episode_0030

Ickel and Lips were unique daggers from birth.

One day, the origin story began when a dwarf craftsman picked up a moonstone that fell from the moon like a meteor.

The dwarf who picked up the moonstone initially intended to make a sword out of it.

However, after closely observing the moonstone, he had a different idea.

Half of the moonstone contained the energy of the sun, making it hot, while the other half received the energy of the moon, making it cold.

So, the dwarf split the moonstone in half and forged two different daggers with distinct shapes.

The dagger containing the energy of the sun had a broad blade, reminiscent of a full moon.

The dagger imbued with the energy of the moon was a thin, curved blade like a scythe, resembling a crescent moon.

Although they had completely different shapes, when used together, they formed a perfect synergy.

When the moon revealed an enemy hidden behind armor, the sun would cut through flesh and bone.

Seeing the harmonious daggers, people were reminded of a solar eclipse, and thus the title “Eclipse” was given.

Since there were two daggers, the one with the energy of the sun was called Ickel, and the one with the energy of the moon was called Lips.

“Haha! Move faster! If you’re slower than Ickel, you won’t have dinner tonight!”

“Cough…! Cough…! Captain…! Slow down a bit!”

“Haha!”

“Looks like we’ll be sleeping on an empty stomach tonight.”

“Ickel may have a short temper, but his stamina is incredible.”

“Even if stamina is secondary, it’s amazing how he can move at that speed with that body.”

Despite having a smaller frame than sturdy men, Ickel carried multiple boxes in both hands effortlessly.

Watching their leader, who was almost invincible, the subordinates clicked their tongues in admiration.

For those who didn’t know Ickel’s true identity as a dagger, it was bewildering.

“Especially with such a frail body.”

At the remark of one subordinate, everyone’s gaze shifted slightly downward.

As Ickel moved busily, it was evident that his left leg looked awkward.

He moved with a wooden stick inserted into a prosthetic leg, similar to a pirate captain with a peg leg.

Even with a missing leg, the girl always smiled brightly.

However, to the eyes of the subordinates, her cheerful demeanor only made her pitiful.

“Are you all just leaving the work to your sister?”

“Eek!”

“Is that really happening?”

“It’s strange. The footsteps we heard earlier have decreased, and all we hear now is idle chatter.”

“Sorry!”

“We’ll get back to work!”

At Lips’ cold and sharp words, the subordinates returned to their duties of carrying the luggage.

Watching the distracted individuals after her comment, the girl sighed.

“I also want to help my sister, but…”

Lips cautiously touched her eye area.

The sensation of bandages on her fingertips.

Her fingers, moving along the edge of her eye socket, suddenly plunged inward but found nothing but emptiness.

The space where her eyes should have been was hollow.

“With this body, trying to help would only be a burden.”

Beyond impaired vision, Lips had lost both her eyes completely.

Relying on sound to navigate the world, Lips bit her lip when she heard Ickel’s distinct footsteps more prominently than others.

Because her twin sister was working hard on her behalf.

“I caused the mistake, but my sister is the one bearing the consequences…”

Twitch!

Due to the forceful bite, blood burst from Lips’ lips and trickled down.

Emotions that could only intensify.

The reason for this was that the past that the twin dagger girls had walked was just as miserable as Scarha’s.

Unlike Scarha, Ecl and Lips did not receive such good evaluations.

Although they were made of moonstone, their aesthetic value was not that great.

Only Lips, the curved dagger, managed to pique the interest of collectors, but Ecl did not.

There were inquiries about purchasing them separately, but out of minimal consideration, Lian instructed that they must be sold only as a set.

Wealthy collectors who deemed that there were many replacements for Ecl eventually gave up on bidding.

Thus, Ecl and Lips ended up in the hands of Bounty Hunter Bantain, who was making a name for himself.

“Lips! Lips! Look, Ecl’s new owner!”

“Yes, it’s not to my liking, but it’s decent enough.”

Naturally, compared to Lian, Bantain was lacking in skill.

Nevertheless, Ecl and Lips were satisfied with being purchased to be used directly by their new owner.

The girls’ dissatisfaction with Lian was due to his low usage rate of them.

Despite being able to fight as well as with other daggers, Lian did not often use Ecl and Lips.

