From of Old, There Were Two Swords - 4
The fight between Hesha and Lin did not last long.
The two of them simply stood still, glaring at each other.
While I watched with growing suspicion—no clash worth mentioning had occurred—Hesha sheathed her twin swords.
“I never thought the day would come when I’d lose in the sword. What an unspeakable realm…”
“You yourself possess considerable expertise. I was quite surprised.”
Out of nowhere the atmosphere turned warm, and they were praising each other.
Am I the strange one here?
I glanced sideways at Rene’s expression; she too seemed to find the present situation puzzling.
Meanwhile Lin, who had turned her back and returned to my side, resolved our doubts.
“I fought her and came back victorious.”
“You won? To my eyes it looked like you didn’t do a thing.”
“A swordsman who has reached a certain level can wage a virtual duel through breathing, posture, gaze, aura, and the like. Even without moving directly, one can gauge the opponent’s realm and techniques.”
“That was possible…?”
The original Bern might have known, but unfortunately my own attainments were nowhere near that deep.
I had never even heard of such a fighting method, let alone how to perform it.
Compared to the people of this other world, I really had been raised in a greenhouse.
Perhaps because that thought had put a serious look on my face without my noticing, Lin hurriedly spoke up.
“O-of course! Not every swordsman can wage a virtual duel! Those who emphasize practical combat often don’t know how to do it at all…!”
“I see.”
Even though she had done nothing wrong, she was flustered and panicking.
Whenever Lin—who normally kept her composure—got agitated like this, she seemed cute.
I waved a hand, telling her it was fine.
“You don’t have to go out of your way to read my mood. I was just surprised that such a combat method exists in the world.”
“Is that so?”
“And I see it positively in my own way. It means you can end things without bloodshed, right?”
“That’s true, but I’ve heard that at higher levels one can kill the opponent’s mind with a virtual duel alone. Even without bloodshed, it isn’t necessarily safe.”
“What happens if you kill the mind?”
“I’ve never seen it myself, so I can’t say for certain, but I suspect they become listless zombies.”
I thought it might be more merciful just to die.
The fact that no blood needed to be shed had made me consider asking for instruction if I could learn it—but that interest vanished completely.
I cleanly forgot about virtual duels and turned my attention to Hesha.
Having lost to Lin, she leaned her back against her greatsword and quietly watched us.
Exactly as her character setting described: she became obedient before the strong.
The one who had defeated her was Lin, yet would it be all right if I stepped forward to make a proposal?
Half resolved, half worried, I approached Hesha.
“First, let me make this perfectly clear. I know what you’re hiding, but I have absolutely no intention of going around exposing it. The only reason I’m drawing attention by mentioning your secret is to make a deal with you.”
“A deal, is it…”
“It will be a very tempting offer. To the point that you absolutely will not regret hearing it out.”
“Let’s hear just how tempting it is.”
I lifted the corners of my mouth and showed a smile of triumph—as if confidence were overflowing.
“I will lift the curse you are currently suffering.”
I had expected at least a little agitation even if not outright surprise, yet Hesha’s reaction was extremely indifferent.
Her eyes were cold and flat, holding not even a shred of expectation.
Because she was so openly unresponsive, I ended up feeling a bit awkward.
“Cut the jokes. My curse isn’t some trivial thing priests can lift with holy power.”
“I know.”
“What do the likes of you know?”
“I’ve never experienced it myself, but I am well-versed regarding that curse.”
Hesha tore off the eyepatch that had covered her left eye.
It was the moment her secret was laid bare.
Within an iris split left and right in half, pupils torn into multiple branches were visible.
Strange eyes that no living creature possessed.
If it had only been that, it might have been tolerable—but the change began the instant Hesha removed the eyepatch.
Her left arm turned livid and swelled at a terrifying speed.
Bright red spots rose prominently across her face.
The spots crawling upward like a centipede were about to invade even her right eye when—
Hesha put the eyepatch she had removed back on.
Then, as if by magic, the spots vanished cleanly and her arm returned to its original form.
“As you can see, the curse upon me is of a different caliber. Even borrowing the power of artifacts, treatment is impossible; only maintenance of the status quo can be achieved. So how do you claim you will cure it?”
