[Si-woo, you really hate staying at home, huh?]

“It’s no fun being in a house with no one around. I prefer wandering outside to watching  TV or browsing the internet.”

Yoon Si-woo replied to Lucy as he walked down the street.

It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

Yoon Si-woo grew up as an orphan.

It’s not that he didn’t know what his parents looked like.

He had a few photos of his parents holding him when he was a baby, and faint memories of their faces lingered in his mind.

However, his parents, who were heroes, crossed a river from which they could never return, leaving him behind as a child.

Yoon Si-woo spent his childhood in an orphanage that took care of the children of heroes who had fallen in battle.

People generously provided support for the children of heroes who died fighting for them, and the caregivers treated the children with love.

Thanks to that, the orphanage’s children grew up bright and lively, despite having no parents.

Si-woo never felt any discomfort living that way.

However, there was one thing he had always desired since he was young.

He was curious about what a “real” family felt like.

The adults in the orphanage treated him as if he were their own child, but when he reached a certain age, he had to leave their side.

That wasn’t quite the image of a real family that he had envisioned.

Of course, if he said this, the adults at the orphanage would be saddened, so he suppressed these thoughts quietly.

As for the other kids? Speaking to them about it seemed impossible, especially with the girls from the orphanage competing with each other, claiming that Si-woo would marry them when they grew up.

If he said he wanted a real family, it would undoubtedly spark an all-out war.

Si-woo’s dilemma was resolved one early morning shortly after he turned eight.

At a time when everyone was asleep, he felt a strange connection to something.

Curious about this peculiar sensation, Si-woo cautiously asked, “Who are you?”

In that moment, a sword appeared before his eyes.

A sword so pure and spotless, Si-woo instinctively knew that it was the source of his connection.

[Kid, you have an interesting ability. I’m in a good mood, so I shall grant you a wish. I can offer you great power or endless riches. Now, speak. What do you desire?]

A sweet female voice spoke.

Si-woo realized that the sword before him was talking to him.

He recalled a fairy tale he had read not long ago.

A genie from a lamp who grants wishes.

Thinking of the wish he had considered while reading that tale, he made his request to the sword.

“Well then, could you become my family?”

People eventually die.

Like his parents who left him behind.

Si-woo dreamed of a family that wouldn’t leave him alone.

Unlike humans, a genie does not die.

He believed that the sword before him wouldn’t die either.

That’s why he asked the sword to become his family.

[…… How intriguing. Truly an unexpected answer. I can’t take back what I said, so it’s only right for me to grant it.]

The sword drew closer to Si-woo’s face.

Feeling a bit taken aback but soon regaining his calm, the sword spoke in a soothing voice.

[Kid, let’s make a contract. I don’t know what shape your desired family takes, but I will stay by your side until the day you no longer need me. Is that acceptable to you?]

“Yes. And I’m not a kid; my name is Yoon Si-woo.”

[Very well, Si-woo. I am… the Holy Sword of Humility. If you wish to form a contract, grasp me.]

As the sword, which referred to itself as the Holy Sword of Humility, spoke, Si-woo reached out his hand. Just before it touched the sword, he asked:

“By the way, ‘Holy Sword of Humility’ is a bit long, don’t you have a shorter name?”

[A name… In that case]

[Call me Lucy.]

Si-woo’s little hand grasped the sword.

A pure white light flowed from his hand, enveloping his body.

When the light that had covered him faded, his once-black hair and left eye were dyed a pure white, as if the light had nestled itself within them.

That day, Yoon Si-woo became family with Lucy, the Holy Sword of Humility.

From then on, Lucy became an inseparable part of Si-woo’s life.

She became his swordsmanship teacher, helping him fulfill his dream of becoming a hero like his parents. After Si-woo left the orphanage at the age of 15, she revealed locations of hidden ruins, assisting him in acquiring new holy swords.

Si-woo would not have been able to enroll in the academy without Lucy’s help.

With the money he earned from selling some treasures from the ruins, Si-woo bought a country house not too far from the academy, where he was currently living.

With Lucy always by his side, he did not feel lonely; however, the large house he had bought for an expensive price sometimes made him long for human warmth when he lay around doing nothing. Thus, Si-woo developed a fondness for wandering outside.

Long ago, cities built by great archmages who wanted to create safe havens for people were peaceful within their magical barriers.

Walking down the street, you could see people smiling.

Just seeing those smiles made Si-woo feel good.

He thought those smiles were worth the sacrifices made by countless heroes, and he could somewhat understand why his parents made such a choice.

As he remembered running low on groceries, Si-woo headed to the supermarket.

Throwing some items he spotted into his cart, he saw a girl with red hair entering the supermarket.

It was Scarlett Evande, a classmate.

