“…those things.”
“Father…”
“That’s enough. Don’t be so sad. All this crying doesn’t suit any of you.”
The head of the Helovit family continued,
“Instead of that, use this last bit of time to say your goodbyes properly.”
He bid farewell to each of his children with great care.
He hoped his eldest son, who was prone to pride and complacency, would remain humble and continue to advance on the path of cultivation.
He hoped his third daughter, now crying before him, would stop shedding tears and grow even stronger than before.
He hoped Kemode would cast aside his arrogance and impatience and soon overcome his bottleneck.
He hoped…
“Cecilia.”
He softly called the name of his youngest daughter.
“Father, I’m here.”
Cecilia stepped forward.
Though sadness weighed on her heart, she still smiled gently at him.
So many years had passed.
Time had left its marks on nearly everyone around them.
But Cecilia remained exactly the same.
She had not changed at all.
She was still the radiant young girl she had always been.
Perhaps it was the power of divinity.
Or perhaps her cultivation had already reached a realm where youth would never fade.
To the head of the Helovit family, they were still all just children.
No matter what his sons and daughters had become, they would always be his children.
“Cecilia…”
He spoke softly.
“You were my youngest child… and the one I worried about the most.
“To tell the truth… I owe you an apology.
“From the time you were little, you were forced to live within the strict rules of the Saintess. You couldn’t freely express your emotions. You endured so many grievances.
“By the time I truly realized how deeply those things had hurt you… it was already too late.”
“It’s alright, Father.”
Cecilia shook her head.
She had never blamed him.
“I regretted it. I felt guilty. I kept wondering how I could make up for your past. I wondered… if one day I died, and she disappeared… what would become of you?
“But now… I’m not worried about you anymore.”
Looking at Cecilia, the family head smiled with genuine relief.
“Because… you’ve become a mature adult.
“So mature that… even if there’s no one beside you, you’ll still be able to live well.”
The head of the Helovit family passed away with a smile.
Because, in the final moments of his life, all of his children had stayed by his side.
Because the youngest daughter he had worried about most no longer needed his protection.
***
Soon afterward, it was the head of the Kalis family.
Cecilia went to see him one last time.
Back then, the Kalis family had suffered devastating losses because of Lu Mo.
But over the years, through the old patriarch’s painstaking efforts, the family had slowly recovered, gradually reclaiming its place among the Holy Hall’s Seven Great Families.
Now…
He too had fallen.
He had endured far more than the head of the Helovit family.
Lying in bed, he was so thin and haggard that Cecilia almost failed to recognize him.
His children had all gathered around him.
Among them, only one familiar young woman was missing.
Only…
She would never come back again.
And no one dared mention her name.
The patriarch’s state of mind had already deteriorated badly.
When his eldest son said,
“Father, we’re all here.”
the old man suddenly struggled upright and began counting everyone with surprising seriousness.
The others were startled and hurried to press him back onto the bed.
But he stubbornly refused.
“One… two… three…”
“No! One’s missing! You’re lying to me!”
“Father, we really—”
“You’re lying! You’re lying! I still have a daughter!
“My most beautiful… my most outstanding daughter… she hasn’t come back yet!”
An astonishing strength burst from the frail old man.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t force him back down.
Just as everyone was at a complete loss…
Cecilia stepped forward.
“Miss Cecilia… you’ve come?”
Seeing her, the patriarch greeted her warmly.
It seemed he wanted to ask something.
But Cecilia leaned close to his ear and whispered,
“Miss Lu Mo asked me to come.
“Don’t worry.
“She’s already on her way back.
“She’s just been terribly busy lately. One thing after another.
“There was simply no helping it, right?
“After all…
“She’s the hero who saved this world.”
“Ah… yes… yes…”
The old patriarch nodded earnestly and whispered back to Cecilia.
“She’s a hero… a hero…
“Busy… that’s good… being busy is good…
“Miss Cecilia… tell her…
“If she’s truly too busy…
“Then she doesn’t have to come back just yet…”
As he spoke, he stopped struggling.
He quietly lay back on the bed, wearing a faint smile of satisfaction.
“A hero…
“As long as she’s a hero… that’s enough…”
he murmured.
“My daughter… you’ve come?
“You came back…
“To see me?”
Then, in the final moments of his life, his eyes suddenly lit up with joy.
He slowly reached one hand toward the sunlight spilling through the window.
Moments later…
His hand fell weakly to his side.
“Father!!”
