I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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39 Chapter

“No.”

I cut him off decisively. It wasn’t something I had known for long. The fairy’s appearance was nearly indistinguishable from a human’s, and Aria, who was half-fairy, didn’t show the few characteristics that fairies had. When we were younger, I firmly believed Aria was just like any other human.

“I only found out recently.”

I started to feel that Aria was different from ordinary humans only after I reached the level of a sword master capable of reading the flow of nature. Being the daughter of the Fairy King, Aria’s energy was different from that of regular humans.

‘Back then, I thought Aria was just so exceptional.’

Since I had never met a fairy before, there was no way I could recognize the natural energy I felt from Aria as fairy energy.

Discovering that Aria was of fairy blood came only after I began to remember my past life, so it was hard to say I knew it all along.

Aria blinked absently before posing her second question.

“Are you a sword master? Also, the mercenary king, Mir?”

While eavesdropping on the conversation between Caesar and Aria in the office, I had realized that Aria was aware of this, but hearing it directly felt different.

I bit my lip and nodded slightly. Aria sighed deeply.

In truth, I had never thought Aria would be completely ignorant of this. It was more difficult for her to not know that I had been fighting through hell every day, considering she was a genius.

‘…Did she memorize all this?’

‘Yep! It was easy!’

I remembered the day I bought her the ancient language textbook; she had happily said she memorized the entire book in one go. The genius Aria had a remarkable ability to recall everything she saw, and she was exceptionally talented at inferring situations.

For Aria, pretending not to know I was doing mercenary work must have been even harder.

“Even if you figured out I’m a mercenary, how did you know I am Mir?”

It felt refreshing, yet bitter at the same time. As I forced a smile, Aria smiled sadly.

“When you couldn’t wake up for a while because of the poison, I saw the request sent to Mir in your pocket.”

“…Hmm, so when was that?”

I scratched my head, glancing around. It was difficult to pinpoint the exact time since there had been more than one occasion where I couldn’t wake up due to poison. Aria sighed as she tightly pressed her lips.

“When you collapsed from Bastard Viper’s poison.”

“Oh… So that’s over two years ago.”

“I’ve known you were a mercenary since you became one.”

Though we tried to chat playfully, we both recognized the bitterness woven in our voices. Aria took a deep breath with a dazed expression, then smiled wryly.

“Then for my last question. Do you still—”

Love me?

There must have been countless things she wanted to ask, yet she chose to ask that.

My dear younger sister. My forever beloved other half.

My world starts with you and ends with you. Even if the world expands and love increases, my most cherished will always be you. My entire life until now has been a sacrifice for you.

I sighed and hugged Aria tightly.

“Forever, Aria.”

It will be eternal and unchanging, my love.

“Interesting.”

Caesar, who had been reading the business proposal intently, set the paper down. A slight intrigue flickered in his indifferent eyes.

“You plan to work with Catherine’s costume shop using this item?”

“Yes. I will handle everything regarding the business, so you don’t need to worry, Duke.”

I said stiffly, feeling a bit anxious. No matter how good the item was, if Caesar didn’t agree, there would be no way to secure investment funds.

“Are you confident in your business? It won’t be that easy.”

“I have experience in dealing with monster by-products. However, I will be the owner; I plan to entrust the actual business operations to a reliable agent.”

The job of a mercenary doesn’t end with just hunting monsters. After the hunt, one must sort through heaps of by-products, distinguish the useful ones, and distribute them. Thus, I knew a bit about business as well.

‘But there are people who can do it better than me.’

There was a genius I was very familiar with. A novice who had never run a business before, but I believed she would do excellently once she learned enough.

“Alright, I’ll invest. It certainly seems promising.”

I beamed at Caesar’s agreement. Encouraged, I cautiously brought up another matter.

“Um, and… if you’re okay with it, perhaps you and the prince could wear this at the ball.”

“Me and Cal?”

I nodded firmly at Caesar, who blinked in surprise. Although Aria and I had yet to find our places, both Cal and Caesar would surely be esteemed figures in the Empire. If they wore the items, it would undoubtedly be great for promotion.

“Well, it’s not difficult. I’ll ask Cal too. If you mentioned it, he’d probably agree without a second thought.”

“Thank you!”

Caesar smiled with a chuckle and nodded. As I flashed a bright smile, he paused and looked at me intently.

“However, there is a condition.”

‘…A condition?’

Feeling instantly nervous at the mention of conditions, I nodded seriously.

“Please go ahead. I’ll do it.”

I racked my brain over what kind of tricky condition he might present, but Caesar let out a laugh that sounded like air escaping from a balloon.

