“I’m not going─!!!”
Early morning.
A wailing sound, akin to a scream, echoes faintly through the peaceful forest.
“I never said anything like that─!! Why are you changing your words now─!!!”
Ellie’s desperate cry shook the air.
The birds, startled, flew off the branches in a flurry.
“I’m not going!! I’m going to live with the Nun for the rest of my life─!!”
“…….”
I let out a quiet sigh.
To be honest, I somewhat expected this reaction.
However, just because I expected it didn’t make my heart any lighter.
Seeing Ellie, who was clinging to me and crying, made an inexplicable heaviness settle in my chest.
“Enough already. You’re eighteen now. How long are you going to cling to Levi?”
“Even so, suddenly taking on a request with an uncertain return is strange─!!”
“We’re not an ordinary party. As much as we’ve been counted on, we need to start showing results.”
“We’ve already taken down several demons… We’ve saved many villages in crisis…”
“That’s not enough. It’s far from enough.”
Unlike the previous night, Aizen spoke to Ellie with a considerably firm tone.
It seems that Aizen had managed to sort out the confusion in his mind from our conversations the night before.
“That’s right, Ellie. It’s not like we won’t meet again.”
“But still… but still….”
“It’s really sad that you all can’t gain more fame just because of one person.”
“What good is that fame… Now I can finally face the Nun honestly….”
Ellie’s trembling as she leaned against me was transmitted entirely to my body.
Even though I gently hugged Ellie to calm her down and carefully stroked her back, her small body didn’t settle at all.
“Aizen, please take care of Ellie.”
Just as I was about to forcibly separate Ellie and hand her over to Aizen, Ellie clung to me even more tightly and began to cry out even louder than before.
“I wish we were much stronger than the Nun─!! Then we would have a reason, and it would be okay─!!”
“Stop. If this goes on, I’ll be up all night.”
Forcibly prying Ellie off, I took another deep sigh.
At the same time, I removed Iris and Rune, who had been quietly clinging to my sides like cicadas, and spoke softly with a troubled expression.
“If you really don’t want to part from me, then become much stronger during this journey. Then I’ll accept your protection without any words.”
“…Is that possible?”
“Of course. You’ve already surpassed your limits once.”
Although I answered Iris’s question calmly, honestly, I couldn’t help but have strong doubts about whether these kids could surpass me.
Their levels could no longer be easily raised by any common means, and they were close to reaching the limits of what they could experience.
Now they needed to play in a bigger pond…
But I wasn’t sure how much they could grow against demons that no longer wielded the same influence as before.
“Then Levi, we’ll be going now. I’ll write you letters from time to time, so you must stay healthy until we return.”
“…Wait a moment, Aizen.”
Just as Aizen was about to use force to hold onto the struggling kids and leave.
I hastily grabbed Aizen’s arm, halting his steps.
“What is it?”
“Is the Greatsword I broke yesterday okay?”
I was still worrying about the half-broken Greatsword strapped to Aizen’s back.
Since he hadn’t said anything until now, it didn’t seem to be that important, but still, since I broke it, I should compensate to some degree.
“Oh, this? It’s fine. It was a Greatsword given to me as a gift from my master, but since it’s broken, there’s nothing that can be done. I can just buy a new one in the village.”
“…That’s not fine at all. Let me see it.”
After receiving the half-broken Greatsword from Aizen, I immediately dropped a drop of blood to restore it to its original form.
I don’t know how long this will last, but it should be sufficient for temporary use.
“It will hold up until we buy a new Greatsword. I’m sorry for breaking your precious Greatsword.”
“Oh… What’s this? The broken part is bright red…”
“Others might find it off-putting, so keep it hidden in the village as much as possible.”
“Off-putting?! Instead, it’s unique and cool!! I hope it stays like this─!!”
“It won’t hold up for that long. Don’t think about that and make sure to buy a new one in the village.”
As soon as the conversation with Aizen ended, Ellie and Iris, who had been quietly watching, suddenly began to sparkle with excitement in their eyes.
They quickly glanced at the weapons they were holding and rapidly blinked their eyelids.
“I’ll say it in advance, but asking for the same treatment as Aizen just because it broke suddenly won’t work.”
“It’s unfair that only Aizen gets it done…. We also want weapons touched by the Nun’s hand….”
“Aizen, let’s hurry and take her away.”
With my quiet remark, Aizen seemed to ponder for a moment.
But soon, his face filled with determination, and he quickly started gathering Ellie and Iris.
“I’ll really be going this time─!! When I come back, I’ll be even more amazing than now─!!”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
The process was quite noisy, but despite that, parting with the kids ended unexpectedly simply.
