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He was a trained fighter. He had once held pride as a knight. And yet here he was—relying on a stranger, a woman he didn't know, to protect him and his comrades.
She had healed them.
She had stepped in without hesitation.
And she had taken on a monster they couldn't handle even together.
Am I really this worthless now…?
His hands curled into fists.
He didn't want to stare uselessly from the sidelines anymore.
He didn't want to be a burden again.
Then—quietly, cutting into his thoughts like a blade—her voice echoed into his mind once more.
«…Stop entertaining those foolish thoughts. Pick up your sword…»
Sid froze.
She had read his emotions with terrifying ease.
He exhaled shakily, reaching for his blade.
Whether she intended it or not…
those words sparked something inside him.
Not hope.
Not bravery.
But resolve.
And as the hybrid creature roared and lunged again, Sid stepped forward—determined not to be dead weight any longer.
As he released the arrow to aimed for the monster's eye however, it seems that the monster detected a slight presence coming from the other side and when Sid had released the arrow, the monster managed to dodge the arrow however, it wasn't managed to counterattack the mysterious woman's relentless attack force that makes the monster stumbled on the ground and the earth's ground began to shake because of the impact.
" …. *cough! *cough! …. W-what the—?! That kind of power…"
Sid keeps on coughing because of the sudden impact created by the mysterious woman as she continued her attacks without stopping.
He could only watch the battle scene in front of him from the sidelines and as much as he tried to help out, but he couldn't do anything in this hopeless case of them.
Sid felt ashamed of himself as he let a passing mysterious person, not to mention, a woman to help them out from this level of danger that they had encountered during their mission.
He didn't mean to underestimate the mysterious woman who helped them out, as he can see how powerful this person was, as she took every attack on her without feeling exhausted, but he felt that it wasn't right for them to just let her do the job alone when it was their responsibility, to begin with.
He snapped from those negative thoughts and thinks of a way to, at least, to assist the mysterious woman who had helped them to their injuries.
'I don't want to be seen as useless anymore…'
« …. Seize with those ridiculous thoughts of yours and pick up your sword! …. »
Sid snapped out of his spiraling thoughts when that familiar voice echoed sharply inside his head once more. Even without turning, he knew its owner — the mysterious woman in the black hooded cloak — was still engaged in fierce combat with the hybrid creature. The echoes of her telepathic words rang through him:
«Pick up your sword.»
He stared down at the weapon lying half‑buried in dirt near his feet.
Pick up my sword?
His fingers twitched.
Do I even have the right to wield it anymore?
Before he could sink deeper into hesitation—
BOOOOM!
A violent impact shook the forest. Sid yelped as another blast of wind slammed into him, nearly knocking him off his feet. He grabbed a nearby tree trunk just in time to avoid being flung backward.
"ARGH! What in the name of f*cking Nexus—?!" he wheezed.
The wind finally died. Sid coughed, blinking away dust, and immediately turned toward the place where he had hidden his unconscious party members. Relief washed over him when he saw they were still safely tucked behind thick roots and boulders, untouched by the shockwave.
His attention snapped back to the battlefield.
The hybrid beast towered in front of the mysterious woman, its jaws snapping, its crystal‑blue scales glinting with reflected light. The woman didn't flinch. Her movement was swift, efficient — almost unnervingly precise.
Her telepathic command repeated in his mind.
«Pick up your sword.»
Sid swallowed.
Yet the weight inside his chest felt heavier than before.
I believed a sword existed to protect the weak… to uphold justice, to safeguard others.
But now? I don't even know what it means to hold one anymore.
Memories he had buried deep began clawing their way back.
Unpleasant, painful, tangled memories he had never wanted to relive.
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…Sigrid Anatole.
That was his real name.
Before he became "Sid," before he settled in the Silveria Empire, before he registered as an ordinary C‑rank adventurer, he lived a different life. A life that now felt like someone else's story — distant and bitter.
Sigrid Anatole had once held the title of Royal Knight Commander in a small kingdom far from Silveria's borders. Despite his young age, he had earned that position through sheer skill, discipline, and an unwavering will to prove himself worthy.
He had served under the Crown Prince — a man he admired, respected, and pledged loyalty to. Sigrid belonged wholeheartedly to the prince's faction.
But who Sigrid was on paper did not reflect who he was inside the noble world.
He was the second son of House Anatole, a Count household.
And an illegitimate child.
Born of the Count's mistress — a woman from a fallen Baron family, a woman who had lost both title and protection long before Sigrid was even born — Sigrid had carried the burden of stigma since childhood.
Among nobles, illegitimate children were often viewed as inconvenient at best, shameful at worst. Their blood was considered "tainted" if they came from a commoner mother, or a fallen noble lineage that had lost its standing. Sigrid was both.
He grew up accustomed to whispered scorn.
To being looked at like a stain.
To hearing sneers behind closed doors — and sometimes in front of them.
Yet, despite everything, his father had acknowledged him.
The Count of Anatole, stern and shrewd, had brought Sigrid and his mother into the household openly. Not hidden, not tucked away. Acknowledged.
Even more surprising, his mother had been recognized not as a mistress… but as the Count's second wife.
Sigrid never forgot the day his father explained why.
«…Even if I wanted to acknowledge only you and your mother, my authority alone isn't enough. You should thank the Countess — my wife. She was the one who insisted on giving both of you proper standing. She may appear cold, indifferent… but when it comes to family, she does not turn her back.»
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