Farewell

Chapter XXXII

Farewell

The following weeks after finding the treasure were hectic. Enji was swamped with management work, and every day they had a meeting to discuss and decide on things. The meeting today was centered on the topic of the village. One of his problems was Eithea. She wanted to begin expanding and improving the town right away. She was reminded that, first, they needed to populate it, and finding people willing to live with monsters would prove to be a difficult task. They were also exploring the possibility of establishing communication with the goblins in the Bluegrassland maze to invite them to live at the village. What was agreed upon was that, in addition to needing more people, they needed to establish an industry that would generate income to make the village self-sustaining.

Enji left that decision to people more qualified for it. He wanted to do what he most desired: crack the code on the ancient magic grimoires.

When the meeting was adjourned, only Skia remained in the office with Enji. Sitting on the sofa, she proceeded to polish her sword like she always did when bored.

“Why didn’t you go with Eithea and the girls to the village?” Enji asked.

“Worm, do you want to get rid of me?”

“No, but there is no excitement in what I’m doing.”

“I like to watch you.”

“Oh, okay.” Enji decided to ignore her presence and resume work where he had left off before the meeting. Galakei would come later, after her beauty sleep, as she called it.

Enji laid all the ancient magic grimoires he had obtained on the table, arranging them in two groups: those that let him use the power of the ‘sug’ and the ones that contained magic spells and had been partially translated.

He pondered as he looked at them. It was a mystery as to who wrote them and why they were left in the labyrinths. The historical records weren’t of much use. They discussed several larger-than-life individuals who seemed more myth than reality. The most prominent of those was a mage named Skilintar, who attained the title of Supreme Mage. The records described him, including his appearance, place of birth, and interests, but not whether he ever wrote a grimoire or developed a new magic spell.

Enji rose from his chair and went to the bookcase on the wall. The king, Galakei, and Eithea had provided him with several books for him to study. He took an old, worn book and sat down again.

Enji read, “...his blessed brow was adorned with a golden circlet wrought by the gods themselves; upon his body he wore the purple robes of his class, embroidered with silver and gold threads, and a divine dagger he carried on an ornate belt...

“Dagger?”

He pulled the items from an armoire that were found together with the grimoires. He laid them next to each book: a belt, a dagger, and the magnifying glass.

“Hey, Skia, do you remember if there were any items next to the grimoire at the orcs’ cave?”

Skia stopped what she was doing. “Sol did most of the search, and I was occupied binding those priests. We should ask everyone—ah! The Long-ears was also there.”

“Let’s find them and ask.” Enji headed out of his office together with Skia.

***

Enji’s inquiries were partially answered. Eithea had contacted the palace via mail bird, and after a few days, they confirmed that the grimoire the king had gifted Enji was indeed found together with an item. It was a worn and faded robe that, when new, could have been purple.

As for the other, no one in the party remembered seeing anything at the orc’s cavern, so it was decided to revisit it. Silsil insisted on accompanying them. Enji initially thought it could be depressing for him, but then realized he wanted to visit the place where he grew up.

Silsil had already exceeded Enji’s height by ten centimeters, and he had improved his ability to speak the local language, even surpassing Oma; it is said that young children learn faster than adults.

The two parties entered the labyrinth.

There were no traces of the orcs’ bodies, since the forest would have devoured them as it shifted.

They encountered the annoying parrots in one clearing, but Simier’s party had with them a magical device that was actually a loud whistle that scared the birds away.

Some time later, Oma gestured for everyone to stop. The frontliners moved forward in the group and were the first to exit into the clearing. Having learned from their previous experience with the noble Shakos, the spearman Hin and Popa remained outside the slate stone gate as lookouts.

The rest progressed down the ramp until reaching the lake’s chamber. Once at the foot of the stone staircase, the search began.

The two parties began searching for something that might exist or not, and were unsure what it could be. The best Enji could guess was that it was something personal of the mage Skilintar.

Lumo was the most suited for the task due to his tracking and trap-finding skills, but after an hour of searching, he gave up.

“It seems like we wasted our trip, lord lad.” Simier sat next to Enji when they all took a breather.

“I did have some hope, but it is what it is.” Enji shrugged his shoulders.

Oma came to Enji, accompanied by the orc boy. “Silsil said something.”

Enji looked at the boy, who seemed a little shy. “What is it?”

“Papa would let Silsil search?”

“If you want, go ahead.” Enji figured that the boy wanted to be useful, so he agreed.

Silsil and Oma headed to one of the openings that several members of both parties had already explored.

“Smart fella he is,” Simier said. “I would never have thought that orcs would get along with us.”

“Yes, perhaps in the future we’ll meet others like him.”

“Worm, we should depart shortly if we want to leave the labyrinth by daylight.” Skia sat next to Enji.

