PVSS 3

chapter 3

I sat inside the carriage, thinking about what I needed to do next.

Since I had voluntarily stepped aside, the Duchess of Babeloa would be overjoyed and push forward the marriage between Lenox and Sheria.

But then again… you never know. She might try to eliminate me completely to prevent any future trouble.

“Hmm. That’s definitely possible.”

I nodded to myself, recalling everything Meldenik had done in the past.

Before opening the stationery shop, I needed to immediately secure the best possible knight as my bodyguard.

So, the very first thing I chose to do to avoid death was…

to go meet Dominic—the Empire’s greatest sword and the hero of legend.

Inside the slightly rattling carriage, I vividly recalled Dominic, the hero sealed within the sword.

Dominic—the great boy knight who saved the Empire at the age of seventeen.

Long ago, his heroic tales and epic saga had spread across the entire Empire.

About a thousand years ago, demons cast out from the divine realm summoned monsters and attempted to conquer the human world, throwing the Empire into chaos.

At that time, a young knight suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

He discovered a way to seal the demons by sacrificing himself—by sealing both himself and the demons inside a demonic sword.

Thanks to Dominic’s sacrifice, the Empire regained peace.

Of course, Dominic had to endure a thousand years within the sword, waiting for someone to summon him… waiting for the seal to be broken.

“In the original story, Lenox gained even more praise after obtaining Dominic.”

It even went so far that people secretly proposed crowning him Emperor for summoning such a great hero from an ancient sword.

That was how powerful and symbolic Dominic was.

If things continued as they were, Dominic would eventually become the Empire’s true hero and protector…

“But now, Dominic will be mine.”

I hummed to myself.

“If I summon Dominic—the strongest knight in the Empire—there’s no way I’ll die easily at Hildegarde’s hands.”

Whether or not that cheating bastard’s glorious future disappears is none of my concern.

I need to survive first, right?

Before long, the carriage arrived at the slums.

Looking at the eerie surroundings, I smiled to myself.

Then I lightly tapped on the carriage window.

“I’ll get off here.”

“Pardon?”

At my words, the coachman stopped the carriage, clearly startled.

Leaving the snorting horse as it was, he came to the window, fidgeting nervously.

“My lady… you’re really getting off here?”

“Yes.”

“But this is… the eeriest cemetery in the slums…”

It certainly wasn’t a place a noble lady would visit at night.

But I just smiled and looked outside.

The cold chill clinging to my skin, the weeds ruining my dress—

“Looks like I came to the right place.”

“Huh?”

The coachman scratched his head in confusion.

This was a cemetery in the slums, practically abandoned due to rumors of ghosts appearing here.

And if my memory was correct, the demonic sword Dominic would be embedded in front of the largest tombstone.

“I know. This is the slum cemetery.”

I answered coolly, paid the coachman, and stepped out of the carriage.

I even gave him a small wink as he stared at me in awe.

“I-it’s already evening… G-ghosts might appear, so… please be careful.”

Even as he drove away, he couldn’t hide his concern.

Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, I shrugged and picked up my small luggage.

“I already died once and got reincarnated—why would I be afraid of ghosts?”

If anything, I’m basically a ghost myself.

Holding my belongings in both hands, I walked deeper into the cemetery.

With each step, a cold chill seeped into my dress.

But having already died once, a little cold didn’t matter.

I leisurely looked around, almost enjoying the bleak atmosphere.

“Where are you, Hero Dominic?”

No one would ever think the sword sealing a hero would be stuck in a cemetery.

That’s probably why Lenox—the original protagonist and Dominic’s contractor—found it so late.

“Even after finding it, it took him a long time to figure out how to summon Dominic.”

People tend to think great things must be obtained with difficulty.

But sometimes, the simplest method is the best one.

In truth, there was nothing complicated about summoning Dominic.

“To summon him… you just have to pull out the sword.”

That’s all.

But Lenox didn’t know how, so he struggled for a long time.

After briefly mourning him, I continued walking through the cold cemetery.

After circling a few times and feeling my fingertips grow cold, I finally stood before the largest tombstone.

“Found it.”

There it was—a moss-covered greatsword embedded in front of a massive stone grave.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the hilt.

For a moment, it felt like a mysterious energy wrapped around my hand.

