Chapter 36
My face went through three distinct changes.
At first, I was indifferent. Then I turned pale. And finally, I flushed a furious, burning red.
“Even if the whole world abandons you, I, Kim Sword, solemnly swear never to give up on you.”
“……”
He must’ve found my trembling reaction amusing, because the corners of his mouth curled up mischievously before breaking into a wide grin.
“Do you agree?”
Having barely held my composure, I pulled my hand out from behind my back.
“…At this point?”
He pouted, clearly displeased with my half-hearted response.
“Hmph, fine. If you don’t want to, then never mind.”
Oh no. This won’t do.
He really will back off if I don’t stop him.
“W-Wait!”
I hurriedly grabbed his wrist as he turned to leave, my fingertips trembling.
“I was kidding.”
A soft laugh escaped him, pleased by my pitiful reaction. He gently nuzzled the tip of his nose against the back of my hand.
The gesture—
“Go on.”
—was so much like a puppy craving praise that it left me feeling oddly unsettled.
‘Seriously, he’s so unfair.’
How am I supposed to say no to that face?
Honestly, there was only ever one answer to begin with.
“…Haa.”
With a quiet sigh, I mouthed the words.
“I agree.”
Flash!
The moment I gave my consent, a dazzling light burst forth, bright enough to blind me.
It was far more radiant than the usual notification pop-up from favorable interactions.
Wincing at the sudden brightness, I rubbed my eyes a few times before I could finally see the system window hovering before me.
{System: Hidden Quest “Eternal Vow” has been completed. Reputation +5 as a reward.}
‘Reputation, huh…’
That was a phrase I hadn’t seen in a while.
Now that I thought about it, I’d been too busy trying to survive lately to even check my character stats.
Maybe I should take a look now?
“Why the frown, Master? You’re even uglier when you—”
Thwack!
“Be quiet.”
This guy was a master at ruining the mood.
‘Why did I even get emotional for a second?’
“Ugh, spare the sword…”
Clutching the arm I’d smacked, Kim Sword collapsed dramatically onto the ground, crawling as if on his last breath.
‘It’s not like this twiggy leg of mine could hurt that much anyway.’
Hmph.
His overly theatrical reaction confirmed one thing—he couldn’t see the system pop-up.
‘Perfect. In that case…’
“…Status window.”
As I whispered the command, a familiar character screen floated into the air.
[Nickname: Yuria Benestra]
[Title: None]
[Class: Miner]
[Reputation: 5]
[Progress: 2%]
HP: 110
Intelligence: 105
Agility: 110
Strength: 105
Luck: 100
Charm: 120
Mana: 110
{You have 20 stat points remaining from a special achievement. Would you like to distribute them now?}
“Hmm…”
So they’d been accumulating this whole time without me noticing.
But wait—how did I even get these?
I glanced around the edge of the window and spotted a small line of text tucked into the corner.
{*If this feature is checked, quests will automatically be hidden.}
“…What?”
And for some reason, that box was already checked.
‘Did I just randomly click it during the hectic tutorial or something?’
Damn it. No wonder I hadn’t seen any quests.
“Aaaargh!”
When did I even check that box? My poor wasted points!
“What’s wrong, Master?”
Kim Sword, still sprawled on the ground, suddenly popped up and shuffled over to me as I screamed in frustration.
From his perspective, I must’ve looked insane—screaming into the air with no warning.
“…Nothing. I’m just mad at myself for being an idiot.”
“Well, you are an idiot.”
Watching him nod solemnly in agreement drained all the fire from me.
“…Anyway, we should head back to the mansion.”
“Why? Giving up on that little black-haired brat already?”
He tilted his head, puzzled. After all, he’d seen how excited I’d been about meeting Hans all day.
“Not really, but it’s not like anything will change just by waiting around here…”
‘I need to get to my room and distribute my stat points, stat!’
I could meet Hans tomorrow or the day after, but this?
This was more important than life itself.
“And besides… my ankle’s starting to hurt.”
The moment I finished speaking, his gaze dropped to my feet.
Pink enamel shoes.
Sophie had said they were a treasured pair she treated like a sacred relic.
‘Pretty sure she just didn’t wear them because they were torture devices.’
Still, it gave me a decent excuse to leave.
“So it seems.”
He nodded in agreement and casually slipped his arm around my waist.
“Let’s go.”
“Wha—?!”
I flailed my legs in protest as he hoisted me up effortlessly.
“You said your ankle hurt.”
“People will think it’s weird!”
“Why?”
Why, he asks!
“Because you’re invisible! It’ll look like I’m floating through the air on my own!”
“That’s fine.”
“Excuse me?!”
“You’re already weird.”
“I am not!”
“Then should I teleport you?”
The color drained from my face at his suggestion.
Kim Sword’s teleportation history was… catastrophic, to say the least.
Once, he was supposed to send me to a dungeon and I ended up in a stable.
He also had an epic saga of magical misfires so long we’d be here all night if I tried to explain it.
“No thanks. I’m good.”
As I resigned myself and relaxed in his arms, he adjusted his hold and tucked me inside his shirt.
I now felt like a potato in a basket.
A well-packed potato…
“King Potato…”
He stopped in his tracks and stared at me.
