Chapter 4 : Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Needle (3)

The old caretaker of the orphanage, Hegel, which was run under the patronage of the Sergen Order, had once been a wandering knight from the Free City.

At dawn, Hegel taught me many things. Well, nothing particularly special.

His journeys were so common that one could hear the same kind of tales from a tavern storyteller for the price of a mug of beer. Hegel was not even a skilled speaker, so perhaps his stories were even duller than that.

The way he taught me to handle a sword was crude. It was not a systematically established swordsmanship, nor was it the training method taught at an academy. Perhaps even the guards of a city could have taught a better style than Hegel’s.

Yet, there was romance, freedom, and light in the journeys across the continent that he spoke of. Perhaps that was why, beneath the moonlight, the sword of the old caretaker appeared beautiful to me. His sword was not great, but it carried the life of an old wandering knight.

So I loved Hegel’s sword. And I liked him.

“You too will leave this orphanage someday.”

One day, drunk, Hegel said that to me.

“When that day comes, go out into the wide world. Do not be afraid any longer.”

His words stayed deeply with me.

Not long after, at the age of seventy-two, Hegel passed away.

The cause of death was simple.

He was old, sick, and died naturally of old age.

In the musty caretaker’s bedroom beneath the orphanage.

And a year later, I left the orphanage.

With me was the long, slender blade I had always held with him at dawn—my 「Needle」.

For a woman without parents to be knighted was nearly impossible, so I became a mercenary. If Hegel had seen me, he would have joked about it. That I had not become a knight, but at least I had become a wanderer, just like him.

Once I began a mercenary life, my name spread fairly quickly.

I didn’t know if it was because of my unusual sword, or because I was a young woman.

They called me the “Sewing Gypsy.”

.

.

.

“…Ah.”

I awoke to the sunlight filtering through the curtains. The left side of my face in the mirror was that of the female swordswoman Mary, marred with burn scars, while the right side was that of the still-youthful boy, Arhan Karavan.

The memories contained within the sword were becoming more vivid the more I trained.

What kind of effect were these memories having on me?

There was one thing certain.

I was no longer the same as before I had consumed the sword.

“Gypsy.”

It was a term for the wandering people of the Free City. They were usually used to describe desert folk, so why had Mary, who was far from a desert dweller, been given such a nickname?

I did not know. Mercenary nicknames were always arbitrary anyway.

“Hoo.”

I steadied my breath and stood up.

The body beneath the face in the mirror was smooth, like unshaped iron, not rugged. It was closer to a dancer’s than a warrior’s—firm, but not bulky.

After quickly washing up, I stepped outside the mansion.

I had to run again today. As always.

***

“I have a question.”

「What is it?」

“If the stories Father used to tell were all true, and if our Karavan family was once so great… then why is there not a trace of it now?”

It was a question that arose during training.

“Even the butler who knows the entire history of the continent, even the merchants of the Free City with all their random knowledge, said they never heard of Karavan. No matter how much time has passed, can it really be erased like smoke?”

Liam answered my question briefly.

「The closer you draw to your goal, the more truth you will come to know. There’s no point in me telling you now.」

It was a vague answer. Saying I would know when the time came—such an answer was worthy of the witches of the Sky Empire.

I pouted, and Liam said,

「You truly are a curious one. Well, you always were. Did you not always look upon me with irreverent eyes, back when I hung on the wall of the mansion?」

“When did I ever look at you with irreverent eyes?”

「Whenever your father told you the stories of Karavan, you always stared at me with eyes that said you did not believe it.」

It was true. As I kept silent, Liam added,

「You are a peculiar one. Perhaps that is the talent born into your unremarkable body.」

“What kind of talent is that supposed to be?”

As I sweated profusely, Liam chuckled faintly and whispered,

「The attitude of not blindly believing only what you see and hear, of stripping away the shell to reach the essence—the truth—that lies within. That too can be a form of talent.」

Hoo— I gasped for breath. As I ran until my breath turned sour, Liam’s voice rang faintly in my ears.

「Suspicion. Do not lose that attitude. Those who do not know suspicion can never surpass their limits.」

Do not lose suspicion.

