[Shiwoo, you really don't like staying at home, do you?]
"It's no fun being in an empty house. I prefer walking around outside to watching TV or using the internet."
Yun Shiwoo answered Lucy while walking down the street.
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.
Yun Shiwoo had grown up as an orphan since he was a child.
He wasn't unfamiliar with his parents' faces.
There were a few photos of his parents holding him as a baby, and their faces were faintly etched in his memory.
However, his parents, who were heroes, had crossed a river from which they could never return, leaving him behind as a child.
Shiwoo spent his childhood in an orphanage that raised the children of heroes who had died in the line of duty.
People generously supported the children of heroes who had fought and died for them, and the caregivers treated the children with love.
Because of this, the children in the orphanage grew up with bright and lively personalities despite not having parents.
He never felt any discomfort with this lifestyle.
But there was one thing Yun Shiwoo had wanted since he was a child.
He was curious about what it felt like to have a 'real' family.
The adults at the orphanage treated him almost like a real child, but he would have to leave them as he grew older.
This was far from the image of a real family that Yun Shiwoo had in mind.
Of course, if he said this, the adults at the orphanage would be sad, so he kept his thoughts to himself.
Children? The girls at the orphanage were already vying with each other, claiming that Shiwoo would marry them when he grew up.
If he said he wanted a real family, it would surely turn into a full-blown war.
Shiwoo's dilemma was resolved one early morning not long after he turned eight.
At a time when everyone was asleep, he felt a sensation as if something was connected to him.
With this unusual feeling, Yun Shiwoo cautiously asked, "Who are you?"
At that moment, a sword appeared before his eyes.
A pristine white sword, untouched by any speck of dust. Instinctively, Yun Shiwoo knew that this sword was connected to him.
[Little boy, you have an interesting ability. I feel quite good, so I'll grant your wish. If you want great power or overflowing wealth, I can give you all of it. Come on, tell me. What do you wish for?]
A gentle female voice spoke.
Yun Shiwoo realized that the sword was speaking to him.
He recalled a fairy tale he had read recently.
A fairy in a lamp who grants wishes.
Thinking of the wish he had while reading that fairy tale, Yun Shiwoo asked the sword, which was asking what he wanted.
"Then, can you become my family?"
People eventually die.
Just like his parents, who left him behind.
Yun Shiwoo dreamed of a family that wouldn't leave him behind.
Unlike humans, the fairy in the lamp doesn't die.
He thought the sword in front of him wouldn't die either.
That's why he asked the sword to become his family.
[...Interesting. Truly, an unexpected answer. I can't just ignore what you've said, so I'll grant it.]
The sword approached his nose.
Though a bit startled, the sword spoke in a calm voice.
[Little boy, let's make a contract. I don't know what kind of family you want, but I'll stay by your side until you no longer need me. Is that okay?]
"Yes. And I'm not a little boy, I'm Yun Shiwoo."
[Understood, Shiwoo. I am... the Sword of Humility. If you want to make a contract, take me.]
As Yun Shiwoo reached out his hand to the sword, which called itself the Sword of Humility, he asked just before his hand touched it.
"Um, 'Sword of Humility' is a bit long. Do you have another name?"
[Name... If so,]
[Call me Lucy.]
Yun Shiwoo's small hand gripped the sword.
A white light flowed from the hand holding the sword, enveloping his body.
When the light that had covered his body disappeared, his hair and left eye were dyed pure white, as if the white light had settled in them.
On that day, Yun Shiwoo became a family with the Sword of Humility, Lucy.
After that, Lucy became an indispensable part of Yun Shiwoo's life.
She became his swordsmanship teacher, following in his parents' footsteps to become a hero, and after he turned 15 and left the orphanage, she told him the location of hidden ruins, helping him obtain new holy swords.
Without Lucy, it would have been impossible for Yun Shiwoo to enroll in the academy.
He bought a countryside house not far from the academy with the money he earned from selling some of the treasures from those ruins and lived there.
Since Lucy was always by his side, he never felt lonely, but the large house he bought for a lot of money sometimes made him miss the warmth of human company, which is why he enjoyed walking around outside.
In the distant past, great mages built magical barriers in various parts of the world to create places where people could live in peace.
Walking down the streets, you can see people's smiling faces.
Just seeing those smiles made Yun Shiwoo feel good.
He thought that these smiles were indeed worth the many heroes who had sacrificed their lives to protect them, and he could somewhat understand why his parents had made such a choice.
As he walked, he remembered that the groceries at home were running out, so Yun Shiwoo headed to the mart.
While casually putting items into his shopping cart, he noticed a red-haired girl entering the mart.
She was Scarlett Evande, a classmate.
[Hey, why don't you go talk to her?]
Lucy said to Yun Shiwoo in a teasing voice.
Yun Shiwoo shouted silently in his mind for Lucy to be quiet, then naturally approached Scarlett and greeted her.
