Ch. 5

“Hahaha, this child is my daughter. Eve, say hello to them.”“Ah, hello!”

“Hello, Eve. You have such a pretty name.”

The biggest man among them smiled and waved his hand at me.

I bowed my head at them with an awkward smile. Sᴇaʀᴄh the NøᴠᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“You’ve come just in time.”

The shortest man who asked me threateningly on the forest road before came up to me and looked down at me.

I looked up at him in a daze.

Looking up close, he didn’t look much older than me. His youthful appearance made him seem more like a boy than a man.

The boy glanced down at me and soon pointed to the Excalibur in my hand.

“Let’s make a deal. Give me this.”

He said as he looked back at my dad.

Startled by the sudden turn of events, I glanced up at the boy.

‘W-What do you want?’

My Excalibur?

_Why did so many people want my Excalibur today?! _

I shook my head firmly to show strong rejection and looked at my dad. My dad also patted my head with a troubled look on his face.

“Haha, I’m afraid I can’t do that. If you are in a rush, I can show you another sword.”

“No, I want this sword.”

Aren’t you totally crazy? He said NO! Why are you so stubborn?

The boy shook his head firmly as if there was no room for second thoughts.

I glared at the boy with an incredulous look.

Then another man slowly stood up from his seat, approached my dad and bowed his head.

“I’ll give you as much money as you want.”

No! I won’t agree no matter how much you pay!

I held my sword tightly and looked up at my dad with teary eyes.

‘Dad, do something about these crazy motherf*ckers.’

I thought they were part of the Hero’s Warrior Party from the way they appeared ‘suspiciously’ back in the forest.

But seeing how they tried to take a sword from an eight-year-old, I guess they were just assholes.

So let’s just kick them out, Dad!

I tugged my dad’s sleeve to tell him to end this quickly. My dad, who was pondering over something, looked at me gently and soon bowed his head politely.

“I’m sorry. I can’t sell this sword. Please leave now.”

“Ha, you can’t sell it, huh?”

“Yes, that’s how it is.”

"How great is this sword that you can’t sell it to this empire’s prince?"

I listened quietly to the exchange between my dad and the rude boy, but my jaw dropped at the words that came out of the boy’s mouth.

‘W-What did you just say?’

This empire’s prince? Why would such a person come into a shabby place like this?

I raised my head to take a good look at the boy’s face.

A lustrous silver hair that proved his noble origin, and below his scarily uplifted eyebrows…

‘The ruby-like eyes that symbolized the imperial family!’

_Are you saying this rude kid is really this empire’s prince? _

I looked at my dad in disbelief.

My dad still stood in front of the boy with his head down.

Judging from my dad’s attitude, the boy’s remark, and the appearance of the men standing behind him….it seemed like the boy was really the imperial prince.

_T-This is crazy. He is really the prince. _

I tried to calm down my throbbing head and think slowly.

‘Did the imperial prince come here to ask for my sword just now? And my dad refused him?’

…..D-Did he just refuse the prince’s offer? He could just send our heads flying simply because we reject him.

I swallowed nervously and prayed so hard that the boy in front of me wasn’t such a merciless tyrant.

In my mind, I’d already said my farewell to Excalibur.

‘Excalibur, goodbye….’

_Even though you saved me today, if the imperial prince wants you, I have no choice but to give you up. Because our lives are a million times more precious than a sword like this. _

But at that moment.

[Who said that was okay?! My precious body is not something you can buy and sell!]

The sword in my hand trembled so hard.

I was shocked and immediately blocked Excalibur’s sword.

“Be quiet, you fool!”

[I’m so baffled hearing that! What? You want to own me, huh? Hey, if you want my precious body, let me tell you that I’m nothing like the metal scraps on the market ground that you can own easily!!!]

As the sword vibrated and kept making noise, everyone in the house turned their attention on me.

‘Oh, looks like I’m doomed…?’

I laughed awkwardly, thinking about how to cover up the noises coming from this vulgar sword.

If it were a sword that had no connection with me, I’d probably give it away…

[Wow, until when are you going to think about it, huh?! You fool!! I can’t believe this fool thing is my master. Goddamnit-]

Buzz, buzz-

As the sword continued to vibrate, the red-haired muscular man behind the boy opened his mouth.

“Just now…is the sword vibrating?”

“What? N-No, that's because he’s out of his mind right now.”

I tried to make an excuse, but I opened my eyes wide when I realized that the man asked ‘is the sword vibrating?’ not ‘is the sword talking?’.

“U-Uncle!”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t hear it talking just now?”

[You fool! You’re the only one who can hear my voice!! Only you!]

“Hear…it talking?”

“Eve, you can hear this sword talking?”

My dad cupped my cheeks and looked me in the eyes. I nodded without breaking eye contact with him.

“Yeah…”

“Really?”

“Ah, right! Can’t you hear it, Dad? Can any of you hear it?”

I shrugged off his hand and looked at the men at my house.

At that time, the boy, who had been staring at me with narrowed eyes, tilted his head slightly and said.

“No, I can hear it.”

“What?!”

[Whatt?!]

The boy walked closer and reached his hand to me. So I put Excalibur in his hand without hesitation.

[Hey punk!!]

Buzzz-!!

The sword shook so hard as if protesting, but I didn’t care.

“My gosh, how noisy. Shut up, please. Here, Your Highness.”

I immediately handed Excalibur to the boy and took a step back with a giggle.

[You punk! You’re a brat with no backbone and no sense of responsibility! How could you be my master?!]

“Is that brat your master?”

[What’s this brat on about?]

_Oh no, this might end up badly. _

I held my dad’s sleeve as I watched the talking sword, who didn’t hesitate to talk rudely to the prince of this empire.

Oh no, Dad. We’re all doomed because of it.

However, rather than getting angry, the prince asked with a smirk.

“I’ll ask you again. Is that brat your master?”

[Yeah! My body is not something that you can buy and sell easily!!!]

No, it’s not.

_It’s surely something that you can buy and sell easily. _

I wanted to step in and shut Excalibur’s mouth right now, but I couldn’t dare to step an inch when the prince was obviously in a bad mood.

Oh, my. I’m so unlucky today.

I glanced up at my dad.

I did that because I thought there could never be a better time to say the final words than now. Heck, maybe he’d also pass on his will to me.

But then.

“A-Ahaha…are you saying that the sword chooses his own master? That is really hard to believe…”