The Red Named the White

Rodan’s decision gave a shocking blow to Nono. He didn’t expect Rodan would take white humanoid creature. Despite Rodan’s seemingly mad decision, Nono respected his choice, though Nono himself was anxious of what’s going to happen next.

“It sounded like a thunder striking down on our tree house...” Nono wailed.

“I respect his choice, but still...

At least let the ringleader give some coins to us! We’re freaking poor!”

The ringleader pulled his sleeve up and showed Rodan a magical sigil that was tattooed to his arms.

“Slave controller... huh...?” Rodan noted.

“Precisely, I traded my gold coins for that creature and this tattoo. Of course, I am not stupid enough to let some freak roam in my circus freely. That’s why I had this. But, this tattoo did not affect her when I commanded her to stop.”

“No, I don’t need that,” Rodan replied.

“Good sir, I understand you’re powerful and all, but please at least accept this. You’ll never know she might go beyond your power limits, right? It’s better safe than sorry.”

“H-Huh... well, he’s right, though. I don’t know what will happen if she went berserk again and moreover without Nono’s barriers to hamper her movements... You’re right, Mr. Ringleader. Fine, then, do the transfer, please.”

“As you wish, good sir!” the ringleader smiled.

The ringleader transferred his sigil to Rodan’s arms successfully. Although Rodan felt that the sigil won’t do much help just like how it failed to serve in the hands of the ringleader. But he hoped it could at least do something with it in his hands.

“And done!” said the ringleader announcing.

“Very well, then. Come on, let’s get her unchained,” Rodan stated casually.

“Yeah, coming,” Nono nodded.

“Tonight we shall be hardworking, Nono. You’re ready for that? We don’t have that big guy or his mercenaries around this time~” Rodan told him in a teasing tone.

“Ho, you’re underestimating me, Roro? You’re gonna regret that!” Nono retorted.

“So you’re challenging me?! I may not be as fast as Mach 20, but I can make up our stronghold in a jiffy!” Rodan retorted back.

“I don’t understand what you just said, but I’m going to be faster than you! Since I’ve been doing the housework for years I know how to be fast and precise, just you wait!”

“Ha-HA! I’m way better, you know?! I was just relaxing my muscles to reserve ALL of my energy to be used in the right time! If I’m unleashing ALL I got, you’ll be outrun in no time!”

“Bring it on!!”

Meanwhile, the ringleader was confused on what the two men in front of him were talking about. Some minutes later, they unchained the white creature. She’s still unconscious and weak, which made Rodan realize another problem.

“Huh... We might’ve gotten her out of the cage, but how are we going to get her back to the tree house without being spotted?”

“Now that you mentioned it, Roro, that’s another problem. We can’t let people notice her with us.”

“U-Um, good sir...” the ringleader called.

“Huh, what?” Rodan casually asked.

“I’m really grateful for your kindness to take her from us, but it still made me uneasy. If by letting you have her and somehow led you to your demises, I won’t be able to get a good night sleep ever again!”

“H-Huh... so, what is it you’re trying to say?” Rodan wondered.

“Is there anything else you need from us? I can tell of a good place you can hide her, or maybe anything that can be useful for you?”

“Huh... a nice offer. Let’s see...” Rodan allowed himself to think about it. But then, four guardsmen passed by in front of the circus tent, which caught his attention. They were pulling one large cart with them.

“...Hoh... say, Mr. Ringleader, isn’t that the cart you use to carry this large cage around?” Rodan asked.

“Indeed. Though, I don’t need it anymore.”

Rodan grinned widely from behind his mask. “I see. Then we’ll take that cart!”

The ringleader smiled in gladness, “Then we have a deal, good sir!”

And with that, Rodan and Nono were presented the large cart. Rodan instructed some circus foremen to renovate the cart to his likings by adding sheets to serve as roof. He also asked for some unused clothing from the ringleader, which he successfully obtained. As a result, the cart was now used by Rodan and Nono to conceal the white girl from being spotted.

