"No, I think it would be best if I just left. Everyone is living a good life now, and if I show up now, everyone will just be trapped in the past again... Besides, I want everyone to remain as they were back then when I remember them..." (Kaoru)
"…………" (Emile)
There must be a lot I wanted to say. However, after hearing my words, Emile bowed his head in silence.
Emile, who looked much younger than others and had lived far longer than the average life expectancy in this world, might have some understanding of "The sadness of those who never grow old or die" and "The sadness of those who see off those who have passed away."
And if we would never be able to meet and spend the same time together again, wouldn't it be better to just confirm that each of us is in good health, and for the image of the other person that comes to mind would be something from the happy times?
You may understand why I think this way, Emile.
It's no wonder. Emile was already close to 90 years old. He had probably seen many people pass away. People he was close to, and people he wasn't close to, so many people...
Emile still had Bell and his fellow members of the Goddess' Eye, who had been with her through the same time. But what if Emile was alone?
"...I understand. Since Kaoru is a goddess, I did think that staying with the same human forever might go against the rules of the divine realm. But I had plenty of time to think things through... So, just do whatever you like, Kaoru. To begin with, we have no right to bind Kaoru, and we have no intention of doing so. All you need is for Kaoru to do as you like and enjoy this world. That's why you took a vacation from your job as a goddess and came to visit this world managed by your friend, the goddess Celestine, right? And if anyone is saved by it... We have already been saved. Therefore, there is no need for Kaoru to stay with us anymore. It's just..." (Emile)
"Just?" (Kaoru)
"If they find out that I'm the only one who's met and spoken to Kaoru, they'll either beat me half to death or kill me completely, so please leave me a potion! The one hidden underground can't be used for something like this..." (Emile)
Ah...
Well, those are the Goddess's Eyes, everyone's treasures. Not because of their effectiveness, but because they are "A gift from me". There's no way they could use something like that for such a reason.
There must have been many times up until now when he thought, "If I use that..." but he held back. Otherwise, there's no way it would have remained this long.
But if everyone was killed, they won't be able to drink the potion and they'll really die...
Okay then...
Here you go...
"If you feel you are in danger, drink this. It's a potion that will continue to heal your injuries for a while after you drink it." (Kaoru)
"Thank you!!" (Emile)
Saying this, Emile gleefully put the potion bottle away in his pocket.
No, I didn't notice at the time.
When everyone realized that Emile seemed to recover quickly no matter how much they punished him, especially Bell, Layette-chan, and Francette, smiled cruelly and wondered what to do about the traitor who was "Not only the only one to talk to Kaoru-sama, but also received something like this from her"—
If they realized that no matter how much they hit him, he would just recover, I guess it would escalate...
"Well, take care!" (Kaoru)
Saying that, I tried to leave...
"...I don't care about anything, even if I suddenly die soon, I've already got enough of my life's worth... Besides, it's about time I handed over the real power in my company to the younger generation... Maybe I should retire and become the protector of the Goddess Kaoru True Religion Headquarters..." (Emile)
That's what Emile said.
The head temple, you mean, the house I gave you.
Well, he's getting old now, so maybe it would be nice to retire and live a leisurely life.
……Ah.
"Hey, isn't the 'Goddess KAORU True Religion' in conflict with the 'Goddess Orthodox Religion' that worships Celestine? The book in the library didn't mention such delicate matters, but..." (Kaoru)
Yes, if I didn't check this, there was a danger of unknowingly saying a "bad word" and getting into a fight.
It was common knowledge that talking about curry, ramen, favorite baseball teams, politics, and religion was a recipe for trouble—although the first three didn't exist in this world.
"No." (Emile)
...But, that simply...
"The 'Goddess Kaoru True Religion' is said to be a sect that separated from the 'Goddess Orthodox Religion' of Celestine-sama. The difference is that while the Goddess Orthodox Church treats Kaoru as an 'Angel-sama favored by the Goddess Celestine' and merely a human, as one of the saints, we treat Kaoru as 'one of the goddesses, equal in rank to the Goddess Celestine'. Both are the same in that they respect the Goddess Celestine and Kaoru. Even in the Goddess Orthodox Church, after Kaoru was martyred and taken to heaven, she was treated second only to Celestine-sama." (Emile)
...That's like the relationship between two certain religions on Earth...
"Besides, we don't do missionary work. We, those who were directly helped by Kaoru, and those who know that Kaoru is a goddess, are unable to accept that, as the Goddess Orthodox Church says, Kaoru is just a human, an Angel of the Goddess Celestine, and so we just do what we want on our own. And with Fran-neechan, Roland-niichan and other influential figures as caretakers or followers, who would dare interfere? It's not like they're trying to expand their influence or threaten the interests of other sects... Our income comes purely from commercial activities... Although, we do owe a lot to KAORU's name value. Kaoru taught us economics and business methods, and if I put them to good use, making money was pretty easy..." (Emile)
…….
………….
……………….
This guy... He had become so strong... There's really no turn for me anymore. ...But what on earth is a little girl supposed to do to a man who's nearly 90 years old! This time it's a real farewell.
"Hey, I think I want to be with everyone just once... Even if it's just for dinner tonight..." (Emile)
Emile said something like that, as if he just couldn't give up... I shook my head in silence.
The Long Goodbye
It's 長いお別れ (Nagaiowakare) "The Long Goodbye." The Japanese translation of the title isn't very cool, though. "Farewell My Beloved" is a nice title though... Well, anyway, I had to leave tidily.
"Oh, wait a minute!" (Emile)
Once again, Emile held me back.
"Take this as a souvenir. It's our specialty, 'Kaoru-sama Rice Crackers.' We've relied on everyone's memories to create a masterpiece that's as close to the real thing as possible!" (Emile)
"Why is it a rice cracker and not a manju?! Does that mean my appearance can be expressed on a flat surface?" (Kaoru)
There are some bumps and grooves!!
"Kaoru, when will we be able to leave...?" (Reiko)
A voice of exasperation came from beside me: Reiko.
Shut up!