My eyes, which had been closed against a light so bright it seemed to blind me, slowly opened, and I was shocked by the face I saw.

“……Dietrich?”

As I called out the name, his perfectly drawn, beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly.

But even his frown was dazzlingly gorgeous, to the point where it was hard to tell if the blinding effect was from the light or from Dietrich himself.

It was an exquisite face – silver-gray hair shimmering with a subtle hue in the light, and beneath it, clear, striking eyes.

His straight nose and masculine jawline looked sharp enough to cut.

‘Is this what they call the aura of a male protagonist?’

I instinctively took a step back as I made direct eye contact with a face that seemed to be making the merciless claim, ‘I’m handsome.’

It wasn’t because Dietrich was glaring at me.

You know how they say you can lose your memory when you see someone too handsome?

In my case, that perfectly sculpted face was almost frightening.

‘Ah, scary.’

I prefer my beloved Nocturne Frey over such a perfectly handsome statue.

As I was briefly pondering my preferences, I snapped back to attention under his piercing gaze.

Unlike me, who was still marveling at how a human could look like that, Dietrich seemed displeased about something.

His furrowed brow showed no signs of relaxing.

His tightly closed lips slowly opened, and a low, drawling voice emerged.

“…Who are you?”

He looked ready to draw the sword at his waist at any moment.

“How do you know my name? What’s your identity?”

It didn’t seem like he was asking out of curiosity. Especially since he was now striding over, reaching for my neck.

Startled, I froze in place, blinking dumbly as he roughly tried to grab my throat.

But of course, he failed to grasp my neck.

Because I’m an intangible spirit, after all.

His forceful hand passed right through my neck, flailing in the empty air.

Dietrich wasn’t the only one surprised.

Even Dietrich, with his supreme physical abilities, stumbled and lost his balance.

“Oh, careful!”

I reached out to catch him in case he fell, but embarrassingly, Dietrich quickly regained his balance.

Then, with an even more rigid expression than before, he immediately drew his sword.

This time, his aura suggested he was truly ready to strike.

An ice-cold voice reverberated in the cave.

“Did you use some wicked magic? Or were you sent by that woman? Did she order you to bring her my head?”

“What?”

What nonsense is this?

Still frozen in an awkward pose with my hands stretched out to catch Dietrich, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.

Did he just call me a spy?

Hey, have you ever seen a spy trapped in a cave?

What kind of crazy spy would wait in a cave they can’t even escape from on their own!

As soon as I realized I was being subjected to this absurd misunderstanding, I vented my frustration and tried to explain.

“A spy? That’s unfair! I’m the spirit of the sword here!”

“Not even funny. The spirit of the sword? If you’re not a spy, are you insane?”

“I wish that were the case.”

Let me say it again, who would possess the spirit of a sword?

Thanks to being possessed by an entity no one in the world would believe in, I’m having my life threatened as soon as I open my eyes.

Snorting at my self-introduction as the sword’s spirit, he pointed his sword at my neck.

Terrified by the sharp blade that looked like it could cut with just the slightest touch, I cried out urgently.

“L-look at the sword here! I’m really the spirit of the sword!”

As I pointed to the sword lying on the cave floor, his blue eyes glanced down at it.

He seemed to recognize immediately that it was the legendary sword ‘Harpe’.

The tip of his sword, which had been pointed at me, tilted slightly towards the ground. Not missing this opportunity, I hastily took a step back.

Though I didn’t think his sword could actually pierce my body, Dietrich’s actions, which made no attempt to hide his killing intent, were enough to make me see white.

Was it because this was my first time facing such raw murderous intent?

Regardless, Dietrich no longer seemed interested in me.

Picking up the sword, Dietrich blew off the dust on the hilt with a ‘whoof’.

The white dust danced like snow in the air of the dimly lit cave.

“…Harpe.”

He slowly traced the family name ‘Delgado’ engraved on the scabbard as he called the sword’s name.

And at that moment, my vision went completely dark.

‘…What!’

Everything around me suddenly became silent.

The light that had been streaming in from the cave entrance was gone as if it had been a dream, and Dietrich’s figure had disappeared.

I could understand immediately.

I was now inside the sword.

Grasping the situation was quicker than I expected.

As soon as Dietrich said ‘Harpe’, my body was sucked into the sword as if by a vacuum cleaner.

It happened in the blink of an eye, with no time to react.

My mind went blank at this unbelievable reality.

I really am a spirit…

And it seems I wasn’t the only one surprised.

