Though, since it was only 200 years ago, it wasnât such an old story.
Before the Saldance kingdom was founded, in its predecessor, the kingdom of Romanne, there was a princess confined to bed due to a terrible illnessâ
It was a fatal illness, one so inexplicable that all doctors threw the towel in despair, unable to find a cure.
No one managed to even find a clue about how the illness could be cured. In such a desperate situation, a woman claiming to be a witch appeared before the king.
The witch said no more. The king, however, could not help but to cling to her words. It was the first and last clue they ever found.
The witchâs words were truly bewitching, but also poisonous.
As a result, *we* ended up seeing hell on earth.
The king gathered brave warriors, saying that the flower would grant any wish to whoever brought it back.
Those who responded to his call were renowned knights, other warriors, and a total of ten âHeroesâ.
All of them, me included, were absolutely convinced that it would be a simple task. Mere minutes after we landed on the island, however, our hopes were shattered to bits.
The islandâs monsters were not opponents we could match one on one.
They were not only powerful enough to push us on the brink of defeat in every battle, but the terror of their seemingly endless numbers caused some of us to ultimately flee. Even now, the sight of us being brutally killed as we turned our backs is branded into my memories.
We should have taken advantage of our greater numbers and cooperated in battle.
That was not possible, however. While on paper we were a single group, we had been gathered in a hasty manner. Even if we tried working together, we all joined the mission for our own personal gain, thus our first concern was not to let anyone leave us behind. This situation worsened our teamwork instead of improving it.
As a result, only five of us humans managed to obtain rainbow-colored flowers and escape. Among them, three were âHeroesâ.
Thatâs how fierce the monsters were. Strong enough to make us pray we would never encounter one again.
So the only thing I can say is that no one should even think of going to that island. I have nothing else to say.
If there is someone you wish to save at all costs, howeverâ then even such danger might not be enough to stop you.
If there is a piece of advice someone like me, who *made it back alive*, can give, it is to go with comrades you can trust.
Those monsters are not opponents anyone can face single-handedly. I can say that with absolute certainty.
We all only have one life.
Do not waste it.
Author: Svallg Volga
.
I closed the old book, blowing a bit of dust all around.
âThe Truth behind the Rainbow Flowerâ
I put back the very honestly titled book on the shelf containing many other books about the Saldance kingdom.
I came with Grerial to the library and, from early morning until now, read books for about four hours, but other than the dubious direct experience narrated in this book, all others were books of stories. They all stressed the fact that the princess was saved, so I could not gather anything really useful from them.
âDid you find what you were looking for?â
âSo-so, I guess.â
Today too I was accompanied by the head maid, Feli von Yugstine.
She was apparently interested in books about Diestburgâs history and was avidly reading not too far from my seat.
âBooks about the Saldance kingdomâŠ?â
She looked at the books lined up before me and a conflicted expression appeared on her face.
âWhat about it?â
âNothing, I was just thinking that I read some such books in the past.â
Feli then took the âThe Truth behind the Rainbow Flowerâ I was reading in her hands.
Feli, an elf, was about 100 years old.
For her, it probably happened just a short while ago.
âIs this story real?â
âI donât know if all the details are, but it seems that it really happened. I only heard about it from other people, though.â
ââŠ..I see.â
Just like the man in whiteâ Rowle Zwelg said.
In that case, the rainbow flowerâs effects could have some truth to them too.
âYour Highness.â
While I was lost in thought, Feli called to me.
âPlease do not have any bizarre ideas. I wish for you to live a long life, after all.â
So she said, while glancing at my âSpadaâ from time to time.
I heard someone say these words once:
Cowards tend to live long, while courageous people die young.
She probably ranked me among the courageous then.
âWhat, you think Iâd go to search for the rainbow flower?â
âYes, especiallyâ â
Feli continued while looking towards Grerial, who was talking to the librarian.
âEspecially if Prince Grerial fell gravely ill. Wouldnât you depart immediately, Your Highness?â
âHaha!â
I couldnât contain my laughter.
Because I realized that she was probably right.
HoweverâŠ
âYou would go too, wouldnât you? Feli.â
I thought the same thing could be said of her.
âServing the Diestburg house is your reason to live, after all.â
Feli gave a small laugh and nodded.
Like I had said something completely obvious.
I earnestly thought that she should treasure herself more.
âThen donât tell *me* about having âbizarre ideasâ.â
The confident way she nodded told me that she was definitely the bizarre one between us.
âYou have nothing to worry about, anyway.â
There wasnât any sense of duty or justice in me.
âAs you very well know, unless something really incredible happens Iâm not budging an inch.â
âButâ, I continued.
âIf my family or friends are in trouble, though, itâs a different story.â
I couldnât give anything back in my previous life. I just received.
I received and received, so many thingsâŠ
I was treated with kindness, I was protected.
I was taught techniques to survive.
Even if in my current life I was leading a decadent lifestyle, brother Grerial was a special existence.
Feli too always took care of me so stubbornly. Always telling me to mend my ways.
You could say that thatâs all there was to it.
But for Fay Hanse Diestburg, they had already become irreplaceable.
âOf course, that includes you too, Feli.â
Maybe she didnât expect to be included. Feli turned towards me.
âAre you flirting with me, Your Highness?â
âDonât be stupid. Youâre one of the people I want to protect, but I donât see you that way. I wouldnât flirt in a place like this anyway.â
Feli laughed heartily, saying it was just a joke.
âEven so, for someone in my position, hearing you say something like that is a joy and an honor.â
She smiled and thanked me.
ââŠreally.â
I thought she smiled a lot that day, then thought about my âSpadaâ.
I was not wielding my blade just for personal desire anymore. That would lead me down the same path as my past life. I had no intention of dying in solitude again.
For the sake of others.
For the sake of people.
Being someone that could kill others without a second thought, I couldnât start acting like a saint and save anyone in trouble. I had little faith in people anyway.
If it was someone close to me, however.
If I could think that they were worth dying for, I would wield and swing my sword without hesitation.
The knight Logsaria was an exception, but I thought that swinging my sword for a reason like that wasnât too bad.
I thought it was something like me.
âI wonder what Grerial is discussing with the librarian, though.â
Grerial said that he had something to look for, but spent most of the time talking with the librarian.
âMaybe his reason to come here was to talk with the librarian?â
They were talking in a private room, so I could only see part of his face through a small window.
Two knights were with him, and I couldnât notice anything out of the ordinary for the moment.
âItâs true that it doesnât look like they met today for the first timeâŠdo you know anything, Feli?â
âNothing in particular, unfortunately.â
âI seeâŠbut itâs been a whileâŠâ
I was about to comment that Grerial had been talking for a long while, when he came out of the room, as if he was waiting for the perfect timing.
He then walked towards us.
âSorry for the wait.â
He looked at the large clock hanging on the libraryâs wall.