types qw

Flowers

Chapter Text

Juny kept her face in her hands, having been embarrassed to the brink of tears.

Seeing this, Dager couldn't resist any longer.

"What's this about?"

Shake immediately shook his head.

"I don't know, but I don't think we're meant to ask."

With that, he looked at the blushing Juny and nodded.

"Yes, definitely shouldn't ask."

Juny looked up, peeking at Shake through her fingers.

She sighed before slapping her cheeks with force.

"Okay, okay. Um... let's start the Meeting."

'Haha! Nice save, kiddo.'

'Shut It Already!'

As always, Juny ignored the voices.

After a short silence, Airina spoke, her tone carried a hint of dejection.

"The atmosphere in the Kingdom is becoming dreadful. It's mainly because there are cults who've suddenly began to move. But that is not the only reason. This winter was especially cruel towards the crops and the land. Many people, especially villagers, are terrified that they will suffer because of the food shortage."

Juny nodded.

"That much is expected, I'll see what can be done."

Hearing this, Madam Petrison leaned back, having something to add.

"We're not the only ones noticing such predicaments. There is a well known opera troupe called Garnil's Opera. The leader is a now-retired actor Garnil, he wishes to go on a tour around the Kingdom to try and raise money as well as spread joyful mood."

"I got to know him a few years ago and we've kept in touch. He's looking for a capable bodyguard to accompany the troupe."

Juny placed her fist underneath her chin, in thought.

Her eyes discreetly turned to the astonishingly beautiful Daimira.

Seeing that there was nothing more which Madam Petrison wanted to say, Dager chimed in.

"The Crew's mood is turning more tense by the day. It's been like that since the defeat of the Vice Admiral Dusk, but it's just been getting worse. It's got to the point where there's been whispers about assassinating me. It's funny, really. I have a reason to suspect that an outsider is trying to manipulate the situation."

Even as he was talking about betrayal, Dager's tone was cheery, maybe even smug.

Shake looked at him, his eyes narrowed.

"You know that means they believe that you're undeserving of the Vice Admiral title, right?"

Dager's smile faded for a mere second before being replaced by an even wider one.

"That's right. They BELIEVE. Heh, I'll just prove them wrong."

'I really like him.'

Juny gently nodded.

"Is there something you need?"

Dager looked at her and shook his head.

"Not for now, I've yet to figure out anything about the outsiders, I'll see afterwards."

Juny hummed, leaning further into her fist.

After a moment of thought, Juny turned to Darmine.

"Does your Scout Patrol have free time?"

Darmine looked at her and nodded.

"Yes, since we've already covered the village mission."

Juny was silent for a while longer and then spoke to Daimira.

"Do you have any upcoming events planned? Excluding the entire Battle Patrol, just you."

Daimira tilted her head.

"No? Everything's been calm in the city..."

She seemed unsure, as if afraid why Juny would ask that.

Juny nodded once more, still not speaking her mind.

After a moment, she finally straightened herself and stopped leaning.

"Alright, the Loen Scout Patrol will assist Crew Captain with the investigation, if anything is necessary for it to succeed, you shall inform me."

She then looked at Daimira.

"Battle Patrol Leader, I want for you to accompany Garnil's Opera troupe without taking additional people with you. As a Sequence 5, you're the best option for a hidden bodyguard."

Daimira flinched, showing obvious displeasure, but Juny didn't budge.

After a few seconds of silent staring, Daimira reluctantly agreed.

At this point Valler, who sat behind Dager, spoke.

"The sea, especially the seas surrounding the City of Generosity, Bayam, have been very hectic. This is because of the sudden death of the Second Mate, 'Steel' Moveti, of the Admiral of Blood's flagship. It's said that it was done by the 4th Boatswain of the Golden Dream Pirates, Blazing Danitz, but it seems unlikely that he did it himself."

"We can't be sure, as it took a while for us to learn of this. Either way, they say that the helper was some powerful Beyonder on par with a Pirate Admiral."

Valler then turned to Darmine.

"I think it's worth looking into. Do you think your Scout Patrol could investigate it at a deeper level?"

