Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival-Chapter 107

Dungeon Capture (6)

I found myself in a completely white space.

I looked around and there was no end to it. It is so empty and white that I almost felt as if I was in a pure white cream.

My state of mind was calm. I was feeling eerily clear.

I was supposed to be fighting Red Ox just a few seconds ago. And yet, here I was currently after I was enveloped by the light emitted from the altar, and the heat of the battle and the magic power that had been heightened had faded away, and the wounds all over my body and the reduced magic power were gradually beginning to heal.

“…”

…Dangerous. I subconsciously stopped my hand that was trying to put the knife away in the sheath. I didn’t like being forced into a state of calmness, and I didn’t like being dragged into a fight.

How was the fight going? Was everyone okay? I remembered that I had to get back soon, so I grabbed my weapon again and looked around, and suddenly a voice echoed in my head.

[“I haven’t seen you in a long time. Welcome, child of the Moon Rose of Melrose…”]

I was on the lookout for the voice, which was indistinguishable from a man, a woman, or an old person, when I heard the voice in my head again.

[You are very cautious, child of the Moon Rose of Melrose. There is no one here to harm you. Time is compressed, so the flow of time is different from outside. Rest assured…]

“…Child of Melrose?”

It seemed that this was a space where thoughts were accelerated by physical reinforcement, and although I was not optimistic, I was a little relieved.

And Melrose was a flower that bloomed only on a moonlit night with a full moon and could be used as a medicine or a poison, as I had heard from my master in an alchemy lecture. What did he mean by it? I muttered the name, and the “voice” spun the words again as if to answer my question.

[I gave my “name” to the daughter of a man who came here hundreds of seasons ago. The color of your hair is proof that you have her blood in your veins. Untie your ashes and show me the rose.]

“–“

The illusion of “ashes” that I had applied to my hair was forcibly lifted. At that moment, intoxicated from the strong magical element of this space, my peach-colored hair sparkled brightly.

[I am so happy to see you again, “living rose” with the same “color” as the rose I loved so much. What do you desire from me? –]

“Who are you?”

There was only one answer to this question. Even so, I dared to ask to confirm the information, and a presence that I had not felt before was about to appear in front of me.

[I’ll answer you directly, then. If it is you, you will be able to endure it.]

“Kuku!”

The presence that appeared in front of me turned out to be a strangely aged woman dressed in what looked like a gorgeous traditional costume, and I was momentarily distracted by its sheer presence.

[I am what they call the “spirit of the labyrinth”.]

It was different from the spirits I knew of. Its presence, its dignity, and even its way of being.

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When I saw it, one of the lessons I heard from my teacher came to mind. In this world, it was said that when a spiritual life form received strong thoughts from a dead hero, its existence was sometimes transformed, and it stayed in the territory like a “land god”.

If this was the case, then this being might be a [Heroic Spirit] or [Divine Spirit] that had merged with the thoughts of the many royalty and heroes who had died in this dungeon.

I put all my strength into my stomach and confronted the spirit head-on.

“…A spirit that gives gifts?”

[–Left. For the past thousand years or so, the sons of a particular man have challenged this dark and deep labyrinth, and those who have successfully reached me have been invited to this place and given my gift as a reward. But not all of them. For the past several hundred years, they have been cheating.]

So, you knew what I was talking about.

Then why did you invite me here?

[You are not the only one who has been invited here. There are four of them.]

Four?

I could not see anyone. Was it that I was made invisible, or was it that I was in a different “position”? This being could be dealing with four people in different places at the same time.

[The number I chose was only a whim. There are times when not even one is called upon. Three of them are because they love the way of seeking power. Another because the way of the soul is interesting…]

The word “seeking strength” brought a few faces to mind. But what did the soul mean? Before the answer could occur to me, the spirit stepped forward.

[People are lovely beings. The thoughts of those who shaped me make me think so. Now, tell me what you want. I will give you my gift.]

The spirit said, “I give you a gift because I love humans. The other three people…I don’t know if they are the same people I envisioned, but did they get the Gift?

But my answer was obvious from the beginning.

“I refuse.”

[–Why? Because, you’re a child of the [Moon Rose of Melrose] so I ask you. What can a man hope to accomplish in his short life? A man without power dies easily. Even if you gain power and your lifespan is reduced by fifty years, even if your soul is damaged, it will be enough for you to start over from a winged insect in the next life…]

After all, there was a big gap in the perception of time and lifespan between humans and spirits. Even though they said they love people, I got the impression that they were like children who “took good care of” insects without even knowing their lifespan.

And the price of the gift was greater than I had expected. Because I knew the facts, it was understandable that the heroes and outstanding royalty of the past, whom I had learned about in history books, had short lives.

But it wasn’t. My refusal to accept the Gift is–

“I get what I want with “my” power. I am not going to accomplish anything with only the power given to me by others.”

