Chapter 1855: Goodbye, Aquarina!
Chapter 1855: Goodbye, Aquarina!
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Aquarina slowly walked through Everstone with her family, leaving behind the home they had lived in for nearly two years. The house was left open for anyone who needed it, but in the end, Svana said she would keep it vacant for travelers, insisting it would never truly belong to anyone else but them.
The people of Everstone came to see them off, waving and rushing to speak with Aquarina, Nepheline, and Shade. Many had grown close to Aquarina, and some of the boys—who had developed crushes on her—came to say goodbye, a few in tears, heartbroken they never got the chance to call her their girlfriend.
Eventually, they reached the outskirts of the village, where a massive airship awaited them. It had been sent directly by the Elven King to bring them to the Blue Mountains, as requested by Nepheline.
As Heroes, it wasn’t difficult for them to use a magical device to temporarily contact the King and ask for favors. Sending an airship to transport them was a simple request, and one the King fulfilled immediately—especially knowing that Nepheline’s family was now part of the Elven royal lineage after Aquarina married Sylphy according to Elven customs.
Though most people didn’t know or acknowledge it, the Elven King did. He saw Aquarina as his granddaughter-in-law, and her parents as part of his family. Naturally, any member of his family received the best treatment, even more so when they were renowned heroes who had saved the Kingdom more than once.
Through that message, the King and Queen also learned about the Spirit God that had emerged. Both had sensed its presence and considered intervening, but in the end, thanks to Aquarina, her friends, and her family, the situation was resolved peacefully. It was yet another remarkable feat that would not go unrewarded.
The King sent them a letter, inviting them to visit the capital whenever they had time. He offered to grant them new noble titles and officially welcome them into the royal family. He even implied he would gift them a piece of land in the capital, complete with several manors, a housing district, and more for the entire family—an offer Nepheline and Shade planned to accept once the young heroes moved to the Royal Academy of Heroes.
“Waaaaiiii! Waaiii!”
Esmeralda giggled, waving her tiny hands at everyone saying goodbye. She tried to say “bye” herself, convinced she was the famous one here and that everyone was sad she was leaving—even though she’d only been born two weeks ago.
“Haha, she thinks she’s the famous one?” Aquarina laughed, poking her sister’s little nose.
“Nam!” Esmeralda replied, biting her finger.
“Ouch, ouch! Damn, you bite hard!” Aquarina cried, her finger red and swollen.
Indeed, the little girl had a mighty bite.
It was only natural. As an Amazonian, she had well-developed teeth from birth and could eat meat with ease.
“Svana! You came to say goodbye too?” Nepheline laughed, spotting Svana near the airship with Aquarina’s friends and their parents.
“Of course, Nepheline! How could I not?” Svana smiled, hugging Nepheline tightly and kissing her forehead. “I’m so happy to see you again. You’ve grown into a wonderful woman! I’m really proud of you. You’ve come a long way from the unruly brat I used to train. Damn, you were a handful.”
“Yeah… Well, I’m glad you trained me. It’s thanks to you that I became strong and tough,” Nepheline smiled, kissing Svana’s cheek. “I love you, Svana.”
“I love you too, Nepheline! Come visit anytime!” Svana beamed, kissing her forehead again and hugging her one last time. “And of course, all of you as well! These two wonderful treasures you have here—and Shade too. What a man! You’re lucky to have him.”
“Haha, you’re embarrassing me…” Shade laughed nervously as the tall, beautiful woman praised him, patting his head, hugging him, and even kissing his face. “A-Ahh…”
He was stunned that she treated him the same way. It seemed she loved him just as much—like a mother to everyone here.
Shade was naturally weak to big, beautiful women, so he stood frozen for a moment while Nepheline laughed at his reaction.
“I hope you can change the village like you promised me, Svana,” Aquarina said.
“I’m doing just that,” Svana nodded. “Though I suppose it helped that Justicio gained immense reputation. Most of those who wronged his parents have come to apologize—to him and to their whole family. They even brought gifts.”
“Haahh… Well, I guess that works,” Aquarina shrugged. “Let’s just be kinder and give a little extra care to those who aren’t like everyone else, alright? Treating everyone the same isn’t always the right thing—and I mean that in a good, spirited way. People born with disabilities can’t be given the same training or expectations… but I also believe everyone has their own talents. Look at his parents—his dad was born with dwarfism, but he’s incredibly strong! Stronger than any human I’ve seen. And his mother, despite being blind, learned a completely new form of magic that lets her see and feel the world around her. Isn’t that amazing?”
“…Yeah,” Svana nodded, looking regretful. “I’m really sorry for being negligent in that area. If I’d known all this earlier, we could’ve helped them develop those talents instead of… well, letting the villagers decide.”
“I’m not telling you what to do, Svana. Just little changes, little things. One step at a time… as my Sylphy would say,” Aquarina smiled, surprised by her own words.
Almost two years ago, she wouldn’t have been able to speak like this. But now, she had truly changed. She had matured, learned about people, and continued to grow—becoming a better version of herself every day.
And her parents could see it. A bit of Sylphy now lived within her. That kind and understanding spirit, sometimes too mature for her age, had become part of Aquarina—guiding her toward becoming someone greater.
“Aquarina!”
“You’re leaving, huh?”
“We came to say goodbye!”
“Yeah.”
Silvia, Justicio, Agua, and Quetzal stood there, along with their parents. Aquarina ran to them, embracing everyone in a big group hug. Even Quetzal, who was relatively new, had become a dear friend.
“We’ll miss you so much!” Silvia said with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please take care! I promised I wouldn’t cry, but I couldn’t stop… I’m sorry!”
“Yeah! We’ll never forget you,” Justicio nodded.
“Please take good care! And I hope you tell Sylphy about us! One day, come back and visit!” Agua said.
“Take care, and may the winds guide your path, Aquarina,” Quetzal added with a gentle smile.
“Thank you, everyone…!” Aquarina was about to cry, but she held back as best she could.
FLASH!
Suddenly, from the Auras of Agua and Silvia, two figures emerged—a small jellyfish, the Great Oasis Spirit, and a tiny golden scarab, Khepri.
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