The Fairy in the Sword

As the mood lightened and Sera returned to her seat, everyone began wondering how Lina had somehow experienced the Kraken’s memories.

“Lina, have you ever experienced someone else’s memories in a dream before?” Seidon asked.

“No, never,” Lina answered. “This was the first time.”

Seidon stroked his chin as he considered the possibilities.

Could this be the awakening of an unusual bloodline skill? I may need to ask Atena about Lina’s background.

As Lina reached for the glass of water on the table, her arm accidentally knocked over the sword resting beside her chair.

Seidon picked up the sword and immediately felt a nostalgic pull toward it.

“Hmmm... this was made by Hefa, wasn’t it?” he asked. “Do you mind if I draw it?”

Lina nodded, allowing Seidon to unsheathe the beautiful silver blade covered in red streaks.

“It’s gorgeous!” Lesha exclaimed, admiring the sword. “But why is such a beautiful blade covered in red streaks?”

Lina sighed deeply, hoping to avoid the embarrassing explanation, only for Skayla to eagerly tell everyone about Master Atena’s neglect and why they were traveling to the Kingdom of Ash to have the blade restored.

Seidon carefully studied the blade before noticing the ancient runes engraved along its surface.

“So it was you, Arianrhod,” he muttered.

“Who?” Lina and Skayla asked simultaneously.

“Did neither of you read the inscription?” Seidon asked, pointing toward the blade.

“Zenos wouldn’t tell me what it said because he wanted me to discover it on my own,” Lina explained. “I searched the Royal Library but couldn’t find anything.”

“Ahhh... crap,” Seidon muttered, realizing that discovering the fairy’s true name had been intended as a task for Lina. “The inscription is written in ancient runes from long before the Age of Chaos. Arianrhod is the name of the fairy bonded to this sword.”

Seidon handed the sword back to Lina.

“HUH?!” everyone shouted.

“What does that mean?” Lesha asked. “How can a fairy live inside a sword?”

“The blade is made of Fairy Metal,” Seidon explained. “Mythril is considered a naturally pure ore in the eyes of mortals, but Spirits and Fairies consider it far from true purity. Through an extensive purification process, every remaining impurity can be removed from Mythril, allowing a Spirit or Fairy to dwell inside the metal.”

Everyone stared at Lina’s sword, finally realizing how special it truly was.

“So you’re saying Arianrhod showed Lina the Kraken’s memories?” Sera asked. “Why would she do that?”

“Every Fairy acts according to their own will, so I can’t tell you why,” Seidon answered. “All I can say is that Arianrhod wanted Lina to see those memories.”

“Does that mean we truly killed all those people?” Skayla asked, looking sick.

“No. In fact, both of you saved them,” Seidon reassured her. “Those people were fused into a single creature thousands of years ago. After enduring centuries of suffering, you finally allowed them to rest.”

Lina and Skayla appeared slightly relieved, although neither could completely free herself from the guilt.

“Okay... I understand,” Skayla said, trying to keep her spirits up. “Lesha, please give me a hug.”

“Sure,” Lesha replied, standing and approaching Skayla with her arms open.

Lesha suddenly remembered who she was dealing with.

“Wait a moment—”

Skayla dove straight into her chest before she could escape.

Over the next several days, Lina and Skayla remained in Piraeus to rest, recover, and purchase supplies for the next stage of their journey. During that short time, Skayla somehow became one of the most influential people in the entire port city after accidentally starting a pickling boom.

During one of their leisurely walks, Skayla spotted large groups of sailors lined up outside one of the city’s hospitals.

She approached the exhausted sailors and questioned them about their symptoms and diets. After gathering enough information, Skayla immediately recognized the signs of scurvy.

Skayla then spoke with several ship captains and advised them to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to their crews’ diets.

Several captains immediately dismissed her advice.