“…What? Where did it go?”

You called out ‘Harpe’ yourself, and now you’re looking for where I went?

Dietrich, who had been lost in thought for a moment, spoke again.

“Harpe.”

No sooner had the word left his mouth than I emerged from Dietrich’s sword again, and since Dietrich was holding the sword, I found myself face to face with him at very close range.

As I stared at Dietrich with a dumbfounded expression, he looked me up and down, not bothering to hide his irritation.

Then, with a half-doubting expression, he asked.

“…Are you really the spirit of the sword?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!”

“Harpe.”

As soon as he finished speaking, I was sucked back into the sword, only to pop out again when the voice calling ‘Harpe’ sounded once more.

“Harpe.”

“Wait, hold on…”

“Harpe.”

“I’m getting dizzy!”

“Harpe.”

“This is really…”

He kept calling the name without pause, not even joking around, causing me to be repeatedly sucked into the sword and expelled. Finally, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Stop it!”

Only then did Dietrich stop, speaking in a cold voice.

“This is ridiculous. A spirit of the sword? I’ve never heard of such a spirit residing in this sword.”

Me neither.

To begin with, there was never any mention of a sword spirit appearing in this novel.

In other words, I was at a loss for what to do from here on out.

Although I had a human form, could I live like a human again with a body that couldn’t even be touched?

Would I be able to escape from this sword?

Or would I have to live as the spirit of the sword for the rest of my life?

I felt like I might burst into tears at any moment.

As these unhappy thoughts continued, I suddenly realized something terrible.

‘This sword, doesn’t it completely shatter near the end of the novel?’

Towards the conclusion, Harpe shatters to pieces in Dietrich’s hand as he fights to protect the female protagonist.

At this rate, I was going to die, shattered along with the sword.

There was only one way to survive.

I had to escape from being a spirit.

The realization was so shocking that it drove away any urge to cry.

‘To survive, I can’t stay in this cave.’

Fortunately, Dietrich desperately needed ‘Harpe’.

If my guess was correct, the Delgado ducal family was currently without a duke, the previous duke having died.

To inherit the position of Duke Delgado, the approval of the council of elders was necessary, and the condition they had set for the succession was to retrieve ‘Harpe’.

This sword was the means to defeat his stepmother, who was desperate to place her own son on the Delgado ducal seat.

So Dietrich would leave this cave with Harpe, and I, as the spirit of the sword, would tag along to the ducal residence.

And once there, couldn’t I look for a way to escape from being a sword spirit?

I extended my hand to Dietrich, who was still examining me with eyes that seemed ready to see all sorts of strange things.

Although he wasn’t my favorite character, he was now practically my only lifeline in this novel I had been thrown into.

I put on the softest, kindest smile I could manage.

My head was still ringing and dizzy from repeatedly entering and exiting the sword, but this wasn’t the time to show such weakness.

Dietrich was my only savior right now.

I spoke gently, bringing my hands together in front of me respectfully.

“This sword is the treasured blade of the Delgado ducal family, right? If you take me with you, it’ll be like recovering a treasure of the Delgado family, so it should be a great help.”

My tone was benevolent and even kind.

It was my tearful effort to convey that I was a good sword.

Surely this much would be enough to make an impression?

Originally, Dietrich was the type to love swords unconditionally, so I had no doubt he would take me along.

“Not needed.”

I certainly hadn’t doubted, but…

“Right. Take me… What?”

I was so surprised that the words didn’t come out properly.

‘This can’t be happening. He’s supposed to take me from here.’

While I stood there with my mouth hanging open, dumbfounded by this response that was the complete opposite of what I expected, Dietrich tossed Harpe onto the cave floor with a thud.

“I don’t need a sword like this.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he turned to leave the cave without even a backward glance.

No, you can’t leave like this!

From the very beginning, I was in danger of being trapped in this cave to rot for the rest of my life.

‘Brain, please work. Work!’

I had to think of something convincing to make Dietrich stop.

While I was silently screaming and racking my brains, the quick-footed Dietrich had already almost left the cave.

There was no choice now.

“Don’t you need me to be recognized as Duke Delgado?”

I blurted out the words and then covered my mouth with both hands in shock.

What did I just say?

The fact that the Delgado family council of elders had ordered ‘Harpe’ to be brought back was known only to Dietrich, his stepmother, and his younger brother.

Dietrich’s blue eyes flashed dangerously as he turned back.

“…What?”

“I said I’ll make you Duke Delgado!”

When you’re desperate, forget about thinking things through!