At those words, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Didn’t he once tell me not to doubt, but to believe?

Well, wasn’t it normal for old people to keep changing their words?

「You just had another irreverent thought, didn’t you?」

“No, I didn’t.”

Liam’s awareness was always too sharp.

I shamelessly kept my mouth shut and focused on running, until he said,

「Do you not question this training anymore? For the first ten days you endlessly asked what meaning there was to it.」

“…Even if I asked now, wouldn’t you just give another vague answer?”

「Now you know me well.」

I let out a laugh and climbed the hill.

My breath was choking, and I almost tripped on a rock.

But now, even if my stance faltered, I no longer fell.

I regained my balance, straightened my back, and ran again.

Seeing that, Liam said,

「Well, soon enough you will feel the results of this training.」

As he said this, Liam looked into the distance. I turned my eyes to follow him, but saw nothing.

Only a large zelkova tree and tall bushes.

Was he simply looking at the scenery, like a man of his age might? My curiosity rose.

“What are you looking at?”

Liam smiled faintly and said,

「Looks like the insects are beginning to gather.」

“…?”

「Your complaints about this training will soon come to an end.」

What did he mean by that?

「By tomorrow at the latest, it will be proven.」

***

This land was abandoned. Since the Swordmaster Carlos had committed his great massacre here, not a single visitor had come in a year. The only one who lived here was me.

Has the kingdom taken some measures? Or perhaps the stench of blood still lingered so thick that people felt ominous about it.

They probably thought it was the dwelling of an evil black magician, or a place swept by plague.

Well, whatever outsiders thought, it mattered not to me.

It was good for concentration, and I drew no attention.

It was the perfect environment to devote myself solely to training.

But this land could not remain mine alone forever.

This harsh kingdom was full of people living with complicated circumstances. Were there not those who clung to life in the garbage pits of the slums? Whether it was a place where an evil black magician dwelled, or one struck by an unknown plague, if it was an empty land without strict nobles, there would inevitably be those who coveted it. And those driven by such greed were usually people pushed to the very bottom.

“…Hmm.”

On my way back to the mansion after finishing my now-routine run, I noticed traces different from usual.

Seeing me stop, Liam asked,

「Why did you stop?」

“There are people here.”

「And what makes you think that?」

Liam’s voice was calm as always.

Scanning the thickets to the left, I explained what I saw.

“The left flowerbed is damaged. I can faintly make out different footprints. Three? No, four people seem to have passed through. There’s also a foul stench. Rotten food.”

「…Ho, did you learn tracking from a village ranger?」

“No. It’s just natural sensitivity.”

Yes. This was the sensitivity I had possessed since childhood.

The habit of never overlooking trivial changes or newly formed traces.

It was the habit Liam had mentioned before.

Suspicion.

I paid attention to everything I saw, heard, and smelled. And the moment anything new appeared, or any change occurred, I began to suspect.

My parents had warned me that living like this would be exhausting, but the sharpness I was born with had never dulled. It was not intentional. It was closer to instinct.

「Had you become a ranger exploring the forest or a mercenary, you would have prospered greatly.」

“…”

「But even with the sword, that is a rare and precious talent.」

Liam spoke in a relaxed voice.

「So what do you want to do?」

“What do you want me to do, Master?”

「Do whatever you wish. I want to hear your answer.」

After hearing his words, I caught my breath.

I had just finished training. Did I still have enough strength left?

‘Enough.’

Checking my condition, I touched the long, slender blade at my waist. Since I had consumed the 「Needle」 I picked up in the slum garbage pit, I had prepared a substitute blade resembling a needle. It was sharp enough to pierce anything at once. After closing my eyes in thought, I spoke,

“I must confirm whether they are new neighbors, or intruders.”

「And if they are intruders?」

“I’ll assess their level and act accordingly. If I can handle them, I’ll drive them out. If I cannot, I’ll leave this place. That’s the wise choice.”

I am pitifully weak now. So there was no reason to face them recklessly.

Wasn’t this an abandoned land, after all?

No remaining residents, no precious family.

But perhaps my heart was different from my rational mind.

「From what I see, if they are intruders, you’ll fight them regardless of their strength.」

Liam was right. My heart burned hot.

