I Level Up Dragons with My Evolution System-Chapter 89: Guilty

Not only had they lost a comrade, but they were all injured to varying degrees. Edward was seriously wounded, and Arnold couldn’t even use magic because he had been the victim of a curse spell that was originally intended to strike Edward.

It was a truly difficult mission...

After spending those days in the city, Edward understood. It had been his fault.

"I’m sorry." He broke the silence and stopped staring at the ceiling to look at the floor. "It was my mistake."

Where did he get the idea that going on such a dangerous mission after finishing another one was a good idea? The probability of encountering a Lich? Really? What was he supposed to do against such a powerful being?

If it weren’t for his peculiar Fire Butterfly, which was now also dead, he and his entire group would have died.

How long would it take for his butterfly to recover? He would have to expend a lot of resources on that, and it would surely remain inactive for a while.

But that was the least of his worries. He had other beasts he could use, so it wasn’t that serious. Arnold, on the other hand... only had one.

And he couldn’t use it for an indefinite period of time, losing the ability to use it precisely to save him.

Edward felt as if a ton had been placed on his back. Every time he remembered something, it became heavier and heavier, and he ended up with the last vision he had of Lander, being completely burned...

How would he tell his parents? He would have to say that he took them on a deadly mission and that he couldn’t even keep him safe there.

Aurora raised her arm and hugged him lightly. "It was a decision made by all," she said with a slight smile. "Don’t apologize."

"No. If it weren’t for my situation, we wouldn’t have gone there. In the end, we lost a teammate, we got seriously injured, and my situation didn’t change. My father wasn’t there. It was a worthless mission." He clenched his hands tightly, lowering his head even further in apology.

Aurora didn’t know what to say, no matter how hard she tried to think of something.

Just then, the sound of Arnold getting up and walking caused them both to look up.

"You," he said, looking at Edward. "If you really think this was your fault, at least stop whining like an idiot and learn that this world isn’t what you imagined it to be." After that, Arnold went into his room and closed the door, ignoring Aurora’s scolding behind him.

"It’s okay," Edward said to calm Aurora down. "He’s right."

"But..."

"It’s okay. Don’t worry about me." He smiled and stood up. "Do you want to go out to eat? It’s on me."

She stared at him for several minutes and smiled. "If you want to go out, then I want to go too."

They left hand in hand and walked around campus for a long time. Later, they took a train to the Outer City and went to eat at a fancy restaurant that allowed outdoor cooking.

"A serving of assorted meats, please. Make it big, and bring some grape wine."

A little while later, at one of the VIP tables on the rooftop, they were served all kinds of marinated meats to cook.

They simply cooked and talked about nonsense.

"Is it true that William went back to Lunafer?" Aurora asked curiously, as she turned the meat.

"Yes, I rented the carriage that took him myself, although I tried to convince him to stay." Edward smiled at him.

"I was reading one of his books, the one about the pirate... It’s pretty incredible. Why did he decide to go back when he was so well received here? I don’t understand."

"Neither do I." Edward shrugged. "Since he didn’t manage to awaken, he fell depressed. He’ll probably come back when he realizes that he can build his legacy as a high-level writer here."

"Well, not awaken must be depressing." Aurora sighed. "By the way, how did you feel when you found out that our teacher back then was actually one of the Elders?"

"I was in shock. That night, when I went to see you, I immediately went back to the academy, and Elder Owen was walking down those long hallways in his Elder uniform. When I saw him, I couldn’t believe it..."

They both laughed and told each other everything that came to mind, trying to clear their minds as much as possible.

In the distance, at another VIP table, the most prestigious one, a few people were sitting, watching them.

One of them was Elara Vire, who, since they arrived, couldn’t help but stare at them.

"I heard they went on a dangerous mission where they almost died, one of their even died," said the man sitting next to her, the most famous young man in the Academy today, Robert Morris.

Elara nodded. "I heard that too."

"Are you interested in them too, Miss Vire?" Robert asked curiously.

"I have a certain interest in the boy."

Robert raised his eyebrows and looked at her. "Why?"

Elara turned around when she noticed a change in his voice, but after a few seconds, she didn’t think much of it.

"Why not? Aurora Ashford herself is madly in love with him. I’m curious what she saw in him, since she’s the most famous person at the academy and even in the capital her name is recognized," Elara replied simply.

"Oh..." Robert nodded and looked back at Edward and Aurora. "I genuinely ask myself the same question. When we studied together, I always thought that bastard had deceived Miss Ashford, so when she finally awaken, I thought it would be the end of their affair... What I didn’t expect was that not only was it not the end, but they became closer."

"It’s strange, isn’t it?" Elara smiled. "She rejected the Prince of Linnava to be with a peasant... I’m in shock."

"Huh?" Robert turned abruptly. "She rejected the Prince?"

"Didn’t you know?" Elara blinked a couple of times, thinking it was common knowledge. But then she remembered she was in Lor, not in the capital. "Lord Klaus has been madly in love with her since childhood and went so far as to promise her he would make her his first wife, the future queen, when they were 15."

Robert was even more shocked...

"That’s why this relationship interests me. Our beloved and exalted Prince Klaus was changed for a peasant... when he finds out, he’ll surely be in a very bad mood, hahaha..."

Bad mood was an understatement... Robert had met the prince a couple of times and knew how absurdly possessive that man was... if he finds out, the kingdom will explode!

It was not for nothing that Prince Klaus was one of the most talented and bloodthirsty men in the kingdom.

On the other hand, he was practically the owner of the kingdom, so marrying him would mean obtaining the entire kingdom of Linnava. Was there really anyone capable of turning down something like that for the sake of a high school romance?

’Does this Lux have secrets?’ For the first time, Robert considered the possibility that Edward was not just a simple country bumpkin, but someone truly amazing.

"By the way..." Elara decided to change the subject. "Have you thought about my offer?" she asked.

Robert came back to his senses and looked at her. "Miss Elara, I’ve had a lot of offers on the table recently that are hard to refuse, you know?" He smiled.

"But you decided to come and meet with me, despite that," Elara said and ate a piece of meat with great style. "I heard that Myles sent Charles to meet with you. That’s amazing, you know?"

"All the Celestial Regiments, except for 101 and 03, had sent me invitations in the first few days after the Night of Stars," Robert revealed. "But I always wondered, why didn’t 03 and 101 send any? I know they’re special, but I didn’t expect them to be that special."

Elara laughed. "Our selectivity makes us special, and that’s why we’re the elite, young Lord Robert."

"I think the 01 and the rest are also elite."

"At our level?" Elara scoffed. "They may beat us in strength, but in nothing else."

"That’s why I decided to meet with you when I received the offer from Regiment 03. I was intrigued. Why?" he asked frankly.

Elara sighed. "I can tell that you’re not interested in knowing why I sent it to you, but rather why 101 hasn’t sent it to you, right?"

Robert didn’t respond when he was discovered, he just stared at her, waiting for her answer.

Elara then looked at the couple acting like lovers in the distance.

"We don’t judge someone by their talent or strength, but by their usefulness. The early days only revealed your talent and future potential. You’re good, Robert Morris, possibly the most talented guy this province has produced in a long time. But it wasn’t until you revealed your real usefulness on missions that you became truly valuable to everyone. That’s all."

Robert frowned. "So that guy is just as valuable to you?" he asked, pointing to Edward. "Even though I don’t get along with him, I heard he had completed several missions recently."

"Him?" Elara scoffed. "He has Aurora and that guy, Arnold the Anomaly, in his group. He’s clearly not very important in those missions."