Chapter 336: Cyclic Life (5)
Chapter 336: Cyclic Life (5)
“It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“The feeling is mutual, Lady Cyclic Life.”
“Oh my? Isn't that a bit too formal? Next time, I’d like you to call me ‘Mother,’ son.”
“…Pardon?”
With those words and a playful smile, Cyclic Life sent us back to the Middle Layer.
The intricately tangled roots vanished, and a door opened. Beyond it, Milone and Nariel were waiting for us, looking exactly as they had when we last saw them.
We had talked for quite a while, and I’d even received a gift and a blessing, yet hardly any time seemed to have passed here. Time really must flow differently in her presence.
“You’ve returned.”
“Huh? Uh…?”
Milone’s expression was stoic as usual, but in contrast, surprise spread across Nariel’s face.
“What is it, Your Majesty? Is there a problem…?”
“Oh, no! It’s not a problem. It’s a good thing, actually! Duke Lindelheit, did you perhaps receive a blessing from Lady Cyclic Life?”
As someone who enjoyed Cyclic Life’s favor, Nariel was sensitive to her divine power and noticed it immediately.
…I probably don’t need to mention that I’m being treated like her son.
“That’s correct. Thankfully, Cyclic Life looked upon me with favor. She bestowed a blessing upon me, saying it would be helpful in the battles to come.”
“Battles… So that’s why everyone else looks so grim.”
“Oh, um. That’s… yeah, something like that. Ahaha.”
Was my acting too convincing? Ever since that accidental ‘Tallulah’ moment I’d pulled, everyone had been unable to relax their expressions.
I could understand how they felt. They were just teasing me like usual, but then they witnessed me ‘exploding’ with emotion, so the shock must have been significant.
Elisha, in particular, hadn't taken her eyes off me for a single second.
…I feel a bit bad. I’ll have to comfort her properly later and tell her I’m okay.
Making that mental note, I turned to Milone.
“Aside from the rooms where we’ll be staying, would it be possible to borrow an alchemy workshop?”
“Since there is a skilled alchemist among your party, I have already vacated a space for you. I have also prepared personal training rooms, so please feel free to use them as you wish.”
Good grief. She’d prepared all of this in advance.
After that, we discussed the conversation I’d had with Cyclic Life and our plans to cross the Great Forest to strike the army of Ugly Prosperity.
We descended from the Middle Layer while discussing business. Then, guided by Milone’s secretary, Eda, who was waiting in the Lower Layer, we headed to our quarters.
The room was spacious enough for our entire party to live in comfortably. Inside, Famila’s family was already there, casting simple lifestyle magic like soundproofing and ventilation.
Since only our main group had gone up to the Upper Layer of the World Tree, I’d wondered what they were up to, and it turned out they were here.
“Good jo—”
“Good work. We’ll take it from here, so you may leave. I assume you have your own rooms?”
“Huh? Oh, yes…”
Famila’s family glanced at us tentatively for a moment, but after seeing the intimidating aura radiating from Iris, they scurried out.
Click.
At the same time, I heard the sound of metal.
Fay, who had been quietly lingering in the back, locked the door as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
The women surrounded me, blocking any path of escape. The first to step forward was Elisha, who had been exuding an unusual atmosphere for a while now.
“You.”
“Uh…? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
“You were still worried about that? It happens. It’s fine, so don’t let it bother you, Elisha.”
I shook my head and offered a smile, but for some reason, Elisha’s expression only grew more distorted.
Then, with a look of grim determination as if she’d made a solemn vow, she continued.
“Please don’t forget… that we are your family.”
“Huh?”
“Tonight, I will read you storybooks until you fall asleep.”
“…No, wait, how old do you think I am? Storybooks?”
“It might be difficult right now, but once this is over, let’s eat home-cooked meals together. Please make some time so we can go grocery shopping.”
“I can do that anytime…”
“It would be nice to go on a trip, too. We can all visit some nice travel destinations together. A place like the village at the entrance of the Great Forest would be nice, or a grand place like the Cassis Valley. If the timing is right, we could go see the festivals in the Levantine Empire or the Meister Festival in Nidavellir.”
“Elisha…?”
“Since Professor Iona is here, we can get anywhere quickly. If you don’t like that, it wouldn't be bad to travel leisurely in Miss Helena’s carriage.”
Calmly. As if she were making plans for tomorrow rather than the distant future, Elisha continued in a serene tone.
