1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

13. The Cursed Sword (2)

“It’s filthy.”

Sitting on a chair, I looked at the ego sword and grasped a clean cloth.

As I wiped the rusted dagger, it crumbled like fragments of iron left out in the rain for a decade.

‘A bit more oil, and it will shine in no time.’

“Just wait.”

I rang the bell, summoning Celie who had been waiting outside the door. The little one with a displeased expression came in and asked in a businesslike manner.

“Did you call for me?”

“I’m going to service the sword, bring me the tools for oiling.”

Celie turned to fetch the items.

Donatan, still having demands, cried out in an urgent voice.

‘Wait, wait! Doesn’t this body deserve a proper sheath as well?’

“···You’re asking for too much. Be thankful I’m even cleaning you.”

Celie stopped in her tracks and spun around─ it seemed she felt an unpleasant chill.

It must have been because she overheard what I said to Donatan.

“···Yes?”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Then, who are you speaking to?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just go and come back quickly.”

“……”

With her characteristic narrowed eyes that seemed to look at me as if I were crazy, Selly glanced at me and quickly disappeared from her seat.

‘Is it really okay?’

“What is?”

‘Humans value their reputation. Being seen talking to oneself doesn’t usually leave a good impression, does it?’

“I don’t care. She’s always seen me as a lunatic anyway.”

‘Hmm… But it’s not the same in front of others, is it?’

Where does he get off?

I glared at Donatan, whose intentions were all too clear.

He spoke as if worried, but his persistence had a reason behind it.

“……”

As I remained silent, as expected, he revealed his true intention.

‘Make a contract with me. You won’t even have to move your lips to communicate.’

He was trying to tie a bond that couldn’t be broken, fearing he might be discarded.

“A soul contract, you mean…”

It was a kind of contract with a spirit, one that could only be broken by the death of one party.

After a moment of thought, I carefully uttered my response.

“Isn’t it too early for that?”

No matter how much of an ego sword he may be, if he’s useless or doesn’t help me, he’d be nothing more than a noisy nuisance following me around.

“First, I need to assess your qualities, don’t I?”

‘Detestable creature… How dare you, assess my worth─!’

“That’s a poor attitude. Should I discard you then?”

“……”

The creature that had roared in anger finally lowered its tail.

I took out paper and a pen from the cabinet and looked down at Donatan with a businesslike tone.

“Let’s start the interview now. If you score over 80 points, you pass, so I hope you answer sincerely.”

‘…There’s a limit to arrogance. No more shall the name ‘Incarnation of Thunderous Wrath’ be sullied─’

“It seems the dust that fell when I was cleaning earlier was the courtesy you once had. Poor attitude, minus 20 points.”

The pen in my hand precisely wrote a horizontal line and the number 20.

While he stuttered like a newbie with a dumbfounded voice, I channeled the image of a meticulous interviewer and posed a question.

“What’s your reason for applying to this company?”

“Why would you choose to come to me, of all people?”

“The ones who could hear my voice… have long since perished.”

“Does that mean you have no one but me to rely on…?”

Perfect for a power trip, plus 20 points.

Next question.

“What was your role in your previous job?”

“Tell me about the work you did when you had a master. Any achievements?”

“That, that is…”

“Hesitation isn’t good. Minus 20 points.”

“Wait a moment! Naturally, I’ve been protecting my master. This body was the sword that guarded the flesh of the mightiest swordsman!”

More bluster.

If he was such a figure, he could easily acquire a fine ego sword, so why carry around such an old blade?

“Lying, minus 20 points.”

Feeling the sting of my ruthless scoring, Donatan spoke almost deliriously.

“Another 20 points? This is wrong… Yes, it’s wrong. If I’ve been docked 60 points, doesn’t that mean I’ve already failed?”

“There are bonus points too, so don’t give up yet. I’m about to ask the last question, seize the opportunity.”

So far, there wasn’t much about him that impressed me.

I pondered where I could sell this as I delivered the most important question of the interview, the crux of this encounter.

“What skills and capabilities do you possess? For example, any certifications.”

“Show me some skill. If it’s useful, you’ll get 100 points.”

Spurred on by the challenge, he raised his voice confidently.

“There’s no need to say it, I’ve passed! The true value of this body cannot even be compared to the tricks of ordinary swords!”

“That’s somewhat intriguing. Explain well.”

“I’ve said it several times. My master was called the Sword Saint. Together, we vanquished numerous formidable foes in the bloody battlefields, and I learned from observing his near-perfect swordsmanship.”

“Oh…”

“I will make you the same. Though you may not reach the Sword Saint, you’ll at least make a name across the continent.”

“That’s a bit tempting, but how?”

“First, I must see your physique. Hurry, grasp me.”

As Jonathan suggested, I picked up the sword. I could feel a faint current sweeping through my body.

“Bone density is excellent, but… there’s no muscle to speak of. What have you been doing all these years?”

Bone density? Muscle?

It’s not like I’m a body composition analyzer.

“Next, let’s check your aura. As expected, it’s a narrow vein, tsk tsk.”

This time, the current felt like it was flowing only through my veins. It wasn’t particularly painful, just a tingling sensation that was bearable.

A minute passed, and he exclaimed, “Huh!”

“…”

“Why so silent?”

After stalling for time, he answered in a grave tone.

“The vein your aura flows through is severed. This isn’t… a scar from battle. It’s more like it’s rotted and crumbled away. What on earth did you do to your body to damage it so?”

That’s what I’d like to know.

Well, I have one suspicion.

“Could it be the alcohol? I’ve heard he’s been drowning in vicious liquor every single day for a long time.”

Not me, but Hershel.

