Then, his soul is now..."
Sterin placed his hand on his forehead with a grim expression.
"Is it bound by magic?"
He clenched his jaw, seemingly thinking that Rimmer's soul was suffering.
"That's the most likely possibility."
Siyana nodded with difficulty.
"If what Raon said is true, it's probably trapped in the space engraved with that blood magic."
She let out a heavy sigh, indicating that the situation didn't seem good.
"Then we should go find him right now! I can't stand the thought of him suffering even in death."
Erian beat his chest, declaring that he would go.
"You don't have the ability to see souls, do you? Either Siyana or I should go, but neither of us can move right now."
Sterin narrowed his eyes, as if to say, "You know this well, don't you?"
"Then we should hire a human shaman instead..."
"It's high-level magic powerful enough to steal Alice Zieghart's power in an instant. An ordinary shaman won't be able to solve this."
He shook his head, indicating that it wouldn't be easy no matter what method they used.
"..."
Raon listened to the conversation between Sterin and Erian, clicking his tongue.
'Not in the dungeon...'
It seems to be here... Without the help of the Blade of Requiem, it would be impossible for Rimmer to appear in his mental image. If he hadn't come to the World Tree after his supposed death, there was a high chance he was still inside the Blade of Requiem.
"Um... I think the master is in here."
Raon held out the Blade of Requiem.
"What? What do you mean..."
Sterin furrowed his brows as if asking what Raon meant.
"Are you saying he's in that sword?"
Erian also widened his eyes, seemingly not understanding the meaning of Raon's words.
"There's something I didn't tell you because it might be hard to believe."
Raon let out a short sigh and lowered his hand.
"Actually, when I lost consciousness in the basement of that dungeon..."
He recounted how he had met Rimmer in the mental world after collapsing while protecting the Light Wind division.
"There are many souls inside the Blade of Requiem that are favorable to me. I think they helped me meet the master."
He held out the Blade of Requiem, asking them to check for themselves.
"Hmm..."
Sterin looked at the Blade of Requiem and took a step back.
"Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to see that right now. Instead..."
He pushed forward Siyana, who had been blinking blankly.
"This child should be able to confirm it."
"Did you really see my brother there?"
Despite being suddenly pushed forward, Siyana didn't show any shyness and asked about Rimmer. It seemed that her mind was filled with thoughts of Rimmer at the moment.
"Yes. If that weren't the case, the master wouldn't have been able to appear in my mental image."
Raon nodded and handed the Blade of Requiem to Siyana.
"This is the Blade of Requiem..."
"Yes, that's right. Although it's a cursed sword for ordinary people...It's a sword made by the continental master Kuberad Jeyton to console those killed by the White Blood Religion, but because it's filled with resentment, it ended up becoming a cursed sword! No one could use it, but after it came into Raon's hands, it started to shine, and now it's become an outstanding noted sword, better than anything else!"
Siyana's eyes suddenly lit up as she began to explain about the Blade of Requiem, rattling off explanations as if she knew more about the Blade of Requiem than anyone else.
"Uh..."
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at Siyana's sparkling eyes.
'Right. This is how she was.'
Knowing so much information about him, she must have been able to create a book with Encia. Seeing Siyana's original self after so long made him smile.
"I-I'm sorry."
Siyana blushed as if she had just realized her behavior after finishing her explanation of the Blade of Requiem.
"It's alright. But how do you know such detailed information about the Blade of Requiem? I don't think I've ever told you that much..."
"Ah, that's..."
Her trembling eyes turned towards her back.
"Whee..."
Turning his head, Raon saw Dorian forcing a whistle.
-Well, when you got that, the only thing by your side was your wallet.
Wrath chuckled as if it was obvious.
"Hah..."
Raon sighed as he looked at the sweating Dorian.
"D-don't blame Dorian. I forced him to tell me."
Siyana shook her head with a shrinking voice.
"No, I was just curious."
Raon smiled at the slightly lightened atmosphere.
"Then I'll take a look."
Siyana accepted the Blade of Requiem with a still-blushing face. A blue spirit energy quietly rose around her, enveloping the red blade of the Blade of Requiem.
"This sword..."
