I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

---

Chapter 168

“Hey, old man…”

“Hey! Just call me Yasha! Doesn’t ‘old man’ feel a bit distant?”

“Ugh, Yasha. I’m really stuffed already…”

“What nonsense are you spouting? You’ve only eaten fifteen! Tsk. With such a tiny amount, you’re still as skinny as a rake! With that frailness, how can you even call yourself a sword master? Is that punk brother of yours not feeding you? Tsk, damn it. If your father can’t do it right, come to me. Tsk, I should have raised you from the start. Ah, are you choking? Should I get you more water? Or maybe some milk?”

Under Yasha’s firm hand, I stuffed the sixteenth potato into my mouth, unable to protest as her words poured out like a waterfall.

‘That dad of yours tried to feed a whole Harabana… You two really are similar, are you perhaps my father’s mother…?’

I swallowed the words I couldn’t express along with the potato and gazed at Yasha, who was seated right next to me, beginning to peel her seventeenth potato with deadpan eyes. As active as she was, her appetite was considerable, and continuing to eat, even when I felt full, was about to make my stomach burst.

“Now, say ‘Ah.’”

“Yasha, I came because I wanted to ask something!”

Seeing Yasha preparing to shove another potato into her mouth made my heart leap, so I quickly swallowed the potato left in my mouth and diverted the topic.

At my earnest voice, Yasha muttered, “Ah, right.” and set down the potato that had started to look like a grenade. I sighed in relief inwardly.

“Okay. What do you want to know?”

Yasha, sitting to my right and turning her body towards me, asked softly. Her blue eyes twinkled with affectionate warmth, like the gaze of someone who had known me for a long time.

‘I don’t recall a thing about Yasha.’

Was it because I was too young? I couldn’t remember even snippets related to Yasha, and I felt a bit guilty that only she remembered me.

I took a slow breath.

Yasha smelled refreshing as she approached me, like the cool sea on a summer day, filled with moisture. When her short white hair swayed slightly as she tilted her head, it felt like a white night was unfolding.

“I want to know about my mother. They said I could hear about it when Ramona comes to visit you.”

I spoke directly, looking straight into Yasha’s deep blue eyes.

“…About Anteia.”

Her eyes deepened. She looked a little happy, but also sad at the same time. It seemed that her connection with my mother, Anteia, was deeper than I had expected.

“Right. It’s understandable you’d be curious since Anteia wouldn’t have told you about the past herself.”

Yasha leaned back deeply on the sofa, spreading her legs comfortably and resting her arms on the chair. Since I was sitting right next to her, it felt like she had slipped her arm around me.

She flicked her fingers beside my neck, tapping the sofa lightly. Her hands were wrinkled and long. As she stared into space, pondering where to start, Yasha slowly opened her lips.

“The first time I met Anteia was deep in the woods at midnight. That day, I was being chased unexpectedly, caught off guard. It was pretty foolish of me. I should’ve been more meticulous.”

The life of a broker is tough. Especially for top-tier brokers like Yasha, who mainly transported goods for high officials, facing threats of murder was a daily occurrence. One mistake could mean the difference between life and death.

The general in front of her was already at the peak yet continued to whip himself with self-criticism. Picking apart her own mistakes, Yasha forcefully pulled down an eye patch. The knot supporting the eye patch came loose, revealing her left eye. I paused for a moment, holding my breath.

The skin on her closed eyelid was completely blackened. It looked like a burn scar, or perhaps a scar from magic. The peacefully shut eye would never open again.

Yasha gently touched the dead skin with slow, deliberate movements and continued speaking.

“I accepted death at that moment. It was a harsh situation to survive. But the funny thing is, what I feared back then wasn’t death but the failure of my first mission. You know, this old lady has never failed a commission before.”

Yasha proudly recounted, chuckling. Her effort to lighten the mood was evident, so I gave her a small smile in return.

“I had no more strength to run and was waiting for death to take me when someone spoke.”

Yasha’s eyes sparkled as she recalled the memory. Her lips curved up softly.

“‘Could you step aside? The herb I’m looking for is right beneath your feet.'”

“……So my mother said that?”

I asked, a bit shocked. To say such a thing in front of a dying person, just hearing those words revealed that my mother’s personality must have been quite something. Discovering the source of Aria’s beast-like nature left me feeling somewhat complicated.

“That’s right! She was a cheeky little girl with beautiful brown hair and silver-gray eyes! She stepped aside slightly and without batting an eye began picking the grass right under my feet! It was right then that I realized she was far from ordinary.”

Yasha’s expression brightened when she spoke about Anteia. I nodded quietly, prompting her to continue.

“After she plucked all the grass, she gave me a look. With a straight face, she scanned my dying form up and down and asked, ‘Do you want to live?’ It was quite cute.”

‘That isn’t cute, that’s downright ruthless, isn’t it?’

I grimaced, feeling exhausted at her tone.

The person before me couldn’t care less if I died or lived; she was offering me a chance to survive. My mother clearly wasn’t an ordinary noble young lady.

“I was a bit irritated, thinking I would fail my first mission. With dozens of assassins chasing me, I told her, even if I wanted to live, I couldn’t. I asked if she could perform a miracle. Thinking back on it, I had a bit of vigor back then. How embarrassing.”

‘Both of them are something else.’

I imagined how tense their exchange must have been, and I gazed at Yasha with a mixture of amusement.

