"Get out!"
The cold, furious rebuke struck like a sudden storm, crashing straight into Kurose Akira's consciousness. The pressure was so violent it nearly blasted him out of the hidden space within the Soul Necklace itself.
"Wait—I came for the sake of the White Rose!"Kurose Akira clenched his teeth, forcing himself to stay anchored as he endured the overwhelming rage surging toward him.
But his words did nothing to quell the fury of the White Rose Valkyrie's remnant soul.
Left with no choice, Kurose Akira steeled himself and shouted again,"If you don't rein in your arrogance and anger right now, then the White Rose Flower you left behind on the Magic Continent will completely wither before long!"
At those words, the Valkyrie's remnant soul finally restrained her rage—if only barely.
Only then did Kurose Akira manage to steady himself. But as he took a careful look around, he realized—
There was nothing here.
Nothing but endless, boundless darkness.
As for the White Rose Valkyrie's appearance…
All that remained, floating in the void, was a single pair of ash-gray eyes.
"…Huh?"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly. The remnant soul before him existed only as a pair of eyes. It was… unexpected. He had assumed he would see a more complete, concrete form, not something this fragmented.
"What happened?"The White Rose Valkyrie's remnant soul asked coldly.
From her reaction alone, Kurose Akira could tell—this Valkyrie remnant within the Soul Necklace knew nothing about the current state of the White Rose.
"Someone is trying to make all Valkyries' Guardian Flowers wither," Kurose Akira said. "The White Rose Flower has already begun showing signs of decay. Is there any way you can stop it from withering?"
"I am nothing more than a remnant soul," the Valkyrie replied indifferently. "I no longer possess even a trace of divine power. I cannot stop the White Rose Flower from withering. My existence is merely an imprint the White Rose Valkyrie left behind—a coordinate for her eventual return to the Magic Continent."
Kurose Akira's brow furrowed.
He hadn't expected the Valkyrie remnant inside the Soul Necklace to be nothing more than an imprint, completely devoid of divine power.
That… complicated things.
"However~"
Suddenly, her tone shifted.
"Although I cannot directly stop the White Rose Flower from withering, there is a way to awaken the faint trace of divine power sealed within it. That may be enough to halt its decay."
"What way?"A sharp gleam flashed in Kurose Akira's eyes. As expected—this Valkyrie remnant did have a solution.
"The White Rose Valkyrie left behind a short sword in Sunset City," the remnant soul revealed. "That blade can awaken the divine power hidden within the White Rose Flower. But to use it, the sword must first be drawn from its scabbard—and not everyone is capable of drawing a Valkyrie's weapon."
"Either way, I'll need to find that sword first," Kurose Akira said after a moment's thought. "Can you tell me where it is?"
"The Valkyrie's former residence," the remnant soul replied. "You should act quickly. Once the White Rose Flower fully withers, even awakening that remaining trace of divine power will be meaningless."
"Wait—"
Before he could say anything else, Kurose Akira's soul was violently yanked back into reality.
"Mr. Akira?"Natasha looked at him with concern, confusion evident in her eyes.
At the same time, Loserine and Roxia had also arrived in Natasha's room, quietly observing him from the side.
"What happened?" Roxia asked, puzzled.
"There's a problem with the White Rose Flower," Kurose Akira replied. "We need to deal with it immediately. Do you know where the White Rose Valkyrie's former residence is?"
"I do!" Roxia nodded without hesitation.
"Good."Kurose Akira let out a breath of relief. He had assumed finding the Valkyrie's residence would take time—he hadn't expected Roxia to know its location.
"The White Rose Valkyrie's residence is inside Yerman Castle," Roxia explained. "Our ancestors purchased that land, and that's how the Yerman Family estate came to be."
Kurose Akira raised an eyebrow.
That was… convenient.
"Take me there."
"Mm."
Roxia nodded softly and led Kurose Akira into the grounds of the former residence.
The place where the White Rose Valkyrie had once lived was still perfectly preserved. It was a modest courtyard, indistinguishable at first glance from an ordinary home.
A red-tiled roof. White outer walls. And within the courtyard, rows upon rows of flourishing white roses.
These roses seemed protected by some lingering magic. Even after the passage of countless years, they had never withered—still blooming brilliantly, swaying gently in the breeze.
"There's a short sword in the White Rose Valkyrie's residence," Kurose Akira asked Roxia. "Have you ever seen it?"
"A short sword?"Roxia frowned, clearly confused, and searched her memories.
But she found nothing.
At that moment, Loserine spoke up."I remember that sword being buried in the white rose garden. Because it contained the White Rose Valkyrie's power and no one could draw it, our ancestors buried it in the soil."
"…Why bury it?"Kurose Akira muttered softly, baffled by the Yerman ancestors' decision.
He quickly walked to the rose garden and dug the buried short sword out of the earth.
It was a snow-white blade. On the hilt, a lifelike white rose was delicately carved.
Despite having slept beneath the soil for years, the sword still shone brilliantly, radiating an untainted glow.
[White Rose Valkyrie's Rose Short Sword (Epic): ?]
"So no one's ever been able to draw it?"Confidence flickered in Kurose Akira's eyes as he grasped the hilt with both hands and pulled with all his strength.
After all, he was—
"…Yeah. Not budging."He sighed. No matter how much strength he used, the sword remained unmoved, as if it had taken root in the scabbard itself.
