Chapter 2 The Black Knight becomes a Weapon

 Kureha, Professor Loi, and the Black Knight were all waiting in a hallway for the police chief to call them in. They were in the Central Police Headquarters of Modar. It was Kureha's first time there. Despite the modern look of the whole city of Modar, this building presented itself as some kind of relic of the past. However, only its foundations came from ancient times. It had been rebuilt several times to accommodate the current era without changing its exterior design. When they entered the intriguing building, they had to go through security checkpoints and undergo interrogation. Kureha sighed.
“Is everything all right, lady?” the knight asked. Kureha looked up at the one standing on her left. She hadn't been able to see him well at the altar because the darkness of night made it difficult to make out anything more than his dark clothes blending in with the surroundings. Now, against the white background of Headquarters, she could easily see his appearance. He looked to be in his early twenties. His black hair framed his face, which was adorned with two deep obsidian eyes. Like her father, he was of Western descent. However, the first thing one would notice about him wasn’t his face but his clothes. He wore full dark armor with gold and dark blue ornaments that lightened it up a bit. A long cape of the same color hung behind him. From Kureha’s perspective, he looked like an avid fan of the ancient elven era who had taken his cosplay a bit too far.
"I'm just tired," she answered.
"Last night was a long one for you. I hope you'll be able to rest soon."
"Me too."
Professor Loi listened in. He didn't say much, but his eyes often followed the dark knight, making it hard to hide his curiosity. Unfortunately, questions had to wait. A summon to the police chief’s office came. A woman appeared before them.
"You may enter. Chief Boleslava Sophia Lawana awaits you in her office,” a holographic secretary announced. The Black Knight widened his eyes in surprise when he saw it. He touched his chin with his right hand and tried to touch the hologram with his left, but he was unsuccessful. When Kureha noticed, she let out a little laugh.

"It's a hologram. A video of someone," she explained.

"I am aware of its existence. However, I just don’t understand how it works,” he answered.

"Is that so?"

"Let's go." Professor Loi waved his hand in the direction of his office. The two followed him.

"Oh, right. There’s one important thing you should know.” Kureha said, turning to the knight. "Under no circumstances call the chief a child or a young lady. Don’t even try.”

The knight looked puzzled by her words, yet he said:

“Thank you. I’ll take your advice.”
I hope you will.

***

The office was so spacious that it felt empty. Like the rest of the headquarters, its interior was white. Even the furniture, like the desk and chair in the middle, was a shade of pale white. The shelves were full of flash drives and folders in this angelic color. Kureha looked at the knight. She and the professor already stood out in their colorful clothing, but the knight was the direct opposite of everything in the room.
The doors on the left side of the room slid open, and a young girl who looked around fourteen years old came in. Like the room, she was dressed in white. Her jacket, shirt, skirt, and shoes all matched the color of the office. The only things that were different were her hair and eyes. She had beautiful ruby eyes and blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Upon closer look, Kureha noticed that the ends of her hair were white.
Is she obsessed with this color? She thought.

The girl sat in the chair behind her desk and clicked something. The floor split open, revealing two couches underneath.
"Please, sit down," she said. Her voice sounded rigid, yet it reminded Kureha of a little bell whose delicate sound could summon fairies. She had great posture, and although her appearance made others think she was a middle schooler, her serious expression proved she was the chief of the Modar’s Police Headquarters.
"First, I would like to confirm the situation.” started the girl. “The Police Academy was attacked last night. Two intruders used Cadet Kureha, who is present here, as a key to get in and tried to reach the Weapon Chapel. They most likely aimed to obtain the Elven Summon. For unknown reasons, security was absent. Is that right?” She summed up the whole thing.
"Yes, it is," answered the professor.
"We are already questioning the dean about the reason behind the security's absurd absence. Unfortunately, despite them appearing on camera, we don’t know who the perpetrators were. Interestingly, both were probably in possession of Elven Weapons. The one chasing Cadet Kureha had an axe of an unknown type. Unfortunately, cameras are not installed at the altar to protect the identity of the summoned weapons. There were only audio security measures, which allowed us to listen to the event. Cadet Kureha, I would like to hear more about what you saw during the event. Please, stand up as I have some additional questions.”

