A Toast to the Dead

"You're up…" Emilia was surprised to see that Ed had recovered enough to wake up already. She visited his room only to check up on his state, so she was troubled on what to do now that he was awake.

"What, is it bad for me to wake up? I can go back to bed and play the part of the sleeping prince if you want?" Ed knew that the tale of the sleeping princess was not present in this world, but his description fit the current situation.

"Not at all, I'm glad you're okay," Emilia shook her head as she approached him. Ed's companions left the room. But, as Goburou was walking out, he turned around and looked at Ed with a sly smile. Ed frowned and let out a worried chuckle. He knew he was in trouble and would be teased terribly afterward. 'What kind of monster does this to his master?' Ed wondered.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. The equipment you gave me protected me, and the magical Jewelry stopped any attack I couldn't take on my own…" Emilia explained, not realizing the true meaning behind Ed's question.

"I didn't mean physically, I can see that you're alright," Ed chuckled at her earnestness. "Are you alright?" Ed asked again and Emilia realized what he meant. A couple of tears drops formed on her eyes as she remembered her feeling when she saw Ed's 'dead' body.

"Next time you can't not tell me…If you die, I-I wouldn't know what to do!" Before Emilia could talk anymore, Ed hugged her and pulled her closer to him. He rested her head on his chest and felt her calm down and she listened to his steady heartbeats. She clung on to his shirt while letting out some muffled cries.

"I'm sorry for worrying you. I already told you that I won't die, so you shouldn't have been that worried…" Ed explained himself while Emilia looked him in the eyes. The two of them stared at each other for a little while their faces got closer and closer.

Unbeknownst to everyone outside, the two of them locked lips for the first time. They had kissed.

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"Oya, so you are little Edward that asked us to stand by until you call for us?" A short old man with grey-white hair approach Ed. Ed left his tent in order to check on the state of the war and his friends.

"Stephanie told us that we should listen to you, and I can see why she would say that, ho ho ho!" The man was Stephanie's grandfather and the current king of their Weiss kingdom.

"Ah yes, that would be me. I apologize for not greeting you before as I was unconscious. Though my thanks are in order, if not for your help, the war might have taken a different turn."

"Hmm, your face looks a bit flushed. Maybe you should get some more rest…" The old man looked at Ed and seemed to be worried about him.

"Eh-Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing. I feel great already, and I'm not keen on staying in a bed." Ed recalled the memories of the prince and how he would always stay in a bed. Even though those weren't his memories, they were still uncomfortable to remember.

"Well kid, you know your body best. Now tell me, how did you get so strong in so little of a time? And also, why did my cute granddaughter's power skyrocket all of a sudden?"

'So keen…' Ed could only think of this as he looked at the short old man. He wasn't about to tell people about his ability, otherwise, he's start getting flooded by requests to level them up.

"It's not just Stephanie. I, Emilia, Hayato, and many others experienced massive growth during this war. I guess it is true that pressure forms diamonds, huh?" Ed acted as if he knew nothing about what happened.

The two of them chatted for a while until Ed was surrounded by his companions. The old man told them that he will return to his kingdom along with his soldiers, as they had taken the bulk of their forces.

"I'll be expecting my share of the rewards, boy." He left them with these words as he rode on a black warhorse that was decorated with golden equipment.

"Stephanie, you won't return?" Ellie asked her as she noticed that she was staying behind.

"Of course not! I haven't met you guys in such a long time, and now you want to go back?!" Ed was surprised. Stephanie had changed. The usual meek and shy girl now spoke her mind freely.

"Of course you're welcomed to stay, hahaha!" Ellie quickly answered her while pretending to get hurt by her soft punches.

"By the way everyone, I need your help with something," said Ed, drawing his friends' attention to him. "I want to do something special for the soldiers!" He said as the sun's light started dying.

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"I think we cleared all the corpses. The order to move away from the battlefield is being taken care of," Leonard let Arthur know about the updates. The remaining 100.000, or so, soldiers started to move along with the headquarters. After walking for about twenty kilometers, they reached a well-lit area.

"Welcome, oh brave soldiers!" A figure floated as it shouted. The soldiers shouted along as they could recognize it. It was Ed, the one that drew a closure for the war.

"It has been a horrendous war, we killed and we were killed. Yet, we still breathe. We still live! So, in order to continue living, let us eat and drink!" Ed shouted as he withdrew a whole whale out of his Inventory.

"OOOOH!" The soldiers shouted in unison as they saw it. Most of them were weak cultivators and had never seen exotic monsters. Alicia and Merry floated, each on one side, and used Light magic to light up the area. The whale remained suspended in the air as it was controlled by Ed's Telekinesis.

Hayato flew into the sky as, and the soldiers cheered. Each time one of them flew, they would shout, as they recognized them as war heroes.

Hayato used his speed to move across the whale instantly, cutting it. It was cut into two parts, allowing the spine and bones to be removed. Then, it was cut into hundreds of cube-like parts.

Ed snapped his fingers loudly, causing the soldiers' attention to focus on him. A gigantic flame appeared under the cubes and started to cook them. The fire spanned dozens of meters, as the cubes were spread out in order to get them cooked evenly.

"Well then everyone, please stand back a little," Stephanie said as she activated Earth magic. Thousand of tables and chairs made of stones sprouted up in order to allow the soldiers to sit.

"It's booze everyone!" Leon and Charlie started withdrawing barrels of liquor out of their rings. Each table was given two barrels. Ed made sure to buy this, as he planned this celebration after the war ends.

"Please, don't touch it now. It needs to be cooled down," Emilia said as she withdrew her rapier. Using her impressive control over magic, she swung her blade once, sending a chilling air. The air targeted the barrels only and didn't touch anything else.

"Woah!" The soldiers were surprised as they saw some monsters roam around them. These monsters were the ones that helped kill the Blood sect soldiers. Or, at least, a part of them. Most of the monsters were controlled by Garu or Goburou, but some of them chose to help Ed by their own will. These monsters remained after the war, while the ones that were being controlled returned to their home thanks to Ed.

Eric and Griffin used their wind magic to deliver the pieces of whale meat to the plates of the soldiers. Ellie frowned as she couldn't help much without magic. Still, she didn't get sad, as she knew her powers would come in handy somewhere else. People were surprised when Ed allowed the prisoners to eat with them. They had people watching over them, but they still managed to enjoy the show and the food. Some of them cried tears of joy.

"Let us eat and drink everyone! And let us give a toast to those that had fallen in battle!" Ed said as he raised a glass filled with the booze. The soldiers, commanders, and the monsters drank to honor the dead.

The feast continued throughout the night until the light of the sun overwhelmed the light from the magic. The soldiers cried in sorrow, laughed in happiness, bowed out of respect, and thanked them from the bottom of their heart. That night, the strong served the weak.