Chapter 111 Remember Death
'So boring.'
It wasn't that she had a strong sense of belonging. In the first place, she hadn't grown enough for such feelings to sprout. The town of Joosa was incredibly dull for the precocious girl, Rose.
'When I grow up, I want to be an actress. I want to captivate the audience with everything, from my fingertips to my heels!'
That was the dream she held for the small stage of a little theater troupe that had unexpectedly visited Joosa.
But still, young Rose loved the refreshing breeze that flowed from the valley.
She loved the soft wind of Joosa that would lift her "black hair," inherited from her mother.
Even if it was boring, it was never a place she hated or wanted to avoid.
That was until she turned 5.
The trigger was an unreasonable situation that couldn't be helped.
The Magi that sustain this world. Due to the rapid decline of one of the 4 primary colors, 'red,' something strange happened to Asgardam's food agriculture, leading to famine and the damage caused by the beasts that surged as a result of the hunger.
An unprecedented situation with unknown causes. However, there were few who could openly criticize the long-standing monarchy.
As a result, the people sought another target to blame──gradually, a certain rumor spread.
It was said that this was the curse of a witch who had once betrayed the king and attacked Asgardam.
And that this curse was being passed down to someone living now.
If you want to break the curse, find a new witch.
And kill her.
Hunt the witch.
This stagnation even tainted the wind of Joosa that Rose loved.
Suspecting neighbors, watching them, reporting them, interrogating them.
Who was meeting with whom? Who was buying suspicious things from traveling merchants? That person was originally an outsider.
There was no scale to measure what was right, yet only judgment ran rampant in the small town.
Even young Rose could feel the atmosphere swallowing her up. She was scared of the color of others' eyes.
The reason Rose could remain relatively sane was solely because her mother, 'Karné Stalacua,' was a righteous person.
Despite losing her husband after giving birth, her mother raised Rose with strength.
She insisted that there was no such thing as a witch's curse. She continued to speak out against it with all her might.
Karne was right.
But justice was just a matter of majority.
'Rose! Just run away!'
Remembering her mother's words just before she was captured, the 5-year-old girl ran away from Joosa. She couldn't even look back.
Everything was terrifying.
Her mother, mocked as the witch who brought disaster, was nailed to a cross in the square.
Adults surrounded her, eager for judgment.
Even though there were many familiar faces, they all looked like unknown monsters.
So, Rose ran.
She wanted to escape even a little from the voices of the madmen cheering for the burning of a mere woman, claiming the witch was dead.
'Mom...'
Eighteen years passed. Knowing the truth, Rose returned to her hometown.
Cursing this town that had unjustly taken her mother, as a witch of revenge.
* * *
"That witch's daughter is alive, you say... No way. Is that even possible?"
"You seem to think it's impossible, town mayor Haboch. After all, I was just a 5-year-old girl. You probably thought I'd die in the streets if you left me alone."
A gentle breeze blew, and Rose pushed her damp hair away from her face. Her expression showed no longing for her hometown in that moment.
"But I lived. It was hellish days, though."
Everything had changed.
Eighteen years had turned the little girl into a woman. Her black hair, inherited from her mother, was stained with blood. Her name changed from Roze to Rose.
Yet, there should have been some resemblance. However, Haboch, the Inquisitorial Council, and the residents of this town never noticed.
As if they were unaware of their own sins.
"Uh, um. What does this mean?"
"It probably means her mother was a victim of the witch hunts, but..."
"...Revenge born from karma."
Rose didn't respond to the knights' confusion and speculation.
Thus, they couldn't grasp the full picture, but her words hinted at a terrible betrayal.
"Knights! You must not listen to the witch's words!"
"Such a desperate face. Whatever happened to your usual shady smile?"
"Hey, witch. Not only do you send beasts after us, but you also try to trick the knights!"
"Do I look like an angel to you? Lies and schemes are the specialty of a wicked witch. Ah, but that's why I can't let it slide. To try and cover the knights with so many falsehoods while ignoring the witch is just unacceptable."
"W-What are you saying? Falsehoods? We have no secrets..."
The witch's words had been hinting at something all along. Lies and deceit are indeed the tools of the wicked.
But one must not forget that the lies of fools are easily caught by the more cunning tongues and exposed to the light of day.
"Ah, then let me ask you, Town Mayor Haboch. The diamond ornament that symbolizes the unity of the Inquisitorial Council. Whose heart does that diamond shine upon... 'My mama's bones'?"
"N──."
The witch's cold question froze the fool's expression in a horrifying way.
* * *
The sound of the rain intensified, piercing deep into his ears.
"The diamond is mama's bones, huh..."
He absentmindedly echoed the witch's words. Just that alone sent an inexplicable chill down his spine. It wasn't just because he was soaked to the bone. The strong scent of sin that wafted from Quollio, the one he was supposed to protect, was not washed away by the pouring rain.
"Ha. I-I don't know what you're talking about... Nonsense. Yes, nonsense. Hahaha."
Haboch claimed he didn't remember. But he shrank back slightly, as if trying to shield himself from Quollio and the others' suspicions.
That only highlighted the darkness he carried.
"Don't play dumb. The sinful jar that turns bones into diamonds──the white beast 'Memento Mori.' That thing in your arms, isn't it?"
"Ugh."
"The white beast, you say...?"
The witch's words struck like lightning, even without the sky flashing.
