Chapter 179: Goodbye, Zetto (2)
A foul odor wafting in on the cool breeze of the forest.
I can’t forget it, I can’t forget it…A sickening, disgusting odor.
The scent of the demon’s blood grew stronger with each step.
It wasn’t long before I could see chunks of demon flesh strewn across the forest in bizarre shapes.
‘Not too long ago.’
As an added bonus, there were traces of lightning strikes on the ground.
Wondering if it was the work of a bad apprentice, I bent down to examine it more closely.
‘This…not magic.’
Fortunately, it wasn’t my student magic as no trace of mana remained.
Still, that didn’t reassure me.
I immediately moved my legs since I had a bad feeling about this.
I could smell the scent of human blood, not demonic, as I neared my destination.
I cleared the bushes, and then I saw it.
The forest was in disarray but in the corner of my eye, I could see the faces I was looking for.
I recognized my students, the dark-haired boy leaning against a tree and the platinum-haired girl clutching him tightly.
But……things were not looking good.
“……”
The forest was silent.
It looked so peaceful in the warm sunlight, but there was a puddle of red, thick liquid on the ground.
The boy’s arm was torn off and his abdomen showed damage beyond repair.
“Cadet Zetto…”
Until the last moment, when the spark of life was dying the boy was smiling.
I hadn’t expected to see him like this at all.
The man I had seen, the man I had observed, was not one to end up in a place like this but as soon as I looked away, I realized why.
“……”
It was the demon who supposedly battled him, a black-horned demon but the problem was, it had ‘wings’ sprouting from its back.
Black horns were one thing, but wings were another. It was definitely not a foe that a mere academy cadet could handle but for some reason, the severed head of the demon rolling on the ground, and his long white hair, looked familiar.
‘What a joke of fate.’
I silently sobbed in disbelief.
What kind of bad blood is this?
I hadn’t even dared to expect that the man I had failed to finish off in the previous war would take the life of my disciple.
I was so angry at the embers I hadn’t been able to extinguish.
Not me, but my precious disciple.
I swallowed my bitterness and felt a faint admiration for the unspeakable horror.
It was no cause for celebration but admiration nonetheless.
His talent and hard work allowed him to kill a winged demon at such a young age.
It was pure admiration but that admiration quickly turned to bitter regret.
If only he had been given just a little more.
They say that geniuses are short-lived, but this was cruel.
In the end, I failed as a teacher.
I was supposed to protect my precious student, the hope of humanity…but I failed.
As I stare at his calm face in the distance, my vision flashes back to the last of my colleagues, my friends, who died on the battlefield at an early age.
After friends, now students.
I was the worst of friends and the worst of instructors.
Apart from that… I knew this wasn’t the time to sit and lament.
I slowly approached them.
“……”
The platinum-haired girl, who must have noticed me, slowly pulled herself to her feet.
“Instructor Edward…?”
She said hoarsely, her head bowed and her body shaking.
Her voice carried emotions that were all too familiar to me.
Sadness, despair, emptiness and a deep-seated sense of loss.
Whatever it was, I thought, it wasn’t what this young girl in front of me should be feeling.
At the very least, I had hoped that my students would not have to go through this… but against my wishes, they had been forced to experience loss far too soon.
It was still a cruel world, and the harsh realities of it held back those who should be looking ahead and moving toward the future.
Eventually, Aizel lifted her head.
Her eyes reddened from crying so much, she twisted her face and spoke.
“Instructor, Zetto… What’s going to happen to Zetto now…?”
“…We’ll have to bury him, and I don’t know that we have any other options, so I think we’ll have to go back to the academy and talk about it…”
I trailed off and looked at Aizel’s condition.
“……”
Aizel’s mouth tightened at the word funeral. She was dripping tears onto Zetto’s chest, seemingly unable to recover from the shock.
It must hurt so much.
I could tell by the way she was shaking violently that Aizel’s mind was completely shattered.
I should have asked how this had happened, what was going on… but of course, this was not the time.
She must not be disturbed any longer.
Soon, Aizel, who was sobbing, looked at Zetto, who was smiling, and asked me.
“Instructor… Please… Just a moment… Can you give me a moment…?”
“…”
“There’s a place I was supposed to go with Zetto… There’s a place I have to go… I have to show him this time… I need to show him the scenery……”
Aizel could no longer speak through the tears that kept coming.
I smiled bitterly and stroked her hair.
“…I’m sure Cadet Zetto would agree, so leave the complications to me… Goodbye, Cadet Zetto.”
“…”
Aizel wiped away her tears and nodded.
It would only slow us down a little so for now, I’ll grant her wishes.
I decided to help her say goodbye, this was my role as an instructor, after all.
Aizel leans against the tree and pulls Zetto’s slumped body to his feet.
Aizel carries Zetto on her back and walks on, as if mesmerized.
As I stared at their backs, I reached out to them and channeled my mana.
Instantly, Zetto’s scarred body resumed its normal form, his missing left arm reappearing, the hole in his abdomen disappearing without a trace.
