NOVEL WEB Chapter 188: Mother and Daughter (8)
Naru hugged the small raccoon dog girl Nari tightly.
"L-Let go! Don't hug me whenever you want!" Nari protested, but made no real effort to push Naru away.
Pop—After letting go of Nari, Naru hugged the thighs of Naguri, who now had beautifully tanned brown skin.
"Thank you for saving Naru last time! Naru tried really hard to repay the favor but couldn't do it well! But I'm glad you're healthy now!"
Naguri smiled gently at Naru and ruffled her hair.
"Human child, are you no longer in pain? Do you no longer have anything to be sad about? If so, that's good. Come visit the forest again anytime. Anytime."
"Ung, ung!"
Rummage— Rummage—Naguri rummaged through her leather bag. Then, she took out something that resembled small grains and placed them in Naru's hand.
"These are Nari flower seeds. When the flower blooms, it gives off a very fleeting yet beautiful fragrance. Just like the short lives of humans...""Naru will try to grow the flowers well this time!"
Naru tightly grasped the seeds in her hand, gave the raccoon dog mother and daughter one last hug, and then returned to us. As expected, partings were always awkward.Naguri's eyes were now turned towards Brigitte.Feeling her gaze, Brigitte awkwardly scratched the bridge of her nose."...Mrs. Narguri, it was a pleasant time. The experiences of yesterday and today will probably be unforgettable for a lifetime."
As Brigitte spoke, small raccoon dogs were running around in the grass, falling over and acting coy.It was warm and cozy, like a scene from a fairy tale.Naguri placed her hand on her chest and spoke elegantly.
"I should be thanking you for curing my illness. I don't know how much time I have left, but I'd like to live the remaining time as this child's mother, despite my clumsiness.""I see. That's good. That's really good."
Brigitte's eyes were slightly moist with emotion.Perhaps it was from tears of joy at how well the hearts of Nari and her mother connected.Naguri then placed her hand on Nari's shoulder. Just as I was thinking how alike the two looked, the woman who had just been a large raccoon dog chuckled.
"It seems there are some things that can't be helped. I only wished for my daughter not to live the same life as me. But in the end, she's going to walk the same path as me anyway... I wonder what was good about what I've been doing.""...Well, to children, parents always seem like amazing people... Even though that's not really the case. We seem so grown-up, but we're still just as clumsy..."
Brigitte's face held a hint of bitterness. But it was only for a fleeting moment.Tickling Naru who was clinging to her waist, Brigitte spoke again with a bright expression.
"I think I'll try facing her head-on as a mother too. Well then, goodbye until we all meet again someday─.""Bye Nari! Say hi to Makana for me too! Next time we'll have a proper match! Bye little raccoon dogs, take care!"
Buzz— Buzz— Buzz—Naru waved enthusiastically to her forest friends.The next time Naru comes here to play with the children, quite a lot will have changed.Naru trembled as if she couldn't wait for that time to come.
"It was a fun time!"
I see.I was glad Naru and Brigitte had a meaningful time together, but thinking back, I hadn't really done anything this time.But well... isn't the essence of travel exploring and relaxing without having anything particular to do?As I was thinking that while walking, we had already left the forest.
It was already 7 PM.Out of the two days we were given, only about 4 hours remained.Just as I was thinking we should head back soon─ Brigitte spoke.
"Hey, if we have time left, there's somewhere I'd like to stop by. Is that okay? Naru, are you very tired? It's almost dinner time though.""No! Naru is full of energy!"
Pop—Naru stood in between us and held out her hands to me and Brigitte.Naru's hand that I grasped was very small and soft.If there was such a thing as a warm sprout, it would feel just like this.It felt like it would break if I applied even a little force... like a small flower that needs a lot of effort and care to bloom.
Suddenly, I was reminded of the old days.
I was quite a cold-hearted person, so I was somewhat okay even when far away from family.Even when I was rolling around this Pangea continent, there were times I thought of my mom, dad, and younger sister, but it wasn’t to the point of intense longing.Maybe I missed the comforts of the 21st century more than my family.
─Ah, I'm less affectionate and care less for my family than I thought─.
Originally, the most precious thing in my life was always 'me'.At least that's what I thought.
But the moment I first saw Naru, she became a little more precious to me than 'myself'. I felt like I could throw myself away for Naru's sake.I don't know why.They say even hedgehogs find their own babies soft, maybe it's something like that.
"Naru, you're a hedgehog.""Naru is not a hedgehog! Naru is Naru! Naru Barjudas! Daughter of Dad Judas and Mom Brigitte! Yesterday and today were really fun! I wish every day could be like today. Every day!"
Naru laughed hehe-.Soon Naru looked at Brigitte and asked.
"So where are we going now?""...About that."
Brigitte seemed to hesitate a little.She even looked a bit scared.What could exist that scares Brigitte, the strongest magician in the world, at this point?
Squeeze—As I felt Brigitte's hand holding Naru's tighten, Brigitte said softly to Naru.
"Naru, give Mom courage.""Ung, ung!""Space. Cut. Door. Open."
Brigitte quickly finished the four-word incantation.Soon, a round door appeared in front of us.What could be at the end of this door?
As I was imagining what lay beyond, Brigitte took a step. We also matched our steps towards the door and path stretched out, connected to a distant dimension, matching her pace.
Whooosh—Many things around us were shining, dazzling my eyes.
But our steps were unhindered, and we finally emerged from the passage made of light and arrived at a place that looked like a lobby with red carpets.The lobby of some mansion.It was a familiar place.So was the silver hair of the people who started to appear surrounding us.
"...Brigitte.""Sister Friede. And Sister Gudrid is here too."
