I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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26 화

All humans are frail.

Whether it’s the Sword Master who can split mountains with a sword, the grand mage who can summon tsunamis with a flick of their hand, or even the emperor of a nation, in the end, they are all just specks of dust.

Humans cannot resist the consequences of their actions and cannot predict even a moment ahead. Life and death are not in the hands of humans; they cannot respond to unexpected contingencies.

“Sister… Ah, Pa…”

This was true for the mercenary king Mir, known as the disaster, and for Kashmir, who has navigated a harsh life.

Clang!

My grip loosened, and the magical staff I was holding shattered with a loud crack.

Darkness filled the space where the light had vanished. Despite my vision being obscured, my disdainful yet keen senses fully absorbed the dying love around me.

“……Aria.”

A dismal sound, as if my throat was being choked, escaped my lips.

Cold sweat poured down my body, emotions surged. The aura enveloping me throbbed violently. I felt like I wanted to expel my heart, which was pounding uncomfortably.

I vividly crumbled.

‘Why?’

The original story had twisted. Aria collapsed at a different point than in the original work.

I thought regularly consuming the spring water from the Fairy Forest would have improved her condition. I expected her to collapse later, not sooner. I had thought her body would be much more stable; why—

“Cough.”

“Aria!”

Countless questions faded away like dust carried by the wind along with the blood staining the bedspread. My mind went blank.

Somehow managing to approach the bed, I used my powerless arms to lift Aria. I felt her pale and cooling body, the slow heartbeat right in front of me.

It was the state of a dying person.

‘No.’

My vision blurred as if transparent paint was spreading; everything became hazy. The sound of the world collapsing rang in my ears. My head, frozen in shock, couldn’t think clearly.

‘I need to think, I need to think—’

My body began to tremble uncontrollably. Rational thought eluded me, and only ever-swelling emotions dominated my entire being.

It was too painful. It felt as if my heart was being crushed. I wanted to throw everything away and just cry.

In the face of this horrifying disaster that was destroying my world, there was only one thing that could make me stand.

‘I must save her.’

Aria, my beloved, must not die here. As I desperately held onto her fading spirit, I gritted my teeth. Yet still, my consciousness continued to dim.

‘Fuck! Get a grip!’

Bang! Bang! Wham!

I slammed my head against the wall like a madman. Blood trickled down from my forehead where it scraped against a protruding nail, and pain reverberated in my head. My vision spun.

It felt as though someone was forcibly shaking my brain.

For a moment, I felt nausea rising, but it was enough to revive my senses.

‘I need to find a way. I need to find a way.’

There was no time to be confused. Holding Aria’s increasingly cold body tightly, I bit my lip. The skin of my lips split as blood flowed over my soft lip.

The reason Aria was hurting was that she was of fairy descent. Just as fish need water to survive, fairies need the energy from the Fairy Forest. This is why fairies have become a closed-off race that only stays within the Fairy Forest.

Fairies who haven’t received the forest’s energy for a long time wither and die slowly.

‘The spring water from the Fairy Forest only delays the condition temporarily. It’s normal for her to live in the Fairy Forest, but since Aria wants to live in the Empire, a long-term solution is needed.’

The method was described in the original work. It was the energy from the Fairy Forest itself. The energy concentrated much thicker than the spring water could sustain life for about ten years with a single drink.

‘But it’s rare.’

It takes a whopping 100 years to produce one vial of the Fairy Forest’s energy. The only way to obtain it is through trade with the fairies, but the closed-off fairies rarely communicate with humans, and there has been no import for decades.

I had to find an organization that currently possesses this rare energy.

‘Freya? Deckardo? Ainheart? Sun Temple?’

I randomly recalled powerful factions I or Aria had ties to.

It was mentioned in the original that the wealthy Count Freya possessed the energy from the Fairy Forest.

As for the Deckardo family, rumors circulated that they collected so many valuables from jewels to antiques that there was nothing they lacked in their mansion, so it was highly probable they too had some.

The Ainheart family valued frugality, so I couldn’t be sure they had any, but being a historically significant family, they might have at least one collectible.

As for the Sun Temple, they supposedly had valuable items stored as offerings, so there might be energy as well.

‘Freya was just a coincidence, and though Deckardo might offer me some rewards, he isn’t going to part with that expensive Fairy Forest energy. Ainheart surely wouldn’t help me, especially when I’m offering up my sword to Reiner! The Sun Temple’s substitute priest, El, shows me some favor, but it’s not a favor with a clear reason!’

My overactive brain felt like it was about to burst.

There was no one willing to help me and Aria. I exhaled roughly, burying my face in Aria’s arms. The smell of blood mixed with the scent of death drove me mad. I swallowed what felt like a beast’s wailing.

‘Crisis Duke House.’

And then, a name flashed bright in my mind.

An old and wealthy family, a powerful organization with a collection of valuables rivaling the imperial family and the temple. They had a history of helping Kashmir, were highly interested in martial affairs, and had justifiable reasons to lend aid.

‘My father, Caesar Crisis.’

There was only one way.

I roughly wiped away the tears obscuring my view and the droplets of blood flowing from my forehead. I could no longer hesitate or turn back.

I steadied my shaking legs. I covered Aria’s cold body with my thick cloak and held her small form tightly. Leaving behind all other disguises, I only covered my face with a black mask.

The justification of being the daughter of Caesar, who killed his own father to ascend to the dukedom, might not hold.

But it didn’t matter. I had no intention of relying on that flimsy pretext either.