I was sick of intruders in this land of my memories. The trauma left by Swordmaster Carlos writhed inside me. My hand gripping the long blade trembled—with anger.

“I have a question.”

「What is it?」

“What you said before… is it true?”

I turned my head and looked into Liam’s eyes.

“Now, I could swing my sword all day without my breathing faltering.”

Liam seemed to realize what I meant.

—If you can swing your sword all day without faltering, then that alone means you can easily kill at least five untrained men.

Yes, that was what Liam had said.

Had it been an exaggeration just to motivate me?

Or had he told me in advance a truth that was about to come?

I needed to confirm it.

Liam slowly opened his mouth.

「Child. I never lie when it comes to the sword.」

“…”

「I guarantee it.」

Liam grinned coldly.

「If those intruders are untrained men, then it will prove just how valuable my training has been.」

***

The mansion was filled with pitch darkness, not a single candle lit.

The windows were all blocked with closed curtains. Perhaps it had been long since the place had been aired out.

Inside, along with dampness, the sharp scent of blood lingered. But to them, it was all the better. Such unpleasant smells were familiar, and it meant the place had no master.

“Has a plague spread here?”

“Maybe this is a black magician’s dwelling.”

“If that were so, we’d have all been corpses the moment we stepped in. Do you not know how terrifyingly magicians turn their abodes into labyrinths? This place is either abandoned or out of a magician’s reach.”

Laughter echoed in the quiet mansion. The men immediately sank into the comfortable sofas.

One big man wiped his dirty axe blade on the leather seats, soaking them in blood.

“Fortune smiles on us. Not only have we found a land with no one in it, but we’ve gotten a mansion as well.”

“Who knows? Maybe some fallen noble made this as a villa.”

“Ha! A shabby place like this, a villa? If someone comes, we’ll just slit their throat. If they bring wife and daughter, we’ll keep them.”

“You think we’ll be that lucky?”

The brutes prowled recklessly around the mansion. Whenever they found jewelry in wardrobes or drawers, they laughed heartily. What made them laugh most was when they discovered frilly women’s underwear.

“This really must have been some noble’s villa! Ah, perfect—”

They spread the undergarments wide and laughed vulgarly.

“Find a portrait! I can’t wait to see…”

In a bedroom with white sheets, the four barbaric men shouted in glee.

And then—“Stop.”

A voice cut in, different from theirs. A somewhat youthful boy’s voice.

“My mother liked cleanliness. She hated it if even a stain appeared on the sheets. So get up from there.”

“…What?”

“Did you come here hungry, in need of food? Or do you simply need a place to stay? If it is one of those two, then say it. There are many empty houses in this town, and abandoned storerooms still hold food. If that is the case, I am willing to accept you as neighbors. So answer.”

The clear, disciplined tone of a noble.

The men on the bed twitched their eyebrows.

One grabbed his axe from the floor and stood up.

“The hell you talking about, brat?”

The owner of the voice beyond the darkness was a small boy.

No need to look closely—his voice alone was far too young.

Was he the son of the owner of this villa?

The man walked toward him with visible irritation.

What kind of brat, whose head could be split with one swing of an axe, spoke with such confidence…

“Damn brat, if you heard us, you should’ve stayed hidden—why come out and—”

As he drew closer, the boy came clearly into view.

Yes, he was small. A beautiful boy with a face like that of a girl. His delicate face and body looked like they could break with a single kick.

The man swept his eyes up and down the boy, gripping the axe tighter. And then he saw it—something long and slender clutched in the boy’s frail arm. A blade. Even in the darkness, it gleamed with sharpness.

“…?”

But it was too slender to be called a proper weapon. Yes, like a needle.

“An intruder then. Not a neighbor.”

The boy murmured. And in that instant, his face twisted and changed. For just a moment, he became someone else entirely—a female swordswoman, her face horribly scarred by burns, her eyes blazing with fire…

Startled, the man raised his axe.

But the boy was faster.

“Uh—urk.”

From the boy’s fingertips, the glinting light turned from a point into a line.

Like a needle stitching thread, the tip of the blade pierced the man.

Fast. Very fast.