Sheath – Part 03
Aria, sitting with her elbows resting on her knees, suddenly spoke up. “Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“The Sacred Sword was made to seal Valbanill, right?”
“No.”
Aria blinked, surprised by his answer.
“The Sacred Sword wasn’t made to seal Valbanill,” Luke explained. “It just so happened that a katana succeeded in doing it, and after that, people started calling it a Sacred Sword. The name and its importance came after the fact.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yeah. That’s just the purpose of swords.”
Something inside Aria pushed back against his remark.
“Huh…”
The purpose of swords? That couldn’t be all there was to it. It felt too simple.
“Then why were katanas made? To fight? To kill, right?” Her emotions got the better of her. “They’re just tools for killing, aren’t they?”
Swords, katanas, and even herself were all just weapons of destruction. Though Aria wished to be a sword that protects, knowing her origins made it hard to escape her self-loathing. She couldn’t deny that she was meant to harm. Or at least, that’s what she thought.
“That’s not entirely true for katanas,” Luke refuted, continuing his polishing. “Sure, they can cut through skin, slice flesh, and take lives, but that’s not their true purpose. Their essence lies in the mind and conviction.”
“The mind?”
“That’s right. The gleam of a polished blade is a reflection of the wielder’s spirit, and the elegant curve represents their state of mind. An old belief said that to carry a katana meant to carry your pride. It embodied the wielder’s character. To uphold pride and nobility. Katanas were created from that pursuit. They weren’t made just to destroy.”
Aria’s frustration faded. His response was so far from what she had expected.
Katanas weren’t made to kill? Despite being such deadly weapons? It was hard to believe a weapon so sharp and durable was honed for impractical purposes.
“That’s one theory,” Luke added.
Cecily’s shoulders slumped. “Wait, what?”
“Basically, it’s all just random retrofitted stuff.” Luke glanced at her, then shrugged. “The value of the Sacred Sword or the pursuit of a noble spirit—those are just things the people wanted at the time. You get what I’m saying?”
“Uh…”
“The meaning we attach to things can always be changed.”
Aria realized something. Was he trying to cheer her up?
If the meanings behind objects could change, then maybe the same applied to her being an Infernal Blade. Aria was surprised. Luke didn’t come across as the empathetic type.
Hard to figure out, or maybe he just softened over time.
“Thanks, I guess,” she muttered.
“I’ve done nothing to deserve your gratitude. I’m just stating facts,” Luke replied, frowning as if the very idea offended him.
What a sourpuss.
“But still, I can’t change that easily.” Aria smiled bitterly. “The hatred planted in me at birth binds me firmly. And it’s gotten worse lately, maybe because I’m in the city. It’s getting harder to resist it.”
Her animosity toward Valbanill—the undeniable urge to kill—had only grown stronger by the day. When she was with Cecily, it was manageable, but at night, when Cecily slept, her grip on reason slipped.
Voices would echo in her mind. Kill. Kill. Kill.
It was the voice of her creator, the person who brought her into this world. Kill God. The words buzzed in her ears relentlessly. She would find herself subconsciously facing Blair Volcano, and fear would grip her. She would despair at how hopeless it all was, how it was too late. This was the reason why she couldn’t proudly call herself a sword that protects people.
“I envy Lisa.”
Lisa, who had boldly proclaimed her decision to move forward, unburdened by the past, shone so brightly in Aria’s eyes.
“No matter how confident I sound, it’s all just bravado. I’m terrified that in the near future, I’ll lose it and give in to the urge to kill Valbanill.”
“That’s what the sheath is for, right? To fight the urge?”
“Well, it is.”
Luke had seen through her. Not that it was hard to guess. As long as she remained sheathed in her sword form, the voice leading her toward Valbanill would be silenced. That’s why she wanted a sheath. To help restrain herself. When she wasn’t needed, she could stay hidden away. By doing that, she could keep a hold of herself.
Luke stopped polishing the sword. “You actually have the right idea.”
“What?”
“Needless to say, the katana they call a Sacred Sword had a sheath.”
Luke picked up a katana from the corner of the forge and drew it from its rough, black-lacquered sheath. The blade gleamed, curving gently yet powerfully. Aria swallowed hard, overwhelmed by its strange aura. As a sword herself, she understood why Cecily was so drawn to it. But the look on its crafter’s face was dark.
“My katana isn’t worthy of being called a Sacred Sword yet.”
“Why not?”