Power given by “someone else” could easily disappear at the whim of “someone else”.

Elena, too, was given the status of royalty by her parents, but she too would be easily discarded if she were found to lack the power to match it. Therefore, both Elena and Clara were desperately trying to find their own power.

I thought the spirit would be offended by my rejection, but her eyes, which had been listening intently to my words, narrowed nostalgically, as if she were looking at someone else.

[The girl whom I gave the name [Moon Rose of Melrose] also said that she did not need the excessive power of the Gift. That is why I loved her existence and gave her the name of my beloved rose. Therefore, I will give you a name as well.]

There was no need. What was this Melrose anyway? Why were you giving a name to someone?

[Melrose is just a rose in the fairy world. It was brought out on a whim of a mischief-maker and took root in the material world, albeit only briefly. The color of her hair is a “proof” that she was given my name, and the fairies who appear in this land feel nostalgia for the same “color” as the rose. And I am certain that you have never been sick because of their gift, have you? It was only a small gift, but it was just the right gift for the girl who wished for the prosperity of her family–]

“…”

Did this peach-colored hair have such a meaning…? It was true that I had never caught a cold since I was a small child, and I could sleep in the woods in the middle of winter without a care in the world.

[–I was originally a spirit who was close to people. People developed a skill to fight, and I and other spirits gave it a name, and the skill became [Combat Skill]. Giving a name is, in a way, more natural than giving a Gift–]

It was said that [Combat Skill], a non-attribute magic, became available because the spirit had recognized the technique. I found that a little unnatural, but did that mean that there were spirits from the past who loved people like this spirit?

[I have been watching you since you have entered this labyrinth. I had seen the child of [Moon Rose of Melrose] desperately struggling with her unfinished skills using the Combat Skill that I had named here.

So let me give it a “name” as well. She was like the moon illuminating the dark night. So are you. That is why I gave her the name “Moon Rose. But unlike that girl, you’re a fighter who has a heart as strong as iron.

The name I give her is an inscription that reveals only her name, and at the same time, it is the name of the “Combat Skill” that she handles.]

The spirit in the form of a beautiful young woman glided up to me and touched my cheeks with the white fingertips of her hands as if she were loving me.

[She touches my cheeks lovingly with the white fingertips of her hands. You can only come here once in a lifetime. We will not be able to see each other again. I beg you to stop staining the hair of the Moon Rose with ashes. Instead, I will give you your own “color” for the name I give to you. The name I give you is —-]

***

“Aria!”

I heard Feld’s voice calling me. My vision, which had been blurred for a moment, returned, and I was returned to the arena at the bottom of the dungeon.

The battle had not yet changed; Feld, Dalton, Mira, and Viro were still alive. Still, Feld called my name, probably because I had disappeared from the scene for a few seconds.

The desperate situation was still going on – but I made it in time.

[boooooooo!!!]

“Red Ox”, which had apparently lost sight of me, let out a roar of fury when it spotted me and leapt out like an arrow, halberd at the ready.

Nothing had changed about me. My hair, which had been stained by the illusion of ash, had returned to its peachy blonde color.

My strength and magic had recovered a little, but that was no different from earlier in the fight.

But my mind was calm. There was no anger or hatred, just a “fighting spirit” that seemed to boil up from the bottom of my heart, which had been calm like the surface of a lake.

As the blade of the halberd, which roared and came at me as if cutting through the wind, swung down to slash my body at an angle, I activated the [Combat Skill], the same as the name “I” that was given to me by the spirit.

“–[Iron Rose] –“

Gakiin!!!

[Bumoooh!!!]

The halberd hits the stone floor violently, and Red Ox searched for me, who disappeared instantly.

[Gah!?]

At that moment, my black knife slashed across Red Ox’s neck. Reacting instantly, Red Ox’s halberd cut through the air in the space where I was.

With high-speed maneuvering, I ducked Red Ox’s attack, kicked the ground, and slashed at the opposite leg, which I instantly moved to.

[Booooooooo!!!]

I visually saw the halberd swinging around madly in an excited state, and I ducked, repeatedly moving at high speed, and slashed at Red Ox’s arms and legs.

The color of my hair changed from peach to an “iron” color like burnt ash.

The residue of light scattered from my iron-colored hair trailed behind me like a broom star, and I turned in front of Red Ox at high speed and jumped over, using the blade of the halberd as a springboard.

An iron-colored broom star danced in the sky. The residue of light scattered like silver wings, and as if to slice through the image of my cool-headed eyes reflected in the eyes of the Red Ox, which looked frightened for a moment, I sliced open the Red Ox’s right eye from the front.

[Aria (Alicia)] [Rank 4]

[Magic: 124/270] [Strength: 159/210]

[Total Combat Power: 916 (Special With Physical Enhancements: 1769)]

[Combat Skill: Iron Rose /Limit 124 Second]