“Have you ever tried fishing in a river? It’s a small thing, but it’s more fun than you’d think. I’ll teach you how. Let’s catch some together.”
“When night falls, I plan to look up at the stars with you. I want to tell you about the various constellations and the stories behind them.”
“Taking a lazy nap under a nice patch of shade is quite a pleasant thing. It would be even better if you were by my side. I wonder if you’d feel the same way with me there? Let’s test it out when we have the chance.”
“After our outing, let’s return home together. And then, while we have dinner, we can talk about what happened that day. The good things, the bad things, the strange things… everything.”
By this point, even I couldn't help but realize what Elisha was trying to say.
Elisha was trying to give me the experiences I would have had if I’d grown up normally.
She was telling me that I have a family now, that I’m no longer alone, that I shouldn't be lonely, and that she would stay by my side forever.
I might never see them again, but I do have a family back on Earth, alive and well.
Our relationship wasn't exactly great, but it wasn't bad either. At the very least, it was enough to call them family.
Though I can’t tell anyone that now.
“…….”
Because of that, I couldn't say anything. More accurately, I didn't know what to say, or what words could possibly match the weight of this feeling.
Guilt, gratitude, affection. Countless other emotions that couldn't be defined by language swirled together in a chaotic mix.
Pushed by Elisha’s clear gaze as she looked at me, or perhaps swept away by the internal torrent, I arrived at a memory from the not-so-distant past.
“…A thousand years.”
“Pardon?”
A phrase used by Elves—who live so long that the idea of ‘growing old together for a hundred years’ is a joke—when they promise eternity.
“Here, I make a vow that will not fade even after a thousand years.”
“Ah.”
I gave a faint smile back to Elisha, who looked dazed despite being the one who started this.
“We will be together through all those moments, Elisha.”
“…….”
I couldn't tell her the whole truth, and perhaps I never would be able to.
Nevertheless, my desire for this promise to last forever was a truth without a single shred of falsehood.
Only then did Elisha’s expression soften, and she spoke with a small chuckle.
“How can a human, who barely lives a hundred years, say such a thing?”
“Well, why not? If worst comes to worst, I’ll just ask my new mom to do something about it.”
The average lifespan of an Elf is about 300 years. But High Elves can easily live twice that long. And that’s without any wear and tear on their souls.
Of course, even High Elves have their limits, so living beyond that is difficult… but the important thing was that Cyclic Life likely had a way to stably extend one’s lifespan.
Once all the Evil Gods are defeated. If I ask her to do something about it, won’t she find a way?
I’m saving the world, after all; she could at least do that much for me.
At my optimistic answer, Iona let out a deflated sound and slumped over.
“Hmm. Does that mean my plan to turn Student Yandel into a vampire right before his life ends has gone down the drain?”
“…You were actually thinking of that?”
“Hey, hey. Did you know? Strictly speaking, vampires are undead, so they don't have a lifespan. Both the body and the soul stop at the moment they become a vampire!”
“I heard that if you live that long, your ego gets buried under a mountain of memories and you go insane…?”
“Yep, yep. That’s why you just have to erase your memories periodically.”
Having said that, Iona clasped her hands to her chest like a dreaming young girl and continued.
“Student Yandel, facing death as his lifespan reaches its end. But thanks to me, he becomes a vampire and continues his life. At first, he’s happy to be able to stay with everyone… but as time passes, he has to watch as everyone else reaches the end of their lives and leaves this world.”
“Professor?”
“Of course, everyone would have been happy until their final moments. Because Student Yandel would have made it so. But what about the Student Yandel who is left behind? How would it feel to have sent away everyone you loved?”
“Well…”
“Don’t worry! Don’t worry! Because I, Professor Iona, will always be by Student Yandel’s side!”
“What on earth are you…”
“When the most glorious kingdom falls, when people turn their backs on faith, and when the future becomes so distant that nothing we know remains… Student Yandel will have very few memories left. Except for one! Me, the one who stayed with him through all that time! And it’ll be the same for me!”
“…….”
“Even if we forget everything else, we will remember each other perfectly. I’ll have no one but Student Yandel, and Student Yandel will have no one but me, and we’ll keep on living. Until the day the end finally comes for this world. …Isn't it romantic?”
No. It’s actually a bit terrifying.
As my face turned pale, Iona giggled and added one last thing.
“Just kidding, just kidding! It was a vampire joke!”
“…….”
As she said that, Iona’s eyes were glowing with an eerie, blood-red light.
It was a joke… right?