Kureha clenched her fists and stood up straight. The police chief continued.
"I heard your interrogation, and I know you intended to get to the altar to summon the weapon that's apparently in here," she said, looking at the knight, who smiled in response. "You said the second attacker had a weapon, too. Do you remember anything peculiar about it?"
Kureha was intrigued by the question the chief posed.
She might have realized something. But was there anything worth mentioning apart from sword’s design? Wait… Maybe….
"Uhm, besides what I already said about how the sword looked, he also did something like..." Kureha ran her hands through her hair. She moved her right hand as if she were holding something between her fingers, then let it go as if she had taken something off her hair. "After that the sword that devoured Tiger's body appeared."
The chief widened her eyes. The paleness of her face matched the white of her office.
"Stormbringer, huh?" she said silently.
"Stormbringer!?" Professor Loi repeated louder. "How?! The weapon disappears after its owner dies. Didn't Stormbringer's owner pass away in the academy fire 50 years ago?"
"He did. It could be someone else who summoned the same weapon.”
"That's impossible. There’s no recording of it being summoned again and only the Elven Summon at the Academy allows that! Wait…" Loi paused and covered his mouth with his hand.
The Chief closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"It's possible they somehow copied the system. The Stormbringer’s presence would also explain the absence of security.” She touched her chin and looked down at the papers held in her left hand. "We learned that all the guards stationed in the academy yesterday didn't come home. They disappeared without a trace.” Sophia looked up at them and explained further. “From what I know, Stormbringer has an interesting ability. Its user can create a blade from their hair. I’m guessing he gave a strand to the spy at the academy to get rid of the guards."
“A spy?” Professor Loi took a deep breath. "I thought we had appropriate measures against that.”
Chief Sophia frowned at his words.
"There's no such thing as a perfect defense," she said coldly. "I think Cadet Kureha is a living proof of that," she said, pointing at her. "It was easy for them to catch her and get in."
"But who could be a spy? Everyone working at the academy is checked. Students too.” Loi started talking to himself while biting his nails. He was one of the people who designed the Academy's protective system and couldn’t imagine someone passing through something he spent so many years creating. 
The chief continued.
"Here's my second question: What was Cadet Luke doing at night in the academy? Has he said anything?"
Kureha and Professor both looked taken aback. Luke was not only Kureha's friend who often tried to cheer her up whenever she failed to summon the weapon, but he was also Loi's adopted son and never caused big problems. However, his presence at the scene during such a critical time did look suspicious.

Boleslava grew impatient with their silence.

"Okay, if you don't know anything, I'll wait until his interrogation is over. Next.” She stood up from her desk and walked over to them. She stopped in front of the knight and looked at him for a few seconds.
“Is he really your weapon?” she asked Kureha. The girl was prepared to respond, but the knight took the initiative and provided the answer himself.
"Yes, I am," he said in a voice as gentle as a summer breeze. Chief Boleslava took a step back when the knight stood up, and then knelt before her. "I am Zavisha of Garbow, the knight who serves under the King of Poland, and the King of Hungary. I am pleased to meet you.”
"Boleslava Sophia Lawana," she said, giving him her hand, which he kissed. She smirked. "You really act like some gentleman from ancient times."
Did he make her smile? Kureha was beyond astonished. At least he listened to what I said and didn’t treat as a little kid
The black knight got up.

"I have some questions for you, Mr. Zavisha." said Boleslava.

"I'll answer them if I can."
"Are you aware of the fact that you’re a weapon?”
"Indeed, I am. I must profess, I am taken aback by this turn of events. After all, I remember being captured by the Saracens and having my head cut off. I thought I would be in heaven when I opened my eyes, but that wasn't the case. I ended up here. When I got summoned, I immediately knew that I was Lady Kureha’s weapon and that I was in a completely different world,” he explained.
"What do you mean by 'a different world'?" The chief continued her questioning.
"Hmm. When I appeared here, I was already knowledgeable about your world.” he tried to collect his thoughts.

“Prove it.”

