Translator: Nox

Chapter 7

She gritted her teeth and folded the bundle, gathering it up. In the meantime, they arrived at Eki's private bathroom.

"Please wash up first, and I'll prepare your clothes. Would you like me to bring you breakfast, or would you like to eat together in the dining hall?"

"Together, with whom?"

"Why, with the Master, the Countess, and the Young Master, of course. The Young Lady often sleeps in, so we need to let the kitchen know in advance if you want to eat with them."

"Master, Countess, Young Master... My parents? My, my parents? And Lansel?"

"Do you have other parents, then? You're acting strange today, Young Lady."

"Parents..."

"Anyway, you'll be eating with them, then? I'll go tell the kitchen."

"Umm..."

As she replied blankly, Nora left for the kitchen. Eki entered the bathroom with creaking steps.

There was a large full-length mirror in the bathroom. Her reflection was visible in the spotless mirror. She stopped walking.

Ekinesia Roaz, at the age of twenty, was there. Young, not stained with blood, and unscarred.

Nora, who hadn't died, spoke of parents and a younger brother who hadn't died. She asked if she would like to have a meal with them. That ordinary question struck her with overwhelming force.

Her face in the mirror contorted as if she were about to cry.

"They're all alive. Really."

Her heart pounded as if it would break. She wanted to run and check her father's face, to be embraced by her mother. Her whole body trembled. Eki couldn't stand and collapsed to the floor.

She had saved them. She had done it. It had changed.

Unlike the morning of March 17th that she knew, it was a morning where everyone was alive.

The nightmarish six years and the nine years she had spent collecting Giosas without rest flashed through her mind in a jumble. Nightmares stained with blood and darkened. Desperate struggles and vivid pain.

But as she approached the result, all those memories felt insignificant.

Gratitude and relief welled up, and she took deep breaths for a while. Her cheeks flushed red, and she rubbed them several times with her hands. Tears welled up, and she pressed hard on her eyes. Everyone would worry if there were traces of crying.

Worrying—how sweet a reality this was. It had been too long since she had lost everyone who would worry about her. She had lost them all, and even the one she had miraculously regained had died by her own hand.

Yurien de Harden Kirie.

Those blue eyes that looked straight at her. Eyes she hadn't even noticed as he died in her hands.

'That person... must be alive too.'

She wanted to meet him. She wanted to see him. She wanted to tell him that she had finally done it, that his choice had not been wrong.

But he wouldn't know anything. That was fine. It was better that he didn't know, because it was a memory she would rather he didn't have. No, considering what she had done, he shouldn't know. Eki groaned and rubbed her face.

Then, the pattern on the palm of her hand caught her eye, and she felt a chill. She was about to start anew, but the biggest nightmare still remained.

'What should I do with this?'

First, she had to make the pattern less noticeable. Wearing gloves would be the easiest way.

She quickly washed up, found thin silk gloves, and put them on. Just then, Nora came in. Nora dressed her in a light purple dress. It wasn't for parties but for everyday wear, but it was a dress she hadn't worn in a very long time.

Eki unconsciously rubbed the smooth fabric. She also stroked the spiderweb-like delicate lace. It was pretty, soft, and gorgeous. She liked the way the hem fluttered as she moved. She felt elated. It really felt like everything was back in place.

As they headed to the dining hall together, Nora turned to her and said,

"You seem to be in a good mood, Young Lady. I was worried because you seemed a bit strange earlier."

"Do I, do I look good?"

"Yes, you're smiling."

"I'm smiling?"

Eki touched the corners of her mouth. She could feel the corners of her lips were raised. She didn't know how many years it had been since she had smiled. She felt uncontrollably elated. She laughed out loud.

"A lady doesn't laugh so frivolously, Eki."

A gentle voice came from behind her. Eki stopped walking abruptly. Nora bowed.

"Master, Countess, good morning."

"Good morning, Nora. Eki, you're up early?"

"It's been a while since I've had breakfast with my daughter."

Count and Countess Roaz, who had greeted her kindly, passed her and entered the dining hall. Lansel, who had already arrived, greeted his parents. His hair was still damp, as if he had washed after training. The Countess, strict about etiquette, lightly pointed it out, and Lansel awkwardly covered his hair.

The Count mentioned that Nicole was scheduled to arrive at the mansion around tomorrow. Nicole was a mage sponsored by the Roaz family, working at the Magic Tower in the capital, and often stayed at the Roaz estate during her vacations. She was as close as siblings with Eki and Lansel.

Lansel smiled, saying he was looking forward to seeing Nicole again after a long time. The Countess and the Count also had smiling faces. And then they looked at Ekinesia, who was standing at the entrance, in turn.

"Sister, are you still half-asleep?"

"Eki, what are you doing?"

"Come in."

