After finishing their work, Noel and Rose immediately made their way to the next destination. They didn't have a lot of time, so they increased their pace.
Rose's village was located east of the Silica Valley. It took them five days to finally reach this village.
The location was so remote that it was surprising that Rose even came to the Demon Banner Army.
They had to get slightly into the forest to find this village.
When they arrived, they could only see ruined buildings everywhere. The wooden houses had crumbled, leaving only three houses that still managed to stand.
There were scorched marks all over the rubbles. Noel could also see dried blood here and there.
From the number of houses and the size of the village, he predicted there used to be more than sixty people living in this place.
"It was quite surprising that Rose managed to flee from this place. The way it was destroyed, she shouldn't have been able to escape." Noel muttered inwardly while closing his eyes for a moment.
Rose looked at this familiar landscape. She had never stepped foot in this village anymore after that incident.
She had sworn that she would avenge them before she could face them again.
Now that the person responsible for this massacre had died, she could finally return to this place.
The emotions were mixed in her heart, making her a bit weak. Her feet were giving up and her hands were shaking.
She had a hard time calming her heart down. Meanwhile, Noel didn't plan to say anything because this was her village and her matter.
She should be the one to settle everything in order to move on.
Since Noel was here, Rose tried to make a warm smile so that Noel wasn't worried about her. She started walking while saying, "Do you know…"
When he heard her voice, Noel opened his eyes and followed her, listening to what she had to say.
"When the raid happened…" Rose pointed at the center of the village. "Everyone was supposed to rush to the center so that they could resist or something.
"However, my father was the village chief. He understood what was happening far faster than anyone else. Instead of sending me to the city center before directing us to another safe location, my father sent me away immediately.
"It was hard. I was told to run even though I didn't want to. In the end, my mother decided to accompany me so that I could run away with her, leaving all the villagers behind.
"However, my mother ended up leaving me soon because of the animal in the forest. So, I ran away… I kept running away, thinking I should stay alive for as long as possible so that I didn't disappoint them."
Rose's breath started to get rough. She couldn't help but remember what had happened in the past.
…
More than a decade ago.
"Haa…"
"Ha…"
Rose was panting while running through the bushes. She kept looking back as if the enemies still hunted her down.
The jungle was the home of many beasts, so she kept hearing roars and howls here and there. So, the Supreme Devil Organization wasn't the only one to hunt her.
She hadn't eaten for two days and her legs were giving up. She didn't know whether she still had the strength to do this anymore.
But at that time, Rose still hadn't given up, knowing that her father was fending off the enemies so that she could stay alive.
This was where her senses were trained. She got used to the sounds near her, keeping her awake.
The thick woods and bushes made her eyes stay vigilant and sharp like an eagle's. If she wanted to stay alive, she had to avoid all those creatures that wanted to prey upon her.
She had gone through many sleepless nights and endured extreme hunger.
Still, Rose didn't stop running until she eventually came out of the forest, albeit from the opposite direction of the entrance. That was why it took her a long time to escape from the forest.
Rose roamed around the area until eventually she reached a town where she ended up joining the Demon Banner Army.
When Noel heard all that, he couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed. Rose was telling him about the story. Of course, he sympathized with her, but there was something that caught his attention.
"Hmm?" Rose noticed the change in Noel's expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
"No…nothing." Noel shook his head helplessly, not wanting to hurt Rose in this situation.
"Come on. What's wrong? You're the one who gives me this opportunity, so I don't want you to be uncomfortable because you're accompanying me." Rose furrowed her eyebrows, concerned about Noel's condition.
Noel looked at her face for a bit, still hesitant about asking this question. But seeing Rose's adamant face, he ended up asking for it. "I know this is very rude and I don't want to hurt you like this…"
Noel paused for a moment, making Rose a bit impatient since she didn't know what was inside Noel's head. She wanted to ask again, but Noel uttered his question. "Don't you think it's strange that your father sent you away without hesitation when you were supposed to gather in the center of this village?"
"Huh?" Rose widened her eyes in surprise. She didn't expect that Noel would be questioning her father.
The purpose of this trip was to pay respect to Rose's parents and allow her to move on. But Noel questioned her father, showing a sign of disrespect.
Still, it was Rose who demanded him to speak. Noel couldn't be blamed either since he wanted to remain silent if not for her demand.
And Rose couldn't help but feel something was amiss with the situation now that Noel had reminded him about it.
"Now that I think about it, you're correct…" Rose fell into deep thought.
The atmosphere became awkward as Rose kept thinking about it. To Noel's surprise, Rose actually said, "Before asking about it, I think we should go to my house first. If possible, I'd like to find everyone's remains so that I can bury them properly."
