GDWY 05

Chapter 05

Rosha’s question seemed to surprise the man. He stared at her for a moment, then scoffed and shook his head.

“First, my name is Aaron. I’m in charge of investigating this incident. And, of course, I’m the one who found you.”

“Then… perhaps…”

“Ranked 777th. No other survivors were found besides you.”

“All the villagers… are dead?”

“Yes.”

“D-Did you happen to… see a five-year-old girl with blonde hair among them?!”

Instead of answering, Aaron pulled a small envelope from beneath his white coat and tossed it onto Rosha’s lap. She quickly flipped the envelope, and the photos inside spilled out.

“These are photos taken to identify the victims who died in that village.”

Rosha hurriedly examined each photo in turn.

The children in the pictures included girls around Lily’s age—the flower shop girl, the baker’s daughter…

She looked through all the photos of girls who seemed to be Lily’s age, then all the photos of women with long hair, and finally, she went through all the photos of men, reviewing every image from the start.

“…She’s not here.”

No trace of Lily’s body appeared anywhere.

“My sister isn’t in any of these photos. Is that all? There aren’t more?”

“All the victims were photographed without exception. If she’s not there, then there’s nothing more I can tell you.”

“Then that means my sister could still be alive?”

“Well, she might have survived outside the village by some stroke of luck. But your sister… she was only about five years old, wasn’t she?”

“…Yes.”

“At that age, even if she somehow escaped the village, the chances of survival are slim.”

Aaron offered no hope to Rosha. But his words mattered little to her.

“It’s just unlikely, but it doesn’t mean I can be sure she’s dead.”

The chance that Lily was alive was small, but it didn’t confirm her death either.

Rosha had seen her family die with her own eyes—but not Lily. Lily was her only family, the little sister she had sacrificed herself to save.

If Lily were alive somewhere, she would be waiting.

The image of her sister running off in tears, promising to bring the adults, was still vivid in her mind.

“Could you please find my sister? She might be hiding in a nearby village!”

“Ranked 777th, we checked nearby villages just in case, but there’s no sign that any survivor fled there. I hate to admit it, but your sister is dead.”

“My sister is not dead!”

Rosha shouted at the man with all her strength. He only stared at her, seemingly startled.

She felt her body tremble. Perhaps from screaming with all her remaining strength, the medicine’s effect seemed nullified, and her chest ached again.

‘Lily is alive.’

Until she saw Lily’s corpse with her own eyes, she couldn’t believe her sister was dead.

Born with the same luxurious blonde hair that differed from her own, her sister had always been lovable. Sometimes that lovability felt like it stole the attention of the family, making her jealous. There were times she even resented her sister.

But being jealous or resentful didn’t mean she didn’t love her.

Especially since, just before their family died, Rosha had only shown her flawed side, making her feel even more guilty and tender toward Lily. Now, the only family she had left was Lily, and she could not give her up. Even if her sister had sometimes appeared annoying due to jealousy, she knew that Lily had always been obedient to her.

Her little sister had said, “I’ll let you carry me; let’s go together.”

But Rosha had never said goodbye to her. Instead of a farewell, she had expressed trust and said she’d wait while Lily went to fetch the adults.

And now she had survived while her sister might have died.

That could not happen. She would find her.

Her sister must be alive.

…But if Lily really were dead…

Then…

She would search until she at least found pieces of her body.

“…I will tear them apart.”

“What?”

At the sudden words, Aaron looked bewildered. Rosha stared straight into his eyes, gritting her teeth.

“There are more of those monsters in this world, aren’t there?”

“And if there are?”

“I’ll kill them…”

“…”

“Every single one of them.”

The girl’s pink, gem-like eyes glimmered with deadly intent. Aaron had the fleeting illusion that her eyes were red as blood. Her words were surely sincere. The anger inside her must be enough to tear the world apart. But great anger alone does not guarantee success.

“Too bad, 777th rank.”

“…But why do you keep calling me 777th?”

“While you were asleep, we measured your magical power.”

“Magical power…?”

“You killed Lamia in one strike, so we thought your power would be high, but your rank was disappointingly low. Only 777th. At this rank, you can’t be deployed on missions to kill demons.”

“What do you mean…”

As Rosha tilted her head at the man’s incomprehensible words, there was a knock at the door.

When she looked toward the door, the person knocking had already opened it.

“Ah, Noah. You’re here?”

A handsome young man with light sky-blue hair leaned against the doorframe. Unlike the man who had been with Rosha, he looked young. Dressed in a neat white shirt with a cravat, he looked like a prince from a fairytale Rosha had read as a child.

If she had seen him before her family died, she would have been completely entranced—but now, his beauty had little effect on her.

“Aaron, you should be more polite when explaining things to a young recruit.”

“You already know this old man isn’t suited to teaching.”

Aaron bowed respectfully to the young man with sky-blue hair, a stark contrast to how he had treated Rosha.

“Aaron, may I speak with this girl for a moment?”

“Of course, Noah.”

Without waiting for Rosha’s consent, Aaron left the room with a bag full of medicines. Inside, it was just Rosha and the young man.

“Hello, Rosha.”

Before an awkward silence could settle, the man spoke warmly.

“My name is Noah. Noah Rostellier. You’ve probably heard Aaron call me that.”

“….”

“You can just call me Noah.”

