There are no weak warriors in the world, only those with the affinity for 'power' and those destined to stay weak forever. It was the difference between those who consider themselves to be 'victims' and those who grow up to take action against them.
In my long life as the 'lingering intentions of fallen Warriors' that stained two Divine Swords, there was a realisation I came to pretty early on: Humans cannot project their ideals on the world around them without strength. 'Power' was a requisite.
But what constituted as powers was different from person to person. A Noble would consider their power to be influence, a Merchant would consider their power to be wealth, and a Warrior considered their power to be their personal strength above all else. Truly... the foolish ideals they would project onto the world was sickening to say the least.
For 'Heroes', all they cared about was to bring about justice through the means of using violence against evil. A tooth for a tooth, so to speak, and would always, without fail, fall into their depravity.
Power corrupts even a strong will, as one will always aim for more than they can realistically achieve. Heroes proved that a world of peace was impossible when they were given great 'freedom'.
Even if they kill everyone who disagrees with their opinions at the moment, the future generations will always choose to fight each other no matter how much they struggle. This was because 'freedom' and 'ideals' were two entirely different concepts.
Good people always shackles themselves with their morals, it was why they'd eventually 'fall' into even deeper levels of depravity when those shackles of restraint broke around them. Just like fallen angels like the Devil, the world shivers in fear when a good man goes to war. Oh how foolish I find the Holy Church, they forget that... the Devil was Angel too.
What a world I live in. When read records of Totems of the past, they were portrayed as more 'evil' than the Heroes... When in actual fact, that was simply not true. 'Totems' of the past came in varied shapes and forms different from the Heroes.
They were like the Beast Race... truly chaotic. As the only restriction imposed on them was the protection of the Beast Race, they leaned more heavily towards the 'freedom' concept of what those with power could effortlessly achieve.
They were realistic and did not ever desire something as great as changing the world. If past Totems before them failed, then what gave them audacity to think they could do better? Though there DID exist Totems that challenged that...
Hah... Some philosophers say that 'evil' is the true nature of humanity. What narrow-minded fools they are... As a 'former sword' wielded by many individuals of the past, I know for a fact that humans were to varied to be defined in such a way.
There was a vast majority who didn't stick to their ideals but chose to act on what pleased and displeased them. Some of them were superficial but kind, others were wicked yet honest, there were many types of Totems that arose over the years. Heroes too had subtle differences in their origins, but they always had the same end.
They were unlike the 'less responsible' Totems who sometimes died fighting and other times from over indulgence in the finer things in life. I personally liked them more since they didn't use 'me' much.
It was a messy and inconsistent 'past life' lived if I was to borrow the words of my dearest 'Foster Siblings'. Perhaps Enigma was the first one to realise the unfairness of this world's natural laws...
Absurdity, that's what humans are made of. They appreciate the meaningless and tend to strive for impossible dreams. Some justify their actions with rationality while others truly chaotic individuals.
The difference is 'heart'. Those that become aware of absurdity feel like aliens while those who are bound by social norms become sculpted into the true 'strange individuals', becoming husks that have no free will beyond the interests and hobbies.
Hehe, to think I'd think so deeply into this~
None of that mattered now that I've become the Personal Maid of Sapphire Swordwick and the Sword Servant of the Duke. The 'contract' has already been formed and my subservience is set.
The Duke is a man I am unable to grasp... I had believed that he'd be the type to abandon my long time 'childhood friend' or at least struggle with himself for a few years before deciding what he was to do about his daughter's disappearance.
However, what I saw was him acting promptly and thoroughly as soon as his daughter was in true danger. He chose to give up on his advantages towards other factions easily for his daughter.
How heartwarming, I think... My emotions didn't seem to 'work properly' after my reincarnation into a mostly human girl. It was to the point that I had done many largely inconsistent actions over the years... Such as revealing my identity to the Duke.
I wish to truly understand the sentiments of a normal person like my Mistress, Sapphire.
The kind child who would mourn the death of even an 'evil person'. Perhaps it isn't my place to say this, but a girl like her wasn't meant for the societal structure of this world... Her affinity for 'weakness' outweighed her affinity for 'power', a weird little kid.
The first time I met her was after she was raised as true 'sword wielder': Someone who could chop a person in half without hesitation. This wasn't an occupation but a 'powerful' state of mentality...
The Duke himself has achieved this state, and it was one of the reasons he was feared. Those fools who have become complacent when a more peaceful era was achieved didn't understand just what made him dangerous... They put too much attention on the Duke's Magical Talent and Skill Root to notice that he'd be fine without them.
As I too had reached this state of mentality, there was no way I wouldn't understand the 'power' this state had for the typical individual. This was one of the most precious strengths a person could have.
However, perhaps due to her Magical Talent, my dear Mistress had yet to attain this state. Her own Magical Talent became a shackle of choice that gave her room to blossom a big 'weakness'.