“Foolish boy. To steep his body in such poison without any training… Look at yourself now. A wreck of a body, fit to be called a cripple. Even learning the heart method would be futile.”

I slumped my shoulders at the grim news.

To survive as a swordsman in Asares, aura is essential, but I guess I’ll have to give up that profession, what can I do.

“So. Is this ability of no use to me, then?”

I composed myself from the disappointment and was about to mark down the deduction when I set down the sword.

Static electricity crackled—rising up, and strength clenched tight! in my loosened grip.

“Wait, hold on!”

I furrowed my brow at his sudden action.

“…How did you do that?”

“I sent an electrical signal to your hand muscles. This body will teach you swordsmanship in this manner quickly—”

“What’s the use if I can’t wield aura? With such a sluggish body, even if I learn, could I properly dodge? Even if I swing, what could I possibly cut?”

“……”

Without aura, no matter how good the swordsmanship, it’s akin to a dance.

Unable to refute the logic, Jonathan spoke in a calm voice, as if he had let go of everything.

“You’re right. We’re not a match for each other. Perhaps it was all just a fleeting connection…”

It seemed the recruitment was falling through.

Feeling a bit sorry for him, I decided to give him one last chance before putting him back in the box.

“If you have no other talents, that’s how it will be. Anything is fine, tell me everything you’ve got.”

But he spent this precious time grumbling like a drunkard.

“…The truth is, as a sword, I wasn’t particularly remarkable. Compared to the other Ego Swords my master owned, I was nothing but shabby. The only abilities I had were sensing someone nearby and serving my master’s sleep.”

Huh?

“Do you know what the other swords called me? Sleepsword, that’s right, Sleepsword. A watchdog guarding a sleeping master. That’s all the worth this body had.”

Wait, what did you say?

“Pfft, laugh all you want if that’s what you wish. After all─”

“That’s great, though?”

“That, that is… What do you mean by that?”

I stood up and clapped.

“Congratulations, you scored 100 points.”

“What… What did you say?”

* * *

Selly, who was bringing the items Hersel requested in a cart, was shocked at the door.

After conversing with a possibly recyclable, rotten dagger, now she saw him standing up, chuckling and clapping in madness.

“Congratulations, you scored 100 points.”

Today, the young master was crazy again.

But how could he be so refreshingly mad?

Honestly, it’s scary now.

Day by day, his soaring madness presented a new and almost unknown terror.

“…Eek, it gives me the chills.”

Selly calmed her trembling shoulders and smoothly pushed the cart towards Hersel.

Then she quietly closed the door, hiding her contemplative face.

Thud─

* * *

A delicate hand reached for the vase on the office desk.

The lady of the house gently caressed the petals with her thumb.

“We had something similar at home too. Except it walked on two legs……”

The hostess thought of Hershel as a flower with branches so thin that even a child’s touch could snap them.

Yet, filled with poison-laced fertilizer at its base, and despite the gardener’s shears cutting away, the stem would not sever, and the leaves maintained their freshness.

The crucial thing was that even the pests named assassins, gnawing at its roots, had been exterminated.

“But why, I wonder…”

It should be annoying, yet why does the corner of my mouth rise slightly?

It felt like the sensation of finding something stimulating amidst the boredom.

The more I thought there was a true nature hidden within what seemed so insignificant, the more impressive it became.

‘It feels like I’m climbing the stairs. Towards the same level as me…’

The hostess plucked a petal she had been stroking, as if harvesting a crop that had come into season.

It was an unconscious expression of the desire to no longer be just an organizer, but to become an active participant.

‘…No, it’s too early for that.’

Regaining her rationality, she relaxed her grip.

If she were to step forward and end it all in vain, it would be a lackluster conclusion, unfit for the name of a festival.

Moreover, she had to give a fair chance to the remaining assassins lurking in the storage.

The hostess decided to watch a little longer and looked at the mark carved on the calendar.

‘Now that I think about it, isn’t it about time for him to leave to receive his punishment?’

The day after tomorrow.

Hershel will embark on a perilous journey, one where a person could disappear quietly and be deemed a natural death.

I can’t picture him surviving in my head.

Not just because it’s the perfect stage, but also because the character to be sent this time is different from the usual.

* * *

The sweets were sugary, and the tea brewed from the leaves had a bitter taste.

Life, I thought, was both sweet and bitter.

“Do I really have to go?”

“It’s a severe punishment decreed by the Grand Duke; you must go.”

Even without saying ‘absolutely,’ that seemed to be conveyed in Selly’s stern expression.

It’s truly unfair. Why should I have to take this damn punishment?

Sitting at a desk, only typing away, now I have to go work at a mine in the Tenerest direct jurisdiction.

It’s supposed to be once a month, and that’s tomorrow.

It was an unwelcome situation.

The stage would be nice, as it was clear the hostess was up to her usual tricks again.

“But what kind of trouble did you cause for father to punish you?”

“Do you not remember?”

Selly looked at me incredulously, as if my ignorance was unfathomable. She sighed deeply and began to speak. It seemed my face said it all; I truly had no recollection.

“Oh dear, you were so drunk that you accosted the visiting lady of high standing… ‘Did father call for a prostitute? It wouldn’t be so bad to abandon that thieving cat and become my new stepmother,’ you said. Do you know how furious the Duke was? Even I, working far away, felt my skin prickle.”

I nearly spat out my tea at Hursel’s shocking misdeed. Had it not been for the ‘noble blood’s dying embers,’ I surely would have.

Good heavens.

Such a guest would hold no insignificant rank, and yet, to call her a prostitute upon first meeting, no matter how drunk…

The rudeness committed was a bargain compared to the hard labor in the mines.

“…He really was a madman.”

“……”

Selly looked shocked.

“You were aware…”

“What?”

“Nothing…”