I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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185화. 외전 6

“You… are you crazy?”

I hurriedly whispered, my mouth agape. Zigmund’s expression was calm, as if he were just a priest polishing his chalice for several centuries, causing my blood pressure to skyrocket even further.

“Ha! Clearly a commoner! What is that ridiculous mask? Are you putting on a play or something?”

The baron mocked the mask. Zigmund and I froze simultaneously. The mask we wore was a gift from Karasho.

“Can’t you come out? Instead of that brat, I’ll deal with you!”

The baron shouted sharply.

‘What a despicable guy.’

As I gritted my teeth and tried to draw my sword.

Thud.

My body froze, engulfed by the familiar mana, like someone who had just gazed directly into Medusa’s eyes.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Zigmund tapped my shoulder and took a step forward. It was his doing.

I wanted to curse at him like a machine gun, but my tongue had stiffened, rendering me speechless. I sent a mental message to Zigmund through my mana.

“Hey! Aren’t you going to get me out of this? Do you want to grow like a potato in the fields? Covered in tomato sauce and dropped in a cannibal village? Stick your face in a sewer and sing a folk song, you…!”

“Even if your body freezes, your temper doesn’t die down. Stay still.”

There was a hint of amusement mixed in his tone before the connection abruptly cut off. It was an uncooperative one-way communication.

Feeling a mix of worry, urgency, and irritation all at once, I began to struggle against his grip.

I really didn’t want to admit it, but for now, Zigmund was stronger than I was. I needed time to break free from his grasp.

While I writhed in frustration, Zigmund stood before the baron.

Despite being a commoner, Zigmund exuded an overwhelming noble aura. As I looked at him, he resembled not a dragon knight but a prince hiding a tragic story.

Perhaps feeling the pressure, the baron flinched at the sight of Zigmund.

“Do you realize how grave the crime of assassination against a noble is? If you throw a knife at me, you’ll be sent straight to prison!”

‘Damn, he bleed less than a fingernail!’

I aimed the tip of my blade at the kid’s clothing, and the baron was even further away from the child. The charge of attempted noble murder was utterly unfounded.

‘But if it goes to the patrol… The patrol will immediately side with the baron without considering the circumstances.’

A useless commoner mercenary against a richly clad baron. It was all too clear whose side the patrol would take. I bit my lip as I struggled in place. Thanks to my desperate thrashing, the magic was gradually loosening.

Zigmund gazed quietly at the baron. His translucent, crystal-like eyes remained at their usual icy temperature, but there was a different light in them compared to usual.

A perfect gaze of lifelessness. It felt more like the eyes of a frozen corpse than of a living human. Pale and numb.

It was a look I had never seen before.

For a moment, I worried about the baron instead of Zigmund. Zigmund seemed like he could crush the baron without a second thought, as if stepping on a bug.

Just as I was confused about whether to stand in Zigmund’s way or not.

“I’m sorry.”

Zigmund bowed and apologized.

I froze, even stiffer than I had been from the binding magic. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

In nearly a year, I had never seen Zigmund apologize even once. Not to the people I met during our mercenary work, nor to me, or even to Karasho.

Of course, it wasn’t that Zigmund had ever done anything to warrant an apology. He was a perfectionist and never allowed himself to falter.

‘I will take responsibility. There won’t be any repercussions.’

Even when rare situations arose that called for an apology, Zigmund would never do so. Instead, he would calmly face his mistakes and discuss logical solutions. His pride didn’t allow him to throw around apologies without reason.

Seeing him bow and apologize hit me like a massive hammer to the head.

“Y-you think a simple apology is enough!”

The baron, brimming with arrogance, seemed to regain his confidence now that Zigmund had bowed. He had no idea how heavy the apology he had just received truly was.

“Do you think such words can suffice for the soiled honor of my clothes?”

Even as the baron rudely pointed a finger, Zigmund maintained a nonchalant demeanor. He seemed completely unfazed, while I was furious on behalf of the well-mannered party involved.

‘Why is he going this far?’

This was my mess. I had made a scene and accused him of being an idiot for no reason, and it was only right that I bore the responsibility for that foolishness.