Darmine nodded.

She already thought that it was close to impossible that one easy investigation would take the whole week.

As such, having more work while she was already there was a good thing.

"We can do that."

Valler lightly bowed his head in thanks.

Soon, Juny marked the Troop Meeting concluded and the members dispersed.

After silently sitting in her chair for a while, Juny stood up.

For some reason, she had goosebumps.

As a Sequence 3 Saint, that was not a good sign.

Having noticed Juny's strange mood, the Elementals have also calmed down.

'Is there something wrong?'

Juny didn't answer the Moon Elemental.

Instead, she frowned.

Juny instinctively placed her hand on the dark necklace hanging from her neck.

At the same time, a galaxy-styled door with cyan sub-color opened up before her.

'Isn't That The Dimensional Space? Do You Feel Something Wrong With It?'

Juny paused, not immediately stepping through.

"No, not with it. For a few minutes now..."

But she didn't finish her sentence, just staring into the open crack in space.

'?'

'S𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 w𝔢 𝔧𝔬𝔦𝔫 y𝔬𝔲, 𝔠𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔡?'

At the words of the Justiciar Elemental, Juny lightly nodded.

"If you want to, it's not dangerous... I don't think."

'Hmm...'

And with that, Juny moved through.

She stood by the familiar desk, looking around.

And she was not the only one.

'H̶e̶h̶, I̶'v̶e̶ n̶o̶t̶ b̶e̶e̶n̶ h̶e̶r̶e̶ i̶n̶ f̶o̶r̶e̶v̶e̶r̶.'

'R i g h t? I t' s... O d d l y c l e a n?'

'𝕀𝕥 𝕚𝕤... 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟' 𝕕𝕚𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤?'

Juny tilted her head as she took a step in a particular direction.

"Of course it was me, do you know how much mess this place was in?"

'Tsk, I can imagine.'

"𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗."

As Juny walked, the Elementals followed behind.

'...[So~][What][are][we][looking][for]?'

'𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝓌𝑒'𝓇𝑒 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝒸𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝒶𝓃𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔-'

The White Tower Elemental paused together with the rest.

Even Juny froze, rooted to the floor.

Right before her was a strange and complex ritualistic circle.

It was the one which is used to create The Void Pathway's Curse.

Next to it, almost unnoticeably, lay a glowing, soft-looking metal plate.

It had strange symbols which moved and changed, they were Enchanting Runes.

Juny's body shuttered, she knew what that was.

It was a Sequence 7 Enchanter's Beyonder characteristic.

And she could tell why it was lying there.

That was the exact place where Beyonder characteristics, which were affected by the Curse, transport after the Beyonder's death.

A long time ago, when Juny first chose to clean the Dimensional Space, this exact spot was a top priority.

A literal mountain of Beyonder characteristic was gathered here, since Kalia's mother wasn't very interested in sorting them.

This meant that a Sequence 7 Beyonder of The Void Pathway died.

But that was not the worst part.

The thing was, Juny was currently the only holder of a key into the Dimensional Space.

This meant that she was the only one with access to the Beyonder characteristics.

All the other key holders have long died and their keys ended up with the Elementals.

So, even if there was a member of the Lapis bloodline, they wouldn't have access to The Void Pathway.

With that logic, this characteristic belongs to someone to whom it was given by Kalia's mother or Juny herself.

And there was only one such person.

It was the 20 year old woman Juny met around a year ago.

Back then, she introduced herself as Mari's student and Juny had to perform the Preservation ritual to save her.

She moved together with a Dawn Paladin and was a member of the Dawn Paladin's bandit group.

In the heavy silence which filled the Dimensional Space, Juny stepped closer to the characteristic.

The Elementals were quiet, watching her without moving.

Juny grabbed the metal plate, staring at it for a while.

And then, a Runic symbol 'Find' inscribed itself onto the surface.

A vision flashed through Juny's mind.

It was a bloody scene with screams and shouts.

A dead body lay on a damp red ground with her chest torn open.

Juny also instantly knew where the scene was taking place.

It was in a forest near the Inizio city, a forest by which Juny passed with a carriage not too long ago.