Since the cart was so big a single horse couldn’t pull it. Therefore, he told Nono to act as a coachman and command two horses at once to pull the cart. In the same time, the ringleader was still feeling guilty, despite the gifts he had given to Rodan. In the end, he gave him fifty gold coins—a tenth of what he was given beforehand.

...

Thirty minutes later, they were over the road on a trip to go home. Nono sat in front to control the horses. Meanwhile Rodan took care of the white haired girl to make sure she won’t go wild again. He also bought some green apples just in case she woke up and wanted to eat. He had covered her beneath a thin blanket that was given by the ringleader. She was dressed in a large shirt, also given by the ringleader.

Having given so many goods by him made Rodan grumble to himself.

“Sheesh, that ringleader was so rich...!”

“Roro...” Nono called.

“What?” Rodan responded casually.

“This may be late for me to say, but... I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“Back in that tent when you’re trying to hold her off... I was late to activate the shield.”

“That bothered you? Don’t worry, kid, it’s all right.”

“I know you’re using your own share of magic to prevent her from using hers. If only I had come sooner... you won’t have to suffer injuries like that.”

Rodan rolled his eyes to him. He didn’t give a reply just yet, as he felt that Nono had some more things to say.

“...Not only that... even my magical barriers couldn’t prevent her from unleashing her magic. If only you didn’t give her that apple, you might end up dead, Roro.”

“...Look, Nono... the moment I jumped into the arena, I fully accept whatever fate that awaited me. Either death, or maybe the other way around, any of those I gladly accept. But you know... I opted to stay alive, because if I’m dead, then nobody else could prevent her from raging.

Also, that magic is one of your best, right? The Nullification Barrier...

It nullifies magical substances within it, preventing mages from using magic. Your barriers were powerful enough that I was unable to use my magic. It surprised me that this girl can still wind up magical energy. It proved that her magic capabilities were stronger than I am.

Because of that, you’re not at fault, Nono. Just take today’s incident as your experience and use it to understand more of your own flaws and fix it.

Isn’t that why you want to be my disciple, Norio Noir?”

The young man in glasses, who were usually called by the name Nono, could only remain silent while still controlling the horses. Hearing Rodan called him his real name lighted back the fire that was going bleak in his heart.

“But you know... Nono. I owe you my thanks, too. If only you didn’t take those tickets from that big guy, Bartz, then we’ll never know what is going to happen in that tent. Victims would be everywhere, and this city might not be fit to be inhabited by people anymore. We might not be able to stop her, since her power spike was so insane.

That’s why, I’m thankful. By coming to the circus today, I found myself a purpose to do, at least for the time being. And because of that, don’t get yourself so low, four eyes! I need ya, just like how you need me as well!

From now on, we’ll be working hard to make sure our home’s not going to blow out, you got it?”

“Heheh... I get it. Thanks, Roro.”

“Hm!” Rodan nodded. “Anytime, brother,” he added.

...

..

.

“It hurts...

It pains...

It burns...

Please let me go! I don’t want to be here...! Leave me alone! I want to... I want to...hyaah!”

It felt like a struck of thunder hitting her right in the head. It caused her to return back consciousness.

“—LEAVE ME ALONE!”

The albino girl shouted in horror. But the moment she opened her eyes, she realized she was not in her cage anymore. She wasn’t restrained either. She found herself on a comfy bed wrapped in a warm blanket that has rose flower motifs. She also realized she was wearing oversized shirt.

“Where... am I...?”

She was greatly confused. She looked around her. She was in someone’s bedroom, with most of its furniture and walls made out of wood, which of those looked greatly resembling the surface of a tree. She saw a red scarf hanging on the wall along with a luminescent stone hanging on the ceiling, giving a warm lighting to the room.

Despite being confused, she didn’t feel threatened. With her powerful sense of smell, she recognized the stench that was in the room. That stench calmed her nerves from going wild.

“This smell...” she said weakly. “It’s the same as that human...” she added while imagining the man that gave her food before. She couldn’t remember his face, but she memorized his smell.