Someone cried out in grief.
The head of the Kalis family had passed away.
Sorrow silently spread through the room.
Cecilia looked at him once more.
He had fallen into an eternal sleep.
Yet…
At the corners of his lips rested a peaceful smile.
As though, in his final moment…
He had truly seen the person he longed to see.
Cecilia turned toward the window—
toward the place where he had been looking.
But there…
There was still nothing.
“Miss Lu Mo…”
she whispered.
She missed Lu Mo again.
Before long, she quietly bid everyone farewell and left the Kalis estate.
***
Time continued to flow.
Pitilessly taking many things away.
After that, more and more people departed.
Elders of the Holy Hall.
Respected seniors of the great families.
Friends she had once known.
It seemed that life was destined to be filled with one farewell after another.
People inevitably grew old.
Until one day…
They could no longer continue walking.
They simply stopped.
Yet when you turned back to look at them,
they would smile and tell you,
“Keep moving forward.
“There’s no need to look back.”
So…
You continued onward.
Farther and farther away.
Until one day, when you looked back again,
they were nowhere to be seen.
You had grown up.
Even without them beside you,
you could continue walking alone.
“You’ve become a mature adult.”
Cecilia often remembered the final words her father had spoken to her.
“The Divine Maiden still looks so young…”
“But isn’t she already such a dependable, accomplished person?”
Sometimes she would overhear others saying things like that.
A mature adult…
Perhaps…
That was what maturity really meant.
It meant always remembering to bring an umbrella when traveling.
It meant learning to hold back her tears, rarely crying over her own emotions anymore.
She no longer let herself get soaked in the rain.
She learned to take care of herself.
She was no longer incapable of distinguishing right from wrong.
She had grown into an independent person, no longer entrusting her life to the mercy of others or to chance.
No one would come to pick her up on a stormy night anymore.
No one could read her heart with a single glance anymore.
But…
She wasn’t always so composed.
When her work was finally done and she had time to herself,
she would quietly do the things she wanted.
Sometimes, on a bright spring day,
she would go alone to the seaside,
sit on the beach,
and remain there for an entire day.
Closing her eyes,
she listened to the tides ebb and flow,
imagining the blossoms blooming before her.
Sometimes,
she would secretly climb over the wall at the edge of the Helovit estate
and return to the lakeside.
She would take off her shoes,
lift the hem of her skirt,
immerse her feet in the cool water,
then lie beside the lake,
looking up at the shade of the trees,
watching clouds drift lazily across the sky.
She would crouch down,
carefully climb into the old wooden treehouse,
lie upon its floor,
and listen to the rustling wind outside.
Sometimes she would doze,
half expecting to hear the sound of pages turning behind her.
Sometimes she would accidentally fall asleep,
not waking until dusk,
finding herself alone in the little cabin.
Sometimes,
she quietly visited the Speiboke family,
placing a bouquet of flowers in the peaceful little garden,
leaving before anyone noticed.
Sometimes,
she visited Serena,
and the two would talk late into the night.
Before leaving,
she would stand before the tomb of the Immortal Sword,
bowing deeply in solemn respect.
Sometimes,
she disguised herself,
wandered through the marketplace of Smale Town,
ate snacks,
watched magic shows,
and laughed together with the children.
Sometimes,
she climbed alone onto the Wall of Holy Demons,
sat there watching the sun slowly sink beneath the horizon,
then remained until dawn broke across the sky.
Between heaven and earth,
there was only her.
She did all of these things alone.
Yet…
Deep within her heart,
there would always live one girl.
She carried that girl with her,
showing her more and more of this human world.
“Miss Lu Mo…
“Can you see it?
“I’ve grown up.
“I’ve become someone truly amazing.
“I can tell good people from bad people now.
“I reward the good.
“I punish the wicked.
“I’ve become brave.
“No one dares bully me anymore.
“I’ve become independent.
“I’m seriously pursuing what I believe is right.
“I’m still moving forward.
“My world keeps growing larger.
“I’ve protected myself well.
“I…
“I’m happy.
“So…
“What about you?
“Have you seen how much I’ve grown?
“Are you…
“Doing well?”
She whispered those words atop the Wall of Holy Demons.
The wind brushed gently across her face,
lifting a stray lock of hair,
carrying her voice far into the distance.
And sometimes…
Cecilia would have the strange illusion
that Lu Mo had never truly gone away.
That she was still there,
walking quietly beside her,
step by step.