'Finally, I can leave this godforsaken fortress city.'

With the incident wrapped up,
we were practically driven out of Esther under the excuse of the upcoming monster wave.
Though we did have a minor issue of having destroyed part of the city’s fortress wall,
it actually gave Esther the opportunity for overdue repairs after centuries, so they benefited in the end.

So, it wasn't our fault.
At least, that’s what I decided to believe.

"Master, I’ll stay behind in the fortress city. Since we caused damage to the wall, it’s only right for me to help with the defense in that area—"
"Shut up and get in the carriage."
"What? B-But, Master! Please, let me fight! I beg you…!"

I shoved Sylvia, who was looking back longingly at the fortress city, into the carriage.
Though it didn’t seem like she was putting up much of a struggle, it took all my strength, and I almost collapsed from exhaustion.
Once inside, she sat quietly but stared at me with a sulky expression.

"What are you so unhappy about? Speak up."
"This was my new sword's first chance for a real battle debut. But I missed it entirely…"
"That’s your own fault. If you’d just drawn it beforehand, this wouldn’t have happened."
"Arghhh!"

Sylvia bit her lip in frustration, practically wailing.
Instead of feeling relieved that there was no fight, she was disappointed.
I couldn’t understand it at all.
Are all swordsmen like this?

"I am your bodyguard, Master. I should be relieved that I had no reason to draw my sword…"
"But you’re still disappointed, aren’t you? Go ahead, draw it. I want to see it too."
"Oh! You wanted to see it? You should’ve said so earlier!"

Her face brightened instantly as she stood up with excitement.
Sylvia finished tearing off the leather wrapping and was just about to fully draw the sword when…

"Huh!? Why won’t it come out…?"
"What on earth are you doing?"
"This is strange. There’s nothing blocking it, but it won’t budge, almost as if it’s fixed in place…"
"Let me have a go."

The leather wrapping was simple.
Given Sylvia’s strength, there was no reason she couldn’t tear it, and it didn’t seem to be sticking with any strong adhesive.
Watching her struggle with the sword, she looked like she was performing a mime act.
Finally, my patience wore out, and I reached for the sword myself.

"This is easy."
"Huh…?"

Sching.
The sword slipped smoothly out of the wrapping without any resistance in my hand.
I looked at Sylvia in disbelief, and she stared back with a stunned expression.
What had she been struggling with? Just as I was thinking that…

"Ugh! Light!?"
"Master! Get back!"

The blade began to emit light,
an intense flash so bright it filled my entire vision with white, making it impossible to see anything.
Was it about to explode!?

Sylvia, startled, tried to pull me away from the sword.
But then, in an instant, the sword’s silhouette wavered,
and in the blink of an eye, it was absorbed into my chest and disappeared.

"Uh…?"

And that was it.
The blinding light that had filled the area faded, as if nothing had happened.

Blink, blink.
Sylvia and I stared at each other, momentarily dumbfounded.

"The sword is embedded in your chest, Master!!! Let me… let me pull it out!"
"Hey, hey, how are you going to pull it out?"
"I’ll have to cut your chest open…"
"That’ll kill me!"
"Oh, oh! What should I do?"

Sylvia raised her hand, prepared to slice open my chest, but then dropped it and slumped down.
The sword that had been right in front of us was gone.
Though I couldn’t see clearly due to the bright flash,
it was certain that Sylvia’s sword had been absorbed into my body.

"How… how are you feeling? You don’t feel like you’ve been stabbed or anything?"
"Strangely enough, I feel fine."
"That… that can’t be…"

“There’s nothing we can do for now. We’ll return to Vermont and ask Jacob exactly what kind of sword he made.”
"Understood, Master…"

After some effort, I managed to pull Sylvia’s hands off me.
What a bizarre feeling.
It was her sword, yet it got absorbed by me?
Maybe when I touched it, the sword recognized me as its master?

Curious, I pressed my hand against my chest, half expecting it to draw out like a normal sword…
but nothing happened.

I had no idea what was going on.
Since there was no immediate pain, finding out the cause of this strange phenomenon was the priority.
Just as Sylvia went to fetch a spare sword from the carriage to replace the one she lost, it happened.

"Huh?"

Whirr!
The sword she picked up slipped out of her grip, tumbling to the ground.
Did her hand slip?
When she tried to grab it again, the sword pushed away from her as if repelled by a magnet.

"What… what’s happening?"
"Try another weapon."
"It’s the same with everything! Every weapon slips out as soon as I touch it…!"

