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Chapter 29
“Are… are you alright?”
Søren asked when he saw my expression suddenly harden.
Only then did I fully realize where I was.
The western warehouse.
That’s right.
Just a moment ago, I was here in this warehouse looking for a sword that could explain the Wilhelm territory to me.
And during that…
“Um, c-could you let go of that…”
Startled, I stepped back, realizing I still had my hand on the burlap sack Søren was holding.
He looked puzzled and asked,
“Is something wrong…?”
“No, no problem. Just hand me that sword. I’ll take it to the forge myself and order it to be melted down.”
“Melt it? We could just throw it away.”
【W-What did you say!?】
A startled voice echoed from the sword.
Another noisy one.
Just like Gram.
That meant this sword was as powerful as Gram.
And furthermore…
“I name this sword Balmung, and present it as a symbol of unity between dwarves and humans.”
In the memory shared by the sword, a dwarf spoke in human tongue.
Which meant dwarves weren’t just mindless monsters — they had their own society.
If the sword wasn’t lying, then it revealed something extraordinary unknown to the people of this region.
“There was once unity between humans and dwarves.”
And the proof of that unity was this sword, Balmung.
From the scenes I saw in Balmung’s memory, it seemed the dwarves had imbued the sword with a mysterious power as a token of their alliance.
When wielded by the Lord of Wilhelm, the sword could compel dwarves to follow his command.
A sort of Commandment — a verbal compulsion.
“Can I really activate it?”
I forcefully took the sack from Søren’s hands and said,
“Even if it’s an unnamed sword, it’s still from the house’s treasury. I need to personally show it to the Lord and confirm whether it’s truly worthless.”
At those words, Søren’s expression changed.
It seemed he found my reasoning sound.
“Well, if you insist… But you’d better ask soon. His Lordship is preparing for an expedition.”
Expedition? What expedition?
“They said monsters have appeared near the western border, so I’m going to check it out myself. What? Missed me already?”
The very next day.
Armin was fully armored, sitting across from me eating breakfast before heading off on a monster hunt.
He hadn’t delayed the expedition — just shortened his prep time to have breakfast with me.
Why does he go this far…
I frowned slightly as I watched Armin chuckle softly.
He was holding a wine glass in the morning.
“Or maybe you’re worried I’ll die at the hands of some dwarf? Want me to write a will? ‘I bequeath everything to the Duchess of Wilhelm’.”
…Is he drinking wine or did someone spike that?
Wait — dwarves?
“Have dwarves appeared?”
【Dwarves! Yes! Finally, the descendants of Eitri and Brokkr have come to conquer mankind!】
The sword sitting beside me suddenly burst out.
Balmung.
It had not stopped chattering even once since last night.
Apparently, ever since the first Lord died a thousand years ago, no one had truly listened to its story.
All night in the warehouse, it rambled on: why the castle had changed so much, how the discipline used to be stricter, and how today’s people lacked wisdom.
Basically, it was a grumbling old man stuck in the past.
Though not everything it said was useless.
“Are all legendary swords as loud as you?”
【Of course not! I am the sword forged by the great Eitri and Brokkr brothers. And this isn’t just noise — it’s not even a voice, you see.】
“Then what is it?”
【We call it a thought-echo. It’s different from human speech. It’s not broken into words — it flows continuously. We were all born from flame and destined to return to it.】
Born from flame, and destined to return to it.
I recalled Eitri and Brokkr’s forge and asked,
“What about the Commandment placed on you…?”
【That, I cannot reveal.】
Balmung replied quietly.
“So the first Lord just needs to wield you, right?”
【…You’re a sword that speaks like a human.】
Balmung was both cryptic and talkative.
【A sword should speak as a sword, and a human as a human. But you — caught in between — your life will be painful.】
Sometimes, it spoke profoundly.
I was reflecting on Balmung’s words while staring into my soup bowl when—
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Huh? No, just a bit tired.”
