"I'm sorry."
In the inn room, I bowed my head to Licorice.
In front of me lay the broken Snow Crystal Sword.
This wasn't just any sword.
It was a sword left behind by Licorice's friend.
That made it incredibly important.
And yet, despite being entrusted with it, I had broken it like this...
I felt so guilty toward Licorice and her friend that all I could do was bow my head.
"Ah... so it broke, huh."
Licorice's tone was surprisingly flat.
"Oi, oi, oi, big brother, how are you gonna make up for this?"
Suddenly, her tone and way of speaking changed.
Surprised, I lifted my head, only to see Licorice glaring at me.
"This here’s a legendary sword worth thousands of gold coins, y’know? And you went and snapped it? Huh? How do you plan to compensate me, huh? Oi, oi?"
"I-I’m sorry...?"
"‘Sorry’ ain’t gonna cut it! If an apology was enough, we wouldn’t need knights, ya hear? Oho, if you ain’t got the cash, maybe that girl over there can—ugh!?"
Sofia’s fist came down.
With a solid thud, it made a good sound... but was Licorice okay?
"Don't act like some street thug. It’s a bad influence on Aisha-chan."
"Ugh... it was just a joke..."
Holding her head, eyes teary, Licorice looked just like she always did...
"Um... so, you're not mad, Licorice?"
"Huh? Why would I be?"
"Well, because I broke the Snow Crystal Sword..."
"Why would I get mad over something like that? If you had just been fooling around and broke it, maybe I’d be pissed. But that’s not what happened, right? You did everything you could, and in the end, the sword broke while clashing with a cursed blade, right? There’s nothing wrong with that."
"But still..."
"Come on, straighten up, straighten up. I’m not bothered by it."
"..."
"Anyway, I’m going to take a bath. Don't you dare peek, okay?"
With a light hop, Licorice left the room.
Watching her go...
I let out a small sigh.
"Not bothered by it, huh... That's a lie, isn't it?"
"If you had just been fooling around and broke it, maybe I’d be pissed."
That's what Licorice had said.
Which meant she cared about it that much.
Her words about not minding it were just to be considerate of me.
"Sigh..."
I felt down.
I felt miserable.
Licorice was always there to help me, and yet, I had repaid her kindness by breaking something so important to her...
And now, when she was feeling down, I couldn't do anything for her.
I was... so pathetic.
"Fate!"
"Ow!"
Smack!
A firm hit landed on my back.
Surprised, I turned around to see Sofia with her eyebrows furrowed.
"The fact that you’re worrying so much just shows how kind you are, Fate… but now isn’t the time to be feeling down."
"But…"
"What’s done is done. No matter how powerful you are, you can’t change the past. So shouldn’t you be looking toward the future instead?"
"…Sofia…"
"Let’s think about what comes next. It’s okay. You’re not alone, Fate. I’m here. I’ll always be with you."
"Daddy, I’m here too!"
"Woof!"
As if to support me, Aisha spoke up.
Snow also nestled up beside me.
…Yeah.
How lucky am I to have them?
"You’re right. Now’s not the time to be moping around."
The one who must be truly hurting right now is Licorice.
Me feeling down won’t help anyone.
I’m the one who caused all of this…
At the very least, I need to show that I’m willing to do something about it.
"I have to do my best and figure something out."
"That’s the spirit."
"Daddy, do your best!"
Sofia smiled warmly.
Aisha clenched her little fists, cheering me on.
Just seeing the two of them gave me strength.
Yeah.
I feel like I can do anything right now.
"I want to fix this, but… what should I do?"
I thought.
And thought.
And thought some more.
…And then thought so much my head started spinning.
"Ugh, I feel like I’m gonna get a headache from thinking too hard."
"Fufu, oh Fate."
"Woof?"
"Maybe you should think more simply? Fortunately—or perhaps I should say luckily—the only part that broke was the blade."
"I don’t know much about smithing, but isn’t a broken blade pretty much the end for a sword?"
"Even so, just as there are swordmasters who have perfected the art of the sword, there must also be master blacksmiths who have honed their craft. If we find one, maybe they could repair it?"
"Oh… Yeah, you’re right. Instead of just giving up and thinking it’s impossible, I should try asking around first."
"That’s right. And of course, I’ll help you with that."
"I’ll do my best too!"
"Woof!"
"Thank you, everyone."
I pulled my precious family close and hugged them tightly.
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