“If that is your wish.” He bowed. “Your world was destroyed long ago during wars between elves and humans, which turned its land into deserts. Huge oases, such as the city of Modar, emerged and became home to people. You try to preserve whatever human culture you have left and expand the city. There are also elven cities, but it was decided that the two races wouldn't mingle with one another, only helping and assisting each other. That’s how you got the Elven Summon four hundred years ago, to get weapons that could help you deal with...”
"Okay, thank you for that little history lesson. What about you? Where are you from?" Boleslava interrupted him.
"I come from Europe, or more specifically, Poland. It's a country that doesn't exist here, though I did notice some similarities to things that exist in it," he said, turning to Kureha and looking at her uniform which colors seemed to evoke some nostalgia.

"Hmmm," Chief murmured, lost in thought. Suddenly, she took out her sword from the white sheath that was held by her belt. Its golden shine overtook the whiteness of the room, making everything around it gold. She held it up and asked,
“Do you recognize this sword?”
"Not really," answered the knight.
"What about its name, Excalibur?"
The knight's eyes widened. He opened his mouth in shock and pointed at the sword.
"That is Excalibur? The legendary blade of King Arthur? Really?!" Something about his elegant demeanor disappeared and was replaced by childlike curiosity. Stars shone in his eyes.
"So you do know this sword. I thought so because it's common here to summon a variant of Excalibur. I thought that you are probably familiar with it, given how widespread it is."
"Huh?" The knight was even more shocked. Kureha and Loi didn't understand his reaction.

“What do you mean by variants and widespread?” he said with his voice wavering.

"Obviously, there are many Excaliburs that can be summoned. Their abilities vary. Mine makes everyone follow my orders. There’s one that can shoot a beam of light and destroy the whole city. There’s another that can bless soldiers with safety spells. There are many of them.”
The knight stood frozen in place.
“How is that possible?” he asked, his voice wavering. “There should only be one.”
Kureha sighed at his shocked expression.
"It's because there are many versions of the tales about it. The moment one gets their weapon, they usually immediately learn its history and abilities. It’s as if the weapon’s life flows into you. When someone gets one, they're supposed to write down its history. When I was a kid, I read many different stories about King Arthur written by police officers who had summoned one of the variants od Excalibur. In one story, Arthur was even a woman.”
Loi and the chief nodded in response.
The Black Knight was dumbfounded by what he had just heard.
Chief Boleslava looked at him with a hint of a smile and continued,
"I asked you about that different world because I wanted to confirm whether our weapons come from there. Do you recognize the names Durandal, Joyeuse, Hrunting, or Colada?”
Zavisha felt as if his soul could leave his body again.
"Do those swords also exist here?" he asked, sounding like a child that could finally meet its heroes.
"What about Mikazuki, the Sword of Goujian, or the previously mentioned Stormbringer?"
"I don't know those.” He touched his chin and continued, “Probably because they come from outside of Europe or their tales appeared at a time when I wasn’t around. Or both."
Chief Boleslava Sophia smiled.
"In the visions of the history of swords, there were similarities in the names of countries, so we thought they might come from the same place, but now we have that confirmed. This is valuable information for the research on Elven Weapon Examination." she took another look at the knight “At least they have answer to that but now they’ll have more questions about future possibilities of Elven Summon.” A deep breath escaped her as she envisioned requests to examine and test the living weapon. She turned around and returned to her desk and clapped her hands together.
"Now, let's return to our previous topic. I would like to ask for your cooperation in finding the spy in the academy.”
"Of course." Loi nodded his head in agreement.
"Am I supposed to help, too?" asked Kureha.
"Obviously. Since you came into contact with those two, you may notice some possible similarities between them and a spy. It would be much appreciated. We can’t exactly send a lot of police investigators to the academy because we don’t want to scare away any perpetrators.”

Kureha’s face was adorned with one the biggest smiles she had ever had when she heard that. A few days ago, she could only dream of summoning her weapon. Now, not only does she have it, but she has also been invited to join the investigation. She couldn’t contain her happiness.
“You can go. I’ll send you a special envoy with more information.” said the chief.
Kureha and the professor stood up straight, saluted, and turned around. They were then guided outside of the office by the holographic secretary. The knight bowed to the chief and followed them out.

