Chapter 4
Just a moment ago, the sword that had been bursting with light as it drove away those men was now calmly resting in my hand, glinting gently.
Right after that, the sheath slipped off on its own.
“…!”
What the heck? Had I been walking around with a sword that undressed itself?
The men widened their eyes the moment they saw the sword in my hand and rushed toward me.
Panicked, I instinctively raised the sword high in the air.
At that moment…
[Hold on tight, you idiot!]
A strange voice echoed in my head. But I didn’t have time to figure out who it was before my body suddenly moved.
No—more accurately, the sword moved.
“Wh-what is this—aaah!”
[I said, hold on tight, rookie!]
Still dangling from the sword, I was flung forward straight toward the men who were staring at us.
“Waaaah!!”
“Aaargh!!”
The sword spun and whipped around furiously, then landed safely on the ground.
‘W-what just happened?’
Stunned, I turned around to look at the men.
They stared at me blankly, completely dumbfounded.
Then suddenly—
“…!”
“…!!”
Their clothes were ripped to shreds and fell off in tatters.
The now-naked drunkards, clutching their bruised crotches and chests, bolted into the forest.
“…Did I defeat them?”
Oops. I shouldn’t have said that line.
That’s the kind of thing you say right before another enemy shows up. I slapped my own mouth and collapsed to the ground.
I didn’t have the strength to stay standing.
What on earth just happened?
I had only planned to go mess with Dad’s business, and then I ran into thugs who tried to steal my sword, and then…
[And then you met me! Ahem!]
That voice echoed in my head again.
In disbelief, I looked at the sword in my hand—Excalibur.
“You… you’re really the one talking?”
[Of course! This glorious being is speaking to you!]
“Seriously, why would Dad give a sword like this to a seven-year-old?”
[Exactly what I’ve been wondering! Why did your dad give me to some stupid seven-year-old and keep me mute for a whole year?!]
“Hey! Who are you calling a stupid seven-year-old?! I’m eight this year! And have you ever seen an eight-year-old as smart and capable as me?”
[No, I haven’t! My previous masters were all knights or kings! I never imagined a little brat would be my new owner…]
As Excalibur continued its rant, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes.
Eyes wide, I slapped my hand over the sword’s—um, blade.
“Be quiet!”
Rustle, rustle—
Not long after, three men in black robes emerged from the bushes.
Their faces were completely covered, practically screaming, “We’re suspicious!”
“Hey, you.”
The shortest of them pointed at me.
“Wh-who, me?”
Great. I just dealt with two bad guys, and now there are three more?
“Yeah. Where did you get that sword?”
[That was crafted by the world’s greatest artisan, Neil Roy—!! Mmph!]
“Shut up, you idiot!”
I pressed my palm hard against the sword. Excalibur shivered, then finally went quiet.
“I asked where you got it.”
The impatient man stepped closer, enunciating every word.
I gulped.
Though I couldn’t see his face under the robe, I could tell right away—this guy was on a whole other level from the thugs before.
He gave off the kind of vibe where if I didn’t answer properly, I’d be dead.
Dad, waah, this must be my unluckiest day ever…
I clenched my shaking knees and forced myself to stand up straight.
Sword still in hand, I stared him down.
‘Should I answer?’
But if I did, they might take my sword, or worse, go after the person who made it…
If these guys didn’t look so sketchy, I could’ve just said, “Neil Roy! My dad!” and been done with it.
But no. These guys gave off some serious main character or major villain energy.
What if they’re a party of chosen heroes here to order fourteen swords from my dad?
Then all my hard work would be for nothing!
No way I’m letting that happen.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and took another look at the men.
Then—
“…!”
I turned around and bolted. I zigzagged through the trees so they wouldn’t be able to follow me straight home.
I heard them yelling something behind me, but I ignored it and just ran.
Sorry, dudes!
But I’m not giving away where I live!
Worried that the men might follow me, I ran all around the village just to be safe.
I even made stops at Aunt Hillary’s house and Uncle Allen’s shop before finally heading home.
As soon as I saw our house in the distance, I let out a deep sigh and wiped the sweat from my forehead.
The original plan was just to interrupt Dad’s business at the market…
‘Yeah, today’s definitely an unlucky day.’
They say on unlucky days, you could fall backward and still break your nose.
If I went out again today just to mess with Dad’s work and ended up running into those robed guys or the drunks again, that’d be a disaster.
On days like this, it’s best to just curl up at home with a warm glass of milk.
Carefully watching my surroundings, I stepped into the yard.
Then—
Slam!
“Daaaad!!”
I burst through the door, ready to tattle about everything that had happened today.
But then—
“Oh, Eve. You’re back.”
“Ah, that little brat from earlier.”
“…?”
SLAM!
The moment I saw who was inside, I slammed the door shut again.
With my back to the door, I rolled my eyes around, trying to process.
“…What did I just see?”
Were those… the robed men? Sitting at our kitchen table?
Not one, not two, but—one, two, three… three of them.
I slowly started counting on my fingers, still in disbelief.
Could I have imagined it?
Maybe I was just seeing things after everything that happened today.
‘Haha, there’s no way those guys are in my house! Silly me.’
Convinced it had to be a mistake, I opened the door again.
And then—
“Sweetie, why do you keep opening and closing the door?”
“You really are a strange kid.”
They weren’t a hallucination!
I stood frozen at the front door, dumbstruck.
Around our kitchen table—where Dad and I usually had our cozy meals—those robed men were now seated.
One, two, three.
All of them had taken off their hoods, and yep—definitely the same guys.
Why were they here?
They couldn’t have followed me. I got here first…
‘…Don’t tell me they were looking for Dad from the start?’
If that were true, it made sense why they asked me where I got the sword.
Dad, seeing me stunned at the door, chuckled, gently closed it, and gave me a little push to come inside.
