I was standing in front of a huge waterfall. This great waterfall, with a height of 50m and a width of 600m, was so majestic that it could create rainbows at any time of the day. Its unreal size made me question its existence. The place I was in was a humble waterfall, not even half of a quarter of a quarter of this size. Why was I now in a place like this?
Eh. I had no idea. For now, I decided to follow the river upstream. Maybe I'd find something when I got to the top of the waterfall. As I climbed diligently along the riverbank, I ran into someone unexpected.
—Miss Daisy? How good to see you here! I was having a hard time because there was so much laundry to do. Come and help me.
The head maid was washing her hands by the river. Why was she here? The question didn't last long. There was too much laundry to do to waste time on such trivial thoughts.
—Use this.
The laundry shovel the head maid handed me was the pearl sword I had borrowed from Rue. If I had used it to shake the clothes, the stains would have been easily removed. I did the laundry like a dog. The work didn't end until I finished handling 100 pieces of clothing.
—Here is your salary.
I happily accepted my salary. But something was wrong.
—Kill them.
Why was my daily wage Rue's pearl sword?
—...Give me money instead.
—Salary is paid monthly. This is a gift.
—I don't need it.
—Please continue protecting our Weatherwoods with this sword, Miss Daisy.
So she wanted me to continue working as a guard dog for the Weatherwoods mansion? Ains. Sighing deeply, I accepted the sword and climbed up the riverbank again. The damn resonance kept talking to me from time to time.
—Kill them.
—Don't you ever get tired of it?
—Cut them down, cut them down.
—I was enjoying my life as a maid while I was separated from you. Now you have returned, contemptible individual.
Thinking that that annoying voice was my sword's resonance. Until now, I thought that sound was just an auditory hallucination causing my dissociation.
—My feelings have become complicated in various ways.
All it could say was kill or stab. It really embodied the sinister nature that accompanied the tag, leaving me speechless. What a great resonance it had!
—Kill them.
As I climbed the rock, the ground below me started getting a bit steep. In the middle of the high, overgrown weeds, I could see a silver-haired woman sitting hesitantly. It was Natasha, a former comrade I had fought with on the battlefield. When she turned to look at me, she cried out with a radiant smile.
—Andert? What's with that appearance? Is it magic? Did you go on a secret mission?
Natasha was holding a huge book that looked hard to lift. I didn't know how she had recognized me at first sight, even being a woman, but I didn't bother.
—I didn't cast any spell. This is my true form.
—What?
—I'm a woman by nature.
I felt a sense of relief after revealing it. Natasha seemed moderately surprised.
—A woman? Incredible, Andert. Marrying a woman was never part of my plan... Wait a minute, no. I must consult the Imperial Penrotta Code. Surely there must be a legal loophole so we can get married.
—Even if there is, I won't.
—Why? Ah, I see. Well, if that's the case, maybe Raphael wouldn't be a bad choice either. I'm also curious what your child would look like. Okay, then you can have a child with Raphael and marry me.
—I won't.
Natasha, her head tilted, looked at me with incredulity.
—Then are you going to leave us again?
I was speechless for a moment. I knew no excuse would work, so I decided to honestly tell her my true feelings.
—I didn't want to leave because I didn't like them. I was afraid.
—What? Of the fact that you're a woman?
—Kill them.
—Yes, and the fact that I'm a sword demon. One day I could kill you with my own hands.
Natasha, with a faint smile, got up and approached me. Under her thin summer clothes a long scar was visible over her rib cage. That scar was the one I had inflicted on her. It was the remnant of the pathos I showed when I lost control and brandished my sword against my friend, Natasha.
—Recover, Andert! The battle is over. No one has died, so calm down and let go of your sword. I'm here, Raphael is here and our other friends too. Please don't let the sword consume you.
After leaving that scar on Natasha, I couldn't escape the nightmares of killing my friends with my own hands for a long, long time.
—Don't blame yourself and look at the result. Your sword didn't kill us. Instead, it saved us and the world. These scars are my pride. Hehe. Among all the princesses of Penrotta, there is no other who has such glorious scars. A scar left by a hero! When I die, they should preserve my skin and exhibit it in the palace.
Thinking that my nightmare is a source of pride for you.
—Get rid of it.
I wanted to ask if she was being sincere, but I didn't. Natasha's smile seemed genuinely happy.
—Oh! Oops. I got too absorbed in my ramblings. I should re-examine the code.
I stared at Natasha. Natasha was so absorbed in reading the imperial code of Penrotta that she had completely forgotten my existence. I stared at her and then went back up along the riverbank. And I reached my destination.
Contrary to my expectations, the head of the waterfall was calm. No impressive landscape was visible, only the river cascading down the cliff. No, wait. There was someone on the other side. A tall man sitting by the river, completely absorbed in fishing. Who could it be this time? As I approached, I couldn't help but clap as soon as I confirmed the man's face.
—Andert?
Because my younger brother was there.
—Andert!
Andert. Andert! Andert, who was deeply focused on fishing and with a contemplative expression, turned towards me with an irritated look.
—Ah, damn it. Why did you come running making so much noise? You're making the ground shake. All the fish will run away.
I was filled with emotion, but I pretended not to be and playfully ruffled Andert's hair from behind.
—When did you grow so much?
—I've always been tall. You're the little one.
—I've grown a bit too, haven't I?
—No, no. You've become uglier.