[Oh, why not go say hi?]

Lucy said to Si-woo in a teasing voice.

Mustering a silent reprimand to Lucy to be quiet, Si-woo naturally approached Scarlett and greeted her.

Scarlett merely nodded slightly without saying anything.

She had always been a bit cold to him, so Si-woo pondered what to say to keep the conversation going.

He recalled a phrase he had seen in a childhood book, “Compliments can make even whales dance.”

While he didn’t expect her to dance, he thought she wouldn’t mind receiving a compliment.

“Scarlett, you’re a devoted daughter, huh?”

“I don’t have parents.”

Boom!

And he stepped on a landmine.

Si-woo felt his mind go blank.

He knew well how hurtful it could be to bring up parents in front of someone who had none.

Therefore, he immediately apologized with as much regret as possible.

“Don’t worry about it; we’re both in the same boat, right?”

Scarlett responded flatly.

He was taken aback.

He didn’t recall ever telling anyone he didn’t have parents.

Had he ever mentioned he didn’t have any?

When Yoon Si-woo asked himself that, Scarlett replied as if it were obvious.

“It just seems that way.”

Her remark was so matter-of-fact that he unconsciously responded, “Really?”

The Holy Sword of Truth indicated that she was indeed speaking the truth.

In a state of confusion, she waved her hand dismissively, signaling him to back off.

He exited the supermarket without resolving his confusion.

On the way home, Yoon Si-woo pondered how she had figured it out.

From the first time he saw her, he thought she was a particularly observant kid.

Didn’t she realize he had a high-level illusion magic that he, with the Holy Sword of Radiance, couldn’t pierce? Hadn’t she noticed he could see through her illusions, leading her to punch him for peeping at her while she was undressing?

Perhaps, being parentless herself, she could instinctively recognize other parentless individuals.

While thinking this, Lucy spoke as if lamenting.

[Love truly makes people stupid……]

Stupid? Yoon Si-woo couldn’t grasp Lucy’s words.

The following day, after having lunch, Yoon Si-woo walked down the street just like any other day.

With the enhanced senses granted by the Holy Sword, he quickly hid behind a building when he spotted a familiar splash of red in his field of vision.

He wasn’t quite sure why he was acting that way, but for some reason, he couldn’t muster the courage to approach her.

It might have been due to the blunder he made yesterday.

As he thought about this, Lucy said in a somewhat exasperated tone.

[Si-woo… do you realize how much of a creep you look right now?]

“Shut up, Lucy.”

Si-woo shot back at Lucy and peeked out again to catch a glimpse of Scarlett.

Now that he thought about it, it was the first time he saw her in casual clothes.

Yesterday, she had come shopping in her school uniform.

Her long hair, flowing down to her waist, fluttered in the breeze.

Wearing a long skirt that reached her ankles and a cardigan, she looked more mature than the other girls her age, dressed modestly without revealing any skin.

His heart began to race a little faster than usual.

Just as he was about to lean forward to speak to her, he noticed her eyes were red.

Thump!

His racing heart sank.

Si-woo recalled their earlier conversation.

Though she had spoken casually, perhaps she had actually been hurt.

He envisioned her weeping alone in an empty house, searching for her parents.

The body he was about to extend retracted back.

It felt hard for him to face her.

Si-woo only began to move again once Scarlett had drifted out of sight.

He naturally followed her.

Lucy called out to him with a sorrowful voice, [Si-woo…], but he didn’t understand why he was acting this way.

Yoon Si-woo observed Scarlett helping an elderly lady carry her shopping bags.

He could sense kindness in her steps as she adjusted her pace to match the old lady’s.

Even as he trailed behind her, his steps slowed, yet his heart raced faster than before.

After escorting the grandma to her destination, Scarlett walked toward a nearby park and sat down on a bench.

Si-woo kept his distance while watching her.

As she slowly scanned the people in the park, his attention was drawn to a family, a couple smiling at their playing children.

After staring at them for a while, Scarlett stretched her hands toward the sky and lifted her head.

“Maybe I’m not meant to exist in this world…”

Her sorrowful voice pierced Si-woo’s ears.

The Holy Sword of Truth’s revelation felt unbearably heavy on him.

It’s true.

While he too was without parents, he had Lucy.

But unlike him, she might have spent her entire life alone.

The realization that he couldn’t empathize with her emotions caused his heart to ache so much.

And that was why.

He instinctively made a sound while observing her wiping her reddened eyes.

Had she noticed him?

She turned her gaze in his direction, startled, and ran off toward somewhere.

His heart ached painfully.

Placing his hand on his pounding chest, Si-woo forced a bitter smile.

He had been trying to deny it, but now he couldn’t any longer.

What ached in his heart was,

It was undoubtedly the feeling of affection.