Chapter 04
The sword that had just been bursting with light as it drove away the men was now snug in my hand, quietly sparkling.
Then, the scabbard slipped off on its own.
“…!”
What… is this? Have I been carrying around a sword that undresses itself?
The moment the men saw the sword in my hand, their eyes lit up and they rushed toward me again.
Startled, I raised the sword high, feeling like I had to do something.
At that moment—
[Hold on tight, you idiot!]
A strange voice echoed inside my head. But before I could figure out who it belonged to, my body suddenly moved.
No—more precisely, the sword moved.
“W-what is this—?!”
[I said hold on tight, brat!]
The sword leapt forward, dragging me along as it charged straight at the men.
“A-aaaagh—!!”
“Argh!!”
Then it moved around wildly—slash, slash, slash—and landed safely on the ground.
‘W-what… what just happened?’
Still in shock, I turned around to look at the men.
They were staring at me blankly, dumbfounded.
And then—
“…!”
“…!!”
Their clothes suddenly tore apart into shreds and fell off.
The drunken men, now completely naked, covered themselves in embarrassment and ran off into the forest.
“…Did I defeat them?”
Oh no, I shouldn’t say that line.
Whenever you say that, another villain always shows up.
I smacked my own mouth and plopped down on the spot.
I was too drained to even stand.
What on earth just happened?
All I wanted was to go sabotage Dad’s business. Instead, I ran into thugs trying to steal my sword, and then…
[You met me! Ahem!]
That same voice echoed in my head again.
I stared at Excalibur in disbelief and asked,
“Are you really the one talking?”
[Of course! It is I who speaks!]
“I’m going crazy. Why would Dad give something like this to a seven-year-old?”
[That’s exactly what I’m saying! Why would your father give me to such a foolish seven-year-old and keep me from speaking for an entire year?!]
“Hey! Why am I a foolish seven-year-old?! I’m eight now, okay?! And have you ever seen such a smart and capable eight-year-old like me?”
[No! I haven’t! All my previous masters were knights or kings! I never imagined a little brat like you would become my master—]
Just as Excalibur was passionately rambling—
Rustle.
A sound came from the nearby bushes.
My eyes widened, and I quickly covered the sword’s… mouth—no, its blade.
“Be quiet!”
Rustle—
Soon after, three men in black robes emerged from the bushes.
With their faces hidden, they practically screamed “suspicious” from head to toe.
“You there.”
The shortest of the three pointed at me.
“M-me?”
I’m doomed. I just dealt with two thugs, and now there are three more?
“Yes. Where did you get that sword?”
[This is a sword made by the greatest craftsman, Neil Roiz—!! Mmph!]
“Be quiet, you idiot!”
I pressed my hand firmly against the blade. The sword trembled before finally going silent.
“I asked where you got it.”
The impatient man stepped closer and repeated his question.
I swallowed hard.
Even though I couldn’t see his face under the hood, he felt completely different from the drunken thugs earlier.
It felt like… if I answered wrong, he might kill me.
Dad… I’m really having the worst luck today.
Calling out to my dad in my mind, I steadied my trembling legs and stood up.
Then I gripped Excalibur and stared straight at the man.
‘Should I answer?’
But if I did, they might take my sword—or go find the one who made it.
If they didn’t seem so suspicious, I would’ve just said it outright—Neil Roiz! My dad!
But something about them felt off.
At minimum, they felt like important side characters. At worst… like the main protagonists.
What if they were the hero party who would commission fourteen swords from my dad?
Then everything I’ve worked so hard for would be meaningless.
I can’t let that happen.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I looked at the men once more.
And then—
“…!”
I turned and ran.
Not heading straight home in case they tracked me, I zigzagged through different directions as I sprinted.
I could hear them shouting behind me, but I ignored it and just kept running forward.
Sorry, mister!
But I can’t tell you where I live!
***
Just in case they were following me, I circled around the village once.
Even then, to be extra careful, I stopped by Aunt Hillary’s house and Uncle Allan’s shop before finally heading home.
When I finally saw my house in the distance, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and let out a deep sigh.
My original plan was to go to the market and sabotage Dad’s business…
‘But today just feels like a really unlucky day.’
They say on unlucky days, even falling backward can break your nose.
If I went to the market and rolled around causing trouble like usual, I might run into those robed men—or those drunk guys again.
So on a day like this, it’s better to just stay home and drink some warm milk.
Carefully checking behind me to make sure no one was following, I stepped into the yard.
And then—
Bang—
“Daaad—!!”
I flung the door open, ready to excitedly tell him everything that had happened today.
But—
“Oh, Eve. You’re back?”
“That’s the kid from earlier.”
“…?”
Bang!
The moment I saw who was inside, I slammed the door shut again.
Leaning against it, I rolled my eyes in shock and muttered,
“…What did I just see?”
I’m pretty sure there were robed men sitting at our table just now…
Not one, but one, two, three… three of them.
Muttering in disbelief, I counted on my fingers.
Then after a moment—
I must’ve seen wrong, right?
I stopped counting and lifted my head with an awkward smile.
Yeah, yeah. I must’ve imagined it.
Today’s events were so shocking that I must be hallucinating.
‘Hahaha, there’s no way those men would be in my house! I’m such an idiot.’
Convincing myself of that, I opened the door again.
But—
“Sweetie, why do you keep opening and closing the door?”
“What a strange child.”
So it wasn’t my imagination!
I stood frozen in the doorway, staring in shock.
At the table where Dad and I usually ate together, three large men in robes were sitting.
One, two, three.
Three of them!
All three had their hoods down—and they were definitely the same men I had encountered earlier.
Why are they here?
They got here before me, so they couldn’t have followed me…
‘…Don’t tell me they came to this village looking for my dad from the start?’
If that was the case, it explained why they suddenly asked me where the sword came from earlier.
Dad closed the door for me, since I was too shocked to even move, and gently pushed me inside with a smile.