—Kill them.
—What's with that voice?
—Can you hear it too? It's the sword's voice.
When I showed him the sword I caught tied to my waist, Andert gave me an incredulous look and mocked outrageously.
—What kind of gloomy sword is that? Even your luck will run away. Throw it in the river.
—What? No. It's not my sword…
—Yes, it is.
With a quick movement, Andert snatched the sword and waved his arm freely. A beautiful arc was drawn along the wide river like a rainbow and, of course, ended with the sword falling into the river. Hearing the splash, a chill ran down my spine. Only then did I remember the naughty little brat Andert used to be in his childhood, always causing trouble and being a master at being an annoying younger brother.
—You…
I pulled Andert's hair from behind him.
—You damn bastard! That wasn't my sword!
—Ow! Let go of me! Let go of me! I'm telling you to let go of me.
—Pick it up! Go down and pick it up!
—Who cares if I pick it up or not! Just let it go!
At that moment someone with wet clothes and dripping water approached.
—Please, calm down both of you. I already recovered the sword.
—Kill them.
Jean, who had just come out of the river, was wringing his soaked collar. Why was he here too? Jean spoke.
—I'll return the sword to you, but with one condition.
It was such an unexpected turn of events that it was hard not to ask questions.
—What is it?
—Please teach me how to handle a sword.
Such a blatant demand and without any subtlety. Ah, right. I had forgotten for a moment. "She's also a sword demon." I looked at Jean's sword.
—I'm coming. Whoever the enemy is, I'll eliminate them all.
Despite being a sword spirit, there was a clear vitality in her aggressive resonance. It made me wonder if my sword's resonance had ever been so overflowing in the past.
—Cut them down.
Although over time it had become this. Were all those who were dragged by the sword destined to be consumed by its voice and destroy themselves? I looked at my left shoulder. The area where Andert's sword had pierced me was stained red. The blood running down my arm left large and small stains on the ground.
—Can you see my shoulder, Jean? As a sword demon becomes more skilled with the sword, their body suffers. But there are limits to what the body can endure. In the end, the two will completely fuse. Whether you fight or not, you will find a miserable end.
Andert complained.
—Stop making noise and stop the bleeding. Where did this wound suddenly come from?
—Your thoughts are obvious. You feel like it doesn't matter if you die as long as you can brandish your sword, right? But is it possible that you don't care after hurting the people you value and trust?
—Stop the bleeding.
—That's why I seek your guidance.
—Kill them.
Jean looked at me with a steady gaze.
—Please teach me, senior. So I can overcome it and not hurt those I trust.
—Stop babbling.
Our gazes turned towards Andert.
—Now, even if it's a useless sword spirit, it's stuck to you and causing you trouble. Give it to me, throw that useless thing away.
Andert pulled out the sword he had snatched from Jean and threw it once again into the river. As the sword sank with some reluctance, Jean let out a sincere exclamation from his heart.
—Indeed, you are truly the craziest dog of the Berkley-Gratten family.
—Andert, why are you still excited?
In response to my question, Andert replied with a growl.
—Why? Can't I get excited? It's the sword you brandished for me. Isn't it the sword you brandished after my death? If it weren't for me, who would have demanded that you brandish a sword?
My tongue stiffened as he hit the nail on the head. When I couldn't say anything, Andert's tone softened a bit.
—Sister, the words of that stubborn upstart sword demon are worth nothing. If you're going to be shaken by those words like a reed in the wind, it's better to ignore her.
—Sometimes it's worth being stubborn, Gavroche.
Andert, who pretended not to hear Jean's words, blocked the bleeding from my right shoulder and pursed his lips.
—Now that you've confirmed I'm alive, throw away things like swords. Treat the moment you brandished the sword as if it never happened. Just live the life you like as if you were a maid.
I blinked in silence. Treat it as if it never happened? Should I throw away not only the time I used the sword but also my past as a swordsman?
—Cut them down.
It wasn't an incorrect statement. The sword's resonance became fiercer as the days passed. At this rate, I could be completely consumed by my sword and become a monstrous creature from the ones they wrote in fairy tales.
But my sword.
—Oh, don't you dare let go of my hand! Wait! Stop right now, Andert! You can't die! I won't let you die like this!
—If you want me to catch a star for you, I'll do it. Become my treasure and the father of the Penrotta Empire in the future. I will dedicate my entire life to protecting and caring for you.
...The time I lived as a swordsman.
—It doesn't matter, leave me behind... give my last regards to my mother...
—Mr. Andert, shouldn't you raise your cup higher?
For me, my sword had more than a sentimental meaning. It was a shield that protected my new life in Weatherwoods and the weapon that had protected my friends. And it was a voice that proved the path I had traveled.
—Cut them down.
So I can never throw it away. I jumped into the river.
—Sister? Wait, you're crazy, where are you going?
—Senior!
The cold water pressed on my shoulders. Ignoring the pain, I sank deeper and deeper into the depths. To the place where I could hear that voice.
—Kill.
A faint and persistent image appeared in the darkness. It was the sword. That was my sword. The time I lived as a swordswoman and the past made up what I was now.
—Kill.
I extended my hand towards the approaching figure. I could not discard this sword. If I couldn't discard it, I had no choice but to accept it and endure it. I had the confidence to do it.
—Kill…
The resonance of this sword was mine.
The cracked soul seemed to have strength.