“Unless you plan on paying for all those fresh fruits and vegetables yourself, we can’t afford to keep enough aboard our ships,” one of them argued. “Most of it would rot before we reached our destination anyway.”

Skayla refused to give up and instead organized a public demonstration teaching sailors how to preserve fruits and vegetables through pickling.

Rather than listen, several captains and merchants attended solely to heckle her, with some even preparing to throw bottles and rocks.

Naturally, their attitudes changed the moment Captain Barbarossa walked onto the stage and silently stood beside Skayla as her assistant chef.

By some miracle, every heckler and onlooker suddenly became an attentive student as they watched the legendary pirate personally help Skayla pickle fruits and vegetables.

When it came time for the taste test, not a single heckler dared refuse a sample after Barbarossa personally offered one to each troublemaker he had spotted from the stage.

After taking their first bite, everyone fell in love with the flavor and rushed toward the market to buy jars, vinegar, salt, fruits, and vegetables before the supplies ran out.

Over the following days, pickling spread across Piraeus like an epidemic. Ordinary households, taverns, restaurants, merchant vessels, and even the head chef at the mayor’s residence began sharing recipes and competing to create the best flavors.

Skayla was naturally appointed the official judge and soon became known throughout Piraeus as the Pickling Lord. A single favorable remark from her was enough to make people fight over jars prepared using the winning recipes, with some selling for nearly twenty silver pieces.

On the first morning of autumn, Lina and Skayla finally prepared to leave Piraeus. They had sent off Captain Barbarossa and the Flying Crimson the previous day and were now ready to continue their journey toward the Kingdom of Ash.

“It was wonderful meeting you both,” Sera said, embracing Lina and Skayla so tightly that neither could breathe.

“Mother, please loosen your grip!” Lesha exclaimed, tapping Sera on the shoulder. “You’re choking them!”

Sera finally released the pair, leaving them gasping desperately for air.

“Precious air...” Skayla wheezed before looking toward Lesha and slowly lowering her gaze.

“Stop staring,” Lesha warned, covering her chest.

Over the past few days, Skayla had become strangely attached to Lesha’s chest and pounced on her whenever the opportunity arose.

“Just one last time,” Skayla pleaded as she approached with both hands extended.

“No!” Lesha exclaimed before running away.

Skayla leaped through the air, grabbed Lesha from behind, and began caressing her chest.

Lesha released several questionable sounds as nearby travelers stopped to stare at the shameless scene unfolding in the middle of the port.

AHEM!

Sera cleared her throat.

“Skayla, if you continue treating Lesha that way, I’m going to demand that you take responsibility if she can’t find anyone willing to marry her,” she threatened.

Skayla immediately released Lesha and backed away, bumping into Lina.

“You’re impossible, you know that?” Lina asked with a weary sigh.

TSK!

Sera clicked her tongue, disappointed that her plan to trap Skayla in Piraeus had failed.

“Mother?” Lesha asked, noticing Sera’s disappointed expression.

“All right, let’s go before we waste any more daylight,” Lina said, dragging Skayla away by the collar of her violet robe.

“Goodbye!” Skayla called, waving as Sera and Lesha waved back and watched the pair disappear into the distance.

“Those two truly are like the Hero and the Sage,” Sera muttered softly.

“What was that?” Lesha asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Sera said, turning around.

“Come on! Tell me!” Lesha exclaimed, wanting to know what her mother had said.

“Fine,” Sera said. “When I was four years old, Seraphine often read me a bedtime story about the Hero and the Sage. In the story, they traveled from place to place, slaying monsters that terrorized innocent people and bringing prosperity wherever they went. Don’t you think Lina and Skayla resemble them?”

Sera stopped and looked around at the happy citizens of Piraeus as they chatted, drank, and ate pickled vegetables alongside fresh fish.

“I can agree with that,” Lesha said with a smile. “I wonder what kind of trouble those two are heading into now.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure they can handle it,” Sera said as she and Lesha returned to their duties.