Chapter 64
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 64
Translation: godsn
Yurien recalled how she had looked just before turning pale and retreating. The way her face had flushed crimson, eyes sparkling brightly, right after his confession. That inevitable flutter of emotion spreading through him like ink bleeding across paper.
"Is there a possibility?"
His murmur was met with a response. A voice of indeterminate gender and age resonated through his soul. It was the Holy Sword Langiosa.
[You just want to believe there is, don't you? As I've said countless times, your thoughts go awry whenever she's involved. Don't jump to conclusions.]
"How does it seem to you? Am I just deluding myself?"
Yurien stepped over the remains of the Black Giant as he approached the unconscious villager lying at the center, posing his question. After a brief silence, the holy sword answered in a reluctant tone.
[I've never seen anything good come from meddling in human romance.]
"Romance... Is that what this is?"
[I don't know what the Magic Sword's host is thinking, but you're definitely in that territory. So don't ask me.]
"You've already meddled."
Yurien retorted with slightly flushed cheeks. The two syllables of "romance" had nearly made him lose his composure. Rubbing his forehead with a sigh, he checked on the unconscious instigator—the man was unharmed, merely unconscious. As Yurien carried him to where the other villagers were gathered, the holy sword protested.
[That wasn't meddling, that was me giving proper advice as Giosa. I'd rather avoid a situation where you commit crimes and render me unusable. And since you seem giddy over this romance talk, let me advise you—pursuing someone who rejects you isn't righteous behavior.]
Yurien glanced down at the petticoat fabric still wrapped around his arm and shook his head slightly.
"She doesn't dislike me."
[...Even if she doesn't dislike you, there's such a thing as proper boundaries.]
"Do you think I lack that much self-control?"
He frowned. The sword snorted.
[Then be honest. If you judged there was a possibility this woman might return your feelings, what exactly were you planning to do?]
"If she..."
His words trailed off as he stepped through the flames toward the completely collapsed shelter. If she wanted him. The mere thought was maddening. His steps faltered, nearly making him stumble into the fire. The holy sword clicked its tongue at the sight. Cooling his burning cheeks with his hand, Yurien answered.
"If she wants me... I would obtain her by any means necessary."
[Any means?]
The sword questioned with clear discomfort. Yurien remained silent. With a pained groan, the sword muttered as if to itself.
[I'm certain the Magic Sword's host said she wouldn't sacrifice her peace even for what she desires.]
"I have no intention of destroying her peace. Everything would be my—"
Yurien stopped mid-sentence, his eyes darkening. A realization had surfaced mid-speech. A way to keep her without abandoning her in his current circumstances. A way to have her without disrupting her life. A way to seize control from the noose of his brothers and father. A method his former self would have found unimaginable. He whispered like a groan.
"Yes... That would do it."
He stood motionless, lost in thought. Langiosa muttered uneasily.
[If you're going to discard me, say it outright. Just don't commit evil deeds.]
"Evil deeds? You have too little faith in your master."
[If not for her, you'd still be the worry-free master you always were. Among all the wielders I've known, you rank near the top. But lately... I can't trust you.]
Instead of arguing, Yurien gave a faint smile and resumed walking. Pushing aside the wreckage of the collapsed shelter, he stepped inside.
The starting point remained exactly where it had been initially—a long, scar-like fissure hanging in the air. Leaning against a tilted pillar while gazing at it, he was addressed again by the holy sword.
[Sometimes I regret showing you those memories. You weren't this bad before seeing them.]
"The result would have been the same regardless—just slower."
[How can you be so certain?]
"Because I... can't let go. Even knowing better, this attachment remains. It keeps surfacing, impossible to forget. Sooner or later, I would have ended up here regardless."
His eyes lowered. Memories flashed by—from their first meeting to now. Langiosa spoke with a sigh-laden voice.
[Alright, alright, I get it. Just... don't go astray.]
"I'll try."
