Now Shuki was so weak that he could not even go to the small island he could see from his favorite cape, and he did not think he would be able to endure a very long voyage.
Shuki looked young, but his internal organs, especially his heart, were in bad shape.
He has been able to prolong his life thanks to the healing magic, but even the most advanced healing magic can't help his longevity.
I will build a more comfortable ship. Then father, will you come with me to the sea?
Adriana answered cheerfully.
* * * *
"I, too, came to this world by accident just before I died, and I've been doing a lot of things for over 200 years. ......"
Now Shuki was looking out over the sea from his favorite promontory.
Ahead of him, small islets dot the landscape. If he could make it to the largest island, about ten kilometers away, he might be able to navigate through the shallows and reach it without swimming.
However, Shuki did not have the strength to do so.
Shuki gazes out at the sea, remembering the sea of Tosa where he spent his childhood.
"That sea will still be as blue as ever. ......"
And again Shuki clutches Adriana's shoulder as she stands next to him,
"I have found the love of my life in my wife, and I have a daughter who is also the love of my life. And I was able to raise the best magecraftsman. No, you are already a Meister. <
He clasped his joined hands tightly together.
"Thank you, Ado. I am proud to say that my life has been a good one because of you.
"Father ......."
Adriana's pursed lips trembled.
She stopped herself from speaking any further, as if to say something would bring tears to her eyes.
"I think it's a sign of old age to try to find meaning in life. I am aware of that, but I still want to say it.
Shuki looked at Adriana, who was standing next to him.
Ad, thank you. Thanks to you, my second half of my life has been fulfilling. I've been ...... happy."
"Father!"
Adriana hugged Shuki and cried.
"You'll always be a crybaby, Ad.
"...... I only cry when it's about my father."
Adriana finished in a tearful voice.
"Thank you, Ad.
Shuki thanked her for the first time. There was a glint in his eyes.
Adriana smiles back at him with tears in her eyes.
"Father, that's enough. I'm your daughter. Isn't it natural for a daughter to take care of her parents?
* * * * * *
On the morning of June 29th, 2358.
"Dad, dinner's ready. It's time to get up."
Adriana called out to Shuki.
"...... father?"
But there was no answer.
"Dad!"
Adriana rushes to him.
"Dad! ......"
Shuki did not return that morning.
His face was peaceful, with the clear smile he always gave Adriana.
"I wish I could have learned more from my father ............. I wanted to go with you to more places. I wanted to make more things with you. I wanted to ...... be with you more and more, Dad. ......"
Adriana cried silently, holding Shuki's cold body in her arms.
* * * *
Adriana built a monument on the cape that Shuki had loved so much, and took a boat out to the sea.
She wanted to bury Shuki on the most remote islet visible from the cape.
Together with the golem and the automata she had created, Adriana built a cemetery for Shuki.
In the graveyard, two automata, one of her father Shuki and the other of herself, were placed as the tomb guard.
Adriana Barbora Tsetsi vanished into thin air, leaving behind a diary in which she and Shuki wrote their last days together.