“It’s simply not sharp enough. According to the legends, the Sacred Sword was extremely sharp and could slice through anything. I don’t really know what that anything means, though.”
“Cecily told me that your katana sliced through an iron axe.”
“Not good enough. Even my father’s katana didn’t measure up to the Sacred Sword. I still have a long way to go.”
He wasn’t being humble. He genuinely recognized his limitations.
“A katana has the power to dispel curses—that is, it can clear away Aetheria. It’s widely believed that the Sacred Sword excelled in this aspect. And to contain that immense power, the sheath had to be just as special.”
The sheath was a protection that sealed off the Sacred Sword’s tremendous cutting ability while simultaneously shielding it from evil.
“That’s how a sheath should be. It houses and protects the blade. So, it’s not necessarily wrong for you to want a sheath for yourself.”
“I see,” Aria replied vaguely.
He rambled on and on, but perhaps this was his way of comforting her. If so, it was terribly roundabout and hard to grasp.
Still, her mood undeniably felt a little lighter. I guess I’m simple-minded myself, Aria thought to herself.
“Hmm.”
Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. The Sacred Sword was currently keeping Valbanill in check. So where was its sheath right now?
“I guess what I’m saying is: you shouldn’t worry too much about it.”
“Hmph. You say that like it doesn’t concern you.”
“You have that dimwit, don’t you?”
She had Cecily Campbell by her side, so everything would be fine.
It didn’t make logical sense, but Aria believed that to be true.
Aria returned to the Campbell residence a few days later. It had been quite a while since she last came home, as she had been practically living at the Atelier Liza while the sheath was being made.
“I’m home!”
“Oh, welcome back, Aria.”
Cecily was the first to greet her.
“How are your injuries?” Aria asked. “All healed?”
“I can walk normally now.”
Her recovery was remarkably swift. She was incredibly tough.
When Cecily noticed the sheath Aria was carrying, she smiled. “So, this is your sheath. Hmm, not bad.”
The sheath was dyed a deep red. After being fitted with metal parts and painted, it was reinforced with lacquer, making it very durable.
“How did you even get that stubborn guy to make this?” Cecily asked curiously. “And free of charge, too. I asked Lisa, but she wouldn’t tell me.”
While out on an errand, Lisa had dropped by the Campbell residence to inform them that Aria would be staying at Luke’s workshop for a while.
“I seduced him.”
“Y-You what?!” Cecily turned red.
“I-I’m just kidding!” Aria quickly clarified. She hadn’t expected her to take it seriously. “I paid for it with hard labor. I helped with smithing and cooking.”
Of course, that was a lie.
“Was that really enough? Maybe we can work something out for my katana.”
“Well, the sheath was made from wood gathered from the forest. Your katana uses some incredibly high-quality jewel steel, right? The costs for the sheath and katana are completely different. I don’t think labor will be enough to cover the expenses.”
“Is that so?” Cecily sighed, her shoulders drooping.
“There, there. I’m sure Luke will give in one day. Here, take this.” Aria handed over the sheath and gave a mock salute. “I will be staying in this sheath a lot from now on, so take care of it.”
“O-Okay.” Hesitating, Cecily asked, “Are you sure there’s nothing bothering you?”
Aria was caught off guard. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
“I’ve been thinking about it ever since you left. When you mentioned needing a sheath, you seemed a bit off. If I’m not mistaken, you had a forced smile. Is this sheath related to that?”
Yup, she’s my partner, all right.
Aria felt like crying, overwhelmed with happiness that Cecily had seen through her façade.
“Yeah. I actually have something on my mind.” That’s why she couldn’t lean on her. “But honestly, at this point, it doesn’t matter what it is. The real issue is talking about it. If I opened up, if I confided in you, I’m sure you would help me. You would support me. And I would end up taking advantage of your kindness. I can’t walk alongside you with my head held high if I’m being coddled.”
She would lose her status as her comrade-in-arms, and that terrified her.
“So, I want to face this problem by myself.”
Cecily stared intently at her. Aria held her gaze.
Her resolve was firm. Unyielding. It had turned solid as a rock. She refused to show her friend a shameful version of herself.
“I understand,” Cecily said. “But since you said that, show me. Make your will a reality.”
“I will,” Aria said. “If I ever go insane, don’t forget to lock me up in this sheath.”
Cecily frowned at her unsettling choice of words, but quickly broke into a confident smile.
“If that happens, I’ll become your sheath.”
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