The day after discussing with the people of the city, it was decided that we would hunt down the Witch of Lust.
After finishing the meeting, I headed straight to Yoon Si-woo’s room in Astra’s Mansion.
I needed to borrow the Holy Sword of Truth from Yoon Si-woo to pinpoint the location of the Witch of Lust.
“Yoon Si-woo, just coming in for a sec,” I said as I entered, but as expected, there was no response.
The room’s owner, Yoon Si-woo, was lying motionless on the bed as usual.
“…Still sprawled out sleeping today, huh?”
Seeing him like this, one might think he believes he’s a princess from a fairytale, like Sleeping Beauty.
I approached the bed and mumbled as I looked at him.
“…Are you waiting for a prince’s kiss to wake you up? What do you think, Yoon Si-woo? If you woke up from sleep and found a guy kissing you?”
I chuckled as I imagined Yoon Si-woo waking up in shock realizing his lips had been stolen by some dude.
“…I really wish you would wake up somehow, for real.”
Looking at Yoon Si-woo’s sleeping face again made me feel gloomy.
If only there was a way to wake him up like that.
Then I could make sure to get him up no matter what.
Having his life in my debt, what wouldn’t I do for Yoon Si-woo?
I was confident that I could do anything if it was needed, but with no idea how to make him open his eyes, it was just frustrating.
“…Sigh.”
I let out a sigh and reminded myself of my original purpose for visiting Yoon Si-woo, glancing toward where it was.
The Holy Sword of Truth, resting gently by Yoon Si-woo’s pillow.
I reached out, picked it up, and looked back at Yoon Si-woo.
Of course, he remained in the same position as before.
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
“…Even if we’re friends, I shouldn’t be taking someone else’s belongings without permission, right?”
How am I supposed to use this?
There was a time when my friend borrowed my eraser without asking and wore it down to its corners, leading to a huge fight, so who knows how rough I might handle this thing.
I whispered pleadingly to Yoon Si-woo.
“…So please, say something, you jerk.”
But there was no answer from Yoon Si-woo, as expected.
“…What am I even doing here with someone who can’t respond?”
Yeah, that was the obvious thing.
There was no need to feel discouraged or sad over it.
But still, feeling a bit bittersweet was unavoidable, and I murmured with a wry smile.
“Anyway, Yoon Si-woo, I need to borrow your sword. I’m going to hunt down the Witch of Lust soon, and I need the power of the sword you possess. I’ll be careful and return it in its original state, so don’t worry too much.”
Of course, he wouldn’t hear any of this.
Just as I was about to rise and leave with the Holy Sword of Truth in hand, suddenly—
“…Huh?”
A soft glow began to emanate from Yoon Si-woo’s body, stopping me in my tracks.
“What the…”
Startled by the bizarre phenomenon with no explanation, I couldn’t help but feel excited.
Since Yoon Si-woo had been totally unresponsive until now, could this perhaps be a sign that he was coming to?
However, Yoon Si-woo continued to lie there, illuminating as if shining a light but remained utterly motionless.
Before long, I figured out the source of the light radiating from Yoon Si-woo.
“…The Holy Sword of Gwanghui?”
The radiant glow that seemed to be emanating from Yoon Si-woo revealed itself as the platinum sword, the Holy Sword of Gwanghui, which had appeared abruptly for some unknown reason.
Floating lightly in the air at eye level with me, it hovered there, scattering light.
I stared at the Holy Sword of Gwanghui, as if engaged in a silent showdown.
There must have been some intention behind its sudden appearance, I thought.
But 10 seconds passed in that state, and then—
“…”
After another 20 seconds—
“…….?”
The Holy Sword of Gwanghui just floated there, without showing any signs of action.
…What the heck?
Just as I tilted my head in confusion, the Holy Sword of Gwanghui suddenly began to move.
It tipped slightly, then returned to its original position.
Its movement resembled the head tilt I had just done in curiosity.
It felt as if a speech bubble saying [……?] should be floating nearby.
Confused by the Holy Sword’s enigmatic gesture, I asked it directly, feeling a bit frustrated.
“…Hey, why did you suddenly show up?”
Upon my inquiry, the Holy Sword of Gwanghui paused briefly, then tilted again before returning to its original stance.
It looked like it was tilting its head again, but there was something different about this movement.
While the previous tilt seemed purely inquisitive, this one felt somewhat flustered.
But I couldn’t grasp the precise intention behind that motion, and as I remained silent, the Holy Sword began to move again.
This time, it floated closer to me, extending its hilt as if inviting me to grab it.
Instinctively, I sensed what the sword wanted to convey.
“Uh… Are you offering to lend me your strength?”
Nod.
In response to my question, the Holy Sword of Gwanghui nodded its body as if confirming it.
Only then did I understand why the Holy Sword had suddenly appeared.
“Ah, so you came out because I just asked to borrow a sword, and you’re offering to lend your strength…”
Nod, nod.
The Holy Sword of Gwanghui nodded twice, extending its hilt toward me again.
Wow, what a kind-hearted sword!
Though I was touched by the Holy Sword of Gwanghui’s kindness, I couldn’t lie, so I chuckled awkwardly and disclosed the truth.
“Uh, actually… I really appreciate it, but I was trying to borrow the other sword, the Holy Sword of Truth… I need its tracking ability, so… just the thought counts.”
As I said that, the Holy Sword of Gwanghui tilted backward in shock.
The movement distinctly portrayed its confusion.
It could easily be accompanied by a sound effect like “dundun—!!” and dialogue such as “[Wha… what?!!]” in a comic book.
Anyway, whether it was shocked or something else, the Holy Sword of Gwanghui froze for a moment and suddenly, the Holy Sword of Truth in my hand began to tremble vigorously.
Then, with a sudden burst, the Holy Sword of Gwanghui shook and started to shine brightly.
Every time the Holy Sword of Truth trembled, Gwanghui’s sword responded similarly, suggesting they were engaging in some form of conversation.
They say swords choose their masters, but they must possess some level of consciousness to hold a conversation.
I found it fascinating and became curious about what the two were discussing.
Given their mystical capabilities, surely they were having an advanced, intellectual conversation, right?
While I sat there imagining what profound dialogue could be occurring between the two swords, before I knew it, their exchange seemed to finish as the tremors ceased.
Just as silence began to settle—
“Hu?! W-What the…!”
Suddenly, the Holy Sword of Gwanghui radiated a brilliant light.
The light gathered in one spot and abruptly flowed into my body.
What is this? Did it just do something to me?
I can’t quite grasp it, but after doing something to my body, the Holy Sword of Gwanghui seemed to have completed its purpose, shaking once and instantly transforming into light, disappearing into Yoon Si-woo’s body.
“…What just happened?”
After the whirlwind of events, I stared blankly for a moment before realizing I had at least managed to borrow the Holy Sword of Truth from Yoon Si-woo.
Deciding to leave the room, I took one last look at Yoon Si-woo’s figure, but surprisingly, my mood wasn’t as somber as before.
Perhaps it was thanks to the sword I had just seen.
The presence of the swords alongside Yoon Si-woo was proof that he was still alive.
Just knowing that made me feel reassured that Yoon Si-woo hadn’t completely departed from this world.
A little bit, my heart felt lighter.
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