The Nameless stared at the sword in his hand, as if entranced, no matter how much I tried to catch his gaze with my sparkling eyes.
Hmm, it’s quite the event that the Nameless isn’t looking at me.
I wasn’t particularly upset, but the state he was in worried me, and my brows knit together.
‘Is that sword really that pretty?’
I subtly tilted my head to get a better look at the sword in his hand.
The black blade, made from who-knows-what, had beautiful wave patterns etched into it, and both the blade tip and the hilt were the same black color. For that reason, the white cloth wrapped around the handle stood out even more.
Hmm, it was indeed beautiful enough to catch the Nameless’s attention like that, but…
Wasn’t it a bit too Eastern for this place?
I hadn’t seen everyone living here, but the people I had seen so far, minus me, all had Western appearances.
Just as their looks were Western, the type of swords adventurers used represented the medieval swords, and the only unusual weapons were staffs used for magic… so suddenly a dao appears?
Seeing that sword, I was once again convinced that I was in a fictional world.
As I gazed at the sword with somewhat mixed feelings, a thought struck me.
‘Perhaps I might know the reason the Nameless is entranced?’
Isn’t there something about being bewitched by a magical sword?
And given that it was a gift from the Succubus, a subordinate of the Demon King…
When I turned my head and narrowed my eyes, looking at Lili, she seemed to have not expected this situation either, crossing her arms and shaking her head repeatedly.
“It’s not me!”
“…What did I say?”
She insists it’s not her when I hadn’t even asked anything.
This is definitely suspicious.
If I were to pressure her for an answer, the Nameless would surely misunderstand that I was threatening Lili.
That wouldn’t do.
To appear as wholesome as possible, I draped my arm over Lili’s shoulder.
“No! You’re suspecting me with your gaze—Eek! I’m sorry!”
Oh dear, she’s reacting excessively again; I’m just saying it’s a misunderstanding!
I gently patted Lili’s shoulder to calm her down and whispered in her ear.
“For now, just tell me everything you know. What’s up with that sword?”
“Ugh… you’re suspicious, aren’t you….”
“What?”
“…Yes.”
If it had been the usual Lili, she would have confessed everything the moment I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.
Hmm, then did Lili not intentionally give me that sword?
“Then can you at least give me some information about that sword?”
“…It was originally meant for Harang, but you refused it last time.”
Lili’s gaze shifted to the sword in the Nameless’s hands.
“That’s the sword from that time….”
“I never refused to receive a sword from you, did I?”
I cocked my head at the starkly different information.
“Huh? Oh, didn’t one of our demon race visit you a few years back?”
There was indeed someone who had a similar aura to Lili who came to visit me…
But did that person say they wanted to give me a sword?
“Anyway! It was meant for you back then, but I don’t know the details!”
I waved my hand dismissively at Lili’s excuse and tilted my head.
‘Something might be off here.’
The sudden influx of information made my head spin.
It seemed that person had only tried to drag me away forcibly back then…
Though Lili might be misinterpreting things a bit, that person had actually come to find the Nameless from the start.
So the sword that was originally meant for the Nameless just now reached him?
Hmm, but why did the demon race want to take the Nameless?
My questions kept piling up in my mind, but I couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer.
‘First, I need to think about what to do about the Nameless.’
I shook the shoulder of the Nameless, who was still engrossed in fiddling with the sword.
“Nameless?”
“…Yes, Master.”
The Nameless blinked, furrowing his brows and turning his head.
Hmm, he’s finally looking at me now.
“Is there something wrong with the sword?”
“Not at all….”
“I see, if you say so then I suppose it’s fine.”
His answer left much to be desired, but…
If he were really in danger or something unusual, he would have told me.
I ruffled the Nameless’s hair roughly.
“Still, if something happens, make sure to tell me right away.”
“Yes, Master.”
As I settled behind the Nameless, messing with his hair, Lili, who had been silently watching us, suddenly remembered something and tapped her head with her fist while poking her tongue out.
“Oh no! Harang!”
“What is it? Haven’t you left yet?”
“That’s not fair!”
Lili puffed her cheeks and scowled.
Well, I found her expression more amusing than scary, but one thing was for sure: she was definitely angry.
“So, what did you call me for?”
“I gave you the sword, but you didn’t give me the sheath!”
Hmm, I indeed had not received a sheath.
I had presumed it was simply such a sword, but thinking further, given it was a dao, there should logically be a sheath.
With my brows furrowed, I nodded.
“True.”
