The Adventures of Rose Hood

I flew for a straight hour and saw my home base, the capital.

When I landed at the gate, Dallel came to greet me.

“Hello Rose.”

I shifted.

“Hello Dallel. Your brother is annoying.”

“I thought he was dead.”

“He should be. He already has been, but I’ve had to put that man six-feet-under three times now.”

“I'm... not even going to ask.”

“Thanks.”

_

“So, you have some charges.”

Mammon held up a paper labeled with the insignia of the guild.

“Read them.”

"Destroying the economy of a nation, insubordination, and killing a guildmaster.”

“Hold it, that’s false.”

“Thank goodness, wel-”

“I didn’t kill him. I just shattered his mind. Besides how was I supposed to know his mind was so weak.”

“Ah... and for the others?”

“Those are true. Except that the economy was slavery, and the insubordination was karate chopping him after he ordered his men to strip me.”

“Ah... that makes sense and aligns with what the submaster of the other place reported.”

“So, am I still a B.”

“Nope, A. You were found innocent of most charges already, so your promotion already went through.”

“Nice.”

“But try not to **** off a whole nation next time.”

“I will.”

Then I felt a presence of pure rage behind me. I shivered.

“Pardon, what did this other guild master tell his men to do?”

“Um................”

Dallel looked like he was about to commit murder. Mammon clearly thought the same thing.

“D-Dallel, no killing the head guildmaster of Stalaris.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll just do a little surgery.”

“No... don’t do that either.”

“Surgery helps though, I thought you were angry.”

The whole guild looks at me.

“YOU ARE TOO INNOCENT!!!”

What?

_

“So, the demons now follow you?”

“Yes, they disguised it as thanks for me killing Callel, FOR THE THIRD TIME, but they told me through telepathy that they recognized me.”

I was talking to Dallel and Royce, they were the only two in the nation that knew my identity as a shard of the evil god.

“So, what happened to that other shard you mentioned?”

“We merged.”

Royce spat out his water and started coughing.

“What?”

“She embodied sloth and was tired of all the work.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, Rose.”

Mammon called.

“Yes?”

“Can you come and help me?”

“Can I do it later?”

I put my head down on the table... so... tired.

“What?”

“Can I do it later? I’m tired.”

“Okay?”

“Can definitely see that it embodied sloth.”

“Hm?”

“You usually aren’t so lazy.”

“I’m just tired. Why would I do work while tired?”

“Because you usually do.”

“I do? That’s dumb.”

Now that I think about it, I do usually work until I collapse.

“Maybe the shard gave me sense.”

The duo looked at me with unconvinced eyes.

“Go help Mammon.”

“Okay. Mammon, I can help now.”

“Okay good, I thought ye were sick for a second.”

_

“So, I need to get that down.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a rune, reacts to all demons other than Zath, but it’s gone haywire lately, keeps freaking out.”

“When did it start?”

“Today, shortly after you... came back... Rose, do you have a demon?”

“After defeating the dungeon master, the demons all decided to serve me as thanks... they hated him.”

“I could imagine, so it’s just reacting to you.”

“Yep.”

“Well... could you still get it down... Rose?”

ZZZZZZZZ

“ROSE?”

“WHA? HUH? Oh sorry, did I fall asleep?”

“Yes, are you sure you aren’t sick?”

“Yes.”

I jumped up and gave it to him.

“Thanks... maybe ya should take a day off, lassie. You don’t seem well.”

“Thanks.”

I walked out of the guild confused why everyone was looking at me with concern.

_

“That was odd.”

Dallel and I had the same idea. We knew that each of the Shards had some aspect that was related to evil, but I wasn’t expecting Sloth to affect her so badly. The guild definitely thought something was odd, but the most terrifying part, was how happy Zath looked.

I went up to him and cast a silence. Only I could hear him and only he could hear me.

“Zath, what’s going on?”

“The mistress is getting purer. Could you not feel her radiance.”

“What happens when she merges with the rest of the shards.”

“She gains more aspects of evil until she awakens, then, the whole world will be at her disposal. The rest of the gods bound her out of fear of her grace and power.”

“Just out of curiosity, what aspect is Rose.”

“The First Core Lie.”

“What’s that?”

“Innocence.”

“That makes a lot of sense. Is that why she never gets any adult jokes while still being aware of adult concepts?”

“Indeed.”

“What are the other lies?”

“Peace, and Benevolence.”

“What happens if she merges with them?”

“She will be the kindest and most compassionate person ever known, until she gets the rest of the shards. Then the concept of lies will come to full fruition as she destroys the world that grew to trust her.”

“You...”

“I haven’t done anything. Even if she is unaware of it, her own nature calls to gathering up. The Seven Deadly Sins, and The Three Core Lies. Put together she will destroy the whole world.”

“Then why are you so happy. She’d kill you too.”

His eyes seemed to expand as though he were in love.

“There would be nothing I would love more than being annihilated with the rest of this world.”

“You are insane.”

“I’m a demon king. It would be foolish to believe otherwise.”

I walked away and grabbed Dallel.

“We need to talk.”

“What did he say?”

“Something important. We need to tell Rose.”

_

“So, if I continue gathering shards, I’ll destroy the world?”

“That’s what Zath said, the weirdo seemed happy about it too.”

“Huh, why would I do that though?”

“I know it-”

“Seems like too much work.”

“Eh?”

“Wait... why would I say that?”

I shot up. What I said was nothing like I would normally say.

“It’s already taking hold.”

“I think so.”

“It makes sense. You are one of the lies, the one that speaks of purity. You gathered a sin. You would be affected by it.”

“I guess, but I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I. Can you silence it entirely?”

“I could try.”

I laid back on my bed and focused.

‘Sloth, could you not interfere?’

‘Why? You need to sleep more, Innocence.’

‘My name is Rose.’

‘Pwah. Too much to remember. Eh the less work I have to do, the better. I’ll just sleep myself.’

I opened my eyes.

“It worked; she was just happy to not do any work.”

“I guess that makes sense, but you should still take the day off.”

“Why would I do that?”

They smiled.

“What?”