Ellie, struggling and held by the nape of her neck by Aizen, and Iris and Rune, who couldn’t step away easily and kept looking back.
“Nun─!!”
Watching the children’s slowly receding figures until the very end made my heart swell with an odd feeling.
A scene far too unfamiliar to me.
As the kids, who had always swiftly returned after leaving, began to go their own ways one by one, I inexplicably felt the vacant space they left behind, making my mood uncomfortable.
“…….”
Finally, the kids disappeared completely from my sight.
It was only after a bit more time had passed that I could finally move, but the abruptly quiet church felt awfully strange.
– Rustle
The branches of the World Tree gently shook above me.
Hearing that sound, a bitter smile escaped my lips involuntarily.
“I’m not following. Do you think I’m that fervent?”
– Rustle
“The children, blessed with various gifts as a Messiah… Worrying about them is pointless.”
– Rustle
“I think I’ll take this opportunity to go on a journey as well. I’ve been unable to leave the church while taking care of the kids….”
As soon as I said that, the World Tree, which had been reacting by shaking its branches, suddenly stopped moving.
“Why? Are you scared of being alone?”
As my words finished, a random fruit fell suddenly from between the dense leaves.
It seemed I had struck a nerve.
“Well, what can I do? I can’t carry the World Tree around with me.”
– Rustle
“I’m planning to leisurely follow in the children’s footsteps. I’ll be sightseeing in whatever village they visit.”
– Rustle
“Honestly, I don’t harbor any strong ill feelings toward you. But for this time, I can’t help it. So, please take good care of the church until I return.”
Considering how the World Tree had grumbled at me all this time, I wouldn’t feel sorry if it were chopped down immediately.
Of course, I knew there was a reason behind its behavior, stemming from a concern for the children.
“…….”
However, unlike the neglectful World Tree, which wanted things to be resolved on their own.
Watching the kids, who had been so clumsy at that time, I always found myself clashing with the World Tree because I wanted to ensure they were raised safely.
That conflict gradually lessened after the kids grew to a certain extent.
But for some reason, the usual built-up displeasure led to many misalignments in daily life, making our relationship gradually awkward.
In short, we simply didn’t mesh well.
I didn’t understand why I had to maintain such an uncomfortable relationship with a tree that couldn’t even speak.
– Rustle
Ignoring the World Tree, which was constantly shaking its branches above me.
I gently took out the new veil and gloves I had prepared beforehand before the kids left.
The veil was a makeshift creation with an additional piece of cloth added to the existing form to create a rough cover.
However, it didn’t pose major issues for covering my face.
Since the cloth wasn’t dense, my vision wouldn’t be significantly obstructed.
When leaving as my usual self, there were too many potential misunderstandings with people.
So, I thought this was enough to move around with some comfort.
“Well, now there’s no need to pretend to be a Nun…. Should I buy some clothes in the village?”
As I muttered that softly and was tidying up to leave.
– Tap
The World Tree, which had just been towering before me, unexpectedly vanished without a trace.
In a quite sudden situation, I hurriedly looked around with a dazed expression, but there was no sign of the World Tree anywhere.
Only a necklace I had never seen before lay desolately on the thick weeds.
“…….”
The design wasn’t particularly striking, nor were there any lavish jewels set into it, so I initially didn’t think much of it.
But if the World Tree suddenly disappeared in this situation and only the necklace remained.
Anyone would immediately deduce that this necklace was the World Tree.
“If this were possible, it would have followed the kids instead of trying to follow me.”
The World Tree, now in the form of a necklace, said nothing.
It seemed to merely fulfill the role of a crude accessory, quietly awaiting to be draped around my neck.
“…What the hell, this is ridiculous.”
I felt a bit uneasy, but to just leave behind the World Tree putting in this much effort wasn’t an option.
I reluctantly secured the necklace inside my clothing, letting out a small, reluctant sigh.
“If it could at least speak, it would be less frustrating…”
As soon as I put on the necklace, an unexplainable calm began to wash over me rapidly.
It seemed to be a subtle effect emanating from the necklace itself.
Unfortunately, I was always quite composed, so such an effect wasn’t particularly necessary for me.
So, perhaps it just felt like an unnecessary burden.
“Unless something significant occurs, I probably won’t run into the kids, so it’s better not to have any expectations from the start.”
The necklace, which didn’t respond at all to my words.
Nevertheless, I continued to speak calmly until the end.
“Especially since I won’t encounter any demons either. My purpose for this journey is solely healing.”
The necklace still showed no response.
It merely swayed lightly within my clothing─.