[Since when does trying come into this? You said I lacked trust in you as my owner...]
"...Earlier, you asked if I might lose control. To be honest, I don't know."
His senses picked up Echinacea's presence. Yurien lifted his head. She was approaching, carrying a small girl in her arms as she navigated around the flames, followed closely by an elderly man trembling in fear. The sharpness in Yurien's gaze softened as he watched her. He murmured under his breath,
"Everything changed completely after I met her... I don't even know what will become of me anymore."
Divine Era 1629, June 1st—The emergence of the Elgiosa Owner, the Saintess, was officially announced.
The Saintess was a twelve-year-old girl from the Sol tribe, who had been living in Goth Village in the eastern part of the empire with her mother, a fellow Sol tribeswoman and diviner.
At the time, a plague had swept through the village, claiming many lives. The Saintess's mother had also fallen ill, but the villagers, blaming them for bringing the curse, had driven them out. After her mother died without proper treatment, the Saintess inherited her mother's talisman—a dagger.
That dagger turned out to be the long-lost Elgiosa. As soon as she became its owner, the Saintess healed those afflicted by the plague. Yet, due to the strange nature of her healing and the fact that she had remained silent until the last moment, the villagers branded her a witch who had spread the plague to bewitch them and attempted to burn her at the stake.
Yurien de Harden Kyrie, leader of the Azure Sky Knights, and his squire, Echinacea Roaz, rescued the Saintess just before her execution. She was later placed under the care of the Great Temple of Agenka.
During this incident, the Azure Sky Knights relayed to the Magic Tower a method of dismantling spatial nodes using the concepts of Giosa and starting points. This breakthrough propelled the Magic Tower into a new phase of node research, and in return, they paid a substantial price in information to the Azure Sky Knights.
Prologue II
The Holy Sword Langiosa held secrets known only to its successive owners.
First, Langiosa was always in an awakened state.
Second, Langiosa's owner gained an ability called True Sight, allowing them to perceive the essence of others—something close to their very soul.
Langiosa would only accept an owner who had committed no evil deeds, and the moment its owner committed wickedness, they would lose their qualification.
Unlike most Giosa, where the conditions for ownership and awakening were separate, for Langiosa, they were one and the same. As a result, Langiosa had remained awake longer than any other Giosa, save for the Divine Sword.
[Because I must inform my owner whether their intended actions align with justice. And granting my owners the ability to see others' true nature is to aid them in making righteous judgments.]
When Yurien first grasped Langiosa, the sword explained its perpetual wakefulness in those terms.
[Well, committing even a single evil deed would strip one of ownership. Wouldn't it be unfair if someone unknowingly did wrong? At the very least, they deserve a warning before acting. So I advise them, and beyond my counsel, I provide True Sight so they may judge for themselves. It's a fair ability in many ways.]
The Holy Sword, in its familiar manner, explained its power and purpose to its new owner. Then, as an afterthought, it added:
[My sentience, and True Sight—until now, all my owners have kept these two things secret. They only revealed them to their closest companions or their squires. I'd prefer if you kept it hidden as well.]
The reason for the secrecy quickly became clear.
True Sight, granted upon becoming Langiosa's owner, revealed the essence of all others—whether they were good or evil, harboring ill intent, or even if they committed wicked acts with ostensibly good intentions. It was akin to seeing into their very soul.
If it became known that the Holy Sword's owner could perceive others' true nature, people would grow deeply wary of him. Especially hypocrites—they would go to great lengths to avoid revealing their true selves in his presence.
The Holy Sword was not like Elgiosa, a blade of pure mercy. Langiosa was forged from human duty and justice—and that justice encompassed the punishment and judgment of evil. To judge, one must always confront wickedness. Evil must not hide or flee. That was why Langiosa's owners had always kept True Sight a secret.
And Yurien, newly anointed as the Holy Sword's owner, upheld that secrecy as well.