Siyana exhaled deeply and heavily with her eyes closed.
"I knew it, but it's really filled with sorrow."
Her red lips quivered as if she was directly feeling the lingering souls in the Blade of Requiem.
"None of them died peacefully. If it weren't for Raon, I think it would have gone berserk long ago."
Siyana's complexion turned pale as if she was reading the memories of the lingering souls.
"However, strangely enough, the darkness of the souls has lifted a bit. It must be thanks to Raon."
She smiled slightly as she felt Raon's emotions through the Blade of Requiem.
"Still, the negative energy is much stronger... Huh? Brother!"
Siyana widened her eyes and stared at the Blade of Requiem.
"He's here! My brother's soul is really inside this sword!"
She cried out, saying that Rimmer's soul was residing in the Blade of Requiem.
"Phew..."
Raon let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Rimmer might be trapped somewhere else, but fortunately, it seemed he was still inside the sword.
"Ha, that guy!"
Sterin also let out a rueful laugh, as if he was now relieved.
"Our division leader is really amazing. Amazing..."
Burren gave a weak applause towards the Blade of Requiem.
"He's probably sleeping..."
Runaan nodded, saying it was just like Rimmer.
"You're right. Maybe he forgot to come out because he was sleeping?"
Martha shook her head, saying it was typical.
"He's not sleeping."
Siyana bit her lip as she hugged the Blade of Requiem to her chest.
"My brother was comforting the lingering souls inside. Even while enduring the resentment staining his own soul..."
She shed the tears she had been holding back, saying that Rimmer was comforting the souls inside the Blade of Requiem.
"Ah..."
Raon grasped Rimmer's sword while looking at the Blade of Requiem glowing red.
'You're not staying idle even there, are you?'
Just as Rimmer had taken care of him and the Light Wind division while alive, now he seemed to be comforting the lingering souls in the Blade of Requiem.
"Vice Leader..."
Yua burst into tears as she slumped to the ground.
"Why do you keep making us cry..."
"That's right. When he was here, he only made unfunny jokes."
Dorian and Krein wept, their voices choked as if they had fists in their mouths. An unexpected shower fell in a corner of Sepia.
* * *
Thud. In a dark cave where not even a speck of light entered, the sound of damp, dragging footsteps could be heard.
"Going to sleep right away?"
A man wearing a strange snake-like helmet tilted his chin as he looked into the vast darkness. The deep darkness on the opposite side of the man rippled, and a diamond-shaped golden pupil opened. It was the eye of the dragon, the master of this dungeon.
[What is it.]
The dragon glared at the man with the snake helmet with fierce eyes, as if angry at having its rest disturbed.
"About Sepia, where you just came back from warning..."
The man with the snake helmet wiggled his finger in a provocative manner.
"Raon Zieghart has arrived. The elves welcomed him. Is that okay?"
He drew a faint smile inside his helmet, as if to say, "You know who Raon is, don't you?". The dragon's pupil narrowed to a razor-thin slit.
[So they're ignoring my warning after all.]
In response to the transcendent being's anger, eerie screams resembling human cries began to echo in the endless darkness of the cave.
"That's right. We can't just leave them be."
The man with the snake helmet curled up the corners of his mouth, as if things were about to get interesting.
"It's been a while since I've been to Sepia."
* * *
After instructing the emotionally drained Light Wind division to rest, Raon returned to Sterin's house. Sterin and Siyana were waiting in the small house that served as the Guardian's residence.
"Thank you for not forgetting about him and taking care of him."
Sterin let out a long sigh, as if to say his grandson was always causing trouble.
"Not at all. If anything, I'm the one who's been receiving help."
Raon bowed his head, saying it was thanks to Rimmer that he had survived.
"Thank you for speaking kindly of him."
Sterin smiled faintly, as if he didn't mind hearing praise for his grandson.
"But what will happen to the master's soul now?"
Raon asked while caressing the Blade of Requiem he had received back.
"T-tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises, we'll send my brother's soul back to the World Tree."
Siyana said they needed to extract Rimmer's soul, warning that if left as is, it could become a lingering soul.
"I suppose that's right."
