The Last Survivor of Dragan
"Ivan, Ivan!"
While I was deep in conversation with the sword spirits, I heard Gina’s voice calling out from a distance.
[Invisible Sword: Is that someone you know?]
"She’s a maid I work with. More importantly, I think I need to hide this sword for now."
I brushed off the spirits' comments and scanned my surroundings. As luck would have it, there was a pit nearby perfect for concealing the blade. I shoved the sword into the hole and covered it with twigs, leaves, dirt, and stones.
[Invisible Sword: Hey, are you embarrassed by us!]
It was true that I felt a bit embarrassed, but that wasn't the issue. Given my circumstances, I couldn't return carrying a sword. I didn't want Gina to find out, and if the Seipier family discovered it, I’d be in grave danger.
"It’s not that. It’s just my situation."
[Lasu Speedwagon: Doesn't matter. This sword won't break anyway. Looks like you're a servant at some noble house, and carrying a sword like this would just invite suspicion.]
"Thank you for understanding."
[Lasu Speedwagon: You're connected to the sword anyway. If you want to talk to us, just speak internally as if you're projecting your will into the blade.]
So, I could communicate even when separated from the sword. I felt a pang of guilt for burying it in the dirt, but the spirits didn't seem to care.
"Ivan, Ivan!"
A moment later, Gina appeared from the woods. She was a mess, having run for her life to escape the monsters. Thankfully, she didn't seem to be injured. There was a swordsman beside her; it seemed the subjugation squad had cleared out the monsters and rescued her.
"Ivan! I'm so glad you're safe..." Gina said, her eyes welling up with tears. She fluttered around me, checking to see if I had any injuries.
"It's all thanks to you, Gina. I'm just glad you're safe, too."
"Found him, so that's that. We're heading back immediately."
The swordsman spoke before I could even share the joy of reunion with Gina. I briefly entertained the thought of running away from the Seipier family now that I had the chance, but with that swordsman right there, I had to drop the idea.
"What happened, Gina?"
"I lured the monsters away and ran for a long time. I was dodging and confusing them, and then I was saved thanks to this swordsman who came after hearing the commotion."
Gina explained what happened after we were separated. It was incredible that she had managed to run for so long. She had even begged the swordsman to help her find me. Apparently, the swordsman had found it annoying but had surprisingly cooperated without much fuss. It seemed the fact that I was a servant specifically named by Aine had played a role.
"Thank you so much, Gina..."
Back in the Dragan family, and now here—I had been saved by Gina more times than I could count. It was agonizing that I had no way to repay her.
"It’s nothing! I’m just happy that you’re safe, Ivan!"
Gina said with a bright smile. Even with her hair completely disheveled, her smile was beautiful.
A little later, we arrived at the subjugation squad's camp.
"I guess they won, somehow."
The squad was in tatters. Monster corpses were strewn everywhere, and there were many wounded. Was this the power of the Seipier family's swordsmen? Even a small subjugation squad had managed to take down that many monsters. But perhaps they didn't have the capacity to protect the servants as well. The other maids who hadn't managed to run away were dead. If not for Gina’s quick judgment, I would have ended up like them.
-We're pulling back! The situation in the forest is more serious than we thought. We'll organize a larger subjugation squad and return!
"I was worried they might push themselves too hard, but I'm glad we're going back."
Gina and I helped with the cleanup, feeling relieved. For servants like us, doing chores was much easier than being part of a subjugation squad. By the end of the day, the squad returned to the main estate.
"Phew..."
Late at night, I returned from the subjugation squad and collapsed onto my bed. If I were still out there, I’d be setting up a tent, but thanks to our return, I was sleeping in the comfort of the servants' quarters.
[Lust Demon: Ahhh, I want to have sexxxx-]
[Invisible Sword: Shut the hell up, you sex-obsessed freak!]
[Invisible Sword: Ahhh, I miss Chiyo so much-]
[Foot-technique Master: Sigh...]
[Emperor Augustus: Zihahahaha!]
The sword spirits were still chattering away. They had been like this the entire way back.
'I need to sleep now, so could you please be quiet?'
I had been patient until now, but this was a problem when I was trying to sleep. If I wasn't careful, I might end up with lifelong insomnia. Of course, I wasn't sure if they would listen even if I asked.
[Foot-technique Master: Ah, come to think of it, I didn't explain the communication method in detail.]
[Master of All Weapons: You mean you've been listening to all this racket until now? Oh dear.]
The spirits sounded bewildered, as if they were saying, "You could hear us the whole time?" Well, of course I could hear them—they were chanting about sex every minute.
'Communication method?'
[Lasu Speedwagon: If you want, you can close your mind. I forgot to mention that.]
Lasu said in an embarrassed tone. I could have closed the connection between the sword and my mind? I wish I had known sooner. It wouldn't completely sever the link between the sword and my soul, just block out the spirits' voices.
[Lasu Speedwagon: Just think about closing the connection to the sword.]
I did as Lasu instructed. The noisy voices vanished instantly.
"Phew..."
I let out a sigh of relief. I had been worried about being tormented all night. The tension that had been gripping my brain muscles finally melted away. Just as I was about to drift off, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me. It felt like someone was shaking my brain. I immediately opened my mind again.
'Ugh... what is this? I suddenly felt incredibly dizzy...'
[Lust Demon: Heh heh. Listen to the whole explanation before you go, rookie.]