***

"Do you think I can finally rest?" Kureha asked her professor. Even though happiness helped her walk, she was still sleepy after not sleeping all night, being interrogated, and having that talk with the chief, which made her even more tired.
"You definitely should. Your father is probably worried sick.”
"I can imagine," she said, rolling her eyes. Then she stopped all of sudden and turned around to look at the knight walking behind her. "Wait, I'll have to come back with this," she said pointing at man in a black armor.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll do my best not to cause you any problems,” he said, smiling. "After all, I already proved myself by addressing that little girl like a lady, just as you wanted."

"Yes, you did. But, for future reference...” She placed her hand to her mouth, as if she were about to share a secret, and then she whispered, "That little girl is actually 70 years old."
The knight’s eyes went blank.

“What kind of witchcraft is that?”

"That's not witchcraft, but a side effect of her Excalibur. It stopped her from aging the moment she received it.”
"Side effect, huh?" The knight looked to the side. "I hope the side effects I give you won't be harmful." He smiled brightly.
"Yeah, I'd love to avoid any possible headaches. But the first side effect that bothers me are all the eyes looking at us. We have to do something about your not-so-modern outfit." she looked around. Everyone who passed them—whether a police officer inside the headquarters or a passerby outside—gave them a curious look. Some even tried to sneak a photo.

"Yes, I would agree that walking in full armor is quite troublesome." He closed his eyes, and for a split second, a dark light enveloped him. When the light vanished, the armor was replaced by a dark gray shirt, black pants, and high boots. "Would that be more appropriate?" he asked.
Both Kureha and Loi examined his appearance carefully.
“I think it works,” the professor admitted.
"Yeah, it could be better, but for now, it's okay."
"I'm glad to hear that." the knight was delighted.
Kureha and Loi quickly turned to face each other.
“So he can fight and change clothes?” The Police Academy student was shocked.
"I would get to my lectures much faster if I had an ability like that," Professor dreamed.
"I won't have to worry about buying clothes for him to wear." Kureha's eyes glistened.
"That's a really interesting point to make," Professor Loi nodded in agreement.

They both looked over at the knight standing right behind them.
"Alright, I'll head back because there's something I need to inquire about the barrier," Loi stated and looked warmly at his niece. "You two should go home safely."
"Yes, it would be nice to finally get some sleep. But wait...” She came closer to the knight and asked, "Weapons can dematerialize and be summoned again by their owners. Is it possible for you to do that?"
The knight's surprised eyes widened as he looked to the side with a small drop of sweat running down his cheek. "Yes, it is. But I wouldn't recommend it." His voice trembled a little.
“Why?”
"Because I have a human-like body, and I am capable of having thoughts..." He was darting his eyes left and right.
“And what does that have to do with anything?”
"Eh, when I'm dematerialized, I'll be able to go wherever my master goes."
"That's obvious," stated Kureha.
"But you wouldn't want me to come in with you when you, let's say, change clothes or get cleaned up."
Loi opened his eyes wide, and Kureha turned red.
"Huh?!" She pointed at him as if scolding him. "Thank you for the information. Now I’ll know when to tell you to revert!” She turned around, scowling. “I just wanted to hide you from my father, but I guess I’m going to tell him about you sooner rather than later.”
"Did you want to hide your weapon from him?" Loi looked at her, surprised. After all, it wasn't a secret that Kureha had tried several times to get a weapon. Her father was well aware of her struggles and Loi thought that he would be happy if he heard she finally got one.

"Yes. I would show it, if it was a normal one," she answered, looking at the knight. "But this one is far from being a normal weapon."
She still couldn't comprehend how she had summoned a humanoid weapon.
"If you want, I can go with you and help explain the situation."
“Don’t worry, Uncle. I’ll manage. I would have to do it anyway,” she sighed.
“Are you sure?”

“Yes, thank you for today. See you tomorrow,” she said, waving as she passed her uncle and crossed the street in front of the police headquarters. The knight ran after her and bowed to the professor, saying goodbye. Loi waved her back and smiled at the knight. Then, he turned back toward headquarters.