Right before the scene dispersed, a set of bright red eyes flashed through Juny's mind.

Juny's grip on the metal plate tightened, her eyebrows twisting into a frown.

She could feel sweat gathering on top of her palm.

Not because she was afraid of those eyes, but because she felt a sense of familiarity.

It was the same feeling she had at the very beginning, a pair of glowing red eyes staring at her from the trees.

It was them, the ones who somehow remembered The Void Pathway.

The ones who kept quiet for over two years, Kalia's and Mari's murderers.

Juny escaped, so they chose a different target.

Juny stared down at the Beyonder characteristic in her hand.

A dark, star-filled light appeared next to her.

It was the Void Element.

'What Did You See? Whose Is It?'

Juny looked at the Elemental before turning to the storage area.

"I didn't really know her much, Miss Mari raised her as a student. All I did was a Preservation ritual."

She stopped before a certain container, placing the Beyonder characteristic into its rightful place.

'That's not the only thing, right? You seem too irritated for that.'

Juny looked at the Visionary Elemental and nodded.

"I have an idea about who did it. And it's someone I have a grudge against."

With those words, Juny turned away and opened a portal into her own Pocket Dimension.

The Elementals followed suit, curious.

'ARE YOU GOING TO TELL THEM?'

Juny paused, looking at the Tyrant Elemental.

"No? Why would I do that? This is something for me to do."

'B𞀓uͧtͭ iͥs̾n̾'tͭ tͭhͪeͤ rͬeͤaͣs̾oͦn̾ f̾oͦrͬ cͨrͬeͤaͣtͭiͥn̾g̾ aͣn̾ oͦrͬg̾aͣn̾iͥz̾aͣtͭiͥoͦn̾ tͭoͦ mͫaͣk̾eͤ y̾oͦuͧrͬ l̾iͥf̾eͤ eͤaͣs̾iͥeͤrͬ?'

Hearing the rough voice of the Twilight Giant Elemental, Juny shook her head.

"That's not it. I made Abyssal Troop to spread justice and support those who wish to spread it. Me being a leader is to help them, not make them do my work for me."

'Kid, you're so terribly dull, it's not even funny anymore.'

Juny tilted her head.

"I don't even want to ask what you mean by that."

'𝔽𝕠𝕣 ℚ𝕦𝕖𝕖𝕟'𝕤 𝕤𝕒𝕜𝕖-! 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟', 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕛𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝕓𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕝 𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕡 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦! 𝕀'𝕞 𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪'𝕕 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕛𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕝𝕒𝕧𝕒 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕡 𝕪𝕠𝕦!'

"Why would they jump into lava-?"

'Iᴛ's ᴀ ғ*ᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴍᴇᴛᴀᴘʜᴏʀ!'

Juny flinched at the booming voice of the usually silent Black Emperor Elemental.

She then frowned.

"Of course I know that! But it's such a weird metaphor that I had to ask!"

...

Madam Petrison looked to the side, her unusually colored eyes scanning the beautiful lady next to her.

"You do not appear to be particularly pleased by this."

Daimira looked at Madam Petrison before readjusting her loose sleeves.

"Well, I've never done bodyguard job before, and I'll be escorting a group of traveling performers no less. Not something to be fond of."

Madam Petrison turned away, waiting for the Garnil's Opera to arrive.

"It's not escorting, it's protecting. These people are bringing hope to places that need it. I've not known you for long, but you are one of the very few capable enough to properly do the job while inspiring others at the same time."

Hearing her words, Daimira's eyes narrowed.

"What does that mean-?"

"Good evening, Madam Petrison. Your beauty outshines even the most radiant of stars."

A loud and clear voice interrupted Daimira's question.

It was the type which immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the surroundings.

Daimira looked forward to see a tall and handsome man in his fourties.

Madam Petrison nodded while extending her hand.

"Good evening, sir Garnil. How do you do?"

The man, Garnil, wore a pleasant smile as he gently kissed the back of Madam Petrison's hand.

"I am much better now, Madam Petrison."

Garnil let go of her hand before turning to the side to look at Daimira.

