The Emotional Desmond Family
The air around Caliburn grew heavy, as if the sword itself were trembling with emotion. Uuuuung...
I stiffened at the shift in its presence.
"What do you mean by that?"
My voice came out colder than I intended. Caliburn's tone was nothing like the one it had used until now. It carried a note of anger, sharp and icy.
"Did I hear you correctly just now?"
"You heard right. I asked whether you were interested in resurrection."
"Do you even know who I am?"
I folded my hands on my lap and answered in a languid voice.
"That's something we can learn about each other in time."
"Ha?"
"Human relationships are meant to unfold slowly. It's ridiculous to claim you know everything about someone after exchanging a few words."
"Then tell me, Master—do you truly know who I am? What kind of person I was? What I have done?"
Caliburn's voice was blunt, laced with disbelief. It seemed to accept my positive stance on resurrection, yet refused to be swayed by a hastily concocted scheme.
"Moments ago, I told you I was a terrifying person."
"..."
"You said you looked into me, so you must know the title I once carried."
"The Iron-Blooded Monarch..."
"That's right. No matter how strong you are now, you would never have been able to handle the me of the past."
"Hmm..."
I shrugged at Caliburn's aggressive tone.
"You're correct. I wouldn't have been able to handle it."
"..."
"The Iron-Blooded Monarch."
"..."
"A king brought down by the schemes of his own vassals."
"...Watch your tongue."
"How did a greenhouse princess who couldn't even kill a single ant end up with a name like the Iron-Blooded Monarch...?"
I smiled faintly as I looked at Caliburn.
"That's what I'm curious about."
I placed the documents Hans had organized onto the table and regarded the sword, letting the implication hang in the air—that everything about it was written within those pages.
"A few scraps of paper don't mean you know me."
"..."
"But from what I've gathered, you don't seem like such a bad person."
Creak.
A heavy pressure began to radiate from Caliburn's blade. It was clearly displeased. I had touched on its past.
"Do you have any idea how many people I killed?"
"Tens of thousands... perhaps even millions."
"And yet you still want to resurrect me? In the era you live in?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"Ha...?"
"I mean it."
"...I can see you've done your research on me."
"..."
"But you should have known one thing."
"And what would that be?"
"If you try to leash a monarch, you must be prepared to die."
"A leash?"
"Aren't you trying to put a collar on me so you can use my power? Raising a hound you can control at will?"
"Ah..."
I let out a wry laugh at Caliburn's misunderstanding. Given how I must have looked, it wasn't strange for it to see me as some power-hungry villain. Offering to resurrect a demonic sword—especially one once called a monarch in ancient times—would make anyone wary. Suggesting resurrection so soon after meeting... even I would have felt uneasy in its place.
I shook my head and spoke in a low voice to clear up the misunderstanding.
"That's not it."
"No?"
"I simply feel guilty wielding a sword that has its own will..."
"I don't understand what you mean."
"Hmm... Let me put it simply."
"..."
"I'm not insane. Nor do I have the nerve to wield power I can't control."
"Then... you intend to resurrect me and then kill me? To eliminate any future threat?"
"No."
"Then what...?"
"It won't be a complete resurrection. Your power will remain in the sword while your consciousness moves into a new body. Think of it as preparing a vessel for you."
I raised my hands and spread my fingers. One hand represented Caliburn; the other, the new body.
"To put it simply, your power stays in this hand while your sense of self moves to the other."
"..."
"In exchange for gaining a body, you'll lose your strength."
"Is something like that even possible?"
"Nothing is impossible for me."
"...Wouldn't it be easier to use your power while I'm still with you?"
"It's fine."
"If that's the case, you won't gain anything from this, will you? Wouldn't it be better to use me while my ego remains intact...?"
I turned to Caliburn with an awkward smile. The reason I wanted to separate from it was something it could never understand.
"I already told you..."
"Don't hide it—say it clearly...!"
