Iron Rose
「…………」
When I ca to my senses, I was inside a pure white space.
There was no end in sight everywhere I looked. It was a pure white world that had nothing at all. It was so empty it felt like I was inside pure white cream.
My feeling was calm. My mind felt so clear it was unnatural.
I should be fighting the Red Ox several seconds ago. And yet I was here the instant the light that radiated from the altar enveloped . Even the heat of battle and my heightened mana also dispersed. The wounds all over my body were gradually vanishing and my mana was also starting to replenish.
There was no danger here. This place was so full of tranquility that I felt like that.
……It’s dangerous. I stopped my hand that was unconsciously moving to sheath my knife. It annoyed that I was forcefully put into a state of calm and that my fight got interrupted.
What happened with the fighting? Was everyone safe? I rembered that I had to imdiately return and strengthened my grip on the weapon. Then suddenly a voice echoed inside my head while I was on my guard toward the surrounding.
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《──It has been a long ti. You did well coming this far, o child of “moon rose(lrose)”──》
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I couldn’t decide whether the speaker was a female or male, or how old they could be from the voice. The voice echoed inside my head once more when I took a stance warily toward them.
《──You are very wary, child of “moon rose(lrose)”. There is nothing that shall harm you in this place. The flow of ti here is also different due to the compression of ti. You can relax──》
「……Child of lrose?」
It seed that the space here was in a state like when my mind accelerated due to body strengthening. I couldn’t be optimistic but if the flow of ti in reality was paused then I should prioritize understanding the current situation.
Also lrose was a flower that only grew in night of full moon. Master once told that it could be used either as a dicine or as a poison. There was also a noble house using that na as their family na…….
What did they an that I’m a “child” of that? The “voice” responded to my muttering and ford words once more to answer .
《──A human girl arrived here around several hundred cycles of this world’s season previously. I bequeathed that “na” to her at that ti. Your “pinkish blond hair” is the prove that the bloodline of that girl is still being passed down even now. Remove that boorish “ash” and show the “rose” to ──》
「──tsu」
The illusion of “ash” that I put over my hair was forcefully dispelled. In that mont, my pink hair received the influence of this space’s strong magic particles and sparkled brilliantly.
《──Once more I congratulate you for coming this far, o “living rose” who possess the sa “color” as my beloved rose. What is it that you wish from ?──》
「……What are you?」
At this point there was only one possible “answer”. Even so I intentionally asked them in order to ascertain the information. In respond that presence that I couldn’t sense at all until now started to materialize before .
『──Then take a look with your own eyes. You should be able to endure it if it’s you──』
「Kuh!」
The presence that materialized before took the form of a woman of a marriageable age clad in sothing like a traditional dress that looked obviously luxurious in a glance. My consciousness blurred for a mont from the trendous presence she gave off.
『──I am what you humans called as “dungeon’s spirit”──』
This was completely different from the spirit that I knew. Whether it was her presence, status, or even its way of being.
A lesson that I once heard from master ca to mind after I saw her existence. She said that in case a spiritual life form received powerful thought from special being like a dead hero or sothing, it was possible their existence would undergo a change and resided in that land like a local god.
An ancient hermit crab transford into monster to be a dungeon. It read and accumulated the thought of the dead creatures inside it, and created sothing like treasures that human sought. But in the process of that there would be many people who died inside it. There should be many exceptional people among those victims. There might be even heroes or saints among them.
Like that perhaps the thoughts of those great people were gathered and beca one, then perhaps it fused with natural spirit or the like and beca the dungeon’s spirit? If this being really was an existence like that, then rather calling them a spirit, it would be more accurate to call them as 『Heroic Spirit』 or 『Divine Spirit』.
It felt like my consciousness would be blown away if I relax just for a mont. I gathered strength in my belly and faced the spirit head on.
「……So you’re the spirit who granted “Gift”.」
《──Indeed. For more than a thousand years, you children of man has taken the challenge to enter deep inside this dark labyrinth. For those who magnificently arrived before , I invited them to this place and granted them my blessing as their reward. But this gift is not for everyone. After all for these several hundred years there are those who are using improper thod──》
As I thought, the spirit had also seen through how there was a shortcut created…….