After that the blood stains on their clothes were washed away.
“……”
Zetto, who had been cradled on Aizel’s back, looked as if he had fallen asleep.
…This should be enough.
***
Aaah…
The soothing sound of shallow waves crashing into the shore rings in my ears.
“…Pretty.”
I hold the sea, and Veleshanas, in my eyes.
“You know, Zetto.”
I said to Zetto, who was lying across my lap.
“…”
“This is Veleshanas. What do you think?”
“…”
Zetto made no reply.
His mouth was firmly closed, refusing to open.
‘It feels cool.’
But somehow, I could hear his voice, his answer.
“Isn’t it? The sea is so sparkling because it’s catching the sunlight.”
Stroking Zetto’s head, I replied nonchalantly.
‘Sparkling…’
“Mmm… Shiny, dazzling.”
‘That’s a little hard for me to understand.’
Zetto would have dabbed at the bandages over his eyes.
“…I see. I see. Yeah.”
Soon, the tears that had been pent up break free and run down Zetto’s cheeks.
‘…Miss Aizel, are you crying…?’
“Just… The sea is beautiful… so beautiful that it brings tears to my eyes.”
I give him a cursory glance and turn away.
Just then, my eyes catch sight of a young man and woman running down the beach, giggling.
“They look like they’re having fun…”
‘I’m sorry, I’m just so tired right now…’
“…No, of course you are. I’m sorry.”
I had to laugh.
I should have given him a happy smile but I couldn’t.
“I’m sorry… Zetto… I’m sorry it’s so late…”
‘It’s okay, it’s not late at all, I’m just so happy right now.’
I stroked Zetto’s cheek as he comforted me and hot tears fell on the back of my hand.
‘So don’t cry.’
“Yeah…I won’t cry.”
I steadied my breathing and slowly explained everything I was feeling after I finally stopped crying.
How warm the sun was in Veleshanas.
The mysterious emerald color of the sea.
How pretty the pink sky was at sunset.
What the people on the beach were doing.
We laughed and chatted, occasionally interrupted by Zetto’s jokes, and managed to get through the description.
Before I knew it, we had melted into the scenery and were laughing and whispering sweet nothings to each other like good lovers.
‘…It’s a beautiful place, Veleshanas.’
“Really…?”
‘Well, the most beautiful one is Miss Aizel.’
“…Thank you.”
‘You thought I was just talking in circles, didn’t you?’
“…That’s right, Zetto…”
I can’t see.
“I don’t even know if I’m pretty.”
‘…Fuhaha.’
“Why are you laughing?”
‘Don’t go around saying things like that. I’m sure you’ll get called names.’
“……”
‘Miss Aizel is more beautiful than the sea of Veleshanas.’
“Am I…?”
‘You’re beautiful.’
Zetto replied briefly, his voice firm.
“…Hmph.”
Aizel chuckled as it wasn’t the first time she’d heard that.
She remembered hearing it from Zetto in the previous round, though not this round.
It must have been then.
I took Zetto’s hand and brought it to my face, just as I had then, as I replayed the memory.
“This is your nose…”
‘See, it’s not just the nose that’s bad.’
“…Here are the lips.”
‘Well, nothing more to say.’
“…This……is the eye, and…”
I stuttered as I pointed to my single eye. My voice had gone hoarse.
‘…Miss Aizel, I thought we agreed not to cry?’
“Yes… I did…”
It was all the same as before, except this time, I didn’t feel the warmth of his touch.
Zetto’s hand was cold as it brushed the corners of my eyes.
“Zetto…”
‘Yes, I’m listening.’
“…Shall we go back?”
‘Already? That’s a shame…’
At the sound of Zetto’s voice, I shook my head.
“Ugh, let’s go back… I’m sure everyone is waiting for you.”
‘…Do we really have to go back?’
“Yes, because it’s time to let Zetto go.”
‘…But I want to stay with Ms. Aizel.’
Zetto was uncharacteristically writing like a child.
That’s because… It wasn’t him.
It was all my delusion.
I knew it.
I didn’t want to let him go.
I couldn’t let him go.
Because it wasn’t him, it was me.
There were so many things I wanted to say.
I’m sorry I couldn’t protect him.
I’m sorry I couldn’t change his fate.
How much he knew about me.
How long he’s been watching me.
“Zetto…”
“…”
I hugged him tightly when he didn’t answer and shared my warmth with his chilled body.
“…I love you.”
“…”
There were still so many questions I wanted to ask, so many feelings I wanted to convey.
“I love you… So much…”
But this one word was all I had to say to Zetto.
So much for my greed.
It was time to tie the knot and really let him go.
“…So let’s go back.”
Back to where you belong.
Finally, I said one last goodbye to Zetto.
“Goodbye, Zetto.”
This is the last time.
No more turning back.
I don’t deserve it.
***
Later that day, late at night news of Zetto’s death reached the Innocence Academy.