***

Kureha stood before the doors to the small apartment at the end of the main street. For the past ten years, she had come back here to eat something warm, relax, and spend quality time with her father. She never had a problem getting in and loudly announcing, "I'm home!" Now, for the first time, she was trying to figure out how to explain the strange phenomenon that had happened to her to her dear father. Now, looking at her companion standing on her right, it had become quite hard. Deep in thought, she held her chin up and closed her eyes. They had been standing there in front of the door for around ten minutes. Kureha was frozen with indecision, her hand hanging still as she struggled to decide whether to ring the bell or not.
"Are we not going in?" asked the knight.
"We will. Give me some time."
"To prepare yourself? I'm not your future husband; you don't have to worry so much. I am only your weapon and nothing else,” he stated proudly. Kureha looked at him with a weary expression.
"Don't joke like that."
"I wasn't joking. I was trying to reassure you, and..." He stepped in front of her and rang the bell instead. "It's better to move than to freeze in place. Whether you're going to fall or fly, at least you'll have it behind you." He smiled at her.

Kureha frowned and flicked his forehead.
"Shut up, you moralizing weapon."

At her words, the knight fell silent and rubbed his forehead.
The wait didn't take long. She heard her father coming closer to the doors. He probably looked through the viewfinder, as all movement halted for a while. Kureha felt sweat fall down her cheeks as she heard her father slowly open the door. Suddenly, a hand reached in and pulled her into the apartment.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have cleaned the house!" Her father's face showed panic. He looked back and forth between the door and her, unsure whether to let the unexpected guest in. His clothes were covered in paint stains, and his brown hair, which had some gray highlights, was tied into a bun behind his head. Kureha could even see a red and orange paint stain on his cheek.
"Don't worry, Dad. That’s my weapon.”
"Oh, he does look strong and will protect you. I’m glad to know it. But that makes it even more important to welcome him when everything is perfect. I don’t want to give a bad impression and embarrass you.” He was talking very fast and quietly so he wouldn’t be heard.
The knight standing outside was patiently waiting to be let in. When he turned around, he saw kids playing in the playground in front of the apartment building. He waved to them when they saw him.

"But, Dad…" Kureha was still trying to explain the situation behind the door.
"Oh, my. Everything, including me, is so messy. Why didn't you tell me you were bringing your boyfriend?" he cried.
"Dad, that's NOT. MY. BOYFRIEND,” Kureha stated firmly.
Her father looked at her, surprised.
“Then who is he?”
"That's the humanoid weapon I finally managed to summon," she answered.
Her father’s eyes started to glitter, and a wide smile appeared on his face.
"Your weapon?"
“Yes.”
“And you were the one to summon it?”
“Yes.”
He hugged her tightly.
"No wonder it took so long! A normal, boring sword wouldn't be appropriate for my genius daughter. Of course you would defy everyone’s expectations and summon something astonishing. A human!"
Then he let go of his daughter and looked at her carefully.
"But how is that possible?"
"I don't know." she shrugged.
Her father just nodded.
"You don't have to. It's because you're a genius, just like your mother and me."
He hugged her again. His daughter's success was the most important thing to him.
"I'm so glad. Congratulations, my dear. You’re finally one step closer to achieving your dream!”
“Thanks.”
The voice from behind the door interrupted them.
"How long am I supposed to stand here?" the knight asked, trying to hide his weariness.
“Ah, of course.” Kureha’s father stood up and held the door open. “Come in.”

