Chapter 38 - The Shopping District

At the moment she was about to give up everything, he appeared. And a dreamy life continued afterward. It felt like she was born again after dying once. More than all she had, she liked the fact that she was not alone. She liked him who told her that he would not abandon her no matter what. She felt like she was enchanted by magic whenever he called her name and she called his name. Azriel rubbed her eyes and smiled. “Rhema, you are a really good person. Thank you for bringing me with you.”

Rhema closed his mouth and looked at Azriel with strange eyes. There was someone who said this to him a very long time ago. And what did that person say to him after a long time had passed? He mumbled lowly. “I’m not a good person.”

“What?” asked Azriel. His voice was so low that it did not reach Azriel. He shook his head. “Azriel, your ice cream is melting.”

“Oh.” At Rhema’s remark, Azriel looked down at her bowl and rushed to pick up her spoon. She, soon, was so focused on the ice cream that she forgot about Rhema’s reaction.

***

When she opened her eyes, it was a hazy dawn this time. Azriel, who was now sixteen, touched her heavy head and lifted her body. Still, she had no strength in her body.

‘It’s better than yesterday, at least.’ This time, there was no one in the room. She did not see Rhema. She falteringly went to the window. As she breathed in the cool morning air, her head was cleared little by little. Azriel leaned on her elbow on the windowsill. She steadily watched the sun coming up and the view gradually brightening. It was the scenery of the familiar Colte town where she lived for four years, but something was not right. Studying the view for a while, Azriel realized what had changed.

‘It’s because the Colte Castle is gone.’ The castle that could be seen anywhere in the town was nowhere to be seen. Where the castle used to be was empty. Rhema Reshith made it that way. When she was young, Azriel thought Rhema was God. A perfect, great, and nice person. However, no matter how close a wizard he was to God, he was not God. ‘He might not be a particularly good person. He is a good person to me, but…’ Was it true? Was he a good person to her?

“If you become a wizard, I will have to kill you someday,” When he said that, his eyes were indifferent. He was not threatening her but speaking the truth. That was even more creepy. Azriel rubbed her forearm. Then, she felt like she needed to look back. Drawn by that mysterious feeling, she looked back and the air was slightly distorted. And Rhema appeared from there.

“You are up early, Azriel.”

“…It’s because I slept for a lot.” Rhema let go of the spirit that he was grasping. Holding a basket, the spirit began to place food on the table. It was for one person. “Rhema, are you not having breakfast?”

“I already ate.”

“Let’s eat together, from next time.” Azriel unconsciously talked to him in a friendly way. Apart from the way she was appalled by him now, he felt closer as she recalled more past memories. It had to be.

Rhema looked at her silently for a long while. Azriel, who said it without giving much thought, started eating. The foods were soft enough not to burden her stomach. She thought that it would take a while to get used to the spirit’s serving, but she was already accustomed to it. She did not care that Rhema was nearby. It was because of her childhood memory. As soon as she finished eating, Rhema opened his mouth. “How far do you remember?”

“Until I went outside with you for the first time.” Azriel handed over the empty bowl to the spirit and looked back at him. “About that teddy bear… do you still have it? Rhema’s facial expression was distorted a little. He kept his mouth closed for a while as if he did not want to speak and answered her as she gazed at him. “No, it’s no longer here.”

At his answer, Azriel’s heart dropped to her surprise. No matter how many toys she received, there was nothing more precious than that teddy bear to her. Did he abandon it when he abandoned her? Was it an object that meant nothing to him? It felt like the mire was pouring down on her warm, colorful memories. With a slightly shaking voice, Azriel asked. “Did you abandon it… when you abandoned me, that bear?”

“That’s not true.”

“Then what happened?”

“…It was ruined.”

“How come…”

He got rid of it because it was ruined… Azriel blurred the end of her sentence. Would it be possible for something to break to the point where the Wizard of the Horizon could not fix it? Would she remember this, too, if she continued to recall her memory? Ignoring her, Rhema said. “You should sleep more.”

“No, my head doesn’t hurt now. I’ll sleep later.” It was important to revive her memory, but she could not just keep on sleeping. Azriel stood up from her seat. Rhema asked her.

“Then what do you want to do?”

“First… I’d like to see Maylie.” Her only friend’s safety was first. While talking, Azriel thought of Maylie’s mom and the fact that Maylie was saving up money to visit a wizard in the capital to cure her mom’s illness. “Rhema, I don’t cough anymore ever since you stopped it. Did you fix it completely? Can you cure an illness, too?”

“I fixed it, but it was not an illness in your case. It seems like you’ve been living in a bad environment.”

“You can’t cure an illness?”

“No, I can do it.”

“…Well, Maylie’s mom is sick. Can I ask you to cure her?”

“Azriel, you don’t have to ask that with caution like that. I told you that you can ask anything from me.” Rhema calmly told her and stretched out his arm to her, just like the first time they went out together. Azriel put her hand on top of his. The scenery suddenly changed. She flinched and grasped his hand tightly. Unlike the seven-year-old Azriel, the sixteen-year-old Azriel knew how incredible this magic was. It was the magic that disappeared a thousand years ago.

