“Aren’t you sworn to protect?!”
Theodoran’s shout unearthed the sweat and agony of Mary’s training, the blood and death that accompanied her on the battlefield. But buried among those was also a long-cherished memory. Theodoran, if nothing else, let me thank you for that reminder.
The dusty, nearly forgotten memory sent Mary back to an old cathedral, a majestic castle watching over it in the distance. She was still small, and a familiar warmth wrapped around her tiny hands.
“What do you want to be when you grow up, Mary?”
“I wanna be strong!”
“You do? How come?”
The nostalgic voice clawed at her heart and wrung tears from her eyes. She reminded herself, That isn’t where I belong anymore.
“I wanna be strong enough to protect Mother and Father!”
“I see. Then maybe you should become a knight.”
“What’s a knight?”
“Knights are people who swear to protect what they hold dear.”
Of course...
“Really?! That’s perfect! Then I’m going to become a knight.”
I remember, now. I remember why I became a knight.
“That way, I can protect everyone I love!”
The force that had long pushed her forward subsided, as though a tired old motor finally gave out. But in its place, rusty, forgotten gears began to turn, and a new fire kindled inside her.
✦ ✦ ✦
At Theodoran’s appeal, a spark flared up in Mary’s eyes. Oh, shit. Did I miss a flag somewhere? Well, if Mary betrayed me, at least it would make for an interesting story. As a gamer, you’ve got to learn to savor the bitter endings as well as the sweet ones.
“Aoi, would you grant me one wish?”
Mary’s voice was strangely playful for a betrayal event.
“What is it?”
“Spoil me rotten. Never stop protecting me.”
That was quite the tall order. In spite of my wounds, I had to laugh.
“Ha ha, what a line. Sure. It’d be my pleasure.”
I was pretty sure that was two wishes, not one, but I just nodded along anyway. There was only one choice for me.
“Thank you, Aoi. I, Mariet, do hereby swear to protect and cuddle you, in exchange for the same, until the end of time, even if I make this whole world my enemy.”
A sudden breeze tossed Mary’s hair, and I watched as black chased it from tip to root. Her silvery sword and armor flashed once and turned to scarlet and gold. Her clear blue eyes flared up and turned a ruby hue. She hadn’t lost her aloof aura, but the doubts that clouded her mind had burned away.
“Execute Appraisal.”
Mariet
<Dark Knight>
Vitality: 240/240 Stamina: 300/300 Willpower: 380/380
Skills: <Dark Knight: Master> <Knight Armor: Expert>
Wow, Dark Knight? Huh, and she lost her last name too. I wish I could say I planned this all out, but seriously, I did not see this one coming. I was pretty sure I’d used up all my luck on this event. Hard mode was fine and all, but gambling on long shots like this was not my style. Thank goodness it’d all worked out in the end.
This had to be what Karumi had told me about. Mary had changed alignment, switching from the humans to either the Daemons or just the labyrinth itself. This was the change a knight had to undergo, if they gave up being a guardian of their people. Still, I had never expected to see Mary cloaked in darkness.
“Rest. Leave this to me.”
As she readied her scarlet shield and sword, I only had the strength to nod in return. Mary blurred, throwing herself headlong at the enemy and blowing away three hunters with a single slash of her sword. She thrust home the sword and shield with an unearthly grace, and as she danced the hunters piled up along the wall.
Oh man, I’d totally seen this before. This was like a scene from one of those Warriors games. Well, that did fit the fantasy setting, but that genre wasn’t really my cup of tea. I was into more realistic games.
“Ready to surrender, Theodoran?”
After making short work of the hunters, Mary directed her sword at their leader and held it at the ready.
“It appears I am defeated. Would you mind not holding it against my hired help?”
“Sure. I couldn’t care less about them. All I want is to protect the people I love.”
My heart skipped a beat, hearing Mary deliver such an evil yet lovable line with so much style. Oh man, she’s a keeper.
“I surrender.”
“Excellent. Then I will be handing you over to the authorities for... Wait a moment.”
Theodoran rolled his eyes and grinned at my goofball of a knight.
“Aoi, under what charges should I arrest this man?”
Mary looked at me with some concern. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Attempting to extort or bribe a labyrinth manager is a serious crime.”
She may have fallen to darkness, but Mary was still Mary. Theodoran began to wilt, and she ran to catch him. And as I contentedly watched that scene, my eyelids began to feel awfully heavy...