A lone knight walked across a field of red spider lilies.
The flowers were said to bloom in places where great amounts of blood had been shed, and the sight of them stretched endlessly across the landscape, painting the field crimson.
The knight's scarlet hair seemed to mirror the flowers surrounding her.
She continued walking until she reached a small hill.
Five weapons had been placed there.
A broad sword.
A magic staff.
A great sword.
A pair of daggers.
And finally, a gauntlet.
The gauntlet looked almost identical to the one covering her right hand.
There was only one difference.
This one had seen battle.
Cracks ran across its surface, scars left behind by countless fights.
The knight's gaze lingered on it.
Memories began to flood her mind.
Five children.
They had once gathered together, excitedly discussing their dreams for the future.
They had all shared one ultimate goal.
To live luxurious lives.
Among them was a blonde-haired boy.
He had dreamed of becoming the one who would defeat the Demon King with nothing but his fists.
The memories changed.
The knight saw each of her comrades die.
One after another.
Until only she remained.
Then came the memory she wished she could forget.
The blonde-haired boy giving up his own life to ensure hers.
She remembered the vow she had made afterward.
She would defeat the Demon King.
She would avenge her comrades.
And she would restore peace to the world.
But now...
What was left of that world?
Even if she succeeded, there was hardly anything left to enjoy.
Her comrades were gone.
The people they had fought to protect were gone.
And the peaceful world she had dreamed of creating seemed almost meaningless without the people she wanted to share it with.
The knight sighed.
" It is done."
She looked toward the weapons resting upon the hill.
"Now I'll join my fallen comrades in the afterlife."
Her expression softened.
"Wait for me. I'm on my way."
She drew her blade.
The knight slowly raised it toward her neck.
The cold steel touched her skin.
Then—
She pushed.
The blade passed through her neck.
Blood ran down the sword as her consciousness began to fade.
The gods have been cruel to me my whole life.
Her vision grew darker.
I just hope they'll give me something worthwhile in my next life.
And then—
"Rejoice, child."
A mysterious voice echoed through the darkness.
"For your prayers have been answered."
---
Meanwhile...
A teenage boy was tending to a garden.
Rows of vegetables stretched across the field.
Lovely green lettuce.
Large cabbages.
Radishes.
Spinach.
Tomatoes.
And many other vegetables.
The boy had a rather strange obsession with gardening.
It was easily his only responsible hobby.
As he weeded a bed of cabbages, he hummed along to a song that was popular among his peers.
He was so absorbed in the music that he failed to notice the strange distortion forming in space behind him.
The distortion continued to grow.
Then—
FLASH!
A bright light erupted behind him.
"Huh?"
The boy stopped humming.
He slowly turned around.
At first, there seemed to be nothing there.
"Must've been my imagination."
He shrugged and returned to his work.
But when he reached his tomato bed, he froze.
Something was lying among his precious plants.
Or rather...
Someone.
A beautiful girl with scarlet hair and fair skin lay unconscious between the tomatoes.
The sunlight illuminated her face.
She wore strange armor consisting of a chest plate, chainmail extending down to her knees, and a gauntlet covering one of her hands.
The boy stared.
"...What?"
The sunlight slowly began to rouse the girl.
She stirred.
Her eyelids opened slightly, but she immediately squinted because of the sunlight.
After a few moments, her eyes adjusted.
The first thing she saw was a worried-looking boy staring down at her.
The knight blinked.
Is he an angel?
Is this the afterlife?
She studied him.
He's not half bad looking.
Her eyes wandered down his body.
Although his physique would certainly benefit from proper training.
She looked back at his face.
But why does he look so worried? Is he surprised that I took my own life?
The boy suddenly spoke.
"No..."
The knight blinked.
Oh. He finally spoke.
"Are you okay?!"
The knight raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, I think—"
"Not you!"
The boy suddenly reached down and grabbed her.
"Get out of here!"
In an impressive display of strength, he picked her up and tossed her aside.
The knight landed on the grass.
Before she could even process what had happened, the boy dropped to his knees.
"My babies!"
He frantically began inspecting the tomato plants.
"My poor, sweet, juicy tomatoes!"
The knight stared at him.
"You had all these options!"
The boy pointed toward the surrounding vegetables.
"Even the spinach would've made a better bed!"
He paused.
"No offense, spinach. We both know I've got beef with you."
The knight slowly sat up.
"Broke ass?"
The boy froze.
The knight continued.
"I must apologize, for I know not what my broke ass is. And I fail to grasp what you meant when you said you have beef with the spinach."
She glanced at the vegetable patch.
"For the record, spinach is rather tasty, but it cannot be compared to beef."
The boy's expression twisted.
