Chapter 61 - The Goodbye and Reunion

The Wizard of the Horizon could turn stones into gold and pause time. However, it was impossible for him to maintain the current life, which was what he desired the most in his heart.

Rhema pushed her gently. Kneeling down, he looked at her golden eyes at the eye level.

“Azriel.”

“Rhema…”

“I think the time to say goodbye has come. It’s for your sake.”

“… What?”

Azriel was so surprised that she almost hiccuped. It was like crude lightning in the dry sky. Rhema casually continued.

“You’d better forget about magic, too. If you continue to grow as a wizard, I’ll have to see your end. Living as a normal person without magic will be much happier.”

“Wait, Rhema… what are you talking about?”

“It’ll be the best for both of us before you become more precious to me.”

Azriel stopped crying. She asked back, fumbling.

“Rhema, I don’t understand a single word you are saying now.”

“I’m saying we should go back to before we meet.”

Stroking her hair, he kindly spoke. With her eyes widened, Azriel stopped breathing. She could not breathe.

“Rhema, are you… abandoning me?”

“I’m not abandoning you. We are just parting.”

“That’s, that’s the same thing. Why? Why so suddenly… Is it because I blamed you? I…”

“It’s not because you did something wrong, Azriel.”

He picked up the girl, who had dropped down on the stairs, with ease. Going up the stairs, he calmly continued.

“Just because we go back to before, your life won’t be as miserable as that time. I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy now!”

Azriel yelled like a scream. Turning pale, she clung to his body.

“I’m sorry, Rhema. I won’t blame you for this again. It was my bad…”

To Azriel, the people of Hanora Village were very precious. However, they were not as precious as Rhema even if all of them were combined. She realized that fact clearly at this very moment. Crying, she put her arms around his neck.

“I won’t, I won’t ever do that again, so please don’t abandon me. Please…”

“I’m not abandoning you. I will find people who will look after you, so that you can live happily.” 

Coming up to the living room, Rhema put her down on the couch. Azriel held onto his arms that were putting her down.

“I don’t know the difference. Rhema, I want to live here. I want to stay with you. Please, please don’t leave me…”

“I will prepare a better environment than living here, so don’t worry about it. You will be able to get along with more people than now.”

He gently pushed her. His tone was kind but stern. Azriel realized that he would never reverse his decision. She looked up at the cold and beautiful wizard.

“…Can I see Rhema there from time to time? Will you come to see me? Or, I will come to see you!”

It was what she desperately thought of. Rhema shook his head.

“No, we won’t be able to see each other again. I will make you forget about me with magic.”

“Forget… about you? Rhema? About magic, too?” Azriel blankly asked.

‘Is this a continuation of the nightmare I had this morning? I must be still in the nightmare. Rhema would never do this to me,’ She thought.

He fainty frowned and raised the tip of her mouth. The face he forcibly made did not look like a smile at all.

“It will be better for you if you forget about me completely.”

“No! It’s not better! I don’t want to forget!”

She frantically shook her head. Familiar spirits and the spirit were anxiously watching them from the kitchen.

“If you forget about everything, you’ll be fine. There will be no need to feel sad like now.”

Rhema held his hand out toward her. Azriel could see stars storming at the tip of his hand. It was the flow of mana that would look like a spider web spreading to him.

‘Is this real? It’s a lie, isn’t it? Like this, right now?’ 

The girl screamed desperately.

“You said you won’t leave me! You said you will stay by me whatever I do! You said you’d take care of me until the end!”

“I’m sorry, Azriel.”

He lowered his head. His silver eyelashes were lowered and silver hair flowed down. A calm face and cold grey eyes but shaking eyes.

Sixteen-year-old Azriel noticed again this time. The memory she remembered momentarily before was this moment.

Ten-year-old Azriel clung to him and cried.

“No, please don’t! Don’t erase anything!”

Rhema silently placed his hand on her forehead. Not being able to brush off that hand, Azriel only cried.

“Please, Rhema.”

The girl’s lips trembled. Unable to look at her in the eye, Rhema avoided her eyes.

“Pl…”

Azriel’s plea could not continue and stopped. Rhema quickly caught the girl who collapsed like a doll.

“You, really…”

Blanchet shut Noir, who was about to say something, by striking him. Noir dropped his ears and lowered his tail. The spirit slowly blinked.

The face of the wizard, who was looking down at the girl who lost her consciousness, was pathetically grim. Nonetheless, Rhema Reshith did not know that he had such an expression on his face.