ragginovel Chapter 336: Where They Can Watch Over Us
Chapter 336: Where They Can Watch Over Us
"Maybe I’ll plant flowers around it."
Surely they would be happy if colorful flowers bloomed there.
As he continued walking and considering various possibilities, a small hill came into view.
The top looked promising, but when he tried to find a path leading up, he could not see one anywhere.
Just as he was wondering what to do...
"Wah... Oh, it’s you, Mayo. You startled me."
His body suddenly lifted into the air.
Startled, Qiong Xing turned around and found Mayo behind him.
Mayo had grown so large that he was now many times bigger than Qiong Xing, and his long tail was wrapped gently around him.
"Are you going to carry me up there? Thank you."
As if telling him to climb aboard, Mayo placed him on his back and began making his way up the hill.
Qiong Xing smiled and thanked him.
"You’ve really grown up, Mayo. You’re almost the same size as your mother was when I first met her."
"Mayo~"
The memory made him nostalgic.
Their first meeting had been quite a shock.
The egg entrusted to him back then had grown into this magnificent creature.
Watching his children grow day by day always filled him with mixed emotions.
Part of him was happy to see them growing.
Another part wished they could stay the way they were forever.
"We fulfilled our promise too, didn’t we?"
Mayo had grown large enough to fulfill the promise of letting Qiong Xing ride on his back someday.
Truthfully, Mayo probably no longer needed Qiong Xing’s help.
And yet he still chose to stay by his side.
Qiong Xing knew he was selfish.
Unable to let go because he would feel lonely otherwise.
Yet Mayo never seemed bothered by it.
Just like the other children, he continued to stay close, affectionately calling him Mama and seeking his attention.
"...I really am selfish, aren’t I?"
"Mayo~"
People around him often called him kind or said he was too gentle.
But Qiong Xing himself saw things differently.
He thought of himself as selfish, self-indulgent, and lazy.
If he ever said that aloud, everyone would undoubtedly deny it.
Still, he knew he was unlikely to change, so he had long since accepted that part of himself.
"Since we’re here, let’s place one for your mother beside them too, Mayo."
The reason he had come here was to build a grave for his parents.
Adding one more beside theirs would not be a problem at all.
His parents would probably be surprised if they saw Mayo’s mother, but he was certain they would never dislike her.
If his fearless mother were still alive, she would probably be thrilled and excited beyond words.
"Thank you, Mayo. Yes, this place is perfect."
The top of the hill was exactly as he had imagined.
It was bright, open, and filled with a pleasant breeze.
After searching for stones of a suitable size, he carefully shaped them and decided to use them as gravestones.
He had briefly considered making his mother’s stone cute and decorative, but after being told by Raon and the others that he had no artistic talent, he abandoned the idea and settled for carving only the names.
"...Although there isn’t actually anything to bury."
He smiled wryly.
"Maybe I’ll bury the scale your mother gave me beneath hers."
He possessed neither his parents’ ashes nor any keepsakes from them.
The graves would be empty.
But he had known that from the beginning when he decided to build them, so it did not bother him.
"From here, they can see our home and everything around it."
Surely they would watch over everyone gently from this place.
"We’ll bring the children next time and plant flowers. Planting a tree would be nice too. It’ll provide shade during the summer and shelter from the rain and wind."
Even now, thinking about his parents still brought sadness.
But there were even more happy memories than painful ones.
More than anything, he wished they could know that he was living happily now, surrounded by a loving family.
His parents were not here.
These graves were only symbolic.
Still, Qiong Xing built them with the hope that the parents who lived on within his heart would continue watching over everyone.
"...I was sad. I don’t know how many times I wished I could die after the two of you were gone. But... I’m glad. Now I can honestly say that I’m glad I lived. Well, technically I did die and ended up here."
His death had been what brought him to this world.
And because of that, he had found the happiness he now possessed.
Mayo moved closer and pressed against him.
Qiong Xing gently stroked him before wrapping both arms around him in a tight hug.
"Mayo was my first child after I came here. My child who is so big, so adorable, so beautiful, and so kind."
Mayo was not human.
But he was still his beloved child.
Qiong Xing proudly told his parents’ graves about him.
"I had given up on ever having children, but now I have so many."
As a gay man, Qiong Xing had once believed he would never have children.
He had felt guilty toward his parents, but he had also known that forcing himself to marry a woman would never bring happiness to either of them.
Yet now he had six wonderful children.
Not all of them were connected to him by blood.
Some were not even human.
But they were all precious to him.
"And there are four people who love me too. They’re all very strong, just like Mom."
Comparing his mates to his mother was perhaps a strange thing to do.
Still, despite her appearance, his mother had been remarkably strong and dependable, and he had always admired her for it.
"Maybe I inherited my tendency to worry from Dad."
What came to mind was his father’s face as he watched his reckless mother with endless concern.
Now Qiong Xing had people just as precious as those he had lost.