His eyes narrowed, scanning the short but stunning beauty.

Seeing this, Madam Petrison spoke.

"Sir Garnil, this is Miss Daimira. She'll be escorting you as a bodyguard. Although it might seem unbelievable, please be aware that Miss Daimira is a very powerful Beyonder overqualified for this job."

Daimira lightly flinched, but kept a neutral expression.

'Can she say such things so straightforwardly?'

She nodded at the man as a form of greeting.

"Hello, my name is Daimira La Rue. I will be accompanying you on your tour."

Garnil didn't immediately answer.

Instead, he seemed to be caught off guard.

Daimira lightly tilted her head.

Seeing this, Garnil flinched, as if waking up from a daze.

His eyes were immediately filled with bright stars.

"Oh my, you have to accept my apologies! I was simply too stunned by your astonishing voice that I fully forgot to greet you!"

He took a step forward, hesitating only briefly before grabbing Daimira's hand.

"Miss Daimira, you should join the acting industry! No, join the singing industry! You'd be a star, I can see it!"

Daimira frowned, obviously uncomfortable.

"I have long given up on such childish dreams. Please let go of my hand."

Hearing this, Garnil showed distain, but he let go of Daimira immediately.

How unfortunate, but I suppose there's not much to be done. Please forgive me."

"It's alright."

Daimira wasn't too annoyed, as the man just gave her quite the compliment.

Madam Petrison gave her a knowing glance before bidding farewell.

"Then, I shall take my leave. I wish you all the best."

Garnil lightly bowed his head.

"It's an honor, getting your blessings. I'm sure our tour will bring great achievements our way."

...

Daimira looked on from atop the leading carriage.

Their very first stop, a village which is known for producing peppers and spices.

So far, the journey has been smooth with no accidents.

Daimira watched as many villagers peeked out of the windows or stood near the road, just watching the carriages with excitement.

She stayed sharp, lightly clenching and unclenching her fist.

The carriages came to a stop near the village entrance and Daimira lightly jumped off, landing steadily.

She could hear hushed whispers filled with excitement, but her eyes moved to the disembarking crew members.

As nothing bad happened so far, Daimira was not too worried, soon averting her gaze.

Just as she did so, a loud shout of a young actress caused chills to spread.

"Raina, careful!"

The words were accompanied by a loud thud and a muted scream.

Daimira's head whipped to the side.

Her eyes hazed when she saw a young, frail actress curled up on the ground, clenching her ankle.

The place went uncomfortably quiet, everyone's attention shifted.

Daimira watched from afar as Garnil rushed over to the girl's side.

"Raina, are you alright?"

One didn't have to be a genius to see that she was not.

Tears fell down her cheeks and she did her best to get air into her lungs.

It might've been the pain or the stress, but it took a whole minute for her to answer.

"I- I can't- I can't stand! I- sniff, I think I sprained it..."

Daimira felt the temperature suddenly drop.

The lead actress, the one who was to play a Goddess in the upcoming play, was out of the picture.

Daimira lightly leaned on the carriage, watching the scene play out with distaste.

What were once whispers filled with excitement turned to concern within moments.

Even Garnil and the rest of the crew showed nervousness.

"It's useless, she absolutely cannot perform. Who knows when it'll heal."

"There's no way to get a replacement."

"But we can't just cancel! We've come here for a reason. And the tour has just begun."

"H- How about we rework the scene a bit? Get someone to narrate the goddess's descent without-"

"Absolutely not! The entire play revolves around her presence! Without the goddess, the play loses its heart."

It didn't take long for the scene to calm down as Daimira finally took a step closer.

The girl's, Raina's, ankle was blue and swollen.

There was a chance it was broken too.

The place near the village's entrance was still quiet, noone dared to utter a word.

Staring down at the girl, Daimira couldn't help but sigh.

'How can one be so fragile? Why would they give someone like this the lead role?'

Truthfully, the reason for being the lead was the girl's beauty.

But after seeing herself in the mirror her entire life, Daimira's sense of beauty became twisted.

