I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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171st Episode

A subtle standoff continued amidst the harsh snowfall.

I glared at him with disdain but did not reach for my sword. I didn’t want to commit the heinous act of fighting another disciple in front of my master’s grave.

Zigmund seemed to share the same sentiment, as he too did not place his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Relieved that I didn’t have to fight, I let out a quiet sigh.

“Why did you crawl your way here? Are you following me?”

I asked, my face scrunched up in irritation.

It wasn’t unusual for Zigmund to know the location of the monument I had erected by myself. After all, I had once told him where it was. I was just a bit surprised that he still remembered it.

‘I thought he would have forgotten.’

He was the kind of person who wouldn’t even show his face here after waiting all day on my master’s anniversary. I thought he had completely forgotten about this place. As I shot him a sidelong glance filled with ambivalence, Zigmund brushed the snowflakes off his black hair and smirked slightly.

“Unfortunately, I was here first. It’s you who’s following me, isn’t it?”

“You’ve never even been here before, so what nonsense are you spouting? You really didn’t follow me?”

“It’s just a coincidence. And…”

Zigmund cut me off as if to dismiss my suspicion. Striding across the snowfield, he moved past me to stand before the monument. It was only then that I noticed he was holding a single flower.

“This isn’t my first time here.”

He dropped the flower in front of the monument.

A pure white flower with bright yellow stamens and five bloody dots bordering the petals.

The flower Zigmund brought was a Sisterstus.

I sighed.

The white mist from my breath vanished in an instant, leaving me unable to discern whether the feeling spreading from within me was anger, sadness, resentment, or relief.

“…The brat who didn’t even show a glimpse on the anniversary…”

“There’s no rule that says one must come on the anniversary.”

“And there’s no rule that says one shouldn’t come on a day that isn’t the anniversary. Are you even aware of how brazen you’re being right now?”

I spoke coldly. The dark purple color of his eyes, which showed no emotion as usual, irritated me even more.

I had clearly told him to come on Karasho’s anniversary, and I waited every year. Of course, he had never once responded to my waiting.

“…Not everyone can live as openly as you do. Someone has to take on the villain role.”

Placing his hand on the monument and closing his eyes, Zigmund opened them again shortly after and muttered something I couldn’t comprehend.

‘Why don’t you just hit that half-faced guy?’

I clenched my fists tightly and thought seriously. There were limitless reasons to get angry at Zigmund’s attitude. I could act childish and whine that he shouldn’t visit a monument I erected. Surely, I might have done that in the past. I had often acted childishly towards Zigmund.

“…Hey. Are you eating well?”

Was it because we were in front of Karasho’s grave? Or perhaps it was because I had made a new resolution after meeting Yasha?

For whatever reason, I didn’t want to get hostile with Zigmund, so I relaxed and quietly asked.

Zigmund, taken aback by my gentle response, widened his eyes. The first time we met, we fought like we wanted to kill each other; the second time, we played a deadly game over Leisha’s keepsake. Though we hadn’t fought since, a tense atmosphere had prevailed ever since. It made sense that this was the first time I had come at him with kindness.

“…Are you not angry?”

“Does it really seem like I’m just a bad guy who picks fights with you? I’m tired of wasting my mental energy on it. I’ll settle the curses against my master when I go to the afterlife and chat with him there.”

Still thinking of how Zigmund referred to Karasho as “nothing more than a mercenary,” I felt a strong impulse to slam his face into the Karasho monument. But thinking calmly, Karasho wouldn’t want Zigmund and me to fight because of him.

“Come here.”

I beckoned to Zigmund, who was standing stiffly in front of Karasho’s monument. He furrowed his brow.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Are you scared? I won’t hit you, so come here.”

I chuckled lightly. Zigmund scrunched his face in confusion, but he came over to me willingly. When the gap between us was just about one step, I gestured for him to follow and started walking slowly across the snowy expanse.

Zigmund and I walked across the snowfield as if strolling through a garden. It had been a long time since such a peaceful atmosphere graced us.

“You… back when you were a mercenary, you sent all your earnings back home, right?”

He paused.

Zigmund’s steps momentarily halted. Although he quickly resumed as if nothing had happened, I couldn’t have missed that movement. I turned my gaze to the snowfield as memories surfaced.

‘Hey, didn’t you buy any local specialty items?’

Traveling around the continent hunting monsters often presented opportunities to purchase local products. While I bought small trinkets that I thought Arya would like, Zigmund never seemed to buy anything.

‘I don’t have money to waste on such things.’

‘What kind of nonsense is that for someone who earns well…?’

Zigmund was so frugal that it bordered on stingy. While I spent what I earned for Arya’s medicine and remained broke, Zigmund lived so frugally despite having no reason to buy anything, making me once suspect he was wasting money on gambling.

‘Zigmund always had somewhere to send money to.’

That misunderstanding was cleared by Karasho. Zigmund was often unfriendly and never explained anything properly to me, but he shared many things with Karasho, so I learned Zigmund’s circumstances from him.

‘What? Did his parents make him work as a mercenary to earn money for them?’

‘That’s not it. Both of Zigmund’s parents have passed away. At first, he didn’t do that, but after he started hanging out with me, he began exchanging letters, and at some point, he started sending all his earnings there. He mentioned that he began contacting his hometown.’

I worried that Zigmund might be exploited in that hometown. Though he was a pretty awful guy, I had developed some fondness for him, and it would annoy me if someone else took advantage of him.

