Charity Ball (5)

"Listen to me Rika," Alex held my shoulders.

If the decorated ballroom wasn't impressive enough, the formal armament room was filled with all kinds of weapons ready to be used. Various swords, daggers, and bows made from the finest metals were hung up on the walls. While modern artillery like guns were locked into the glass displays. Every one of them had the Roselia crest stamped some part of them to show who they belonged to.

The cobblestone floor perfectly matched the serious atmosphere inside the room, unlike the bright modern lights making all the polished weapons shine. My attention drifted away from Alex as I continued to stare at the various weapons inside the room. I thought I had explored all of Luke's mansion out of boredom, but it wasn't true.

"Rika!" Alex shouted to get my attention.

I nodded my head as Alex's hands trembled in worry for his cousin and friend.

"It's clear that these monsters' target is you. While we won't lock the door on your end, make sure you don't leave this room. Call us immediately like before if someone comes in," Alex repeated multiple times like I was a child.

After I blindly nodded my head, Alex left the room as he got another call for reinforcements. Everyone was busy with fighting for their lives while I was left here, doing nothing to help. Guilt panged my heart, knowing it was mostly my fault that the charity banquet got ruined.

I touched a sword, decorated with silver roses in front of me. I gasped as it glowed bright orange, the colour of my eyes as it landed on my hands. Instead of feeling heavy like the other long swords I was exposed to, it was light as a feather. The handle felt warm in my hands as I felt tiny bits of my mana getting sucked into the weapon.

Didn't this mean I had some affinity with the weapon? Maybe after I returned to school, I should start joining Luke whenever he practiced with the sword with Alex. I didn't want to feel helpless like I did now after I exhausted all my mana. I returned the sword back to its rightful place as I started to look closer towards the other swords.

The one in front of me was intertwined with romantic red roses. The thorns were wrapped around the blade while the handle was oddly bandaged instead of being properly shaped with leather. When I touched the handle this time, nothing happened to my disappointment. But seconds later, my hand bled as the handle unraveled into an electric taser.

I screamed as the sword shined bright enough to spread its light beyond the room. Why were there no normal weapons here? I shook my hand as I couldn't seem to detach myself from the sword. The handle kept on digging into me as I collapsed onto the floor from the pain. I rolled on the ground to tolerate the pain before someone opened the door.

"What happened here?" Belle stared down at me.

Didn't Alex say that no one could open the door from the other side? I took no chances as I decided to call Luke with my other hand. Even though it was Belle, it could be someone disguised as her.

"The weapon room is a mess," she frowned, showing no worry for my injured hand.

"You're not her, are you?" I raised my arm, attached to the sword.

"My, my, don't say that, sister," she viciously smiled.

"We're here to save you," she reached out her hand.

I couldn't believe a monster was able to come into the mansion. Her disguise was slowly being torn apart as her tangled, bloody hair came to reveal herself. I swung my arm to prevent her from coming to me. However, with each of her nimble steps, she easily dodged them with ease.

"What happened to Belle?" I asked.

"Who is Belle?" she tilted her head in confusion.

"How did you come in?" I confronted her.

"Oh my, I think you're mistaken. We're not inside the mansion anymore. You're floating above the barrier," she revealed to me.

What? Did this sword just teleport me outside the mansion? I looked around to see Luke's horrified face as I stared back on the other side of the window. Lucius and Alex stopped fortifying the barrier in shock as I floated in the air with the monsters. Was she messing with me, knowing I was in the weapon room before?

I somehow got a feeling this girl had some kind of relation to the Roselia family. I stared at the starry night sky to help calm myself down. The events made sense since it explained how I was feeling almost weightless after I touched the first sword.

"Do you want to know?" she giggled.

"You look curious to who I am," she playfully floated closer to me.

"I am," I agreed.

"I'm hundreds of years old. A little bit younger than Ailes."

So this vicious God has been sending reincarnated people into this world since a long time ago? I never imagined they would be so old since that meant they were older than Luke's parents who were pretty old themselves. In fact, my parents' age could be considered to be an infant compared to the monsters in front of me.

"And I was an orphan just like him but got lucky to get sponsored by a certain family."

"Which family?" I waited for the big reveal.