Night had fallen silently over the city when I left the mansion.
The air was cold and light. The streets were almost empty. The lanterns on the walls illuminated the path with a soft yellow glow. Scarlet had asked me to meet her outside the guild, away from the movement, in a more secluded place.
That alone was strange.
Scarlet doesn't make invitations like that.
I turned the last corner and spotted the small square. A stone bench beside an old fountain. Tall trees surrounded the place and muffled the city's noise. The atmosphere was too calm.
Then I saw her.
Scarlet was leaning against the edge of the fountain.
She was wearing a simple red dress, elegant. The fabric fell lightly to her knees. Her hair was loose over her shoulders. No armor. No sword. No mentor's posture.
Just Scarlet.
I stopped for a moment.
That didn't suit her.
I walked into the square in silence.
"Was all this mystery really necessary?"
She slowly turned her face and a small smile appeared.
"You came."
"You asked."
I stayed a few steps away. I glanced around out of reflex.
And I felt it.
Their presence.
Very faint. Almost imperceptible. But I already knew it.
Rai'kanna.
And not just her.
Elara.
Vespera.
Liriel.
I didn't look. I didn't give any sign. I pretended not to notice.
If they were hiding, it was because they wanted to observe.
Scarlet crossed her arms and studied me for a few seconds.
"You're different."
"The training is over."
"That's not it."
She stepped two paces closer.
"You're more attentive. Calmer. More dangerous."
I shrugged.
"You're the one who did that."
She let out a small nasal laugh.
We stood in silence for a few seconds. Just the sound of the fountain's water.
Scarlet took a deep breath.
"I asked for this meeting because I wanted to talk without interruptions. No guild. No training. None of your… shadows."
She knew.
Of course she knew.
"I suppose they don't trust me," she said.
"They don't trust anyone."
"Not even you?"
"Especially not me."
Scarlet shook her head, amused.
"I liked training you, Takumi."
"I also liked getting beaten less each day."
She smiled.
Then the smile slowly faded.
"But today isn't about training."
I waited.
She took a few steps and sat on the stone bench. She gestured for me to come closer. I sat beside her, keeping a certain distance.
Silence returned.
Until she spoke.
"You know you have to fulfill my wish, don't you?"
"I know."
"Are you prepared for it?"
"Depends on what it is."
She looked straight into my eyes.
And spoke with the most natural tone in the world.
"I want you to be my husband."
The world became too silent.
I didn't react.
Didn't speak.
Didn't breathe for a moment.
And behind me, I felt it.
The invisibility spell falter for a fraction of a second.
A wave of uncontrolled mana.
Anger.
Jealousy.
Shock.
Scarlet kept a straight face for two seconds.
Then she started laughing.
Laughing for real.
She held her stomach.
"You should've seen your face."
I slowly ran a hand over my face.
"Scarlet."
She kept laughing.
"I couldn't resist. It was the perfect opportunity."
I looked to the side, still serious.
"I think you just created a problem."
She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"I know. I felt it."
She took a deep breath and calmed down.
"That's not my wish."
I had imagined as much.
"Then what is it?"
She remained silent for a few seconds before answering.
"My wish is simple."
She looked ahead, at the fountain's water.
"I want you to continue being my friend after all of this is over."
That caught me off guard.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"After all that theatrics?"
"Especially because of all that theatrics."
She crossed her legs and rested her hands on the bench.
"I've seen many adventurers grow strong and drift away from everyone. Level up and forget who stood beside them when they were still learning."
She looked at me.
"I don't want to be forgotten."
I stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then I answered.
"That won't happen."
She nodded slowly.
"Then you accept?"
"I accept."
Scarlet smiled calmly. No irony. No teasing.
Just sincere.
We stayed there for a few minutes in silence, listening to the fountain's water.
Until she stood up.
"There. My wish has been fulfilled."
"Are you sure you don't want to change it to something more difficult?"
"No. That's difficult enough."
We began walking out of the square.
And a few steps later, four presences appeared behind me, pretending they were just arriving.
I didn't look.
But I heard Rai'kanna clear her throat.
"What a coincidence to find you two here."
Scarlet almost laughed again.
I simply kept walking.
The night continued peacefully.
And, for the first time since the training began, I felt that something had truly come to an end.
It was no longer about becoming stronger.
It was about what came after that.