Floette is lying on the bed, unconscious, still in the healing process after her heart was pierced by a broadsword.
Helcus put a tiara on her.
This headpiece has a spell capable of forbidding her to escape from her dominator's hands.
If Floette wants to remove the tiara, the metal's ardency would cause immense swelling to her palms, and of course, the spell-bound accessory nullifies her powers.
"I almost yelled at you for acting like a dimwit, and apologies for that," Kooki said as we both took a look at Floette. "Master Helcus did the right thing defending her against the council. You can use her as a protector."
"You think she's capable of change?"
"You want to change her ways in the first place, that's why you pulled away those vines, am I right? Ghouls are heartless, and if you have some spare heart in you, then maybe she could change."
I am now Floette's master. If I tell her to rise up now, she'll rise up from her hibernation. If I tell her to sit, she'll sit. If I tell her to bark, she'll do as I say.
Helcus is a genius for thinking of a better punishment than torture.
A svelte monk enters the room and tells me that Helcus is looking for me at the temple's lobby.
When I arrive at the exact spot, I notice that he's not alone. He is accompanied by a sylphlike monk and a girl whose stance resembles that of a combatant.
She has caramel hair and hazel brown eyes, and the moment I saw her, I felt a slam-bang pulse.
Out of the blue, I had an X-ray vision and I saw a diamond fragment glowing underneath her upper garment - on her chest.
"Kintsugi, this is Rosenth, a younger sister of Rosifie," Helcus introduced. I gave her a slight grin and she responded with a welcoming gesture, egolessly.
"Rosenth was hit by a diamond fragment when she was harvesting sweet potatoes on our farm, and it got buried in her chest," her sister, the monk, explained. "She's here to formally surrender the fragment."
The Diamond Oyster is the most powerful gemstone in this universe, yet if I'm going to reference the Mohs Scale from my world, Earth, this jewel is the most fragile and non-resistant.
Nevertheless, it is willing to grant supernatural abilities to anyone, regardless of their intentions.
Notwithstanding, it only trusts the bloodline of Oshirin. And now, the fragment in her is talking to me.
I gave Rosenth an inviting gesture that left them dazed.
"In exchange for accompanying me on my journey to collect the fragments, the Diamond Oyster wants you to be its temporary vessel," I revealed, and they exchanged glances.
Helcus understood me, while Rosenth showed me willingness and determination.
"If that's what the Diamond Oyster wills, then I whole-souled accept its invitation. I'm willing to lay down all that I have just to serve it."
Being supportive is all Rosifie can do for her sister.
•••
It's gonna be a long and winding search and rescue operation.
Due to his age, Helcus can't come with us, and before I bid goodbye to him and to all the monks that provided me food and shelter, I gave them my warmest regards.
Floette won't talk to me, and if I talk to her she might burst out in fury.
As per Kooki, when she gained consciousness she tried to escape the room but failed. As we hike this path she won't let me see her swelling hands.
When we got out from the woods, we are met by a green and purple scenery abundant of crops like sweet potatoes.
There's also a simple yet functional dwelling made of woods, thatch, and mud standing in the middle of the farm.
"This farm is where I lived," Rosenth said.
She was met by her two little siblings, and when her parents and other sisters saw our arrival they halted their work and greeted us.
They're very welcoming, and I can't blame them if they viewed Floette as loco.
"Recently, I've been consumed by melancholy. But seeing you little sweet potatoes brought me joy. Want to play playhouse with me? I'll be the cook, you'll be the ingredients of my dish."
The ghouls gave them the jumpscare.
"You're crazy, lady," said one of Rosenth's sisters.
"But you're very beautiful," said the other.
"What must it be like to grow up that beautiful?" said the other, the curiouser one. "I wanna be like you."
"Can I touch your hair?" Asked the youngest.
"Kids, just because she's very pleasing to look at doesn't mean she's not going to eat you. She's still a Ghoul," Kooki gave them a reminder.
"How's your day at Oshiki Temple?" asked Rosenth's father, a burly man yet softhearted and wrinkled.
"Substantial," she simply replied.
"How's your big sister Rosifie?" asked her mother, a furrowed woman but aging like fine wine.
"Decorous."
Rosenth is fond of one-letter words as a response to catching-up questions.
Warchaic won't last a day against this type of woman - he'd need a dictionary just to keep up.
Since the sun is almost setting down, her family insisted to leave the night on in their unembellished abode, and since we're worn out from our journey we took the invitation.
Her parents prepared us dinner while her five younger sisters helped in accomplishing the other chores.
Life in the past is very simple yet very authentic, unlike in the modern world where you can cook food under the gas or electric stove. In this era no food preservatives nor processed foods exist, just pure herbs and spices and produce.
This is what I miss growing up, having a complete family dinner.