“Let’s wait until Silsil gets tired of searching and—” He couldn’t continue, the orc boy was approaching them with something in his hands.

“Silsil, give Papa what elder Rakrak kept hidden.” He presented to Enji a gold circlet and a ring. Enji, with mouth agape, stared at the two items.

Simier laughed. “We could have saved time if the fella wasn’t so timid.” He kept laughing, drawing everyone else’s attention.

***

Galakei examined the objects on the table. “What are you trying to achieve with all this?”

“I have no idea,” Enji replied.

Galakei took the ring and the circlet. “Have you tried them on?”

“Try them on? No.”

“Go ahead.” She handed the items to him. Enji donned both items. Galakei then removed her robe and gave it to Enji, remaining in a baggy pants and shirt. “Now wear the belt.”

Enji went one step further and took the magnifying glass to his eye, trying to look serious.

Galakei laughed. “You are too young to represent a dignified old mage scholar.”

Enji began removing the items, but when he placed the ring on top of one of the grimoires, the ring emitted a faint light. Enji removed the circlet, and the glow disappeared.

“Put it back on!” Galakei urged him.

The ring glowed again.

“Let me try.” Galakei donned the circlet and ring, then took the grimoire and began to turn its pages. “Ohh, this is great! Yes, divine... this is...incredible!”

Enji, on tenterhooks, listened as the mage uttered unfinished phrases without letting him know what she had discovered.

Finally, she looked at Enji and said, “If Skilintar indeed penned these grimoires, he must have been either a prankster or a distrustful man.”

“What do you mean?”

“To decipher the incantations in the grimoires, it was not only a matter of translating the language but also having the key to the codes.” Galakei pointed to the ring.

For the next few days, they translated the grimoires, but still couldn’t find a spell in them that could take Enji back to Japan.

“Thus, all we have left is to wait for [graks] to appear and try to capture Dangoor or someone like him.”

“I only recorded his summoning spell and not the one he used to escape.” Enji sighed.

“You kept the crystal, right?” Galakei asked.

“Yes, I keep it in the lock box.” He kept it safeguarded; he didn’t want a portal to be opened by accident and summoning ‘graks’ inside the villa. Enji opened the metal box and pulled from it the crystal stone in question. “If you chant the command ‘list,’ the whole incantation will be echoed through the translator. Enji removed the arm brace and gave it to Galakei.

The mage gave the command and listened for a moment. “If I want to repeat it?’

“Just chant it again.”

She chanted for a second time. “There seems to be another incantation.

“Another?” Enji took back the translator and the spellstone. “Yes. There is another—that’s the spell Dangoor used to escape!”

“Why is there?”

Enji pondered for a moment. “I’m suspecting that I never stopped the ‘run’ command for recording, and when I moved near Dangoor, it recorded what the translator heard from him.” Enji listened again. “It seems that it’s not complete; the spell length must have topped the crystal capacity, filling it to the max.”

“Then let’s start working on it,” Galakei cheerfully commanded.

***

But things never worked as one wished. A few days later, when Enji waited for the mage at his office, Maka came rushing in, informing him that the mage had collapsed.

They all rushed to Galakei’s room. There, Elpinia and Silma were casting on her healing spells.

Enji watched the mage, who lay in her bed with her eyes closed. Her complexion was a paler shade than usual, and her breathing was labored.

There was nothing they could do at the moment but wait for her vampire race’s intrinsic regeneration to kick in.

Enji, to take his mind off the sick mage, dedicated his time to cracking the teleportation or transmigration spell.

A few days later, he succeeded in teleporting himself a short distance, but that didn’t cheer him at all. Galakei was still in a coma-like state with no signs of getting better.

That night, he made a decision. He took a dagger and headed to Galakei’s room.

“Where are you going, my worm?” Skia stood in the hall with her arms crossed under her bosom. Enji didn’t care if she was almost naked with just her camisole; his mind was set on achieving what he was going to do.

“Skia, please let me pass.”

“Elpinia was right. She predicted what you intend to do.”

“Do you blame me?” Tears slid down Enji’s cheeks.

“No, my worm, I understand you perfectly. Come, let’s go together.”

When they arrived at the mage’s room, Elpinia was already there with the vampires Lia and Maka.

“I see you have made your decision, Lord Mage.” Elpinia rose from the side of Galakei’s bed where she had been sitting.

“I must!”

Elpinia turned her head to look at Galakei. “Then proceed with it. She’s suffering.”

Enji stood next to Galakei. He unsheathed the dagger and made a deep gash in the palm of his hand. He tried to get Galakei to drink his blood, but she didn’t respond.

“You might have to force it,” was Elpinia’s observation. Enji sucked the blood from his hand and pressed his lips on Galakei’s lips to deliver the blood. He repeated it a few times; the taste of blood was intermingled with that of his tears, and the pit in his stomach grew deeper as his desperation increased. He heard voices, but he didn’t seem to register what they said. Skia had to pull him from the mage forcefully.

