Chapter 4

A few days after being rejected, an envoy from the royal palace came to the school to search for the person who would become the wielder of the holy sword. There are about ten holy swords, and a new wielder is found roughly every five years. It is said that the holy sword makes monster hunting much easier, but only those aspiring to be knights are allowed to undergo the appraisal, as they are the ones who will go on hunts. Due to various procedures and circumstances, it is more convenient to have the appraisal before joining the knight's order.

Students are called one by one to enter a separate room. When it was Miles' turn, he entered the room and saw a palm-sized board and a large crystal connected by a string-like object. When instructed to place his hand on the board, the crystal shone very brightly. He was told not to speak about it and rejoined the other students who had already been appraised.

A few days later, after school, Miles was called to a room where a knight was waiting to explain things. The knight said that within the knight's order, one would specialize in monster hunting or administrative work, and those not planning to achieve a rank of count or higher would become adopted children of a marquis or higher, such as the head of the knight's order. One's appearance would also change significantly. If one could not meet these conditions, it was possible to decline and join the order normally or not join at all.

Miles asked if it was possible to completely cut ties with his family. The envoy, surprised, answered that it was possible, and at that moment, Miles made his decision to become the wielder of the holy sword.

Even if he had anticipated that his parents would happily sign the documents and sell him off to the envoy, it was still painful. The documents were mostly blank, and many of them were about severing ties, mixed with other papers. Despite this, his parents signed them without reading them carefully.

Before the envoy left, Miles' parents panicked when he tried to enter his room.

"Why do you need to go into your room?"

"You can't carry all your belongings by yourself."

This response made his father even more anxious.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"There are many procedures, and it would be a burden to keep calling the envoy. I plan to stay there for a while. By the time of Mary's wedding, we won't be siblings anymore, but I'll attend the ceremony, of course."

"Of course. Even if the household registration changes, you're still family."

Miles smiled at this.

When the envoy entered the room, he was speechless. There were only two or three sets of children's furniture, and everything from baby items to items for different stages of growth, but nothing suitable for Miles. If no one said anything, anyone would think it was a storage room. The only signs of life were the two beds, a small desk that was just the right height for Miles to sit on the floor, and some cleaning tools.

The envoy carried a burlap bag, and Miles carried his school bag as they got into the carriage. After a while, the envoy muttered,

"...The head of the knight's order and the other candidate families are all warm-hearted people. So, it will be fine."

Miles wasn't sure what would be fine, but the envoy started crying and then sobbing, patting Miles' head to comfort him. Until they arrived at the school dormitory, the envoy kept repeating, "So, it will be fine," while sharing stories about the kindness of the candidate families. Miles thought that his situation was common, but he felt a warm feeling in his chest and was able to sleep soundly in the large bed in the spacious room that night.

Miles would commute to school from the dormitory and meet the candidate families on weekends. Normally, he would meet them with his parents, but his request to exclude his parents was granted, probably due to the envoy's intervention.

When the head of the knight's order's family first came to the royal palace's room, Miles learned that the envoy was the head's second son. He was three years older than Miles and had just started working as a junior knight. This explained why the details about the head's family were so specific.

Every family met with Miles, and they were honest and sincere, mentioning that they might be too busy to pay much attention to him or that their age differences might make it hard to find common topics. They treated Miles a bit like a child, perhaps wanting to give him a second chance at childhood.

After narrowing down the choices to two families, Miles decided on the one that seemed to raise their children straightforwardly, thinking that they wouldn't treat him poorly just because he was adopted. The procedures were immediately completed, and the second son came to the dormitory to help move Miles' belongings. The room was already prepared, which surprised Miles. The lady of the house said they wanted him to feel truly welcomed if he was chosen.

They even held a small party for him. When Miles mentioned that it felt like a birthday party, everyone smiled. However, when he talked about his friends throwing a party and the head chef bringing a cake, his new older brother and adoptive father cried (the eldest brother and adoptive mother quietly piled up a lot of food). After that, his friends continued to throw parties for him, and they praised the previous head chef, so Miles also boasted about his friends.

When he sent thank-you letters to the other families for gathering for him, they replied enthusiastically, saying they would spread the word. His adoptive mother asked what he had written. When he mentioned writing a little about his treatment at his previous home and his desire to sever ties, he received more sympathy than expected. After discussing it, they decided to use the more serious stories only when necessary.

Miles sometimes thought that if the holy sword appraisal had been earlier, he might have avoided losing his connection with his sisters and could have pursued Harriet. However, he convinced himself that it was better to stay away from Harriet, as his previous family would likely start following him as soon as he became useful.

On the day of Mary's wedding, Miles' last name had already changed from Clayton to Wally, but he decided to sit in the back row with the relatives. His parents tried to make him sit in the front row, but he refused, and he dismissed their business talk by saying he had no authority.

During the reception, when Mary tried to apologize to Harriet in front of everyone, Miles intervened, thinking it was too cowardly. From Nicholas' expression, it seemed he had planned it. When he saw Harriet after a long time, he realized she was still beautiful and that he couldn't let go of his feelings.

***

Miles ate dinner with his adoptive parents almost every day and shared what had happened. His older brothers were very supportive and helped him study for exams when they had time. His adoptive father asked to see his exam results, and when Miles accidentally mentioned that he finally understood why his friends had been nervous, it became clear that his parents had never seen his grades. Miles politely declined his adoptive father's offer to comment on his first-year results.

While feeling the warmth and happiness he had never experienced before, Miles sometimes wondered why his real family had never given him this. Even during these difficult times, his current family listened to him sincerely.

Over time, Miles remembered that he had always been optimistic and that he had been blessed with friends and surroundings even if not with family. He began to enjoy the happiness he had now.

On graduation day, Miles met his real family for the first time in a long time. When they tried to talk about business with his adoptive parents, he cut them off and left. When he returned home, there was a lavish meal, and the whole family gathered to celebrate. Miles cried for the first time, and even his adoptive mother, who rarely cried, joined in. Everyone was flustered, but they laughed and enjoyed the delicious meal.

The next night, Miles had a private conversation with his adoptive father.

"Do you remember that using the holy sword will change your appearance?"

Miles nodded, and his adoptive father placed two bottles on the table.

"Actually, the color of your hair and sometimes your eyes will change. Even if you stop using the holy sword, the original color won't return. This is a hair removal cream, and this is a hair growth cream."

"Hair removal cream and hair growth cream..."

Miles repeated, and his adoptive father chuckled.

"Sorry, I didn't explain well. The color change varies from person to person. The way it changes also varies. Some people lose hair in patches like birds molting, while others grow new hair of a different color. It's hard to predict which will happen, but many people don't want to be seen during the process, especially the former. You can shave, but for the former, the hair follicles fall out. Using the hair removal cream to get rid of all the hair and the hair growth cream to grow the new color is faster and easier. It will take a long time for your hair to grow back, though."

"I see... So, it's appropriate to do this now?"

"Well, it's also the time of the welcome party... You won't start actual training with the holy sword until after the basic training, which is about six months from now. If you take a break then, you can do the administrative work in advance and take a break when everyone else is doing administrative work in the fall. You can also attend the welcome party.

...I was told not to tell you this directly, but at the royal palace, the transformation caused by the holy sword has become a form of entertainment... If you don't like that, it's better to do it now..."

"It's fine, I'll do it in six months. I want to attend the welcome party..."

There were subtle pressures from various sources, but if Miles really didn't want to be a spectacle, he believed they would protect him. It made him very happy to believe that.