Chapter 2 – Eliaernes Eustetia

“Happy 15th birthday, Ellie. May Arisa’s blessing always be with you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I don’t need the chimpanzee’s blessing.

She accepted the gift box from her father with a perfectly practiced, radiant smile—something she had been honing for the past five years.

The gifts her father had given her over the years all matched her outward appearance, or rather, the appearance of Eliaernes Eustetia.

They were all terribly—no, adorably—cute stuffed animals.

Starting with small bears, then dogs, cats, sparrows, rabbits, sheep, horses, cows, lions, eagles, elephants, dragons, and so on.

The toys grew more grandiose and enormous as time went on.

She knew why, of course.

It was because every time she received one of those cute gifts, her expression would stiffen.

When she got the lion stuffed animal—an actual life-sized lion—she laughed out of sheer disbelief.

She hadn’t expected it to be the same size.

The eagle plushie was somehow enchanted and flew around the ceiling every morning.

The elephant plushie was so big it took up half her bed, making it hard to breathe.

The dragon plushie was in the backyard.

Well… it wasn’t like she made a displeased face every time.

When she received the lion plushie, she actually found it funny, so she laughed out loud.

…Maybe that was what caused the problem.

Anyway, she tried to smile as pleasantly as she could, but it seemed her parents saw through that fake smile.

In other words, they were probably seeing through this carefully crafted smile of hers right now. But what could she do?

Hiding her feelings had never been her strong suit.

Still, she didn’t hate it.

Well… if she was being honest, she was grateful.

The increasing size of the stuffed animals showed how much thought her father put into them.

Though she couldn’t say she was thrilled, either.

In any case…

This gift was likely another stuffed animal.

The size and weight were just about right.

Hoo. She let out a small sigh and focused on keeping her expression from breaking as she untied the ribbon.

The ribbon, soft as skin, slid smoothly off, and the neatly folded lid popped open.

Inside was…

A doll dressed in a frilly outfit, with pink twin tails, just like hers.

But…

No matter how she looked at it…

“…Is this supposed to be me?”

It’s… me. This doll is my current appearance. It looks exactly like Eliaernes.

“Ahem. That’s right. How do you like it?”

How do I like it?

Well… damn. Should I be honest? Do I have to say with my own mouth that this doll looks awful?

Where did this cheap-looking thing even come from? Could it be… that he got scammed? Maybe he was in a rush and gave it to me because he didn’t have time to get anything else?

No way. There’s no craftsman foolish enough to scam Duke Eustetia.

Then, what the hell is this hideous chimera?

Does my father actually think this is pretty? Is it because the chimpanzee’s blood runs in him that his eyes are messed up?

Seriously?

…Well, as his child, I guess I should be honest.

No matter how rich we are, it’d be a waste of money to keep having dolls made here.

“This doll’s craftsmanship is really terri—”

“This papa made it himself.”

“—fic! It’s amazing! Only you, Father, could capture me so perfectly!”

The world, this doll is so adorable.

“Ah, haha! Look at these adorable little lips!”

“…That’s its nose.”

Oh, right. That’s the nose. Then, the lips… the lips… Oh, wait. They’re under the chin.

Ahem. Well, then.

“A-Ahaha! Look at this arm attached below… oh, the seam is coming apart. Oh, crap. The arm just tore off. Uh… um?”

Rip.

“…Oops.”

“…Huh…”

The doll’s arm tore off in her hands and fell to the ground.

Her father’s jaw dropped in tandem.

Next to him, her mother was shaking, barely holding back her laughter.

Her father, on the other hand, had gone pale and hung his head low.

Oh, this is pitiful.

“Uh, sorry. I’ll tell Sara to fix it up for me.”

“No, Ellie. You have nothing to apologize for. It’s this lacking father’s terrible handiwork… And yes, it would be better to let Sara handle the repair.”

“…Still, I like it.”

“Thank you…”

Her father’s slumped shoulders made him look even more miserable.

They got rid of all the other stuffed animals, but she guessed she’d keep this one on her bed after it was repaired.

With the doll’s arm torn off, the mood in the room had turned awkward. Her mother, always quick to sense things, patted her father on the back and approached her.

“Ellie, happy birthday. May Arisa’s blessing always be with you.”

She handed her a long box.

