Free Web NovelChapter 366: The Final Words ( 366 )
The two guys remained silent as the old man’s palm glowed brighter, the air thickening with sealing energy. He glanced up at Ridan with cold, unreadable eyes.
"You should have known better, Ridan. You were told not to speak of things unrelated to your role. Not to the dragon princess. Not to anyone. Not even to Hazuki himself. The truth is his to discover, not yours to reveal."
The old man paused, his eyes beginning to glow with a golden light.
"Let fate decide what happens to him now. And as for you... rules are rules."
Ridan let out a long, defeated exhale. His puffy body sagged as he glanced at the old man.
"At least... let me say farewell to him."
"You have five minutes."
Ridan floated over to Hazuki, who was still encased in ice. He touched the frozen surface with his tiny cloud hand, struggling to force a smile.
"Hey... buddy..."
He let out a shaky breath, his grin wavering.
"It’s been a wild ride, hasn’t it? You know... I never thought I’d say this, but traveling with a dumbass like you was actually... fun. Getting to taste food again, bickering with you over stupid things, watching you do the dumbest stuff imaginable... even if it annoyed me to no end. From that stupid cave where you broke my seal, to fighting orcs, getting chased by horny monsters, surviving poison swamps, volcano pits, and even a crazy ice dragon princess who wanted to marry you."
He chuckled weakly.
"Heh... you better wake up soon, okay? Don’t stay frozen forever. And when you do, don’t go picking random quests anymore. Buy the damn enchanted jacket next time, you idiot. And... take care of yourself. Don’t die on me."
He pressed his forehead against the ice.
"I hope you get your memory back, dumbass. I hope you keep living that carefree life you love. Eat well, sleep well, and don’t get yourself killed too easily."
Ridan’s voice cracked slightly as he forced a grin.
"Ah... I’m getting soft in my old age. Anyway... good luck out there, Hazuki. It was an honor being your guide, even if you were a handful. Truly."
He pulled his hand away from the ice and started floating backward, his forced smile still in place.
"And hey... if we ever meet again... I’ll still call you lolizuki."
Ridan glanced at the old guy and smiled weakly.
"Tell me... will Hazuki have another guide? And... will he get his memory back?"
The old guy glanced at him with a stern face, his eyes glowing faintly.
"Let fate decide what happens to him. And no, he will not remember a single thing about you, or anyone else he encountered before. "
Ridan’s eyes widened. "Does that include the catgirl? The one he made a Pinky Promise with? His fiancée, Ellyna?"
The old man let out a slow exhale before continuing.
"The Pinky Promise they share is absolute. It binds them beyond memory, beyond time, beyond any force in this world. Neither we, nor anyone else, can sever or remove that bond. Only the highest among the highest could undo such a thing. So no. He will not forget her. That bond will remain etched into his soul."
Ridan exhaled in relief and smiled softly.
"Good... at least he’ll still have her."
He glanced at Hazuki one last time, his expression turning bittersweet.
"Well... I guess this is goodbye for real, huh? I always thought we’d get to sightsee the whole world together. See all those places you were so curious about. But I guess some dreams just don’t come true."
The old man’s palm began glowing brighter, the sealing energy swirling around Ridan like a gentle current.
Ridan’s form started to flicker, his body slowly becoming translucent, fading piece by piece.
"It was fun, Hazuki. Every dumb, chaotic, ridiculous moment of it. Thank you for freeing me, for giving me a chance to taste food again, to laugh again, to feel alive again... even if it was just for a little while."
His voice grew softer as his form continued to dissolve.
"Take care of yourself, you absolute idiot. And remember... no matter what happens... you were never alone."
Ridan smiled one last time before his body fully scattered into shimmering purple light, drifting away into the cold wind.
"Goodbye, Hazuki. Live well."
After Ridan was gone, the frozen landscape fell into an almost deafening silence. The only sound was the soft howl of the wind sweeping across the snow.
