Chapter 4: Needle (3)
Chapter 4: Needle (3)
Hegel, the old caretaker of the orphanage sponsored by the Sergen Order, was a wandering knight from a free city.
In the early hours of dawn, Hegel taught me many things. Well, they weren't exactly extraordinary.
The journeys he had undertaken were common enough; one could hear similar tales from any inn’s storyteller for the price of a single beer. Since Hegel lacked a silver tongue, his stories might have been even worse than those.
The way he taught me to handle a sword was crude. It wasn't a systematic art, nor was it a training method taught at an academy. Perhaps learning from a city guard would have been better than learning Hegel’s style.
However, the journeys across the continent that Hegel described to me possessed romance, freedom, and light. That might be why the old caretaker’s sword, seen under the moonlight, appeared beautiful to me.
His sword was far from great, but it was steeped in the life of an old wandering knight.
And so, I loved Hegel’s sword.
And I liked him.
"You’ll leave this orphanage someday, too."
One day, a drunken Hegel said those words to me.
"When that day comes, go out into the wide world. Do not be afraid anymore."
Hegel’s words left a deep impression on me.
Not long after, Hegel passed away at the age of seventy-two.
The cause of death was simple.
He was old and frail; he died naturally of old age.
He passed in the caretaker’s bedroom in the basement of the orphanage, the air filled with a musty scent.
A year later, I left the orphanage.
I carried the long, slender blade I had always held alongside Hegel under the dawn sky—my 「Needle」.
Since it was nearly impossible for an orphaned woman to receive a knighthood, I became a mercenary. If Hegel had seen me, he would have said with a joking smile:
That while I didn't become a knight, I did become a wanderer just like him.
Once I began my life as a mercenary, my name became known quite quickly.
I’m not sure if it was because I used a peculiar sword or because I was a young woman.
They called me the 「Sewing Gypsy」.
.
.
.
"…Ah."
I opened my eyes to the sunlight streaming through the curtains. In the mirror, the left side of my face belonged to Mary, the female swordsman scarred by burns, while the right side belonged to Arhan Caravan, a boy with lingering traces of youth.
The memories contained within the sword were being assimilated more deeply with every training session.
What kind of influence were these memories having on me?
One thing was certain.
The 'me' before devouring the sword and the 'me' after were clearly different.
"Gypsy."
It was a term used to refer to the nomadic people of the free cities. Usually, desert people were called that, so I wondered why Mary, who was far from being a desert dweller, was given such a nickname.
I didn't know. Mercenaries' nicknames were always arbitrary, anyway.
"Whew."
I caught my breath and stood up.
Reflected in the mirror, the body beneath my face wasn't bulky, but sleek, like forged iron.
It was firm, closer to the physique of a dancer than a warrior.
After a quick wash, I stepped out of the mansion.
I had to run today as well. Just like always.
* * *
"I have one thing I'm curious about."
「What is it?」
"If the stories my father told me were all true, and our Caravan family was truly that great in the past… why is there not even a trace of us left now?"
It was a question that had occurred to me during training.
"The butler, who knows the continent's history inside out, and the merchants in the free cities, who possess all sorts of trivial knowledge, both said they don't know the Caravans. No matter how much time has passed, can a name really be erased like smoke?"
Liam gave a short answer to my question.
「The closer you get to your goal, the more you will learn the truth. There’s no point in me telling you now.」
It was a vague answer.
Telling me I’d find out when the time was right—it was the kind of response the witches of the Sky Empire would give.
As I pouted, Liam spoke.
「You certainly have a lot of questions. Then again, you’ve been like that since you were a child. Didn't you always look at me, hanging in the mansion, with such irreverent eyes?」
"I looked at you with irreverent eyes?"
「Whenever your father told you stories of the Caravans, didn't you always scan me with eyes full of disbelief?」
It was true.
As I fell silent, Liam added.
「You’re a peculiar one. Perhaps that is the talent you were born with, despite your lackluster body.」
"What kind of talent is this supposed to be?"
Looking at me as I soaked in sweat, Liam gave a small laugh and whispered.
「The attitude of not blindly believing only what is seen and heard, but dismantling the shell to reach the truth—the essence trapped inside. That, too, can be a talent.」
I took a deep breath.
While I ran until the taste of sweetness filled my mouth, Liam’s voice echoed faintly.
「Doubt. Do not lose that attitude. Those who do not know doubt are destined to never surpass their limits.」
Don't lose doubt.
I laughed involuntarily at Liam’s words.
Didn't he tell me before to believe without doubting?
