Welcome to the Special-Grade Guild! ~ The Beloved Elf Poster Girl Soothes Everyone’s Hearts ~
Chapter 148

148. Memories with Leo-jii (Part 2)

It was a sunny day off. Today was the day I’d promised to visit Leo-jii. I was going to bake the fluffy chiffon cake he’d taught me how to make last time! Chiffon cake is really difficult… It took a while to get it to rise, but when I followed Leo-jii’s instructions, it turned out well. I was so moved! So today, I was heading to Leo-jii’s place to have him check it and to eat it together.

“Hello! It’s Meg!”

On the days I usually visit, Leo-jii would be preparing to cook or make tea, so he’d tell me to just come in. So today, I cheerfully called out as I entered his house, as usual.

“Huh?”

But today was different. There was no kind voice responding, like there usually was. In fact, there was no sound at all. Feeling uneasy, I walked around the house. The lack of any sound made me anxious, and I unconsciously called out to Shou-chan.

“Can you hear anything from this room?”

『No, I don’t hear anything.』

That meant there was no living creature here. Shou-chan is a voice spirit, so it can pick up on any sound a living creature makes, even if it’s not spoken out loud. It can immediately tell if there’s a living being present, even if it’s not words. Shou-chan’s amazing.

But that made it even more puzzling. Leo-jii had never forgotten about our promise and gone out before. But maybe he’d gone out to buy tea leaves or something…?

I was trying not to think about the bad premonition that was starting to swirl in my mind.

“Leo-jii…?”

I opened the bedroom door, which creaked slightly. I hesitated to enter because it was a bedroom, but I felt like I had to go there.

When I looked at the bed, I could see that someone was still lying there. Someone… there was no question who it was.

“Leo… jii…”

Even when I called out to him, Leo-jii didn’t wake up. In fact, he didn’t move at all. He had a calm expression on his face, and seemed to still be asleep.

『M-Master…』

“Yeah. …Can you go tell everyone?”

『O-Okay!』

The moment I gently touched the hand sticking out of the covers, I instinctively pulled back. Because it wasn’t the sensation I was expecting.

It meant that some time had passed since Leo-jii had passed away.

But for some reason, I couldn’t grasp the reality that Leo-jii’s soul was no longer here. Even though I could clearly see that he had passed away, it was strange. I thought I was being oddly calm, but maybe I was actually panicking.

“Meg!”

“Meg-chan! Leo, Leo is dead…!”

Soon enough, Gil-san and Tio-nee came to me. I slowly turned to face them. I heard later that my expression was blank at the time. Gil-san immediately picked me up.

“Leo…?”

Tio-nee, who was out of breath, approached Leo-jii while calling his name and knelt beside the bed.

“Leo, this can’t be true, right? Without even saying goodbye… so suddenly…”

It was sudden, but everyone knew it would be coming soon. Still, it’s hard to accept. Especially since we’re long-lived and sturdy. We rarely lose our lives unless we’re on a particularly dangerous mission. So we don’t know how to react in a situation like this.

“Don’t go, don’t leave us…! Leo!!”

As Gil-san carried me out of the room, I heard Tio-nee’s anguished cries from behind, and my chest tightened. I sensed Dr. Ludo and Maryla-san, who had arrived just as we were leaving, comforting Tio-nee.

“…You did well.”

“Gil… shan…”

And even as Gil-san patted my head, for some reason, I couldn’t cry.

Leo-jii’s wake was held that night. Funeral customs seem to vary by region in this world, but in this country, cremation is common. It’s somewhat reassuring that it’s not too different from Japan. There are simple rules, like wearing plain, inconspicuous clothing and offering flowers to the deceased to say goodbye, but the rules aren’t complicated.

“Although it was a short time for us, Leopolt served as a chef for Ortus for more than half his life and contributed greatly. Let us offer prayers of gratitude for that.”

When Dad said this, everyone closed their eyes and offered prayers for Leo-jii. I prayed with all my heart, but for some reason, even now, it still didn’t feel real.

“…Now then, it’s time to say goodbye!”

But when Dad said those words and Leo-jii’s coffin was engulfed in blazing flames, something snapped inside me. I was scared. Leo-jii was in there, and if he went into those flames, it would be hot. hot, hot…

“N-No… No! Leo-jii! Leo-jiiii!!”

“M-Meg…!”

I suddenly started wailing and crying out for Leo-jii. Gil-san, surprised to see this, hurriedly picked me up to keep me from getting close to the flames. Still, seeing me reaching out and crying “no, no,” everyone started to shed the tears they had been holding back.

I thought to myself, what am I doing? But I couldn’t stop crying, screaming, and calling for Leo-jii. I just couldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.

And so, exhausted from crying, I fell asleep at some point, and when I next woke up, it was all over.

“Hah. I can’t believe I’m still dwelling on it. How pathetic.”

Tio-nee said this with a wry smile. Then she laughed, saying it was a mistake to fall for a human in the first place. That’s right, Tio-nee had always had feelings for Leo-jii. I’d heard her say before that it was really painful to watch him grow up much faster than her and leave her behind.

“When we first met, he looked younger than me and was so cheeky. And then he went and left me behind. Meg-chan, don’t ever fall in love with a human.”

Tio-nee said this while ruffling my hair, probably to hide her embarrassment. Ah, my hair!

“Well, I don’t regret it though!”

Seeing Tio-nee’s face as she said this with a smile, I was relieved to see her usual bright smile had returned. Even though my hair was a mess!

“Tio-nee. I like your soup. I like Leo-jii’s soup and Tio-nee’s soup equally. So, um, I think Tio-nee should just stick to her own flavor…”

I said this, trailing off a bit, wondering if I was being too cheeky. Tio-nee’s eyes widened for a moment, and then she chuckled and said:

“Ah, come to think of it, Leo told me the same thing.”

Saying this, Tio-nee stretched lightly and went back to work. I had a feeling she looked like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

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