記憶に咲く薔薇　～消えゆく庭を守る少女たち～

It was getting dark in the afternoon. The drizzling rain in late autumn softened the harsh rays of the sun that smothered the whole street. The steam flickering in each wind inadvertently slowed down the footsteps of passersby.

Eden Noldorasga turned into an alley lined with ginkgo from the main road. He passed a small shop filled with ornamental plants and fresh flowers, a bookstore playing "For Elise," and schoolgirls giggling at the rows of love spells and energy stones dangling from a souvenir shop. Then he stopped in front of a half-open wooden door emitting a sweet fragrance.

The words "Svartalf Pastries" stand out on the light-colored raw wooden sign in bold black. The wind chime made of transparent stones hung outside the old-fashioned door below, clanging with each gust of wind.

He stepped into the vintage space with light wood colors, white, and a little pastel here and there. Around the wooden pallet tables and chairs were pots of tall betel nut trees, luxuriant blue hydrangea bushed. Climbing rose trellis Pierre Arditi are displayed close to the wall. Inside a small glass were beautiful cold cakes: soft tiramisu, smooth passion fruit mousse, sweet cheesecake, macarons of all colors, etc.

"Hey Eden, I think you arrive at the end of this month?" The guy with surreal handsome blond hair raised an eyebrow.

“I run out of quartz powder, and Abyss refused to use anything else. I explain a thousand times that a little jade doesn't kill anyone. But no, he is still nagging and nagging until its poor owner has to get away with it in the rain. A fluffy demon!" Eden Noldorasga brushed off the splashes of water clinging to the outside of his baggy brown bear hoodie as he grumbled.

“Do you see how your grumbling looks like Abyss? Also, magic items are in the store over there.”

"Abyss is like me, and don't be mean, I'm not interested in souvenirs."

Well, all members of the magic community in this city knew that the charm shop next to "Svartalf Pastries" was a trickster. The shop owner - a demigod guy - would rather flirt with young girls than really focus on magic research (of course, research would not get much better, but at least he tried to do something right?)

Balan Svartalf - the guy who looked like heaven with his shiny hair floating - sighed. He stuffed little brother a delicious sandwich with egg meat and then had a sigh with a chirping noise from his lips:

"All right, now please explain to me why. Why did you run out of quartz? There was no one in this city that consumes as quickly as you. Even if you include summoned beasts, it is not even half that... Hold on!"

Eden Noldorasga shyly avoided his gaze. He fixed his eyes on the pots of anti-magic-black lily-of-the-valley given to Balan by himself when he opened the shop:

"Haha. Look, the lily of the valley grows so well. If you want, I can add some magic dust filter charm to it, or...”

"Eden Noldorasga."

He was made the blood run cold. Eden knew that if he told the truth, he would scold by his older brother. Or he would have stuffed with sweet things until he was so full and be already scolded for a bad match if he dared to keep his mouth shut. There was normal that no one wanted to confront Balan Svartalf once he called them by both first name and last name and glared at them like that.

The trees were starting to shake even though all the doors were closed. The tables and chairs were shaking like an earthquake. The drinks that looked delicious were bubbling and bubbling. The cakes in the glass cabinets were changing color. The food leftovers by the guests on the table were falling and crumbling all over the floor. Even Eden Noldorasga thought he was tasting magic in the air - the taste of anger rising in Balan when he saw his brothers trying to get into trouble.

"How many times have I told you not to try that? How many people have died because of that? If you want to turn into a dry corpse like that, tell me, and I will suck your blood dry in an instant!"

Balan hissed. His sharp fangs were sticking out of his absurdly plump lips.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just... you know, it's very powerful and if I can handle it, it will be extremely helpful! And the Council obviously is...” 

Eden Noldorasga frantically explained. He knew Balan would never hurt him, but the aura of a pure-blooded aristocrat elf and vampire wasn't something that an apprentice wizard like him could bear. Actually, it was not something that most of the magical creatures in the supernatural community in this city could handle.

“The Council has fucking nothing to do with this! And I don't want to have to go pick up your body - if you still have one!" Then everything suddenly fell silent, the magic dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Balan wearily scratched his shiny blond hair, the red in his pupils softening to the familiar chocolate color: "Eden, I'm so worried!"

Eden Noldorasga sighed, circled around the series of glass cabinets, and put his arms around his brother: “I know, Balan, I know. I'm scared too, so you can rest assured that I won't use my life to make jokes. Not even Abyss can break through your protection, right? And I'm definitely not stupid enough to use myself as an experiment."

Balan hummed, pat softly the top of his head, and snorted: "If you were really smart, you would not study that damn thing."

Eden rubbed his nose into the crook of Balan's neck and whispered: "You know I have to do this. I need to find the facts. Who has to do it to my family, after all.”

Balan sighed. It was normal that he would be as stubborn as his younger brother if he were in the same situation as this boy. But this was a brother he loved, and Balan certainly did not want Eden to be in any dangerous situation. Especially that kind of danger.

“Okay, whatever, just keep breaking my heart. The insolent brat.”

Balan grumbled, paused for a moment, then patted Eden on the back.

"Do you still have that fang?"

Eden nodded. He clung to Balan'arm, almost his whole body (the strong of vampires was no joke).

"Of course, when I'm experimenting, I always put this immature fang next to me... I'm afraid to die, remember?”

Balan paced back and forth with the koala in his hand. He cleaned up the mess in his shop as well as reproached his little brother: "It's the vampire's First Blood fang, don't call immature fang like that! No one but you will understand what the hell you are talking about. I'm still wondering, actually, how did you pass the apprentice wizard exam when you keep using words like that?"

Eden - or the black-haired apprentice wizard who was trying his best to coddle his brother - automatically shook his finger and charmed a few Clean spells on the floor before Balan forced him to do this. 

He groused: "I didn't write it on the test!"

The First Blood fang of a vampire was the fang that fell out after they reach adulthood. It was very soft but had a wonderful protective effect - especially when it had a little bit of magic of elf - and was extremely, extremely, extremely sensitive to magical rituals involving blood. Balan sincerely prayed to all the gods that had ever been in the world that that young fang - damn it, he was infected with Eden's word habit - would be able to protect my brother from anything stupid that he was trying to get in. Or at least helped Balan get enough time for him to come and save his brother's life.

After cleaning up the "Svartalf Pastries", Eden followed Balan upstairs - his warehouse and place of crafting magic items - and collected everything he needed. Amethyst crystal powder (and all the while crouched to avoid Balan's glaring), bone flower seeds, a small vial of the blood of the dead.

(“Stop glaring at me, you scared me!”

"And you gave me goosebumps with that jar!").

The apprentice wizard bared his teeth. As if it were his fault, this was due to Balan’s problem.

For those who care, well, vampires and dead people's blood are just like people who did not have magic and rancid food (or more).