WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

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◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈

Chapter 29: Varda (5)

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A little later, in the living room.

Eugene looked exhausted, Homi watched him anxiously, Varda wore a sad expression, and Grace remained composed.

In the end, the Eucharist had failed.

"I'm sorry."

Grace's body could not accept any energy. It simply let it pass through, like pouring water into a cracked jar.

Varda shook her head.

"You did your best. I should be grateful that you came all this way."

"Just as you say, my lady. I have already existed beyond the time allotted to me. It is only natural for all things to fade when their time comes."

Grace looked at Varda.

"I only stubbornly clung to my life because I could not leave you alone."

The little dryads outside were Grace's avatars, mere workers like dolls without souls or will. If Grace disappeared, Varda would truly be alone.

Clatter.

Another branch fell from Grace's shoulder. As the blackened fragment rolled across the floor, Varda's eyes brimmed with tears.

"This house, the forest, and Grace's embrace are enough for me."

"They say nothing is better than a mother's shelter. But mothers grow smaller as they age. I cannot protect my grown daughter forever."

"...But you're still big, Grace."

"You know it's a metaphor, my lady. The time has come for you to leave the nest. A grown young lady should not show such an embarrassing side of herself before guests."

The dignified mage was gone, leaving behind an elf who spoke like a child and a dryad who gently admonished her like a mother.

"That this knight carries powerful mysteries within him, and that he became Bonyard City's Champion and won renown, perhaps fate guided him here through those two things."

Grace rose from her seat.

"I have accepted that my allotted time is ending. But I do not wish to see you left alone in this estate."

Holding Varda's hand, Grace approached Eugene.

"Sir Knight, when you leave the forest, would you please take my lady with you?"

Eugene blinked.

"That catches me off guard. It isn't a proposal I ever expected."

"It won't be a bad arrangement for you, either. My lady is a mage second to none. She'll surely aid you in your future knightly endeavors."

"This isn't something for us to decide on our own, is it? The person's own opinion should matter most."

Varda, who had been quietly listening, let out a sigh.

"All through my upbringing, Grace persuaded me every day. She said that if someone worthy ever came to the forest, I should leave her behind and go out into the world."

"Whenever I brought it up while you were little, you would cry and throw a tantrum. You hugged me and shouted that you absolutely refused, that you wanted to live with me forever."

Grace smiled fondly, as though simply recalling it was adorable.

"So I made you an offer. If you wanted to save this old tree, why not learn forest magic?"

"So that was why Lady Varda began studying magic."

What motivation could be stronger than wanting to save one's family?

"It feels like only yesterday that you were digging up herbs with those tiny hands and studying magic to save me. You were so precious."

"To think it was a trap."

Varda covered her face.

"A trap?"

"The more my lady learned forest magic, the less stubborn she became."

"?"

Seeing Eugene's curiosity, Varda spoke.

"Forest magic comes from the cycle of nature. A seed germinates and sprouts, grows tall, then declines and becomes nourishment for the next life. That is the natural order."

Varda carefully placed a hand on Grace's dying body.

"The deeper my understanding became, the more clearly I understood why I had to let Grace go, no matter how much I loved her."

Perhaps calling Eugene here had been a symbolic rite to help Varda cast away her lingering attachment.

"Sir Knight, please lead my lady into the wider world with those firm hands. Protect her from danger with your great strength. My lady has agreed as well."

Eugene looked to Varda for confirmation, and she gave a small nod.

It might have sounded as though Grace was asking him to act as Varda's guardian, but this arrangement was clearly to Eugene's benefit.

How great an advantage would it be to travel with a mage? Varda was a capable figure welcomed not only in Bonyard City, but by many cities and nobles.

Eugene was both a knight and someone who carried mysteries within him, so they would have much to learn from one another and discuss.

The dangers he had faced until now could be overcome with strength and courage, but he did not know what lay ahead.

That made his decision simple.

"I will gladly accept that honor. Until the day Lady Varda wishes to leave, I swear upon my sword that I will protect her."

Eugene raised the sword he had received as a gift, Last Autumn, and made his promise.

Before the pledge of the world's strongest knight, Grace felt a fear greater than death fade away.

* * *

The next morning, Varda opened the book Eugene's mother had left behind. It was a diary written in Elven script that he could not read.

"May I begin?"

"Please."

Varda took a moment to steady her voice before her red lips parted.

"I have begun writing the first diary of my life. I happened to acquire an empty book and thought it would be a waste to throw it away, so I started on a whim."

The diary had been written spontaneously, with no regular dates or subjects. Still, two things were clear.

"A child needs a hometown. A home where they can settle, a place to make memories, and friends to spend time with. It is time to leave behind the life of a wandering Witch."

The diary began after Eugene was born. It also showed that she loved her son enough to abandon even her research.

"I never imagined I would become a mother. But how many people welcome a child after expecting to become a parent? What matters is the expression you wear when you look upon the child in your arms. To think I would have someone more precious to me than the mysteries of the world."

There was not much written in it. Due to the limitations of paper quality in this era, a single book could hold only so much text.

Small memories had been recorded at intervals ranging from a few weeks to a year.

Gathering herbs together, eating meals they had made together, taking naps before the oak tree beside their home on pleasant days. They were stories Eugene already knew, because they had been each other's whole world.

There was only one exception. The final entry contained information even he did not know.

"My old companions would be surprised if they saw me. The woman who was madder than anyone about the world's mysteries now lives quietly in the countryside as a mother. Yet I still continue my pursuit of mysteries."

Varda suddenly stopped reading, her golden brows twitching. Even she seemed startled by what she had read.

"The event of my son taking root in my womb was the greatest mystery I have ever witnessed. I can only be grateful that he is mature enough not to ask about his father. Even a Witch's knowledge cannot explain something that never existed."

