Chapter 85: Decision

"That is… unexpected to say the least."

As if her earlier coffee-drive didn't happen at all, Ayda nearly instantly calmed down, focusing on the topic at hand. Her face turned serious, but I could still see the sparks of the caffeine-based energy dribbling in her eyes. Or rather, those sparks only now started appearing.

"Obviously, the situation is not that simple either. And from what I saw yesterday…"

Hesitating for a moment, I lowered my gaze to my feet. As much as I hated to say it out loud, there was no other way to face the reality other than by speaking my heart out.

"I'm not sure that it would be a wise idea to delve into another adventure with the things as unstable as they are here. What's more, the fight during which I broke the taboo also ended up quite severely limiting my abilities."

Resting my back against the wall, I didn't dare to look the girl in the eyes. For some reason, it felt as if my inability to instantly jump on the opportunity was a sign of my weakness. After all, while I could still use both empathy and true magic, not to speak about cultivation and several tricks that I learned in the worlds I went through, my greatest weapon was gone. 

For some reason, I knew that even if I were to bring another bracelet, it wouldn't work. It felt as if some circuits in my body burned out, forcing a lengthy period of recovery upon me. And no matter how miraculous my other abilities could be, I dared not easily step into a potentially threatening scenario.

"What do you mean, the fight during which you broke the taboo?"

Suddenly inquiring out of nowhere, Ayda managed to make me raise my eyes to look at her with just the tone of her voice. 

"Ah, right. I didn't really tell you what happened. So, when I returned back to my world after the attack on us…"

My silly attempt at explaining the situation was met with nothing but adorable violence. Tightening both of her hands into fists only to smash them against my chest, Ayda instantly closed the distance between the two of us.

Both of the coffee cups fell to the ground, remaining in one piece each only thanks to being made from plastic and rubber. 

"How could you!"

Hitting me in the chest with those lovable fists of hers, Ayda lost her temper as quickly as she flared up, now sinking in my arms. Her body slightly shaking, she hid her face in my chest to prevent me from seeing her tears of worry. But the quirk of our relationship laid in the fact that neither of us could hide a single emotion from the other.

Or rather, even if such a thing was possible, neither of us would ever dare to even think about doing something like this. Our pure, emotional bond was something that neither of us would be willing to give up for some silly reasons.

"Hey, Krist, listen…"

Raising her head, Ayda looked me in the eyes. With the traces of tears still brimming in her eyes, I had to seriously fight against the overwhelming force of her cuteness. With her fingers gently tapping at my chest as if she was desperate to draw my attention yet too shy to attempt obtaining it in any other way, Ayda instantly trapped me within the clutches of her adorableness.

"... I know that there are dangers in your own world too… I know there are some fights that you cannot avoid… But at least for the time being, before we will find a way for me to accompany you whenever you would go… Try not to get into any trouble, okay? Okay?"

Nearly climbing on my chest as her voice started to break, Ayda was making it really hard for me to endure her plea. Not because it was uncomfortable or made me feel forced. I was barely holding on to my sanity because the human mind was simply not constructed to endure such a mixture of love, affection and care mixing with the parental drive to protect and comfort her. 

"You know that I wouldn't dare risk my health if that wasn't necessary. Not even because I care for it myself, but because dying would mean I wouldn't be able to hold you in my arms like this."

Pulling the girl even closer into my embrace, I made sure to lock her completely in place. Bit by bit, under the pressure of my body heat, the shivers of her body quickly subsided. Once again, Ayda was in a relatively calm state.

"But that's also why I asked you the question I asked. While I don't have even the slightest idea how hard it will be to accomplish that mission I need, its something that I will have to do sooner or later. But now that I think about it…"

Suddenly stopping my words, I analyzed the situation once again. Right now, the earth was safe. Obviously, only to a point, but the foundation I laid with all my acting and claims would at least allow me to negotiate with parties stronger than what I could take on myself. 

But the same couldn't be said about this world. In here, the hunt after witches was only entering its beginning phase. As I personally experienced it on my skin, not only was the situation not that good, but the tensions were also high. And a conflict of this scale wasn't something that I could solve by providing several crates of weapons and munitions to our local allies. 

Not to speak how I couldn't really trust in their loyalty either.

"Think about what?"

Once again I noticed what made Ayda so lovable. Instead of trying to push her own agenda in this momentary pause, she was willing to actually help me gather my thoughts and come up with some kind of plan. Something that on earth would be considered a rare train for a woman. The ability to, brutally put, shut up and listen.

"You see, right now, we still need to face the problem of the wizards setting on a hunt against witches. And it's not something that I could accomplish right now, especially with how I lost the majority of my power. Attempting to solve that mission of mine, would at least buy us a ticket out of this madness if we were to fail to stop the witch hunt."

Yes, I was that cold-blooded. Rather than focusing on the way to solve the entire problem, my priority was to establish safety for the person that I cared for the most in the world. As long as Ayda could retreat with me to the earth, I would be free to go all in, in the attempts of putting the wizards down. But I simply couldn't allow the situation where my efforts would fail, locking Ayda within this hostile world with no way out and no way for me to save her!

"Yeah, I decided. I will try to get that mission done. Dear, I will do my absolute best to let you visit my world. And who knows, maybe it will be possible for you to stay there? Abandoning this entire place to live in peace and comfort with me… It should sound that terrible?"

Smiling as I proclaimed my decision, I could see how the corners of Ayda's lips travelled upwards, indicating that she also found this idea to be pleasant. 

"Oh, speaking of living in peace and comfort, I need to ask you about one thing. How does crafting works in this world?"