The Master of the Holy Sword -1-
In front of the temple where the Holy Sword slept, I stood atop the corpses of cultists guarding the entrance and nodded at Rowen and Yuria following behind me.
"Looks like we've cleaned up most of it."
"You're fast."
"I thought at least one Apostle would be guarding the door, but since there wasn't, we finished quickly."
"I thought the same."
"...You really don't hand out compliments easily, do you?"
"No."
"...Shall we head inside then? It seems the Archbishops have all retreated, and the Apostles are probably inside."
Rowen nodded and shot me a glare.
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"I didn't get the chance to point this out earlier because things were hectic."
"...Yes?"
"What exactly did you say to my daughter?"
When Rowen's sharp gaze turned on me, I scratched my head with an awkward smile.
"The moon... looked quite beautiful."
"..."
"..."
"I'll let it slide for now."
I nearly died. Escaping an unintended danger, I cleared my throat and began explaining the plan.
"As I mentioned before, we'll split into two teams to enter the temple."
"..."
"Mikhail and I will be one team. Yuria and you, Rowen, will form the other."
"...Understood."
"The reason is..."
"Splitting into two teams will let us find the Holy Sword faster. You paired Yuria with Mikhail in case we fail to earn the sword's recognition."
"...That's right."
I gave Rowen an awkward smile as he accurately read my intentions.
"How did you know?"
"It was obvious."
"You're quite sharp."
Rowen let out a dry laugh and nodded.
"Then let's get moving. It would be troublesome if those bastards find it first."
"You're right about that."
I nodded with a small smile and stopped at the fork leading underground.
"We'll take the right path."
"Then I'll go left."
—Tap.
"Stay alive."
"Likewise. Ah, and Yuria!"
Yuria, who had been extremely tense, flinched and turned around at the sound of her name.
"...Yes!?"
I smiled at her.
"Sorry we can't go together."
"N-no, it's fine!"
"The Knight Commander is stronger than me, so don't be too nervous. Give it your all."
Yuria clenched her fists and nodded.
"Yes...!"
—Tap. Tap.
"Shall we go too?"
I watched Yuria and Rowen disappear down the left path before turning to Mikhail. She nodded firmly, clenching her fists.
"Yes...!"
The echoes of our footsteps in the temple carried all the way underground. The temple's structure was far more complex and vast than described in the novel. Worn armor that had lost its luster lined the underground walls, and every knight in platinum armor held a sword in hand.
'Taking even one of these would fetch a fortune, but we'd get caught if we stole them.'
As I eyed the armor with regret, I noticed Mikhail fidgeting with her fingers and teased her bluntly.
"They look expensive."
"...Yes?"
"Those suits of armor. Not just one—every single one looks like it's made of platinum... Should we steal one on the way back?"
"...Should we?"
Mikhail looked at me suspiciously, then nodded as if anything I said was fine.
"Puhaha! I'm joking. Taking something like that would bring bad luck."
"...Ah. Then I suppose we'll have to resist the temptation."
"Exactly. Imagine getting haunted by ghosts in your dreams after stealing one. What a headache that would be."
"...Right."
I offered Mikhail a light greeting as she mumbled to herself. I hadn't been able to speak with her earlier because things had been too hectic.
"Nothing happened while I was away, right?"
"Yes...? Ah... Yes. I've been well."
"That's good to hear."
"What about you, Ricardo? Have you been well?"
"Yes, I've been healthy as usual."
I smiled at Mikhail's shy, awkward reply. She still seemed unsure how to act around me. Since we had plenty of time before reaching the Holy Sword's resting place, I started chatting to pass the time.
"This is the first time we've met since that day, isn't it?"
"...Yes."
"We were supposed to meet for sword lessons, but running into each other like this feels a bit awkward."
"..."
I glanced around the wide space and casually asked,
"Mikhail."
"..."
"Do you prefer being called Misa, or would you rather I use Mikhail?"
"...Ah."
"I've been wondering about it for a while. We introduced ourselves, but I wasn't sure which name you'd prefer."
Mikhail glanced at me nervously before answering with difficulty.
"I..."
"Yes."
"I'd like it if you called me Misa."
"Is that so?"
"Ah... That! That...!"
Mikhail flailed her hands like something had broken, then lowered her head and let out a hot sigh.
"Only when we're alone. Please call me Misa only when it's just the two of us. The others don't know I'm a woman..."
Oh. I laughed as I watched Mikhail's face turn red. How flustered must she be to blush that much? Thinking she might explode if I teased her more, I chuckled and nodded.
"Then, Misa."
"...Yes."
"As you wish, I'll call you 'Misa' when we're alone."
"Good..."
We continued chatting as we made our way deeper underground. We talked about how I became Olivia Desmond's butler, how she ended up at the academy—stories we hadn't shared before—easing the tension between us.