The girls were displeased that he discriminated against them because they were daggers.

Amidst this, a new owner who was willing to use them appeared.

Naturally, Ecl and Lips could only be happy.

“Hehe! How was my gallant figure cutting down enemies? What do you think?”

“It was very impressive.”

“Ecl is truly invincible! But my brother didn’t even use Ecl like this!”

“Brother… let’s stop thinking about the previous owner. We won’t have to deal with him again anyway.”

“They said he disappeared after selling Ecl, right?”

“They said he completely disappeared without a trace, right? He completely covered his tracks as if he had never existed.”

“Could he have hidden away out of guilt for selling Ecl?”

“Well, judging by how he was heavily mocked in the end, I don’t think that’s a possibility. Anyway, we probably won’t see him again.”

By calling Lian “former owner” instead of “brother,” Lips drew a clear line.

However, Ecl still clung to the past, calling him “brother.”

Lips couldn’t understand her sister’s feelings.

Although they were somewhat noisy, the man who sold them out was the one who was worried about.

Why worry about him when they could easily find another employer?

As twins, Lips hoped that her sister would feel the same way.

Despite being able to fight as well as with other daggers, Lian did not often use Ecl and Lips.

The girls were displeased that he discriminated against them because they were daggers.

Amidst this, a new owner who was willing to use them appeared.

Naturally, Ecl and Lips could only be happy.

“Today, we defeated many enemies, sister!”

“Uh….”

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“Ecl’s body, hasn’t it gotten much dirtier than before?”

“Uh… you’re right.”

“It’s sticky with blood, I wish you would clean it up, but you’ve been neglecting Ecl for days.”

Bantain used the twin daggers as his main weapons, but he neglected to clean them after using them.

Just a light wipe to clean off the blood after using the daggers.

Even though the blood was not completely wiped off, Bantain immediately put Ecl and Lips back in their sheaths.

As a result, the blood that clung to their bodies slowly hardened, and they no longer sparkled in the sunlight and moonlight.

A master who lacked interest and affection for his weapons.

Despite this, Lips still considered him better than Lian.

“Sister! Are you okay?!”

“Hehe…! It stings a bit, but it’s okay!”

“A part of your body is worn out, it can’t just sting a bit!”

Bantain’s problem did not end there.

He particularly used the daggers roughly.

If the enemy had a tough exterior that was not easily pierced, he would aim for weaknesses or target areas where the hardness was lacking.

However, Banda-in was the type to focus on one point until it was completely pierced.

As a result, the burden fell on Geum, but Lips was not suitable for the single-point attack, so Ickle was the one who got injured.

“It’s okay! Since Big Brother saw Ickle get hurt, he will definitely fix it!”

“Sister….”

However, reality did not flow as Ickle intended.

The dagger made of a special material called Wolseok required Wolseok to be used for perfect repair.

However, Wolseok was very rare, inferior in hardness to diamonds, and more expensive.

It was a material that could never be obtained with bounty hunter rewards.

“Oh, damn it!”

“Ow!”

“Sister!”

The situation where the repair estimate was more expensive than when purchased at auction.

Banda-in, who had short-sighted thinking, cursed and threw the distressed Ickle to the ground, unable to pay the repair cost.

In addition, he ruthlessly stomped on the dagger that needed repair.

Despite needing repair, Banda-in treated the twin daggers as disposable items.

Handling the dagger much more roughly than before, he quickly destroyed it.

As a result, Ickle’s blade completely broke off.

While seeking stronger enemies to cover the loss costs, Banda-in, who could not pay the repair cost, brought disaster upon the twin daggers.

“Ugh! Ugh…! Ugh…!”

“Oh, sister….”

Ickle, who always acted cheerfully in any situation, finally started to cry.

The pain had reached its limit, and she could no longer bear it.

While Lips was also physically weakened in many ways, it was not to the extent of Ickle.

Therefore, the girl could not say anything to her twin sister.

Asking if she was okay was meaningless. Of course, she couldn’t be okay.

Even so, her sister seemed like she would say she was okay for herself, so she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Why did it come to this?

She didn’t ask for much.

She just hoped they would use them a little more.

Thinking that being wielded as a sword was the only way to be loved.

But that was a foolish thought.

‘I was the fool, not my sister….’