Of course I intended to treat it with the prior knowledge that is the privilege of a possessor.
But since I could not reveal my secret, I needed a suitable excuse to cover it up.
And coincidentally, I had a convenient means of deception.
I raised my right hand and showed Hesha the back of it.
Sacred energy blooming blue—the mark of a believer of Prihart.
“A divine brand, is it…”
“Yes. My patron god bestows the wisdom that can lift your curse.”
In truth, there was no such thing.
Prihart was not a god of medicine or curse-breaking, but the god of ice and freezing.
He would not know a method to lift curses.
Still, it was fine. Because the temple was hidden in the northern snow mountains, his recognition was low.
It was not a slight; that low recognition rather became an advantage.
Even if she knew the brand on the back of my hand was a mark of a believer, she would never know which god.
If I spoke well, even if I said it was the god of ice, to Hesha it could be accepted as a god of wisdom or curse-lifting.
If I claimed my patron god was such a deity, how could she refute it?
“……”
“It seems you still find it hard to believe.”
Hesha said not a single word and maintained her eyes of distrust.
Born in a slum, she had spent a destitute childhood and had even received a curse from trusted comrades.
It would not be strange to call her an icon of distrust.
Unless I showed a miracle right before her eyes, gaining her trust would be difficult.
“Very well. I will resolve that curse within a month. Until then I will demand nothing, so how about entrusting it to me once—taking it as being deceived?”
“You’re telling me to entrust a request to you on the premise of deferred payment?”
“Something like that. Moreover, I will demand compensation befitting the results. If you do not consider it a satisfactory outcome, you need not pay.”
“I have to acknowledge that confidence at least.”
Hesha laughed hollowly as if fed up and shook her head.
It was a habit she had often shown in the novel—an automatic reflex whenever Kang Junhyuk was stubborn or reckless.
A sigh that said she could not stop him, yet on the other hand found it pleasing.
“Fine. Since you’ve come out so boldly, it would be unsightly of me not to accept.”
“You’re accepting my deal?”
“Yeah. But I’ll add one more condition.”
“What is it?”
“Cut off your little finger right now and hand it over. Then I’ll accept the deal.”
In the slums filled with distrust, a finger was more valuable than the tongue.
Asking for the little finger was a pact often seen there.
“I’ll carefully store the severed finger, and on the final day I’ll mobilize a renowned physician to reattach it.”
If I failed to keep the promise, the cut finger would never return.
It meant staking one’s little finger for life on a vow one could not break.
That was why the little finger had become the icon of pacts in the slums.
“You’ve revealed quite a spirited ambition—surely you can at least do this much?”
“Haha…!”
I laughed awkwardly.
From Hesha’s expression as she watched my reaction, disappointment could be felt.
Probably because I had only talked smoothly and failed to show it in action.
But the reason I was hesitating was different.
It was by no means because cutting off my little finger felt burdensome.
“If you’re afraid of cutting it yourself, I’ll help. Or are you a human who even fears cutting a finger? Pathetic.”
“…I’ll cut it.”
Since she had even insulted me from that side, there was no further need to deliberate.
Crack-!
I released a thin, sharp dagger-form current from my index finger.
Without hesitation I brought it to the opposite finger and sliced down.
Blood flowed from the cleanly severed cross-section, and the finger fell.
Hesha snatched the little finger mid-air as it dropped toward the floor.
“I’ve received the token of the pact. With this I will accept your deal, so hurry and stop the bleeding—”
Plop-! Plop-plop-!
“Hmm…?”
Hesha, who had been nodding with her eyes closed, opened them at the sound of objects continuously falling onto the blood puddle.
The identity of the objects was severed fingers—my little finger, which I was cutting and dropping each time it regenerated.
“Hahaha! My little finger can be copied!”
I am invincible, and a troll’s regeneration is divine.
I’ll string the cut little fingers together and make you a set of anal beads.
When I said that as a joke to counter her provocation, Hesha’s face turned deathly pale.
It was exactly the reaction I had hoped for, so it was thrilling.
“Master, if it is all right with you, please do mine as well!”
“Huh…?”