chapter one

[Central Country–Village]

Riquet: Welcome back, Rutile. How was it, dancing with the townsfolk?

Rutile: Very entertaining, I’ve gotta say; they sure know how to lead the dance! I had loads of fun even just standing by waiting for my next dance partner.

Riquet: That’s good to hear, however… I do not know how to properly word it, but this celebration is a bit… Unorthodox to me.

Rutile: What do you mean?

Riquet: Everybody seems to have a smile on their face for the send-off, yes? Isn’t such a ceremony supposed to be more solemn than this lively party, in order to respect the memory of the deceased?

Rutile: Some can be performed like that too, of course. But there’s also a myriad of ways to show love and pay our last goodbyes to our departed…

We performed an informal ceremony such as this one before. When Mister Lenno had to send off his friend in the garden he manifested, we danced like fools, played in puddles, and sang to our heart’s content to honour their friendship and the wonderful wizard he was.

Riquet: Mitile told me about this mission… The Garden of Endless Rain, was it not?

Rutile: That’s the one. …Thinking about it now, we truly shared something special together back then.

Riquet: …If only I had joined in on this mission, perhaps I wouldn’t be questioning their customs… Do you think I would presently better appreciate the joyful fervour the villagers put in their farewell?

Rutile: Maybe, though I think you can understand the customs of this village regardless of the missions you’ve experienced.

You want to understand what they feel and why, and that’s what’s most important in your approach. …I have an idea. Riquet, come with me!

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chapter two

[Central Country–Village]

Riquet: …Here? I can see that the villagers are eating, um… Am I supposed to look for something in particular…?

Rutile: They’re not just eating. They’re all bereaved families, yet they happily share stories of their defunct loved ones.

Mister Lenno also reminisced about his late friend’s adventures back in the garden. Just like them, we carried in our hearts the memories of someone we didn’t get the chance to meet in person as we danced under the moonlight.

In reminiscing together around a meal, the villagers can mutually become acquainted with past generations as though they were always part of their lives.

Riquet: I see… If such is the case, then I hope I can join their prayer.

Riquet: …They must have been wonderful souls in their days. They gave love their whole life, and they will forever be loved by their town in return…

…Is that why they can bid their last farewells with joy in their hearts? That their memories bring laughter rather than tears to the living?

Rutile: I’d assume so. Perhaps the villagers agreed to perform this rite in hopes that both the living and the dead can finally be at peace, with a smile on their faces until the very end.

In life and in death, everyone wants their loved ones to be happy.

Riquet: I… I think I understand why this is a merry party rather than a stern ceremony now.

Rutile: Fufu, isn’t that wonderful to hear!

Riquet: Thank you so much, Rutile. I don’t know if I can perform this aptly yet, but still… I want to try—paying a last farewell to the gone souls the way the villagers do, I mean.

Rutile: Of course! Let’s send them off with a smile, together!

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episode story

“Southern Philosophy”

[Wizards’ Manor—Kitchen]

Akira: Hey there Rutile, what are you cooking?

Rutile: Oh, it’s you Master Sage! I was just about to make a typical dish from my country.

Akira: A specialty from the South, huh… Rollito de pollo, isn’t it?

Rutile: Ahah, no, not this time. If I’m not mistaken, it was one of the former Sage’s Wizard’s signature recipes, just like our rollito de pollo.

We were talking about the kinds of dishes we make the most at the Manor during the banquet at the village, which inspired me to try my hand at it.

Mister Nero is going to help me with the preparation. I hope you’ll give it a try once we’re done!

Akira: (Right, I’ve been told the late Southern wizards have always enjoyed sharing and treating others to large meals… Perhaps Rutile has inherited this trait and hopes to carry on the tradition…)

I definitely will! A dish from the South… I bet it would taste like home to lots of people.

Rutile: Fufu, that’s the whole point.

Whether they’re trying it for the first time or not, I hope everybody will find the taste comforting.

I’m sure this simple dish can bring us closer to that wizard, and perhaps even understand the life they had in the Manor before we came.

Akira: (The next generation will carry on stories of their departed, making their memory live on amongst the living…)

(An immense kindness and an equal resolution to pair—such is the natural Southern philosophy.)

The more we talk about it, the less I can wait to eat this mysterious dish. I’m excited to meet them through your cooking!

Rutile: Me too! You’ll see, you’re going to love them!

voice line

“Mister Lenno either acts the same as he always does with us, or like a completely different person when Sir Faust is around. I have yet to grasp the full extent of their relationship, but... At the very least, I’m glad they both seem pleased to live alongside us at the Manor.”

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