I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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7th Chapter

‘Sword Masters are the closest beings to nature.’

The power that nature gifts to humans, ‘mana.’ The Sword Master raises that mana to its limits to create a weapon of slaughter known as ‘aura.’

Sword Masters always felt the presence of nature. The subtle tremble, the fleeting vitality, the delicate sense of unease, the faint malice—

Paradoxically, because the Sword Master was so sharp, they became numb instead.

Emergency situations and crises became trivial before them. I too began to feel indifferent to many things after reaching the strength that surpassed limits.

“I’m here to fetch you, my lord…”

“Dorian.”

That’s why, even when I knew a night visitor had come to the cabin, I could calmly feign sleep.

Covering myself with mana while sleeping was a kind of habit. If I relaxed while camping in a monster-infested mountain, I would inevitably end up being torn apart by a sudden monster attack.

Because of that, I’d wake up at the slightest movement, like a rat scurrying by.

“…My lord. I’m here to fetch you.”

So, the moment a man who felt on par with a Sword Expert set foot in this forest, my slumber had long since ended.

I focused my senses on the man, who hesitated while addressing Dorian. He was armed, but I sensed no hint of aggression.

‘Is he here to take Dorian?’

Leaning back in my chair with my eyes closed, I assessed the situation using all my senses except sight. Context suggested that this night visitor was a knight of the Dorian family.

“But this man is…”

“Speak quietly.”

‘I have already woken up.’

It seemed awkward to suddenly rise in this situation. I decided to pretend to sleep until the moment passed.

“Surely, Your Highness—”

“Shut it.”

“…Is he someone who would harm my lord?”

There was a sound like metal being drawn from a sheath. As I hesitated to take a defensive stance,

“Don’t act rashly. He is my savior.”

Dorian coolly intervened.

His large fingers wrapped around my hand. The warmth spreading through my hand felt strange. Even though the man immediately released his grip on the sword, Dorian continued to fidget with my hand in silence.

The man spoke anxiously.

“My lord, it’s about time we should go. The Imperial Palace…”

“The mansion must be in chaos.”

Dorian abruptly interrupted the man’s words.

‘That’s a bit odd.’

He seemed to be trying to hide something. But in this situation, the only one who had something to hide was me.

‘Could it be?’

If he thought I was asleep, there’d be no way he would try to conceal something like that.

I felt uneasy from the touch still fiddling with my wrist. I thought about just opening my eyes, but I didn’t want to create a troublesome situation, so I resolved to endure for the time being.

“My lord.”

The man urged Dorian in a tense voice. Now Dorian had both hands busy rubbing my hands and slowly replied.

“Yeah. We should go.”

His voice dripped with reluctance.

‘Has he grown fond of me?’

I felt strangely mixed emotions. Though he sharpened his tone demanding the reason for saving me, he seemed grateful for the act itself. He pushed the covers aside and got up.

“But your clothes… aren’t they too small?”

The man asked in a strange tone. I remembered Dorian wearing my shirt, unable to button it up, draped over him like an outer garment. A small chuckle escaped.

“The owner of the clothes is small, you see.”

‘This guy.’

I barely suppressed the urge to scowl. Sure, I was about a head and a half shorter than Dorian, but that was only because he was exceptionally tall. Considering the average height for my age, I wasn’t that short.

Dorian, who had been looking down at me for a moment, ruffled my hair. I was confused by the affectionate touch but braced myself.

‘If he tries to take off the mask…’

I’d have to subdue both the man and Dorian.

Knowing my hand would be much quicker to strike Dorian’s nape than his hand approaching the mask, I didn’t tense up, but I hoped that situation wouldn’t arise.

‘I don’t want to resort to violence.’

In that brief moment, I began to feel affection for Dorian. Normally, I wouldn’t want to attack him.

“…My lord.”

“Shh.”

The man’s voice alternated between looking at me and Dorian, sounding strange. It seemed he was either questioning or shocked.

Dorian, exhaling softly, moved his hand from ruffling my hair to my face.

His fingers gently roamed over my eye sockets that were uncovered by the mask, sliding down my nose covered by the mask, cautiously caressing my cheeks, and lingering around my revealed lips.

His touch seemed less about trying to remove the mask and more about memorizing my face through sensation.

‘…This is bizarre, really.’

When his fingers reached my lips, the sensation felt incredibly strange. With a desire to hastily wake up, I stirred slightly, which made Dorian pause and slowly retract his hand.

“We really have to go now.”

Desperate, the man urged again. Disregarding the man entirely, Dorian peered around me.

“It’ll be uncomfortable.”

A solid arm came under my neck and knee as I leaned against the back of the chair.

My body was lifted in an instant. The firm chest pressed against my head. Dorian clicked his tongue lightly.

“You’re too light.”

I couldn’t fathom why this man was acting like this. His gentle demeanor and worried tone were all foreign to me.

The hard mattress met my back. Dorian took off my shoes and gently tucked me under the blankets, chuckling softly. The thin vanilla scent clung to the blanket he had covered me with.

He tucked a stray hair behind my ear that hid my face and whispered softly in my ear.

“We will meet again soon, Shushu.”

Peck.

Something soft brushed against the mask covering my forehead and then pulled away.

‘Crazy.’