"A miraculous jar that turns the bones of the dead into diamonds. It absorbs the pain and suffering of the bones it holds at the time of death, making them even larger──what a cursed object. To think of death as 'Memento Mori,' how clever of you."
"With the pain of dying, the white beast nurtures diamonds... W-wait a minute. Are you saying the Inquisitorial Council used witch hunts?!"
"Yes. It must have been a convenient trend for the Inquisitorial Council. Gripped by suspicion, they eventually produced the treasure of death. Even though they were prominent figures in the town, not a single one from the Inquisitorial Council spoke out against the witch hunts. No, on the contrary, they eagerly carried out the executions."
"...Ugh. That's just terrible..."
Sham's usually cheerful face was now looking really bad.
No wonder. If Rose's words were true, then the Inquisitorial Council at that time accepted the madness of the town just to produce diamonds. Even Sham would feel a chill at such horror.
"W-why? Why do you know so much?! Could it be that Karne... No, that's ridiculous. There's no way she would know."
"...Yes. Mama surely didn't know. Right. Without knowing anything, she fought against this town that was trying to be consumed by malice and was killed. And then──."
Pausing, Rose glared at the chest of the trembling old man.
What was adorned there were large diamonds. Or perhaps, the bones of her mother.
The sound of the rain pouring down echoed like the wails of those who had been used up.
"Turning bones to ash and returning them to the wind. Using this long-standing custom of the grave-less town as a business to line their own pockets. The bones of the dead turned into wealth. And to the bereaved, they probably handed over 'the ash of crushed animal bones,' right? Truly, what a wicked scheme. If I am a witch, then you Inquisitorial Council are the very embodiment of evil."
"...N-no! That's nonsense! Knights, don't be fooled! This is the witch's lies!"
It didn't take much insight to tell who was using lies, the old man or the witch.
Underneath the ground, nothing can be left behind in this town, and Haboch's words were just empty talk.
Using the thought of death and mourning in such a cruel way. Quollio was so shaken by this unethical act that he almost forgot his position as a knight.
Protecting the bad guys, facing off against a witch──what's right about any of this?
"What a situation. Both the wicked and the righteous, everywhere you look, it's all sin. The number of people nailed to the cross is just not enough. What a bother, huh, knights?"
So, Rose's words were nothing but a curse that tormented their position.
(Am I really going to fight this person for them...? Is it okay? Is this really the right thing to do?)
The knight's armor felt unbearably heavy.
But the witch didn't seek sympathy. Kindness was too late.
She was an enemy blocking the way to her goal. A young knight standing frozen in front of a sense of justice was just exposing himself to danger.
"..."
So, without making a sound, the witch quickly rang a small silver bell. Seizing this chance to slip into stealth mode, she hid her true feelings behind her dripping-wet hair.
"Watch out! Batigan, dodge!"
[rheeeeee!!!!]
And Shidou's shout was in vain.
The laser shot from the responding white horse beast rushed toward the frozen Quollio.
"Ugh!!"
It pierced through Quollio's delicate body.
* * *
As he held back a groan, he could taste blood in his mouth.
"...Wow, I'm surprised. I still haven't broken the barrier even in that state."
"Ugh..."
There was a small hole in Quollio's right shoulder.
Every time he clenched his teeth, blood seeped from his gums. He had never experienced such an injury in his life. The burning pain was almost stealing his consciousness.
"Ugh, Batigan...!"
"Quo! Oh, this slippery horse, get out of the way! I have to save Quo...!"
The desperate voices from afar sounded strangely small.
"I don't get it. There's no point in protecting those who seem to joyfully place their lives on the scales of fate."
But Quollio didn't let go of the deep green mask.
He couldn't even stand from the pain. Like Haboch, who had collapsed from the heat of the laser, he cradled it in his blood-soaked arms.
He was that desperate. He was completely focused on maintaining the barrier.
(I guess he doesn't understand, huh? I think so too.)
The witch wouldn't get it. Even Quollio himself didn't understand.
(There's no reason to be this desperate, right?)
The witch's words were probably true. If that's the case, then the knight is protecting a villain. Where's the reason to protect someone, even at the cost of his first serious injury in his life?
Besides, he doesn't even have the desire to be a knight. He should have considered facing danger by offering his life as a foolish act.
Even now, it's the same.
"Stop the stupid stuff," or "Offer up the townspeople and let us go," he can hear the cowardly voice from within.
(Aah, damn it.)
Yet, for some reason.
(It's definitely that idiot's influence.)
He didn't want to listen to the witch's words or his own voice.
"...Fine. Then, as you wish, I'll give you honor."
Rose stared expressionlessly at the young knight, who was seriously injured but still wouldn't run away or break the barrier.
"Goodbye, foolish knight."
The witch rang the bell again and sent the beasts after him.
"Quo, run away!"
"Batigan!"
The witch's bell echoed, along with the knights' shouts.
"Guh... 'Fool, play, scatter!'"
A swarm of black shadows rushed in, drowning out even the sound of the rain.
"'Sylph's──'."
As he tried to chant in a last-ditch effort, his mouth opened.
"Ooooh!!"
Suddenly, he was engulfed by a red storm.
"...Ah."
In the blurry vision ahead.
Even in the heavy rain, there was no mistaking that crimson color.
The iron blade swept away the beasts.
And then.
"Late as usual, ain't ya?"
"...Exactly. You're late, you fool."
Hiiro Merifar's back was right there.
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