Zigmund was a far cry from being kind or altruistic. I couldn’t fathom this situation where he took responsibility for me.

“How do you intend to make amends?”

Zigmund asked in a flat tone. While the baron fumed and chattered, Zigmund remained unaffected. Even though the situation seemed to be bending in favor of the baron, it felt like Zigmund still held the upper hand.

“…Ha! So you say you’ll take responsibility!”

The baron scoffed arrogantly. He was quaking in fear but couldn’t seem to drop his pride. After glancing around, he looked down at the whip in his hand, then laughed wickedly.

“I’ll forgive you if you let me beat you with this until I feel better.”

The baron was more sadistic than I had anticipated. I snorted in disbelief.

The baron was just an ordinary person with no combat strength. Zigmund could subdue him in an instant. No matter how much Zigmund seemed to be backing down, there was no way he would agree to such demands.

Zigmund stared blankly at the whip. Being told to take a beating with a whip was akin to treating him as livestock. I thought Zigmund might just blow up with anger and smash the baron to pieces.

“Okay then.”

But even that was a misjudgment.

Zigmund casually clasped his hands behind his back. It was a pose that soldiers took when about to receive harsh punishment.

“This matter ends here.”

As he bowed his head with a calm expression, I felt all my previous judgments about Zigmund collapse like a house of cards. My circuits malfunctioned, forgetting to even struggle as I gazed blankly at him.

The baron wore a triumphant smile, believing he had won due to Zigmund’s chilling submission. A terrible human who relished oppressing others with power and violence.

With a wide-smiled grin, the baron raised his whip high.

‘No!’

A white veil seemed to blur my vision, and a feeling of twisted pain surged through my mind, finally concentrating my thoughts in one direction.

I released my mana, bursting it forth like an explosion within my body.

With a sharp crack, the baron’s whip heaved towards Zigmund’s cheek, leaving a long scratch.

Swoosh.

“Put that down.”

Just as I tore apart the binding magic, I dashed forward, aiming my sword at the baron’s neck.

“Heeek!”

Terrified, the baron released the whip as if throwing it away.

“Zigmund.”

Blocking Zigmund’s path, I turned to check on him. The wound that crossed his left cheek wasn’t too deep, yet it was definitely not shallow either.

It was unacceptable that such a scar marred Zigmund’s face, even if it was just a scrape.

“Who do you think you are…!”

“This brat is my punching bag!”

My head spun as I pointed angrily at Zigmund. Both the baron and Zigmund paused.

“This brat can be struck and even killed by me! Don’t lay a finger on him!”

We weren’t close enough to be considered friends, and our bond was too rough to call it friendship. I often fantasized about bashing Zigmund until he was covered in mud on a rainy day.

But that notion was only in my mind. I wanted to be the one to deal with him. I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else touching him.

My outburst left the baron stunned.

I exhaled sharply, suppressing my rage, and slowly lowered my sword. I wanted to rip out as much of the baron’s remaining hair as possible, but there were just too many witnesses around.

If this reached Karasho’s ears, I’d be ashamed and apologize that my disciple was so reckless that I might even commit seppuku out of spite.

Just as the emotion boiled over and I was about to drag Zigmund away—

“It’s what training a piece of trash is all about! That brat should be beaten even more for daring to challenge me!”

The baron’s last desperate gasp made me halt my actions. I felt sanity slipping away.

I opened my eyes wide, leveling my sword.

“Is this bastard out of his mind…”

“Calm down. You can’t.”

Zigmund firmly grasped my arm as I was about to stab downward like a spear. I twisted away in frustration.

“No, let go. I won’t kill him. Just let me take out his tongue! Let’s make something nice with the nobility’s tongue today! Let me go! You bastard! Do you think everything that comes out of my mouth is casual talk? Let me go!”

“…Ha.”

As I flailed wildly like a fish out of water, Zigmund wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me into the air. Irrespective of my condition, I merely flailed helplessly.

The baron, seeming not to fully grasp the situation, quickly glanced around before meeting my gaze and stepping back in fright. He must have been in quite a daze himself.

“You, I will definitely…!”