Well, it wasn't uncommon for the words of the elderly to flip-flop.
「You’re having irreverent thoughts again.」
"I am not."
Liam was far too quick-witted, always.
As I shamelessly kept my mouth shut and focused on running, Liam spoke.
「Are you no longer nitpicking this training? For the first ten days after we started, you asked me until I was sick of it what the point of this training was.」
"…Even if I ask, aren't you just going to give me another vague answer?"
「You know me well now.」
I let out a small chuckle and climbed the hill.
My breath rose to the roof of my mouth, and I nearly tripped over a stone.
But now, even if my posture faltered, I didn't fall.
I regained my balance, stood up, and ran again. With my back straight.
Seeing that, Liam said:
「Well, you’ll feel the results of the training soon enough.」
As he said this, Liam was looking into the distance. I turned my gaze to follow his, but I saw nothing. Only a large zelkova tree and tall, overgrown bushes.
Was he just looking at the natural scenery? Like an old man who had lived his full share of years?
Driven by curiosity, I asked.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Liam spoke with a subtle smile playing on his lips.
「It seems the insects are starting to swarm.」
"…?"
「Your whining about the meaning of this training will soon decrease.」
What was he talking about now?
「It will be proven by tomorrow at the latest.」
* * *
This land was abandoned.
In the year since Swordmaster Carlos carried out the massacre, there hadn't been a single visitor.
I was the only one living here.
Had the kingdom taken special measures?
Or perhaps people felt an ill omen because the scent of blood still lingered.
They probably thought an evil black mage was residing here or that an epidemic had swept through.
Well, no matter what outsiders thought, it wasn't bad for me.
It was good for concentration, and there was no unwanted attention.
It was an environment perfectly suited for focusing solely on training.
However, this land couldn't remain my private space forever.
In this barren kingdom, there are many people living with complicated circumstances. Weren't there those who clung to life while huddled in the trash heaps of the slums?
Whether it was a place where an evil black mage dwelt or where a nameless epidemic had swept through, if it was a land with empty houses and no fastidious nobles, there were bound to be those who would covet it.
And those who harbored such greed were usually those who had been pushed to the very bottom.
"…Hmm."
On my way back to the mansion after finishing the run that had now become part of my daily routine, I discovered traces that were different from usual.
Seeing me stop, Liam asked.
「What is it?」
"There are people."
「What makes you feel that way?」
Liam’s voice was the same as always.
I scanned the bushes to the left of the path and described what I saw.
"The flowerbed on the left is ruined. I can faintly see different sets of footprints. Three people? No, it looks like about four people passed through here. There’s a stench, too. The smell of rotting food."
「…Ho, did you learn tracking from a village ranger?」
"No. It’s just innate sensitivity."
Yes.
This was a sensitivity I’d had since I was a child.
A habit of not being able to overlook minor changes or newly created traces.
It was the habit Liam had mentioned.
Doubt.
I took an interest in everything—what I saw, what I heard, even the faint smells in the air. And the moment something new appeared or changed even slightly, I began to doubt.
My parents warned me that living like that would be exhausting, but the sensitivity I was born with hadn't faded even now. It wasn't intentional; it was closer to a kind of instinct.
「It’s a talent that would have made you a great success as a ranger exploring forests or as a mercenary.」
"…."
「Of course, when it comes to the sword, it is also a very rare and special talent.」
Liam spoke in a relaxed voice.
「So, what do you want to do?」
"What do you want me to do, Master?"
「Do as you wish. I am curious to see what answer you will provide.」
Hearing Liam’s words, I caught my breath for a moment.
I had just finished training. Did I have enough stamina left?
It’s enough.
After checking my physical condition, I felt the long, slender blade at my waist. Since I had devoured all the 「Needles」 I’d scavenged from the slum trash heaps, this was a blade I had prepared to replace them, one that resembled a needle. That blade was sharp enough to pierce through anything at a moment's notice.
After closing my eyes to think for a moment, I spoke.
"I need to check if they can be new neighbors or if they are uninvited guests."
「And if they are uninvited guests?」
"I’ll have to act after checking their level. If they’re at a level I can handle, I’ll kick them out; if not, I’ll have no choice but to leave this place myself. That’s the wise thing to do."
Right now, I was pathetically weak.
In that case, there was no reason to force a confrontation.
Wasn't this an abandoned land?
There were no remaining residents, no precious family.
But it seemed my heart felt differently from my rational mind.
「In my eyes, if those bastards are uninvited guests, you’ll fight them whether they’re strong or weak.」
Liam was right.