“Do you want a potato?”
What the heck is he talking about now?
I glared up at him.
“If so, we can just wash your face in the lake and take a bite.”
“……”
“You’re plump—perfect harvest time.”
……What.
Stretch—
He tugged at my cheek with a satisfied smile.
“Maybe you’re the cutest potato in the world.”
‘Seriously.’
Squelch. Stretch.
“Soft.”
Smooch.
“And squishy.”
“……”
‘Should I kill him?’
If only he weren’t a magical sword, he’d have been long gone by now.
“But I like sweet potatoes more.”
“…What?”
“Thicker skin, easier to peel.”
What was I even supposed to do with that?
“And good for digestion, too…”
He spent the entire walk back to the mansion singing praises of sweet potatoes.
We finally arrived—though not at the mansion gates, but rather a spot far removed from them.
“I’ll let you down here.”
“Here?”
“Disappointed? Were you enjoying my embrace?”
“Not at all. Thank you for finally letting me touch the ground.”
Hop.
I jumped down from his arms and smoothed my wrinkled skirt.
“I’d walk you to your room, but there’s a crowd ahead.”
“A crowd?”
“Looks like around a dozen or so people gathered.”
He had peeked over the wall to scout things out.
‘That many people at this hour…?’
Everyone should be busy with evening chores or out working.
‘Why would that many be gathered here?’
“Judging by their outfits, they’re all your servants.”
“My servants?”
“White shirts, black trousers. The usual.”
While that outfit was common among noble servants, the nearest estate was hours away by carriage.
He was right—those were my people.
Still…
“Why would they all be here?”
I couldn’t think of a single reason.
Kim Sword seemed to consider my question, then added hesitantly:
“They’re surrounding one child. His outfit is different.”
A chilling sense of dread trickled through me.
“What kind of outfit?”
“Dark red shirt. Suspender pants.”
Of course. That exact description matched Hans.
Despite hoping otherwise, I couldn’t stop imagining Hans getting bullied.
“Can you see his face from here?”
“Hmm… not really. Too far.”
He pressed himself against the wall again, squinting.
Apparently, it helped him see better.
“Now?”
“Yeah… I can see better now.”
Then his expression turned grim.
“Master.”
“Yes?”
“This looks bad.”
“…What do you mean?”
His low voice made my heart race.
“The little one looks injured.”
“Hans?!”
I gasped, and he nodded solemnly.
“Seems like he hurt his leg—left ankle’s bleeding badly.”
“……”
So it really was true.
That night he hid in the flowerbeds… The bruises all over his little body…
It was all because of the bullying.
Monsters.
What was there to hit on that tiny frame?
“We have to stop them!”
“Master.”
“Let me go! I have to stop this!”
My eyes turned red as I snapped at him.
“But if you go now, it might only make things worse.”
“What? But I have to—!”
“You know one thing but not the other.”
“……”
“Even if you stop them now, it’ll only be temporary.”
“…Why?”
“Because poverty and violence are cyclical. Until the root is cut, it just keeps going.”
“……”
“They’ll back down while you’re around, but once you’re gone? It’ll get worse—more secretive, more vicious.”
“……”
“Maybe even more brutal than before.”
“Then… what am I supposed to do?”
I whispered, lowering my head.
His large hand gently settled on my shoulder.
“Uproot it.”
“Uproot…?”
“Yes. You can do it, Master.”
Ding!
{System: New Quest Unlocked!}
“Eradicate the Source of Evil.” Accept this quest?
My eyes widened as I stared at the screen.
All I did was disable quest hiding, and it popped up instantly—like it had been waiting.
So convenient it’s suspicious.
I sighed and accepted it.
A new pop-up appeared.
{Become the sole savior of “Hans Daymon”!}
Note: Requires a minimum affection score with “Diel Benestra” to proceed.
‘Why do I need Dad’s affection to save Hans?’
As I stood frozen, another ding rang out.
{Affection check passed. “Diel Benestra” affection score: 5. Quest progressing.}
Convince Diel Benestra to appoint Hans Daymon as your personal knight.
Reward: +10 Hans Affection, +50 Stat Points.
“…What?”
“Appoint Hans as a knight?!”
I shouted in disbelief at the screen, but Kim Sword had the opposite reaction.
“Great idea.”
“Huh?”
“That’s a brilliant idea.”
“….”
“Hard to believe that came out of your tiny little head.”
“…Thanks.”
“If you formally name him your knight, no one will dare look down on him again. But the problem is—can he even be a knight?”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“The kid’s never even held a sword. It might be a stretch to name him a knight.”
“Is there… any way around that?”
“…There’s one option.”
He looked at me meaningfully.
“What is it?”
Sparkle.
“….”
He cleared his throat awkwardly and said:
“Go talk to your father.”
“……”
“What do you think? A perfect solution, no? That man’s desperate to please you. He’d probably grant even this outrageous request.”
“…Ha.”
Figures. Magical swords and machines really do think alike.
And to think I was actually hopeful for a moment.
Ding!
{New Quest: Convince Diel Benestra.}
Sigh…
So that’s how it’s going to be.
“Fine.”
I stared at the floating quest window, brushing a hand over my forehead and letting out a deep breath.
“…Let’s see how this goes.”