“I still clearly remember Anteia’s confident smile. That girl said,”

Yasha’s blue eyes sparkled as if the stars from that night twinkled within them.

“‘If you want, I can become your miracle tonight.'”

I recalled the pain of the symphony that Anteia had left behind. Just as I felt the reality of death when looking at Aria, Anteia had likely always felt death looming over her.

Those who are aware of death find it hard to become numb to the deaths of others. Those who recognize the impact of loss cannot simply stand by as others suffer.

I dared to predict that Anteia must have helped Yasha for this very reason.

“That girl was a magical genius. She teleported all of my colleagues and me to safety in one go. There aren’t many who possess such teleportation skills. And she looked perfectly fine after.”

‘Did Aria’s magic abilities come from my mother?’

I once thought I bore no resemblance to either Aria or Anteia, but as I slowly got to know her, I began to realize how many parts of me and Aria were inherited from her.

While I was lost in thought, Yasha continued.

“Later, I heard she graduated at the top of her class from the Empire Academy’s Magic Department. Given her abilities, that was expected.”

“‘Graduated top of her class at the Empire Academy?'”

Caught off guard, I blinked and quickly raised my head.

The Empire Academy was the finest academy where only the most promising students from across the continent were admitted. Graduating at the top there meant she could be sought after anywhere.

‘Was that how it had to be for such a promising student?’

The more I learned about my mother, the more my heart ached. The resentment I had towards her faded, and anger towards the cruel world began to swell within me.

“Yes. They even contacted her from the Mage Tower after graduation. A girl like her… should never have ended up like that.”

Yasha gripped the edge of the sofa tightly with both hands. A heavy silence enveloped us for a moment.

Neither of us spoke, but we both understood. This silence was a moment of mourning for Anteia, who should never have died.

“…Since then, I took that girl as my savior and told her to come to me whenever she needed help. I had even given Anteia this business card you brought.”

Yasha pulled out a business card from the pocket of her black vest, adorned with her signature.

“I didn’t think there would be much chance of meeting again since she was adamant about rejecting it. It seemed like she was embarrassed to rely on someone else. Yet one day, that girl came to find me, in tatters, with dead eyes.”

Darkness clouded her deep blue eyes. Anticipating what would come next, I closed my eyes tightly.

“She asked me to save her and her child.”

Ah, what a cruel story. People say life appears comedic from afar yet is tragic when up close, but Anteia’s tale was tragic even from a distance.

“The best place to hide a person, then and now, is a brothel. I made Anteia’s home in the safest, most discreet place I could find.”

“…That’s enough.”

With one hand covering my face, I raised the other to stop Yasha.

I already knew the story that followed: she had given birth to me, then to Aria, and seemingly died, having done nothing more than being an extra in the story. I didn’t want to hear more about this tragedy.

Yasha hesitated briefly before opening her lips again.

“We are the ones who help each other. There’s no one else to help us. Don’t ever forget that.”

Those words pierced my heart.

I bit my lips and nodded my head. Yasha stared at me earnestly. Her single blue eye still shone warmly.

“I remember you as a little child. You were small and adorable. You followed me quite well. You were the tiniest existence that stole a part of my heart. Even though I haven’t seen you for a long time, even if just for a moment, I cared about you. I hope you understand that the scale of love isn’t measured by the length of time.”

“Even if you don’t remember me, I’ve always remembered you, Kashmir.”

I swallowed the rising emotions. I couldn’t quite grasp why finding someone who remembered my childhood, even when I couldn’t, felt so heart-wrenching.

“I’m glad to meet you like this, even though I thought we’d never see each other again.”

Yasha’s wrinkled hand held my cheek. Though her hand was rough and rugged, her touch was careful and gentle. After brushing my cheek lightly with her thumb, Yasha smiled kindly.

“Thank you for staying alive until now. I’ve missed you.”

As I looked at Yasha’s kind sea-like gaze, I thought that it felt like I had found a new refuge and a mentor in life.

Leaving the Dark Blue Crow Guild, I quietly rolled the item in my hand. It was a pair of wings-shaped lapis lazuli brooches.

‘Whenever you need help, just show this and find the Dark Blue Crow. It’s faster than a business card. You can come when you want to see me, not just when you need help! I’m lonely over here; come to visit often! Keep in touch!’

Yasha readily offered her contact number along with the brooch, willingly taking on the role of my ally. From her, the child of her benefactor, I sensed a deep sense of conviction.

‘For real… how impressive.’

Thinking of Yasha, I unconsciously smiled brightly. I hadn’t experienced this even when I was young, but now that I had grown up, it felt like I had finally met someone respectable.

A refreshing attitude, a warm presence, and unwavering principles. A person who filled the void left by youth with wisdom and experience.

I wanted to be just like Yasha.

I strolled slowly down the street just as the sun was about to set, with streetlights flickering to life. The cool breeze ruffling my robe felt delightful. As I closed my eyes for a moment to breathe in the night air, I caught a familiar scent wafting through the air.

‘Huh.’

The familiar presence was aimed at me. I let out a small chuckle as I sensed the quickly approaching figure.

Whoosh.

A big hand suddenly emerged from the right alley where I stood and gently tugged at my wrist. I didn’t resist and allowed myself to be led along.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

A firm arm found its place around my waist, settling comfortably as a low voice whispered. I smiled softly in agreement.

“Did you miss me as well?”

His drooping eyelids curled like a crescent moon, his silver eyes narrowing.

It was my old friend, Elior.