My heart grew hot.
I was sick and tired of uninvited guests on this land filled with my memories. The trauma left by Swordmaster Carlos stirred. My hand gripping the long blade was trembling. With rage.
"I have a question."
「What is it?」
"Is what you told me back then really true?"
I turned my head and looked into Liam’s eyes.
"That the current me can swing a sword all day without my breathing breaking."
Liam seemed to realize what I was referring to.
— If you can swing a sword all day without your breathing breaking, that alone will allow you to easily kill about five untrained humans.
Yes, Liam had definitely said that.
Was that an exaggeration meant to motivate me?
Or was it truly a fact he was telling me in advance?
I needed confirmation.
Liam slowly opened his mouth.
「Child. I never lie when it comes to the sword.」
"…."
「I guarantee it.」
Liam gave a thin, sharp smile.
「If those uninvited guests are untrained humans, it will be proven just how valuable my training was.」
* * *
The interior of the mansion, where not a single candle was lit, was filled with pitch-black darkness.
Closed curtains covered the mansion's windows. Had it been a long time since it was ventilated?
Inside the abandoned mansion, a damp smell was thick along with the metallic scent of blood. Such an environment was actually better for them. The unpleasant stench was familiar to them, and it meant that there was no master here.
"Did an epidemic break out?"
"Maybe it's a place an Imperial black mage uses as a residence."
"If that were the case, we would have all become corpses the moment we stepped foot inside. Don't you know what terrifying labyrinths mages turn their dwellings into? This place has clearly been abandoned, or it's somewhere beyond a mage's notice."
Raucous laughter erupted inside the quiet mansion. As soon as they entered, they buried themselves in the comfortable sofas. A large man wiped a dirty axe blade on the sofa. Dark blood soaked into the leather seats.
"What luck. Not only did we find a land without a single person, but we even got a mansion like this."
"Who knows. Maybe it's a place a fallen noble lord built as a villa."
"Wahaha, a villa in a shabby mansion like this? If so, we can just slit his throat the moment he shows up. If he brings his wife and daughter, we'll keep those."
"Could we really be that lucky?"
The brutish men roamed around the mansion haphazardly.
Whenever they found valuables in wardrobes or drawers, they laughed brightly. They laughed the loudest when they discovered lace-trimmed women's underwear.
"This really must be a villa owned by some noble lord! Ah, very—"
The men laughed vulgarly while spreading the women's underwear wide.
"Look for a portrait! I'm already looking forward to—"
In the bedroom with pure white blankets, four barbaric men were chatting excitedly.
And—
"Stop."
A somewhat youthful boy's voice, different from the men's voices, cut through the air.
"My mother liked things clean, so she hated it if even a single stain got on the blankets. So, get up from there."
"…What?"
"Did you come because you've been starving for a long time and need food? Or do you simply need a place to stay? If it's one of the two, say so. There are many empty houses in this village, and there's still plenty of food in the abandoned warehouses. If that's the reason, I'm willing to accept you as neighbors, so answer."
A clear, refined way of speaking characteristic of a noble.
The eyebrows of the men lying on the bed twitched.
One man stood up, firmly gripping the axe he had placed on the floor.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
The owner of the voice seen through the darkness was a small boy.
To begin with, there was no need to look closely; the voice was far too young.
Was he the son of this villa's owner or something?
The man walked forward with heavy thuds, not hiding his displeasure.
Where did this brat, whose head would split open with a single axe swing, get such confidence…
"Fuck, if you heard us, you should have stayed hidden. Why come here and start shit—"
As the distance closed, the boy became clearer in the man's eyes.
As expected, the boy was small. A beautiful boy with a face as lovely as a woman's. His fragile body, matching his delicate face, looked like it would break with a single kick.
Scanning the boy from head to toe, the man gripped his axe even tighter.
And then, he saw something long and slender held in the hand beneath the boy's frail arm. It was a blade. A blade that didn't lose its sharpness even in the darkness, glinting cold.
"…?"
But that blade was far too thin to be a weapon. Yes, like a needle.
"Uninvited guests, then. Not neighbors."
The boy muttered.
At that moment, the boy's face seemed to distort and change in the man's eyes. For just a brief second, the boy became a completely different person. A female swordsman with a face hideously distorted by burns, her eyes flashing with a burning gaze…
Startled, the man swung his axe upward.
But the boy was faster.
"Uh… ack."
The sharp light glinting at the boy's fingertips turned from a point into a line.
Like a needle sewing thread, the tip of the sword pierced through the man.
Swiftly. Very swiftly.