The Book Of Flowers

Rest up

Damnit damnit! What the hell is going on!?

I heard something hard hit the ground just now and made the ground shake. Then all the sounds suddenly became silent!

Damnit damnit! Why do I have to get hurt at a time like this!?

Sylph is burdened because of me. My head is also still hurting so I can't use the power of the Fae

Irritating!

Seren! Hang in!

"Faster! I told you not to care about me!"

"Can't be Oberon! I'm afraid your wounds will get even more fatal! You haven't even fully recovered yet!"

Urgh!!! Fucking body!

Why can't you heal faster?!

"I said hurry!!"

"No! This is for your own good, and also the orders of Lady Amelia!"

This sylph won't listen to me at all

My mana is also completely drained. My situation is really sad now. If I die later, I'm ashamed to meet my predecessors

"Hoy! We found an army of Miss Amelia!"

Uh!

"Remmediately"

!!!!!

What the hell

What are-

Surely eyes... Trick

Can't be...!

No way!

"SO OFTEN!!" I shouted

Seeing Seren's limp body on the ground made my heart stop for a few seconds

"Oberonian! Come here!"

The Sylph who brought me finally wanted to put me down. I forced myself to move, but soon fell to the ground and finally had to be helped by Amelia

"It's cool...!"

He's still breathing... He's still breathing...

"Vainzel's...."

"... Seren...?"

He tried to open his eyes and raise his head, but he fell back to the ground limply

"No need to move! You must be seriously injured!" I told her

"You've already called Elf a healing magic specialist?" I asked Amelia, then responded with a nod from her

"No need..." Seren said

"What do you mean!?"

With a small smile on her face, she showed a mark on her chest that made my eyes widen

Urghs! I thought those criminals were from the demons!

And I even sent Seren to fight him!! How stupid of me!!

"at least... You still... Living..." Seren said again

"... Stoptalking. Save energy. If you die, I won't forgive you"

"Heheh... I'm gonna die... But not today..."

"Then stop talking. It's orders!"

Save energy. The curse of the demons must have been very painful. Zaphir once said that because he had been exposed to the curse of a demon that made him can not do anything else for 1 year

At least Seren can still heal. There's still a way...

I ordered the Sylphs to use wind magic and raised Seren slowly back to the Forest Gate

In order not to hinder their work, for a while I took a comfortable sitting position on the ground while focusing on recuperating

But not for long, I heard something I didn't want to hear back then

"DOROMACH!!!"

That voice!

"Vainzel's!! What's going on!!?"

"What are you doing here Verdea!? This place is dangerous"

"That's not important! Why is Seren lying here!?" Verdea cut me off half yelling

At that time, Veskal also landed following him. He just looked down as I gave a look that said, 'Why are you guys here!?'

"I'll answer it later! Return to Miralius-"

"My answer!! Stop switching the conversation!!" He yelled at me again

"... I told you I'd answer later. We need to focus on bringing Seren back first"

"Then let me help"

"Verdea!"

"I told you what I want, didn't I?! So I'll keep helping!"

"..."

"... Let's just say it's a payment because you made me teleport to Miralius by force just now"

...

He really tried to help. He held onto Amelia's shoulder with his right hand to amplify the wind magic

Meanwhile, Veskal approached me who was sitting on the ground

"I told you he'd be mad at your treatment, right?" Veskal said with a small smile on his face

"You're the one who suggested that we make him faint. You did it too, right?" I replied with a sharp tone

"Eventually you want me to make him come with the residents, right? Is there a more effective way?"

"..."

"Nothing is it? I can't believe this all-around King Oberon could run out of ideas"

"... I am not at all able. I even sent one of my friends to the den of death. Lucky he's alive. All I'm doing is a lucky impromptu plan. A little bad luck, all my plans will fail"

There's nothing I can do right when things get messed up. It was as if I was also stirred up by the mess so I had to pick up an impromptu plan

"I don't think so. You knew? Without Seren, I and the children of Andromeda would have been killed in the bombardment by the maniac"

"But the pay is still you or Seren. At the end of the day, I just choose who gets hurt and not"

"... You still can't be the leader apparently..." Veskal muttered

"What try?"

"No~ Then, the big one seemed to want to say something"

Zaphir walked towards us with a disappointed look

I immediately sensed that something was wrong just based on her sluggish expression

"... How's Zaphir? You've been cursed like that, so you also know how to cure it"

"..."

