Surprised, Aesha looked back at the spot where the dagger was.

However, the dagger was gone, and the man she had seen earlier was sitting on the windowsill, staring at her.

“Who on earth are you…!”

“Who am I? Should I introduce myself again?”

As he walked toward her, Aesha pulled the blanket defensively.

“Hmm, I didn’t expect my master to be such a frightened person.”

Aesha, still staring blankly, hesitantly asked, “So, are you really… the dagger…?”

“Don’t you believe it?”

He jumped back onto the bed.

“What is this nonsense…!”

Aesha lost her words immediately. The man’s figure disappeared from the bed, and the dagger was peacefully resting there.

Aesha, as if possessed by a ghost, stared at it, then absentmindedly kicked it with her toe.

“What! Why did you kick a perfectly fine person!”

“I told you, I’m not a person.”

“…”

“The dagger talks, and living brings many strange things…”

Aesha mumbled absentmindedly, but after the day Jakkal transformed into words, this was the second shocking experience, so she wasn’t as astonished as to faint.
“Now, no matter what happens, there was a strange feeling that I could understand and move on.

But at that moment, a peculiar curiosity sparked in Aesha’s violet eyes.

“Perhaps, if I hit it, will it feel pain…?”

“…….”

The tables turned.

Aesha lightly tapped the sword with her hand, muttering.

“Weird, why did it suddenly go silent…?”

“…I am a sword.”

Suddenly, Nek changed his attitude politely.

Aesha tried to pull the sword out, but unlike before, no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t come off.

Aesha raised an eyebrow.

“Do you lose strength when spoken to nicely? This naughty, insolent sword.”

“B-but the sheath is like my clothing…!”

Aesha squinted her eyes.

“Then, if you draw the sword, does it turn into a monkey? You really are a mischievous, naughty sword!”

She grabbed the handle and scabbard with both hands, exerting all her strength to pull them away.

“Ack! My hair is being pulled out!”

At that, Aesha glanced at the sword handle.

Now, she noticed that the blue string attached to the handle end was similar in color to the hair tie that had tied his hair like a mane.

“Oh, this is really like clothing, huh?”

In the end, Aesha pulled out the sword with force.

“Y-you pulled me out…? I’ve never seen such a monstrous master…!”

“Master?”

“Yeah! But you’re not my master yet! The test isn’t over! I have to truly serve you before you can use me…”

Before he could finish speaking, Aesha threw the scabbard far away onto the floor.

“Ah, my clothes…!”

“Anyway, if I can’t use it, I don’t need the clothes, right?”

Aesha smirked.

“…”

Unbeknownst to her, she was gradually mastering the art of imitating a villainess.

Meanwhile, Sonya entered the room again.

“Lady Vannetsa, the guards have thoroughly searched the palace, but there’s no sign of the intruder.”

“I see. I probably had a nightmare. I’ve been quite stressed lately.”

Aesha responded like that while glaring at the sword.

Seeing her holding the sword, Sonya thought that she must have had a truly frightening nightmare and looked at her with a pitiful gaze.

It was clear that the memory of almost being kidnapped by a spy last time had left a trauma, manifesting in the form of a nightmare.

“Sonya, see that scabbard on the floor over there.”

“Yes? Yes!”

“Where would you like to hide that, so it won’t be seen?”

“What?”

For a moment, the trembling of the sword in her hand could be felt.

“I think someone will come looking for the scabbard. I have a feeling.”

Looking at Aesha, who was making a confusing statement, Sonya giggled.

“Someone will come looking for the scabbard?”

“Yeah. Among the minority races, there’s a superstition that if you put a sheathless sword by your head, it chases away nightmares. The nightmare will leave my room, looking for the scabbard.”

“I see! Then, for the sake of Lady Vannetsa’s peaceful sleep, I’ll keep this scabbard safe!”
Sonya, as if she had taken on a significant mission, left the room with a very serious expression, holding the sword scabbard in both hands.

As soon as the door closed, Nek’s voice immediately echoed.

“Where are you taking my clothes!”

Aesha shrugged.

“Well, I don’t know either. Sonya will hide it skillfully. Probably, even if you search the entire palace, it will be hard to find.”

“You…!”

“You? Shouldn’t you listen to your master’s words? You won’t lose your clothes forever.”

The sword fell silent at those words.

Aesha pondered deeply.

Did Jackal know that this sword was alive?

No, he probably didn’t.

Even though it was an heirloom passed down by his parents, he disliked this dagger and kept it for some reason, saying he didn’t want to throw it away.

Maybe he had never used it.

‘I should tell Jackal about this fact… No, should I send the sword away? How can you use a sword that transforms into a person, even if it’s like that…’

Aesha sighed deeply.

It was regrettable to think about how Jackal would react when he found out that the sword he gave to her for protection was, in fact, a mischievous sword.

She considered telling Karaf, but Aesha immediately shook her head.

After the Enlightenment, he returned all the belongings he had taken away.

Even though Jackal could guess that it was a gift from him, returning the dagger to her meant that he trusted her, indicating the depth of his trust.

But if she talked about this incident, he would probably tell her to throw away such a shameful item.

While Aesha was contemplating alone, a sobbing sound was heard from the room.

“Sob… Why do I always end up with strange masters? Sob…”

Aesha, irritated by the comment, narrowed her eyes and asked.

“Strange masters?”

“Yeah! The previous master was really strange too. Even though she made a contract with me, she didn’t want to use my power. She said her name was Ceylon or something…”

Aesha’s eyes widened for a moment.

“The name of the previous master… was Ceylon?”