Episode 235
"Chirp!"
"W-what!"
Just before Glare entered the bathroom, Rosewin was pouring out her hatred toward Frey while looking at the mirror.
"Ow! Hey, what are you? What are you doing right now... ow ow ow!"
When Canary pecked at her forehead, she swung her arms and stepped back, but.
"Chirp! Chirp chirp!"
"Argh, ugh!"
Canary showed no signs of stopping and continued to fiercely peck at her forehead.
"Ugh..."
The small but fierce attack from Canary was so painful that tears welled up in Rosewin's eyes. It was even enough to slightly scrape her forehead and make it bleed.
"This is really..."
Thanks to this, she was already in a bad mood, and she ignited solar mana in her hand and aimed it at Canary, but.
"Chirp~♪"
"H-huh...?"
Canary, hit by Rosewin's attack, merely chirped a beautiful song and fluttered her wings.
As a branch family member with weak solar mana, she couldn't defeat the mana of a fully awakened Clana, so rather, the mana she shot out was absorbed by Canary.
"Really... why... lately nothing goes right...!!"
- Boom boom boom!! Boom!
Due to this, Rosewin, bursting with frustration, began firing solar mana wildly in all directions.
"Chirp!"
"Ugh!"
Canary, hit by debris from the broken ceiling because of her, frowned and charged once more at her forehead.
"...Got it!"
"Chirp!?"
However, Rosewin, who had been waiting for just that moment, succeeded in grabbing the creature with her hand just before Canary could peck at her forehead again.
- Bzzzzzzzt!!!
"Kyaaaaaaaaah!!"
Something strange happened at that moment.
"Ch-chirp...?"
Her helper system, which should have been activated after receiving the flower Frey gave her.
Because Rosewin grabbed the bird that Canary had transformed into from the flower petal, which was part of the flower, it was activated abnormally.
Moreover, though she didn't know it at all, the influence of [Strategy Route Closed] was also clearly present.
"Ugh..."
- Thud...
Rosewin, unable to overcome the side effects, collapsed spread-eagle on the bathroom floor.
"........."
After some time passed, Canary, who barely escaped from Rosewin's clenched grip.
- Peck, peck peck!!
Looked at the fainted Rosewin for a moment, then with an angry expression, began pecking at her forehead again.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
That continued until dozens of minutes later, when Glare entered the bathroom.
.
"Ugh..."
Everything is dark.
"Where am I..."
Rosewin, clutching her throbbing head and getting up from her spot, muttered with a blank expression in that darkness.
"...My room?"
It was very dark, but it was definitely her room.
The flowers she loved most in the world, stuck all over the walls. And the albums with photos of the Hero she was crazy about attached.
There were so many clues that made it obvious at a glance that it was her room.
"What... I was definitely in the bathroom..."
But Rosewin soon fell into doubt. Just moments ago, she was in battle with a fierce canary, so why was she suddenly seeing her room?
'Maybe, am I dreaming right now?'
After tilting her head for a while and reaching that thought, Rosewin carefully took a step forward.
She thought if she walked around, she would wake up.
"...Huh?"
But the moment she took a step forward, something caught her foot.
"Kya!?"
So she inadvertently looked down, and then screamed in surprise while recoiling.
"........"
Below her was a girl with her head bowed deeply.
"W-who... who are..."
After maintaining a tense expression and being on guard for a while, Rosewin cautiously approached her.
"Hah."
Realizing the identity of the woman with her head bowed, she opened her eyes wide.
"Oh my..."
It was none other than herself.
"Hehe."
But it was quite different from her current splendid appearance.
Her expression was half out of her mind, and her face had traces of dried tear marks remaining.
Her hair was thoroughly disheveled, and some parts were patchily falling out. Moreover, for some reason, it was dyed silver.
"...Hero-nim?"
"Gasp!"
Staring blankly at that appearance, Rosewin, startled by her own words when she raised her head, sat down on the floor.
"No..."
She soon opened her mouth wide and began looking around.
"Oh my..."
The walls that were slashed all over. Similarly slashed and scattered all over the floor were Ruby's photos and the flowers she received.
Then, what are the photos and flowers currently hanging on the wall?
"Star-catcher... flowers?"
Rosewin, who looked at the wall again with that thought, realized that all the flowers stuck densely in her room were star-catcher flowers and quietly stepped back.
"Then... the photos are...?"
Thus, realizing that something was going wrong, she slowly looked up above.
"........."
Then, a familiar face came into her view.
"Why......?"
Familiar. Very familiar.
