In the carriage, Vivian’s expression was twisted as he sat still, his hands clenched on his knees.
[Hey, softie, try to calm down.] The sword spirit spoke again, his voice breaking the heavy silence.
Vivian did not reply. His eyes stayed fixed ahead, cold and empty, as if he was staring through the wooden walls of the carriage.
[Softie, how about today you use ?] the sword spirit said, trying to sound cheerful.
[Since you took , you haven’t used even once. I’m getting bored too. How about you let stretch a little?]
Still, Vivian said nothing.
Truthfully, his mind was not here at all. His body was moving toward Count Harencross, and he knew he would beat the man senseless once he arrived.
That anger was there, burning quietly. But sothing else kept pulling at his thoughts.
Edward’s letter.
In that strange, dream-like state, he rembered every word clearly.
Edward had written to Charlotte, saying there was a woman in the Tramplin estate.
A woman who was stronger than Charlotte had been at that ti.
Stronger than her.
Vivian frowned slightly.
According to everything he knew about this life, about this story, the heroine should have been weak at that point.
Soone who needed ti, help, and protection to grow. That was how it was supposed to be.
But Edward’s description said the opposite.
She was powerful. Powerful enough to overwhelm others. Powerful enough that even Charlotte, who could sweep away kingdoms in the future, would have struggled back then.
"Who are you...?" Vivian muttered under his breath for the first ti.
The thing was, Vivian was now twenty-three, the sa age he had been in the story.
However, this ti, he was alive.
Because of that, Charlotte never turned into an evil witch.
When Vivian recalled her face, his mood instantly brightened. In his last life, at this very age, she had already destroyed many kingdoms.
Cities burned, armies fell, and her na alone was enough to make rulers tremble.
She had even killed her own elder brother to take the throne.
That was the Charlotte the world feared.
But after Edward’s letter reached her, everything changed.
Instead of raising her army, she ca to us. She gathered our family mbers and brought them back to the place where we used to live, far away from the capital and far away from war.
Vivian still rembered her words clearly.
She had said that a great massacre was coming.
That this empire would soon be filled with blood.
Her expression at that ti was cold and ruthless, the sa expression she used to wear when she stood on a battlefield.
After that, everything went blank.
Vivian returned to reality, and because of that, he never learned what happened next.
He did not know if the massacre truly happened, what happened to Charlotte?
That question had stayed with him ever since.
It was also baffling to him why she had placed his soul into the pendant in his past life.
Was it because to revive him?
Vivian did not know the answer.
All he knew was that Charlotte had seen sothing terrible coming, and whatever it was, it was big enough for her to gamble with his soul and ti itself.
"Haa..." Vivian let out a long sigh as his thoughts finally broke apart.
The mont his mind cleared, an angry voice exploded inside his head.
[You fucking shit!!! I’ve been screaming like crazy and you didn’t even bother to reply?!]
[Am I an idiot for trying to cheer you up?!]
The voice did not stop there.
[You dickhead! You did this yesterday too!]
[You were busy spending ti with your beautiful fiancée, completely ignoring !]
Vivian’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
Only now did he realize how quiet he had been the entire ti.
The sword spirit was practically fuming, its anger rolling through his mind like a storm.
[I know what you did yesterday! It’s not fair taking all the pleasure for yourself. At least you could have let watch, no?]
Hearing this, Vivian let out a cold snort.
"I could have," he replied calmly, "but you had to die before it happened."
His voice was cold and flat.
Yesterday, this sa guy had been whining nonstop about not having a woman to spend ti with.
And yet, when the night ca, he stubbornly insisted on staying connected with Vivian.
Vivian knew exactly how perverted the sword spirit was. There was no way he was letting him peek into that mont.
So he had cut the connection without hesitation.
Only after the night was over did Vivian reconnect with him, as if nothing had happened.
[Okay! I understand! I won’t look at her. She’s like my daughter...
The sword spirit said this while clearly trying to hide his shaless tone.
"Your daughter?" Vivian’s eyes narrowed.
"How?"
[Haa... kids these days.] The sword spirit let out a long sigh, sounding like an old man.
[You really don’t know anything.]
Vivian’s eyes narrowed even further. He was just about to do sothing about this annoying piece of tal when the sword spirit spoke again.
