Chapter 208 |
And then the next day came.
It was finally time for Noele to take her leave. It was a bittersweet day for her. The time she spent here back in her hometown had given birth to some of the most cherished memories of her life. All the moments she spent with her parents, with Amelia, and with her friends— she held them close to her heart.
As an adventurer, the Noble Spellsword never had much of a chance to form any kind of attachment with others. She always moved at her own pace, and most adventurers didn’t want to take the risks she did. That was why she left them behind. That was why she never formed any permanent bond on her rise to become a B-ranked adventurer.
And then she met Amelia who helped her rise to an A-ranked adventurer with the strength of an S-ranked adventurer. She met Garron who somehow managed to keep up with her despite being a full rank beneath her. She met Bucky, Xakor, Harlan, Jax, and even Arthur. A plethora of people who remained in her life for longer than a mere few weeks as she tried to finish a mission.
Now, she was going to leave it all behind once again. Certainly, she was finally going to make progress as an adventurer again. She knew she had stagnated quite a bit since coming back here. However, after being gone from her home for years… it was comforting.
So that made the blonde girl’s departure feel melancholic to her. Even if she was looking forward to getting back on the road, she couldn’t help but tear up as all her friends and family gathered by her farm to see her off at the break of dawn.
Nolan, Nicole, Amelia, Bucky, Harlan, Arthur, Dorien, and a handful of Noele’s old family friends showed up. Even the bastion bees were there, buzzing off to the side, keeping a close distance to Amelia. Everyone that was gathered here had all already said their goodbyes yesterday, so there wasn’t really any long sentimental moment when the blonde girl left.
“Good luck,” Amelia said as she nodded at her apprentice. “Hopefully you’ll be able to stop the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, and maybe figure out if the World System really is evil.”
Noele bit her lower lip, hearing her master’s words. She looked over her shoulder, but no one else seemed to have overheard them. Which was good.
“Say what out loud?” Amelia asked with a raised brow.
Noele shook her head. “It’s nothing…”
Amelia crossed her arms with a frown. “Also, do you even know where to begin? Last I heard, the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns is quite elusive. Do you have a lead or anything?”
“Honestly? Not really,” Noele replied casually. “But I’m sure Garron and I will figure something out.”
“Please do,” Amelia said, shaking her head. “Because if you guys fail, and the Voidgod returns, I’ll be the one who has to deal with that mess.”
Noele rolled her eyes in response. It sounded like a selfish statement at first, but she knew her master well enough to understand that that was a show of affection. Amelia was essentially telling the blonde girl to stay safe out there— just in a roundabout way.
“Don’t worry,” Noele said as she drew back. “We’ll come running back to you before that happens.”
Amelia snorted, then smiled. Noele grinned as she swept her gaze over her hometown once again, then looked towards her parents. The blonde girl nodded back at them one last time.
“I’ll visit, I promise,” she said, and with that she waved goodbye.
Noele bid her farewells as she walked down the road, turning back to face her life in Wolfwater one last time. Then she joined Garron. The Steel Tank was waiting for her from the side. He wasn’t really close with most of the people gathered here. He was only in this farming town because of Amelia, then he remained because of Noele.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Now, both Noele and Garron were going to leave Wolfwater behind together. The two of them trudged through the dirt road, passing by the flourishing farmlands all around them. Much of the crops and greenery that had been burnt or destroyed by the Miststorm Riders had grown back thanks to the combined efforts of Dorien and the [Farmers] in the region.
After a long moment of silence, Garron spoke up as he glanced at her.
“How do you feel?”
“Me?” Noele asked as she looked towards her lone companion.
He nodded, and she came to a halt. She looked back towards Wolfwater, but it was now a long distance away. The crowd that had come to say goodbye to her was gone. It made her feel a sense of emptiness inside. She closed her eyes, then shrugged.
“I feel… somber,” she said as she opened her eyes. But then she turned to Garron and felt at ease. “But also— glad that you’re here.”
Garron blinked a few times, then he smiled back at her. “Well, I’m glad to be here.”
“Good.” Noele spoke simply, looking towards the distant horizon as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. It pained her, but she knew this was for the best. “Because we’ll be gone for a while.”
—--
And with that, Noele was gone.
It was strange, really. She had been the first person I truly got to know in Vacuos. While I met plenty of people before her— from Brynn to Garron to Justyn… to even Arthur, even if he was the Lich King at that point.
But most of everyone else, I had gotten to know only briefly. They didn’t do much else to help me. I was fine with that because I wanted to be left alone. And then I met Noele.
She forced me to be her apprentice, and in return, she’d pay me money. Now— she didn’t actually pay me the full amount. But I was fine with that, since I didn’t actually teach her much either. So we both kind of lied to each other in a way.
However, Noele had helped me out a lot— she helped me figure out my way around this world. Because of her, I managed to gain my bearings while here in Vacuos, rather than stumbling around in the dark.
So I couldn’t help but feel a little bit sentimental when I saw her go. I knew she wasn’t going to stick around forever, and she had gone off on her own adventures a handful of times. But usually, they were short stints, and I knew she’d return soon enough.
This time around, I didn’t know when she’d return. Maybe she’d return in a few months, if things got really bad. Or maybe she’d return in a few years. I knew she might drop by from time to time, but the question was— when?
I didn’t know the answer to that. And that was why I felt this emotional about Noele’s departure. Perhaps if there was a way for me to continue communications with her while she was gone… but no.
Our [Message] Scroll was destroyed during the battle with the Vessel of the Voidgod. And acquiring a new one wasn’t easy. Nicole had tried inquiring around Whiteridge whenever she went out of town, only to no avail.
I closed my eyes as I stood outside of my restaurant, hearing the distant loud buzzing of the gathered bastion bees. They still stuck close by me, but they learned how to at least stay a few feet apart, rather than being literally on me.
“What now?” I asked myself in a whisper.
I looked up as the sun made its way up the sky, marking the start of a new morning. I heard the front door of my restaurant swing open, and Harlan stepped out. He walked towards me, despite the swarm of baby bastion bees gathered around me.
“Hey, Amelia,” he called out.
And I glanced back at him. “What’s up?”
“Edlyn needs your help in the kitchen. We also need to get ready to open the restaurant soon, and…” Harlan glanced at the swarm of baby bastion bees. “They might scare away a few customers if anyone sees them out here.”
“Right.” I nodded at him. “I’ll be right there.”
“Alright, but don’t take too long. Or else you’ll scare off the morning rush of customers.” He disappeared back into the restaurant as he waved a hand dismissively.
I rolled my eyes, then looked back up at my restaurant. I stared at the life I had built here. What I had managed to accomplish with Xakor’s help, then proceeded to grow on my own. With Harlan, Arthur, Edlyn, and Jax working for me, and with Bucky and these baby bastion bees. It was what I always wanted. A normal life.
Even if Noele was gone, I still had all these things around me. So I could still go back to my normal life now, not worrying too much about what came next.
I turned around, smiling as I made my way back into the restaurant.
I just hoped that nothing was going to show up all of a sudden and completely derail my normal life.