against her hand.

“Mila, it’s morning. We have to move.”

With a hiss, Mila opened her eyes. It had been such a disappointing sleep. She couldn’t say what she had hoped for, but another night of exercising wasn’t it.

Well, it wasn’t as if there wasn’t anything new. Whatever the being was, it clearly had been impacted by what Silinth had done. She had felt some emotions not her own seep into her being when she had worded the question loudly.

It was hard to discern what precisely those emotions were. There definitely had been some rage and confusion. But beyond that, Mila was lost as the being calmed down soon after it had realised it was influencing Mila.

It had resulted in her losing her consciousness in the dream. It was such a strange concept. Mila didn’t even try to figure out how that worked. Instead, she stretched her hurting limbs and yawned.

At least the first thing Mila saw when waking up was Isabel’s face. It certainly was a pleasant feeling, if a bit conflicting.

When Mila finally got up, she immediately paused as her eyes landed on a giant grey wolf standing next to Andrew. Her mind tried to process if the creature was real and possessed any danger to them. She felt no weapon on her, and it left her feeling defenceless.

“He is harmless.” Andrew patted the wolf’s back.

Mila didn’t miss how Andrew nervously twitched when he touched the beast.

“If you say so.” Mila slowly started to move, still unsure of the beast's nature. She turned her head and saw Isabel watching the wolf the same way she had.

When Isabel noticed Mila’s gaze, she gave her a tiny frown. “Apparently, it’s his new bond. Don’t ask its name.”

“He is harmless.” Silinth inserted while walking to the middle of their small camp. “The wolf won’t hurt anyone here without Andrew explicitly telling him to. He is very well trained.”

The wolf bared his teeth and growled at the man.

“Don’t call him a wolf. He has a name.” Andrew whined. “Isn’t that right, Terminator?”

“That’s not his name.” Silinth frowned.

“Now it is.” Andrew smiled.

Isabel cursed under her breath while Mila tried to not insult Andrew’s choice. What was this naming sense? Mr Crow and now Terminator? That had to be a joke. But more importantly- “Do you know this wolf, Silinth?”

“Terminator.” Andrew helpfully added.

“I am not calling him that.” Mila retorted a tad too sharply for her taste. Andrew had completely derailed her thought process.

“I am also ignoring that name,” Isabel grumbled from the side. “I also like that movie, but common-”

Mila wanted to ask about what movie she was talking about, but Silinth stopped her.

“Yeah, I know this wolf.” Silinth also avoided calling him by his new name. “I killed his previous owner.”

Terminator released a long, wrathful growl. He glared at Silinth with undisguised hate.

“It’s okay, Terminator,” Andrew hurried to calm the beast down. “You have me and Mr Crow now.” From somewhere above, a short caw signalled the bird's agreement.

The wolf huffed but did calm down. It lay down and sniffed the surroundings. Mr Crow landed on the beast’s head and started to play with its ear.

It would have been somewhat cute if Mila didn’t sense a large portion of Andrew’s mana deposited into the wolf’s body. The boy, on the other hand, was once again almost empty.

“Scared the fuck out of me when that wolf dragged Andrew back unconscious.” Isabel’s whisper tickled Mila’s ear.

Finally, Mila looked around to see where they were. The surrounding trees didn’t tell her much. Kefo was sitting on the side, his burns bandaged. Tiff was currently taking care of him while cradling her arm.

“So we did get away successfully.” She concluded. Mila took her time before finally reaching out her senses towards Silinth.

And it was there. Mila could sense it. Small, almost unnoticeable wrongness. It was disgusting. It repulsed her, and something inside her.

At least whatever it was, it was contained inside Silinth.

“More or less.” Isabel agreed. “Uh, how are you feeling?”

Mila checked her condition. It was suboptimal, but there was nothing abnormal she could detect. “I am fine.”

“Uh, so, if you want- No, no! If you need, you can lean on me.” Isabel offered. Her blushing face was really too cute.

“Hmm,” Mila looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow. That could be considered a brave offer coming from Isabel. Feeling mischievous, she suddenly swooned. “Oh, I do feel somewhat feeble.”

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While exaggeratedly stumbling, Mila grabbed Isabel’s arm and pressed her chest against it. “Ah, how clumsy of me.” She looked up at her taller friend and tilted her head, resting her cheek against Isabel’s upper arm. Being short had its advantages.

Isabel froze. Her eyes widened as her breathing hitched. It looked like Mila’s friend was ready to pounce.

“Ah, it appears we have to go.” Mila suddenly took a step away. She had overdone it again. It appeared that she was almost as resistant to learning as Andrew was.

Isabel was probably getting frustrated with Mila’s actions at this point. She couldn’t keep sending these mixed signals. It was definitely wrong. Giving her friend hope when Mila wasn’t sure what she wanted was irresponsible.

One of these days, she had to sit down and figure out what to do about Isabel. If Mila weighed the pros and cons, the answer was clear. She should let down her friend gently.

For one, their situation didn’t allow proper relationships to blossom. They had just gone through a life-and-death situation.

Before that, Mila had shown her ruthless side to Isabel. The girl still hadn’t had time to work out that event.

And there were problems with how Mila interacted with people. She tended to view things differently due to her experiences. It was easy for her to hurt or push away someone without realising it. She didn’t have to look for an example far, as Tiff was sitting right there.