Dad left us when I started middle school and married a socialite. He lived with discontentment and that led him to become distant from me.
Rosenth caught the attention of her parents.
"The Diamond Oyster bestowed me a mission. It wanted me to company the Fragment Collector on his journey," she unveiled in the middle of our feast. "I believe this is my calling."
Instead of being saddened because their daughter will be away, her parents showed their unwavering support at her. They always knew that Rosenth was born to be a warrior.
It's a poignant moment for everyone except for Floette who's apathetic.
By the way, she eats like she could eat until tomorrow.
We were rattled when we heard an ear-splitting blast outside. Rosenth stood up and looked to see who was causing the commotion.
I immediately went after her when I felt a pulse.
'There's a fragment vessel outside this house.'
Not only one, but there are three people who possess a diamond fragment.
"If only I couldn't forget you, I wouldn't show up on your doorstep, but damn, Rosenth, I miss you so bad!" said a muscle-bounded guy who is older than me. He looked drunk and sounded wheezy. "With you, I am whole, but since the day you slipped away, I feel like I'm half a man."
"You treat me like an also-ran, Agnos. For the record, you didn't measure off on any measure of a man," Rosenth's witticism made Agnos the most insignificant man who ever lived.
"I've been a failure and my daily life is dysfunctional. I put disgrace on the founding man, Penisius. That's why I'm coming to you, to make me a man again."
"You're just drunk, Agnos."
"I may look like one, but my mind is alive, Rosenth."
"We're already done."
"Why won't you talk to me? Is it because you've already found my replacement, that man over there?" Oh no, he's talking to me. "If you're the man Rosenth's looking for, come and face me in a fistfight to determine if you're worth her."
This Agnos is as crazy as Floette.
A fragment of diamond was concealed on his dagger, and because the gemstone also granted powers to whatever object it attached to, the dagger upgraded like it can annihilate a whole village.
His other companions also have a diamond fragment on their weapon; one has a fragment on his whip, the other on his scythe.
Rosenth's father got out and exploded in anger when he saw Agnos.
"How shameless of you to step foot on our doorstep. Just so you know, I have never ever laid a hand on my daughters. It's an unmanly act to hurt a woman. Out of our sight, forever!"
Agnos, in defense of himself, disgustingly pointed a finger at him.
"Don't tell me what to do, Old Hag. You're not the boss of me!"
Agnos came from a well-off family from Bulkoln Town in Earthron. In Bulkoln, he owns a large retailing business mainly focused on root crops.
Rosenth's family is his major supplier of sweet potatoes, and the first time he saw her he immediately fell in love with her.
At first their relationship was smooth, but with each passing day, knowing how completely different their social statuses are, Rosenth's love for him became estranged. Rosenth dumped him, but Agnos was in denial.
The man with the whip is named Deriu and is a drunkard, while the man with the scythe is Urben and is a lecher. The two of them work for Agnos.
Speaking of Agnos, he is on Rosenth's doorstep trying to win her back, but she is formidable. She can't be pursued.
Floette didn't want me to intervene and let the past lovers resolve their issues, but I wouldn't just stand and watch them when Agnos is already provoked and wants to wreak havoc.
Moreover, as a Fragment Collector it is my duty to obtain the lost diamond fragments.
The diamond fragment in Rosenth glowed and she stoutheartedly inserted her hand on her chest and pulled a spear and shield made up of her bones.
It's painful to watch, terrifying, yet cool.
Not only that, her garment is now bone-like structured.
"Get off this property before I show no mercy to you and your companions," Rosenth cautioned, but Agnos was brashly self-confident.
Rosenth's mother and siblings hid inside the house and they were squired by Kooki while her father is watching her back holding a pikestaff.
The two exchanged strikes from their weapons and Rosenth is determined to take down Agnos who is now very novelettish.
Agnos is an epitome of an obsessive lover.
I was caught off guard when the man holding a scythe and the man with the whip unforseenly attacked me and Floette respectively.
"So you think you can get away from us?"
"There's no way we let you sneaked up."
My cheek bled as my brows furrowed to what the Scythe-Man did while Floette let out a wrathful hiss to our two glorifying opponents.
Because of the tiara, Floette is unable to use her abilities. However, with her agility and sharp claws she defiled the incoming counterstrikes.
I pulled the arrow from the quiver, and by all means aimed it to my first target, the Scythe-Man.
When the arrow flew it transformed into a bloodcurdling broadsword and I am certain that it will penetrate him, but to my dismay the sword flew to a different angle. It flew backwards right in my direction.
My face slumped on the hard ground after I dodged it.
When it hit the ground, sparing my life, it vanished and went back to the quiver.
The fatheads cackled as if they witnessed a circus act.
My fingertips grazed the dirt and when my fists were soiled I can't contain my embitteredness to the arrow that played a dirty trick on me.