Blue Rose: Shards of Memory
It's merely fragments of the blue rose's memory. Forcibly pieced-together recollections. Desperate moments to keep him from fading away. I must never forget that time. There is no such thing as eternity. Before "I" cease to be "me" any longer, I must recall these memories.
*
A thousand years ago. Western Lianod. The family that dominated the true power there was none other than the Rose Family. A pristine white castle surrounded by a garden of red roses. People casually called it the Rose Castle, and it was there that she listened demurely to the tale.
"You're the saintess the church sent?"
"Yeah."
That was her first meeting with Rian Rose. His black hair was unkempt, flowing freely in disarray. It gave away his personality, whether you looked at his exterior or peered into his soul. Any noble would mind their appearance and maintain decorum, but he was different. He was utterly reckless.
The people saw him as a demon slayer who thought only of revenge, never of others. At the same time, he was the hero who had inherited his faded father's holy sword. She'd heard from ancient tales that saintesses and heroes always journeyed together, but she felt a twinge of worry.
"Haa..."
"What's up?"
"Nothing. I just doubted if you're really the hero."
"I never really wanted to be a hero anyway? People just call me that on their own. So, you don't want to team up?"
"No. The church is paying me... so I have to follow you."
The first impression was the worst. Where the hell had they sold off the romance that was supposed to bloom between saintess and hero? Rian Rose felt no responsibility for being called a hero. Or rather, he had zero interest... He didn't grasp the weight of the title.
If that had been charming, maybe. But even a month later, she still questioned why he was the hero. Does picking up a holy sword make anyone a hero? Then every dog and cow would be one.
Of course, she only thought it, never said it aloud. Rian got surprisingly sensitive and upset about stuff like that.
But the biggest reason his dignity crumbled was this.
"Rian! I'm gonna smash that bastard flat starting now!"
"Sounds good, Uba. I'll rip that fucker's head off."
"Wooooah!"
"He noticed, you idiot?!"
"A true warrior looks cooler yelling to boost morale."
"Hey, hey! Catch him! The bastard's running! I said catch him!"
Was this really a hero's party? One was a lunatic who flipped out and charged at any demon he saw, the other a muscle-headed monk who knew nothing else. And these guys were the heirs of the God of Fate and Kalia Rune? She was dumbfounded.
She'd long given up dreaming of lovey-dovey romance with the hero. No, disillusioned was more like it. She started pitying herself for ever having those vague expectations.
And yet... I'm supposed to be a saintess...
How many years passed? Demons began invading through gates. Screams echoed everywhere. Flames engulfed the surroundings, and the Four Heavenly Kings' minions overran the village.
Belzebub's Four Heavenly Kings were monstrously powerful. Even six Demon Kings couldn't defeat the "King of Demons." These weren't even legion commanders—just the Heavenly Kings—and they were apocalyptic disasters. One even bore the epithet Tree of Disaster.
If the elven kingdom Alfheim had its World Tree, the demons had their Tree of Disaster. Belzebub moved it like a chess piece, a true King of Demons in every sense.
The Tree of Disaster's roots eroded the earth, burrowing deep to spew demonic energy. The land fell to darkness, and the earth spirits wailed. They corrupted. They drowned in desire. They were stained with terror.
Thus, Lianod became a hellscape.
Lea did her duty as a saintess. She prayed for the dead. As God's proxy, she apologized for the inescapable fate. With a saintess's blessing, even those who fell to demonic corruption could reach heaven.
Witnessing all this drained her mentally. It was hard to endure. Peaceful streets wrapped in fire, human corpses strewn over flower fields. How could anyone view this as normal?
Demons mounted the bodies, gnawing flesh, soaking in blood, cackling. She was terrified. She'd slain countless demons with her comrades, but she'd never felt such overwhelming malice.
"...Don't come closer."
These weren't low-grade demons. They were on another level entirely. The top-tier demons had gathered: Behemoth of the land, Leviathan of the sea, Ziz of the sky.
Behemoth devoured everything on the ground. Leviathan unleashed massive floods, and Ziz accelerated them with enormous wings. As a saintess bearing the mission to protect many, her shoulders felt heavier than ever.
Survivors still remained. She had to stop them. But how?
Don't think. Just move as your body demands.
Her mind filled with that thought. Before she knew it, she was channeling divine power, conjuring a golden magic circle.
"...Have I gone mad too?"
It was Rian's fault, with his daily reckless antics. Everything was because of that guy. Without him, she wouldn't push herself this far. They'd say she'd lost her fear. Truly insane to even think of blocking those "disasters."
Running would be smarter for survival. But people believed in the saintess. God's proxy who wrought miracles amid any hardship. Humans clung to such bullshit tales. Imperfect beings, desperate for miracles.
Then.
"I can live up to expectations once in a while...!"
She erected a massive barrier. A colossal energy shield woven solely from mana and divine power. Not some brute-force dirt wall like Uba's, but an original spell crafted in her accelerated mind.
But... how long would it hold?
Krunch!
"...That crazy bastard!"
The Tree of Disaster pierced the shield. She'd barely blocked the flood, and now this. She was losing her mind. If this broke, Lianod was done. Demons would pour through the gate beyond, and eventually, the Demon King would touch this world.
Krrunch!
The Tree of Disaster. That fucker was laughing. Enjoying this.
Rage boiled up. To them, humans were mere toys. That was the most loathsome thing in the world. How dare they toy with humans—with humanity! Those who trusted the gods above all, living under their blessings. The faithful.
This was blasphemy...!
"Hng... Dangerous..."
Her arms went numb. The magic circle was on the verge of collapse. Already thirty minutes had passed. No one lent her mana. They all fled. She knew it. People would always abandon her and run.
But it didn't matter. Protecting humans was her mission. So she wouldn't yield to these pathetic demons. We heroes must seal the Demon King!