"..."

Eugene had thought he had been surprised many times since coming here.

A father who had never existed. It could be interpreted in several ways, but in this context, it could only mean one thing.

'Virgin birth...'

While Eugene stood there in confusion, Varda closed the diary and picked up another book. It described the knowledge of Witches.

She had known him for only a day, yet she had learned a secret far too great to involve herself in. It seemed she was trying to change the subject.

"It would be better for you to read this yourself than for me to read it to you."

"Is that because it lies beyond even your understanding, Lady Varda?"

It might have sounded like a rude question, but it was not among those who understood magic.

"That is correct. Even if I, who study the secrets of the forest, read the secrets of Witches, I would not be able to convey their full meaning."

"Then I will have to learn Elven script."

"That won't be a problem. You and I will have much time ahead of us."

One-on-one instruction from Varda, whom countless people longed to receive even a single piece of advice from. It was a luxury not even kings could enjoy.

"I look forward to learning from you."

"The feeling is mutual."

Eugene carefully clasped the hand Varda held out. With that, everything concerning the letter had come to an end. It was time to return.

* * *

Their business at the estate was over, yet no one said it was time to leave. Not Varda, and not even Grace.

It was only one last small indulgence. Waiting for it was not difficult. Eugene, too, had yet to sort through the secret of his birth.

"Do you know the small village at the entrance to the forest?"

"There are many entrances to this forest."

Grace answered Eugene's question with a smile.

"Ah, I mean the village that connects to the Bonyard City side. Everyone left, and only one elderly person remained to watch over it."

"I know it. I once went there to save dying wheat fields."

Varda's golden eyes narrowed as though she were recalling that time. Eugene thought her long lashes resembled autumn wheat as well.

"I heard you blessed the fields ruined by famine, and abundant grain grew where you walked. I had never even heard of magic so powerful."

"Thanks to that, my lady spent an entire month groaning in bed. She was physically and magically immature when she used such immense power, so it was only natural. She even broke out in hives all over her body. I was terribly worried then."

Grace sighed.

"I was young and emotionally immature then. I won't do such a thing again."

The childish heart that had cried and protested because it did not want to part from its only family also held unconditional compassion and kindness.

That was what made her help people suffering through famine, even though it meant lying sick in bed.

"Now I am called the Lady of the Forest, the Forest Witch, and many other names. I understand the ways of the world well enough to act properly, so I will not become an obstacle in your path."

The grown Varda was no longer someone driven by unconditional compassion. As a mage, she faced the world with a cool head.

Several more days passed.

The little dryads Grace had commanded stopped moving and returned to being trees. She no longer had the strength even to sustain her avatars.

The group sorted through the estate's belongings. They preserved precious items filled with memories so they would not be covered in dust, and prepared supplies for life outside.

It was fortunate that Homi was there as another woman. Just as she devoted herself to Eugene, she attended to Varda exceptionally well.

"When I first met your Squire, I sensed a fragrance of the forest much like my own."

Varda said this as she watched Homi pack.

"Does that mean Homi has talent for forest magic? I've known her for a long time, but I never sensed anything like that."

"No. It is different from that. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I sensed the spirits of beasts following her shadow."

"Could that also be why she cannot speak like a person?"

"Perhaps. One who leads beasts needs the language of beasts."

Varda gave a light clap toward Eugene, who was pondering the matter seriously.

"It is only a guess. This is not my field, so you need not take it too seriously."

Varda was being modest, but her insight could not be dismissed. There was surely more involved than Homi simply having strong beastkin blood.

After several more days, the moment of parting finally arrived. A chair was placed in one corner of the estate's garden, and Grace sat in it.

"It is my final wish. Please leave while looking at my smiling face."

"Grace..."

"I do not want you to see my consciousness fade, my eyes slowly close, and my head finally droop. No mother would want her daughter to see that."

"..."

Varda could not bring herself to leave, so Homi took her hand and gently led her outside.

Varda took one step. Then another, and another.

Grace grew farther away, but as always, she saw them off with a gentle smile.

"My beloved child. Please return here someday. Life continues its cycle, so another life will be waiting for you in this very place."

Those were Grace's parting words before she vanished from sight.

It was not a farewell promising eternal separation, but one that promised they would meet again in another form. A restrained farewell fitting for an elf and a dryad.

Because Grace was not human, there was no need to bury a cold corpse in the earth. Eugene thought that was truly fortunate.

Eugene, who had been walking in front, turned around. The sound of elven footsteps, different from Homi's familiar steps, had stopped.

They made a sound so gentle that they seemed incapable of hurting or crushing even the most delicate thing.

It was another set of footsteps he would always listen for, to make sure she was keeping up on the journey ahead.

Varda held a large white flower. It resembled a chrysanthemum, but was far fuller, with a thick calyx at its base like a flower bud.

"What is that?"

"A flower I specially prepared for the upcoming Parents' Day... I should have pinned it on her earlier."

Call it greed, or call it self-deception. Wanting to remain together for even one more day, Varda had kept postponing giving it to Grace while waiting for that day to come.

Ripples spread through Varda's golden eyes, but she did not cry. At this moment, when she was stepping into the world under Grace's blessing, she could not begin with sorrow.

Varda planted the flower at the entrance to the meadow leading to the estate. Then she silently followed behind Eugene.

She was very different from Homi, who had always been with him, but Eugene thought they would likely manage well.

Step, step.

The footsteps of the beautiful elf maiden following behind him were more pleasing to his ears than any instrument.

And so, the group grew to three.

One human knight.

One beastkin Squire.

One elf mage.

Their races, bloodlines, and homelands were all different, yet none of them felt like strangers to one another.

Three great gears that would change the history of the world had come together. They began to turn as one.

Footnotes:

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