Chapter 40
The Holy Sword Has Transformed…!
I’m sorry. I got carried away.
My brother’s dumbfounded expression—What on earth just happened?—hurt me far more than I expected.
Even Elvin was giving me a What are you talking about? look, doubling the damage.
Shrinking in embarrassment, I lowered the sword.
The holy sword, as tall as I was, looked really big.
I had drawn it, sure, but now that I was thinking clearly… what was I supposed to do with it?
Maybe that thought reached the sword, because suddenly it lit up with a blinding radiance.
Everything in front of me turned pure white—I couldn’t see anything.
“Letty!”
I could sense my brother rushing toward me the moment something went wrong.
“Your Highness, look out!”
Ian’s voice as he shielded Elvin.
And then—
“The holy sword—!”
The metallic weight vanished from my palm.
Still unable to see, I felt my brother’s fingertips brush the fabric of my clothes as he reached for me.
The next moment, he pulled me into a tight embrace.
I could hear his heartbeat pounding violently—thump, thump.
After a while, the arms around me relaxed, and he let out a quiet, relieved sigh.
Gently, I lifted my face.
The blinding light was gone.
And so was the holy sword that had been in my hand.
Where did it go…?
“Right here.”
A deep voice—one I had never heard before—suddenly spoke.
Who?
I turned around… and a strange man was standing just a few steps away.
Glossy black hair, like it had trapped the night sky within it.
Golden eyes, shining like the moon floating in the heavens.
I believed my brother Serios was the most beautiful person in the world, but this man had a beauty that felt almost inhuman.
Wearing an all-black butler uniform, he looked as if the night itself had taken human form.
My brother, who hadn’t sensed this presence at all until now, instantly stepped in front of me protectively.
“Who are you?”
Even the voice he uses to challenge someone sounds cool. As expected of my brother.
—Not that this is the time to admire that.
Who is this man!?
“I am the holy sword. And that girl is my contractor.”
“Ehhhhh!?”
The holy sword was a person!?
Wait. There was no such setting in the original story!
“I am not a human, but I am not merely a sword. I was created by the gods, after all.”
So… he can take human form?
“If I gain a formal contractor, I can take any form I desire.”
Oh. I see…
For a moment I wondered, Can he become a dragon too? but immediately panicked at the idea—this space was far too small for such a thing. I stopped thinking about it.
Standing there against the background of golden lycoris, even knowing he was the holy sword, he was undeniably beautiful.
But my number one favorite will always be my brother Serios, no contest.
Glancing toward my brother, I noticed his clear ice-blue eyes fixed on me.
Ah… is he waiting for an explanation…?
Well yes, I suppose suddenly drawing the holy sword and then having a butler appear claiming to be the sword would surprise anyone.
“Letty, what exactly is going on?”
“Um, it might sound unbelievable, but… this person is the holy sword.”
“A sword took human form…?”
Elvin echoed my words with his mouth hanging open. Ian wasn’t gaping, but he was clearly shocked.
My brother touched his temple lightly and urged me to continue.
“How did you even know this was the holy sword in the first place?”
“He told me himself.”
That’s not a lie.
He did introduce himself—just… not right now. A while ago.
“And why did you draw the sword?”
“Because it said, ‘Draw me,’ so I tried drawing it.”
If I tried lying, my brother would see through it instantly. I needed to dodge the truth without actually lying.
Because explaining my previous life would mean explaining the novel, and in that novel… my brother becomes the final boss and dies.
I was supposed to die from magic overload, but thanks to the golden lycoris I’m surviving. And the holy sword has taken human form. Nothing matches the original anymore.
I no longer know when or how my brother is supposed to become the final boss.
But no matter what happens—even if he becomes that final boss—I want to stay by his side and stand with him.
My brother is so much smarter than me. Honestly, if I told him everything, he could probably prepare properly and avoid the tragedy.
But… if I said it out loud, I feel like that future would become real. And I can’t bring myself to do it.
As I lowered my gaze, my brother gently patted my head.
“I see. All right. Still… the holy sword, huh. Being near you really brings the most unexpected things.”
His voice overflowed with nothing but kindness.
Whatever he was thinking, he kept it to himself and simply watched over me. That gentle warmth made my chest tighten.
I hugged him tightly.
