“Rolonia, have you ever felt the desire to become a warrior?”
Eyes on the ground, Rolonia replied, “I felt that way…a little bit, just once.” Mora was surprised. “I…made a friend. At Master Atreau’s place. He was training to be one of the Braves of the Six Flowers…and he was trying really hard.”
What happened while she was with Atreau? Mora wondered.
“I thought if I could become a warrior and be chosen as one of the Braves of the Six Flowers, maybe I could be useful to him.” Rolonia flailed. “S-someone like me shouldn’t be thinking of that sort of thing, though, right? Like being one of the Braves of the Six Flowers, that would be crazy. I mean, there’s so many other powerful warriors out there, like you and Willone—”
“Rolonia.” Mora stood from her chair, took her guest’s hand, and bowed her head.
“Lady Mora…wh…wh-wh-why are you…?”
“I regret what I’m doing to you.”
“Um…”
“Please. Be a warrior, for me. Battle the fiends by my side. I need you, whatever it takes.”
“Me? But…but…”
“It must be you!” Mora yelled. Rolonia trembled.
“I cannot say why. All I can do is bow my head and beg of you. Tell me you will be my warrior with no complaints. I need you.”
Rolonia shook her head, her voice frightened as she spoke. “I’m afraid, Lady Mora. I don’t know what I should do. I mean…this is the first time…anyone’s ever needed me.”
“Everyone has a first time.”
“…But…”
Mora knew that there was virtue in Rolonia more powerful than anyone else’s. More than anyone Mora knew, Rolonia was glad to be useful to others.
“What should I do if I just can’t? It’s not going to work out, anyway.”
“…Do your very best. That’s enough. I ask for nothing else.”
“…I understand. I’ll do everything I can. If I just have to try my hardest, I think I can manage that.” Then Rolonia gave her the faintest smile. In her smile was the joy of having someone rely on her for the very first time, the gladness of being useful for the very first time. That was the first time that Mora ever saw Rolonia smile.
After that, her student changed—just a little. She became less frightened. She apologized for no reason less often. And she had become serious about gaining strength.
It must have been about one year earlier that Mora had found Rolonia in the arena at All Heavens Temple doing something strange. In the center of the arena, there was a doll made of bundled straw. The words Fiend! Really bad guy! were inked on its chest. Rolonia was standing in front of the doll, screaming, “You jerk! I hate you! You’re my enemy! A bad guy!”
Willone stood behind her. “No, no! More anger! One more time!”
“I-I’ll…beat you up! I’ll clobburb you!” Seemingly not used to yelling, Rolonia occasionally garbled her words.
“That’s a little better. Do it like that.”
“I-I’ll slaughter you! You putrid monster! Go to hell! I’ll make sure your heart never beats again!”
Willone patted Rolonia on the shoulder. “That’s it! You’ve got it, Rolonia!”
“I did it, Willone!” The pair embraced in the middle of the arena.
Impatient, Mora cut in. “Now can I ask just what it is you’re doing?”
Scratching her head, Willone explained. “Well…Rolonia just doesn’t want to fight bad enough. Like, she lacks that aggressive spirit, you know? So I’ve been thinking that maybe she could make up for that by practicing venting her anger at an enemy, like this.” That didn’t lessen Mora’s exasperation at all.
“Um, Lady Mora, I think this is really good. I think maybe doing this could make me stronger.”
“If it works, then that’s fine, I suppose.” Mora was nonplussed.
“It sounds like you don’t really know much in the way of insults, Rolonia,” said Willone. “You have to expand your vocabulary, too.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I’ll teach you. Listen, Rolonia. There are probably more than a hundred different ways out there to tell someone to go to hell.”
“Really? Please teach me, Willone!”
When the two of them were about to leave the arena together, Mora called out to them. “Have you forgotten, Rolonia? Today you’re studying healing techniques with myself and Torleau.”
“Oh…that’s right. I’m sorry, Willone.”
“Oh, it’s fine,” Willone replied. “See you tomorrow.”
Mora took Rolonia with her, and they headed out to the infirmary, where Torleau was waiting for them. “Today’s class will be tough,” said Mora. “You’ll be taking part in Torleau’s surgery. While she’s excising the affected part, keep the blood circulating and the heart moving. Curtail any bleeding to prevent the patient’s death by blood loss. You will also be using techniques to increase blood volume. Stay sharp.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Rolonia’s progress had been remarkable. She had learned the healing arts and enthusiastically studied human anatomy. Her healing abilities were now no less than Mora’s. And, though progress was slow, she was also learning combat. Mora knew that Rolonia possessed one other virtue, too—when she tried in earnest, she did so to an impressive degree. She was extremely dedicated.
Just as Mora had planned, Rolonia improved. One year later, she progressed to the level where it wouldn’t be unexpected for her to be chosen as a Brave of the Six Flowers.
Mora could not tell Rolonia of her true intentions—that the real reason she had nurtured her thus far was for the sake of killing one of the Braves. It would be a lie to say Mora had no pangs of conscience. But she had no choice but to do it—for her beloved daughter and for herself.
“The time for you to be useful to me has come, Rolonia,” Mora murmured as she ran to the Bud of Eternity, eyes to the east, toward the girl.
Adlet’s party of four crawled on their hands and knees along the hill in the dark. They illuminated the ground with their light gems, searching for the evidence their leader
