Olmo wasn't left with much of a choice but to refuse. He didn't want to endanger Mira.
He had told Jelo to come to him whenever he needed Dabba's Heart, yes—but he had never mentioned involving Mira. If anything happened to any student under his watch, it could cost him his position in the academy. The thought alone made his stomach turn. Years of service, of dedication to training young cultivators, could all vanish in an instant if something went wrong. The academy's council didn't take kindly to instructors who allowed students to come to harm, especially not during unsanctioned expeditions into dangerous territories.
"But she's proven herself," Jelo insisted, his words stumbling over each other. "She can hold her ground in danger. You've seen it."
