Delania, a sorcerer who was Auroa’s subordinate, was defeated.
The White Rose, which should have shone brighter than the sun, was engulfed in a dark miasma, its light extinguished.
“What in the world is happening…”
At that moment, a figure appeared from the broken roof. My shock transformed instantly into anger at the sight.
“Gothmol… why are you here?”
“Hehehe, you’re still stubbornly alive, aren’t you?”
I could say the same thing. I remembered Philiana hitting him hard last time. He wasn’t dead, but that was an Elf town. He should have been arrested as a criminal. So why is he here?
Beside him was Anakura. Just as I suspected, he was an enemy. I feel like an idiot for feeling a shred of sympathy for him. Twelve cards floated in the air in a circle from the deck he held.
The cards were flipped one by one, but I couldn’t understand any of them. The first was a card with a picture of the tower I had seen. The next was a card with the kanji for “訟” (litigation), depicting two people fighting. The third had the kanji for “履” (shoe) and a lying tiger. Just before the sixth card was flipped, Elana fired a fireball at Anakura.
The fireball interrupted the flipping of the cards.
“Whoa, careful. I’m trying to cast a fortune for you, you know.”
“Hey, what was that card? Tell me what it means.”
Gothmol beside him pointed at Anakura with a hoarse voice. But Anakura placed a finger on his lips, refusing to reveal the result.
“That was a failure, something interrupted me.”
“Tsk, useless bum. You’re of tainted blood.”
Gothmol spat out a curse and approached the White Rose. This is bad; he’s planning something. I wonder if I can climb up there somehow. I decided to try climbing by kicking off the broken wall.
The destroyed castle wall had exposed rebar, and it looked like it would crumble if I put my foot on it.
“Hey Arisugawa, be careful.”
“Can’t be helped.”
Perhaps sensing my clumsy struggle, Veronica lifted me from behind. I was able to reach the roof in an instant. A cold wind was raging like a storm at the summit.
Before me loomed a giant magic stone; this must be the White Rose. Its length far surpassed my height, and it was too thick to wrap my arms around. Most of what I had seen before could fit in the palm of my hand. How in the world did they transport something this size here?
And now it was being corrupted by the evil aura radiating from Gothmol.
“Get away from that magic stone, or I’ll really kill you next time.”
“Keh, keh keh, this is amusing. What’s this sprout saying?”
Gothmol grinned, his iron claws clicking. He’s a disgusting guy; I want to finish him off quickly.
“But I’m busy now, aren’t I? Hey, Snake Crow, do something about it.”
“Huh? Are you talking to me? Hmm, what should I do?”
Gothmol furrowed his brow at Anakura, who was evading the order.
“Hurry up, you idiot!”
“—Alright.”
After a brief pause, Anakura drew a different card. He pulled out two and arranged them in the air.
“Ah, the Star and the Reversed Hanged Man, perhaps.”
While I was distracted by that, Gothmol was about to touch the White Rose. I had no time to listen to Anakura’s divination.
“Stop it! Don’t touch it!”
I drew my dagger and lunged at Gothmol. He noticed me and turned around. I gripped the dagger tightly and thrust it into his stomach. I felt a sickening sensation run up my arm as the blade sank in.
When I looked up, Gothmol was standing there with a chilling smile. His brown teeth peeked out from his hoarse mouth.
I had a terrible premonition. As I smoothly pulled out the dagger, I saw not blood, but some other liquid on it.
“The Reversed Hanged Man means misguided effort, suffering. The Star signifies inspiration…”
Black miasma poured from Gothmol’s hand. It enveloped the White Rose like smoke. The light vanished, and it began to tremble violently.
*Crack*
A large crack appeared on the diamond-like surface. Even without being an expert in magic, I knew this was a terrible omen. A shiver ran down my spine, like insects crawling on my skin.
“Get away from it now!”
Just as Veronica’s voice called out from behind me, everything went black. Instinctively, I raised my shield to protect myself from the unknown threat.
“Ugh, ah!”
After being slammed into the ground several times, I finally stopped when someone grabbed my clothes.
“Get a grip. We’re withdrawing for now.”
“What happened…”
Shaking my head, I opened my eyes to see the White Rose, now stained black. And then, a wave of darkness emanated from it, spreading throughout the town.
It was too late. No, I couldn’t stop it at the last moment. The White Rose had completely lost its light, and had now fallen into enemy hands.
