Published: March 21, 2026
Sorry for the delay!
"There's something I want to tell you."
Since Akira arrived, Mr. Noah stopped using us as human punching bags during training.
Maybe something Akira said struck a chord with her, or maybe she was just toying with us from the start.
In any case, I'm not good at reading people's feelings.
If everyone in the world had straightforward thought processes, things would be much simpler.
The day after Akira arrived, while I was cleaning the windows with the sun making me sleepy, Mr. Noah — seeing there were no other people around — appeared and said that with a serious face.
Remembering yesterday made me instinctively tense up, but then I recalled she hadn't attacked us while we weren't properly on guard.
Looking back now, maybe she was trying to train us in her own way.
Her methods were really reckless, though.
"...What is it you want to tell me?"
I tossed the wrung-out rag back into the bucket and stood up, looking down at her, who was even shorter than me.
She stared vaguely at my waist area and gently pushed me toward a quieter spot.
She was looking at my waist — more precisely, the sword I carried at my hip.
"What is this sword?"
The sword I had been told was a Holy Sword — probably a fake, just a sturdily made blade.
It had saved me countless times on our journey and had become almost a part of me.
That's why it stung that this sword wasn't a true Holy Sword.
I had agonized to the point of dreaming that if I could use that technique — the one time I managed to unleash the "holy sword technique" I couldn't learn despite so much practice — with this sword, how happy I'd be.
"That sword still hasn't become a Holy Sword?"
Did she say "still"? I unconsciously rested my hand on the hilt.
Without flinching at the sight of me ready to draw, she traced her finger across her lips and spoke.
"The hero's sword isn't something that's simply passed down through generations. Some people say the 'Holy Sword' is a single blade handed down as the hero's sword, but that's wrong. The hero's sword is never something inherited. It grants its power only to one person — the one who holds the title of 'hero' — and only if that weapon recognizes and cherishes its wielder. That's what makes a 'Holy Sword.' Well, sometimes it's not even in the shape of a sword."
If that weren't the case, she'd say, weapons would be the same for big and small people alike. Hearing that as if it were obvious, I just widened my eyes.
I had unconsciously pictured the hero's sword like something out of Arthurian legend — a blade that only a single person could draw.
Now that I think about it, when my previous sword broke in the labyrinth and I was given this one, it had felt strangely right.
After I started feeling this sword was not a Holy Sword, though, that feeling turned into a sense of mismatch.
I traced the well-worn grip and looked at Mr. Noah.
"...Are you sure about that?"
Even if it were true, I couldn't help but doubt.
She was the newest among us, and because everyone except Akira and the non-combatants had been mercilessly beaten, I found her hard to trust.
She might appear to share things now, but I couldn't know what she truly thought.
I've seen Mari change drastically from looking meek, so I was cautious.
"...Right. Your doubting me is the safest course. I don't even know for sure if it's true. After all, encountering a 'hero' in one's life is a matter of luck. Even I've lived a long time and only met two."
Despite the implied suspicion, Mr. Noah laughed merrily and slowly headed back toward the building.
"Even so, the wisdom of those before us should be passed on. 'To awaken a hero's sword, the hero's own experience points and heart.' Those were the words of a former Hero. You don't have to believe me, but keep them in the corner of your mind."
With that she slipped into the shadow of the building.
Maybe that had been advice.
While fighting Mr. Noah, I had been thinking about how I managed to use the holy sword technique that one time.
I had once nearly given up on mastering it, blaming the difference in swords. If the sword wasn't the issue, then perhaps it was my heart.