What she thought would be hers for her entire life.
But now can't have... and might not be able to have in the future either...
"...Hehe, heh."
Amidst her gradually fading consciousness, Rosewin quietly closed her eyes while listening to her own laughter echoing as she stared blankly at the photo.
'What is this... what on earth...'
While wondering what this incomprehensible situation was.
"T-this is..."
When she woke up from sleep and opened her eyes, what greeted her was the system window floating right in front of her.
".........."
At first she had a bewildered expression, but soon she began looking at the system window seriously.
"Um..."
Glare, who was looking back and forth between her and the system window, tried to say something, but.
"F-finally!!"
"Gasp!!"
Because Rosewin shouted with her eyes wide open, she couldn't continue speaking and had to step back.
"Finally awakened! Finally!"
But ignoring her, Rosewin was jumping around like a child in excitement.
The prophecy passed down through the Sunset family for generations, that the eldest daughter of the family 1000 years later would become the Hero's helper.
And that the helper would be able to use special power had been proven true.
The uncomfortable and boring life she lived disguised as the daughter of an information guild to hide that she was a helper.
The moment when her complex she unknowingly had due to her inferior physical abilities and mana compared to others completely disappeared.
"Lalala~♪ Lala~♪"
"Excuse me..."
Thus, she was humming while feeling overflowing happiness.
"Chirp!"
"Argh!"
When Canary pecked at her forehead with an absurd expression, she stepped back again with tears welling up.
"This is really... huh?"
And then, Rosewin, who was glaring at the creature that was perched out of her reach snorting through its nose.
> Hero's Identity
- The Hero's identity is, as you also know....... [Error]
[System Error] [System Error] [System Error]
> Functions
> Shop
> Achievements
".....???"
She stared blankly at the system error window and then made a flustered expression.
"What is this...?"
[Compatibility judgment in progress.....]
The special ability she好不容易 obtained was cracking and glitching, and strange letters were blinking at the bottom. It clearly looked like it had many problems.
"Excuse me!!"
"Startled!"
Thanks to that, she, who was crossing her arms and looking at the system window, screamed yet again when someone shouted loudly from below.
"Sister, are you... the Hero's helper?"
"Huh?"
Glare, asking with wary eyes toward her.
"Y-yeah. Right. From now on I'm the Hero's helper... wait, who are you?"
Rosewin, who was answering with a bright smile at that question, soon looked at her suspiciously and glared at her.
"Which Hero do you serve?"
"What?"
"Are you talking about Ruby? Or... money's..."
"W-why should I tell you that?"
Then, when Glare approached her with a fierce expression, she asked in fear.
- Rumble! Rumble!!
"U-ugh...?"
When the surroundings suddenly shook, she looked around with a frightened expression.
"W-what's going on?"
"...It's an attack."
"Attack?"
Before long, Rosewin, who was tilting her head as Glare, who was still glaring at her, answered.
"The Demon King's army is attacking this place."
"What?"
"Judging by the massive magical energy being felt from the main hall direction... they're probably engaged in battle right now..."
".......!!!"
She began urgently manipulating the system without even listening to her words.
"F-functions... this doesn't work. Achievements? This doesn't work either... shop is... okay."
"Hm?"
And then, she successfully entered the shop by luck.
[Recovery Potion: 2 free]
Do you wish to receive? (Yes/No)
She urgently pressed the left button and rushed out of the bathroom.
"I have to help the Hero-nim quickly...!"
With a pale, blanched expression, shouting like that.
.
- Crash! Boom! Crash!
- Zap, zap zap...!
Demirkan's spatial magic and the Magic Tower Lord's attributeless magic clash.
"...Indeed, impressive. Attributeless magic, if there's no attribute, I certainly cannot interfere with it."
"Tch, shut up. Making useless chatter during battle hasn't changed from the past to now."
Although the magic casters were floating in the air having a conversation with calm expressions.
- Crash...!
"Argh!!"
"Crazy... it's just a shockwave, yet it smashes steel..."
The people around were not at all the same.
"Kya! Kyaaah!"
"D-don't come!!"
In the corner of the main hall, screeching noble ladies and noblewomen, and frightened high-ranking nobles were taking shelter.
"Ugh... why so strong..."
"What? Why so weak? Is this the knight order?"
"Sister, can I eat this one?"
"...No, he said not to kill that one."
The Imperial Knight Order, the Church Knight Order, and the Royal Guards were clearly being pushed back to an obvious degree.
"Ruby-nim! Let's get out of here first! If we lose the Hero, it's over!"