Then, without overthinking it, I pulled the sword out in one swift motion.

My wrist stung slightly, but the blade slid free from the ground.

Suddenly, a bright white light filled my vision.

Everything went white.

I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again.

Standing before the tombstone was a young man—taller than me—who had appeared without a sound.

“Did it work?”

I held out the sword to him.

With a displeased expression, he took it—and the sword dissolved in his hand like dust.

“Who are you?”

Hearing his low voice, I was certain the summoning had succeeded.

He looked exactly as described in the novel—

Black hair, deep blue eyes like jewels, and strikingly handsome.

His sharp nose and soft-looking hair contrasted with a proud, almost rebellious gaze.

“It’s really him—Dominic.”

Confident, I spoke.

“I’m Meldenik Babeloa—just call me Mel. You’re Dominic, the sword of the hero, right? The great hero who sealed the demons.”

His expression, briefly intrigued, turned cold.

“So you know me. What do you want, Mel?”

“Let’s make a contract.”

But at the word “contract,” Dominic immediately lost interest and plopped down in front of the grave.

“A contract… how predictable. Boring. You’re just like the rest—trying to use me for your own desires.”

He was far more cynical than I expected.

I shrugged.

“Yep.”

“…You’re admitting that so easily?”

“Yep.”

Because it’s true.

At my blunt response, he stared at me, stunned.

“…Fine. What’s your wish? I’ll decide whether to make a contract based on that.”

“Protect my life.”

I answered immediately.

“……”

“I will, of course, stake my life to protect my contractor. What else?”

“That’s it.”

“…That’s it?”

He looked speechless.

Most people who summoned him wanted to conquer the continent.

But me?

I just want a quiet life.

“Yeah. That’s why I said protect me.”

“…Protect you? From who? Don’t tell me you actually want to conquer the Empire but can’t say it?”

“I don’t need the Empire.”

My firm answer made his eyes flicker with surprise.

“Then… what do you want?”

I paused.

Actually… there was something.

“I guess I do have some ambition.”

He smirked cynically, as if he expected that.

Looking straight at him, I said:

“I’m going to run a stationery shop in front of the academy. Be my bodyguard and protect me—and my shop.”

Preferably a strong one.

I smiled brightly.

The seventeen-year-old boy stared at me, then nodded firmly.

“A stationery shop…? Ah, I see now.”

Oh? He understands?

I looked at him with hopeful eyes.

“You’re planning to build a new empire and name it ‘Stationery Shop,’ aren’t you? Your naming sense is terrible. Got anything better?”

What is he even talking about?

Has he gone crazy after being stuck in a sword?

I don’t want to rule an empire—I just want to run a shop!

Well… a shop that dominates children across the continent, maybe.

But Dominic was all about combat power—useless for business.

Even if I wished to become a great merchant, he wouldn’t help much.

All I needed from him was one thing: survival.

Smiling brightly, I explained:

“A stationery shop is like a general store—but for kids. We sell snacks, school supplies, and all kinds of fun things. Sounds fun, right?”

“…Fun?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded enthusiastically.

“It’ll be easy for you. You always wanted to leave the sword, didn’t you?”

Dominic’s dream was to escape the sword.

And there was only one condition:

To perfectly grant his contractor’s wish.

“If you fulfill your contractor’s wish completely, you can leave the sword and become human.”

He frowned.

“How do you know that?”

…Sharp.

I definitely couldn’t say I read it in a novel.

“It doesn’t matter how I know. What matters is—if you protect me and my shop, you’ll be free.”

And it worked.

Despite living for a thousand years, he was still naive after being trapped in a sword.

“…Right. That does sound easy… though a bit disappointing.”

He stood up, still looking conflicted.

Well, in the original story, he loved smashing things.

“Anyway… I’m counting on you, Mel.”

Seeing the excitement on his youthful face, I felt satisfied.

Now then—time to teach him about the shop.

“The building is already prepared.”

I rummaged through my clutch and handed him a small apron.

Startled, he stared at me.

“Here, put this on. Let’s start by making dalgona.”

“…Why aren’t you putting it on?”

“…Would you? We’re in a cemetery.”

Ah. Right.

I got carried away.

Making dalgona in a graveyard definitely violates food safety laws.