It’s about time I go as well.」
「Haha, even I am surprised about this tenacity of mine. But it’s better that I leave soon before something even stronger keeps me here. — I hope Merea will wonder me by surviving.」
「It’s Fine. Merea is serious about living here. He was dead once, I wonder if that made his will to live.」
「One thing, do tell me.」
「I wonder if, Heavenly Dragon Clautice, is friends with Merea.」
「Haha, That’s a good enough answer.」
At the peak of the Lindholm sacred mountain the wind was blowing because of the current season.
And the Heavenly Dragon had lowered its body to the corner of the Sacred Mountain and had a conversation with the spirit whose limbs had begun to disappear.
「Maybe things will go against the way you want them to be because you help them. However, there is still hope. — We were watching Merea. But, its unlikely that I’ll to be able to watch him anymore.」
「Watch, if Merea is in agony like I was, please help him.」
「I will cherish that.」
The legs of Flounder were almost gone.
「-You’re going.」
「The other spirits are?」
「You guys are strangely stubborn.」
「It’s a strange irony.」
The arms of Flounder disappeared, only his face and body remained.
I was a gentle smile, one that seemed to have a bit o trouble, and reflected a bit of sadness somewhere, a strange smile.
「Please say to Merea that I said 『I’m sorry to leave you behind.』.」
「『Thank you』had been written already. The moment Merea awakes he will see it, those words.」
「Oh, tell him after that about the 『Demon Lord Hunt』, or not, I already explained it if you don’t want to talk about it. But because it’s a story that no matter how many times you hear it isn’t enough, I think it’s better to explain it」
「It’s likely that Merea will be labeled as a Demon Lord. I wonder, is there a specialized technique in the hands of a Demon Lord in the stories you heard?」
「That’s all I want you to do.」
「Really… Such a convenient word. It looks like everything but that has been hidden. There isn’t a such a meaning to the word. If you know it, you can’t say it.」
「A foolishly sweet country huh…」
「–Yeah.」
At that moment Clautice and Flounder had the name of a certain country in mind.
「If the demon lords were to stop having to run away, I’m sure it would be because of that country.」
「Well, if such a country were to possibly obtain the whereabouts, make sure to tell Merea.」
「Haha, that’s right.」
Flounder’s form began to shake, his face and body had begun to turn into particles in the air like a fog, and his words became distorted.
「When Merea is labelled as a Demon Lord, When such a time of trouble arrives — Tell him to survive in the east of the continent and aim to enter [Remius Kingdom], I’ll leave for you to tell him that there is the core form of 『Sweetness』. If it’s you doing so, I’m sure it will help Merea.」
Clautice checked that the name of the country that Flounder said was the same that of the one on his mind, and nodded for him to be at peace of mind.
「That’s… the hometown of Lei Lace.」
「- Did he ask?」
「What has become of that kingdom right now.」
「Indeed. They went in to a good direction after I left.」
「–Really.」
「Not that I should be interfering with the current era. After all — I’ll leave that to those that are currently living.」
Suddenly, Flounder’s face that was fluctuating looked up to the sky.
Clautice soon did the same
「Even so, Lei Lace has gone ahead. For the wife to go first, but I will soon follow.」
Flounder’s face wasn’t visible, but Flounder certainly shot a smile towards the sky.
「Because Lei Lace did not have a calm personality despite her appearance.」
「Fufu, yeah.」
Clautice also, was looking towards the sky, and shot a smile which couldn’t be held in.
「–」
Silence
– It feels like the world had stopped.
That is — when partings had to be done.
「I’ll soon go to where she is.」
「… oh.」
The eyes of Heavenly Dragon Clautice had a tinge of sadness.
「Then at last. I will go to the [Heavenly Sea of Souls]」
「Oh. — Soul trapped in regret, now is the time to unlock the spell that has kept you here. — Farewell, spirits of the past.」
That day, in a place that Merea was unaware, the spirits who were at te Lindholm sacred mountain had ascended in to the sky and cut of their regrets.
Merea would know that they were gone after a few hours.
Merea was dazed in the stone hut that stood on the sacred mountain, the voice of the Heavenly Dragon echoed to the inside of the stone hut.
When he went out of the hut, Merea heard about Flounder from Heavenly Dragon Clautice.
He was speechless.
To Heavenly Dragon Clautice, the face of Merea which floated the smile seemed to overlap with Flounder’s.
「… I knew. The time i was with Flounder amount to barely ten years. The long time I spent growing up with them. … I… because of everyone… had realized that… –」
One tear fell from Merea’s eye, then drop from drop they began to fall like an overflowing torrent.
「– I’ll make everyone’s graves now. After that i’ll begin my descent to the lower part of the mountain.」
「Because everyone was a spirit of the past. They were probably forgotten. But as the proof that that they indeed lived as proud heroes, I want to stand on that world. They were betrayed, they failed too, still, I want for them to become heroes, they were the hero for me who wanted salvation.I think they’re amazing.」
「So, to prove that they were indeed a hero, i will leave here a mark. Their feelings that never weathered.」
「I’ll go find it.」
「It know. Flounder also said so. So I think that I would be the hero for the things that I want to protect. It was their fundamental spirit. So now is a hero for Flounder. They wanted it to live in me. A hero to fulfill their hope, I will be standing here.」
「Yeah, thank you Clautice.」
「The irony of Clautice would be good thoughts for me?」
「Yup.」
The sky as they looked up from the peak of the sacred mountain, was as if the clouds were calling.
「-Then bye.」
「Yeah.」
Heavenly Dragon Clautice disappeared into the sky.
Merea was the onde person remaining at the peak of Lindholm Sacred Mountain.
That day [Merea ⋅ Mea] – was finally alone.