"...My shield can't hold out any longer either."
"Wowaaaah!! This is biiig trouble!!"
"......."
Ruby, looking at Vener who had been showing excessive loyalty while sobbing, the paladin moving her shield around with a soulless expression, and Perlotche shouting with a foolish voice in that situation.
"...This is driving me crazy."
Muttering in a low voice, she drew the fake Hero's sword.
- Crash crash crash crash!!!
Soon, her swordsmanship swung with overwhelming power.
"Hmm?"
However, Demirkan, who simply avoided her swordsmanship.
"That's strange..."
He looked down at Ruby with an interested expression and muttered.
"Unlike when you fought me last time... you're not showing such overwhelming skill...?"
"........"
"Is it true as the rumors say that you've contracted a serious illness... or... is there some reason you can't attack me in earnest...?"
"Tch."
"Surely, would it be troublesome for you if I die?"
From Ruby's perspective, it was naturally troublesome.
Demirkan was a talent of the Demon King's army that had to be kept alive by all means.
'What... is going on...'
Of course, she too had fully recognized that such a situation could occur. And that was why she had made the genius Serena her subordinate.
But the situation she was most uncomfortable with had ended up happening.
- Crash!!
"Hero-niiiiim!!"
"...What now."
In that situation, the tightly sealed entrance door shattered to pieces and Rosewin's voice was heard, so the Demon King gritted her teeth and muttered.
"Hero-nim! It's me, me! Rosewin!"
"I see."
She, who was dealing with Rosewin who had run up to her with rough breathing with an indifferent expression.
"I-I've awakened! Finally I can help the Hero-nim!"
"...What?"
When Rosewin said that with twinkling eyes, she asked back.
"M-my goodness! You're hurt so much!"
"Haha... as you can see, the battle situation..."
"What should we do! Hero-nim!"
But Rosewin said that while looking at Ruby who was in tatters.
"I'm fine, so first Rosewin-ssi, please take shelter over there..."
Ruby, for whom Rosewin was quite annoying, whispered softly while pushing her aside, but.
"Here, drink this!"
"Huh?"
When Rosewin handed her a bubbling potion, she started to look flustered.
"It's a special medicine only the Hero-nim can take! If you drink it, your abilities will increase and everything will be recovered!"
"...Hmm."
Soon Ruby, who heard that explanation, looked at her with suspicious eyes for a moment, but.
"Well, if that's the case."
She soon smiled and accepted the potion bottle.
"Wow!!!!!"
"That's really amazing!!"
And at that moment.
Perlotche, who was watching the scene blankly from the side, rushed at her with a foolish smile.
"Very well! Done!!"
"H-huh?"
"Absurd!! Rosewin-ssi!!!"
Soon Rosewin, who was grabbed by the collar or shoulder or somewhere and shaken vigorously.
"...Hm."
She tilted her head when Ruby, who drank a sip of the potion, frowned deeply.
"What is this...?"
And at that moment.
[Compatibility judgment complete]
"Huh?"
A system window floated before her.
[Judgment result: Incompatible]
".....?"
Rosewin, who stared blankly at the word whose meaning she didn't understand.
[Countermeasure: Transfer control to the person who can help the Hero the most]
"W-what?"
She muttered with a flustered expression when an ominous message appeared, but.
[Transferring.....]
"Huh? H-huh...?"
It was already too late.
[Transfer complete.]
"Huh.......?"
Before her, only the word 'transfer complete' floated for a while.
[Transferred function: Helper system window control]
[Simultaneously owned function: System window summoning]
[Non-transferred function: Detection penalty invalidation, system notifications, achievement notifications, and all other functions.]
".........."
Rosewin, who stared blankly at the system window for a while, saw letters written in moonlight color and remained silent, then.
[Control locked]
"W-what is this...?"
When her system window's control was actually blocked along with a lock shape, she muttered with a resentful voice.
"Hero-nim! Don't worry! I will protect the Hero-nim!"
"...I never dreamed even in my dreams that I'd receive an offer to join the Hero's party."
"Though it's a secret member... with this... I might be able to effectively check Frey."
Behind Rosewin, Vener shouting with a still loyal expression, Ariadne with a bewildered expression, and Alice with a cold expression were approaching Ruby.
- Flash!
"Hm?"
Before Glare, who had been watching all of that scene with her own eyes.
[Helper System]
> Hero's Identity
- The Hero's identity is, as you also know....... [Error]
[Error correcting........]
"This is...?"
A translucent window she had only ever seen before floated up, right at that moment.
[...Recovery 5% complete]