Krrrrunch!
Cracks spiderwebbed across it. It was fracturing bit by bit.
...She'd steeled every part of herself, but it was a failure. She'd drown in that flood after all.
Her shoulders ached. The mission to protect humanity was too much to bear. Mana was running dry. Exhaustion would leave her immobile for a while...
"If it's too much, just say so."
"...Huh?"
Clang!
A savage black energy slashed the sea and cleaved the sky. The familiar sword strike. A ferocious power that could shatter mountains. And the compassionate blade caught her eye.
"...Sky Slash?"
"Lea, you can't protect every human. Some have to be sacrificed."
"Rian?"
"But if you're the sacrifice, I won't protect humanity. Honestly, I don't give a shit about that. For me, it's all about revenge for my family. Protecting what's left of my family—that's everything."
She knew he had no family left.
So what did those words mean? It didn't take long to understand.
"So don't carry it all alone. Share the load with me. Don't live so chained to duty. How do you even breathe like that?"
Salvation. For the first time, he had saved her.
Family. He'd called her family.
Thump thump.
His smile as he gazed at her was so effortlessly cool...
"Lea?"
"...I like you."
"Hm? What'd you say?"
"Nng. Nothing."
For the first time, she learned the feeling of love. She'd thought no romance would bloom between saintess and hero. Just fairy-tale nonsense.
...But now she felt it. Those tales were true. Love strikes suddenly.
What else could this be? He looked even more dazzling, more brilliant than usual, and her heart pounded wildly. Her cheeks and ears burned.
Thank goodness Rian was oblivious.
"...Family, huh."
She murmured softly. Rian flustered. Already stammering. It was so cute, she nearly forgot the battlefield and ran to him.
"W-what? What's the problem? To me, you guys are no different from family."
"Hehe. No problem."
She took his hand and stood. He shared the holy sword's mana. It reinforced the shattered barrier, and Rian charged toward the distant Tree of Disaster.
The sky split, the massive flood cleaved in two. The hero had arrived on the battlefield.
"Lea. Let's go!"
"...Yeah."
After that, they claimed a great victory.
*
Pandemonium. There, we slew the legion commanders for the first and last time. Uba chanted incantations for us all. Demonic energy muddles emotions. It drags you into your deepest desires.
Mio slept exhausted, Abel silently wiped blood from his dagger. Uba quietly sweated, reciting the chant to shield us from corruption.
"Haa... how long do we have to keep fighting?"
"At least until Belzebub is sealed."
"The Demon King. No, the Primordial Demons, right? Even if we seal them, they don't die."
"...A thousand years of safety, at least."
Abel tossed his cleaned dagger high into the sky. He held a twig near the falling blade.
Slice!
Nodding in satisfaction at the clean cut, she grumbled with pent-up frustration.
"Living on as souls even after death? That's such bullshit."
"If they revive, we kill 'em again! Lea, don't overthink it."
"Uba, that's your problem. Even if we live forever, we need rest."
"A thousand years is a damn long time. We'll find a solution by then."
"A way to kill them for good? There isn't one. If there was, we'd have done it already."
"That's why we search! Lea, don't you get 'search'? You always call me dumb—look who's talking!"
"What the hell, you idiot..."
Beings that wouldn't die even when killed. The Primordial Demons. They called themselves Demon Kings and became humanity's enemies. In contrast, we died once and that was it. Yeah, the end.
"So where's Rowen?"
"Huh? Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since earlier. We haven't chanted for him yet..."
"...Shit!"
*
"Haa... haa..."
Don't die. Please.
Rian, shaken by demonic influence, had already thrust his sword at Belzebub. The bastard's body was gone. But the trail of black blood leading into the Demon King's castle suggested a fatal wound.
"Catch your breath!"
"Hit me."
"...Cut the crap. You're bleeding out."
"Hit me till I open my eyes!"
Mio screamed. Abel jabbed at the irrational Mio. Uba silently chanted. Too late now—what good would it do?
...Damn it. Like Uba, she was an idiot too. She cradled Rian's already-cold corpse and tried healing. His heart, pounding just moments ago, was still.
She recalled his warmth from naps under the tent. His body was so cold now. This wasn't right. Surely... surely they'd been together until recently.
His head was pierced. Traces of demonic energy meant Belzebub's sword had gone through his brain.
She saw nothing around her. Just her and him here. No sounds. She simply refused to accept he was dead.
Biting her lips with tears welling, she prayed. Would God answer? But nothing came.
In the end... unless she went directly and begged, God wouldn't respond.
"Open your eyes..."
There were still things she had to say.
"...Yeah? Rian. Please."
She'd planned to tell him, once all battles ended, they'd live together in Lianod.
"Why? Huh?"
Haha... stupid man. And stupid her. Why make her taste this misery by loving him?
Throb.
Her chest hurt. Her gut twisted, breath wouldn't come. It burned inside.
Would spilling these tears ease it? No. She had to carry this feeling forever.
The thought drove her mad. She advanced toward the gravely wounded Belzebub. Not a word passed between them. All were enraged by Rian's death.
"...You're monsters."
"Shut up, Belzebub."
"Heh... I won't die anyway."
"No. You will. In a thousand years or two, I'll hunt you to the end."
"A saintess can do nothing."
—Can do nothing.
"Uwaaaaaah...!!"
Those words shattered her reason. Rage consumed her mind. The one who turns impossible into possible. An angel.
Yes, as God's servant, she could claim angelic rank. It wasn't planned. Translucent wings simply sprouted naturally.
Angelic and divine blessings linked to everyone. Abel's agility, Mio's mana, Uba's superhuman strength—bestowed for ten seconds.
She moved without thinking.
"...Monsters indeed."
"Die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die 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