Chapter 6 Part 2. Language Of Flowers.
'Right,' they say, and soon they are in the woods by the village, looking around and calling her name. 'Recca, Recca!' they yell, walking among thin trees and tall grass.
'She must be around somewhere,' Asta utters. 'She should,' Liebe replies, casting a glance behind them as they walk.
(It isn't normal for her to just be gone like this), Asta thinks to himself, growing a bit worried as they move past trees.
He jumps onto a big log and looks around, noticing that Liebe has his head turned. 'Are you seeing something?' he asks, looking in the same direction. They see Millie wandering after them between the trees, and she takes a step. Her eyes glow, and her body freezes for a second and bonk. her face collides with a tree.
'Uh, Millie, are you okay?' he asks, and she shakes her head, dazed from the collision. She touches her face where it collided with the tree and then looks at Asta with a puzzled expression. 'Did you ask me something, Master?' she asks, confused.
'Uuh,' Asta utters as Millie turns her head, listening. 'Do you hear that, sirs?'
'Huh? I don't hear anything,' he replies, looking through the woods where she is gazing. 'What do you hear?'
'A... flute,' she utters, while the wind rustles through the leaves.
'A flute? Do you hear anything, Liebe?' he asks his partner.
'Nope, can't hear a thing,' Liebe replies, looking into the woods with them.
Millie closes her eyes to focus. 'Master Asta, does Recca have music-based magic?' she asks.
'No, she has water magic. Why are you asking?'
'Because I sense mana currents within the sound,' she explains.
'What? You don't think...' Asta's mind races to the worst-case scenario. 'Lead us to the source,' he tells her, and her eyes light up.
'Understood,' she says, and they head straight toward the source of the sound.
Deeper into the forest they go, where the pine trees make the woods dense. Millie transforms and jumps through a narrow opening, stopping on the other side.
She halts and looks behind her as branches snap, breaking through the trees. 'Uh, woah,' Asta exclaims as he almost falls.
'Not much further,' she says, running. 'Right,' Asta agrees, following her. They continue through a little more forest until he forces his way through a thick layer of branches.
'Come on,' he says, urging her, and with a crack, the branch gives way under his pressure. With a thud, he falls out into the grass, gets to his feet, and stops in amazement. 'This place is beautiful,' he says, gazing at the soft sunlight filtering through the openings between branches. The small meadow is filled with different wildflowers.
On a rock, he sees a girl sitting with long flowing green hair, a few strands sticking up from her short-cut bangs. They hold firm around her glasses.
She is playing a western concert flute. Her dress is long, simple, and white with pink rose patterns along the edges of the skirt. There's a pink rose on her left shoulder and another rose in her hair.
Asta starts walking toward her, and he notices Recca on the ground in the grass. 'Recca!' he exclaims, and the flute player stops, both of them looking at Asta.
'Asta? What are you doing here?' Recca asks.
'I'm here to ask you the same thing. Everyone is worried sick about you,' Asta points out.
'Uh, what?' Recca brushes her hand through her messy red hair and looks at the sky, where the red evening light embraces the clouds.
'Oh, goodness, it's this late already. Sorry about that. I met Aurora here, and we've been here most of the day,' she explains.
'No, it's my fault. I should have paid attention. I just get so lost in my music I forget about the world,' the green-haired girl admits, putting the flute into her green grimoire with pink patterns of music notes on the center of her three-leaf clover grimoire.
'Hey, we're both at fault for that. It's so nice to listen to you play, Aurora,' Asta says.
'Thank you. It means a lot. Uh, we should get back,' she says, adjusting her glasses and putting her grimoire away into her satchel.
'Well, I'm just glad you're okay and that you made a new friend,' Asta remarks, looking at Aurora. 'By the way, my name is Asta,' he adds, extending his black hand to her.
Aurora hesitates for a moment, her gaze shifting to Recca, who gives her a reassuring smile. 'Aurora, nice to meet you,' she greets, adjusting her glasses.
'We should be heading back, then,' Asta suggests, and the group follows along.
'I grew up in Hage with Recca here. I don't think I've seen you around before,' he says to Aurora.