It seems the last place Brigitte wanted to visit was her own family home. Who would have thought Brigitte would take the first step to go to this place herself.
"Brigitte, what brings you here?"
Brigitte's third sister, the somewhat cold-natured mage Gudrid, asked Brigitte over her glasses. Brigitte answered simply.
"This was my home too. It's almost dinner time now, right? It shouldn't be difficult to set three more places at that long table. Since this house is so needlessly big and spacious.""......"
Bow—The head of the family Friede bowed her head to me and said "This way then".As we headed to the dining room, as Brigitte said, all kinds of food were laid out on the long table with candles, as if dinner preparations were already underway.As people sat down one by one to start the meal, Brigitte asked.
"What about her... Bathory?"
At those words, the third sister, Gudrid clicked her tongue.
"It's been months since she ate with us. She doesn't come out of her room. We have to prepare meals separately and leave them in front of her door. Otherwise, she won't eat anything.""I see. Then, would it be alright if I took that meal to her today?"
Brigitte asked in a calm voice.Soon, all the silver-haired people of the Walpurgis family looked at each other.A small commotion of awkwardness.Soon the head of the family Friede slowly nodded.
"...Alright, you are her daughter too after all."
# # #
Click— Click—The sound of Brigitte's heels echoed through the cold stone corridor.When Brigitte was a child, this corridor felt too wide, unnecessarily long, and dark.She was always scared that a ghost might come out from the end of that corridor.Even now, this corridor still felt eerie to her.
Squeeze—Brigitte held Naru's hand even tighter.
Strangely, having the child beside her gave her courage.She felt like she now understood the feeling of mother cats when they charge at lions.
She finally reached that door.Even though it was closed, a chilly coldness could be felt through the gaps.
Knock— Knock—Brigitte knocked on the door.Then a voice was heard from inside.
━Leave it in front.
Brigitte's heart fluttered slightly at that voice.She felt like putting down the tray in her hand and turning back, but she couldn't with Naru standing beside her.After all, she couldn't show a bad example to Naru.
Knock— Knock—She knocked on the door again.
━I said leave it and go.
"Mom, it's me."
━...You....
The room fell into silence for a moment.A few seconds.As Brigitte was wondering if she had ever felt a second pass so carefully in the past few days─
Click—Creeeeak—The door opened.
━Come in.
"......"
Brigitte opened the door and entered.It was a room with a wintry chill.
Little Naru could not help but sneeze "Achoo-".
In the center of the room was a bed, and a gaunt old woman was sitting on it, wearing a ghost-like white silk nightgown.Her hair was disheveled and her wrinkles were deep.Brigitte was slightly surprised at the sight of the woman who looked more haggard and aged than she remembered, but she soon composed herself and placed the tray she was holding on a nearby table.
"Why did you come?"
The woman, who seemed to be at the end of her life, asked calmly.A chilling shadow of illness could be felt in that trembling voice.Brigitte wanted to return to somewhere warmer, in many ways, but she gathered her courage and said.
"...Because you're my mother.""Weren't you the one who left saying I'm not your mother and this house isn't your family? You destroyed the mansion, and now you dare return... cough, cough""......""You must be relieved to see me dying. If you have any last words, say them. Next time we meet, It won't be in this world.""...I want an apology from you, Mom. If you ever felt sorry for me, please tell me, even after all this time.""Are you still clinging to pride even at this point?""No. It's because I want Naru to remember. I take after you too, Mom. Your blood flows in me, so someday I might fight with Naru as well.""......""But, just as I am reaching out to reconcile with you now, I came here hoping Naru would do the same for me someday. I want Naru to remember this day in the future."
The old woman looked at the girl who was busy looking around holding her mother's hand.She had a face resembling her daughter.
Bathory recognized at a glance that this girl called Naru was her daughter's daughter when she first saw her.Though she didn't say it.She then said.
"...You were extremely sick from when you were in my womb. Your father was a man from a strange land. You caught a disease from that strange land when you were very young.""...You mean...""You are not a daughter of Walpurgis. You are a child I bore after falling for a man from another world. At least that's what I think. Faust thought so too. Of course, it might not be true..."
Bathory's husband, Faust, was a cold-hearted man.He had tried to get rid of Brigitte, who might or might not have been his daughter.However, rather than taking action himself, he used his sinful wife to drive away the daughter she had given birth to.That was a way to punish both his wife and Brigitte at the same time.
"...You know. I ended up loving something that just flutters around like a butterfly in spring. Knowing how fleeting those small wing beats are... knowing that sometimes they can cause great storms...""......""You must be the same. Brigitte, do you love that man? If possible, don't. Everyone around you might get hurt. I've already been down that road, so what I'm saying is the truth."
Bathory said this while coughing continuously and then proceeded to lie down on the bed.Then she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.
"What... ha..."
Brigitte felt a bit angry at this old woman's stubborn attitude.But in that lofty attitude, she saw herself. And at the same time, her younger self overlapped with her mother.What if she could have heard these stories when she was young?If she could have learned and heard more from her mother...
"I'll come again. I still haven't heard an apology. Don't selfishly die until then."Brigitte left the room.
Click— Click—As she walked down the silent and wide corridor again, she suddenly realized.
'I guess I wasn't the only one who felt this mansion was like a prison.'
Thinking that, her fear of ghosts appearing disappeared.This place was just a building.Just an unusually large and slightly cold building.
Brigitte had always disliked this coldness, so she waved her hand lightly.Then, lily flowers blooming with soft light and warmth appeared between the cold stone walls.
"It's much prettier than before!"
Naru shouted.Brigitte also moved her stiff lips into a smile.
"I think so too."