Clink.

I strapped my sword to my waist.

The status of being his daughter was just bait to make him listen to me.

I wouldn’t ask for gifts from him just because I was his daughter.

‘I will ask for a deal under the name Mir.’

I would become a loyal sword, and I would seize it for Aria.

Even if it meant entering a slave contract with the duke’s house, even if it meant being wielded without ease as the sword of the Crisis family for the rest of my life, I would gladly accept it if I could save Aria.

“Please… just hold on a little longer.”

Transparent droplets fell onto the white face of my beloved. I kissed Aria’s round forehead and held her small body tightly as I jumped out the window.

“I will never let you go.”

Embraced by overwhelming emotions, I emitted a frenzied aura, leaping off the ground. Explosive mana wrapped around my feet.

With Aria in my arms, I quickly left the village behind.

The Crisis Mansion was always shrouded in a heavy silence.

Firstly, because both the grand master of Crisis and the minor master disliked commotion, and secondly, because no other force dared to challenge the lofty supremacy that didn’t put the imperial family and the temple above them.

That night was a winter night, where everything was covered in white.

A tranquil night filled only with the sound of falling snow. It was late evening, and most, including the duke, had gone to sleep. One of the few still awake was Taylor, the head butler of Crisis Mansion, who was busy organizing the tasks for the day ahead.

The staff of Crisis Mansion were always quietly busy. It was only natural to manage the vast mansion with so few servants.

Among the busy staff, Taylor’s day was long. He was an old man who had served in the mansion for a long time; his day ended late at night only to start again early in the morning.

That night was just a continuation of such routine, and he assumed it would end just like that.

Bang!

An unusual loud noise echoed. It sounded like someone was knocking on the door. Those awake jumped, and even those who were asleep would surely bolt upright at such a noise.

“Damn it! Open the door! Come out!”

It was close to shattering the bed of a sleeping devil.

Bang! Bang bang!

“Hein, calm the servants. I’ll go check it out.”

“Y-yes!”

Taylor soon regained his composure. Maintaining emotional control came easily as the long-serving servant of the duke. Concerned that the servants’ commotion might annoy their master even more, Taylor gave orders to a nearby attendant.

The petite young master might have left for a small village in the North, but the sharp-witted elder master must have already been awake.

As Hein hurried out to calm the servants, Taylor prepared to receive the night visitor.

‘Could it be someone with a grudge against the master?

They certainly seemed fit to be a target for being the one to disturb the devil’s sleep, someone whose mind might have spun a full turn.’

Taylor quickly thought of one dangerous individual after another, considering their master’s enemies as he carefully selected potential suspects for the night visitor.

Taylor couldn’t just stand there confused by the rumbling noise; he pushed through the clustered servants with a flustered face.

“Please stop, Mir! This is problematic!”

“Open the door! Please!”

From outside, the cries of knights and the intruder could be heard. The knights’ bewildered voices were muffled beneath desperate screams.

‘……Mir? Mercenary Mir?’

Taylor froze at the name he never expected to hear.

Mercenary Mir.

He was famous as a hero who helped impoverished villages and was one of the few Sword Masters on the continent, excelling in hunting monsters. Recently, he had volunteered to hunt the monsters in the Village of Lujou.

Although he had received news that he left Lujou before the knights who were helping rebuild the village, I couldn’t fathom why someone who sought no reward would come to the duke’s house at midnight.

“Please open it!”

‘……Mir wasn’t a young man?’

Taylor felt like he was sinking deeper into a maze. Although the voice distorted to the point that it was hard to define its shape, what reached his ears was undoubtedly that of a young girl.

What situation could have led to this, he wondered.

Just as he considered that, the knocking suddenly stopped.

‘This is dangerous.’

Taylor drew a deep breath as he stared at the bent door. Although he thought he had become accustomed to the sword master’s strength after watching Caesar for so long, seeing the grand steel door reduced to rags after just a few knocks struck him with instinctive fear of overwhelming power.

“Damn it! Stand back!”

Then a warning rang out.

Swoosh!

A gust of wind accompanied by black smoke seeped through the gap in the door.

“Ugh!”

What started as misty black smoke rapidly coalesced into a swirling vortex, violently engulfing the area around the servants and knights stationed by the door. Taylor’s body was also pushed away by the black wind.

The massive Duke Mansion’s door was stained black.

Bang!

A great explosion rattled the area. In the blink of an eye, the strong steel door that had steadfastly guarded the mansion turned into dust scattered by the wind.

Through the gaping hole, fierce winter winds and thick snowflakes came rushing in.

“Ugh—”

“Aah…!”

Those who witnessed the unbelievable spectacle of force that defied comprehension froze, unable even to scream. Even Taylor, who was accustomed to Caesar’s powerful aura, was left speechless by the violent aura that enveloped the area.

Step, step, thud.

The master of the uncontrolled black chaos entered the mansion, turning away from the white world.

Dark, long hair whipping chaotically in the winter night wind. A small frame that looked emaciated despite the cold. A body trembling and soaked in cold sweat. A small hand tightly gripping a sword wrapped in an aura. Thin arms holding a girl even smaller than herself.

Bright pink eyes stained with all sorts of dark things, rolling down as though falling into the abyss.

Her spindly legs stumbled as she stepped into the central hall of the mansion. No one dared to open their mouth, and amid the silence, Kashmir’s lips trembled and opened.

“……Please, let me meet your master.”

It was a desperate voice, cornered at the edge of a cliff.