episode_0081

1.

Altina.

Altina Sukeros.

A former member of the hero party, a strong warrior, and my departed friend.

“…What a prankster.”

And a cute prankster.

I put my hand on the bulging blanket.

Then, with a sound of air escaping from the blanket that had been stiffly held in place, it sank.

And the fox-ear shaped headband blew out in the wind.

It was the first prank I ever experienced, a year after Altina died, 16 years ago.

“Butler, you are so sincere. It seems like Altina said it jokingly, but you say it to everyone.”

“…”

Yuli remained silent, and I could only mutter to myself vaguely.

When I came to see Altina the following year after she died, it was chaos.

‘Ah, Altina…?’

It’s really, really absurd, but if you really hope for it, won’t a miracle happen?

I thought that perhaps this was God’s reward for saving the world as a warrior.

When I lifted the blanket, holding on to a sliver of hope.

All that was left in the blanket was a letter and a fox headband.

“That’s annoying.”

Altina’s words in the letter were a sight to behold.

‘This is the last joke of my life.’

I cried a lot when I saw those words.

Could it be that he wanted to come see his dead self and turn his gloomy mood into a joke?

Or maybe he succeeded in pulling off the perfect prank he had never been able to pull off in his life, even after his death.

“Wow… so annoying.”

As soon as I said that, I felt my eyes getting cold and lay down on the bed.

Rather than the smell of Altina, it is filled with a dusty smell.

A vague thought occurred to me, “Is this also the flow of time?” and I fell asleep.

0.

“Altina…!”

Kai entered the room with pitiful, trembling eyes.

“Why, why didn’t you tell me…!?”

The reason he sneaked into the mansion in the guise of a dead person to find Altina was simple.

Because Altina is about to die.

“…Right, didn’t I tell you?”

“Don’t joke around. I didn’t mean to tell you in the first place!”

Altina dies.

The hero who defeated the Demon King, completed the journey of the warrior party, and saved the world simply disappears into the back alleys of the past.

“I got caught hehe. I told you, there’s no use joking around with you.”

“…I heard it all.”

This is why Altina dies.

Altina was struck by the beast.

The reason is that I burned my own human blood to increase the fox’s blood.

I burned my life in the final battle with Nakir, leaving me with only about a year left to live.

“Why, why did you do that…”

“You know that feeling of risking your life to protect someone you love. I was the same way.”

Most people who are affected by the Beast Transformation effect of Shukeros only become more violent and powerful.

It’s like being unconscious, unable to use swordsmanship or sword energy, and can only make monotonous but powerful attacks.

However, Altina retained her human intelligence even though she was transformed into a beast.

That was possible because he was an extraordinary being with thick human blood.

He stood up to Nakir with a more splendid display of strength than anyone else.

“What’s the use of a life you’ve gained like that!? With your life as collateral…”

I couldn’t continue talking.

If the warrior party meets a strong enemy and is annihilated from the start, it is obvious that everyone in this world will eventually lose their lives.

Even if I vent my anger here, it will only tarnish Altina’s tribute.

“Well, I have no regrets…”

Altina sighed in relief.

The sight made my heart ache with an inexplicable sense of longing.

“How nice it would be to become a hero like this. Ah, just like you said, our story is complete.”

Completed.

It means the completion of the story and the end.

After Altina’s story ends.

I will never be able to see her again in this world.

“…”

Tears kept welling up in my eyes.

The sadness of having to let go, the loneliness that will be left behind, the late regret.

It all feels like a whirlwind in my chest.

My heart aches as if it’s being torn apart by the emotions that are swirling around me.

“Hey, are you crying?”

“…Why are you crying…”

Altina maintained a detached attitude throughout.

But I feel it.

As I see the rapid breathing, pale complexion, and eyes losing their purpose, I can’t hide my tears.

“You know what? The doctor said that if I were to judge by my physical age… Oh, don’t misunderstand, I’m judging by my human age. He said I’m about 121 years old.”

“It must be a stone-thrower…”

“He is a saint of the Holy Land.”

“Anyway, he’s a stone-pal…”

I want to catch Altina even if it means forcing myself.

Although I have already realized that God does not respond to my earnest prayers, I once again hope for a miracle from God.

“So, am I the sexiest among the grandmothers?”

“…What the heck are you talking about…”

Altina’s pranks are no different than before.

