“Excuse me, Madam. I have brought the item you requested.”

The maid respectfully held the Holy Sword with both hands and approached Yelena. Yelena nervously reached for the Holy Sword, but then Kaywhin’s hand cut past hers and gripped the Holy Sword’s hilt first.

“Kaywhin.”

Yelena looked at him in shock. Kaywhin gave the maid a look signaling her to leave.

“We can’t have you fainting again from holding the Holy Sword.”

“But what if something happens to y… Are you okay?”

Yelena alternated between studying Kaywhin and studying the Holy Sword with wary eyes.

“I’m okay.”

“And you don’t hear a voice in your head?”

“I’m not completely sure yet…”

[There’s no way he can hear me.]

“What?”

“I’m sorry?”

Yelena’s and Kaywhin’s eyes met. Yelena looked down at the Holy Sword, flustered.

“I heard a voice in my head just now…”

[Only you can hear this voice.]

“…Only I can?”

[Indeed. Other people cannot.]

Yelena’s face went blank. Kaywhin tried talking to her.

“Yelena? Do you still hear the voice?”

“Ah, yes. I hear it. And apparently, I’m the only one who can. I don’t know if it’s the voice of a ghost or the Holy Sword…”

[A ghost, you say? That hurts. I’m pretty sure I already told you that I’m not an evil spirit or anything like that.]

The strange voice that gave no hint of its gender or age continued to echo in Yelena’s head.

“…This Holy Sword must be an Ego Sword.”

An Ego Sword was, in other words, a sword conscious of its identity.

Yelena had only heard of such swords. This was her first time seeing and touching an Ego Sword.

Yelena stared at the Holy Sword in bewilderment and then she scowled. She sensed something was wrong.

‘Why are you speaking casually to me?’

Yelena was sure that the voice had been much more formal and polite before she had fainted.

Then, the voice gave an answer to Yelena’s question.

[I needed a favor from you back then, so I spoke in the manner that was necessary for the situation. Things are different now.]

‘…Ah, is that so?’

For a sword, it certainly knew the ways of the human world.

‘Are all Ego Swords like this?’

[Probably not.]

‘I can’t even think in peace anymore.’

Having her mind read was more unpleasant than Yelena had thought. On the other hand, she was able to converse with the sword without mumbling to herself like a madman. Well, Yelena didn’t think that conversing with a sword was normal to begin with either.

‘Why am I the only one who can hear your voice?’

[It’s simple. You have the ‘power.’]

Power…?

[The power to hear my voice and break my seal.]

‘Seal?’

[I asked you to take me out, remember? I meant, unseal me. Unseal me and awaken my power. And you actually did it.]

“What did you say?”

Yelena was so shocked, she spoke the words out loud. Kaywhin watched her, puzzled.

“Are you having a conversation with the voice?”

“Ah, about that…”

Yelena shut her mouth, embarrassed. Her mind was jumbled. She needed a more detailed explanation.

‘What do you mean by that? I woke your power up?’

[You were unconscious for a week, right?]

‘And?’

[That was because you overexerted your power to break my seal.]

“…!”

[Well, you recharged your energy while you were unconscious, so you probably feel light now. Right?]

Yelena blinked. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

‘I woke the power of the Holy Sword?’

It was hard to believe. In fact, it would have been more convincing if she had been told that she had fainted after being possessed by a ghost that resided within the Holy Sword.

‘The warrior from the future is supposed to be the one to awaken the Holy Sword’s power. Why did I… Ah.’

Yelena was struck with a realization. The warrior was her and her husband’s child.

Her husband and… her child.

‘Oh my goodness.’

Yelena’s entire body was overtaken with goosebumps. Her eyes quivered.

‘It wasn’t a coincidence that the old woman had chosen me.’

There was a time when Yelena couldn’t understand why it had been her of all people. There were so many other people to choose from, so why had it been she whom the old woman showed the future to?

It was difficult to come up with the answer, but now Yelena knew.

‘It isn’t just that the child’s father has to be Kaywhin. I… have to be the mother.’

The warrior was to be born to Yelena and Kaywhin, and inherit both of their special powers. That meant that from the beginning, Kaywhin had always needed Yelena.