So... the reason Mary and her party ca here, to the Ashbane Forest, was to find the very herb that could cure her Withering condition...
The Sanguine Orchid.
Of course, Mimi knew about that flower.
In fact, it was one of her favorite items in the ga. Not because it had great utility or power, but because of the lore behind it.
The Goddess of Death loved beautiful things. Yet, within her domain, no living being was allowed to exist, so no flower could ever bloom in her presence. Thus, she wove these flowers from pure blood and breathed her divinity into them. Whoever possessed these crimson blossoms would gain a degree of dominion over Death itself.
As for the Withering disease...
So scholars once proposed that it signified a person’s high affinity with the Death elent—the most mysterious and ominous attribute ever known, one still not fully understood. Because the human soul is of Life, it naturally clashes with the Death elent, creating a condition where the body rejects its own essence. And as Death gradually consus Life, if left unresolved or uncontrolled, the victim inevitably perishes.
Therefore, by obtaining the Sanguine Orchid, one could seize control over the Death elent and completely halt or even cure the Withering.
Now, that herb could only be obtained by defeating one of the great bosses of the Ashbane Dungeons, which itself only opened beneath the Blood Moon.
For only under the Blood Moon could the gate to the underworld be opened.
"As you can see," Mary said as she slipped her glove back on, "my Wilthering has already progressed to a late stage. The illness has almost reached my heart. At this rate, I’d only have six months left at most. So this is my only chance to save myself and my sister, Selene, who also has the Wilthering..."
"I see..." Emilia breathed. Her gaze shifted toward Aron and Kathy. "So I suppose they have the Wilthering as well?"
"Yes, but only one of them," Mary replied.
"Well, Aron is my personal knight. He doesn’t have it—he just ca here to protect ," she continued softly. "But Kathy... yes. She has the Wilthering too, and her progression is about as far along as mine."
"Wait, what about the others who died?" Emilia pressed. "Did they have the illness too?"
"Yup." Mary nodded, her voice trembling slightly. "Most of them did. The Duskwald Adventurer’s Guild actually grouped us together so we’d have a higher chance of surviving the Blood Moon. But it seems like we were still too weak," she exhaled. "I still can’t believe it... all those people who were just laughing, drinking, and singing with us a few days ago... now gone, slaughtered rcilessly by the undead..."
"Ah, so that’s how it is..." Emilia murmured.
She fell silent, letting the heavy air hang between them. The sound of the rain filled the pause, tapping softly against their armor and the leaves above. Then, Mimi noticed her master’s fist slowly clenching at her side.
Damn...
Master must be thinking that if only she’d been there earlier, maybe those people wouldn’t have died...
But well, that’s a silly thought!
"ow!"
She padded over, placing her tiny paws on Emilia’s boots and looking up with determined eyes.
Master! You did your best! It’s not your fault! You already saved three people!
Emilia looked down, catching that earnest gaze beneath the rainlight. She exhaled softly, her tense shoulders easing just a bit. Still, the heavy look in her eyes lingered.
Regardless, after a mont, Mary straightened up and forced a small, polite smile.
"Anyway, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My apologies."
Mary stood up, brushing the damp dirt from her clothes before placing her hand over her chest and bowing gracefully.
"My na is Mary—Mary Élisette Fleurant, from Martonia. And this is my personal knight, Aron Fell."
Upon that, Aron also stood up and bowed.
Emilia nodded slightly in acknowledgnt and returned the gesture with quiet respect.
Mimi let out a soft ow of approval too.
That’s such a nice and elegant na! Mimi thought, her tail flicking happily. Mimi likes it!
However... of course, Emilia couldn’t give her real na yet. She paused for a mont.
Then, "Please forgive ," she said quietly. "I can’t tell you my real na..."
"Ah—my bad!" Mary interjected quickly, waving her hands. "You probably want to keep your identity hidden right now..."
"Yes," Emilia replied. Then after a short pause, she added, "Actually, just call Elise."
"Understood, Miss Elise," Mary said, offering a smile.
But then, Emilia tilted her head, as if realized sothing suddenly.
"Wait... Fleurant... isn’t that one of the five noble houses of Martonia?"
"Huh? Y-you know about us?" Mary blinked in surprise.
"Yeah," Emilia nodded slowly. "And earlier... I heard you ntion another na—Selene. Now that I think about it... it’s a familiar na! Could it be that she once studied at Luminaris Academy?"
At that, Mary gasped, her eyes widening in astonishnt.
"Yes! That’s my elder sister—Selene Élisette Fleurant!"
"Oh! So it was her," Emilia breathed, equally surprised.
Mimi perked up, ears twitching, tail swishing in curiosity.
Hehe, so these people are soone Master actually knows! she thought, grinning inwardly. What a coincidence!
"If I rember correctly, she also used to be one of the top students! And she held a pretty big position in the student council two years ago!"
"Yes, that’s her!" Mary said, giggling a little proudly. "My sister was also the captain of a magical research club. But you know..." she trailed off, her voice dimming, "...my sister had to take a leave of absence last year due to her deteriorating condition. M-may I ask, how do you know her? Did you attend Luminaris too?"
"Ah... that... "
***
In truth, Emilia had never t Selene.
But she had heard rumors about her through her brother, Alexander Silvervein.
Apparently, she was the genius of the Fleurant Clan, much like Emilia was for the Silvervein Clan. And Selene was actually Alexander’s classmate... a girl he had a crush on.
She still rembered...
One ti, Alexander ca to her, asking for advice on the perfect birthday gift for a girl. They went together to pick the most beautiful presents and flowers.
He’d planned to confess once he returned to Luminaris.
But then... a few months later, Alexander suddenly ca ho looking heartbroken. He told her that his crush had suddenly stopped attending Luminaris for so family reason, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach her again.
It broke him a little inside.
If Alexander knew the truth, he would’ve rushed straight to Ashbane himself, to find the flower and save her.
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