Raina lifted her head, her gaze landing on Daimira.

Daimira's eyes narrowed when she saw the girl's expression sparkle with joy.

She then frowned when Raina's next words came out.

"You!"

Daimira lifted her finger to point at herself.

"Me?"

Raina immediately nodded, slight smile apparent.

"Yes! Miss Daimira, you're elegant, graceful and much more athletic than me. You have the presence for the role... You're perfect!"

Daimira crossed her arms.

"Absolutely not. I'm not an actress."

Raina's smile collapsed before quickly recovering.

"But you COULD be."

Noticing that Daimira was unmoved, Raina continued.

"The villagers have been through so much, they really need something to take their attention off the crops. They need this- please..."

Tears started welling up in Raina's eyes, but Daimira remained expressionless.

Playing to her emotions wouldn't waver Daimira's resolve in the slightest.

Out of nowhere, Garnil's voice joined in.

"Raina's right. You'd be perfect! And the lines can be simplified too. You'd make an awesome goddess-"

"My job is to make sure you're alive, not prance around on a stage."

Daimira cut him off, her eyes close to cold.

Raina's face fell, her expression turning gloomy together with everyone else.

By this point, the stage was already set.

At the same time, even though the play won't be taking place for hours to come, many villagers were already gathering around.

Garnil rubbed his hands together, they were drenched in sweat.

"If we cancel, they'll be devastated. For some, this is the only good thing happening to them in months..."

Daimira's eye twitched, her gaze instinctively moving to the villagers.

Especially the happy families and excited children.

She unfolded her arms, calmly taking in the warmth.

After a short moment, she clenched her jaw, teeth gritting.

"Fine- But this is the only time."

Her tone was curt, even forced, but a wave or relief swept over the troupe.

Raina's face immediately lit up while Garnil appeared pleased.

"You won't regret this, Miss Daimira! Let's get you ready."

Daimira flinched, feeling reluctant.

But she, as well as everyone around her knew, it was too late to turn back.

...

Daimira stood stiffly, as if frozen.

The crew fussed around her in a possessed manner.

Not too far from her, Garnil was speaking to the troupe's seamstress.

She was an older woman with sharp eyes and swift hands.

She spent a few minutes just staring at Daimira.

To Daimira's surprise, there were no complicated measurements taking place.

The seamstress simply grabbed some fabrics and got to readjusting the costume.

And about half an hour later, she walked back to Daimira.

She held a flowing white dress adorned with great range of different flowers and petals.

It had golden embroidery with long sleeves.

Daimira stared at it with a blank expression while the seamstress spoke.

"This will do. It's elegant yet commanding, it will give you the look fitting for a goddess."

Daimira's brows furrowed.

"It's too flashy."

"Flashy is the point."

Garnil chimed in, his smile still wide.

"You're not playing yourself. You're meant to play the savior of mortals and the banisher of evil and drought. It has to captivate."

Seeing Garnil's smug look, Daimira sighed.

She took the dress with annoyance before putting it on.

The dress wasn't too complex, allowing her to wear it with surprising ease.

The gown fit perfectly.

It was a range of white and pure white,

The light fabric cascaded around her body like flowing water.

On this spread-out surface were many decorations.

The petals and flowers spread across unsymmetrically but elegantly.

Daimira stared at herself in the mirror for an unpleasant moment.

She then looked down at her hand.

On her wrist was a golden cuff with bright green glitter.

It was something that Juny gave her, meant to be infused with spirituality after the play was over.

Although she never expected she'd be a part of the play when she received it.

Garnil's eyes sparkled as he observed Daimira's posture.

"Perfect... Now the hair!"

Daimira flinched, showing clear disdain.

But before she could argue, she was already dragged to the next stand.

The hairdresser has long been standing there, looking at her with joyful expression.

Feeling something amiss, Daimira immediately exclaimed.

"I'm not letting you do anything ridiculous."

The hairdresser nodded, as if it was obvious.

"I know, don't worry. Your hair is already perfect."

'What the hell does that mean?!'

Daimira's eye twitched for the thousandth time today.

In the end, she still kept silent, for the children's sake.

