Doggone Academy-Chapter 3: Farewell (2)

The place I awoke to was neither heaven nor hell, nor was it beneath the cliffs. It was the infirmary of the Acates Temple, where warm sunlight poured down by the window.

There was no one else on the other beds—only I lay there alone. A nun was by the window, watering the plants.

I spoke to the nun.

“How am I here…?”

Startled, the nun turned around. After our eyes met and a brief silence passed, she spoke,

“Just wait here for a moment.”

After the nun left, soon, Sister Dolores who had cared for me since my childhood, Priestess Azena, and Matron Yulan entered the room.

Dolores, seeing that I had regained consciousness, came rushing to hold my hand firmly and choked up with tears.

“You’re awake… I thought you might never get up again. Promise me you will never do anything so reckless again!”

“I’m sorry…”

The matron spoke.

“I am truly glad you woke up. You cannot imagine how worried we all were. The goddess Acates must have watched over you.”

Following that was Matron Yulan’s stern reprimand. More than anger for causing trouble, I could feel that she was chastising me with genuine affection. I bowed my head and accepted their admonition.

I was an orphan with nothing to my name. To be cared for and shown interest when no blood was shared or no connections bound us—it was something I was profoundly grateful for.

Once the scolding ended, I was informed about everything that happened after I lost consciousness.

The priests, having realized our absence, had contacted the retainers of the Pascal family. Some of them had followed our trail along with the retainers.

They found me lying in a near-dead state.

“Liza used every means possible to save you.”

Liza had done everything she could, employing surrounding herbs and healing magic, to forcefully bring my nearly dead body back to life. What astonished the priests and the retainers was that Liza had achieved something that would have normally required several high-level magicians working together.

It was said that the wraith, after drinking my blood, went into a fit of agony and fled.

Wraiths were known to prey on the blood. No one knew why it had reacted so violently to my blood.

“There’s nothing left for us to say but that it’s a blessing from the goddess.”

Sister Dolores added,

“On special days, we prepare food using holy water—perhaps it played a part.”

Since the only attacks capable of affecting wraiths were holy magic or holy water, my blood must have contained some mysterious sanctity.

“What about Liza?”

As I asked about Liza, everyone hesitated to respond. I sensed a delicate change in the atmosphere. There was a reluctance—a harbinger of bad news.

“Liza left for the academy to prepare for the entrance exam.”

“Wasn’t the preparation supposed to start next year?”

Normatively, entry to the academy was at the age of 17, and Liza and I were only 15. Even accounting for a preparatory period, it was too early.

Dolores, with a pitiful look in her eyes, said,

“Many things happened to Liza while you were laid up.”

Liza, having caused great trouble, could no longer stay at the Acates Temple. This had been decided by the Pascal family.

“Liza stayed with the family’s territory and decided to enroll early in the academy.”

It was crushing news to me. It seemed the Pascal family had resolved to keep Liza and me entirely separated. The unexpected permanent separation caused an ache in my chest.

I fully recovered after two weeks and resumed my routine, thanks to the nuns’ devout care.

I missed Liza terribly. But I had to start truly standing on my own. Liza, who had always been by my side, was no longer there. With not much time left until my departure from the temple, I needed to learn how to live independently without the Acates Temple’s care.

Returning to work, I gradually began to receive recognition at the workshop. Although the wages weren’t substantial, I was starting to earn pay officially. I would sleep at Loreille Hall and spend the majority of my days in the workshop.

With time, I moved up from doing menial chores to an apprenticeship position. Subsequently, I could make objects with my own mark and supply them to a jewelry shop.

One day, a letter from Liza arrived.

Contrary to expectations, it simply contained brief news about her.

She had heard that I had regained consciousness and assured me that there was no need to worry about her.

She passed the entrance exam as the head of her class, and she had been helped a lot by an upperclassman at the academy who tutored her in magic. They were quite close by now, relying on each other.

The letter also conveyed that she would visit the Acates Temple during the summer break and concluded there.

I was delighted to receive Liza’s letter, but after reading it, an odd emptiness remained.

I felt a distance from Liza, unlike her usual affection towards me.

Reassuring myself that she was either busy or under strict family scrutiny and control, I tried to shake off the unsettling feeling.

I wrote back immediately, but even as winter passed, and as I turned 16, and the spring flowers faded, I received no follow-up letter.

It felt like an empty space had carved itself out in my chest.

I delved deeper into refining my metalworking skills to forget the void.

Summer arrived, and my craftsmanship had improved such that people began to seek out my work. My income was modest, but sufficient to support myself.

One day, Sister Dolores stopped me on my way to the workshop.

“Liza will be briefly visiting during her semester break after finishing the first term.”

My heart fluttered at those words. Filled with anticipation, I looked forward to seeing Liza.

The following day, I poured all my time into crafting a necklace for Liza.

The pendant was fashioned in the shape of an Elcantara flower, which was Liza’s favorite.

I waited for time to pass quickly.

Then the eagerly anticipated day of Liza’s return arrived. I didn’t go to the workshop and instead waited for her arrival.

From a distance, a stylish carriage approached the temple, and the welcoming nuns and priests waved their hands. I stood a fair distance behind, quietly observing.