「Then, why did you call here?」
It was Carla who arrived at the altar. After her it should be Ervan or Clara. And yet why was I got called here when I was in the middle of fighting?
《──You aren’t the only one who I invited. There are four people who I invited here──》
「……Four?」
I couldn’t see anybody else here. Perhaps they were kept hidden from , or they were in different “location”. If it was this existence then surely they were able to do sothing like conversing with four people in different places simultaneously. That was what I naturally fought from experiencing this presence’s existence.
《──That number is based on nothing more than my whim. There are also tis when I didn’t invite a single one. I invited you and the other two because the ways the three of you seeking power are adorable, while the other one has soul with interesting nature──》
Seeking power……several people’s faces ca to mind from those words. But, what did they an by the soul’s nature?
I was attacked by a woman who said she had “previous life” and accidentally obtained her knowledge. But it seed this person that the spirit referred to wasn’t .
Then who was that person? But, the spirit stepped forward before I could obtain the answer to that question.
《──The existence of “human” is lovable. I wonder if this feeling ca from the feeling of human that created my shape……. Now, tell your wish. I shall bestow to you my “Gift”──》
The spirit said that they granted Gift because they thought human was lovable. The other three than ……I didn’t know whether those people were the sa with my guess, but would they obtain Gift?
Gift……it granted to human power that surpassed humanity. But too much power would lead human to ruin themselves.
Even so there would still be people who sought it if they had sothing more important than their life that they wanted to accomplish. The royal family of this country had risked their life like that for many generations for the sake of the country and the people.
If I had such power, I might be able to defeat even the Minotauros Murder…….
But, my answer had been decided from the beginning.
「……I refuse」
《──Why? O child of “moon rose”. “Human” always seek to accomplish sothing within their short life aren’t they? Powerless human can die easily. What does it matter even if it shorten your life from obtaining power? It’ll only be a few decades of your life span. Even if you hurt your soul in the process, you can just start over from insect in your next life──》
As expected between human and spirit, there was a wide gap in our perception toward ti and life span. Although they said that they loved human, they gave the impression like a kid who kept and cared for insects without even knowing how long the life span of an insect.
Besides the compensation required for the Gift was greater than I thought. By knowing this truth, I could also understand why the past heroes and excellent royalties that I read in history book had short life.
But that wasn’t the point. The reason I refused the Gift was──.
「I’ll obtain what I want with “my own” strength. What’s the value of sothing that can only be obtained by using the power of soone else?」
Power and glory that were given to you by “soone” could also be taken away easily on the whim of “soone”.
Even Elena who obtained her position as royalty from her parent sought strength by her own will for the sake of the people. She didn’t only rely on what was given to her, but she put in so much of her own effort that it isolated her in solitude to obtain knowledge and strength.
And Carla, even though she had lost even her future, she was continuing to struggle desperately for the sake of her wish.
I thought that the spirit would feel offended by my refusal, but they were listening to my words attentively. They narrowed their eyes in nostalgia like a human.
《──The girl who I bestowed with the na of moon rose(lrose) also said that she doesn’t need an excessive power like a Gift. That was why I felt that her existence was lovable and bestowed to her the na of the rose I loved. If you say that you don’t need anything, then I shall bestow to you too a “na” from ──》
「I don’t need it. In the first place what’s with that 『lrose』? Why do you bestow na to human?」
《──lrose is just a rose that can be found in the fairy world. It got brought out by the caprice of a Leprechaun(trickster) to the material world and took route although only in small number. The color of your hair is the “proof” of the na that I bestowed. The fairy that appeared in this land feel nostalgia for that “color” that is the sa with that rose. You too had never fallen sick because of a fairy’s mischief ever since you were small correct? The benefit of that na is only that much but, it was just the right present for that girl who wished for her family’s prosperity──》
「…………」
So there was that kind of aning in this pink hair……. Certainly the birth rate in a family whose won never got sick would be greatly affected for the better.
I too had never gotten seriously sick since my childhood. I could also sleep without problem even in the forest at midwinter.