Swords, daggers, spears—every weapon jumped out of her hands the moment she touched it.
As Sylvia looked at her hands in bewilderment, she glanced at me, then widened her eyes as if realizing something.

"Master, I think I understand."
"What is it? Speak from a distance."
"This strange phenomenon started after you touched that peculiar sword and the light flashed. It must be the cause, right?"
"I agree with that…"
"Please open your mouth, Master. I need to retrieve the sword from your body to end this odd effect."
"Hey, hey! Don’t do th—mmph!?"
"Please stay still. This is all for your sake. Just count the stars in the sky, and it’ll be over in no time."
"Noooo!!!"

Sylvia pinned me down swiftly, holding me so I couldn’t move.
Then, she tried to stick her hand into my mouth to reach down my throat.
What kind of crazy idea was this!?
A sword embedded in the body isn’t going to come out through the throat!

This is grounds for a demotion.
Absolutely a demotion.
As I was steeling myself for that,
Sylvia’s hand grasped something in my mouth and pulled it out.

"Huh?"
"...?"

Sching.
The long sword slid out of my mouth smoothly, and as soon as Sylvia released it,
it transformed into a flash and was reabsorbed into my chest.
Both of us were left speechless.

"Master… It seems I can only use the sword within your body now…"
"..."

…Well, that’s just great.
Alright, I’ve made my decision.
As soon as we get back, I’m grabbing Jacob by the collar.

"Get off me. You’re heavy, with your uselessly big hips."
"What!? How could you say that to a lady…!"

"What? There’s a blacksmith in the Vermont territory who works with mana-fired power? No way! Only a handful of people in the Empire can handle mana-powered fire…"
"Hehe! It’s true! There’s a huge forge with a super-strong flame that burns all day long! And there’s even a Great Spirit in the Vermont territory!"
"A-A Great Spirit!?"

Inside the carriage,
Merilda gasped in awe as she sat across from Charlotte and Yulia.
From what they said, there was a massive Great Spirit serving as a mascot in the Vermont territory,
and swords coated with mana-powered fire were produced daily like ordinary weapons.
Not to mention, the Vermont Security Company boasted hundreds of skilled individuals.

It sounded too incredible to be true.
Were they teasing her just because she was from the remote Esther?
It didn’t seem that way, though.
Merilda’s desire to visit Vermont territory was growing.

'They’ve become such good friends already.'

Watching from a slightly distant seat, Yuri smiled.
With Aslan and Sylvia in another carriage, having given up their seats,
the children-only carriage was lively and buzzing.

It seemed they had already grown close in no time.
But shouldn’t they at least speak more politely to the princess?
Not that Merilda seemed to mind...

"Yulia, you live in the capital, right?"
"Yes, I’m attending the Imperial Magic Academy."
"Balancing work and studies is so impressive… Could you show me around the academy someday? I’d love to see the school you attend."
"Of course. Just let me know in advance, and I’ll clear my schedule."

Sliding closer, Merilda leaned her head on Yuri’s shoulder.
Charlotte and Yulia, taken aback, looked at her in disbelief.
A dainty voice, polite language, and even a bit of a coo… just for Yuri?

"She’s a g—"
"Hold it in, Charlotte."
"Ugh…!"

Charlotte was itching to reveal that Yuri was a girl!
She was practically bursting with the urge.
Charlotte shook with frustration, while Yulia desperately covered her mouth to keep her quiet.

"So, what is Count Vermont really like? I’ve only heard rumors of a savage man with horrible tastes, someone cruel and reckless… But the Count I met was nothing like that. Though I did almost mistake him because of his gloomy appearance…"
"There’s nothing wrong with Aslan’s app—"
"Y-Yulia! Control yourself!"

Yulia nearly snapped, ready to vent her frustration,
but Charlotte quickly covered her mouth to stop her.
Sure, he might seem dark and brooding, but he actually looks quite good once you get used to it!

In fact, he even looks rather handsome with his eyes closed.
Yet, people spoke so recklessly about him without truly knowing him, and Yulia felt her anger rise.

"I must have had many misunderstandings. Would you clear up my misconceptions?"
"..."

Merilda sat up attentively, ready to listen,
while Yuri, though seeming indifferent, was secretly all ears.
Charlotte and Yulia exchanged glances.

'Yes, this is our chance.'

A perfect opportunity to clear Yuri’s misunderstandings about Aslan.
Both of their mouths opened at once.

"Aslan is actually…"