“It’s nothing difficult, so don’t worry.”

He grinned mischievously.

“From now on, call me ‘Daddy’.”

“What?”

I froze in shock, completely bewildered.

‘D-Daddy?’

I rolled the awkward word around in my mouth slowly.

‘What is this.’

My face heated up. It felt embarrassing, but a part of my chest tingled.

Staring at me, Caesar tilted his head as he bore a cheeky smile.

“Are you not going to say it, Shushu?”

My ears burned. The first-ever affectionate term spoken from someone I recognized as my father was enough to twist my whole body into knots.

“Ah, um…”

“Yeah.”

The gentle gaze felt awkward. I hadn’t felt this flustered even in front of dozens or hundreds of monsters.

After hesitating to speak, I averted his gaze, murmuring softly.

“Um, Daddy…”

I shut my eyes tightly in embarrassment. That was my limit.

A small chuckle echoed from across the table. My face flushed with heat.

“That’s enough,”

A big hand covered my head. Though it felt awkward, his slow caress was warm.

“You can take your time. I will always be waiting for you.”

The soft smile in my vision warmed my eyes. I unconsciously lowered my head.

He was a kind person, my father.

The day of the debutante ball eagerly approached. The maids who rushed into my room from the crack of dawn began to pamper me as if recreating my existence.

“Let’s pick the fragrance last. Yes, those earrings.”

I was too busy directing the bustling maids to realize the evening was slowly creeping up on the day of my debutante.

“Truly enchanting.”

Maria, gazing at me from head to toe after I was all set, muttered in awe.

“The star of tonight’s debutante ball will undoubtedly be you, my lady.”

Maria was certain, with her expression full of wonder. I scratched my head, feeling shy.

“Alright! Let’s go show this stunning look to everyone!”

Following the spirited Maria, I timidly stepped forward. The fragrant scent surrounding me and the meticulously tailored expensive clothes still felt unfamiliar.

“Shushu. Are you ready—”

Cal, who had already finished his preparations, lifted his head from where he was drinking tea downstairs with a bored look. Upon spotting me, he abruptly froze. Caesar, seated opposite him, also widened his eyes in surprise.

‘Genetics are amazing.’

They had always had dazzling faces, but seeing them elegantly dressed up, I couldn’t help but acknowledge their god-like appearances. Since both were dressed similarly in black formal attire, they truly resembled one another, dividing the past and future as if they were the same person.

‘Looks like we hit the dress code right.’

Of course, I was also in formal black attire, so the three of us would surely look like a set together. I suddenly felt a burst of happiness and smiled.

‘But Aria is the only one whose dress code differs… that might be okay too. She will stand out like a star tonight.’

What mattered most to me was that Aria had a successful debutante evening. As I thought about how stunning Aria would be at the center of attention tonight, my face glowed with joy.

“Is Aria still not out?”

I asked the two as I hurried down the stairs. The Crisis couple was surprisingly silent to my question. I tilted my head.

“…Cal? Father?”

I awkwardly tried out the new titles. Cal and Caesar noticeably flinched. Caesar’s wandering gaze landed on the accessories covering my upper body.

“….That.”

“Yes?”

“It’s a bit too provocative.”

“…Huh?”

‘You’re doing it too!’

My shock was palpable as I shifted my gaze between Caesar’s face and upper body, which he returned with a serious expression.

“I didn’t realize it would be this provocative. You should take it off.”

“Yeah. It looks good, but it’s a bit over the top.”

‘It’s just… a necklace!’

Seeing Cal also giving stern advice made me second-guess how strange it actually was. I fidgeted with my accessories.

“Oh my gosh. Sister! You look amazing, so don’t take it off!”

I swiftly turned at the sound of the familiar voice coming from behind.

‘…Goodness.’

For a moment, I was left speechless. The thoroughly prepared Aria was so beautiful it stoked my awe.

“Wow… This is life. It’s been a wonderful life, truly…”

Looking me straight in the eye, Aria, who wore a dazed expression, let out an exclamation that belied her age. Taking deep breaths with a look of ecstasy, muttering words like ‘crazy’ and ‘I’m glad to be alive,’ she dashed over to hug me.

“Ignore those guys, no, don’t listen to Father and Cal! You’re absolutely stunning tonight!”

I laughed, embracing Aria. Though Aria was generally generous with compliments, when she expressed something to that extent, it felt like truth.

“You too. Tonight, you will be the star.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly at my short but heartfelt praise.

Hand in hand with Aria, I beamed at the frowning Caesar and Cal, still eyeing my accessories.

“Shall we go?”