Scarlett, who usually treated him coldly, only nodded slightly without saying anything.
Thinking about how to continue the conversation, Yun Shiwoo remembered a phrase he had read in a book as a child: "Praise can make even a whale dance."
He didn't expect her to dance, but he thought at least she wouldn't feel bad hearing praise.
"Scarlett, you're a good daughter, aren't you?"
"My parents aren't here."
And he stepped on a landmine.
Yun Shiwoo felt his mind go blank.
He knew very well how hurtful it was to bring up parents to someone who didn't have them.
So, he immediately apologized to her with as much sincerity as he could.
"Never mind, we're both without parents, right?"
Then Scarlett said indifferently.
He was taken aback.
He had never told anyone that he didn't have parents.
Did I ever mention that I don't have parents?
When Yun Shiwoo asked, Scarlett answered as if it were obvious.
"Just, that's how you looked."
Because she said it so matter-of-factly, he replied without thinking, "Oh, really?"
The Sword of Truth told him that she was speaking the truth.
Feeling confused, he watched as she waved him away as if telling him not to interfere.
He left the mart without resolving his doubts.
On his way home, Yun Shiwoo thought about how she had figured it out.
He had always thought she had good observational skills.
Even he, who possessed the Sword of Radiance, couldn't see through high-level illusions at first glance, but she had noticed them faster than he did, and when she realized he could see through illusions, she punched him for peeking at her naked body.
Perhaps because she, too, had no parents, she could instinctively recognize someone without parents.
Thinking this, Lucy sighed and said in a regretful voice.
[Love really makes people act foolishly...]
Foolish? Yun Shiwoo didn't understand what Lucy meant.
The next day, after eating lunch, Yun Shiwoo was walking down the street as usual.
With the blessing of the holy sword, he had senses far superior to those of ordinary people. When he saw a familiar red color in his field of vision, he quickly hid behind a building.
He wasn't sure why he took such an action, but for some reason, he didn't have the courage to talk to her.
It might have been because of the slip of the tongue he made yesterday without thinking.
Lucy said in a displeased voice.
[Shiwoo... Do you know you look like a pervert right now?]
Shut up, Lucy.
Yun Shiwoo snapped at Lucy and peeked out again to see Scarlett.
He noticed that this was the first time he had seen her in casual clothes.
Yesterday, she had come to the mart in her school uniform.
Her long, straight hair, which reached her waist, fluttered in the wind.
Her long skirt, which reached her ankles, and her cardigan, along with her neat and modest attire, made her look more mature than other girls her age.
His heart began to beat a little faster than usual.
Just as he was about to approach her, he noticed that her eyes were red.
His heart, which had been beating fast, sank.
He remembered their conversation.
She had acted as if it was nothing, but perhaps she had been hurt.
He imagined her alone in an empty house, searching for her parents and shedding tears.
His body, which had been about to move, retreated.
He couldn't bear to face her.
Yun Shiwoo started moving again only after Scarlett was far out of sight.
He naturally followed her.
Lucy called out to him in a sympathetic voice, [Shiwoo...], but Yun Shiwoo didn't know why he was acting this way.
He saw Scarlett helping an old lady with her bags.
Her steps, which slowed to match the old lady's pace, showed kindness.
His steps, which had been following hers, also slowed, but his heart beat even faster than before.
After delivering the old lady to her destination, Scarlett walked to a nearby park and sat on a bench.
Yun Shiwoo watched her from a distance.
She slowly looked around the park, and her gaze fixed on a spot.
A scene of children playing and a couple laughing at them.
After watching them for a while, Scarlett raised her hand to the sky and lifted her head.
"Maybe I shouldn't exist in this world..."
Her sad voice pierced Yun Shiwoo's ears.
The truth revealed by the Sword of Truth felt unbearably heavy to him.
It was the truth.
He, too, had no parents, but he had Lucy.
But what about her, who might have spent her entire life alone?
Yun Shiwoo felt a deep pain in his heart, knowing he couldn't empathize with her feelings.
That's why...
He unintentionally made a sound when he saw her wiping her red eyes.
Did she notice the sound?
She looked in his direction, startled, and ran off somewhere.
His heart, which was already racing, felt painful.
Yun Shiwoo placed his hand over his heart and smiled bitterly.
He had tried to deny it, but now he couldn't.
What was making his heart ache was,
undoubtedly, the feeling of love.
Author's Note (Afterword)
Scarlett's heroine power keeps rising!
1 million... 2 million... No, this is?!
Clang!
Yun Shiwoo was burning with misunderstanding.
He has become quite a creepy character.
But I think even the most capable character would act this way when in front of someone they like.
Oh, and for those who haven't seen it, Urol has drawn a fan art of Scarlett. Please check it out!
Thank you so much, Urol, for drawing such a beautiful picture!