It’s witty, provocative, and funny.

It’s familiar, like one of the jokes I heard while continuing the warrior’s journey.

It’s a joke that is quickly forgotten after a light laugh, just like what I’ve always heard.

But I couldn’t just laugh because the content it contained was a heavy death.

“…sigh…really…why did you….”

My heart aches as tears well up in my eyes.

In the end, tears fall drop by drop.

All I can do now is pray with a slim chance and endless regret.

If only I were stronger.

If only I were strong enough to protect everyone.

If only I were strong enough to be relied on, rather than relying on anyone.

Now I’m just repeating useless regrets.

“Don’t cry. Why are you crying when I’m not crying.”

Altina gently took my hand.

As I hold her hand, a distant fact comes to mind.

Because it felt like the hand of a man facing death, not the hand of a strong warrior, and it didn’t have any strength.

Because my hands, which were always warm, became terribly cold.

“……sob.”

Unable to continue speaking, he burst into tears.

Even if you squint your eyes and rub your eyes with both hands to somehow hide your ugly appearance.

“Ugh, huh…”

Tears poured down along with heavy breathing.

My chin and body tremble uncontrollably.

I feel a feeling of sadness so intense that it makes my body go numb.

Altina smiled faintly at me like that.

Just added a little strength to the hand.

“……I like it too……”

A confession that could not be answered.

Altina, with her back to the sunset, now answers the confession of love she made to me with a trembling body and a flushed face.

He made a desperate, crumbling confession against the backdrop of the window where the sunset was slowly falling.

Because if I don’t convey this feeling, I won’t have another chance to convey it.

There is no need for any more regrets, so do it now.

“I really, really like you….”

“I don’t like it anymore.”

But Altina’s answer was too light.

“Did you still think I liked you?”

I stopped crying at the unexpected answer and looked at Altina.

Altina answered with a toothy smile.

“I used to like it, but not anymore. I’m a fox. A fox that plays with this guy and that guy.”

“…Really?”

“There’s no way I’ve liked you until now, you idiot. I’m not that easy of a woman. Besides, I don’t have the pride to be even more stubborn towards a married man who dumped me once.”

Hearing Altina’s renunciation actually made me feel relieved.

It’s not because I have regrets about not being able to fulfill my love, but because I have a cowardly self-rationalization that I have sorted out my feelings and my regrets are gone.

“Ahem, big.”

Rather, I felt embarrassed in a situation where I felt like I was being treated badly.

After the tears stopped, there was a brief silence.

“…Time’s up.”

Altina’s labored voice could be heard through her barely parted lips.

“The last one is with my family… I have to spend it…”

As if to say that the lively appearance just a moment ago was an act, a voice like stretched-out tape flows out.

“Haa, haaa….. I don’t want to….. I want to be….with you…”

I squeezed Altina’s hand one last time.

And then he gently hugged Altina so that she couldn’t say anything else.

I can’t see Altina’s last appearance or hear her will.

Because no one who is not of the Shukeros family and whose status is unclear can attend Altina’s deathbed.

I had to wipe away the tears that were flowing out again with my wrist and leave the place.

“That’s right…..”

Altina called me over to ask if I had missed anything.

At the same time, a rustling sound is heard.

The movements intended to comfort me were limited to his hands, but now he twisted his body towards me.

He spoke to me at the door with the sunset on his back.

“Hi, Kai.”

-Sway, sway.

It also wags its tail twice.

To say goodbye.

‘love you.’

And for the hidden feelings.

“……Hello, Altina.”

I said goodbye too.

I opened the door with trembling hands and came out of Altina’s room.

As soon as they left the mansion, walking down the long hallway and avoiding people’s gaze, the Shukeros family members rushed to Altina’s room.

“Sigh……”

I sat down in the empty hallway and started sobbing.

I decided to forget everyone’s memories.

I knew I wouldn’t regret that choice one bit.

But at this moment, a deep regret remained in my heart.

“Altina…….”

Quietly recite Altina’s name.

And little memories I had with Altina come back to me one by one.

‘……Isn’t it pretty?’

Altina’s face seen with the sunset.

‘I caught it. Hehehe.’

The sight of him taking a big bite of his favorite silver salmon.

‘I won once…….’

The cold smile after saving us all.

‘Hello, Kai.’

Goodbye.

As dusk approached, Altina passed away, leaving me behind.