Raon clicked his tongue briefly. Although he couldn't talk to or feel Rimmer, he felt a bit regretful that Rimmer would completely disappear from his side.
-Still, sending him off is the right thing to do.
Wrath looked at him with somber eyes.
-You decided to let that pointy-eared one go, even though you could have saved him, didn't you?
'That's right.'
If he had asked Merlin, they could have saved Rimmer, even if it took a long time. But he had given up because no one would want to be revived by wearing a helmet and borrowing someone else's body.
"W-whether human or elf, following the flow of nature is the best thing to do."
Siyana explained, as if she had sensed his feelings. Judging by her trembling voice, she seemed to be getting nervous again.
"I understand."
Raon nodded, saying he understood.
"Ah, come to think of it, I haven't properly congratulated you due to all the commotion."
Sterin clapped his hands with a smile.
"Congratulations on reaching transcendence. I don't think even I could match you now."
He nodded emphatically, saying it was an achievement that would go down in the continent's history.
"Transcendence? T-then, when you said you awakened..."
Siyana widened her eyes as if she had just realized.
"Yes. I was fortunate enough to reach transcendence."
"Ah! I didn't notice because your aura was so well-contained!"
She opened her mouth wide enough to fit a fist, seeming genuinely shocked.
"He's already adapted to the realm of transcendence. He can now manipulate natural energy more freely than even us elves. That's probably why the Great Forest opened a path for him."
Sterin smiled faintly, saying such cases were rare.
"Transcendence! Transcendence! I must write this down!"
Siyana gasped and pulled out a book and writing tools from somewhere, frantically starting to write something indecipherable.
"So it begins now."
Sterin let out a short sigh, as if familiar with this behavior.
"Begins?"
"Until we heard about Rimmer's death, she used to write about you like that. She said she'd make it all into a book, and there wasn't a single thing that wasn't exaggerated."
He frowned, saying it was literally like a novel.
"Ahaha..."
Raon let out a hollow laugh as he watched Siyana start writing with a manic gleam in her eyes.
"Once she gets like that, there's no stopping her."
Sterin wiggled his finger, suggesting they leave her be and go out.
"Ah, yes..."
Raon scratched the back of his head as he left Sterin's residence. He was already worried about how much exaggeration would appear in that book.
"Still, I'm glad Siyana has brightened up. I was worried because she was too serious for a while."
Sterin bowed his head, thanking Raon for helping Siyana return to her usual shy self.
"Thank you."
"No, I didn't do anything."
Raon waved his hands, insisting it wasn't him.
"You haven't changed at all."
Sterin laughed, saying Raon hadn't changed a bit.
"Um, Guardian..."
Raon's expression hardened after hearing Sterin's words.
"Are you in pain somewhere?"
The Sterin he saw today had bark-like wrinkles all over his body and seemed constantly strained. It was worse than when he looked tired after performing the purification ritual, which worried Raon.
"Transcendence is truly remarkable. To even sense that. No, perhaps you can see it all."
Sterin smiled faintly as he looked at his reflection in the lake.
"Guardian..."
"I'm not in pain. It's just that the end is approaching."
He turned around and calmly stroked his chin.
"Unlike the ever-growing World Tree, it's simply time for me to return to the earth."
"Ah..."
Raon bit his lip as he looked at Sterin's peaceful eyes. If it were an illness, he could cure it, but if it was the limit of his lifespan, there was nothing he could do.
"Don't make that face. I've lived long enough."
Sterin chuckled, saying there weren't many races that lived as long as High Elves.
"Guardian..."
"Still, it's regrettable to leave Siyana alone. As you know, she can't even call her best friend right now."
"That's true."
Raon nodded heavily. Since the last war, the connection with Elayim and Ifrit had been completely severed. They seemed to be focusing on the restoration of the spirit realm.
"So, please come by occasionally and keep her company. She would like that."
Sterin bowed his head, asking Raon to take good care of Siyana.
"Please don't do this!"
Raon shook his head, waving his hands.
"It's something I should do naturally!"
Given what he had received from Sterin, Siyana, and Rimmer, it wouldn't be strange for him to always stand behind them, not just as a conversation partner.
"Thank you for saying that."