The knight first poked his head in slowly. When he saw the father gesture that he could come in, he smiled and happily walked in.
Kureha let out a big breath. She brushed them off and went through the door on the left, vanishing into the room behind them.
“So, you’re my daughter’s weapon?” Kureha’s father asked.
"Yes, sir. I am Zavisha of Garbow, the knight who served under the kings of Poland and Hungary. I am glad that I can finally meet you,” he said, bowing delicately.
"You're so polite. I am Robert Thornlee. Come, come,” he said, taking the knight by the hand and dragging him to the living room. "Wait a moment." Robert quickly cleared the table of brushes and mugs filled with muddy water, placing them on the chest of drawers leaning against the light green wall. Then, he took a sheet and uncovered the sofa hidden under it. "Please, sit down," he said, gesturing toward the sofa.
"Thank you," the knight said as he looked around the room. It wasn’t big. Next to the chest of drawers was a wardrobe. On the opposite side, a huge screen was hanging. Under it was a coffee table with a remote control lying on it. In the middle of the room was a real mess. The floor was covered in plastic bags, paint, and sheets. Three easels stood next to the window, slightly blocking the light from entering the room, with paintings placed on them. Each painting being worked on was quite different. One was in dark colors, another in warmer tones, and the other was a grayish-blue landscape.

The paintings held the knight's attention for the longest time. His smile disappeared, and his face grew solemn.
"I change what I work on depending on how I feel at the moment," said Robert, noticing the knight’s gaze.
"I see."
"What do you think about them?" he asked, seeking an opinion.
"They remind me of yesterday." He focused on the paintings for a while, but then the knight quickly returned to his light, happy smile and asked, "Where's Kureha?"
"Oh, she's probably cleaning herself up. Then she’ll sleep for a while and come back to eat." Robert clasped his hands together and ran toward the kitchen. "I should reheat her dinner. I’ll be back soon!”
"Of course," the knight said, his gaze following Robert for a while before coming back to the paintings.

***

“What happened here?” Kureha couldn’t believe her eyes. After a short nap, she woke up and froze at the doorstep when she returned to the living room and saw what was happening. Together with the knight that just appeared in their home, her father was drinking the wine. He had a red face and was grinning stupidly.
"This wine is exquisite," said the knight as Robert poured him another glass.
"I'm truly glad!" He stood up unsteadily. "I'll bring you another one. That Loi’s kid brought it yesterday.” Robert noticed his daughter. “Your dinner is waiting for you at the table. It’s your favourite! Rosół soup!” he laughed.
Kureha stood still, it wasn’t the soup that caught her attention. She grabbed her father’s wrist before he could reach the kitchen.
"Luke was here yesterday? When?”
Robert swayed to the side. “In the evening?” he scratched his head. “He said that this wine tastes amazing. I tried it and fell asleep.” Robert swayed to the side. Before he could fall, his daughter caught him. The knight hastily came to her aid, helping her put her father on the sofa.

"This wine is truly delicious. I’m sure Mr. Weapon would like it, too. Kureha, bring it over. It’s the one in the red bottle,” he said laughingly, his eyes slowly closing.
"Okay," Kureha said as she ran straight into the kitchen and opened a cupboard above her head. She found the bottle her father mentioned and looked at the label. "How many times do I have to tell him not to bring anything with such a high percentage? He'll collapse before he can make a fool of himself after drinking it!" she remarked angrily. But her face darkened as though an unpleasant thought had flooded her mind.

I need to talk to Luke when I have the chance.
She opened the bottle and poured its contents into the sink.
Sorry.

“What a waste,” lamented the knight as he walked into the kitchen. "You could have given it to me," he said, taking the bottle from her and running his finger around the bottle's finish. He brought his finger close to his mouth and licked it. "Its flavor is truly superb. Your father possesses remarkable taste when it comes to wine."
"Too bad he can't drink it," she said, snatching the bottle from him and tossing it in one of the small garbage cans hidden in a cupboard beneath the sink. “Is he asleep?”
“Yes.”

"Did you two have to drink?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“No, but I wanted to see if I could get drunk.” he admitted innocently.

“And what?”

“I can’t.” He replied with a look that made it seem like Armageddon had completely destroyed the world.

"Why the long face? I think that's a good information. That means it'll be hard to get you intoxicated, and you'll be ready to battle at any time."
Hearing this, the knight’s eyes darkened a little.

"But you didn't have to make my father drink, too." Kureha added.
"Of course. I shouldn’t have done anything that might have caused problems. I’m deeply sorry. I’ll try to be more careful from now on.” He bowed, “I’ll come back to the room and wait there. If you need my help, call.”
"Ok, I will."
When he left, Kureha slid down and curled up.

