Chapter 68

Whoosh.

I stand in front of a massive waterfall.

This grand waterfall, 50 meters high and 600 meters wide, was so majestic that it could create a rainbow at any time when the sun was up. Its unreal size left me with no choice but to feel doubtful.

“The place I was in was just a modest waterfall, not even a fraction of this one.”

Why am I in such a place now?

Hmm.

I don't know.

I decided to trace the river upstream first. I might find something when I reach the top of the waterfall.

As I climbed up along the riverbank, I unexpectedly met someone.

"Daisy? You came just in time. I was having a hard time with all the laundry. Come and help me."

The housekeeper was doing laundry by hand at the riverside.

Why is she here?

My curiosity didn't last long. There was too much laundry to think about such trivial matters.

"Use this."

The housekeeper handed me a stick, which turned out to be the pearl sword that Rua had lent me. Using this, the dirt would definitely come off easily.

I washed the clothes like a dog.

The labor only ended after I had processed 100 pieces of laundry.

"Here, this is your pay for today."

I accepted the pay with joy.

But something felt strange.

-Kill.

Why is my pay Rua's pearl sword?

"Give me money."

[Your salary is paid monthly. This is a gift.]

"I don't need it."

[Please use this sword to protect the Weatherwood family, Miss Daisy.]

Am I supposed to continue working as a guard dog for the Weatherwood family?

Sigh. I took a deep breath, accepted the sword, and continued up the riverbank.

The annoying resonance kept echoing in my ears.

-Kill!

"Are you not tired of this?"

-Slice. Stab!

"I was enjoying my life as a maid because I was away from you. But you're back already. What a nuisance."

This annoying voice was the resonance of my sword.

I thought this voice was a hallucination caused by my mental breakdown.

'My feelings are becoming increasingly complicated.'

Only able to say "kill" or "slice," it's truly a resonance worthy of a sword demon, leaving me speechless.

-Kill.

As I climbed up onto a rock, the terrain began to slope slightly.

Through the long grass, I saw a silver-haired woman sitting down.

It was Natasha, my former comrade-in-arms.

She looked at me and called out with a bright smile.

"Andert? What's with that appearance? Magic? Are you on a secret mission?"

Natasha had a huge book open in front of her.

I don't know how she recognized me as a woman at first glance, but I didn't care.

"It's not magic. This is my original appearance."

[What?]

"I'm originally a woman."

After revealing it, I felt a great relief. Natasha looked appropriately surprised.

"A woman? My goodness. That's surprising, Andert. Marrying a woman wasn't part of my plan... Wait a moment. I need to check the Penrot royal legal code. There must be a way to marry you."

"I won't."

Natasha, tilting her head, asked me with a look of disbelief.

"Are you going to leave us again?"

I was momentarily speechless.

I knew any excuse wouldn't work. So, I decided to speak honestly.

"I didn't leave because I disliked you. I was just afraid."

[Of being a woman?]

-Kill.

"Yes. And of being a sword demon. Who knows, I might end up killing you all with my own hands someday."

Natasha, who had laughed softly, stood up and approached me. Inside her thin summer clothes, a long scar was visible above her collarbone.

This scar was made by me. The shameful mark left by Andert, who had lost her mind while holding a sword, on her friend Natasha.

"Snap out of it, Andert! The battle is over. No one died, so calm down and put down your sword. I, Raphael, and the other friends are all here. Don't let the sword consume you, please."

After leaving that scar on Natasha.

I couldn't escape the terrible nightmare of killing my friends with my own hands for a long time.

"Don't blame yourself and look at the result. That sword didn't kill us. Instead, it saved us and the world."

"..."

[This scar is my pride. Huh. Among the Penrot royal princesses, I might be the only one with such a glorious scar. A scar left by a hero! Even after I die, my skin can be preserved and displayed in the royal city.]

My nightmare is your pride?

-Slice.

I wanted to ask if she was serious but didn't. Her smile looked so happy.

[Ah! I got carried away with the conversation. I'll go back to checking the legal code.]

I stared at Natasha blankly.

Natasha was so engrossed in reading the Penrot legal code that she completely forgot about my existence.

I stared at her for a while and then continued up the riverbank.

And I reached my destination.

'Not much.'

To my disappointment, the top of the waterfall was deserted.

There was no grand sight. The river just fell off the cliff.

No, no. I saw someone beyond that. A tall man was sitting by the river, absorbed in fishing.

Who is this person? As I approached, I couldn't help but shout in excitement when I recognized the man's face.

"Andert?"

My brother was there.

"Andert!"

Andert.

Andert!

Andert, who had been concentrating on fishing with a thoughtful expression, turned to look at me with a nervous look.

"Damn. Why are you so noisy? You're making the ground shake. The fish will all run away."

I was overwhelmed with emotion but pretended not to be, and I patted Andert's back.

"When did you grow so tall?"

[I was always tall, you were the short one.]

"I did grow a bit, though."

[Not really. You just got uglier.]

-Kill.

[What's this voice?]