"Zaphi?"

"... Seren can't be helped"

...

"That's the curse of a Duke-level Devil, Vainzel. The curse I received was inferior to his, though not far off

It's a miracle he's alive. This demon that attacked him was not an indiscriminate demon at all!"

"...!"

Ah so it seems...

The dragon's fate was already carved into the sky. Nothing else can change that

I also looked at Seren who began to lift with the wind magic of the Sylphs with a limp face

...

Ah drat...

I actually got him killed slowly like this...

"So in conclusion, he can't be saved anymore, can he?" Veskal asked

"No, unless the devil is willing to be kind. Unfortunately, there is no such demon"

"... Too bad. A protector seems to have to die like this"

"... Is correct... Also--"

Veskal and Zaphir glanced at me who was curled up on the ground while shedding tears

They were silent at every drop that fell, not even trying to calm me down

"I'm-I'm a bad leader--- Seren-!"

Veskal just sighed hearing my sobbing sentence

He took out his handkerchief, then handed it to me to clean my face

But I still sob. It also made Veskal put the handkerchief towards my head. Not hard, but enough to make me notice

"Clean all your tears"

"... Alright"

I took the handkerchief, then cleaned the bottom of my eyeballs

"Huh? No pain wiping your eyes?" Ask Veskal

"You forget that my face and body are a hundred percent wood? What's the point of me cleaning this thing?" I replied while continuing to clean the drops

"Ah, right too"

...

"You want to comment, right?" I asked while looking down

"Yes. I'm just waiting for you to finish"

"... Just go ahead"

"... Vains. You're a lousy leader"

...!

"That's bad, until I realized how bad you're at leading"

Veskal then glanced at Zaphir. He did not respond in the slightest to Veskal's gaze and simply closed his eyes

"Your plan is messy and just impromptu. Move your troops completely uncoordinated just because of one crack. You only give orders according to the content of your heart which, 'softly' it"

It's a sarcasm

"... That's because I don't want to get you hurt"

"Then? Proof someone's hurt"

"..."

"The worst is not that. But it's your nature to always resist that you're not a leader"

"...! It's because-!!"

"Because you don't want to, do you? But you should. You have to get used to this, because not everything can be an option

If you become an Elf, live as an Elf. If you are born a human being, live as a human being. You can only live one, and not the other. Selfishly his name if you ask for anything else than you have"

"..."

I just stared at the boy. The 14-year-old who used to just follow me and Verdea back and forth wherever it was, could now give a really great word like this

I envy her. He was quick to change in a relatively fast time, while hundreds of years of my life I only used while complaining about this responsibility

"... Learn to be a leader, Vainzel. You need that from now on. I won't follow your orders anymore as long as you stay like this"

He walked away towards me, then floated using the magic of the Fae who followed him

"But for now, you've done your best..."

Uh-h?

"So, rest for a while. Calm yourself"

He also left me. He left with the Sylphs who were carrying Seren, while I was taken by another Sylph because I was still injured

...

"Vescals... What did you say to Vain?" Verdea asked who was flying beside her

"Just something I should have said a long time ago. Just like you were that night"

Verdea was stunned for a moment looking at Veskal who continued to focus forward

"... Ah, so. But not too rough, right?"

"I just slapped his head with my handkerchief, nothing more"

"Well, at least you guys didn't fight"

Veskal laughed

"But I'm a little proud that you have your own opinion and not just follow Vainzel's words as you used to"

"Finally, I was so upset that he made me be forcefully sent like that. Even if it was you who knocked me unconscious..."

Verdea glanced resentfully at Veskal

"Hehey"

"You want to slap? Stop laughing so"

"Serah~"

Veskal realized that Verdea was still unaware of the situation that was happening to Seren. That Seren will die slowly, and it's absolute

'Well, it's best for a while' Veskal said inwardly as he continued flying

I only saw them from behind with Zaphir who had only been silent since

...

"Zaphir..."

"... I have a lot of questions for you. Only you can answer everything"

"... Okay, Oberon"

Learn to be a leader...

...

Not everything can be an option. But you can choose to live it well or not

That's the thing that should have crossed my head

Ah peeved. Next time, I should be better at this

But it seems I have to follow Veskal's words first. I need to rest. There's not much I can do in such a sad state as it is today

And about Seren...

L'm... Don't know what else to do...

...

We won, but will lose an important member. How sad...

I'm not gonna make this mistake again. I promise