Ascension Ritual
A little time had been granted to a man who would not have seemed strange even if he died at any moment.
Yet that time was, quite literally, only a moment—nothing more than a drop in the bucket compared to the lifespan he might once have enjoyed.
For one whose body, soul, and very rank had all been ruined by the failure of the Ascension Ritual, it was practically a luxury.
“To be honest, I thought I’d never make it to my destination and would die on the road. I knew my condition well enough.”
The man, given a brief reprieve, smiled faintly.
Even though Celine had done nothing wrong, guilt touched her face when she saw that smile.
“The reprieve I’ve given you won’t be a long one.”
“Yes. I can feel that the flame of my life is nearly spent. But what of it? I’ve already lived long enough. I’ve watched sprouts break the earth and petals wither away hundreds of times. Ah, I’m not boasting about my longevity.”
“Not really. I don’t think it’s a boast.”
“Is that so? Then I’m relieved.” He let out a quiet laugh. “Still… when I think of putting a period at the end of a long life, I do feel strangely light.”
The man, who had been chatting with them around the campfire, rose to his feet.
Was he leaving?
Sensing his intention, Celine hurriedly stopped him.
“If you rest somewhere with less Magi, you’ll live longer. The road won’t be easy, of course, but if you’d like, I can write you a letter of recommendation. What about returning to the Holy Kingdom?”
“I’m grateful for the thought. However, I still have something I want to do, so I must respectfully decline.”
“Something you want to do?”
“Yes. The people who walked this road before me…. I want to recover their remains. It’s something I’ve hoped to do for a long time, and at last I’m able.”
“If you wanted to do that, why didn’t you just do it sooner?”
“If I had gone and something happened to me, I would have been trampling on their wishes. You may think I’m worrying too much, but so long as the possibility wasn’t zero, I couldn’t act carelessly.”
“Ah… so that’s it….”
“But now I’ve undergone the Ascension Ritual just as they did. There’s no reason for hesitation anymore. This worthless body may not be able to build a grave worthy of such noble sacrifice, but I should at least be able to gather their remains.”
The man was saying he would burn whatever remained of his last spark for others—for the ones who had already passed on.
“If someone saved you, couldn’t you just go on living? There are plenty of people who sacrifice other lives without a second thought just to survive.”
She didn’t need to look far.
Even demons like him had migrated to the Ardeena Continent for that reason.
Ah, not that she was blaming those demons.
She was only asking because she couldn’t understand why he would give up so easily, when he had seized a chance that others could never have reached no matter how desperately they struggled.
She, too, had once been the sort of person who longed for a miraculous opportunity.
“I believe dying a meaningful death is more valuable than living on the sacrifice of others.”
“A meaningful death…?”
“Wouldn’t a parent who died by taking a blade meant for their child feel regret? And yet, if the child lived, that parent would also feel relieved—and grateful. To them, the child’s life would be worth more than their own.”
The man gave a warm smile to her, even though she still wore an expression that said she couldn’t make sense of him.
“That is what I mean.”
“...Then what if your child or your friend took someone’s life to save you, if you died? How would you feel?”
“I think I’d feel miserable. Like I said before, I don’t want to live on top of another person’s sacrifice.”
“Even if that life belonged to some utterly vile criminal?”
“Even then.”
If she followed his logic, then shouldn’t she also pity the enemy who charged at her with a sword in hand on the battlefield?
If she took his life, then her survival would come at the cost of his.
Still, perhaps it was precisely that sort of nature that let him devote his whole life to the mission Edel had given him....
Even so, she couldn’t understand it.
“I know my temperament can be frustrating. But I’ve lived my whole life this way, so it’s hard for me to imagine any other kind.” He smiled ruefully. “Would you forgive me if I remain frustrating?”
“Forgive you? I’m not your master, and however you live your life is none of my business.”
“Haha. That’s true as well.”
The man’s gaze drifted upward.
Beyond the thick fog of Magi, a faint light had begun to seep through.
“It seems time has already run this far. I’m truly sorry to the two of you, but I really must go now. As the sister said, the time allotted to me isn’t much.”
“Ah! Just a moment…!”
Celine took his hand and closed her eyes gently.
“Though I cannot accompany you, may Edel’s blessing be with you….”
Celine offered her prayers for his safety, and the man finished preparing to depart.
Preparation, such as it was, meant only tightening the opening of the small bundle slung across his back.
The man even brushed the wrinkles and dust from his clothes before bowing deeply.
“I don’t know exactly what it is you intend to do, but if you’ve come all the way to this dangerous Laxia, then you must surely have some lofty purpose. May Edel’s light be with you as well. And….”
In those black eyes that held a dim gleam of light, the figure of a pink-haired girl appeared.
“If I had a little more time, I would have been able to hear the troubles of a benefactor. It’s a shame I couldn’t.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you trying to act like my guardian or something? Unfortunately, the guardian slot in my life is already full.”