The old guy and the young guy glanced at each other before looking at Hazuki, still encased in the ice.
"We should leave now. There’s nothing more for us here," the old man said, his voice flat and final. "Let fate decide his path from here."
The young guy nodded, taking one last drag of his herb cigar before letting the smoke drift into the cold air.
"Let’s go."
Both of them vanished, dissolving into particles of golden light that scattered into the wind, leaving the frozen Hazuki completely alone in the vast icy wasteland.
After a while, the ice began to crack. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
A thin line appeared across the surface, then another, and another, until the entire block shattered violently, sending frozen shards flying in all directions.
Hazuki stepped out casually, scratching his head as he glanced around in confusion.
"Hmm?"
He tilted his head, looking at the endless white landscape.
"Why am I in the snow?"
He glanced down at his body, and his eyes widened.
"Eeeeeeppp!!" He crossed both arms over his bare chest, covering himself as his face flushed. "Why am I here half-naked!?"
He spun around in panic, scanning the area.
"Damn! Where are my clothes!?"
He scratched his head again, then touched the snow with his bare hand.
"It’s cold... and yet I don’t feel anything?"
He looked around and noticed the Icy Leaf, gleaming faintly in the frozen ground.
"Ah... this thing is for the quest. Nearly forgot about that."
He walked over, channeled mana into his hand, and grabbed the Icy Leaf without hesitation, pulling out several of them effortlessly without any reaction. No frost, no freezing, nothing.
He glanced around in annoyance.
"Oi, Ridan! Where the hell are you?"
He turned left. Then right. Then looked up at the sky.
"Are you seriously leaving me alone here!? Come out already! I hate playing hide and seek! Dumb lowly purple puff spirit... always stealing my food, always teasing me, and now you decide to play games when I’m half-naked in the middle of nowhere!?"
He stomped his feet as he walked, complaining loudly.
"You better come out now, Ridan! Or when I find you, I’m going to pluck those stupid spiky hair tufts on your head one by one!!!"
Meanwhile, in the far distance.
A beautiful girl with long, flowing golden hair sat atop a floating platform of shimmering light. She wore a flowing, revealing silk gown that hugged her figure perfectly, the fabric moving like liquid starlight around her.
She rested her cheek against her palm, her legs crossed elegantly as she watched the distant figure of Hazuki stomping and grumbling through the snow.
A soft, amused smile curled on her lips.
"Ara~?"
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"My, my~ This human is interesting."
Her eyes traced his movements, gleaming with amusement as she watched him complain and search for Ridan.
"To have such resilience, such carefree spirit, and to have already caught the attention of my sisters, yet he’s not bound to any goddess. He wasn’t summoned by any ritual, wasn’t blessed by any divine power. He just... appeared and now he walks through this world as if it were nothing but a playground."
She chuckled softly, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear.
"What has fate decided for you, I wonder?"
She let out a soft, melodic chuckle, her smile turning cheeky.
"Ah~ I’ve found a very interesting human~ If only he had been assigned as my summoned hero~ What fun that would have been~"
She traced a finger along her collarbone, her eyes never leaving Hazuki’s distant form.
"Perhaps... I’ll keep an eye on this one. He might be exactly what I’ve been looking for..."
She kept her gaze fixed on Hazuki as his figure grew smaller and smaller, swallowed by the expanse of snow until he was nothing more than a distant speck against the endless white. A snowstorm began to stir, swirling flakes rising like curtains between them.
"Ah~ I doubt the winds will carry him far alone... Even a lost wanderer stumbles upon familiar paths when the world itself nudges them forward."
She traced a delicate circle in the air with her finger, a faint shimmer of light trailing behind it before fading into nothing.
"Fate has a funny way of tying loose ends together, doesn’t it?"
Her eyes gleamed with quiet amusement as she slowly began to fade, her form dissolving into the snowstorm like morning mist.
"Especially when the thread was never truly cut..."
( End Of Chapter )