The morning sunlight poured into the dining hall through the glass windows. In that light, her living, breathing family smiled and called out to her.

Eki had stopped breathing at some point. She hadn't even blinked. Then, as if a doll had come to life, she blinked slowly.

Even as the darkness of her eyelids passed, the image of her family did not disappear. It was not an illusion or a dream. It was reality. Her throat choked up, and she barely managed to answer.

"Yes."

She stepped into the scene she had longed for so much. She filled her eyes with that scene. It was a scene she had finally regained, and a life she would protect no matter what.

So she wouldn't let a Demon Sword ruin this life she had barely regained.

She clenched her right hand tightly and walked. With each step, the faces of her family grew closer. The closer she got, the tighter her chest felt. Eki murmured unconsciously.

"...I really, really wanted to see you, really, so much..."

"Huh? We saw you yesterday."

"My sister woke up strangely early and must still be dreaming."

"Did you have a bad dream, Eki?"

Her parents and younger brother each said a word. Ekinesia smiled brightly with reddened eyes.

"Yes, I guess I had a bad dream."

She didn't know how the day had passed. The literature teacher and the dance teacher scolded her for making frequent mistakes today, but she didn't feel upset at all.

To them, she was a student who had forgotten what they had taught her a few days ago, so it was understandable that they were angry. Of course, from Eki's perspective, it was a class she was taking for the first time in 15 years, so it couldn't be helped. Still, the classes that used to be boring were enjoyable throughout. She felt good even when she was scolded.

Thus, the first day of her return came to an end. Eki lay in bed after Nora turned off the lamp and left. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, quietly sensing her presence. After confirming that Nora was completely gone, she carefully got up.

There was no need to turn on the lamp. She opened the curtains and welcomed the moonlight. With that much light, she could see her surroundings as clearly as in broad daylight.

Eki sat on the bed and looked at the palm of her hand. She had been wearing gloves all day, but she couldn't wear them while sleeping, so she had struggled to avoid being noticed by Nora. She looked at the black stain-like pattern and reached out her hand.

A glass-like, transparent blade rose from the pattern. A sword so neat and beautiful that one might suspect it was for decoration. But this was a Demon Sword that had consumed thousands upon thousands of lives. Eki stared at the sword with cold eyes.

"Bal."

The Demon Sword did not answer. She held the hilt and laid the sword horizontally. She wrapped Mana around her hand and struck the pattern.

[Ah! Ah! Hey! Wake me up gently!]

"You're awake."

She threw the sword aside carelessly. Bardelgiosa, who had been with her for nine years before her regression, was used to rough treatment. The Demon Sword grumbled.

[I'm tired to death, and the owner just keeps tormenting me...]

"You're talking, so you must be in your right mind. Explain."

[What.]

"Explain why you're still attached to me."

[Of course. Time has gone back, but your soul is the same as before. And I'm the Giosa embedded in your soul.]

"I collected ten Giosas? What about the other Giosas besides you?"

[You collected them, but you never awakened their egos. You only become a true owner when you awaken their egos. Anyway, so I'm the only one engraved on your soul, and if your soul is the same, then of course I'm the same.]

Bardelgiosa chattered as if she were pathetic. Eki's face grew increasingly distorted. The Demon Sword continued to speak without paying any attention.

[Hey, the reason you remember everything is because you're a Giosa Owner. If it weren't for me, you'd forget everything and become the old twenty-year-old who knows nothing? Oh, then you might get eaten by me again.]

"Wait."

Eki's complexion turned pale. If what she said was true, then, could it be.

"If I abandon you, does that mean I'll forget everything? The memories from before the regression?"

[If you have other Giosas besides me, you'll be able to maintain them thanks to those guys, but if you don't have any, you'll forget... But Owner, do you really want to abandon me?]

The question felt slightly dejected. Eki sneered at the Demon Sword's attitude.

"By any means possible."

[Heartless human...]

Even if the shell that made her commit massacres and this ego were different, it was fundamentally a Demon Sword. She had realized that painfully during the nine years she had spent collecting Giosas.

Bardelgiosa was a sword of slaughter. A sword made by a blacksmith using human malice and evil as materials.

Even if it seemed harmless, she couldn't let her guard down. If she did, she would be tainted by that sword, and she herself would want to kill people. She had made mistakes because of that. Before her regression, during the time she was collecting Giosas.

It was a memory she didn't want to recall. Eki glared at the Demon Sword with a disgusted expression.

Whether she had awakened its ego or not, it wasn't difficult to give up the Giosa herself. She could have thrown it away as soon as she saw it. She was only keeping it for now because she was afraid that someone else would be manipulated if she threw it away anywhere.

But a reason why she could never abandon it had arisen. The preservation of her memories.

The Demon Sword might whine about wanting to kill people, but it didn't lie.

"I can't abandon you until I get another Giosa."