How am I supposed to communicate with this weapon?

I am an idiot. I should admit that I am also at fault. How would he have known about that if I hadn't said anything?

When she returned to the room, she noticed that the knight had taken one of the sheets lying on the floor and covered her sleeping father with it. She didn't utter a word, simply taking a seat and beginning to eat. The only sounds in the room were her eating and her father’s steady breathing. The silence was killing her, so she stood up, took the remote from the coffee table, and turned on the TV. The sound of the news concealed the awkward tension and her father’s breathing as he slept. The knight focused his attention on the TV. The news was reporting on a new agreement between human and elven cities. Apparently, tourism between the cities would soon be available again after centuries.
"It's amazing," the knight said breaking the silence between them.
"Oh, this? Yeah, I agree. I've never seen an elf besides the ones on TV or in books. If it really becomes possible, then maybe I'll try to visit at least one of the cities. That might be a good experience.”
"That would be good, too. But I'm more amazed by the fact that you can so quickly and easily learn what's happening somewhere far away," he explained. "Where I lived, we had to wait a long time to learn that someone was knighted or had a child."
"Huh. Your time was probably similar to our ancient times," Kureha noticed.
"Indeed, but we did not possess such vivid magic."
"Really? But you mentioned witchcraft."
"Yes, but it was more like accusing someone of things we didn't understand, like curing diseases with herbs or having a strange mark on one's body, and then killing them."
"You're kidding..."

"No. Now that I have obtained information regarding the world in which I am required to function as your weapon, I can finally discern the absurdity of certain matters."
“You didn’t notice any absurdity then?”
“I did. There were things I didn’t understand, so I tried to stand against them.”
“What kind of things?”
"Hmmm, a lot? Maybe using faith for your own gain is something I see as unfavorable. For example, when I saw the Teutonic Knights robbing people in the name of God, I tried to stop them.”

"Were those Teutonic Knights some kind of authority?" Kureha asked, intrigued by his words.

"In a way, they could be seen as such. To me, they weren't. My country fought against them in a war. Because of that, one time I didn’t agree with a pope, a very important figure, and acted very harshly towards him.”

“Harshly?” She asked, her face brightening.

Noticing Kureha’s interest, the knight stood up.
"I burst into his room while he was eating and forced the door off its hinges." He started telling his story as if it were some kind of chivalric ballad. He moved in a theatrical manner while he spoke. "He asked me, 'Aren't you scared of God?' But I only answered, ‘Of God, yes. Of a human like you, not at all.’ Immediately, he withdrew his support for the Teutonic Knights and took a neutral stance in the war. Disobeying someone in power isn’t easy. But I did it. For my king, for my country," he said, his voice ringing with pride.
“I didn’t get everything, but I did understand that you were quite an interesting figure in your time,” laughed Kureha.
"I was respected, that's for sure."
"And you definitely are a proud one."
"I would say confident. Pride is a sin."
"Whatever you say."

She noticed that the sour mood created by their conversation in the kitchen vanished. Somehow, the chatter that started with admiration for technology led her to learn something about that knight. She looked down at her reflection in an empty bowl. She was smiling.
"How nice to see that you get along."
Both turned to the father, who slightly opened his eyes and smiled warmly at them.
“Dad, do you want to go to bed?”
"Nah, your conversation is a nice lullaby."
“So it’s boring?” Kureha asked in a giddy manner.
"From someone's perspective, it can be, but I love that you're not arguing and just talking so nicely and friendly. My daughter really did summon a good weapon...a very good one." he said as he came back to sleep. Seeing him sleep peacefully, Kureha smiled softly. She then turned to look at the knight, whose face showed a small blush on his cheek.
Had my father’s words embarrassed him? Is he proud of himself, or is he actually shy about his achievements? She thought. I guess it isn't that hard to talk to him. Maybe my first practical classes with that weapon will go well.
She took her plate back to the kitchen and told the knight, who was watching TV, that she was going to sleep. She fell onto the bed, surrounded by bookshelves full of stories about the original owners of the weapons summoned by the police in Modar City. Finally, a peaceful night lulled her to sleep in her small bedroom.