It was before I started working in the dark side of the Rinin country.
A veteran of the dark side named White Rose taught someone like me who knew nothing how to fight.
Being a plant demon called alraune means White Rose isn’t that different from humans. She has hair as white as snow, and a beauty that’s both alluring and graceful.
Her white outfit leaves a lot exposed, and she is far better than me at fascinating males.
And no one is better than her at using poison to assassinate. For me, she is my master, and something akin to a real big sister.
In a dark side where even family might become your enemy, there are few people I can allow myself to open up to. After the fall of Rinin, that relationship didn’t change when we joined Catastrophe, and neither did my respect for her.
If it wasn’t for the person we call leader, I would still be depending on her. That’s how important she is to me.
By the way, the most important person is the leader.
I think of all the things I learned from White Rose, what has helped me the most is the unwavering competitive spirit.
“If you can’t, die here. I will do you the favor and kill you.”
She liked saying that, and it can be said to be a good example of what life in the darkness is like.
Failure means death in the dark. Because of that, even the usually warm White Rose was like a vicious demon during training.
I thought that was natural, and even though it was tough, I learned a lot.
Because of this, most things can’t shake me, and it’s like I become calmer the closer death is to me.
For example, from an objective point of view, this situation is pretty bad.
Lord Alchemia was thrown off the boat and is now food for the fishes, and said boat was destroyed by a big wave.
The impact threw me into the air, and I’m currently falling to the sea.
I can’t swim, so this is a perilous situation. In two seconds, I’m going to fall into the water and my life will end.
But like I said before, White Rose taught me how to fight. Even as danger approaches, I don’t lose my cool.
I turn in the air, and then kick the surface of the water.
I activate a high speed movement technique called Gale, that’s synonymous with hawk sword.
Gale focuses magic energy on the backs of my feet, which explodes when it makes contact, and the momentum is used to move.
It’s a basic technique all hawk sword users know, but its simplicity means proficiency is very important. And the fact that the surface of the water is an unstable footing makes it ten times more difficult.
By using Gale, I move on the raging waves, and it all brings me back to when I trained with White Rose in Rinin.
“If you put out your left foot before the right foot sinks, you won’t sink. If you can’t do that, you will die, so it only makes sense for you to do it, if you want to live.”
Is what she would say if she saw me now.
Actually, she told me that before.
Strange… I’m pretty sure she wasn’t a part of Catastrophe back then… People who come from the dark side really have three screws loose.
Thinking back to the trauma from that time almost makes me lose my focus, but I don’t want to die, so I maintain my Gale.
That strange light stays for ten minutes, until it gradually becomes weaker and disappears.
The waves calm down too, and pieces of the destroyed boat surface.
I just happen to find a big plank, and gracefully land on it with a grin on my face.
“And that does it. The word impossible does not exist in my dictionary.”
And neither does swim.
Well then, what now?
Lord Alchemia crosses my mind, but I shake my head.
She fell into that raging sea. Even if she was alive, I have no way to save her. Not that there’s any chance she survived that.
It’s too bad, but she’s dead. Every person in the dark side feels little emotion when people die, but I’m not so heartless that I feel nothing when it’s someone I know.
“I will make a grave for Lord Alchemia.”
She was a stranger, but I can at least afford her that compassion.
I make that decision, and put my hands together for Lord Alchemia, towards the now quiet sea.
May she not power harass her partners in the world beyond.
The next morning, I reach a beach.
It’s small, and it takes me about three hours to walk around it.
There are a lot of trees and dense vegetation in the center, meaning I have the materials to make a raft.
I’m tired from swimming and walking, so I’ll fish and rest for today.
I take out my dagger, and walk to the beach.
And, what a shock. Lord Alchemia’s body has washed up on shore. I was thinking about making a grave for her after lunch.
I’ll make it, and then fish, because she would be eaten by birds and crabs and stuff like that otherwise.
Her breathing… Oh well, she’s dead.
More importantly, I’m hungry. I’m a demon, but I’m pretty tired after all that.
Digging a hole on the beach would be a bit easier with tools like a shovel, but needless to say, I don’t have them.
In fact, thank me for doing such hard labor with my bare hands.
After thirty minutes, I have a hole that looks big enough for her.
“Ahh… Now I must fill it.”
My mind wanders, as I kick Lord Alchemia into the hole.
Then I scoop up sand with both hands, and throw it on her corpse.
But something happens when two thirds of her body are covered.
“I’m not gonna power harash anymore sho forgibe me Loyyyyyyd!”
“Gyaaaaaaah!?”
The supposedly dead Lord Alchemia suddenly starts breathing again.
I’m shaken, because I thought for sure she was dead, and she got up like a zombie.
“Don’t scare me! If you’re going to come back to life, say so beforehand!”
“Where am I!? My body is heavy and it hurts and I’m cold! Help me!”
Lord Alchemia is lying face down, kicking around violently like a fish, with sand still on her.
I-I need to do something, she’s panicking.
“Quiet.”
“Uguh!?”
I chop the back of her neck, and she faints.
Ahh… So apparently, Lord Alchemia is alive.
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