Rosaria Adventure Party (3)
As they entered the depths, the regular-sized passageway disappeared, and a wide-open space was revealed.
It was the end of the long journey, with Meowmoew carrying them, Lucy slashing, and Rosaria firing magic.
"It looks like we've arrived."
"We have indeed arrived."
Rosaria felt it with a simple intuition, but Orphe was sure of it.
The reason for the existence of this labyrinth was right in the center.
However, they couldn't confirm it with their naked eyes.
To find out, they had to move.
Rosaria carefully stepped off Meowmoew's back and started moving.
As they approached a certain distance, light spread out in a circular pattern from the center tile, shooting upwards.
The light split into two and took on a specific shape.
One was a man kneeling.
And the other was a woman surrounded by light.
Rosaria was surprised to see the man's face.
The gray-haired man somehow resembled Reed.
"Dad?"
"It won't answer your questions. This is a record."
"Oh, I see."
Rosaria heard Orphe's words and stepped back.
Her gaze never left the gray-haired man.
After much consideration, she was certain.
"He resembles Dad."
At first, it felt similar, but after spending more time observing, she could tell it was someone else.
Soon after, the figure began to move.
"Oh, divine one."
The man prayed.
"I have traveled the Cloud Continent for eight years. I have seen the sun rising from the sea, the sun setting in the sea, and gazed at the moon from the highest place. Those hardships and adversities have forged and tempered us."
Despite the eight years of adventure, his voice was filled with desperation.
"But even with that arduous journey, we cannot defeat the Demon King. Everything will be in vain."
The man's clenched hands grew tense.
His desperation flowed into the woman surrounded by light.
-Is that what you say because you do not believe in yourself?
The woman asked in a merciful voice.
"I believe in myself. I believe I will save everyone from evil, and I believe I can even risk my life to eradicate that evil."
-But you cannot believe in victory.
"I believe in myself and my comrades. However, they are fragile humans. Their wills will be broken by the hands of evil. When that time comes..."
The man took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions.
He knew that it was childish to go further, so he didn't act rudely.
"This is me acknowledging my shortcomings and asking for mercy as a servant who serves you, hoping to bring joy."
The man placed his hand on his chest.
Watching him, Rosaria unconsciously placed her hand on her chest as well.
The man's emotions flowed into her young heart.
Affection for someone. The powerless anger of not being able to protect them.
"Please grant me the glorious opportunity to bring victory to you."
The woman of light didn't immediately respond to his words.
She lowered her head as if contemplating something and fell silent.
When she raised her head again, her clear voice echoed.
-You have not qualified for faith. If you still need my power, you will have restrictions.
"Restrictions are what I wanted."
He didn't even ask what kind of restrictions they were.
He was prepared to give up anything for the sake of his comrades.
Then the woman wrapped in light nodded her head.
-Understood. I will lend you my power in exchange for imposing restrictions on you.
The woman reached out, and a sword made of light was held in her hand.
The moment she grasped the hilt, a pair of wings sprouted from her back and stretched out vigorously on both sides.
Rosaria, who had been watching, was so awestruck by the appearance of an archangel who came to punish evil that her mouth hung open.
The man respectfully raised both hands above his head.
The woman placed the sword of light she had created on his hands and spoke.
-This sword will aid your faith. The effect is only once. If you cannot finish it in one blow, your faith will not reach.
"Yes."
-The moment you use that holy sword, you will be subject to two restrictions. The restriction of existence and the restriction of tragedy.
"Thank you for your mercy, my god."
The woman finished speaking, as if saddened.
The man sincerely expressed his gratitude to her with a humble face.
With those words, the goddess placed her hand above the kneeling man's head.
-May faith be with you on your journey.
As the white powder settled on the man's head, it was dyed with light.
The two figures gradually shone white and condensed into a single sphere, which moved somewhere.
Following the sphere with her gaze, Rosaria noticed that at some point, seven spheres were arranged in a circle along the floor tiles.
From the floor, white light shot up once more, shaping the figures.
The woman who had blessed the man just a moment ago was sitting in midair, looking at Rosaria.
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The woman asked Rosaria a question.
-How did you come here?
Rosaria responded energetically.
"I just came in! Are you a goddess?"
At that question, the woman shook her head.
-I am not a goddess. I just transform the faith and possibilities they have accumulated into the form they want. They only believe that I am a god.
The woman pointed to the spheres arranged in a circle with her hand.
-These are all left by the people who have reached the end of this labyrinth. They are the individual beliefs that each of them held in their hearts.
"Why do they leave these behind?"
-It's because they are all desperate. They believe in themselves and move forward, but at some point, a moment comes when they cannot overcome their own power. People then search for me and come here. And then, in exchange for their faith, I grant them the power to overcome their obstacles just once.
"So, is Rosaria desperate too?"
At Rosaria's question, the woman shook her head.
-No. You are a person who believes in yourself enough to change yourself. That's why you can invite everyone in like this.
"Are you saying Rosaria is an amazing person?"
-It's truly difficult to change others as much as you believe in yourself. It's remarkable.
Rosaria smiled broadly at the woman's praise.
"Anyway, you grant the wishes of the people who come here, right?"
-Most of them come here because they have a wish.
"Then can you grant Rosaria's wish too?"
-Tell me, brave one. I will grant you one wish.
"Uh... that's..."
When asked to speak up, it was difficult for Rosaria to choose right away.
As pure as she was, her desires were strong.
Being a girl of an age to experience whatever attracted her senses, saying just one thing was too painful.
Meowmoew, Lucy, and Orphe watched Rosaria struggling with her arms crossed.
Finally, one idea struck her mind.
"I wish for my dad to be happy."
-You mean your father?
"Yes!"
Rosaria nodded vigorously.
"World peace is good, and defeating evil is good too, but I want my dad to be the happiest of all!"
She spread her legs wide, raised her arms above her waist, puffed out her chest, and her eyes were as fierce as a tiger's.
It was the posture she thought was the coolest.
-That is the faith you desire.
The woman smiled.
For the first time, the woman who didn't smile even when granting power, smiled.
-I will grant you the power to fulfill that faith.
"What kind of power is it?"
-That's a secret.
The woman spoke, raising her index finger to her lips.
-Among the heroes who have come to me so far, not a single one has wished for such a pure power as you have. So, I want to keep this power a secret.
"Ugh, it's my wish, though."
-Sometimes not knowing is the happiest thing. Not knowing allows you to look at that person, and not knowing allows you to love that person even more.
Rosaria pouted and grumbled.
The woman gently clasped her hands together and reached out in front of Rosaria.
-Little hero, give me your hands.
At her words, Rosaria spread out her hands.
-This power will be a great strength for your father.
What the woman gave was light. The light gently entered Rosaria's hands.
-When the time comes for someone who didn't know themselves to start understanding themselves, it may be confusing, but they can become stronger than ever. Through that, the day will come when they understand the destiny they possess.
Rosaria looked down at the light.
It was faint, but that's why she could look at it closely.
It couldn't warm the whole world, but it was warm in the palm of her hand.
Rosaria knew that feeling.
The emotion when she first met Reed after being dragged to the slave market by Leto.
Led by her emotions, Rosaria took it to her heart.
The light seeped in softly.
And then it exploded.
-May faith and courage be with you on your journey.
With those words, the labyrinth disappeared.