Her hair was braided to the back with a few loose strands framing Daimira's face.

The hairdresser also embedded flowers into the braids.

As the finishing touch, simple flowery crown was placed atop her head.

Immediately, Daimira had to resist the urge to tear the flowers out.

She's never wore her hair in such an unpractical manner before.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Daimira sighed.

Next to her was Garnil, a cheeky smile on his lips.

"See? A true goddess!"

Daimira rolled her eyes, caressing the golden cuff.

"How long until this is over?"

Garnil moved away from the mirror.

"Patience, patience!"

He took a quite a small scroll and handed it to Daimira.

"Here are the lines... It's not much, just some declarations and blessings. You'll only show your true appearance in the final scene, so the movements aren't that important. You should focus on your presence more than anything. You know- just 'feel' the role."

Daimira took the scroll, giving Garnil a baffled glance.

'What does THAT mean? 'Feel'...?'

Seeing her confused, the rest of the troupe snickered before chiming in.

The place was quite loud as they showed Daimira all sorts of hand movements.

They even explained to her the importance of vocal articulating.

Surprisingly, Daimira took the learning seriously.

Absorbing it with the same focus she would have when getting ready to fight.

It was quite hilarious to watch.

Before it became apparent, the sun dipped below the horizon.

All the seats before the stage filled.

The play soon started and the actors lost their identities.

Their personalities transformed as they turned into completely different people.

The play was filled with both cheery and gloomy songs.

Daimira's voice could sometimes be heard coming from behind the curtain.

Soon, the end came.

It was much quicker than one would realize when reading the script.

The male lead lay fallen on the ground, defeated by monsters.

Around him, frightened civilians cried and prayed to the heavens for mercy.

On the dark stage, a bright light shone as a voice rang out.

It was beautiful, filled with grace and kindness.

"I have heard your cries."

With each word, the light intensified.

Lights from many more angles chimed in.

Then, the curtains parted and a figure emerged.

It was the goddess with a flowing white dress and stunning flowery crown.

Her steps were slow and calm.

Her gaze soft, radiating compassion but also sternness.

The audience was silent, captivated by the beauty.

The goddess with braided chocolate-brown hair separated her lips, smiling kindly.

"Fear not, for I walk among you now."

Unknowingly, the crowd leaned forward.

Every member of the audience wes trying to take a closer look as the goddess moved across the stage.

Her white robes elegantly swayed behind her.

With each step, the black fabric enveloping the hero moved away.

The darkness disappeared because of the goddess's existence alone.

The towering figure in thick black robes, the villainous devil, faltered.

Met face to face with the goddess, his body turned hesitant.

The goddess's smile never changed from it's affectionate state as she lifted her arms.

It was a light and easy movement, but it stole everyone's breath.

At the same time, the goddess's cuff glowed with beautiful green.

The light spread, flowing above the audience and into the village.

From the village onto the fields.

And from the fields into each and every dying plant.

The land's vitality has been restored.

Of course, the crowd couldn't know that yet.

The goddess's stern voice rang out once more, more commanding than gentle.

"Begone, as your place is not amongst the living."

With just those words alone, the villain clumsily stumbled back.

His pitch black robe fell and thinned.

Soon, his entire body faltered and spread across the ground.

The villains figure disappeared.

In the dead of night, light like that of day spread across the village.

The goddess's gaze swept across the audience, whose breath was still taken.

Noone could make a sound.

Slowly, the goddess's bright red eyes landed on the fallen male lead.

The goddess moved closer with calm steps.

Her smile never faded as she looked down at the dead man.

"Hero. That is you who sacrificed yourself for the banishing of all evil. You shall be known and remembered. You shall return to the great mother of all and I shall embrace you. As you are my child."

The goddess leaned over, her long and light robe spreading out.

The flowers shifted as the white, flowing water enveloped the earth and the hero within.

And then, the curtains fell.

Immediately, a loud applause filled with whistles and screams overrun the entire place.

It spread out, louder than an explosion.

Amongst them, one particular shout echoed like chanting.

"She truly is a goddess!"

