Volume 2 Chapter 23: Farewell
Garde and Gavial took quite some time to convince Tomimi that they hadn't been fighting.
Looking at Tomimi's still-skeptical expression, Garde decided to ignore her and asked instead, "Where's Whisperain?"
Tomimi stared at Garde with a confused look.
Garde turned to Gavial, who was still lying on the bed. Gavial suddenly remembered Whisperain as well—they had been so caught up in their emotions the previous day that they completely forgot about her.
"I think… I handed her off to Zumama…" Gavial said awkwardly. She had been too upset yesterday to pay any attention to Whisperain.
"Tomimi, where's Zumama?"
"She's fixing her robot. She said once she's done, she'll come find you to fight, after you and Gavial are finished."
Garde scratched his head and looked at Tomimi, giving her instructions.
"Gavial can't move right now. Take care of her for me."
"Oh, okay!" Tomimi nodded vigorously and ran into the room, sniffing the air.
"Why is there a weird smell in here?"
Without thinking too much about it, Tomimi ran to Gavial's side, but the smell grew even stronger.
"Gavial, Gavial, were you really bullied by Garde? You can tell me in secret—I won't tell anyone else."
Despite speaking confidently while Garde was around, as soon as he left, Tomimi crept over to Gavial and whispered.
"I was not bullied by Garde!" Gavial emphasized once again. Although it had been painful at first and a bit overwhelming, the strong recovery and adaptability of the Adakrys people had eventually prevailed.
Besides, Garde had been considerate of her feelings and slowed down, making her uncomfortable but ultimately leaving her feeling quite good.
That's why Gavial had apologized when she woke up. She felt that if something was enjoyable, both people should enjoy it together. It wouldn't be right for her to be the only one having a good time.
"But you smell like some strange medicine…" Tomimi sniffed again and stared at the blanket wrapped around Gavial.
"Did Garde hit your tail? He must have spanked you! But if it was his mistake, why would he punish your tail?"
Tomimi puffed up her cheeks, looking like she had uncovered the truth.
"Tomimi!"
Seizing a moment of distraction, Gavial grabbed Tomimi's big tail.
"Eek~"
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll spank your tail myself!"
Garde hadn't spanked her tail—it had been her… posterior. And not even with his hands.
Of course, Gavial wasn't going to share any of that with Tomimi.
"Tomimi, grab my clothes from the floor."
"Why were you and Garde fighting while taking off your clothes?"
"Stop rambling and get them!"
"…"
Leaving his house, Garde walked down the street, drawing whispers and glances from those around him. Some of the bolder Adakrys women stared unabashedly at the area below his waist.
Taking a deep breath, Garde stopped a passerby to ask for directions and soon found Zumama just outside the village. She was working on what looked like an engine.
"Zumama."
"Garde?"
The short-haired Pythia girl glanced at him briefly and continued working on her device. "Did you sort things out with Gavial?"
"Yeah."
"Then help me figure out how to connect this wire."
"Let me take a look. Hmm… this is tricky—it's outside my expertise. I think it should connect here. Just don't reverse the polarity. But I'd advise against proceeding. The stability of this crude Originium source is too poor. Even if we manage to build a functioning generator, there's at least a 30% chance the crude Originium will explode."
"Garde, you smell completely like Gavial."
"What?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking about refining Originium, but Inam can't get me the equipment needed for refining. At most, she can provide me with blueprints."
"Refining Originium yourself is too dangerous."
"Yeah, I was going to ask for your help, but you seem busy."
Zumama sat on the grass, tilting her head to look at the sky.
"Do you remember the first time we saw a mobile city? I was fighting Gavial, and you were trying to mediate. In the end, you beat us both up. During that fight, a mobile city passed by in the distance."
"I remember."
"I also remember how we all reacted. Gavial didn't care about it at all, but I was terrified. From that day on, I rarely practiced martial arts and started focusing on this stuff."
Zumama patted the Originium engine in her hands.
"But I still remember your reaction."
She looked at Garde, recalling how the young Adakrys had smiled when he saw the mobile city. It was the kind of confident smile that said he would conquer even such a colossal steel behemoth.
"So I always thought you'd never leave the rainforest."
Garde didn't know how Zumama had learned he was leaving the rainforest—perhaps from Inam, since he had asked her to arrange an ID for him. He hadn't intended to keep it a secret, and with a calm tone, he replied:
"I thought I wouldn't leave the rainforest either. But if I stay here, I can't get stronger."
"Garde, you're already strong enough!"
"No, not yet. Outside the rainforest, there are enemies far stronger than me. That's why I'll study and grow stronger, until one day no one can defeat me."
"And then?"
"Then I can protect all of you."
Garde smiled. In truth, he didn't have a personal desire for strength. If he stayed in the rainforest his whole life, who would bother picking a fight with an Adakrys in the jungle? But meeting Laurentia, an Abyssal Hunter, had changed him.
There were many reasons to seek strength—for wealth, power, or love. Garde wasn't immune to such motivations.
But that was his nature. Life needed a goal, a reason to take that first brave step.
"Zumama, I won't be gone too long. Next time I go out, we'll go together. By then, I'll introduce you to some great teachers. Do you know what I encountered in the hotlands this time? A bunch of super-cool robots. Of course, I blew them all up…"
Seeing Zumama again after so long, Garde lost himself in their conversation, forgetting the purpose of his visit.
In a nearby corner, a blue parrot with round glasses sighed, turning to look at Whisperain, who was running around in the grass.
"Be good, little one. Don't run around."
"Blue… parrot?"
"I'm not just a blue parrot. You can call me the High Priest. I'm much older than you."
The High Priest gently patted Whisperain's head with its wing, speaking in a soft tone.
"Poor child, may you grow up safely this time. At least under Garde's protection, I hope you'll find your own path."
"The quiet is approaching. Let's see if Garde can make it in time."
"Everything will be fine."
The High Priest murmured words Whisperain couldn't understand. It wasn't until Garde finished his chat with Zumama and walked over that the parrot fell silent.
"Papa!"
"I'm not Papa; my name is Garde."
Tapping Whisperain gently on the head, Garde was surprised she still remembered him after just a day apart.
"Thank you, old man," Garde said, looking at the blue-feathered parrot beside Whisperain.
"All I can do is small things like this."
"When I'm not around, please look after them."
"Hehe, I'm just a parrot. Who could I look after? But this place is safe; nothing bad will happen."
Garde couldn't remember exactly when he first met the High Priest. He had been very young when he noticed someone watching him. After some effort, he eventually found this blue parrot.
While parrots had long lifespans, one like the High Priest—unchanging over all these years—was something Garde had never seen before.
He knew this ordinary-looking parrot was anything but ordinary. Its existence was somewhat like the black dragon that resided in his axe, yet fundamentally different.
Honestly, Garde wasn't even sure if the High Priest could fight. Was it just like a regular parrot that pecked at people in a fight? Either way, it felt like an elder who had watched over him since childhood.
"I'm leaving now," Garde said.
He's off to Columbia!
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