I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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61 Chapter

“Did you come alone?”

A soft voice whispered right next to my ear. Cold sweat trickled down my back. My finger, which I had brushed away by mistake with a gloved hand, felt the bottle being snatched from my grasp. I couldn’t even react to the theft of the bottle and hastily shifted my gaze away.

“I-I came alone.”

As I stammered out a reply, his red lips formed a smooth curve.

“I see.”

Now fully turned towards me, the man leaned slightly closer. I shivered involuntarily. His gloved hand slowly caressed the neck of the bottle, which thickened the atmosphere.

The scent felt both familiar and strange, but I set aside personal thoughts and began to analyze the man’s intentions with a cold gaze.

‘……Is this seduction? Is he into that sort of thing?’

Given that he approached me at a bar and the vibe he exuded, it seemed more like seduction, but I couldn’t shake off my suspicions.

‘Or perhaps…… it’s a trap after all.’

My eyes sank. If he approached me with intent, was it a trap targeting Mir? While I was wary of the man, I decided to go along with his tune for now.

“Did you come alone as well?”

“As you can see.”

The man shrugged. With a gesture, he called the bartender and opened his blood-red lips.

“Give me a platter of fruits… and a bottle of absinthe. Also, bring one more glass.”

His languid voice ordered succinctly. The fact that he uttered such lethal orders suggested he had clearly prepared to lure me.

‘But… absinthe, huh?’

He ordered an intriguing drink.

I slowly blinked and turned my head slightly to look at the man.

Absinthe was a unique drink enjoyed by many artists. However, at one point, rumors spread that the main ingredient, wormwood, was poisonous, leading to a significant decrease in production.

Not long after, this was proven false, but due to its fluorescent green color and seemingly harmful appearance, many still referred to it as “the beautiful poison.”

‘Is he implying… he’ll poison me?’

With such absurd thoughts, I faced the man and slowly rested my chin on my hand. He smiled softly. Despite only his jawline being visible, he radiated a dangerously seductive aura.

“Your order has arrived.”

Under a somewhat eerie silence, how long had we been facing each other? The bartender placed a bowl of fruit, two glasses, a bottle of absinthe, an absinthe spoon with holes shaped like a crescent moon, and a container of sugar cubes before us.

“How do you drink this…”

“By lighting it. I have my own lighter, so go ahead.”

The bartender hesitated, wondering whether to set down the still water, before disappearing with a resigned expression. The man placed a sugar cube on the spoon and then held it over the glass, pouring the absinthe into it.

“Absinthe is really beautiful in color. Don’t you think?”

The man spoke in a feminine tone as he tilted the bottle into the glass. The fluorescent green liquid flowed out, soaking the sugar cube and filling the glass. The fluorescent green absinthe in the glass evoked thoughts of a deadly poison.

“……It is.”

Looking at that beautiful poison, I recalled a pair of eyes resembling its color.

‘Leo.’

Green was surely a symbol of innocence and purity, yet Leo’s distinctly green eyes evoked memories of a poisonous liquid that could kill me instantly.

‘I don’t want to live anymore.’

And above the poison, the hatred towards the world, deep sorrow, and endless self-loathing made me reach out towards the boy. Even knowing it was a lion cub I gathered, I still felt it might turn out to be a lethal poison that could harm me.

I gazed fixedly at the black hood that obscured the man’s eyes.

For some reason, I wanted to know what color the eyes beyond that hood were.

“The way to drink it is also rather unique. You can soak the sugar in water or set it on fire and let it dissolve; anyway, it has to dissolve before you can truly enjoy its flavor.”

The man pulled out a Zippo lighter from his pocket and lit the sugar cube soaked in absinthe. The flame melted the sugar. I stared at the burning white sugar before shifting my gaze back to him. He was smiling slyly.

“Isn’t it fun?”

With a low voice filled with delight, the man whispered, then extinguished the flame with his breath. The melted white sugar mixed into the absinthe, creating a murky green substance. It felt as if the poison had become even stronger, and I turned my eyes to the platter of fruit.

“Is this yours? Can I eat it?”

“Help yourself.”

I picked a pretty green grape from the beautifully arranged platter. It had a color quite similar to both the absinthe and the boy’s eyes. The man watched me as I popped the grape into my mouth and chuckled softly.

“You said absinthe was fun, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I find something else even more entertaining.”

I placed my hand on my waist and rested my hand on the man’s thigh. His muscles felt firm to the touch.

Ignoring the quivering skin, I tightly grasped his thigh and leaned toward him. Our faces drew closer. The man’s relaxed smile, unchanged since we met, tightened for the first time.

“I find you more interesting.”