The carriage entered the temple garden, and the door opened. The first to step out was a handsome man—tall, at least a head taller than me, dressed in refined clothing, carrying the nobility in every gesture. Several nuns couldn’t help but admire him as they gazed.

And holding that man’s hand, Liza stepped out.

Liza had transformed into a dazzling beauty. There was a fresh energy in her movements and expressions. Her well-groomed hair, flawless features, and the silver silk dress made her appear like a being from another realm.

Liza and the man greeted everyone with bright smiles, and the usually solemn temple was abuzz with warmth, as if it were a festival.

Though it was the reunion I had been yearning for, I found myself unable to approach her. Despite wearing the best clothes I had, which were nothing more than worn workshop garments. And no matter how much I cleaned, black grease marks were ingrained in my palms and nails.

Liza and the man did not let go of their intertwined hands even while busy with greetings.

I felt rooted to the spot as if a weight had settled in my chest. Unable to even greet her, I left the scene.

I walked away from the temple and out into the streets of the city. I wanted to run away from everything.

At the town square, I sat by a fountain, fiddling with the necklace meant for Liza all day. I just couldn’t muster the courage to face them.

Only after sunset did I return to the temple. It had been so long that all the lights were out.

I saw a silhouette pacing alone in the garden. Seeing me, it quickly ran over.

It was Liza.

“You’re here. Where have you been? I thought I missed you.”

I had a sinking feeling upon seeing Liza. I avoided her gaze.

“…Hello.”

“I’m so relieved you look healthy,”

I consciously kept my distance.

“…Right. Who were you waiting for?”

“Obviously, for you. There’s something I urgently need to tell you. I’m also curious about how you’ve been. Let’s take a walk and talk.”

We left the temple and headed to the path we had always walked together since we were young. The moonlight gently illuminated the way.

Walking the path again, I felt an inexplicable distance between Liza and me. The Liza of a year ago would have rushed to embrace me at first sight. The Liza now did not hold my hand or ask to be embraced as she used to.

We caught up on each other’s lives.

“Is work going well at the workshop? Are you still there?”

“Yes, I’ve come to be recognized in my own right and now I can sell items under my own name.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“And you, Liza?”

“Everything’s good. I entered the Eternia Academy’s School of Magic. I got lucky and topped the class this semester.”

“Congratulations.”

“…And while at school, I met someone I like.”

“……”

My heart sank heavily.

“I’m sorry for springing this on you so suddenly. If you’d been at the temple during the day, you probably could have met him. It was unfortunate that I couldn’t introduce you to Elliot.”

“……”

“I’ve been maintaining good feelings with Elliot all semester long, and recently we decided to date.”

As I had seen them arrive not letting go of each other’s hands, I knew what was going on. But I had been avoiding and denying this fact.

“He must be a good person then.”

“Yes. He came to the estate as a guest after I left the Loreille Hall. We got along knowing he was from Eternia, and he stayed at the estate for a while, helping me prepare for the entrance exam.”

“……”

“Elliot knew about the kind of man our uncle is and protected me. He’s the eldest son of the Felton family, which prevents our uncle from meddling too much. Even being able to visit like this is all thanks to him.”

Duke Darren Felton of the Felton family, currently the commander of the royal knights, held a prestigious position. Elliot was the heir to a family of great power and influence.

I discovered I was forever unattainable. Liza belonged to a different world than mine.

“I’m sorry for coming so abruptly and telling you weird things. But I had to say this.”

Liza’s wait till night was to clearly and cleanly redefine our relationship.

“…Can you tell me why?”

“Why what…?”

“Why your feelings changed.”

It was a pathetic question, but I needed to hear the answer. Understanding the reasons makes it easier to accept eventually. My mother left without giving any reasons, and that had been a source of long-standing pain for me.

“…Do you really need to hear it?”

“Yes, I need to.”

Liza pondered for a long while before speaking.

“Everything changed after that incident. It was my fault you nearly died. If I hadn’t been so insistent on finding that star fragment, you wouldn’t have been hurt.”

“…….”

“You did everything to protect me, but in the end, you nearly lost your life. Though it was good fortune that made the wraith retreat, in a normal situation, we would both have died.”

“That’s when I realized, if I’m just clinging to memories and feelings, I won’t move forward, and it would only make us both suffer. I wondered what would have happened if it had been Elliot there instead of you. Elliot would have been able to fend off the wraith, stay with me through it all, and eventually find the star fragment. He’s reliable and strong enough to do that.”

“……”

“More than anything, you can’t be by my side anymore, but Elliot can.”

“……”

“I’m sorry.”

It was all so painfully obvious.

I had been a fool. Deep down, part of me expected that Liza would sustain our love against all odds. Ignoring the differences in status, physical distance, wealth, and talent; holding on to feelings was impossible.

Anyone in Liza’s position would have made the same choice.

All I had more than that man was the memory of our past. Liza’s life was in bloom, and her future stretched out before her. Better conditions, a better environment, meeting better people, and having better experiences would eventually superimpose over her childhood memories and attachments.

And for Liza, that was a good thing.

Though it hurt immensely, I could now accept it.

My role in Liza’s life had come to an end.