"Loserine, want to try?"He handed the sword to her.
Loserine accepted it, gave it an earnest attempt—and then shook her head helplessly.
"Natasha, do you want to give it a try?" Kurose Akira suggested.
He suspected that perhaps someone from a Guardian Family's bloodline might succeed.
"Here."Loserine passed the sword to Natasha.
Natasha tried as well—but the blade still refused to move.
"Looks like~ I'm not the chosen one either~"She sighed wryly and handed the sword back to Kurose Akira.
That only deepened his confusion. What kind of person could draw this sword?
Lost in thought, he casually passed it to Roxia, hoping she might as well give it a try—
Click.
A crisp, clear sound rang out.
The short sword… opened.
"…?"
Kurose Akira stared at Roxia in disbelief.
Roxia herself was equally stunned. She had barely applied any force, yet the sword slid free with ease.
At that moment, a system message appeared before Kurose Akira's eyes.
[White Rose Valkyrie's Rose Short Sword (Epic):A weapon that can only be drawn by a pure maiden, and only with the recognition of the White Rose's Blessing.Attack +500Deals an additional 30% true damage to enemies.]
Now it all made sense.
The reason no one had been able to draw the sword wasn't because it was impossible—but because the conditions were absurdly strict.
Recognition by the White Rose's Blessing.And the wielder had to be a pure, young maiden.
Among all the Oathbound Knights throughout history, perhaps only two or three had ever met such criteria.
Since the prerequisites weren't clearly displayed, countless people had mistakenly believed the weapon was simply undrawable.
Take Loserine, for example—though she was an Oathbound Knight, she was now undead, and her age had long surpassed the definition of a "maiden."
Roxia, on the other hand, had just crossed the threshold of eighteen. Barely—but just enough to still qualify.
With the sword finally drawn, Kurose Akira wasted no time and immediately headed for the White Rose Flower.
When they arrived beneath the enormous White Rose towering over Sunset City, the sight before them made everyone's heart sink.
The flower was already showing signs of withering. Its edges had even begun to take on the color of night itself.
"…This…"Roxia frowned slightly. If Kurose Akira hadn't pointed it out, she might never have noticed anything wrong.
"The withering only started a few hours ago," Kurose Akira explained. "It's normal you didn't notice. No one believes a Guardian Flower could wither—and information from other Guardian Cities hasn't reached Sunset City yet."
"What should we do?"Roxia looked at him anxiously, desperate to stop the flower's decay.
"Try using the Rose Short Sword to establish a connection with the White Rose Flower," Kurose Akira suggested.
The Valkyrie's remnant soul had said the sword could awaken the divine power sealed within the flower.
As for how—the sword in Roxia's hand would provide the answer.
The instant she held it firmly, the Rose Short Sword erupted with dazzling light, as if awakening from a long slumber.
Moments later, the massive white rose floating in the air slowly unfurled its petals. Like a star blooming in the night sky, ripples of white radiance spread outward.
Kurose Akira watched as a layer of gossamer-thin white mana gently enveloped the entire flower, erasing the marks of decay bit by bit.
"It worked!"Roxia's joy was impossible to hide as she stared at the revitalized White Rose.
When the last trace of withering vanished from its petals, a familiar voice echoed softly in Kurose Akira's ear.
"…Thank you."
He simply smiled to himself.
The problem of the White Rose Flower was finally resolved.
That was when he noticed something strange—
On Natasha's forehead, a white rose sigil was slowly flickering into existence.
"…What's that?"
[White Rose Valkyrie's Mark (?): ?]
The White Rose Valkyrie's Mark?
Kurose Akira narrowed his eyes slightly. Was it the same kind of mark as the remnant soul within the Soul Necklace? A beacon, meant to guide the Valkyrie back?
Since the White Rose Flower's crisis had been resolved, he felt it was only right to inform the Valkyrie remnant.
He immediately retrieved the Soul Necklace from Natasha and entered its inner space once more.
This time, the White Rose Valkyrie's remnant soul was no longer furious. She asked calmly,"Has it been resolved?"
"Yes," Kurose Akira nodded. "Thanks to your guidance, we successfully stopped the White Rose Flower from withering."
"Since the matter is settled, you may leave," the remnant soul said coolly, clearly dismissing him.
But Kurose Akira didn't leave just yet.
"There's one thing I want to ask," he said. "A White Rose Valkyrie's Mark appeared on Natasha's forehead. What does that mean?"
"You're saying… the Spirit of the White Rose has finally manifested the Valkyrie's Mark?"For the first time, genuine shock crossed the remnant soul's expression.
"Yes," Kurose Akira replied. "How is her mark different from yours?"
"The difference is vast," the Valkyrie remnant explained. "Due to certain circumstances, the Spirit of the White Rose's mark was never activated. The Valkyrie could not continue waiting, so she left behind a remnant soul as a contingency. My mark is single-use. Hers, however, is permanent."
She paused.
"Now that the Spirit of the White Rose has successfully activated the mark, my existence is no longer necessary."
"…Do one thing for me," the remnant soul said softly."I want you to take me to the land where white roses bloom."
As her words fell, a series of system prompts appeared before Kurose Akira's eyes.
[Hidden Quest Triggered: The Valkyrie Remnant's Wish][Objective: Travel to the Land Where White Roses Bloom!][Quest Reward: Ultra-Rare Trait — Valkyrie!]
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