'Right, my family moved here a couple of months ago, actually,' she replies, picking up a flower from the ground and bringing it along as they start to walk.
'Did you move far?'
'A little. I actually kind of miss my last village, but after receiving this, I know they'll be just fine,' she says, looking at the plant with multiple strands at the top, each with many small flower heads.
'Huh, a flower? Is it special?' Asta asks.
'That is for the eyes of the beholder. The language of flowers is a lot of fun and can mean a lot,' she explains.
'Language of flowers?' he asks.
'Huh? Oh, yes. Each flower represents something depending on the kind and color. This one represents "forever in memory." It's a little cheesy, but I like it,' she says, her cheeks turning a little rosy.
'That's so cool. I had no idea they could hold meanings like that. Did you?' he asks Liebe on his shoulder.
'I'm not a florist,' he replies.
'Huh, what does that have to do with it?' Asta asks.
'You know, it makes no sense asking me that. If you haven't heard of it, then I definitely haven't,' Liebe quips.
'Uh, you know, you might have,' Asta says as they keep bickering.
Aurora looks at them both and leans over to Recca. 'Wait, is he?'
'Yup, he's the one who was at the front lines,' Recca replies.
'I'm basically talking to a celebrity,' she exclaims. 'Nope, he's still the same dork he's always been,' Recca responds.
'Huh, a dork?' Aurora wonders aloud.
'Oh, wait. Is there any flower representing love?' Asta asks and turns to the girls, who are taken aback by his sudden interest.
'There are plenty. Take your pick,' Aurora says, folding her hands behind her in a pleased manner.
'Pick of?'
Aurora smiles. 'You have the purple tulip, carnation, orchid, peony,' she says, her yellow eyes sparkling with joy.
'Aren't red roses one too?' Recca asks.
'Sure, but it's so basic,' Aurora replies.
'Wait, you're not planning to get some for...?'
'For Lilly, of course,' Asta says excitedly.
'You'll never learn, will you?' Recca mutters.
'Huh, what's going on?' Aurora asks.
'Asta kind of constantly tries to propose to...'
'Propose! Then the perfect flower for that would be calla lilies or aster flowers,' Aurora says, getting excited too.
'She's a sister of the church,' Recca adds.
'Huh, uuh, Asta, you know they can't marry, right?' Aurora says, crossing her arms.
'I will make it work somehow,' he insists.
'Uh-huh,' Aurora replies, leaning over to Recca. 'Wait, is "dork" actually the perfect word for him?' she whispers, and Recca giggles.
'Yes, pretty much,' she replies.
'Okay, we're here,' Asta says as they step out of the forest. He can see the church in the distance and the demon bones even farther away than that.
A few minutes later, they're getting closer to the church.
'Recca, there you are,' they hear a familiar voice say.
'Oh, Sister Lilly, sorry for making you worried. I lost track of time,' Recca says as Sister Lilly hugs her.
'No, it was my fault. I should have paid attention. It was never my intention to cause everyone such trouble and worry,' Aurora apologizes with a deep bow.
'Well, all that matters is that you are both safe,' Sister Lilly says, looking at them both. 'Yeah, we were so worried about you,' the two kids say. 'Sorry, you guys,' Recca says again.
Aurora's eyes soften. 'Well, I better leave too. My family must be worried as well,' Aurora says.
'I can walk you home if you want. It's no problem,' Recca offers.
'It's fine. I'm still within the village, after all,' she replies. 'Well, if you're sure, let's meet again sometime,' Recca says. 'Of course, I'd love that,' she says, and they wave goodbye as she leaves.
'Well, I better signal to the rest that she's found,' Lilly tells them and takes out her blue grimoire. She flips to a page and points her hand to the sky, shooting off blasts of water as far up as she can. They disperse into the air.
'There, that should do it,' she says and looks at Recca.
'I'm glad you made a friend, Recca. So, how did the interview go?' Lilly asks.
'Oh, that. Well, I got the job,' she says.
'That's wonderful, but you don't seem too pleased about it,' Lilly says concerned.
'Well, I'm just not sure if it's what I want to do yet,' she says.
'Are you going to give it a try at least?' Lilly asks.