Lips remembered Lian, whom she had tried so hard to forget.

Although she rarely used it, she did not carry it around like a decoration.

She polished it every night and touched every sword that was not used that day.

Even the stains on the sword collection that didn’t matter were meticulously cleaned.

Lian’s utmost care for the sword was a love that was hard to find.

Even the leader of the assassination group, who was the first owner of Ickle and Lips, did not care for the sword to that extent.

‘Ha! Is that brother’s love also not recognized, and have I been selling myself until now? It’s really unbelievable.’

The person Lips was mocking was herself.

She belittled herself, selling herself like she did to Lian.

But no matter how much she belittled herself, the situation did not improve.

Ickle’s condition had reached a point where it could break at any time.

Unable to leave her one and only twin sister, Lips screamed.

She wanted to cling to her, begging her not to touch her sister, even if she broke.

Was that wish conveyed to the gods?

Lips’s day changed as he grabbed Banda-in’s body tightly.

“Huh? What are you up to now?”

“Hey, stop bothering my sister!”

“Sister? What are you talking about! This brat!”

“Ah!”

Banda-in’s violence shifted from Ekl to Lips.

However, unlike when it was dark, the pain became more vivid.

His abdomen was kicked, his head stomped on, and his face was pressed against the dirty earth.

Even as Banda-in’s foot kicked his eyes, Lips’ vision darkened.

‘It’s okay….’

Even in that situation, Lips was relieved.

He could bear the pain of his sister, who was suffering so much.

Even if his body was broken and he couldn’t see ahead, it didn’t matter.

He considered it a punishment for trampling on his true love for Rian.

“You little bastard! Die! Die! Die!”

“Argh…! Ugh!”

The pain inflicted was so intense that his consciousness began to blur.

His eyes, which were already blurry, became invisible, and his body gradually deteriorated.

Lips, who considered himself deserving of punishment for destroying Rian’s true love, quietly prayed.

All the sins would fall on him, so please let his twin sister at least be happy….

“Scream!”

At Banda-in’s sudden scream, Lips’ fading consciousness returned.

Since he couldn’t see, he couldn’t know the situation, but he felt a presence approaching from behind Banda-in.

There was no one to save him suddenly appearing in the abandoned ruins.

Yet he felt someone else’s presence clearly, and that presence quickly approached him.

“Lips! Let’s run!”

“Hey, sister?”

“These damn brats…!!”

Banda-in suddenly hesitated, bleeding and sitting on the ground.

Seeing Lips being beaten unilaterally, Ekl strongly wished to protect his younger sister, and a miracle happened again.

As soon as Ekl turned into a human, he stabbed the sharp stone that had been stuck in his owner’s back into him.

Then, he supported Lips, who was rolling on the ground, and quickly left the spot.

“These bastards…! I’ll remember your faces clearly! If we meet again, I will definitely kill you!”

Ignoring the owner’s furious scream, the twin girls ran and ran.

There was no destination set.

The girls just wandered the world endlessly, crying and hugging each other every night.

They missed the warm touch they had received.

They longed for the gentle yet sometimes sharp voice.

They wanted to see Rian, who had given them love until the end, even if they acted foolishly or made mistakes.

“Ekl, I miss my brother! I’ll be a good girl from now on! I want to go back to my brother’s arms…!”

“Yes, sister. Let’s go find our brother together! Let’s sincerely reflect on and apologize for how we always treated our brother badly!”

“Sob! Will my brother forgive me?”

“He probably won’t forgive you. But we still have to convey our sincerity. Thank him for the love he gave us in the past, and apologize for being rude despite receiving such overwhelming love….”

“Sniff….”

How long did they wander aimlessly like that?

Several years passed, and occasionally Banda-in came looking for Ekl and Lips, but they continued to run away, searching for traces of Rian.

Then one day, news reached the twins that Rian was hiding in the northern mountains.

They were overjoyed that the opportunity had finally come and headed straight to the north.

Despite their bodies being battered from the long journey, the girls did not give up.

“Let’s go meet Oppa!”

“Yes!”

Ickle became Lips’ eyes, and Lips became Ickle’s legs.

Supporting each other, Ickle and Lips set off to meet Ryan.

The twins had no doubt that at the end of this journey, they would definitely be smiling brightly.