“Teleport.”

Before I could unleash a menacing warning, a low voice tickled my ear amid my uproar.

Wham!

Light burst forth, and space twisted. I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.

“Open your eyes.”

At the soft whisper, I jolted my eyes open to find myself in a secluded alley beside the mercenary guild. Momentarily dazed, I stared down the alley before sharply turning to Zigmund.

“If you could come like this, you should have come earlier…!”

“That man is a noble. If I had teleported early, it might have avoided immediate danger, but if the baron bore a grudge, you would still be at risk. It was better for me to take a few hits there and end it.”

Zigmund spoke calmly, looking at me. His dreamy purple eyes deepened.

“But since you caused a scene, they might put a bounty on us now…”

His tone sounded like a scold or resignation, yet it felt surprisingly bright.

Yeah, Zigmund looked a bit happy.

As I mulled over his words a few times, I clicked my tongue.

“That guy won’t chase me down. Didn’t you see him drop the whip the moment I aimed my sword? He’s not that gutsy.”

I locked gazes with Zigmund. The wound on his cheek drew my attention, igniting my anger again, but the coolness of his eyes quelled my rage.

“You… why did you step in for me? You’ve called me foolish and stupid many times, and yet here you are taking a beating for me?”

This was my biggest question. He had always dismissed my altruism learned from Karasho as utter foolishness, so why would he take such an idiotic action in my stead?

Zigmund let out a short sigh. He swept the hair from his forehead with the hand that wasn’t grabbing me. Red blood oozed from the long gap on his white cheek.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I just felt it was the right thing to do. My actions came before my thoughts.”

‘This has never happened before,’ he added in a faint voice.

Indeed, Zigmund was the type that always thought before acting, impulsive and emotional never crossed my mind. I felt a peculiar shock at this new side of him.

“But my actions weren’t driven by your kind of foolish altruism.”

Zigmund met my gaze squarely.

For a brief moment, a feeling I had never seen before flickered in his eyes.

“You are the reason I stepped in. If anyone else were present, I wouldn’t have intervened.”

My heart dropped slowly. An indefinable emotion surged and ebbed rapidly. It felt like I was falling from a gigantic waterfall to the ground, yet also floating gently upon a still surface.

It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling, but one thing was clear: it felt good.

“You…”

Caw.

Just as I parted my lips, a bird’s cry echoed from the sky. Zigmund and I both looked up.

“A letter.”

Zigmund, pinching the upper and lower parts of his mouth, let out a sharp whistle. At his sound, a crow responded and swiftly descended, landing on Zigmund’s arm. Zigmund untied the ribbon bound to the crow’s leg and pulled out a note from a small tube.

“Wait a moment.”

He released the arm that had been holding me. Only then did I realize he had been holding me this whole time. Taking a couple of steps back, Zigmund quickly unfolded the note and began reading.

His expression shifted subtly.

“Is something wrong?”

I cautiously asked as I observed the rapid change in his countenance.

His face bore a mix of joy and a fearsome rigidity. His pupils quivered slightly, and a cold sweat trickled down his forehead. The indescribably strange expression indicated something was amiss.

“I… think I need to go.”

Zigmund said, casting a long stare at the note. He raised his head, and his eyes were void of life.

Flames erupted from his hand holding the note, engulfing it in a flash and leaving no trace behind.

“You’re heading off now? Hey, we’re going out to hunt monsters today…”

“Go to the meeting place with the master. I’ll follow shortly.”

Zigmund looked anxious. This was the first time I had seen him display such significant agitation.

I sensed that despite his inquiries, he wouldn’t answer or let himself get caught. All I could do was let him go.

“Oh, and…”

As he prepared to send the crow off and hurried away, Zigmund turned back to me.

His eyes subtly flickered, and the sharpness softened slightly, while the black spot beneath his right eye lowered.

“I still haven’t heard what you think of me now.”

He definitely smiled.

“I’ll come back for your answer.”

With that, Zigmund kicked off the ground and leaped away, disappearing swiftly. I stared blankly at his retreating figure and let out a short chuckle.

At that moment, I thought to myself, ‘I can just tell him next time.’