🐎 🐎 🐎
ZEIATIEL said she would arrange a meeting with the elemental kings, but before she got the chance to do so, the elemental spirits informed us of a death.
The water dragon who lived on the continent of Wazhite had died.
I was shocked to hear that the water dragon, a primordial dragon, even could die.
This means that Sol will also die someday, right?!
I frantically opened a telepathic connection with Sol.
“Sol! Are you going to die too?!”
“What are you going on about all of a sudden?”
I explained that we’d just heard the news of the water dragon’s death, and Sol responded, “Oh, that…” in a tone that made it clear that he now understood the connection between this news and my sudden outburst.
“Will you also go to be with the Goddess one day?”
“No, holy beasts go to the God of Creation. Or rather, I suppose it’s more accurate to say we return to the God of Creation.”
I didn’t really get it, so I did my best to focus on what he was saying.
Holy beasts were made from fragmented pieces of the God of Creation, so when their purpose was fulfilled, they returned to the source. As such, they didn’t have true “death.”
“Does that mean the water dragon was absorbed into God?”
“I couldn’t say for sure, but I assume it’s something like that.”
I guess it makes sense that even Sol doesn’t know what happens after we die and return to the state of a soul.
While I had the opportunity, though, I decided to ask Sol a bunch of things I’d been wondering.
“How many primordial dragons are there now?”
…Come to think of it, I wonder what counter-word would be appropriate for counting primordial dragons in Japanese? We use “tou” for many large, four-legged creatures like cows and horses… There’s also the more generic animal-counter “hiki,” but I associate that word with smaller animals like cats and dogs… But considering their level of sentience, I feel like maybe the counter-word for humans, “nin” is most appropriate!
“If nothing unexpected has happened to the others, there should be one for each element.”
Meaning that, aside from Sol, there should also be a wind dragon and a land dragon… That doesn’t sound very nice; it calls to mind a mole! Let’s go with “earth dragon.”
I wonder if they’re green and yellow?
“I’d like to meet them someday.”
“If you’re lucky, you probably will. The wind dragon never stays in one place for long, so I have no idea where they might be roaming now. As for the earth dragon, they rarely come to the surface.”
Hearing that made me realize how upstanding Sol was in comparison.
But you know, it’s just occurring to me now that maybe Sol only responded to the summoning spell cast on that magic circle because he felt like it.
Even if it was due to God’s meddling that the “random” creature the summoning spell selected was Sol, he’s strong enough that he could’ve ignored the summons if he really wanted.
“Sol, thank you for coming to meet me!”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Well, you could’ve disabled the magic circle that summoned you if you’d wanted to, right?”
“I… I no longer recall such events!”
Whether he was feeling shy or just didn’t want to answer, I didn’t know, but, for whatever reason, Sol abruptly ended the telepathic connection there.
Hmph, he’s not honest with his feelings at all!
But that didn’t change the fact that having Sol on my side made me feel brave.
The Linus Empire, as a country of water holy beasts and verdant greenery, had decided to honor the water dragon’s passing with five days of mourning. However, unlike what I was used to in Japan, this period of mourning would be a grand affair, designed to see the water dragon off on their journey to return to the God of Creation.
The entire imperial city was bustling with a festive atmosphere, and ice sculptures of the water dragon were displayed proudly on practically every street corner.
A massive ice sculpture of the water dragon was erected inside the imperial palace as well. I was surprised to learn that it had been crafted by the retired emperor himself. It turned out the retired emperor had met the water dragon in person. It had only been once, but the retired emperor seemed very satisfied with his work, declaring it a “perfect likeness.”
All of these festivities following the somber occasion of a death may have been unconventional, at least by the standards I was accustomed to on Earth, but I thought it was kind of nice.
And I understood that thoughts regarding death were different here because of religious differences. Just like how they called dying “journeying home to be with the Goddess,” they also viewed death as the beginning of a journey to receiving a new life. For that reason, people prayed that the deceased’s journey would be safe and that their next life would be full of happiness.
That was why funerals in this world were lively and cheerful. When a king, emperor, or other person of high status died, their mourning period would become like a national holiday. It was said that the more wild the celebrating became, the more the deceased had been loved.
However, even if someone who wasn’t loved by those around them or who’d committed crimes died, that didn’t mean everyone would blaspheme them after their death. Instead, everyone prayed for the Goddess to show mercy upon them. It was believed that such people had experienced suffering in this life that had caused them to lose their way, so those around them prayed that they would be able to atone for their sins to earn a happier situation in their next life.
They’re able to cheerfully send their deceased loved ones off because they believe they’ll have another life. But it’s still sad. You still miss the person who died. All the more so if they were someone close to you.
Even now, thinking of Dee caused sad and lonely feelings to bubble up inside me. But I still clung to the belief that in his next life, Dee would find his way back to our family one way or another.
I’m sure that’s how everyone feels about their deceased loved ones. So, I have to do my best, too, and stay positive during the period of mourning. Even if I never met the water dragon in this life, we might meet in the next life!
With that decided, the next course of action was…
“Shinki, Kai, let’s go out in the garden!”
“…What are you planning to do out there?” Shinki asked skeptically. It was clear from the look on his face that he’d deduced, based on my attitude, that I was probably up to something weird again.
Ruuuude!
“Don’t worry about that! Come on, let’s go already!”
I dragged the two of them and Spica out to the garden, where I summoned Sache and Euche.
Aside from Spica, all of these people could manipulate water.
I explained the mission to them, and they all accepted—Shinki with raised eyebrows that seemed to be saying, “See! I knew you were up to something!” and Kai with the stipulation that I’d better feed him after.
“All right, let’s do it!”
At my signal, everyone unleashed their powers in perfect sync.
A massive sphere of water appeared in the sky above the imperial palace, growing even larger as I watched.
Then, it slowly formed into a distinct shape. It was identical to the ice sculpture inside the imperial palace, except it was more than twice as large. To make it stand out, we’d decided to make it even larger than the real water dragon had been.
Once it was finished, the dragon, made entirely out of water, “flew” all around the imperial city. It flapped its wings with graceful elegance, reflecting the sunlight like millions of stunningly beautiful gemstones.
At the end of the performance, the dragon dispersed into teeny-tiny droplets that rained down over the imperial city like gentle tears.
That cast a huge rainbow over the entire imperial city, and rumors spread all over the continent that it sparkled with light, almost as if the Goddess had descended once more.
Later on, Sol would laugh at me for creating such a flashy display.
I responded that if he passed on during my lifetime, I’d make an even more magnificent display for him, an idea he flat-out rejected.
But Sol, if you turn back into a soul, there’s nothing you can do to stop me!
Perhaps sensing the pervasive gloominess I was trying my best to ignore, Sol announced that because he could not abandon a beloved child even to succumb to the inevitability of death, his lady’s plan would have to remain unfulfilled.
I’m fine with that!
“In that case, we’ll be together always!”