The Adventures of Rose Hood

I returned to Selethon in a good mood. I went to the guild and announced my presence, ordering a drink.

I drank it and hummed.

“Hey, Rose. How are you doing?”

“I’m doing well, Dallel. How are you?”

“Good...”

I had never noticed how he looked before. It was a wonder I didn’t go for him before. He noticed my look and lightly blushed.

“Um, could I get you something?”

“Nah, I’ll treat you. What do you want?”

“Um.”

And then, me and Dallel had our first date in the guild hall.

_

“So, you and Rose had a meal together... alone?”

“Yeah, I don’t know what to think.”

“Does she remember?”

“No, she said that since she can’t remember, she wants to make new memories with us.”

I was so nervous. I may be wrong, but that seemed like a date.

“This feels odd.”

“Yeah, but she seemed happy during the meal. I think, even for her case, I should keep meeting with her.”

Jalad looked mad.

“I don’t like this. We need to get her memories back, and then you can try. Right now, it just feels like you're using her amnesia as a way to get her.”

“Hey, I didn’t even flirt with her. We only had a meal.”

“Still, she doesn’t have her memories. She’s likely in a state of confusion. What exactly else did she say to you?”

“Um... she did say how it was a wonder she didn’t go for me before.”

“Exactly. That doesn’t sound at all like Rose.”

“Well, if you remember, she is now fully her. She was only half her before.”

“And you think that’s a big enough change. Even when she possessed Sloth at first, she was self-conscious of her modified behavior. The fact that she isn’t now shows that she is in a bad state, so cool it and let off.”

“Shut up Jalad!”

“No, I’m concerned about Rose, and you aren’t helping.”

“You’re jealous, aren’t you.”

“What?”

“You are jealous of me because Rose actually came and invited me to eat.”

“I can’t believe you right now.”

“I can-”

“Shut up, Dallel!!!”

“I can’t believe I thought of you as a friend. You always hold me back.”

I paused; Jalad looked at me in pure pain. He started walking out of my room.

“Where are you going?!”

He didn’t look back.

“It seems that Rose isn’t the only one who changed.”

He slammed the door.

I sat in silence. I wasn’t going to apologize; I didn’t need to.

I got up and walked out.

“Sir, where are you going?”

“I’m visiting the palace.”

I walked out across the street.

_

“So, you want to reconsider my request.”

“Yes, if you will have me, I would love to join the Kingsguard. I don’t need to be a captain.”

King Dalis smiled.

“Welcome to the Kingsguard, Captain Dallel.”

He didn’t ask why, but he didn’t need to. I had my reasons, and he didn’t care about them.

I left the hall to find my new squad, Royce’s squad.

“Heh, so you finally decided to become captain, huh?”

It was a wolfkin. Darsen, he was recruited so he could continue his slave breaker work.

“Listen, I know I’m not Royce, and I doubt I can live up to his example, but I will try.”

His old second nodded.

“And that’s all we need.”

_

Dallel joining the Kingsguard caused ripples. The city guard lost a lot of respect for him, and Jalad was forced to find a new second. Mammon was shocked and visibly lost respect for him, but the regular people thought he did the right thing.

To bash in the nail, I asked him on a second get together. This was going well...

_

“No!!! Don’t trust me!!! Run!!!”

No matter how much I screamed, only that monster heard me. I knew that there was nothing I could do right now. I was too weak.

Celios’s battle weakened me too much, and she wasn’t diverting energy to me anymore, it weakened her, but she was still powerful on her own.

“There has to be someone who knows the truth, someone who can stop her.”

‘I’m sorry, but there is none. But you can stop all of this, by merging with me, granting me your power and your mind.’

“NEVER!!! If I do that, then a far worse fate awaits them.”

‘You will give in eventually.’

“No.”

‘Everyone has a breaking point.’

She was right, of course, but I would hold out as long as I could.

‘You know what would really be fun? If I brought us to the point of proposal before making him breathe in his own blood.’

I didn’t react, she would stop taunting when I ignored her.

Please just stop...

She knew my mood, so she knew I was trying to ignore her.

‘Oh, don’t be sad. I know what’ll cheer you up.’

She filled my mind with images of a warped Royce. It was cruel.

I started screaming to shut out the voice of Royce calling me a monster.

Kala smiled.

_

Mammon POV

What was happening? In less than a day, the dynamic changed.

Dallel and Rose started dating suddenly.

Dallel and Jalad had a fight because of that which resulted in Dallel joining the Kingsguard.

Dallel was assigned to be Rose’s guard with his squad.

Dallel argued with me and left in a storm.

Sure, I said some things I shouldn’t have, but Dallel was angering me.

But the most terrifying of all.

I’m pretty sure I was the only one who noticed...

When Dallel left in a storm, causing the guild members to rage at him...

For a single moment, I swear on my life that Rose smiled.