Aqua's Death

Although her body was forever lost,

her spirit was forever passed on.

 

"Ah… Mentor… sor, ry… making you have… to…"

Aqua's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzzing as she spoke lying on the cushion as if buried in it.

Her barely open eyes were unfocused, only staring into space.

Even without medical knowledge like Nina, I knew she didn't have long.

"Aqua…"

I didn't know what to say, so I just knelt down and held her hand.

Her wrinkled hands were so dry they felt as if they were about to crumble away.

"I… have just, one thing… to apologize for, Mentor…"

"… What is it?"

I strained my ears to listen to her every word.

Otherwise, her voice would have been too faint to even hear over a breath.

"My, research topic…"

"Oh."

I hadn't forgotten her research topic. The search for the truth of magic itself.

Certainly, a woman who had infinite longevity could have contributed greatly to the progress of civilization, but for her to apologize…

"I… wasn't, serious… at all."

Eh?

"I just… wanted it, to have impact… I was just, trying to compete with Yuu…"

So that was it…? No, now that I think about it, she didn't really accomplish much compared to the lofty goal of her research topic, and Yuuka was born before she even entered university, so I guess it was inevitable…

I see… so she wasn't serious about it in the first place…

"Oh… I guess, you… realized, Mentor…"

Aqua laughed weakly.

Sorry. I didn't realize at all.

"… What are you talking about, Aqua? You've accomplished your research perfectly."

Despite being shocked on the inside, my mouth was weaving words naturally.

"Magic is the world itself. It is something that is used with will."

I spoke while holding Aqua's hand. Even though I couldn't think straight, these words came from the heart.

"You leaving behind your will has created an entirely new world. It's the greatest and most sacred magic in this world, one that neither I nor Nina have ever used."

"Thank you… so much…"

I was unsure of how she'd receive it, but Aqua's eyes welled with tears.

Three days after that, Aqua passed away.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

"Uaaaaaaah! Ugu, higu… waaaah!"

After being cremated by my flames and amongst the wailing of mourners, Aqua's ashes were collected.

Half of her ashes would stay in this village. The other half would return to the forest elves, her last wish.

"Uaaaaaaah! Ugu, higu… waaaah!"

"Yuuka, don't lose your way, okay?"

"Y-yeah… I'm fine. I've been prepared for this for a long time… and, my mother passed away peacefully… so I'm sure she's with my father right now, having fun."

Patting Yuuka's shoulders after she answered with such composure, I turned my gaze to the two people standing next to me.

"Lufelle, Tia. This must be hard on you two as well…"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's sad, but it's just on the level of being sad…"

The giant and fae both looked at each other with complex expressions.

Well, I understood their feelings.

"Why, why did you diiiiiiie!"

Following the surrounding gazes, I saw her.

Clinging to the sapling which marked the spot her remains were buried was a person sobbing with all her might, Ultramarine.

The fact that she was here despite the fact that she was supposed to be secluded in the forest elves' forest was something I had expected, so I didn't mind it.

"… Was she that close to Aqua?"

Rin's muttering summarized our feelings.

I didn't recall her interacting with Aqua when she visited before, so why was she crying more than anyone else? It made it somewhat difficult to deal with the emotions I felt to the point that I wasn't sure if I should or shouldn't cry.

"No, we hardly ever talked."

Just then, Ultramarine shook her head and spoke up.

"Then why are you crying!"

"I mean, Aqua was was born in the same forest as me. Of course I'd be sad from her dying."

Ultramarine answered Tia's comment as if it was obvious. We were all at a loss for words at her attitude that didn't even have a hint of doubt in it.

"That's just how Ultramarine is."

Nina spoke with a hint of pride in her voice… even though she herself was surprised.

"She's foolish, rash, and thoughtless… but because she's thoughtless, she's always serious, and does everything with all her heart. She doesn't care about anything that someone else has decided."

Of course, other than Ultramarine, no elves who'd decided to stay in the forest came. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Aqua was abandoned by them. In the midst of that, Ultramarine was the only one who mourned Aqua's death from the bottom of her heart.

"I think I'm finally starting to understand why you've been Aqua's best friend for so long."

"Wha-? Who's best friend? Don't just go and disrespect me like that."

Nina answered with a look of surprise as if she'd been caught doing something wrong. How strange…