"Goddess! Show the goddess again!"

"Perfect! The goddess was so beautiful!"

Behind the curtain, Daimira listened to the screams with a cold gaze.

But, unbeknownst to her, the gentle smile on her lips still didn't fade.

If anything, it widened as she looked at the curtain separating her from the audience.

The one who played male lead stood up next to her.

He had a bright expression as he observed Daimira.

"You can go out to greet them."

Daimira flinched and her smile immediately vanished.

She gave the actor a stingy glance before turning away.

The other actors watched her leave with the same joyful expressions.

Although the lines were simplified, Daimira added her own, acting it out better than originally intended.

Falling to the back, Daimira quickly took off the floral crown and the overly-long sleeves.

She also practically tore the flowers from her hair, her scalp itchy.

At that moment, Garnil rushed over.

But before he could say anything, a woman voice called for Daimira.

"Miss Daimira! Someone left this for you."

Daimira turned to see Raina, the previous goddess's actor, who was being supported by a different troupe's member.

She held a big and beautiful bouquet with a note.

It clearly stated Daimira's name, but nothing else.

Daimira tilted her head but accepted the flowers.

Her nose was immediately filled with a wide range of nice smells.

Amongst them, there was a particularly familiar and pleasant smell.

But she couldn't put her finger on what it represented.

Daimira's eyes turned away, not thinking too deeply about it.

Seeing this, Garnil spoke.

"Miss Daimira, you were magnificent! Did you hear them? They adore you! There truly is noone more fitted to play a goddess than you!"

Daimira kept a neutral tone.

"I just did my part."

Garnil was about to refute again, but was stopped, by Daimira's addition.

"And-"

Subconsciously, Daimira's eyes landed back on the bouquet.

They were blood-red tulips mixed with roses and a slight hint of purple petals in the corners.

Her lips twitched up into a smile.

"-you're wrong."

Garnil's eyes slightly narrowed.

"About what?"

Daimira didn't answer immediately, her smile growing wider.

She gripped the cluster of flowers tighter.

Daimira liked the style of the bouquet.

It was neat and elegant, but a bit chaotic.

It was exactly her style.

"There is someone I know who'd do a much better job. Playing a goddess, I mean."

"Who?"

Garnil tilted his head as Daimira's smile disappeared.

She locked eyes with him for a short moment before turning away.

Not at all interested in answering the question.

After all, this was just a one-time thing, right?

Well... no.

Strangely enough, the crew's luck seemed to be cursed.

Minor disasters happened right before every performance.

In one town, the male lead fell ill.

And even though Daimira did all she could to heal him, he didn't get any better.

In the end, she had to step in again.

Daimira played the role of a heroic swordsman who saved a princess after many battles.

In another city, a supporting actress suddenly had to leave due to family emergency.

This forced Daimira to play the role of an evil queen.

With each 'forced' performance, Daimira's skills grew at an extreme rate.

In the end, she surprised even herself with how much she began to adore the experience.

Garnil's Opera even changed some existing scripts to fit her in.

And, to her exasperation, Daimira did not hate it.

In just a week, the word of the mysterious actress has already spread wide.

Her face plastered on newspapers even as she did her best to hide herself.

This fame could also be because wherever Garnil's Opera played, vitality spread.

Saving the dry lands and bringing prosperity to the villages.

But Daimira didn't lose herself, keeping vigilant against the increasing attention.

She never forgot her mission and what she was there to do.

And, maybe it was because of her caution, Daimira noticed a great oddity.

After every single show, like clockwork, a bouquet of beautiful flowers waited for her behind the curtain.

The styles and floral types changed, but the feeling remained the same.

Pretty, elegant, graceful but always chaotic in some way.

Simultaneously, they were always adorned with a slight hint of purple petals or leaves.

Together with the petals, they carried a pleasant, familiar scent.

Daimira could never put her finger on what the scent represented.

But she didn't worry too much.

She didn't sense any danger.

Also, notes written together with the bouquet were always nice and encouraging.

So Daimira let it go.

She placed them on a table and left them be.

After all, they were just flowers.