"Hehehe..."
"Over there..."
"Why are you calling me?"
"Master, that... your laugh is very disturbing to hear. Could you please calm down?"
"..."

Sylvia had been fidgeting nervously like a dog with an upset stomach for quite a while.
After a pause, the words she spoke were a bit much.
This girl... it seems like she’s been itching for a pay cut more and more lately, acting like this...

But since I was in a particularly good mood today, I decided to let it slide.

"You’re talking like this in front of your master? I guess now that your pay cut is about to end and the salary is about to be paid, your mouth is itching, huh?"
"No, I... I’m just feeling a certain discomfort. I apologize."

[The Demon God 'Kali' nods in agreement, saying she too can’t stand it.]

What’s the problem?
All I did was coat the contract I made with Yulia in transparent wax, seal it in an envelope that blocks light and mana, and put it in the safe where the Vermont family’s confidential documents are kept.
I’m just doing what I should, yet it feels like I’m being wronged.

"Why are you keeping a contract that’s disadvantageous to the master so carefully?"
"What does it matter? The fact that Yulia said she likes me and that she’s afraid I won’t wait for her because of her age is written right here. Whenever she tries to deny it later, I’ll just pull this out and show her."
"Ugh..."

Why am I keeping it?
It seems Sylvia doesn’t understand the value of this contract. I couldn’t help but get frustrated.

Sure, on the surface, it looks like a regular contract with the proper format and signatures.
But if you look closely, it’s full of loopholes and open to dozens, maybe even hundreds, of interpretations.
It wouldn’t be hard to make it a perfect contract with careful scrutiny.
But if I did that, I wouldn’t have been able to get everything written on the spot, and Yulia probably wouldn’t have fully understood the terms.

But the important thing is not whether the contract has legal effect.
What matters is that it clearly records Yulia saying that she likes me, that she wants to marry me in the future, but she’s afraid I won’t wait for her because she’s too young.
Honestly, I could erase everything else, and it wouldn’t matter, because that part is what’s important.

It’s such a simple reason.
Yet Sylvia, unable to understand even that, just stared at me in shock.
Why... why is she looking at me like that?

Lately, she’s been doing things I don’t like on purpose.

"Sylvia. Go on a business trip."
"Huh? Where to?"
"There’s a cooperation exchange with the Duke of the Northern Territory next week. We’re sending some of our staff to participate in the regular mana field survey, so you’re in charge."
"Huh? Are you sure you want me to go?"
"No, I won’t be going."
"...?"

It seemed like it took Sylvia a moment to process, as her head tilted in confusion.
Then, suddenly, she widened her eyes in surprise.

"You want me to go to the mana field by myself!?"
"Not alone. We’ll send some of the security personnel from the new city along. What did you hear?"
"Anyway, you’re not coming, right?"
"That’s right."
"I... I..."

She shook her hands, approaching me while struggling to speak,
then suddenly stopped and looked at herself in surprise.
After a moment of hesitation, Sylvia straightened up and took a step back.

"Yes. I will do as you say."
"..."

Sylvia bowed her head,
and though she appeared to regain her composure,
as she turned, I noticed she was biting her lips tightly.

'As I thought. Her reliance on the sword hasn't weakened, it’s only gotten stronger.'

Sylvia, who can no longer wield any weapon but the sword that resides within me,
at first tried to stay close to me at all times. Recently, I had hoped that she was improving, that she would depend less on the sword.
But it seems I was wrong.

She no longer feels uneasy just being next to me,
but still needs to be within reach of her sword to feel secure.
Perhaps it’s because she discovered the sword’s ability to sever the past, that it’s only worsened.

"Your specialty is hand-to-hand combat, right? You’ve got mana now, so if you use magic along with it, you could easily handle monsters."
"Well... the thing is..."
"Say it."
"I... I forgot how to use magic without the sword..."
"..."

Sylvia muttered with her head lowered, almost embarrassed.
The report was worse than I expected, and for a moment, my lips tightened.

She was someone who could use magic just fine without a wand or sword.
To think she could no longer use magic without her sword...
That just meant she had become too reliant on it.

"But, the master’s position should never be vacant, so for this trip..."
"Yuri will handle it. Yuri is enough to keep the mansion safe. You won’t have to do anything yourself. Just go and come back carefully."
"Yes..."

Sylvia turned around, her expression pitiful like a wet puppy.
Without her weapon, unable to use magic, she looked like a powerless person.
But in reality, she could take down dozens of Vermont Security staff with her bare hands if she wanted.
For someone like that, losing confidence just because of one missing sword was ridiculous.

'At this point, the sword that Jaein made for her is more of a curse than a blessing.'

At first, I thought it was just a minor penalty to bear, but a useful sword nonetheless.
Sylvia’s physical abilities were greatly enhanced, and for a time, she could even match the power of a swordmaster.
But over time, the benefits have slowly faded, and now only the drawbacks remain.

When Sylvia holds her sword, she grows stronger.
When she lets go, she weakens.
If this isn’t a curse, then what is it?

'Jaein. What the hell did you make...?'

Grabbing my aching temples, I rubbed my brow.
The overwhelming benefits followed by such severe penalties and curses...
At this point, it’s practically a cursed sword.

The sword that looks fearsome is just a great sword with impressive stats.
But Sylvia’s sword, which looks perfectly fine, hides a curse that’s far from light.

If this continues, Sylvia will become nothing without her sword.
She’ll become weak if she’s not constantly holding it, and she’ll have to stick close to me.

I’ve been wary of this situation, which is why I sent her to the mana field this time.
At least when she’s with the staff, she won’t show weakness in front of them, even if it’s just for show.
But this is just a temporary measure to slow down Sylvia’s decline.
The fundamental solution still eludes me.

No matter how much I think about it, I feel like I need to get rid of this sword for Sylvia to return to her former self...

'There’s no solution. No solution at all.'

The fact that the solution still feels so distant is the problem.
I’ve tried everything I can, but separating the sword from my body is impossible,
and destroying it while it’s in Sylvia’s hands is also impossible.

'Why did it have to be me?'

This is the fundamental question that’s resurfacing.
Why me?
Why did Sylvia’s sword merge with my body?

And what is this ability to sever the past?
If it’s a random ability that can’t be consciously controlled, then what am I supposed to do with it?

The specs of the sword that looks so powerful were quickly analyzed,
but there’s still so much I don’t know about Sylvia’s sword.

Surrounded by mystery,
the only thing I know for sure is one thing:
This sword was designed to make Sylvia stronger.

At least, that’s what Jaein said...
But now, I’m starting to wonder if Jaein made a mistake.
Reducing Sylvia’s confidence and increasing her dependency on weapons isn’t exactly 'growth'.
I can’t understand it.

When Sylvia comes back, should I talk to her about this?
Maybe we should just stop using this sword altogether...

A few days passed, and an unsettling news reached the Vermont mansion.

[Mana storm reported in the mana field. Some soldiers trapped in the underground caves of the mana field.]

It was an ominous report.