"I feel guilty swinging around a lady."
"Wha...!?"
"I'll probably be doing some rough work from now on. It wouldn't be proper to swing a lady around as I please. That thought keeps bothering me."
"N-no... What are you even...?"
"You heard me. I'm saying I'll separate from you because my conscience bothers me."
"No... That's not... I'm a sword, you know? Even if I have an ego, I'm still just a sword."
"That's the problem."
"There are plenty of swords with egos in this world. The Holy Sword, swords infused with a swordsman's will..."
"Even so, I don't like it."
"Ah..."
Caliburn seemed to have short-circuited. The strange energy pouring from its blade and the way it twisted made me feel as though it was actually embarrassed. I found it oddly endearing that my words had flustered it so much. Honestly, I'd half-expected it to hate the idea.
"To be honest, I thought you'd dislike it. That I was scheming to monopolize your power."
"Well, that's true, but... when you say it like that... even I start feeling strange."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. I don't get it."
I looked at Caliburn seriously and asked for its answer regarding my proposal.
Caliburn replied shyly.
"I don't know..."
"No?"
"It's embarrassing."
?
***
Another peaceful day at the young lady's mansion.
"Ricardooo..."
Olivia, rolling around on her bed, whined at me to play with her. One hand held jerky.
"Chew... chew..."
In her other hand was chocolate. She looked at me while I swept and shouted.
"Stop cleaning and play with me."
"I'll play with you in a bit."
"Eeeek..."
"I'm busy today..."
"Eeeeeeeek..."
"I'll give you another piece of chocolate instead. One as big as your palm."
"My palm...?!"
"Yes."
"Hmph. Then you have to finish cleaning first."
"Understood."
There was only one reason I was cleaning so early in the morning. Important guests were coming to the mansion today.
I'll help with the cleaning too. Bii...
'Black Day Storm...'
"If you clean like that, we'll have a disaster on our hands."
...How disappointing.
Caliburn, having postponed its resurrection, remained in sword form for now. It had said it would give a positive answer once it finished preparing itself mentally, claiming the time wasn't right yet.
And the guests visiting the mansion today were—
The entire Desmond family.
That was why I'd been cleaning the mansion since early morning. Since it would be tight to do alone, Hans and Gomtangi were helping as well.
"Saintess!!! I've finished cleaning the third floor!"
"Then please tidy up the dining table on the first floor as well."
"Glory to the Lord...!"
"That's a bit much..."
Gomtangi was running around diligently with a mop tied to its feet. The floor sparkled in its wake.
Gom!
"Yes, do the first floor too."
Gom?
Thanks to Hans using magic to assist, the mansion cleaning was going much more smoothly. Now all that remained was preparing the food. There was still plenty of time, so if I took it slow, welcoming the guests shouldn't be a problem.
But then—
"Ricardo."
"Yes."
"Father's here."
As always, the guests had arrived far earlier than the mistress of the house had expected. I let go of the broom and turned my stiff neck toward Olivia, who was staring out the window. I wasn't sure I'd heard her correctly.
"They're already here?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Didn't they say they'd arrive around seven? Why so early..."
"I don't know either."
"You must be seeing things."
"No."
Olivia stuck her finger out the window, her expression sullen.
"Father brought the carriage."
"Pardon?"
Startled, I rushed to the window and checked the gate. Seeing nothing there, I let out a sigh of relief.
"You must have seen wrong."
"No, I didn't."
"What?"
"Look over there."
Olivia's finger pointed upward—not at the ground, but at the sky.
'Come on... even so, how could a carriage possibly...'
My eyes trembling, I followed her finger and looked up. Then I let out a hollow laugh at the unbelievable sight before me.
"Uh... uhh...?"
The carriage was flying. And it was moving fast.
"It's not like he's Superman..."
Darvave was holding the carriage up with one hand as he sprinted toward the mansion.
"Sniff... Olivia!!!!"
Tears welled in his eyes as he called out.