“Are you all right? I suppose it’s a strange thing to ask, isn’t it?” said Allen.
As he approached, Noel listened, half dazed, to his words. Truthfully, she could hardly keep up with what was happening. She had thought she was about to die, only to be saved. The demon had been sent away with absurd levels of ease, and then suddenly, Vanessa had collapsed.
Just trying to make sense of it was difficult enough, and even then she wasn’t sure she was succeeding. But whether she could process it or not didn’t matter in the slightest, as the situation pressed relentlessly forward.
“Yeah. All right my ass. There’s no point asking if I’m all right. The truth is, I’ve been gone for a long time now,” Vanessa said.
Allen didn’t ask what she meant. He only let out a quiet sigh, and that was answer enough. Seeing that, Vanessa gave him a crooked smile.
“That face... You already know. Otherwise you wouldn’t have said that.”
It wasn’t the tone of someone who was joking, and Noel knew it was true. She had realized it from the moment she’d laid eyes on Vanessa. No matter how alive the woman looked, she was already dead.
“Was it the demon’s doing?” Noel asked.
“Who knows. When I woke up, there was one nearby, but whether it was their doing, I can’t say, and I don’t care. Still, there is one thing I do know.”
“And that is?”
“In this state, I probably can’t die.”
“Can’t die?”
The words slipped out before Noel realized it. She still couldn’t follow everything that was happening, but she could tell that Vanessa was saying something strange. After all, the woman had just collapsed to the ground, motionless. It wouldn’t have been surprising if she had died right then, and yet she claimed she couldn’t.
Vanessa turned her head lazily and fixed her gaze on Noel. “What, you don’t get it? You really haven’t changed. It looks like he gets it, though.”
“Yes. Well, only after hearing what you just said,” Allen replied.
Vanessa gave a snort of exasperation. “I should be dead, yet somehow I’ve been reanimated.”
“Then even if you die now, you might be reanimated yet again, is that it?” Noel asked.
“Not ‘might.’ I know I will be. I’m certain of it.”
“Even without knowing why?” Noel pressed.
“There’s no need. It’s like forging a blade. You don’t need to reason it out; you just know. This is the same.”
Noel had never forged a blade, but for some reason, she understood. “I see. If that’s how it is, then that’s how it is.”
Allen gave a wry smile. “Don’t just agree among yourselves. But if you both say so, I suppose it must be true.”
Noel found it faintly amusing. A moment ago Allen had looked as though he understood everything, and now he was the one looking bewildered. But before she could dwell on that, the moment passed.
Allen steadied himself and turned back to Vanessa. “You wouldn’t tell us all this unless you had some plan, would you?”
“Hmph. You’re sharp. It’s nothing complicated, though. All I want is for you to kill me.”
The breath caught in Noel’s throat. She had half expected the conversation to turn that way, but hearing the words aloud was something else entirely.
“Well, strictly speaking I’m kind of already supposed to be dead, so maybe ‘kill’ isn’t the right word,” Vanessa went on.
“Even so, given that we can talk to you like this, I’d say it’s the same. But doesn’t that just lead back to the main problem? You’d come back to life afterward...”
“Not if we take measures. What do you think I forged this for?” She lifted up a sword of her own. “That bastard thought it was for his scheme, but I only used him. This blade was my real purpose.”
The weapon radiated menace, but Allen seemed to sense something more in it. He narrowed his eyes, studied it, then nodded.
“I see. So that’s it.”
“Exactly. Mandrake has many uses, but its essence is death. Its scream brings death, after all. I condensed that essence into the sword.”
“If you were stabbed with that, it’d certainly be the ultimate end,” Noel murmured, recalling her own experience. It would surely work on Vanessa too.
“I don’t know why I can move again, but if I’m filled with death itself, that’ll put an end to it.”
“Yes. With that, nothing like this would ever happen again,” Allen said, though his face betrayed his reluctance. And of course he was hesitant. Call it what you will—even if she was already dead, it was still killing Vanessa.
“I’ll do it,” Noel said suddenly.
“What?!” Allen replied.
“Hah. What are you talking about? Who said I’d let you?” Vanessa snorted.
“You didn’t. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll do it,” Noel insisted.
Allen had only been dragged into the situation by accident. Noel accepting his help and then pushing such a burden on him without giving anything back felt wrong to her. She took a step toward Vanessa, but Allen stopped her.
“No, I’ll do it. I may not like it, but if I leave it to you, I’ll regret it.”
“Sorry,” Vanessa said.
“What?” Noel blinked at the apology.
“What do you take me for? If I feel sorry, I’ll say it. You two already got dragged into enough trouble because of me.”
“Well, no... Half of it was because we stuck our noses in,” Allen said.
“Even so. Anyway, since you’ve decided, get on with it before this fool does something stupid.”
“Understood.”
In an instant, Allen took the sword from her and drove it straight through her chest.
“Ahh... Truly, I’m sorry. And...thank you,” Vanessa spluttered.
Noel opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say. Vanessa was her benefactor, yes, but they had barely spoken in the short time they’d lived together. She shouldn’t have had reason to feel so shaken. And yet, she couldn’t look away as the woman’s body began to crumble.
“Well, now I can finally rest. I hope they let me forge in the afterlife... Oh, that reminds me.” She turned to Noel. Startled, Noel stiffened, but Vanessa ignored it. “About that sword...”
Noel looked down at Vanessa’s masterpiece, which she had been holding on to throughout their interaction. Whatever its original purpose, Vanessa had buried it herself. Surely it should be returned.
“Should I give this back to you? Or return it to where it was?” Noel asked.
“What are you, an idiot?” Vanessa retorted.
“What? But...”
“I’m giving it to you.”
“What?”
It didn’t make sense. This was Vanessa’s masterpiece. Why give it away? Noel couldn’t remember ever receiving anything from her before.
“Well, it was our deal. Whether you deserve it is questionable, but you scraped by with a passing grade.”
Her gaze shifted, not to Noel but to the sword Allen carried, the blade he had always borne.
Noel didn’t understand. She couldn’t recall any promises, though she thought she distantly remembered one conversation...
“Hey... I want a sword.”
“A sword? What, are you planning to be an adventurer?”
“No, I just...watching you, I wanted one.”
“I see. Do as you like, but you’re not getting one of mine.”
“What?! Why not?!”
“Hmph. Obviously you’re not ready.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Well...when you’ve grown, I’ll give you my greatest work as a parting gift.”
Was the memory real? She wasn’t sure. So much had happened since then. And yet it felt too vivid to be a dream. Through the haze, she clutched the sword tighter.
Vanessa gave her a faint smile. “Well then, stupid girl. Living with you...wasn’t half bad.”
With those words, she vanished without a trace. A breeze swept away even the remnants, as if she had never existed at all. Only the death-soaked sword remained, its weight in Noel’s hands the sole proof that any of it had happened. She didn’t know what to think or what to feel, but one phrase rose unbidden.
“What is that supposed to mean? You should’ve said it sooner,” she murmured.
If Vanessa had, maybe Noel could have done more. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but think it was just like her. So very like her.
And with that thought, inexplicably, Noel laughed. A smile spread across her face, and a chuckle escaped her lips. Because of course, Vanessa had been herself right until the very end.
Her vision blurred, her voice caught in her throat. To hold back the laughter, Noel sank to the ground, burying her face against it. But the sound still broke free, shaking her shoulders. And it occurred to her, dimly, that it sounded a lot like sobbing.