I whispered softly and slowly laughed while staring directly at the hood obscuring his eyes. Leaving the man, who looked a bit stiff, behind, I lightly scratched the back of his hand that was holding the glass. Seizing the opportunity as he relaxed his grip, I snatched the glass and poured the absinthe into my mouth.

The untouched sugar powder in my mouth released a harsh sweetness.

“Baby.”

I whispered with a voice mixed with laughter as I brought my face closer. We could touch with just a slight movement. Now, I could no longer find a trace of a smile on the man’s lips. I noted the bulging throat of the man and slowly smiled.

“You…

Bang!

“I heard you were here! Mercenary Mir, come out!”

A meddler had appeared.

‘Damn it all…

Sometimes, while disguised as Mir, I enjoyed a somewhat comfortable status as a normal person, but once in a while, these stupid ones, completely lacking in sense, would pop up.

Cursing under my breath, I sighed as I pulled my hand from the man’s thigh and withdrew my closer stance. My sigh carried the peculiar aroma of absinthe.

“I think I’ll need to pause for a moment. It seems a guest has arrived.”

The moment he spoke those words, the man’s lips hardened like a rock. His red lips quivered slightly. The emotions were unmistakable; it was clear fury.

‘I wanted to uncover his identity…

I hesitated to pull out the dagger at my waist as I contemplated threatening the man with it, but first, I thought I ought to deal with these bothersome fools.

“There’s Mir!”

As one of them burst through the door, shouting loudly, I grimaced while gauging their strength. They all had swords, but they were just immature kids who couldn’t even reach Sword Expert level.

‘For now… let’s aim to end this with conversation.’

Seeing their malicious intent, it seemed inevitable I would need to draw my sword, but I hoped it would end easily.

“I don’t know what you’re after, but let’s talk outside first.”

I glanced at the rowdy bunch and the bartender, who looked nervously as if something might break out. I stood up from my seat. I didn’t want to cause trouble in the tavern.

And then, a hand tugging at my robe sleeve caught my attention.

“…What’s going on?”

“I’m coming with you.”

I looked back and forth between the man and the rowdy bunch, shaking my head as I gently removed his hand.

“It might be dangerous, so stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

In reality, a man at Sword Expert level wouldn’t face any danger from these kids, but the thought of going with him while facing off against punks I could subdue with my little finger was a blow to my pride.

Upon my resolute words, the man bit his lip but didn’t insist further.

“What’s all this about?”

After barely managing to drag the rowdy bunch outside, I led them to a quiet alley nearby and asked. I felt a presence close by as we left the tavern, but I decided to ignore it.

“You cowardly bastard! You stole our job!”

A bald, burly man stepped up, yelling in anger. My face twisted in confusion.

“I’m seeing you for the first time today.”

“Don’t play dumb! You took the escort job for the Paladin Guild eight months ago that was ours!”

‘Oh, that one?’

I remembered it as the pay had been quite nice. It was rather sudden that I got the escort job for the Paladin Guild from the Ambrosio Kingdom.

‘Mir! Can you take a job for me right away? The pay is really good, and it’s not too difficult!’

‘What’s the job?’

‘It’s just an escort for the Paladin Guild as they travel north! Some others were supposed to take it, but they haven’t contacted me yet! Damn it, they probably all drank too much last night and haven’t woken up!’

‘Hmm…’

‘The Paladin Guild is a high-profile guest, and if we fail to meet our promise, it will ruin our reputation! Can you just go in their place? They’d surely appreciate it if Mir took over!’

‘Were those bastards who fell into a coma from drinking last night the ones making the fuss now?’

I took a disdainful glance at the three who looked ready to blow their tops. It was quite a sight to see them throwing a fit after messing up themselves.

“I thought you’d been hiding because you were scared of us, but I’m glad to have found you! I’ll take care of someone like you with a single blow!”

Incredible; they were not only rude but also delusional. I had no desire to dirty my sword because of trash like them. I scratched my head with an annoyed expression.

“Don’t you plan on just going back? If you leave now, we can let you go without any issues.”

“Ha! Looks like you’re scared!”

One of them spouted nonsense. Part of me wanted them to keep bantering and leave, but I was half curious as to how far this would go.

“Looks like our presence has intimidated you! I told you Mir is nothing to be scared of! The last time I saw him, he looked so small and puny that a single kick could send him flying!”

“Seeing him in person, it’s true.”

“Is this really the Golden Shield Mercenary? He looks like someone who rolls around in some drug den.”

“There are rumors that Mir rolls around to get jobs. Maybe that’s true.”

“Hmm… indeed…”

‘This feels quite unpleasant.’

I prided myself on having a solid mental fortitude, but incessant insults of that caliber always left a bad taste in my mouth.

I slowly raised my hand over my sword sheath, contemplating how to handle the situation.

“Before I punish you… should I try punishing you in another way?”

The kids gathered together and exchanged sly grins.