'Of course, I will. I just...'
'Well, take your time. You can stay with us for as long as you need to. Remember, you're always welcome here. Getting your grimoire doesn't change that,' Lilly reassures.
'Yeah, and don't you forget it,' the younger ones tell her.
'Thank you, Sister. I will, and everyone,' Recca says.
'Wait, you got your grimoire!?' Asta exclaims.
'Well, yeah. Didn't you notice the last time you were here?' Recca asks.
'Well, a lot happened last time, and I didn't notice. Sorry,' he tells her.
'Hahaha, there you guys are,' they hear laughing, and they turn to see Luck running up to them.
'We sure are. We found Recca,' Asta says. 'Well, that's good at least,' Luck says.
'You're here, oh, ASTA!' the priest shouts, running up to Asta with an exaggerated number of tears streaming down his face. 'And Recca too, you're both home. How wonderful!' he says, hugging them both. 'Yeah, we're both fine, Father,' Recca manages to say as she wriggles out of his tight grip.
'Yeah, take it easy,' he says, and Father Orsi lets them go. 'Oh, I can't help it. It's so good to see you, both of you,' Father says, wiping away his tears.
'There's the knucklehead,' they hear a quiet voice say. 'Nach, how's it going? Anything new?' Asta asks, and Nach just scoffs and looks away with a seemingly indifferent expression, though he's secretly glad to see Asta again.
It doesn't take long before schoolkids and their parents who helped search gather. 'Oh, you found her. How amazing,' they say among themselves.
'Oh, and Asta is here too,' another says. Asta rubs the back of his neck. 'Well, yeah.'
'Oh, cool. I remember when you were so little and wimpy,' another says. 'Uh,' he utters.
'Hey, he's still little. Only the wimpy part has gone away,' another says. 'Hey, no fair,' Asta says.
Lilly and Father laugh a little, and Lilly's gaze goes a bit behind Asta. 'Oh, is that Millie you wrote about?' she asks. Asta turns to look behind him and sees her sitting in the grass, gazing at the sky.
'Well, yes, she is,' he says, and Millie turns her gaze to the two of them, walking up next to Asta. (Wait, he writes about me) her mind wonders as she sits down beside Asta.
'Hello,' Lilly says. 'Hello, Sister,' Millie replies with a respectful bow.
'Oh, how fun, a cat,' one of the children says, grabbing her tail. Millie snags it back and jumps away.
'Hey, no fair. I was just going to...' the child complains. 'If you want to mess around, young sir, then you'll have to catch me,' Millie says playfully. The kids look at each other and smile. 'Hahaha, get her,' they say and start chasing her.
'Thank you all for helping to search for Recca. I'll be preparing some food for all of us,' Lilly says.
'Heck yeah, it's been forever since I had pop potatoes,' Asta exclaims, excited. (My mouth will be super dry) Liebe thinks to himself.
'But shouldn't we get back to the mission?' Luck asks. 'It'll be fine if we took a bite before we left,' Asta says. While Sister Lilly makes food for everyone, Asta and the rest chat and catch up.
Some time later, Lilly opens the door to the church. 'All right, everyone, the food is ready, and I made plenty, so please help yourselves,' she invites. Millie watches the kids change focus and go with the adults to the food.
A warm smile graces her face. 'You find nothing purer than children,' she says to herself, heading for the forest.
She flies up high and sits on a high-hanging branch, transforming into her human form and gazing at the sky as it turns dark, the moon pushing the sun away.
'I wonder...' she says, looking at the white rose she received that morning.
'Meir, is it you... welcoming me back?' she speaks to herself, her other hand going to her brooch. 'Master Meir, you're the one who taught me the language of flowers, and I am forever grateful,' she whispers softly, her gaze turning to the silver moon in the sky.
Her mind goes through everything that happened today. 'Well, she isn't exactly a Black Bull. She's more of a friend.' He sounds so sincere, and his smile and eyes are so genuine. I-I … Enough already...
Her hand tightens on her brooch as she takes a deep breath. 'Do not say such things...' she says, shaking off her unease and returning her gaze to the moon.
'It's not long now,' she tells the moon, sitting there and wondering.