Not to mention their age. Yes, there was only a single year setting them apart on paper. But how many more years had Mila spent living through other people's lives? She was already taking advantage of Isabel by using her acquired experiences to act flirtatiously.

Besides, Mila didn’t want to have a fling. She wanted something long-lasting and proper. She wanted a partner to spend a long and fulfilling life with.

At this point, most likely, Isabel felt a carnal desire for Mila. She didn’t believe in love at first sight. They had known each other only for a month. It was too short of a time to properly get to know each other.

Isabel had interacted only with Mila and Tiff. There were plenty of girls out in the world. Once they settled down somewhat, it was possible her friend would realise it as well.

Yes, all of these reasons meant Mila should confront Isabel about her romantic feelings and reject her gently. Maybe months or years later, they could try to date if Isabel still felt this way about her.

So, why was she swaying her hips while walking after making sure Isabel was watching? Yeah, this made it official. Mila was screwed. It wasn’t a full-blown love yet, but it was definitely budding, and she wouldn’t be the one to put a stop to it.

There was still a long path to walk before Mila would be comfortable to take the next step.

But! Didn’t this mean she had made her decision? Mila started to feel a bit of excitement bubbling up her stomach.

However, for now, they had to get to safety. Mila walked next to the groggy Silinth. “You don’t look all that well.”

“Yeah, I have been better,” Silinth mumbled. He frowned while looking down at her. “I hope you remember what I said. Don’t think about it. It’s worse than gods.”

“I remember.” Mila nodded. “Where are we?”

“On our way back home. We lost most of our equipment and need to replace it. Kefo needs a healer. His hands are too damaged to hold a sword properly.”

“He messed up.” Mila looked at the boy. “Not just once.”

“I-” Silinth sighed. “I guess that’s my responsibility, huh?”

“It is.” She agreed. “Aren’t you the father figure to him?”

After a pause, Silinth rubbed his stubble-covered cheek.”I’ll talk to him, but.-” He shook his head. “He really hates the Pillar Of Eternity temple. Oh, and I’ll start teaching Andrew and Isabel how to cast spells. Well, how about you? Do you need to learn as well? I can’t really teach you anything weapons, but I am a damn good mage.”

Mila pursed her lips. “Perhaps. I am willing to listen in, but-” She swirled the paltry amount of mana she owned through her body. “I am not as talented as those two. Nor do I feel I am lacking in basics. Some of the more advanced knowledge would be appreciated, however.”

“My answer has not changed. Until I see you casting basic spells, I am not willing to teach you something dangerous.”

“And I stand by my words - it is foolish.” Mila already suspected the man would stick to his previous stance.

“Maybe, but that’s how I was taught, and that’s how I teach,” Silinth argued. “Traditions are there for a reason.”

It was still foolish. Mila wanted to point out how that had worked out for the man’s comrades and the group as a whole, but she knew there was no point. It would only make Silinth angry. He was stuck in the old ways. It didn’t matter if he taught history, magic and anything else.

Even with her theoretical position of seniority, Silinth still refused to ‘defile’ the memory of his teachers.

There was nothing Mila could do about it. She once again looked at the haggard-looking man and turned around. Isabel eyed them with interest while Andrew and his circus chatted among themselves.

Tiff pulled Kefo on his feet, and they both supported each other. It was questionable if they both would be able to walk by themselves for long, but the same could be said about Mila.

“Is everyone ready?” Silinth called behind Mila while she joined Isabel. “Okay, we are about halfway there. We should be home before nightfall. Let’s go.”

Silinth stuck with Kefo and Tiff at the back while Andrew and his wolf walked in front. Mr Crow circled somewhere above, keeping a lookout.

Mila stuck with Isabel. Now that she had decided to not outright reject the girl, it felt prudent to spend more time together to get to know each other better.

That said, the same decision tied Mila’s tongue. She suddenly found herself without a suitable topic to raise.

It seemed Isabel had the same problem. She kept glancing at Mila and fixing her hair. Finally, she spoke. “The weather is quite nice, huh?”

“Ah,” Mila did her best not to laugh. “It is indeed.” She nodded, feeling the tension leaving her body. “Though, I would prefer a peaceful walk under the stars. Perhaps on a beach.” She dreamily added. “Ah, would you join me if such a chance arises?”

Isabel’s reaction was the best. Due to her blankly looking at Mila, she tripped and faceplanted ungraciously.

Mila extended her hand to help the girl up while Silinth, Kefo and Tiff passed them.

“Oh, no! Are you alright?” Mila asked, full of innocence.

“Ah, no, yeah!” Isabel gently took Mila’s hand and stood. She looked at the clasped hands for a moment before jumping back, separating them. “I am alright! Also, yeah! I would! I mean, join you. At the beach. Or anytime.”

“Mhm, then let’s hope such a chance comes soon.” Mila clasped her hands behind her back and walked ahead.

Mila didn’t plan to take the next step yet, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun. And watching Isabel fumble was quite fun.

If Isabel did confess, Mila would not turn her down but suggest spending time together before making any further decisions.

Yes, that sounded like a plan.

“Uh, Mila, wait!” Isabel hurried after her.

It was hard not to smile with such a cute girl chasing after you.

Unfortunately, Silinth soon called Isabel and Andrew to start teaching them how to form a proper spell framework.