"Ugh! A spinach lover..."
He shook his head.
"Wait, that's not the issue here!"
He pointed at her.
"Quit messing with me and tell me what you're doing here!"
"I died."
The boy blinked.
"...Okay."
He pointed around them.
"Well, you seem pretty alive to me."
The knight frowned.
The boy nodded seriously.
"Okay. Here's what we'll do."
He cracked his knuckles.
"You'll die again."
The knight's eyes widened.
"Except this time, I'll help."
"This is making no sense."
"Tell me about it."
The knight looked around.
"Is this not the afterlife?"
She pointed at him.
"Are you not an angel?"
The boy stared at her.
"If you came here to flirt with me, there would've been better ways of doing so that don't involve wrecking my garden!"
"Flirt?"
The knight scoffed.
"Please get over yourself."
She looked him over again.
"Although I must admit, you are not half bad in looks."
The boy's eye twitched.
"I'm not here to court angels. I want to find my comrades."
"Again with this angel thing! Why do you keep calling me one—"
"Morning, Haru."
The boy froze.
"That's quite the interesting conversation you're having."
A chill ran down Haru's spine.
He knew that voice.
And more importantly...
He knew that tone.
He slowly turned around.
"Morning, Mika."
A girl stood behind him.
She had a sweet smile on her face.
Unfortunately, the malice radiating from her was anything but sweet.
The knight instinctively reached for her sword.
This malice...
It is like nothing I have ever felt.
It is comparable to that of a warrior who has spent their entire life hating you.
This other angel must be dangerous.
Haru smiled nervously.
"Lovely morning, don't you think?"
Mika's smile widened.
"Sure."
She looked toward the knight.
"I see you're also using this lovely morning to hide and flirt with a beautiful girl."
"What?!"
"No, it's not what it looks like!"
Haru pointed toward the tomato bed.
"I just found her sleeping in my tomato garden!"
He paused.
"Wait."
His expression changed.
"Why am I defending myself?"
He looked at Mika.
"Why do you even care?"
Mika's smile disappeared.
"I'm the one asking questions here. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Haru immediately straightened.
"But I assure you, I wasn't flirting with her."
Mika crossed her arms.
"Sure you weren't."
Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
"I must admit, you've really grown a pair, Haru."
She glanced toward the knight.
"I understand she's good-looking."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And on top of that, she's dressed like one of those waifus you like so much."
The knight glanced between the two.
Haru could practically feel the murderous aura coming from Mika.
"No, Mika, it's not like that!"
He waved his hands.
"Besides, you're also good-looking."
The murderous aura vanished instantly.
"But when have I ever used my garden to start flirting?"
Mika's cheeks turned crimson.
"So..."
She looked away.
"You really think I'm good-looking?"
Haru stared at her.
"That's what you're worried about?"
"Just answer the question, dummy."
Haru sighed.
"I mean... yeah."
He smiled.
"You are good-looking."
Mika's face became even redder.
"For that, I forgive you."
She looked at him.
"But you'd better not cheat on me again."
"Cheat?"
Haru raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not cheating on anyone."
He gestured toward the garden.
"I still love my radishes."
Mika rolled her eyes.
"No one is changing that."
She placed a hand on her hip.
"Well, I'm better looking than any radish in your garden."
"True."
Haru nodded.
"But let's not forget..."
He pointed toward the garden.
"Unlike you, radishes can be eaten."
Mika's eyes narrowed mischievously.
"Are you sure you wouldn't want to eat me, naughty boy?"
Haru froze.
"I'm sure you've thought about it at least once."
She struck a pose, deliberately showing off her figure.
"Just look at me."
Haru immediately turned away.
His face was bright red.
Unfortunately, when he turned around, he saw the knight staring at him.
She had one hand on her head.
Her expression was one of genuine pain.
"Are you okay?"
Before Haru could say anything else—
The knight suddenly collapsed.
Right on top of him.
---
The knight found herself standing in a large hallway.
Her memories immediately recognized it.
The Demon King's castle.
She looked around.
Her old comrades stood beside her.
The blonde-haired boy wearing gauntlets stood at the front.
They were charging toward the throne room.
"No!"
The knight tried to shout.
"Stop!"
But nobody could hear her.
The doors opened.
The Demon King appeared.
And then—
Blood.
Her comrades were slaughtered one after another.
She watched helplessly as each of them fell.
Then came the blonde-haired boy.
He charged forward.
A fatal blow was coming.
He moved in front of her.
The attack struck him instead.
"No!"
The knight screamed.
"Kazuki!"
---
"Yes?"
Haru's voice suddenly echoed through the vision.
The knight's eyes snapped open.
"Wait."
Haru stared at her.
"How do you know my game name?"