‘Don’t worry. It’s not like he’s being forced to send money.’ He sends it because he wants to help; his hometown is going through tough times. But… I heard that his face gets all tense with obligation, so I started to worry.’

Whether Karasho noticed my worrying, he added that Zigmund was also worrying about Zigmund. After hearing that, I began to perceive Zigmund as the boy head of his family.

‘Hey, didn’t you buy anything today?’

‘No. I’m fine… What’s this?’

‘I bought too much. It’s a twisted fruit that looks a lot like you. You can handle this.’

‘…Are you picking a fight right now?’

‘Even if you give it, it’s a pain.’

Somehow feeling sympathetic, when I bought something for myself, I often ended up buying something for Zigmund as well. Zigmund was initially reluctant, but he soon accepted it. Though he never once said thank you owing to his stubborn pride, he occasionally showed appreciation by helping me out during monster hunts.

“Have you ever been back to that hometown?”

I asked as I glanced sideways at Zigmund. I was curious if he had received some reward for his devotion in the gap of time when we hadn’t contacted each other.

“…Yeah. I’ve been.”

Zigmund answered slowly, his heavy expression belying his response. His short hair ruffled in the biting wind, and the white snowflakes melded into the dark darkness of his hair. Zigmund’s face looked as if it had been chiseled from every tragedy of the world.

“Are you doing well with the money I sent?”

“No. That alone didn’t solve the fundamental problems.”

A flash passed through Zigmund’s dark purple eyes.

Crunch, crunch.

Our footsteps continued to crunch through the snowfield.

“I plan to change the fundamentals. Only by tearing up the problematic land can we hope to make it thrive again. That’s what I’m working for.”

“…Is the position of guild leader you’re holding now also for your hometown?”

“Yes.”

I fixed my eyes on Zigmund. He continued to walk, not breaking contact with my gaze. I let out a hollow laugh.

“Isn’t it a bit hypocritical to call me an altruistic idiot back then, only to realize you’re even worse?”

“Your altruism is reckless. You’re caught up in the obsession of saving everyone. My standards are clear. It’s my duty to protect my hometown, and I’m focused solely on saving it.”

Zigmund cut me off decisively. He seemed to possess a notion similar to national selfishness. I couldn’t argue against that and merely scratched my head, which was dusted with snow, and spoke.

“But if you live like that, when will you live your own life?”

Zigmund looked back at me. A faint ripple stirred in his violet pupils. I locked eyes with him.

If you live your life for someone else for too long, you may forget your own name. The individual that is me vanishes, leaving only a title and position behind. Having lived my life for Arya, I knew that well.

‘Live your own life now. The life of ‘Kashumi Mir Crisis’.’

That’s why Arya’s words back then felt so strange. I had become so accustomed to living like that that I often forgot my own name.

Living as Arya’s elder sister was neither torturous nor regretful, but I couldn’t say I was wholly happy either.

“Are you happy now?”

I asked Zigmund.

He didn’t seem happy at all.

“I…”

Zigmund dragged his words out. His expression struck me as one who had lost his words, and after twitching his lips several times, he avoided my gaze.

“I have a mission to fulfill and obligations to complete. I don’t have time to think about such things.”

Thinking about it, Zigmund always seemed like a person burdened with heavy responsibilities. He was overly serious and weighed down. As he avoided my eyes, I caught a glimpse of the ingrained sense of duty in his violet pupils, stained like a worn-out cloth.

Zigmund was being crushed under a colossal weight.

“That’s why you haven’t sought me out until now. I’m a hindrance to your mission.”

Zigmund muttered lowly.

It was a remark that could certainly hurt, but the bluntness of his voice felt dulled like a worn knife and didn’t sting. It only made me curious about the mission that compelled him to leave me behind.

“You wouldn’t keep me around if you knew what my mission was.”

Thud.

His black shoes stopped in the middle of the snowy field. I halted in kind. Zigmund turned to face me, his somber eyes fixated on mine.

“What I mean is, here…”

In that moment, a sense of existence tore through the air.

Zigmund and I both held our breath. We exchanged quick glances. Very faintly, but being beings sensitive to mana, we could feel it.

A great and ferocious presence was rapidly approaching us.

‘What terrible luck.’

It was like running into a pothole on the road and suddenly having a sworn enemy show up, causing an unintentional “kiss” with misfortune. I let out a bitter laugh and placed my hand on the hilt of my sword.

“Let’s talk later. First, let’s take care of this.”

Zigmund nodded briefly, grabbing the hilt of his sword in solidarity. It turned out to be the same sword Karasho had gifted him on his birthday. I sighed a little at the thought that the sword was about to get dirty, and as that very presence closed in, I struck out violently.

Slash!

Kraaaah!

A massive monster’s jaw appeared in a place that had been empty just a moment ago. As its form became clear, I unleashed my black aura towards the gaping maw. Though the monster swiftly shut its mouth, preventing me from hitting the roof of its mouth, I managed to inflict a significant wound on its lip. Black blood erupted forth, and the monster screeched in pain.

As I quickly distanced myself from Harabana, Zigmund, as if he were rooted to the spot, effortlessly positioned himself on my right side, sword raised. His posture was reminiscent of the habits he had maintained for a long time. I chuckled and infused more aura into the sword.

“It’s been a while since we collaborated.”

The first opponent I teamed up with after six years was the tyrant of the deep forest, Harabana.