Volume 5 Chapter 51 Memories To Remember. And What Appears Is...
"Whoa, it's cold. Really cold. Feels kinda nice. When I'm around, the weather gets rough, but snow never falls."
These are memories from long ago.
At the top of a snowy mountain, a girl sat alone in a chair, reading a book.
Terra Disas walked up to her, wearing just a short-sleeved shirt and long pants.
"...You went from living on a deserted island to turning this place into a snowy mountain. Didn't you use too much power? And for a long time too."
"...And what if I did?"
The girl lifted her eyes from the book and looked at Terra. Her silver hair swayed gently.
She was a beautiful girl with silver hair and a large chest. Cute and pretty all at once. Her beauty had no strong presence behind it—more like she was just reading without much care.
* * *
"...You're still upset, huh? About Mom. She left without a word, just one letter. Said we need to stop depending on her."
"That's not true. I understand why Mama did what she did."
"Right. Says the one who made a whole mountain of snow. Gai and Zethar are both feeling down since she left. So is Ran. It's like everyone has a hole in their heart."
"..."
The girl, Ran, closed the book and placed it on the small round table beside her.
"Do you know how much love we, the Four Dragons, were given after we were taken in? If you think about that, of course we'd feel lost now that Mama is gone."
"You saying that so calmly shows you're still clinging to her."
"..."
Ran went quiet. She knew he was right.
"In the end, Mom's human. Not like us dragons. She has a short life. If you think about it, maybe leaving early wasn't such a bad idea."
"...A thousand years ago. Around when the Order of the Sealed Dragon was formed. Back then, strong humans could live for 200 years. Mama might be..."
"Yeah, it's possible. But even a thousand years ago, that wasn't a sure thing. And 200 years is still nothing for a dragon."
"I know that."
Ran sighed.
To understand something is knowledge. To accept it is emotion.
Even if someone important leaves, whether you can accept it or not is different for everyone.
"Mama—'Agris of the Four Source Maidens'—her disappearance shook the world. She left at a time when she still could've changed everything. People still remember that."
"Yeah. So what now? If you can't forget her, maybe it's okay to go search for her."
"Search for her?"
If someone is missing and you still want to see them, then go look.
That was Terra's simple answer.
But Ran couldn't think of what to do.
Maybe because someone who hides doesn't want to be found...
"You won't find her that easily. You'll need to travel. This is a good chance to see the world. Living alone on that island near the Great Gold Mine won't change anything."
"..."
"Gai gave Zethar the same talk. Do whatever you want."
"And what about you, Terra?"
"You don't notice some things until someone's gone. I'll see the world with my own eyes."
"You? The guy who messes with weather? Seeing the world? That sounds dangerous."
"You talk too much."
Terra turned his back to her.
"...Terra."
"Yeah?"
"Do you regret anything?"
"...Yeah. I should've made more promises."
"Promises?"
"We live a long time. That means we can connect things across years. Promises are part of that."
Most people can't make promises for the next 100 or 200 years. Humans think only 10 or 20 years ahead. Even leaders of big nations are the same.
But sometimes, someone can make such a promise.
"If there's a promise you need to keep someday... then staying alone on that island isn't the only way to live."
"...You're right."
A swirling portal appeared next to Ran. The chair and table vanished.
"...A promise. Even now, isn't it okay to hold on to that?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's find Mama. And while we do, let's collect promises too."
Ran gave a small laugh and smiled. Seeing that, Terra walked away with peace in his heart.
* * *
"...Ugh, I'm..."
The hero's mansion.
Rangella sat up in bed, forehead wet with sweat.
"The big news lately is that my master beat the God of Sealing, Shildress. I'm... my memory?"
A rush of memories hit her. Her body swayed from the shock.
"Ahh, my head feels heavy. At a time like this..."
She walked to the fridge in the corner of the room and pulled out an ice pop.
Munch
She shoved the whole thing in her mouth and chomped it!
"Aaaagh! Brain freeze!"
Wasn't there a better way?
If the people who saw her as the hero who saved the world knew about this, how many would lose faith?
"...Phew."
Now calm, Rangella changed clothes and headed down to the lobby on the first floor.
"Ah, Master. Good morning."
"Morning."
Horace, reading the newspaper, looked very sleepy.
...Of course he did.
He had defeated two of the Five Divine Gods and was still looking for the other three.
No clues. No hope. No wonder he looked drained.
"...You look pretty lively today, Rangella."
"As a hero, I've fought right after waking up so many times. I'm used to it now."
You wouldn't expect that from someone who needs an ice pop to wake up, but hey—ignorance is bliss.
"...Master, what's next? We've got no clues about the other gods..."
"Yeah, that's true..."
Horace put the paper on the table, stood up, and stretched.
"What should I do...?"
Just then, someone knocked at the door.
Horace was closest, so he answered it.
"Who knocks this early in the morning?"
Still half-asleep, he walked to the door and opened it a bit.
There stood a tall man with long black hair tied back with a string.
He had a sword at his waist and stood with perfect form.
"Uh..."
"Are you Horace?"
"Yeah, I'm Horace..."
"I see. I've been wanting to meet you."
The man smiled kindly.
"Ah, and who are you?"
Rangella called out from behind.
"Oh, right. I haven't introduced myself."
The man nodded.
"I am Sumeragi. One of the Five Divine Gods. The 'God of Iron-Slicing.'"
So here he was.
A god.
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