[Lasu Speedwagon: You can close the mental connection, but we can also wake you up like we just did.]
I had barely found some peace, and now this bombshell. 'What? Then isn't it useless?'
[Master of All Weapons: Don't worry. We won't knock unless it's absolutely necessary.]
[Master of All Weapons: We'll only do it in emergencies, like if you're in danger while sleeping or if you need to use the sword urgently.]
[Lasu Speedwagon: It takes a lot of our energy to send a shout through when the user has closed their mind. Don't worry, we won't do it under normal circumstances.]
Lasu’s voice sounded truly exhausted. So, in emergencies, the spirits could force their way through to me. I supposed such a function was necessary, provided they respected my privacy in daily life.
[Emperor Augustus: Zihahaha! I, too, respect the user's private life!]
[Lust Demon: I don't even have the energy for sex, so I won't waste it on you, don't worry.]
[Invisible Sword: I won't waste energy on pranks either. I know how dizzying it is because I was on the receiving end not long ago.]
The three spirits I was most worried about spoke with confidence. It seemed they would respect this boundary. I could just close my mind comfortably when I slept. I was about to do just that, but—
[Invisible Sword: Hey, wait a second!]
The spirits stopped me again. 'Why?'
[Invisible Sword: Why? Because we still have a lot to talk about. Are you just going to leave the sword buried there forever?]
Come to think of it, there were still many things left to settle. Regardless, I had become the user of a strange sword. This bizarre symbiosis would continue until I died, and even after. I needed to explain my situation to the spirits.
'Well. For now, I don't think I'll have any reason to use this sword.'
I began to tell my story. It was the first time I had ever told anyone these things, but perhaps because they weren't human, the words came out easily.
[Emperor Augustus: Why is that, user! You have more than enough talent.]
[Invisible Sword: You have that kind of talent and you won't become a swordsman?]
The spirits sounded as if they couldn't understand what I was saying. They seemed to be recalling the earlier battle. I had blown away two goblins in one strike. I still didn't see why that was such a big deal. Anyway, the spirits insisted my talent was immense. But talent wasn't the point. There was a separate reason why I couldn't become a swordsman.
'There are other circumstances. The reason I’m alive right now is precisely because I cannot wield a sword.'
[Invisible Sword: What kind of nonsense is that?]
'Do you all know about the Seven Star Sword Families?'
The Seven Star Sword Families. It was the term for the seven strongest swordsman families in this world. They weren't just families; they were practically nations unto themselves. Each of the Seven Star Sword Families ruled its own territory and flaunted its power. The Seipier family, where I was a servant, was one of them.
[Foot-technique Master: We all know about the Seven Star Sword Families.]
[Foot-technique Master: I myself am from one of the Seven Star Sword Families, and the other spirits have also gathered a rough idea of how the world works from within the sword.]
'I see.'
They had said it had only been a week since the previous user died. It seemed the spirits knew a fair bit about the current state of the continent.
[Lasu Speedwagon: Come to think of it, when was it? Didn't they say two of the Seven Star Sword Families were at war?]
[Invisible Sword: Was that the war that started about a year before I died? They seemed to be fighting for a long time, but I died before I heard the results.]
[Lust Demon: If you're stuck in Babilgrid, you don't really care about the outside world. By the time the youngest died, it was hard to hear any news from outside anyway.]
The spirits' information was months out of date. They only knew that a war between the Seven Star Sword Families had broken out a year ago and that it had lasted quite a while. I relayed the latest news to them.
'That war ended a few months ago.'
[Invisible Sword: Oh, really? Who won?]
'It was a war between the Seipier family and the Dragan family. In the end, the Seipier family won.'
[Master of All Weapons: Ah, right. There were two of them there.]
[Lust Demon: Seipier won? That lady would be pleased to hear that.]
[Invisible Sword: Isn't that an unexpected result? Was the Seipier family that strong?]
The spirits chatted away like neighborhood gossips talking about someone else's business. But I hadn't gotten to the real point yet. What mattered was how that war related to me.
'The victorious Seipier family killed everyone from the Dragan family. They even went through the family registers to make sure not a single person was left.'
[Foot-technique Master: What? They went that far?]
[Master of All Weapons: That seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?]
[Invisible Sword: They killed everyone without exception?]
The spirits were all shocked. It was certainly a harsh measure—to completely root out one of the Seven Star Sword Families.
[Lasu Speedwagon: Killing the defeated is a possibility. But it's shocking that one of the Seven Star Sword Families has completely vanished.]
[Lust Demon: So now it's the Six Star Sword Families.]
[Foot-technique Master: Then are there really no Dragan swordsmen left?]
'That's right. The Dragan family has been destroyed, and the Dragan sword has been cut off.'
The spirits let out sighs of regret. It seemed that for swordsmen, the disappearance of one of the sword techniques that had graced history was a tragic event.
[Invisible Sword: Well, yeah. It's a shame for the Dragan family. But why are you suddenly telling us this?]
Right. I had originally been explaining why I couldn't become a swordsman. Now was the real part. The connection between the destruction of the Dragan family and why I couldn't be a swordsman.
'The Seipier family said they had taken care of all the Dragans, but in fact, they left exactly one person with Dragan blood alive.'
After winning the war, the Seipier family had wanted to erase the Dragan family from the world. But there was one person. One Dragan they hadn't killed, but left alive.
'The last survivor of the Dragan family is none other than me, Ivan Dragan.'