Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.3] Quest 265- Heroes Elegy

30th of October, Adventure’s Graveyard.

“… It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Lydia?” Cirrus said, kneeling before her grave. “I brought your favorite drink!” Cirrus took out a nice bottle of bourbon.

“…”

“Seems your grave is fairly maintained.” He said, cleaning it up a bit. “Lot of people are here for the Elegia… Hmm, the first time I was here, you didn’t even have a nice headstone, just a fucking wooden cross.” He crossed his legs and poured a drink on her headstone before taking a swig.

Cirrus closes his eyes and imagines how it would be if she were here.

“Come on! You’re wasting the damn drink!! Ay! Ay! She looks pretty cute!! Wanna join me and Hermes for a good night in the town?”

Imagining her brought a smile to his face, but he heard someone calling for him.

“Hm?”

He slowly opened his eyes and turned to see Ais in a white one-piece with her hair tied up standing near him.

“Oh, you. Are you here to pay respects to a fallen friend?”

“… My father,” Ais said.

“Ah… I see.” He turned back to Lydia’s grave.

“Can I ask who this is?” she walked next to Cirrus.

“An old friend, Lydia ‘Autolycus’ Parnassus, a level 3 of the Hermes Familia… their former captain before Asfi took the role during the Great Feud.”

“I… I’m sorry.” She said with a pained expression.

“No need to be sorry… just—“ Cirrus hands her the bourbon. “Offer a drink. She much preferred a drink than a sorry.”

“… Hm.” she took the bottle and poured it on the headstone. “… Do you think she can taste it?”

“I’m sure she can… here.” Cirrus reaches into his coat and hands Ais a fine bottle of Rum. “I’m sure your old man would like to share a drink with his daughter.”

Ais’s face slightly lights up as she takes the bottle.

“Thank you, but… I am not old enough to—“

“Don’t worry about it, it’s a rather old rum, so it’s pretty sweet for a 1st-time drinker. Besides, your Immunity rank should be high enough to go a few rounds.”

“Thank you.” She said with sincerity and a nod of her head.

“Now get going or else someone will interrupt you at your time of peace.”

“Hm.”

She takes her to leave with a bottle of rum in hand.

“Haaa…” Cirrus closes his eyes again, and he sang the song the people of the city were singing together and soon enough everyone in the graveyard began to sing along.

Standing in the back of the graveyard in front of a black tombstone, Ais stood before it.

“… Rum.” She opened it to get a whiff of a pleasant, sweet aroma.

She poured some on the tomb and then she herself took a sip of the drink.

“!” she found it to be very tasty. “Very sweet.”

‘… Father.’ She looked up at a monument of Albert. ‘I may be a bit young, but I can at least share with you a drink.’

As she closes her eyes, she could hear his voice in her ears.

‘Was this what Cirrus was doing? To hear their voices again that warms and pains the heart?’

She slowly opened her eyes and poured the tomb another drink.

“Xeno… Spirits… it has gotten so much more complicated.” She takes a much bigger sip than before. “… I wonder if I would find a hero like how mom had you…” she closes her eyes again, and she sees one person in her eyes.

‘Him…’ she slowly opens her eyes again with a slight smile. ‘If it’s him, I would be happy…’

She looks at the bottle and pours the rest on the tomb before taking her leave.

“I will kill the Black Dragon and save you… no matter what.”

Watching her leave, Bell rubs his eyes.

‘Was that really Ais?’

Bell walks where she was to smell something sweet in front of a monument of the Hero Albert.

“Albert… Albert…!!” Bell pieces it together as this was the monument of the last hero before the gods came to Gekai.

‘Their names are similar, but… it’s impossible. The time in between his death and Ais is…’ Bell puts it in the back of his mind.

“There is no use in thinking on theories… I could ask, but…” he looks at the monument again.

‘But I doubt it would even be a topic I could bring up or get an answer to.’

Bell walks back to see Cirrus sitting down.

‘He isn’t on the 18th floor?’

Walking up to him, he looks to be at peace with a bottle of alcohol stabbed into the ground in front of a grave.

“U-um, sir?”

Cirrus slowly opens his eyes and glances at him from the side.

“Bell, did you lose someone?” Cirrus said before looking back at the grave in front of him.

“Fortunately, no, I came to give flowers to someone else.”

“I see how very kind of you.”

“Um, can I ask who you are paying your respects to?”

“An old friend of mine, she was Hermes’ captain before Asfi.”

“Oh… how was she?”

“She was like Hermes, but female, so you can more or less imagine it.”

“Mmmm….” Bell makes a disgruntled face. “I thought you would be on the 18th floor?”

“I would, but this one here hasn’t gotten enough love, so here I am.”

“Does Hermes not come by?”

“He does, but he keeps himself busy with stuff, and well…” Cirrus looked down saddened. “It happens. The gods accept their deaths and move on.”

“… That is a bit sad.”

“Yup, so it is up to us to remember them and like this one here.” He pats her headstone.

A gentle smile appeared on Bell’s face.

“… Oh right, um, did you see Ais come through here?”

“… Depends, are you snooping in her business, Bell?” his gaze slightly sharpened a bit. “Girls don’t like guys who look into private stuff and vice versa.”

“I-I’m sorry!!” he bowed profusely. “I, um… I just saw her in front of the black tomb for the ancient heroes and um… I was a bit curious.”

“… Well, that’s something only Ais can tell you. I have no right to inform people of her personal information. After all, would you want me to tell people of your personal information?”

“No… your right…”

“… Hmm, now that we are on that topic, how close are you to level 5?”

“Oh, um, rather close! I just need to do an impressive feat!”

“I see… well, you should get going. Your Familia must be looking for you.”

‘Once he reaches level 5… I think I will finally give him Alfia’s brooch.’

Bell could see he has something hidden, but what it is, is beyond him.

“Goodbye Cirrus.” He bows his head.

“And to you as well.” He went back to closing his eyes.

When morning came, people got ready for the Goddess Festival.