Sandor, Dohga, Ghislaine, and Isolde. Each of them was at least a King-tier sword fighter. I couldn’t thank Ariel enough for sending me such a powerful lineup.
“Thank you too, Ghislaine.”
“Don’t thank me. By the way…I’m thinking I’ll come pay a visit to the grave.”
“Understood. I’ll be waiting.”
Ghislaine left it at that.
“And you, Dohga. I’d have died after falling into the ravine if you hadn’t been there, so thank you.”
“Uh-huh.”
“If you ever have a personal favor I can do for you, please let me know. I want to pay you back for saving my life.”
“Uh-huh!”
All Dohga said was “Uh-huh,” but he seemed a little sad to be parting.
“And thank you, Isolde. If you hadn’t stood between me and the Fighting God, I’d be dead.”
“Not at all! It was a highly educational battle. I should be thanking you.” Isolde bowed gracefully, then grinned. From her face to the way she held herself, she was as beautiful as ever. It made me wonder what the men of Asura were thinking if this woman were still single.
“And please give my best to the medical team,” I said.
“I will. If that is all…we will take our leave.” Sandor bowed, then turned. As he did so, however, I remembered something I’d forgotten to say and called it out after his back.
“About Lady Atofe—I’m sorry.”
Sandor had come back, but he was the only one. Atofe was still missing. She must have been swept away by the ocean. She wouldn’t be found for centuries, and the same was true for Moore.
“You needn’t worry about my mother,” Sandor said at last. “One of these days she’ll pop up where you least expect it. It’s the Ogre God I really feel bad for.”
“Yes… True.”
The Ogre God had been confirmed dead. He had fought well against the Fighting God, but he wasn’t an immortal demon. In the end, his strength had failed, and he had died. And after we’d managed to reconcile. It really was too bad.
“Still, it does no good to lament the dead.”
“I agree. We have to look forward.”
I’d made the Ogre God a promise. If he died, I would protect the surviving ogres. They weren’t in any danger at the moment, but even if it was only a promise, I wanted to keep my word if a threat reared its ugly head.
“Farewell, then,” Sandor said.
“Yes. Thank you for everything.”
“Ah, one more thing… Watch out for Alec for me.”
At length, I said, “I will.”
Sandor left. No sooner had he gone than I saw Cliff walking up. Elinalise was with him.
“Rudeus.”
“Cliff.”
“Are they going home, too?”
“They are. Are you leaving as well, Cliff?”
“Yeah. Seeing as everything seems to have wrapped up… We never did get to the bottom of what caused the plague, but since a month has passed without any further outbreaks, and they’ve changed where they live…I’m going home, for now.”
I was just as indebted to Cliff as the others. We couldn’t have cured the plague without him…even if it was technically the work of the Abyssal King rather than a true plague.
“Thank you, Cliff. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come…”
“It’s you we’re talking about. I’m sure you’d have worked something out yourself. Call me if there’s another outbreak.”
“I will… Cliff, I’ve done nothing but rely on you. I don’t even know how to thank you.”
“I can only leave Lise and Clyde to go do my best work in Millis because your family are there to look after them in Sharia. It’s mutual, Rudeus.”
It was kind of him to say that.
“Anyway, I’ll be seeing you… Oh, but first, I plan on stopping off at your house on the way home. Anything you want me to pass on?”
“Tell them I’ll be home really soon.”
“Got it,” Cliff said.
They left with that. Elinalise shot me a wink before she took off after Cliff. She’d helped out plenty too, but I hadn’t been able to say anything to her…but then, she was a neighbor. I could show my thanks through actions.
I really had received a lot of help this time. Take Cliff: without him, the Superd might have been wiped out by the plague. Without Sandor and Dohga, I wouldn’t be standing here. Atofe’s timing had been utterly godly. First the Atofe Hand, then that perfectly timed attack on Ogre Island. You could say I owed my life to her as well.
Leaving her missing felt so ungrateful that, once things had settled down, I wanted to go out to sea and search for her.
The fight ended, and everyone went home. It was an empty feeling, like when a big event wraps up and everyone drifts away from it.
“All right.” I’d finished clearing the trees during my musing. Before me spread a pristine stretch of land. After pulling the trees out by their roots, I’d piled them up neatly using earth magic. A job well done, if I do say so myself.
“Cool, so now Aisha will… Oh?” I turned around just as Ruijerd and Norn came walking up.
“There you are, Big Brother.”
“Norn! Perfect timing. Could I get you to go and tell Aisha that I’m done clearing the trees?”
“Yes, of course,” Norn replied. She turned at once and ran back toward the village.
Ruijerd drew closer. “Rudeus.”
“Ruijerd.”
“Sorry to put you through all this.”
“Hey now,” I shot back, “we promised not to talk like that, Mister.”
“I made no such promise.”
“No, I guess you didn’t.”
Ruijerd was working on the village’s recovery. After that, he’d probably frequent our office, or else take a role negotiating with the Biheiril Kingdom. Norn followed him around everywhere. It looked like she planned on staying and helping him out, at least until the village was rebuilt.
“Please come and visit Sharia again once the village is finished.”
“I will. I want to meet your children.”
“They’re super cute.”
“All parents say that about their children,” Ruijerd said, smiling. Then, he looked at me. We were practically the same height. “You really got stronger,” he said. “I never thought you’d go as far as becoming one of the Seven Great Powers.”
“You could become one right now if you wanted. One punch from you, Ruijerd, and I’m down. One punch.”
“Don’t joke.”
“Still, it’s a fact that I didn’t get here through my own strength alone.”
“Perhaps that is your strength.”
“Maybe so.”
After watching me for a little while, Ruijerd smiled. He took the pendant that hung around his neck and held it out to me. It was Roxy’s pendant.
“It’s time for me to return this.”
“But this is…”
“It should be yours after all.” I’d given this pendant to Ruijerd when we parted for the first time. Roxy’s pendant, the one that seemed to have at some point become my mark. This very pendant had first inspired me to go out into this world.
“Thank you,” I said, and accepted it. When I gave it to him back then, it had been for a silly reason. When we’d parted I hadn’t needed him to give it back, I’d just wanted him to take it with him. Maybe I wanted a connection with him. Now, he had given it back. Because we were already like brothers. We wouldn’t be parting again for a long while.
“Ruijerd, you’ll have my back, right?”
“I will, though it might be beyond me.”
“We can each be what the other lacks.”
Ruijerd chuckled. “That we can.”
I smiled, and Ruijerd smiled back.