"……."
I couldn’t find the words to respond, only blinking in stunned silence.
I wasn’t a descendant of the Pluto family.
Yet Reuben was giving an heirloom, sothing he said he had intended for the family’s descendants.
The implications of that statent made it hard for to breathe.
Could it be that he was recognizing as part of the family?
I recalled sothing Rearwin had said to not long after I first arrived at the Pluto Ducal Estate.
“Who knows? After all this, Father might even officially adopt you…. You’re no ordinary child.”
“Adopt ? Officially?”
“Yes. Then we’d be real family. Not that I think of us as fake family now, of course.”
Could it actually happen? Could I really be adopted into the family?
I sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case.
Reuben couldn’t possibly think of as similar to one of his descendants just because of this incident.
He was probably only impressed by what I had done—enough to give an heirloom. This was simply recognition of my abilities as a knight. Nothing more.
While I wrestled with my thoughts, unable to say anything, Rearwin smiled.
“Just accept it, Centi. If Father is giving it to you, it’s because you’re deserving of it.”
“…Oh, um, thank you,” I stamred.
Finally, I bowed politely toward Reuben. Refusing the gift outright would have been discourteous.
Rearwin’s clapping sounded distant, almost surreal, as I tried to process everything that had just happened.
***
‘…Wow, no matter how many tis I look at it, it’s absolutely stunning.’
Under the night sky, dotted with stars, I sat in a quiet corner of the Pluto Ducal Estate’s garden, unable to take my eyes off the dagger.
The beautifully crafted, wave-shaped dagger was not only srizing but also an heirloom of the Pluto family.
Had I just co into possession of sothing far too precious?
I couldn’t quite believe it was truly mine, sothing that I would own from now on.
At the sa ti, my chest swelled with pride, as if I were floating on a cloud.
‘Yes, it’s mine! I have this beautiful weapon now!’
I was so thrilled!
Holding the dagger in both hands, I lifted it toward the moonlight.
It ant more to than any jewel-encrusted accessory ever could.
“What should I na you?”
It was a special weapon, so it deserved a na.
As I racked my brain for suitable options, the transparent gemstones embedded in the dagger flickered as if they had co to life.
Startled by the sudden glow, I brought the dagger closer for a better look.
“What was that just now?”
At this close range, the diamonds reflected the pink of my eyes, creating a mystical effect.
As I admired the sight, the gems began to fill with an even deeper pink hue.
Shocked, I dropped the dagger and watched it from a safe distance.
“What the…?”
The once-transparent stones were now entirely pink.
At the sa ti, I could feel holy power radiating from the blade—my divine power.
Could the gems have taken on their pink hue because of the color of my eyes?
“That’s the heirloom recognizing its owner.”
Startled by the voice, I looked up to see teor standing a short distance behind the bench.
In his casual attire, he looked completely different from how he appeared at the Holy Palace. Here at the estate, he gave off the impression of a prince from a greenhouse rather than a holy knight.
When had he arrived?
Smiling warmly, I greeted him by na.
“tty!”
“tty?” he repeated, incredulous.
Leaning against the back of the bench, I clasped my hands together and stared at him with sparkling eyes.
teor shook his head and approached .
“The only person in this house who calls that is my mother.”
“Can’t I call you tty too? It’s so much cuter than teor.”
“Ugh.”
teor grimaced as if I had said sothing profoundly offensive.
“Do I need to be cute?”
“I like it,” I replied with a cheeky grin.
“…Do whatever you want,” he said, clearly indifferent about how I addressed him.
teor ca closer and sat down next to on the bench.
I held the dagger out to him.
“It feels like it absorbed my divine power.”
Taking the dagger, teor examined it carefully, flipping it back and forth in his hands.
“The diamonds have changed color to match your eyes. They’re exactly the sa shade of pink.”
“Really? I thought it might be sothing like that, but it’s amazing to hear it confird.”
“Yeah.”
He handed the dagger back to , his expression serious.
“This weapon is said to change ownership if soone else holds onto it for too long. If you bond with it and handle it properly, though, it shouldn’t switch easily.”
“Oh, I see.”
As I took the dagger back from him, I realized he had probably co here to tell about the weapon.
Being a long-cherished heirloom of his family, teor likely knew a lot about it.
“Then I really should na it. I’ve been trying to think of a good na for it since earlier. Hmm, since it’s the sa pink as my eyes, how about ‘Pinky’?”
teor’s face twisted in disapproval.
“I doubt the dagger would ever approve of that na. It’s an ancient heirloom. If I were this weapon, I’d want sothing more elegant and dignified—”
“Decided! From now on, you’re Pinky!”
I sealed the decision with a quick kiss on the weapon’s surface.
I could feel teor’s exasperated gaze on , but I chose to ignore it completely.
It wasn’t his dagger, so what did he care about the na anyway?
Eventually, he shrugged and changed the subject.
“Do you even know how to use this weapon?”
“Hmm. Well, it looks like a dagger, but it doesn’t seem like it’s just for stabbing, like normal ones.”
Examining the weapon closely, I tried to figure it out.
Without a handle, it seed like it might be designed for throwing.
But was a uniquely shaped dagger like this really ant to be thrown?
It was hard to imagine how to use it effectively.
Since I wasn’t yet skilled with regular throwing knives, this would definitely be a challenge.
My swordsmanship had only recently reached a level just above beginner, which was laughable for a Holy Knight.
‘Still, I’ve improved a lot since the beginning. There’s a long way to go, though….’
Without the extra training I’d done with the constellations, my skills would’ve been even more embarrassing.
After all, back at Count Ismir’s zoo, I’d shredded Evan’s clothes instead of landing proper strikes.
If this throwing dagger beca part of my arsenal, I’d probably end up tearing through more than just clothes.
As if reading my thoughts, teor said, “This is ant to be thrown. It’s a rare weapon, almost unique, with a boorang-like return feature.”
“Wow, really?”
A weapon like this was truly special!
No wonder it was considered an heirloom.
teor stood up from the bench and walked a short distance away before turning back to face .
“Throw it at . I’ve trained with a similar weapon before.”
“Oh, really?”
This was perfect—I’d been needing a training partner.
And it was teor, no less!
If the other trainee knights found out I’d trained one-on-one with Adamas-tier teor, they’d be green with envy.
As I stood and faced him, he called out, “Don’t hold back. Aim to hit . You have to be bold—”
Swoosh!
Before he could finish speaking, I hurled the dagger straight at him without hesitation, determined to hit my mark.
Even if he hadn’t told , I’d already planned to aim directly at him.
After all, the difference in our skill levels was massive, given how much longer he’d been training.
But as soon as I released the weapon, I was startled by the sensation.
‘What was that? It feels like I just unleashed my divine power!’
So this was what it ant for the weapon to react to divine power—it was incredible!
As I marveled at the weapon, the dagger shot toward teor with a trajectory and speed that seed far beyond my own skill.
It must’ve been the weapon’s inherent abilities and the divine power boost.
In a split second, the dagger would reach him. At this speed, it looked like it could pierce right through a person.
But teor didn’t move to dodge or raise a weapon. He simply stared at the blade as it hurtled toward him.
Right before it made contact, my heart dropped.
“teor—!”
At the last second, he crouched low and planted his hands on the ground.
Almost simultaneously, he sprang upward, twisting his body to evade.
For a brief mont, his sharp blue eyes flashed like steel.
Even more astonishing, the dagger altered its trajectory mid-flight and continued to chase him.
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