‘…Well, Rhema said he’s been living since then.’ The place they arrived was the kitchen and living room of an old and dark house. A white cat roaming around the living room rushed to Azriel and rubbed her body against her legs.

[Meow. Meow.]

“Blanchet? You became a cat again.” Blanchet smiled bending her eyes. Rhema spoke. “Blanchet doesn’t like to mimic humans, unlike Noir. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, she’ll be in this form.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Blanchet, where is the sick girl?” Blanchet looked sharply at Rhema and hit the floor hard with her tail. Then she turned to Azriel and shook her head with her ears dropped. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand you,” Azriel said embarrassingly. Rhema understood it but did not say anything. When Rhema came to check on Blanchet after Azriel fell asleep yesterday, Blanchet already told him.

“There is a patient in this house. It’s the mom of Azriel’s friend, please cure her.”

For Rhema, it was a simple job like breathing. Even so, he ignored it when Blanchet mentioned it. Then he now came back looking for the sick person. Blanchet was dumbfounded. It would have been better if he cured her beforehand. ‘He wasn’t like this before at least…’ After the incident that happened when Azriel was ten, he became even more ignorant about humans. Blanchet sighed and turned around as if she wanted them to follow her.

“Azriel!”

Maylie, who was coming out of the inner room with a basin in her hand, ran into them. At her scream, three little, cute kids stuck their heads out of the room.

“Oh, Azriel!”

“Sister!”

Azriel greeted Maylie’s younger siblings with a smile and turned to Maylie. “Maylie, Rhema is going to cure your mom’s illness.”

“What? Really?” Maylie was taken aback. Rhema, who was standing behind Azriel, came forward. “Azriel asked me. Step aside.”

“Yes, yes!” As she stepped aside, fumbling, Rhema opened the door. The kids who were gathered around the door scattered to a corner as they were startled. Not paying attention to that, he went into the narrow room and approached the mid-aged woman lying on the bed. He placed his hand on her sweaty forehead.

“Reshith.” He murmured a small whisper. Azriel, who entered after Rhema, momentarily saw a group of stars whining near his hand. When she blinked, it disappeared in no time. “It’s done.”

“Pardon?” It was a brief instant. Maylie asked back, stupefied. “It’s already over? The cure?” Not responding to her, Rhema glanced at Azriel and called Blanchet. “Blanchet.”

[Meow.]

“Help them move anywhere they want to and provide them with a proper amount of wealth. Take care of them until they are settled. I’ll leave it up to you.” He randomly threw something that he took out from his chest. Banchet jumped up and caught it with her mouth. It was a gem about the size of a child’s fist.

“Rh, Rhema?”

“Azriel, you don’t have to worry about them anymore.” He plainly spoke and slightly tilted his head. “Is there anyone else you want to help? Feel free to tell me.”

“Wait a minute, so…”

“Is there anyone else you want to save?” Again another memory passed by. The white robe on Rhema was dyed in red. Red liquid splashed on his face dripped down and fell from his chin. The grey eyes were like frozen pieces of iron. ‘What is it? What kind of memory is this?’

“Oww…” A stinging pain penetrated her head. Azriel wrapped her head and staggered. Rhema’s face suddenly changed.

“As I said, you’d better sleep more.” He said as he helped to sway Azriel. When Maylie, who was blown away, was about to thank him, Rhema and Azriel suddenly disappeared. Before arriving at their inn room, Azriel fell asleep in his arms as if she fainted.

***

There was a village called Hanora beyond the woods where there was Rhema’s house. It was a tiny village that even the lord of the region was unaware of. In the woods near the village, there was not a single monster which was usually common. People did not know the reason very well. Only sensible wizards could tell that mana flowed oddly in the whole forest and thought that this was why monsters did not live there. In reality, It was the result of Rhema Reshith rooting out all the monsters for the reason of them being dirty and noisy and twisted the whole surrounding mana so that they could not approach.

The village people knew that the silver-haired wizard living in the woods did not like to get along with people. Still, the wizard helped them when they occasionally asked for help, if it was not too bothersome.

It was the fall. Tom of the Hanora Village, stirred around the forest holding a net with his peers who were about ten years old. It was to catch a rabbit. When the place where rabbit footprints were seen neared, the kids began to move carefully holding their breaths. They could feel something move beyond the bush. A kid was startled and threw the net. They could hear a sharp cry.

“Wh, what is that? Is it not a rabbit?”

“Hey, you can’t just throw the net first!” Scolding his friend, Tom pulled the net. He pulled thinking they certainly caught something and it was a cat with black fur. Green eyes were fiercely looking up at them. “This cat, it’s Mr. Wizard’s cat!”

“Noir!”  

They heard a girl’s voice. Then the cat bared its teeth, cut off the net instantly, and landed on the ground with ease. A girl in a grey coat appeared before the confused kids. It was Azriel Esthera.