“Ah…. Could it be that the guardian you mean is the one sleeping behind you right now?”
“...W-What?!“
I let out a shrill sound without meaning to and quickly clapped a hand over my mouth.
Fortunately, the noise hadn’t been loud enough to wake Daeun; she was still sleeping with her eyes closed, breathing softly.
Once I’d confirmed that, I lowered my voice.
“Why on earth would you think something that ridiculous?”
“Is that so? You’ve been paying close attention to her ever since earlier, so I thought she must be someone special to you.”
“Special.... Fine, if I’m being generous, I can let that part slide. But usually people would think I’m just being considerate toward a companion, not that she’s my guardian. Isn’t that a bit of a leap? There are limits to what you can read into things....”
“Hmm, yes, I see your point. I apologize for offending you.”
“It’s not something you need to apologize for.”
“Haha. Thank you for your generosity.”
The corners of the man’s eyes curved softly.
“Well, even if I’m not a guardian, isn’t it the role of an old man to scold the young when they’re troubled?”
The man showed no hesitation in calling himself old.
It was the exact opposite of the people who bent over backward to seem young.
And yet, wasn’t it funny that he looked younger than those people standing in front of her?
Of course, if the price of that was a lifetime spent purifying Magi, then whether it was really a blessing was another question entirely.
“There’s nothing shameful about seeking an answer by worrying over it. I believe that constant reflection and thought are the path to becoming a better being.”
“Listen to you, sounding like a philosophy professor. You said you didn’t have time, didn’t you? Quit lecturing and get going already.”
He was just making assumptions about other people’s hearts and going on and on about it.
She didn’t like that, so she snapped at him irritably.
By ordinary standards, it was the sort of thing that would earn her a scolding for rudeness.
But what did she care now?
If she had cared about that sort of thing, she wouldn’t have been speaking to him so casually in the first place.
She had already talked back to Edel, the highest elder in this world, with the same bluntness, so what was the point of worrying about manners now?
She waved her hand as if shooing off an annoying lodger, and the man bowed his head.
“May you achieve what you desire.”
“Yeah. You too.”
She didn’t offer him a noisy farewell like “stay healthy” or “take care of yourself.”
She knew those words were meaningless.
Besides, it was embarrassing to say something like that to someone she had only just met.
As she saw the man’s back slowly swallowed by darkness, Celine murmured, almost to herself, “Will we be able to meet again?”
“We probably will. I can’t promise what kind of shape you’ll be in, though.”
“....”
Celine looked at her with a reproachful expression.
It was a rather refreshing sight, considering how rarely she ever looked at her that way, and Canaria averted her gaze a little.
...Hm. Now that I think about it, that did sound a little too bleak.
She knew it, but comforting people with gentle words simply wasn’t her style.
“It’s fine to feel sorry for him, but don’t get too attached. The problem will be solved once what he has to do is finished anyway.”
“...Yes. That’s right, isn’t it.”
It was less comfort than a reminder to face reality again.
But if the result was good, wasn’t that enough?
To encourage Celine’s determined expression, Canaria added a few words.
“You’re not seriously planning to let me die, are you? I trust a kind apprentice saintess wouldn’t do something like that.”
“Of course not. Even without Edel’s words, I would gladly do so. Losing the adorable Lady Kana would be nothing short of a loss for all humanity.”
“That’s weird. I don’t remember asking you to pile on the flattery.”
“Flattery? It’s my sincere feeling.”
There was no need to ask whom Celine might have learned such terrible behavior from.
It was obviously the person snoring soundly behind her.
Still better than being told she was ugly, perhaps, but even hearing something like that didn’t stir any particular feeling in her.
It only made her think, And what am I supposed to do with that?
“Lady Kana, your ears are red.”
“No, they’re not.”
It was probably just the campfire making them look that way.
She ignored Celine’s gaze, which held the same gentle warmth as the fire crackling in front of her.
“Sorry for waking you up so suddenly. Since you’re awake now, why don’t you go back to sleep? It’s dawn, but you could still sleep another hour or two. If need be, we can delay departure.”
“No. Since I’m already awake, I think greeting a new day while watching the sunrise wouldn’t be so bad. Besides, Lady Kana, you don’t seem to have slept at all. Are you all right?”
“I’m a Master. I should be fine.”
She and Celine exchanged small talk while watching the sun rise.
Even if the Magi covering the sky had dulled its original brilliance, it still didn’t feel bad at all.
The three of them, as if by agreement, watched the sunrise together, and only when Daeun finally stirred, rubbing at her eyes as she woke, did they begin to pack up the campsite in a flurry of motion.
“If something like that happened, you should’ve woken me up too…!”
Daeun’s complaints after hearing about what had happened in the early morning were just a bonus.
It was her own fault for not waking up.
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