"Rudeus!!"
I seemed to hear a faint voice, but the wind and rain made it almost impossible to tell what it was saying.
"Rudeus!!! Stop, now!!!"
An anxious voice pierced the curtain of rain and reached his ears.
Rudeus snapped his eyes open and saw Roxy running toward him with all her might. Her long blue hair was soaked through and plastered to her body, and her face was filled with panic.
"Stop! Rudeus! If this goes on, it'll cause a flood!! The whole of Buena Village will be underwater!!"
Watching her stumble through the rain, looking so anxious she was about to cry, Rudeus finally came to his senses.
Oh no.
He had wanted to do a better job, since this was his last chance to show Roxy what he could do, and make her proud of him.
But... he had gone too far again.
I still can't do it?
Is this frail body unable to contain my strong and resolute soul after all?
Rudeus scratched his head in frustration and hurriedly cut off the flow of mana.
But... if she thinks I haven't learned enough yet, will she stay?
He pushed the thought down as soon as it surfaced.
The dark clouds slowly dispersed, and sunlight once again shone upon the land.
Roxy ran up to Rudeus, gasping for breath.
She raised a hand and gently knocked on Rudeus's head, her voice tinged with lingering fear and a pride she could hardly conceal:
"You idiot... you scared me to death."
"The first time you cast Saint Rank magic, its power nearly reached King Rank! What kind of monster are you?"
Rudeus blinked and looked at her uncertainly:
"Then... teacher, does this mean... I passed?"
"You passed~"
Roxy smiled, her smile especially radiant in the sunlight after the rain:
"Rudeus, you far exceeded my expectations."
"From now on, you're a Saint Rank mage who can stand on his own."
"But... but..."
Rudeus looked at Roxy, who was standing right in front of him.
She was soaked to the skin, her disheveled blue hair clinging to her cheeks and neck. Droplets slid down her delicate chin and fell into her collar.
There was a breathtaking, tragic beauty to her drenched appearance.
The emotions he had held back for so long finally burst forth.
Unable to hold back any longer, Rudeus threw himself into her arms and burst into tears like a real child:
"Teacher... you're leaving, aren't you? You're leaving me, aren't you?"
Rudeus hugged her waist tightly and buried his face in her arms, tears pouring out:
"Could you... could you please stay? I still want to learn magic from you... I don't want you to leave..."
Roxy's body stiffened for a moment. Then she gently stroked the back of Rudeus's head with one hand and softly patted his back with the other.
Her voice was quiet, with a barely perceptible catch in it:
"Silly child... you don't have to be sad."
"You're so clever and gifted. You'll surely become the greatest mage in the world someday."
"So, as your teacher, I can't stay in one place forever either, can I?"
She paused and lowered her head, resting her chin gently on top of Rudeus's head. Her voice was as soft as a feather:
"We're parting so we can have a better reunion. Rudeus, we'll only be apart for a little while."
"Someday, we'll see each other again."
Rudeus knew.
He had always known.
There was a limit to how much of a fuss he could make.
He sniffled and slowly stopped crying, but he still held her tightly, unwilling to let go.
All right, I can't make you stay this time.
But someday, I'll make you stay, and win your heart too.
"There, there, my little crybaby mage."
Roxy smiled and wiped the tears from my face, then took down the earthen wall she had hurriedly raised to protect Caravaggio:
"It's time to go home."
She led Caravaggio over to Rudeus, then reached out and pulled him into her arms.
When we got home, Paul and Zenith were thrilled to learn that I had passed the Saint Rank exam.
Paul immediately thumped his chest and said he would go to town to buy the best wine and meat for a proper celebration.
But Roxy declined.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Paul, Mrs. Zenith," Roxy said apologetically:
"I've already made arrangements with a caravan headed for the King Dragon Kingdom. We leave this afternoon."
Lunch was unusually quiet.
After hastily eating her last bite, Roxy picked up her small suitcase, which she had packed long ago.
The whole family came to the door to see her off.
"Rudeus."
Roxy walked over to Rudeus and took a necklace from her clothing.
The necklace had a silver chain and a small blue magic crystal pendant, polished perfectly smooth and exactly the same color as her hair.
"This is for you." Roxy put the necklace around Rudeus's neck, then gently patted his head:
"Take good care of yourself."
Rudeus nodded hard and reached up to clutch the blue pendant against his chest, feeling its coolness against his fingertips.
"Teacher..." He opened his mouth, only to find his throat too choked up to speak.
Roxy smiled at me, then turned and climbed into the caravan's carriage.
The carriage slowly set off.
The family stood at the door, watching quietly.
The blue figure sitting in the carriage grew smaller and blurrier.
The wind lifted her long hair, like a blue cloud drifting away.
Even when the carriage's silhouette vanished completely at the end of the road and could no longer be seen, no one moved.
The wind blew gently, carrying a hint of chill.
Rudeus looked down at the blue pendant on his chest, where it glimmered softly in the sunlight.
"Goodbye... is for a better reunion... is that right?"