[Well... it’s not like anyone knows, but still...]
He gave a tired sigh as he continued, [Charlotte is my secret daughter, born from my beloved Eve...]
"......"
Vivian did not say a single word.
He simply stared ahead, his face completely blank.
He had always known this perverted sword spirit had improper thoughts about the queen.
Vivian had learned to ignore those comnts long ago. But this ti, the idiot had gone even further.
Claiming Charlotte as his daughter.
Vivian slowly took a deep breath, his fingers tightening slightly.
For once, even he did not know where to begin correcting this madness.
As Vivian was thinking about what to do with this piece of shit that dared to call itself tal, the sword spirit suddenly spoke again, this ti in a nostalgic tone.
[Long, long, long, long ago, when I was young...]
[I was a handso youth. More handso than anyone. Even you.]
There was a short pause.
[I had blue eyes, black hair, and a strong, muscular body.]
[I had looks, brains, and even a great sense of humor.]
"I see," Vivian frowned. "Then why are you describing ?"
The sword spirit completely ignored him and continued.
[...However, I didn’t have money.]
Vivian’s eyelid twitched.
[One day, I went to the capital city to find work. That was when I t her... Eve.]
The sword spirit’s voice softened.
[We fell in love instantly. We wanted to get married, but our status was too different.]
[In the end, she was married to another man.]
[I drowned in despair.]
Vivian almost laughed, but held it in.
[Then, on one fateful night, I t her again.]
[And after that night... Charlotte was born.]
The sword spirit spoke proudly.
[So yes. That makes her father.]
The mont he finished, Vivian’s cold gaze locked onto him.
The sword spirit did not panic at all.
Instead, he spoke casually.
[Why are you staring at like that?]
Vivian’s cold eyes slowly softened as he stared at the spirit. A faint smile appeared on his face as he spoke.
"Let tell you the love story of another sword spirit. How about that?"
The pervert’s eyes lit up instantly.
[Really? Whose story is it?]
"It’s the story of a sword spirit who claid to be the strongest," Vivian said, his tone calm but filled with sarcasm.
"But in truth, he was just a lazy delinquent."
The sword spirit’s eyes turned cold at once.
[Who dares to call himself the strongest in front of ?!]
"Don’t worry," Vivian replied softly. "He isn’t alive anymore."
His smile faded.
"He died a miserable death."
As Vivian’s eyes turned cold again, the carriage seed to grow a little quieter, as if even the air sensed the danger in his words.
"So once upon a ti," Vivian began calmly, "there was a handso young man with blue eyes and black hair. His wife was the greatest beauty on the continent."
The sword spirit listened closely, feeling oddly uneasy.
"One day," Vivian continued, still smiling, "the sword spirit of that youth claid the woman was his daughter. He even made shaless claims about her mother."
"Hic—"
The sword spirit suddenly hiccupped.
Only now did he realize who Vivian was talking about. A cold sweat ran down his back. But the worst part had not co yet.
Vivian’s smile did not change.
"After hearing those claims, the youth beca extrely angry. So angry that he did sothing he should not have."
"...W-What did he do?" the sword spirit asked, his voice small and nervous.
Vivian did not answer right away. He only smiled and let the silence stretch.
Then he spoke.
"He sent the sword spirit to a red-light district."
Before Vivian could finish his sentence, the sword spirit’s eyes lit up.
[Hahaha! Is that all?!]
[That’s nothing!]
He burst out laughing, his fear disappearing instantly.
From the story, he understood that Vivian was talking about him. And if that youth could send a sword spirit to such a place, then surely Vivian would do the sa.
[Thank you! Thank you!]
[You finally understand !]
The pervert even started tearing up, clearly moved.
But Vivian did not share his excitent.
"No," he said calmly. "You misunderstood."
The sword spirit froze.
"That sword spirit was sent to the red-light district," Vivian continued, his eyes turning cold, "but before that—"
He paused.
"The youth’s wife, who was an archmage, transferred the sword spirit out of the sword."
"...What?" the sword spirit whispered, his smile stiff.
"She placed him into a female doll."
The carriage went dead silent.
"And then," Vivian finished, a faint smirk appearing, "he was sent there as a prostitute."
The sword spirit’s face went blank.
His mouth slowly opened, but no sound ca out.
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