Shortly, she got down from the bed and decided to explore around. When she got out of the room, she realized that she was inside a tree.

“This place... a tree...? I can sense magical powers protecting this place...”

She went downstairs slowly. While going down, she took a glance outside through the crevice in the tree house. It was already night. She saw some source of lights coming out from the Red Forest below. Again, she got confused. She just proceeded downstairs after that.

When she got down, he saw a red-haired man and the other wearing a pair of glasses sitting on the couch, tired from doing something.

Rodan and Nono were lifting stuffs into one of the newly made rooms. He reconstructed one room to be made for the girl’s room. And now, they had accomplished the task and were resting a bit.

“Oh, hey there, you’ve woken up!” Nono waved his hands to her. Rodan who was lying down with a brochure over his face immediately jumped.

“HIYASH! What just happened? Oh... you’ve finally woken up, eh?”

The girl’s hair was so long that it was dragged on the floor. She shyly asked to them.

“U-Um... are you... my new master?”

“Master?” Nono wondered.

“Oh, she must be referring to these tattoos,” Rodan showed his arms. “But don’t worry, kid. You can hang out along with us. Yaaawn... how tiring...”

In the end of his words, Rodan returned back to lie down on the couch.

“Oh, yeah...” he remembered. “What’s your name? It’s weird to call you whitey or pale-y, or whatever that is.”

The little girl was so confused by his question. “I... I don’t... know.”

“Hey, seriously now...?” Rodan stated loosely. “You don’t remember your name?”

“N-No... it’s not that I don’t know, t-though...” she said shyly.

“Then?” Rodan raised his tone a bit.

“HEEK!” she curled behind the couch immediately.

Rodan and Nono were surprised to see her acting like a scaredy cat.

“Haah... this will take some time, huh...? Well, then,” Rodan stood up and took something from a sack on the table. He approached her carefully, trying not to scare her. The white girl curled up in a ball of her own hair, only to be offered a green apple before her face. Shortly, her stomach grumbled.

“Huh...?” she looked at the fruit.

“You’re hungry, right? You like these, don’t ya? Have some apple.”

The petite girl took the apple and ate it. She remembered the taste so well. It was the same food from before. And with that, Rodan gave her eight apples all at once.

“I was planning to eat them myself, but... I guess I must wait for that noisy girl to deliver more apples here.”

After done eating, the white girl began to give some trust to Rodan and approached him slowly. She rubbed her forehead into Rodan’s pants. “...huwa...?” she noised.

“What?” Rodan got a bit nervous of her suddenly cute attitude. “If you can act like that, I suppose you could remember your name a bit?” said Rodan while lowering down to her height.

“...U-Um...” she looked away. “...I... I don’t have a name.”

Rodan scrunched up his face, “Hah? You got to be kidding me. Oh, wait... oh, right...”

He remembered something. “I’ve nearly forgotten that she was not like humans or demi-humans that lived side-by-side and have unique names that act as their identity. Her origins were still a mystery. Maybe she was in fact not like any of us?”

“Aw, come on, Roro. Give her a name! It’s more convenient if you give her one, right?”

“Huh, you say it like it was something so trivial, Nono,” Rodan retorted. “But you’re right... she needs a name. It can’t be helped, huh? Fine, then, I’ll give you a name...”

Rodan couldn’t think of a fitting name. It was written clearly on his face with his profuse sweating.

“Ro...ro...?” the girl said softly. “That’s right, Roro is my name. Though, my full name is Rodan Rouge, you know?”

“Roo-jee...?” the girl wondered, again in confusion. “Roo-jee?” Rodan wondered. Her words accidentally ignited an idea within Rodan’s mind.

“That’s it! Very well, then, kid! From now on, your name will be ‘Ruru’! Oh, since your overall white persona, I’ll add up ‘Blanche’ as your surname. Very well then...

Nice to meet you, Ruru Blanche!”

...But suddenly, a massive aura enlightened around her. Rodan and Nono did not expect that to happen!

“...Eh?”