Suddenly, Armin got up and came over to me.
He leaned on the table and casually grabbed my hand.
“…!”
I could never get used to him doing this.
He placed my hand against his cheek and said,
“Doesn’t seem like you’re sick.”
“You can tell just by holding my hand?”
What is he, a healer?
At my remark, he paused briefly before speaking — staring straight into my eyes.
“When you’re fine, you’re always too busy glaring at me to look this tired.”
“…Seriously.”
I pulled my hand away and frowned.
“You’re such a pervert.”
Last time he did something weird to ‘check something,’ too.
He chuckled softly at that.
He’s definitely odd.
A perpetually drunk, strange pervert.
Can someone like this really be entrusted with the castle’s safety?
Can he really fight dwarves?
But despite my doubtful gaze, he looked down at the hand that had just held mine.
And I saw it.
His hand was trembling faintly.
My expression hardened.
“It’s shaking again?”
Seeing my serious face, he gave me a deliberately playful smile.
“My lady. Ever since that hot night at the inn, you’ve been terribly interested in me.”
But now, I understood.
This reaction — it was a form of escape.
Like drowning things in alcohol, he used jokes to escape me.
He was cutting off any chance I might have to get close.
But I wasn’t planning to back off.
I couldn’t.
You have to become the master of my sword. You must.
“Alcohol won’t help. You know that, right?”
It might dull the pain, but it can’t stop your hand from shaking.
Swordsmanship requires sharp perception — to see, evade, and strike.
Even the greatest swordsman can’t maintain the same awareness when drunk.
At my words, Armin’s smile faded.
He looked down at me languidly, as if realizing I wouldn’t back down.
“I don’t drink to help anything.”
His voice was low, relaxed, but serious.
Unlike the teasing tone from before.
“It’s just an excuse.”
“…Huh?”
He leaned closer to me.
So close, I could see his handsome face in detail.
“If someone notices my hand shaking, I can just blame the wine. Like a foolish man blaming drunken nerves when dancing with a woman he likes.”
“…!”
He smiled, then casually drank from my untouched wine glass.
He spun the empty glass in his hand and said,
“This trembling? It’s because of the wine — that’s what I tell myself.”
And in that moment, the shaking in his hand stopped.
There was no logic to it — no clear reason why it shook sometimes and didn’t at others.
Whatever the reason…
He wasn’t drinking simply to forget the shaking.
He was preparing — preparing for the possibility that his weakness could become the castle’s downfall.
This overthinking… pervert.
Just as I thought that, someone appeared at the dining room door.
It was his aide.
“My Lord, it’s time…”
With a troubled look, the aide trailed off as Armin waved a hand.
He motioned for a moment, then turned to me.
“I heard from Sir Søren. You picked up some old junk from the western warehouse and wanted to consult the forge. Easy answer — do as you please. This castle has nothing of value left anyway. Everything’s broken and worn out.”
Just like me.
Was that part of his thought, or was it just my imagination?
He straightened his body from where he had been leaning close.
And with the distance, the air around us shifted subtly.
I couldn’t help it. I spoke up.
“There is something left.”
“What?”
“There are still valuable things in this castle.”
Diana Isla had seen them clearly.
Those who stayed to defend the castle until the end.
Hannah, who ran to Diana Isla to follow the Lord’s command.
Søren, who beheaded three enemies even after taking three arrows.
Esben, who burned the last census books so no villager could be enslaved, and was captured afterward.
And… you.
I looked into his drowsy golden eyes.
You, who never abandoned anyone in this castle.
Not even Diana Isla.
All of it is still here.
As long as that remains, Wilhelm Castle must not fall.
You must not fall.
“Have you ever heard of a sword called Balmung?”
I asked as I grasped his wrist.
And in that moment, his hand trembled.
His eyes widened.
Seeing that, Balmung chuckled.
【…Foolish creatures.】