“I didn’t forget to bring it, it’s just the sheath wasn’t in our castle!”
“I see, then does it mean there’s no sheath now?”
Since it was taken from the castle where the Demon King resided, if the sword there didn’t have a sheath, it’s safe to say it either broke or was never there from the start.
As I posed the question, Lili made a strange sound, “Pupu!” while crossing her arms and shaking her head.
“No! There’s definitely a sheath! I think it’s probably somewhere in the humans’ country?! But I’m not exactly sure where….”
“So you’re telling us to find it on our own?”
“Yes! That’s right! Eek! Don’t stand up! Just hear me out more!”
When I started to stand up for my usual cozy “chat” with Lili, she wrapped her hands around her horns on her head and squatted down on the floor.
‘Did I go a bit overboard usually?’
Feeling a bit sorry, I returned to my seat behind the Nameless, and Lili glanced at me before swiftly standing up and cracking her neck.
“Ahem! I have to take care of the humans you gathered, as per your request, Harang?”
“…Did you say take care?”
“Oh no, slip of the tongue.”
Well, I could understand how, from the demon perspective, my request might have been interpreted that way.
That much I could easily grasp.
Nodding as if to say continue, I gestured.
“Anyway! Because of that! I, Lili, will be quite busy?!”
“And?”
“Huh? What do you mean, and? It means you should find the sheath yourself, Harang?!”
This time I made a disgusted face while sticking my tongue out.
Eugh—what a hassle.
As my face naturally soured, Lili put on a discontented expression and continued.
“Think about it carefully! It’s a gift from you to your precious disciple! Is that really too much effort?!”
Hmm, is that right? It seems somewhat so.
I tilted my head with a raised eyebrow, and Lili, thinking she had a point, opened her arms wide, her eyes sparkling.
“Your disciple would undoubtedly prefer the sheath found by the beloved Harang rather than one that’s just from a succubus like me!”
The fact that the Nameless loved me—well, that could be true in the context of a master-disciple relationship, but…
I don’t know.
It didn’t seem like Lili meant that when she said it.
“Hmm, love, you say? Do you think the Nameless sees me like that…?”
“No! I’m sure he does! Just look! I’m a succubus, so I can sense such feelings faster than anyone else, and your disciple’s eyes are practically dripping honey!”
When I glanced at the Nameless with a somewhat awkward look, he snapped his head up, sweating coldly, and shook his head.
“…Master, no.”
Just as I thought, the Nameless wouldn’t be looking at me with such… embarrassing, no, impure eyes, would he?
I confidently turned my gaze to Lili.
“See? He says he doesn’t!”
“Ha! No! Usually, succubi’s words hold a great deal of weight, right?! Trust me—Ack!”
Lili got hit by a pillow tossed by the Nameless and sat down on the floor, holding her forehead.
“Stop it there, Ririr.”
“Geez, it’s Lili, not Ririr… You keep getting my name wrong….”
Lili pouted for a moment but quickly regained her spirits, standing up and pointing a finger at me.
“More importantly! You’re completely ignoring what I said about searching for the sheath! When did you become someone responding only to love?!”
Hmm, did I do that?
I turned my head and stared out the window.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know! You’re just trying to pass it off because it’s a hassle, right?!”
“Tsk.”
“This person just clicked their tongue! Were you really trying to pass it off?!”
What’s so hard about just doing it?
As I thought that while glaring at Lili, she visibly flinched under my gaze.
“…What?”
“Alright, fine, I get it.”
How could I refuse when she asked so persistently?
I let out a long sigh.
“Still, you do know the general area, right?”
“Oh, yes! It’s probably in the ‘End of the World,’ that was just purified by a human Hero not too long ago?”
Hmm, I had no idea what she meant by that.
All I could think of was ‘So the hero purified a place called the Demon Realm,’ which was a completely useless thought.
It felt like Lili was teasing me, and I pouted my lips, opening my mouth.
“Where on earth is that?”
“Huh? You didn’t know something like that, being a human?”
“I don’t have enough interest in the world to know about it.”
“Ugh, to have that little concern for things unrelated to your disciple, that’s a sickness!”
That might not exactly be true, right? Or maybe it is?
As I tilted my head, I noticed the corners of the Nameless’s mouth slightly rising.
Suddenly feeling flushed, I hurriedly urged Lili for a response.
“Anyway, where is it?”
“Um… I think it’s far to the north, like ‘the End of the World.’”
?
What’s up with that name that sounds like something out of a 14-year-old’s diary…
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