Episode 22: The Demon-Possessed Sword (Part 2)
"Wait! Don't grab that sword!"
Someone stepped forward and shouted. It was Shunbe - the hunter who had first brought the sword to the village.
But Karon already held the hilt.
At that moment, the faint crimson miasma enveloping the sword flowed into Karon's hand like being absorbed. Though invisible to others, Karon's heightened senses perceived it clearly.
The crimson energy surged through every part of his body - from fingertips to toes to crown - delivering an electric thrill. After completing one full circulation, the energy astonishingly coalesced in his chest before vanishing.
Or more accurately, settling into dormancy.
'Fascinating blade.'
Karon rotated the sword experimentally. Its length suited him perfectly, and both the grip's texture and lightweight balance pleased him.
"Um... Are you alright?"
Shunbe cautiously asked while staring in wonder. Ignoring him, Karon test-swung the blade.
Whoosh!
"Eek!"
"Waaah!"
Villagers scrambled backward again. Karon frowned at their reaction before turning to Shunbe.
"Where's the sheath?"
"Ah! H-here..."
Shunbe instinctively offered the scabbard strapped to his back. As part of the village guard, he'd retrieved it from Malem's house after confiscating the sword.
He kept stealing glances at Karon, who showed no reaction while holding the weapon. After sheathing it, Karon examined the scabbard contentedly.
Meanwhile, villagers tended wounded guards and cleared debris. The madman with severed limbs lay dead in the square's center, blackened blood leaking from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
As cleanup concluded, an elderly man approached with several villagers.
"Thank you for saving our village."
The white-bearded elder leading them bowed like a village chief. Karon's youthful appearance mattered little - they'd all witnessed his prowess firsthand.
The elder concluded this formidable youth must be high nobility or a knight's scion despite his disheveled appearance - a judgment honed through decades of experience.
Karon responded with a silent nod, his manner radiating aristocratic haughtiness.
"And regarding the sword... What do you intend..."
"I'm taking it."
Karon answered haughtily before the elder finished speaking. The old man nodded - only true nobility would casually use informal speech with an elder.
A young man hovering nearby suddenly interjected:
"Do you have lodging tonight?"
"Eh? Lodging? First, might I ask..."
The elder trailed off while observing their reactions. Shon narrowed his eyes slightly.
"And that would be?"
"Your origins."
Shon's mind raced. Claiming the desert or Kruger Woods would raise suspicion - those regions were nearly uninhabited. He chose the simplest approach.
"Ah! We're from the capital..."
"Oh! Nobles from the capital indeed! Your bearing spoke volumes. And you are...?"
The conversation derailed spectacularly - the elder clung firmly to his misconception. Shon decided maintaining the noble facade promised better treatment.
"Aha! Yes. I'm Lofre Shon, attending Young Master Karon here. Just Shon is fine. The young master currently trains for knighthood."
Rapid tactical shift.
"Ah! A knight's squire! Of course! Let me arrange..."
"Wait."
"Yes?"
Shon rummaged through his cloak and produced a pouch - the perfect moment to cement their act.
"Could you exchange gold coins?"
"Gold coins?"
"Yes."
When Shon handed over a coin, the elder gaped at the Rob Empire currency typically only seen in capital city Fontania - final proof of their nobility.
"How should we convert..."
"Five silver coins and the rest in copper."
"Understood. One moment."
As Shon spoke authoritatively, the elder bowed repeatedly before retreating to consult villagers.
Shon glanced at Karon, who watched him with blatant disdain. Though expressionless, the message was clear.
'Damn brat. Barely speaks. Just informal replies. Well, it helped this time.'
Since entering the village, Karon had uttered only two short phrases. Did words cost him his life?
The elder returned with Shunbe in tow, the hunter looking thoroughly spooked.
"The villagers remain terrified of the sword."
The elder pushed Shunbe forward. The hunter kept nervously glancing between Karon and the weapon.
"This is Shunbe. He lives in a secluded forest cabin away from the village. You'll stay there - it's more comfortable than it appears."
"Fine. We're in no position to refuse. Better than camping. We'll leave tomorrow."
As Shon agreed, the elder checked Karon's reaction. Nobles might dislike rustic lodgings, but Shon reassured him.
"Don't worry. The young master embraces knightly austerity."
The elder sighed in relief.
"Thank you for understanding. We'll send provisions."
"That's unnecessary..."
"Please accept this small gratitude."
"Very well."
After final bows, the elder pinched Shunbe's arm. The hunter jolted awake.
"Ah! Follow me!"
They mounted horses and followed at leisure. Some villagers watched their departure anxiously, still fearing the sword.
True to the elder's word, Shunbe's cabin stood isolated near a forest stream. Karon approved - the quiet surpassed village noise.
Warm air greeted them inside. Embers still glowed in the fireplace, creating cozy ambiance.
"One moment."
Shunbe added firewood and prepared seating. After washing up at the stream, they found a village cart arrived bearing food, drink, and water.
"Join us."
"Ah... This feast honors me."
Shunbe smiled awkwardly while moving provisions inside.
"My first proper meal in ages..."
Shon gulped.
He devoured the spread wordlessly, long past caring about dignity. The others differed - Shunbe ate mechanically while tense, and Karon stopped after minimal bites.
The noble suddenly rose and began chewing bitter herbs outside, leaving the demonic sword behind. Shunbe sighed in relief upon confirming this.
Strangely, the sword's crimson aura had vanished.
Once certain Karon was gone, Shunbe ventured:
"Is he always that quiet?"
"Well... It's improper to say, but after losing his mother young, he lost his appetite, then speech, then common sense..."
Shon launched into an improvised tragedy, bored and full-bellied. Shunbe listened raptly, even shedding chicken-dung tears.
"But why doesn't the sword affect him?"
"My humble theory? Childhood trauma bred reclusiveness. Dark energies accumulated until he started emitting miasma himself. His constitution changed during knight training. That's why the sword accepts him. Haven't you noticed his aura...?"
Shon's lies grew more elaborate with Shunbe's enthralled reactions. Ironically, some elements paralleled Karon's actual past.
Meanwhile...
Outside, Karon dug at his ear and scowled.
Though he'd closed the door, his acute hearing captured every word. He refrained from throttling Shon.
Let him vent that way.
Karon climbed the hill behind the cabin. A few steps placed him atop the modest slope. He settled on a flat boulder.
"Huu."
His true purpose for coming out surfaced.
The dormant dark energy in his chest had stirred before dinner, now thrashing violently. Though he'd chewed herbs to suppress it, his heightened senses struggled for control.
The energy clearly wanted to return to the sword.
But that's not an option.