"So... Olivia saved you?"
"That's right."
"..."
"She may not look it, but she's my savior."
"Your savior..."
"She can be difficult and throws tantrums sometimes, but she's a kind person. Hard to believe, right?"
"...Yes."
"I understand."
"Honestly, I can't believe it. Olivia being a good person... Honestly."
"Puhaha! I get that feeling. If I hadn't seen her from the beginning, I wouldn't have known either."
I changed the subject and asked Mikhail another question. We were getting closer to the Holy Sword's location. From the waves I felt, it seemed no cultists were nearby—they were probably wandering the temple's complex maze. If they tried to force their way through—
—Swish.
The displayed armor wouldn't have stayed still. I stretched and asked Mikhail, as if inquiring about her thoughts before becoming the Holy Sword's master.
"This might come out of nowhere, but..."
"Yes."
"Who do you think will pull out the Holy Sword, Misa?"
"...The Holy Sword?"
"Yes. Since we've come all the way to the temple where it sleeps, I figured I'd speculate a bit."
Mikhail looked at me silently before answering shyly.
"I think... Lee Min-hyuk will..."
"Just call me Ricardo."
"Yes... I think Ricardo will become the Holy Sword's master."
"...What? Me?"
"Yes. There's no one as kind and pure-hearted as Ricardo."
"Your judgment of people seems quite off, doesn't it?"
Objectively speaking, it was strange for me—the master of the demonic sword—to become the Holy Sword's wielder. Besides, I'd barely managed to tame Tyrving, so trying to handle its opposite would probably be troublesome. It wasn't exactly a welcome opportunity. At my reluctant reaction, Mikhail smiled shyly and asked,
"Then who do you think will become its master, Ricardo? The kind-hearted Yuria? Or do you think the Knight Commander will pull it out?"
"Hmm... Well."
I looked at Mikhail and said,
"I don't think anyone but you, Misa, could become its master."
"...What? Me?"
Mikhail's eyes widened in surprise as she shook her head in denial.
"No. How could I possibly..."
"No, where else would you find someone as kind as you? Giving everything away like a pushover,"
"..."
"Getting beaten like a neighborhood punching bag."
"..."
"Falling for scams."
"...Stop!"
"Puhahaha! I'm joking."
I smiled faintly as I looked at the tattered Mikhail. It was amusing to see the Holy Sword's future master lacking confidence. Without revealing my true thoughts, I smiled gently and said,
"Honestly, the Knight Commander and I are people who've already been dirtied beyond repair. We've shed plenty of blood and swung our swords for selfish reasons."
"...No. You're both incredibly capable people."
"Nah... Up close, we're just tragedies."
"..."
"Personally, I think there's no one kinder than you, Misa. Setting aside past emotions and looking at you as one human to another."
"..."
"If you became the Holy Sword's master, you wouldn't misuse it. You'd use it well. Isn't that what the Holy Sword would want?"
Mikhail's face flushed at the repeated praise, and she lowered her head, unsure what to do. I patted her head and walked forward, picturing the scene from the novel in my mind—and thinking of the hardships that awaited her.
"No matter what happens, you mustn't waver."
I pressed onward.
*
At the same time, deep underground in the temple, three Apostles moved in silence. Their long hemp robes dragged across the floor, dirtying them, and the rustling sound only made their silence more ominous.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The Apostle of Temperance, who had been maintaining the silence, spoke heavily.
"Apostle of Benevolence."
"..."
"How do you find life as an Apostle?"
The Apostle of Benevolence clicked her tongue at the human language reaching her ears and showed her displeasure.
"A sullen woman."
"..."
"For someone so sullen, you seem rather useless."
At the sarcastic remark, the Apostle of Benevolence stopped walking and snapped,
"Shut up, human."
"...Whoa, whoa. Calm down."
"We're only working together for the greater cause. I'm not holding hands with filthy humans."
"Of course. But it's hard to give a good evaluation to a failure who couldn't even damage the enemy forces."
The Apostle of Temperance smiled faintly and glanced at Elysia, who remained silent.
"Isn't that right, Gentleness?"
"..."
"No one handles tasks as thoroughly as the Apostle of Gentleness, but it's a shame. Of course, you recently failed due to an unfortunate incident, but judging by results alone, there's much to learn from you. As if your life depended on it. Haha!!"
"..."
There was a sting in the Apostle of Temperance's words. Stay faithful to your duties. Elysia answered without even glancing at him.
"Focus on finding the Holy Sword, Temperance."
"..."
"It seems intruders have entered."
"..."
The Apostle of Temperance let out a long sigh and spoke in a low voice.
"We'll have to split up and move separately."
The Apostle of Temperance fiddled with the pocket watch in his hand, wary of the variable Elysia represented. And then—
"I didn't expect to run into you here."
Rowen and Yuria came face to face with an Apostle.