Though I usually felt indifferent to physical intimacy, Dorian’s gentle voice and soft kiss were enough to shock me.

“My lord…!”

“Quiet.”

His voice, which had been whispering warmly like a spring breeze, transformed abruptly. The temperature difference in the way he treated the man and me felt as extreme as winter to spring, leaving me bewildered.

“Now, off you go.”

The sound of his footsteps echoed merrily.

Leaving the frozen man and me behind, Dorian opened the cabin door and laughed out loud.

“Goodbye, Shushu.”

‘I’ll miss you.’

With a small voice added, he stepped out of the cabin, followed hastily by the man, the sound of the door closing behind them.

I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes until the sun was high in the sky.

Even after Dorian disappeared, I lay frozen for a while, staring blankly. Only after the sun revealed its face did I finally open my eyes and raise my body.

Leaning against the wall, I slowly tidied the bed. The faint vanilla scent still tickled my nose.

‘That boy smelled like lemon.’

A fleeting old memory swirled in my mind. Memories vividly remaining despite the years that had passed. I wondered how that boy was doing now.

‘It was similar back then.’

Something akin to this had happened before.

‘Why did they save me? What do they want?’

It was a summer night when heavy rain poured down. I had found a severely injured boy and brought him to this cabin for treatment.

‘There can’t be kindness without a reason! Don’t lie!’

If Dorian was a jaded adult who had seen the worst of human nature, then that boy had experienced constant torment and hurt, developing a long and wary demeanor toward people.

‘Shushu unni…’

Yet, he still seemed to want to trust humans once more.

‘Is he doing well?’

After the boy, who had somewhat recovered, suddenly disappeared, I never saw his face again. I didn’t expect him to repay the kindness, but I wished more than anything to see his face just once, to know how he was.

‘Well, no news is good news.’

I leaned my head back wearily. I thought perhaps he was living so well that he didn’t have time to visit me.

I sluggishly got up and tidied my sleeping area. The faint vanilla scent of Dorian wafted from the bedding, still distinct in my memory alongside the bittersweet lemon scent of the boy.

With a blank expression, I folded the blanket and smoothed the bedding when feelings surged, making me exhale almost heavily.

‘I’ve become too dull.’

I felt pitiful about myself. I sat down with a hollow laugh.

This was why human warmth was dangerous.

The cabin was dark even with the morning sun blocked out by the vast shadows of the trees. A single ray of sunlight struggled to shine through the window.

This place, which looked lonelier with the faint sunlight, was in perfect stillness.

Buried in shadows, I gently closed my eyes. It felt like floating alone. The silence of being left alone in the vastness of space.

This feeling was typically defined as loneliness.

‘How strange.’

It had always been a solitary place. Why did I suddenly feel so forlorn?

“Shushu unni!”

As the small figure deftly unlocked the door and bounded in, I quickly caught her in my arms. Giggling softly, I hugged her. Aria had brought food wrapped from Helene and placed it on the floor.

“Aria.”

Looking up quickly, Aria clung to my waist.

“Why didn’t you come back last night? I really worried about you!”

Her pouting expression made my heart ache. I awkwardly smiled.

“Sorry. I had something urgent last night. Did you eat dinner properly? I’m sorry I couldn’t prepare it.”

“Is my food that important right now?”

Aria, her gentle gaze sharpened, scowled fiercely. I nodded, feeling her piercing stare.

“You need to eat well. There’s hardly anything at home.”

“Then what about you? Did you have dinner?”

In front of Aria, who glared at me, I sealed my lips awkwardly and scratched my head. I had skipped dinner because I was too busy treating Dorian.

“Shushu unni is always like this. Always worrying about me while ignoring herself. You always say you love me, that I’m your everything, yet you hide so much from me.”

Aria burst out, her frustration sounding closer to resignation than anger, which hurt my heart even more.

—I’m sorry, Aria, but…

I couldn’t tell Aria everything. Even knowing my secrets hurt her and caused her anguish, I could not disclose them.

—That… I seriously can’t explain.

I could never tell the girl who cared for me that I had been trampled by monsters and turned into a Sword Master.

“…I understand. There’s bound to be a reason. I know you wouldn’t hide anything from me without a cause and that I’m being childish. Still, I’m worried about you…”

Her small murmurs broke my heart.

Aria buried her face in my arms.

‘What should I do about you?’

I bit my lips and slowly stroked Aria’s hair.

‘Unni! Please snap out of it! Shushu unni, please!’

I vaguely remembered when I had just begun wielding a sword. The day I first went on a monster hunt and returned a beaten wreck. Aria had found me collapsed in front of the house.

‘…There must be an unspoken reason. I understand. I won’t ask again.’

For several days after that, I hovered between life and death, and when I finally woke up, Aria had asked about my injuries, but when I couldn’t answer, she quickly fell silent. She had matured far too quickly.

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you so much.”

I wanted to say it was for her sake that I was hiding things, but now I couldn’t even be sure of that. Was hiding everything truly for her benefit when she was suffering like this?

I didn’t know.

“How about today, we don’t go anywhere? Let’s go play in town together?”

All I could do was change the subject. Aria flinched in my embrace. She wiped her slightly red eyes and smiled brightly at me, as if trying to reassure me.

“Okay. Let’s go play together.”