“Let’s hope it works and she’s not too far gone,” Elpinia said.

***

Enji lay on the sofa in his office, where he had practically barricaded himself, not wanting to see anyone. Skia had to break the door down to get him to eat. The girls have been by his side ever since.

“Lord Hasegawa, you have a visit,” Maka announced.

“I don’t want to see anyone.”

“Enji, don’t say that. It might be someone important,” Silma chided him.

“They can go to hell!”

“Where is this hell?” Popa asked.

Enji ignored her.

“Here she comes,” Maka moved to the side.

A girl stood in the doorframe. Enji had no alternative but to look at her. He opened his eyes wide. His heart refused to beat for a few moments. Who’s this divine creature? It was all that came to his mind. The girl wore a white summer dress adorned with pink ribbons, and on her head, a wicker hat framed a beautiful face surrounded by green tresses.

The girl pulled down on the hem of her dress. “I feel like I’m naked. I’m not used to wearing dresses.”

“You spoiled the moment you dork!” Eithea pushed the girl inside.

“Ga.. ga.. ga...” Enji stuttered, unable to speak.

“Yes, it is I, the magnificent, incredible, and beaut—” She blushed. “Gala... Dead leaves,” she finished in a mumble. She closed the distance between herself and Enji, and before he realized what had happened, she separated her lips from his.

***

In the following weeks, Enji dedicated most of his time to mastering the teleportation spell. First, he hopped short distances, and then he even teleported all the way to the capital. Something few would be able to achieve due to the enormous strain of the ‘sug’ flowing through their bodies. In Enji’s case, he was using the grimoires as the processing unit with no ill effect on him.

Together with Galakei, Enji perfected the transfer spell. At first, he couldn’t take his mind or eyes off the mage, but eventually, he was able to get used to her and no longer be a nervous wreck when she was around.

The other girls felt jealous of Galakei, but soon realized that the only thing on Enji’s mind was returning to his land, so their feelings changed from jealousy to sadness.

Enji willed himself to maintain a distance between himself and them, for if not, he wouldn’t have the will to return to Japan. Enji had told them that he came from another world, further increasing their grief. They also knew that he wouldn’t be able to come back to this world. There was no magic or ‘sug’ on Earth to make the incantation work, and Tona’s summon had been a one-in-a-billion freak accident impossible to replicate.

During the remaining time, Enji taught Galakei all he knew of Basic programming. That was the legacy he would leave behind in this world after returning to Japan.

The date for his departure was already set, allowing sufficient time for the people in the villa and village to prepare for the farewell celebration.

The celebration ended up being bigger than the festival they had held for the domain lord. Enji wanted something quieter, but he understood the people; they wished to honor and remember him for what he had done for them.

The king couldn’t come, but the prince and princess attended in his place. Aslei, too, was there to wish him a safe journey. Except for his close circle of friends, everyone thought he was returning to his country on the other side of the ocean.

When all the merriment and celebration subsided, Enji and his friends congregated in his office.

“I guess it’s time for me to say goodbye,” Enji said.

Eithea was the first to come forward. “Our time together had been short, too short.” She wrapped her arms and tail around Enji, burying his face in her breasts. Before separating from him, she briefly brushed her lip with his.

Silma was next. “Come back to us! I know you will, my dark lord.” She clumsily smacked her lips on his.

“I’ll try,” Enji reassured her, knowing that it was impossible.

“My lord, I’ll never forget you.” Nilsei kissed Enji.

Popa grabbed Enji’s hand and placed it between her upper ears, urging him to caress them. “I will be a great mage one day, just like you.” She, too, kissed Enji.

“I know you will, Popa.”

Silsil hugged Enji, lifting him off his feet. “Silsil will grow strong. Silsil will wait for Papa.”

Enji coughed. “Make me proud.”

Oma approached and shoved her baby into Enji’s hands. “Daughter, yours. Give name.”

“Huh? A name?” Enji thought hard, and the first name that came to mind was the one from his first crush in middle school. “Is Hana alright?”

She took the baby back. “Your daughter is Hana.” Then, she stood on her toes and kissed Enji on the lips, just as she had seen the other girls do.

Elpinia, Lia, and Maka bid him farewell, as did Sol and Pol. Kasus, from the far wall, just tipped his head down.

There was one last person who had not said her goodbyes. Galakei stared Enji in the eyes. “I shall wait forever.” She kissed him and then buried her fangs in his neck, drawing blood. “Isn’t this what the vampires in your world do to convert people into slaves? You are now mine, forever.” She turned around to hide her tears.

Enji, with an aching heart, chanted the incantation that would take him back to Japan.

A circular band with intricate patterns along its circumference formed in Enji’s feet; then, within it, a black void appeared, and Enji was gone.