Sterin grasped Raon's hand tightly, as if to show his sincerity. Raon's heart ached as he felt the wrinkles on the back of Sterin's hand.
"Please don't feel burdened. Zieghart and I don't consider Sepia as outsiders."
Raon expressed his thoughts sincerely. Although various events had delayed the temporary alliance with Sepia, he considered the elves here as his comrades.
"Raon..."
Sterin's aged eyes trembled, as if slightly surprised, unable to continue speaking.
"You must be tired, so I'll come back tomorrow."
Raon said he would return at dawn tomorrow to send off Rimmer's soul, then left for his lodgings.
"..."
Sterin watched Raon's back for a long time, then let out a short breath and returned home.
"Here, Raon broke the wings of the Angel Knights..."
Siyana was still moving her hand rapidly, writing records about Raon.
"Heh."
Sterin approached Siyana, who was lost in her imagination, and smiled softly.
"You might be right."
He patted his granddaughter's head as she concentrated, showing a genuine smile for the first time in a while.
* * *
The next morning, at the moment when mana was most abundant in the world. Raon and the Light Wind division followed Sterin into the sacred ground where the roots of the World Tree were planted. Raon took a deep breath and raised his gaze. The World Tree, which seemed to cover the entire sky, was shimmering with brilliant and elegant light, wrapped in the mana of nature.
"Um, doesn't it seem bigger than before?"
Dorian rubbed his eyes and let out a breath of amazement.
"You have a good eye."
Sterin chuckled and nodded.
"The World Tree is still growing. When it's fully grown, it might really reach the sky."
As he said, the World Tree was larger than before. If one didn't strain their eyes, its top was barely visible.
"However, it seems its growth has slowed down a bit lately. As if something is blocking it."
"Is there a reason for that?"
"I'm not sure exactly. I'll have to leave it to Siyana now."
Sterin shook his head, saying that he now had to entrust the World Tree Purification ritual to Siyana.
"I plan to check it slowly after you all return."
He shook his head, telling them not to worry too much.
"I'll start now. But before that."
Siyana approached Raon and the Light Wind division, holding the Blade of Requiem.
"Please say your final farewells to my brother."
She bowed her head, asking them to say goodbye so that Rimmer could depart peacefully.
"..."
Raon looked at the Blade of Requiem and his lips trembled slightly.
"Thank you so much for everything. You were the most comfortable and excellent master for me."
He bowed his head, expressing his sincere gratitude.
"We'll live long and well, so don't worry and go in peace."
Martha bowed, tightly clenching her trembling hands.
"At first, I really disliked you. But now, I can't help but acknowledge you as the best master. Thank you, master."
Burren performed a formal sword salute, as if he were addressing Glenn.
"We'll protect Zieghart, so I hope you can rest peacefully there."
Runaan blessed Rimmer's long sleep with tears in her eyes.
"Nngh..."
"Uwaah!"
"We'll miss you! Damn it!"
Dorian and Yua wailed, while Krein and Julius bowed their heads with furrowed brows. After the Light Wind division swordsmen exchanged their farewells, the Blade of Requiem returned to Siyana's hands.
"Brother. Thank you. And I love you."
Siyana placed the Blade of Requiem at the roots of the World Tree and stood up, tears in her eyes. A sea-like blue light rose around her, enveloping the Blade of Requiem that was rippling with resentment. It seemed she was trying to draw out Rimmer's soul from the Blade of Requiem using the power of the World Tree and spirit energy.
"Hm?"
But suddenly, Siyana furrowed her brow and her lips quivered.
"W-what is this..."
Siyana widened her eyes in confusion as she looked at the Blade of Requiem.
"Come out quickly..."
"What's happening?"
"This damn fool won't come out!"
She gritted her teeth with an incredulous expression, her tears suddenly gone.
"You idiot! Come out! You're being a nuisance!"
-That's just like that pointy-eared one!
Wrath chuckled gleefully.
"..."
Raon blinked as he watched Siyana wrestling with Rimmer inside the Blade of Requiem.
'Is that elf starting his leech-like behavior again?' (E/N: sincerely hope author is not trying to revive Rimmer in some way...)