“…Noah.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Noah noticed the glass with medicine Rosha had drunk earlier. He sniffed it briefly, frowned, and set it back on the side table.

“Ugh, that stuff’s bitter. Do you need candy?”

“I’m… fine.”

Just as she was about to refuse, Noah’s hand suddenly came close to her face. Surprised, Rosha recoiled, and he lightly twirled his fingers.

“Ta-da.”

In the blink of an eye, a red lollipop appeared in his hand. Startled and amazed, Rosha blinked, and the candy touched her lips. The sweetness spread across her mouth, mixing with the lingering bitterness.

“Sorry for eavesdropping, but I heard your conversation with Aaron.”

“….”

“I’m sorry about your sister.”

Rosha turned the lollipop around in her mouth and nodded gloomily.

“We’re checking nearby areas for survivors, but haven’t found any yet. If she’s not in the victim photos…”

“….”

“Then it’s one of two things. Either, as Aaron said, she died in the forest, or, as you hope, she’s alive somewhere.”

As the topic of her sister’s survival came up, Rosha took the candy out of her mouth.

“I was eaten by Lamia too, but I survived! So maybe my sister could be alive somewhere too…”

“You’re a special case.”

“…?”

The man continued slowly for the clueless Rosha.

“Do you know the old myth? A god sent his son into the fallen world to save foolish humans.”

“…Yes. The god’s child sacrificed himself, bearing the world’s evil.”

It was the old myth of the monotheistic god who was the national faith of this land, still believed by many today.

The god’s angelic child was born into the world, saved people, and bore the sins of the world to death.

“The god, grieving his son’s death, vowed to create knights to protect his son when sending another savior to this world.”

“….”

“But to awaken the knights sent by the god, one condition must be met. They must be reborn from death caused by demons. Just like you.”

Rosha fiddled with her shoulder-length hair.

“Noah… your hair changed color because of those monsters too?”

Noah, with hair and eyes the color of the sky, nodded with a smile.

“Rosha, I’m afraid, regardless of your wishes, now that you’ve awakened, you’re also a Rostellier.”

“What’s a Rostellier?”

“Have you heard of the Golden Dawn Society?”

Rosha recalled seeing a knight’s poster on a wall while walking with her brother. Dane had said it was a cult obsessed with the occult.

“Yes, I know.”

“That’s us.”

But she could no longer call them a cult—they had saved her life when she was dying.

“All knights of the Golden Dawn Society abandon their original surnames and adopt ‘Rostellier.’ It’s my original surname as the founder, symbolizing that we’re all one family.”

“My name is Rosha Lewen.”

“But from now on, you must be Rosha Rostellier.”

“….”

“Don’t be sad. Once you become part of our family, we’ll find your sister for you.”

“Can’t I search for my sister myself?”

Leaving her sister’s fate entirely to others felt unsafe. She wanted to help find her sister if possible.

Noah smiled awkwardly but shook his head firmly.

“That’s not allowed.”

“Why? Because I’m too young?”

“Because you’re only ranked 777th.”

“…?”

“Rosha, our knights’ ranks are based on power.”

“….”

“Tasks like helping demon victims or cleaning up afterward start from rank 500, actual combat against demons from rank 300, and top-secret high-priority missions from rank 100.”

“….”

“The rest just lend some strength in large battles.”

To find Lily, she would need to locate victims who fled from demons—and be ready to fight demons if necessary.

But Rosha wasn’t even in the top 500, not even top 700. Her rank was 777th.

Without the Golden Dawn Society’s help, she couldn’t search for Lily freely unless she reached the top 100—or at least top 300 for combat missions.

“What if I raise my rank?”

“Innate magical power can’t be changed.”

“Then I’ll try!”

“Some have raised their rank by about ten positions through effort, but your rank is far too low for that.”

“Please give me a chance! I’ll work hard!”

Noah studied the desperate little girl. He didn’t like wasting time on predictable outcomes—but if he didn’t give her some chance, she would completely shut herself off.

Giving her a small opportunity, even if she failed later, was better than crushing her spirit. She needed time for training anyway.

“Here’s what we’ll do, Rosha.”

“….”

“I’ll give you one year.”

Noah smiled kindly, looking down at Rosha, who was gripping the lollipop tightly.

“If you don’t raise your rank within a year, then you give up cleanly. Deal?”

Rosha understood the opportunity Noah was giving her. There was no turning back now.

“Okay.”

Rosha nodded, and Noah extended his hand.

“Then I’ll formally introduce you to the Golden Dawn Society.”

Rosha took his hand and climbed off the bed, suppressing the faint pain in her chest as she followed him. They left the room into a long corridor, with one side lined by a railing overlooking the floor below.

Looking down, Rosha gasped.

Across the way was a massive door, like a castle gate. Inside was a plaza filled with countless people.

This vast space, appearing like a city, was reserved solely for the Golden Dawn Society.

“By the way, this is a belated greeting…”

“….”

“Rosha.”

Noah gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Welcome to the Golden Dawn Society, Rostellier.”

Watching the little girl hold onto false hope that she could raise her rank, Noah silently hoped for the day she would abandon that false hope and smile.

One year later, Noah had to admit he was wrong.

When measured again, Rosha had risen dramatically in rank.

Now, Rosha was the 77th-ranked Rostellier.