"Can you hear it too? It's a bad habit of this sword."

When I showed him the sword I had at my waist, Andert looked at it with disbelief.

"What kind of unlucky sword is that? It will drive away all your luck. Throw it into the river."

"What? No. It's not my sword..."

[It is.]

Andert snatched the sword and swung it with a flourish.

A beautiful arc was drawn over the wide river, and it naturally fell into the river.

Plop. The sound of the sword hitting the water sent a shiver down my spine.

I suddenly remembered how tyrannical and foolish Andert had been when we were young!

"Y-You..."

I grabbed Andert's hair.

"You bastard! It's not my sword!"

[Ah! Damn, let go. Let go, I said.]

"Go get it. I'll let go if you do."

[Let go first, then I'll decide whether to get it or not!]

At that moment, a figure approached, dripping with water.

"Please calm down, both of you. I have retrieved the sword."

-Kill.

Jin, who had just emerged from the river, was wringing out his wet collar.

Why is he here? Jin said.

"I will return the sword to you. However, there is a condition."

It was so unexpected that I couldn't help but ask.

"What is it?"

[Teach me how to use the sword.]

Such a clueless request.

Ah, right. I had forgotten for a moment.

'This guy is also a sword demon.'

I looked at Jin's sword.

-I'll go. No matter who the enemy is, I'll sweep them all away.

Despite being a sword demon, the aggressive resonance felt vivid and full of life. I wondered if my resonance had once been this lively in the past.

-Slice.

Even though it has become like this over time.

'...Is this the fate of a sword demon?'

Those who are consumed by their swords are ultimately destined to be destroyed by the sword's voice.

I looked at my left shoulder.

The area where Andert's sword had pierced was red. The blood flowing down my arm left large and small marks on the ground.

"Can you see my shoulder, Jin? The more skilled a sword demon becomes, the more their body is abused. But there's a limit to what the body can endure. Eventually, complete assimilation will occur. No matter how much you struggle, you will meet a miserable end."

Andert grumbled.

[Shut up and stop the bleeding. Where did this wound suddenly come from?]

"You can guess. You probably think it's fine to die while wielding a sword. But will it still be fine after you've hurt the people you trust?"

[Stop the bleeding.]

[That's why I'm asking to learn from you.]

-Kill.

Jin looked at me with unwavering eyes.

[To avoid hurting the people I trust. To overcome it like you did, teach me.]

[What a load of crap.]

Our gazes turned to Andert.

[Now you've even got a ridiculous sword demon. Give it up, just throw it away!]

Andert snatched the sword again, and it drew a long arc before falling into the river.

Plop. As the sword fell quietly, Jin let out a sincere exclamation.

[You are truly the maddest dog of the Berkeley Grayton family.]

"Andert, why do you keep getting so excited?"

In response to my question, Andert clenched his teeth and answered.

[Why? Can't I get excited? It's the sword I picked up. The sword I held when I died, right? Who else would demand that you use a sword if not me?]

When the truth is hit, the tongue becomes stiff.

Unable to say anything, Andert's tone softened a bit.

[Big sister. The words of a sword demon with blood on his head. If a few words can sway you like a reed, it's better to throw it away. No, throw it away.]

[When the blood dries, you die, Garrosh.]

Andert, who ignored Jin's words, grabbed my right shoulder and pursed his lips.

[Now that I've confirmed you're alive, just throw away the sword. Forget the time you spent wielding it. Just live as a maid who loves you.]

I blinked my eyes.

'Forget it?'

Forget the time I spent wielding a sword. Forget the past when I was a sword demon?

-Slice.

It's not a wrong statement. The resonance of the sword has become more violent over time.

If this continues, I might be completely consumed by the sword and become a monster.

But the sword.

"Damn, can't you let go of this hand? Wait! Stop right now, Andert! You can't die! I won't let you die like this!"

"If you ask me to pick a star, I'll pick it for you. Be my sister and the future of the Penrot Empire. I will dedicate my life to protecting and cherishing you."

...The time I spent as a sword demon.

"Alright, alright... Let me go. Instead, please deliver my final greetings to Mother..."

"Sir Andert! You should hold the cup higher!"

It's all me.

To me, the sword means more than just a piece of metal.

It's a shield to protect my new life in Weatherwood and a weapon to protect my friends.

It's the voice that proves the path I have walked.

-Slice.

So, I can never throw it away.

I jumped into the river.

[...Big sister? Wait, where are you going!]

[Senior!]

The cold water stung my shoulders. Ignoring the pain, I dove deeper and deeper.

Toward the place where my voice could be heard.

-Kill.

A faint afterimage flickered in the darkness.

The sword.

That is my sword, the time I spent as a sword demon, and the past that makes up who I am now.

-Kill.

I reached out toward the approaching afterimage.

I can't throw away this sword. If I can't throw it away, I have to accept and endure it.

I had the confidence to do so.

-Kill...

This resonance is soon to be me.

-...

.

.

.

It felt as if strength was seeping into my fractured soul.

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