Killing people should be natural when holding a sword, yet she vehemently denies our 'mindset' with her sympathy and empathy. Even when killing vermin who don't deserve life, she actually dares to deny the fact her hands were bloodied...!
What a true hypocrite! She disrespects the fallen by forgetting them, and this wasn't her fault, but the fault of Harmony for what he did that day. How dare he ruin a perfect 'warrior' with sophistry!!!
Those with bloodied hands should never forget that they are 'murderers'. The act of killing someone should be something no one can return from. It is a position where we should always think in the midst of battle: 'I already killed once, I can do it again.' Is what my 'wielders' had always spoken to make themselves more resolute individuals.
How can head-pats along with a simple pep talk allow someone to overcome such trauma? Is it just Sapphire being an airhead or Harmony being a smooth talker for his current age? (Even though I don't remember him saying anything in particular.)
But despite all I say, my Mistress was a merely short-tempered yet compassionate girl at heart despite her upbringing. She wouldn't even hurt a fly, which was the biggest 'weakness' she gained from throwing away the thoughts that nurtured the best mindset for the future 'Sword Duchess'.
We of this household were born as 'swords' and are raised to become just that. It is imperative that we don't soften up and allow those rascals of other factions think lightly of us. I've seen a lot of my wielders in my past life die due to being soft-hearted... Most dying simply because their most hidden 'weakness' was exploited by their enemies.
I'd like to have explained this to my Mistress before she went missing, but the reality was that hand signs couldn't quite communicate what I wanted to convey. This in turn let me know that even trying to explain this would be an act of 'dishonest conduct'.
True friendship wasn't built of mere empty words...
Sophistry was laced in words that didn't contain the speaker's emotions. Only those who touch at a deeper level of their sentimental hearts could bring about true, honest communication. That is why I limited myself to body language in the first place.
Though it could also be because I didn't want to talk to people as well. Even though I've lived such a long past life, it only made communicating back to others awkward for me. My Mistress being a special exception I made on the Duke's behalf.
Anyway, today was the long-awaited day we were hoping for after the Duke set up an array to bring my Mistress back from 'outside time'. You could say that this mansion became an even firmer fortress after the Duke spent many Treasured Swords.
Was bringing her back worth the cost? I didn't quite understand this... Even though I considered myself to be a 'friend' to my Mistress, I felt strangely unmoved when the other Sword Servants informed me of my Mistress's disappearance.
Was this out of genuine indifference or was my heart not put together well enough to comprehend the feeling of losing a friend? I still had my consistent obsession towards warriors, so why was it other vague things that failed to make sense?
"Child." The man who was Harmony's current father spoke out to wake my from my thoughts.
{Yes?} I answered through my expressive attitude.
"Do you feel anything knowing that were almost close to bringing your 'Mistress' back?"
{...No.} I truthfully shook my head. A disappointed look appeared on his face as he patted my head.
"Well, feelings aren't something everyone can grasp anyway. Just stay the way you are and you'll an exciting and eventful life..." I could tell he was forcing a smile as he took care of me.
Even when I tried to secretly brainwash his son, the man before me stayed patient. Even someone as dense as me could figure out how much did to guide me, and yet his efforts went in vain...
The more I thought about his efforts, the more I started to wonder whether it was okay for someone as insensitive as me to live. Should I just chop off my head and be done with it? ...I should probably first get to the level I can wipe that smirk off of Enigma's smug face first before doing that. It is natural to clear out regrets before dying, isn't it?
Where had Harmony gone anyway? Wasn't he close to my Mistress? Why did he suddenly disappear soon after the incident happened? A lot of questions arose in my mind as I shook my head.
My eyes looked towards the portal that was being opened up with a serious expression as my senses as a newly ascended 'Sword Goddess' became sharper. My magical speciality as a 'God' wasn't 'piecing and resistance' like the Metal Attribute nor was it as graceless as total 'destruction' of all that came into my path. My power was as a 'sword'.
What did it mean to become a 'Divine Sword' on a conceptual level? It meant that I was no longer bound to things like Spells or Mediums. As long as I could imagine it, I could 'slice' through concepts of this world using my personal 'Sharpened Aura'.
The portal that was opened up trembled as a figure phased back inside the bounds of time. This was a cause for celebration for many as they saw my Mistress's and Anna's bodies return from a place that would normally lead to certain death.
However, it seemed having eyes that could 'cut through' obstructions to view all 'truth' in this vast world wasn't always useful. Inside the body that was quickly handed to the best of Healers gathered here today, was an really strange entity...
My instincts made me feel like I had met the entity before, but my memories couldn't pinpoint exactly when we met before... The only thing that I could make sense of was that it was my worst enemy...!
How dare a filthy parasite attach itself to my Mistress? I'll skin it alive and feed its bones to sharks! Oops~ Calm down, I'm starting to imitate the thoughts of the kind of 'people' I used to be.
I mustn't get distracted. The first thing to do is to focus my thoughts and inform the Duke about this.