《──Originally I wasn’t a spirit that took root in dungeon, but a spirit who lived in a place that was near human. That kind of spirit watched over human, and granted “na” to the “technique” that the fragile humans invented for the sake of fighting so that technique could beco Battle Skill. A spirit like granting a na is sothing that is more natural than granting my blessing to human in a sense──》
Battle Skill was a non-elental magic that could be activated with just a one or two words. It was said that Battle Skill beca usable after spirit beca aware of that technique. I felt that it was a bit unnatural, but this spirit said that since the past there had been spirits that loved human just like them.
《──I too had been watching you since you entered into this dungeon. Child of “moon rose(lrose)”, you used technique that was nad by spirit and also desperately struggled with an incomplete technique……. That’s why allow to grant a “na’ to you too. That girl was like a “moon” that illuminated the dark night. You are also like that. That was why I bestowed the na of “moon rose(lrose)” to that girl. But, unlike that girl, you threw yourself into battle with a strength of heart that is like “iron”. The na I will grant you will be an “epitaph” that represent you alone, and at the sa ti it will also be the na that turn your “technique” into 【Battle Skill】──》
The spirit who took the form of a beautiful woman glided toward and touched my cheeks lovingly with the white fingertips of their hands.
《──Now, you can return to your battlefield. Human can only co to once in their lifeti……. We will surely never et again in the future. I wish that you will stop dirtying that “moon rose(lrose)” hair with “ash” anymore. In exchange, I shall add your “color” to the na that I grant to you. Wear the na if you desire power. The “na” that I grant to you is──》
***
「Aria!!」
I heard Feld’s voice calling at . When my sight that had blurred for an instant returned back, I had been sent back to the arena at the deepest part of the dungeon.
There still hadn’t been any change to the situation. Feld and Dalton were struggling to get back on their feet after getting sent flying, Mira was running around the Black Ox with a desperate look in order to hold it back, Viro was doing everything he could to attract the attention of the Blue Ox. Feld called my na in this situation perhaps because I had vanished from this place for several seconds…….
It was a hopeless situation that was still continuing──but, I made it in ti.
『BUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!』
The Red Ox that had lost sight of roared angrily when it found . It headed toward like an arrow with its halberd at the ready.
「……fuu」
I exhaled as though to eject the anxiety inside .
There was nothing that had changed from . But, my hair that was dirtied with the illusion of ash was returning into “pinkish blond hair”.
My stamina and mana had recovered just a little but, it was no different with my state before I used the “Origin Battle Skill”.
I felt anxiety. And yet my heart was calm.
But I had the conviction. That I wouldn’t end like this.
There was no anger or hatred in my heart. It was calm like a lake surface. From the bottom of it, “fighting spirit” was seething and welling up.
The halberd’s blade cut through the air with bellowing sound. It was swung down to slash apart my body diagonally──in that mont, I activated that Battle Skill that had the sa “epitaph” that the spirit granted to .
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「──【Iron Rose】──」
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*GAKIINN!*
『BUMOO!?』
The halberd crashed on the ground violently. The Red Ox looked around searching for who had instantly vanished from in front of it.
『GAA!?』
In that mont I had circled to its back and slashed its neck with my black knife.
It was still shallow. But the knife managed to cut.
The Red Ox quickly reacted and swung its halberd. It cut the empty air of the location where I was at.
I dodged the Red Ox’s attack with high speed movent, kicked on the ground to swiftly moved to the opposite side and cut the leg there. Blood spray scattered in the air like flower petals.
『BUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!』
The Red Ox swung around its halberd haphazardly in a state of excitent. I watched its movents with my eyes and dodged them while continuing to move in high speed and slashed its arms and legs.
The color of my hair changed from pinkish blond to “ashen iron color” like a burning iron.
Vestiges of light scattered in the air from my iron colored hair. They ford a trail behind like cot. I circled to in front of the Red Ox with high speed and jumped over its head using its halberd’s blade as a stepping stool.
Iron blue cot danced in the air. The vestiges of light spread out like “silver wings”. The Red Ox’s face looked scared for an instant. My face and cold eyes were reflected on its eyes in that mont before I slashed it, the reflection and the eye together. The Red Ox’s right eye was split apart.
▼Aria (Alicia) Race：Human♀・Rank 4
【Magic Power : 124/270】【Stamina : 159/210】
【Overall Combat Strength : 916 (With Body Strengthening : 1769)】
【Battle Skill : Iron Rose / Limit 124 Second】
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