It was about the same height as her, just a little over 140 cm.

And.

It was heavy!

She wasn’t weak.

Thanks to the training she’d been doing for the past five years, she was probably stronger than most kids her age.

Her limbs might still be soft, but still.

For it to be this heavy even for her?

Could it be…?

She looked at her mother with sparkling eyes, and she nodded.

She immediately placed the box on the ground and hurriedly untied the fancy ribbon. After taking a deep breath…

She opened the lid with a snap!

“Ah?!”

Her eyes widened.

“Ufufu, how is it, Ellie? Do you like it?”

She nodded eagerly.

“Absolutely!”

How could she not?

Inside the box…

Was a jet-black wooden sword.

A wooden sword is exactly what it sounds like—a sword made of wood.

But a pitch-black wooden sword like this was rare.

Of course, you could paint a wooden sword and polish it to achieve this look, but the weight—there was no mistaking it.

It was too heavy to be a regular wooden sword.

Yet the balance was perfect.

And the dark, matte blade that seemed to absorb all light. It didn’t gleam, but it looked incredibly tough.

She was certain.

This was a wooden sword made from the northern ironwood.

The very kind she used for training in her previous life.

With this, she’d finally make some real progress in her training, which had been at a standstill.

But that wasn’t all.

If it was made from northern ironwood, it could withstand her mana, which had broken countless weapons before.

Thump, thump. Her heart raced with excitement for the first time in a long while.

She wanted to run to the training grounds right now and start swinging it. She wanted to smash that scarecrow to pieces.

She couldn’t stop fidgeting, her fingers tracing the handle of the wooden sword.

“Do as you like, Ellie. But just for today, could you finish up early and come back? I want to sleep with you tonight.”

She nodded vigorously.

As soon as she got her permission, she jumped up and dashed toward the training grounds.

Her pink twin tails fluttered behind her, filling the air with a cherry blossom fragrance, and the stuffing from her Ellie doll fell to the floor.

Still, the doll was clutched tightly between her and her wooden sword.

The Ellie doll’s face, squished between her chest and the wooden sword, looked as if it were crying.

***

A solemn atmosphere descended upon the training grounds of the Eustetia Knights.

The knights, clad in armor engraved with the family’s symbol—a set of scales—stood in line, cold sweat dripping from their brows.

“Ellie headed toward the training grounds of the main house.”

The deep voice of Duke Eustetia carried a weight that overwhelmed even the Eustetia Knights, known as the “Spear of the Empire.”

As a result, none of the knights, not even the captains of the various squads, dared to speak. All they could do was swallow nervously.

“She was holding the wooden sword Julie gave her. It’s made from northern ironwood, and she was running with a very bright smile. The only silver lining is that she took my gift along as well.”

Silence.

“None of you have ever shown Ellie any swordsmanship or explained anything to her about it, correct?”

The knights and captains didn’t respond.

They couldn’t.

Because no one here had ever taught Ellie anything of the sort.

On the contrary, every time Ellie came near the knights’ training grounds, the entire squad would put down their swords and pretend to be having a friendly chat.

Of course, Turrius was aware of this as well.

He knew just how much the knights cherished Ellie.

He knew better than anyone how much effort the knights put into keeping her safe.

Even so, he had called the entire order here today.

Simply because he wanted to vent.

Neither Julie, his beloved wife, nor Ellie, his precious daughter…

No one in the family seemed willing to listen to his complaints, so he called the knights instead.

But the knights had no idea what was going on inside their master’s head.

Only one person present understood Turrius’ true intention.

“My lord, as a fellow family member and as someone who stands apart from the situation, may I speak?”

A man who was not wearing the armor of the Eustetia Knights and instead had on ordinary clothes, with a worn sword strapped to his waist, stepped forward.

He wasn’t part of the knights, but he was stronger than anyone else here.

He was Turrius Eustetia’s younger brother and the second-in-command of the nameless unit that handled all of Eustetia’s and the Empire’s dirty work.

Kerian Eustetia.

As soon as Kerian stepped forward, the tense atmosphere among the knights began to ease slightly.

Turrius nodded toward Kerian, who stepped closer and began to speak.

“Ellie’s behavior started to change after she read that storybook about the Heroes—the one about our ancestor, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“I think it’s likely she started to idolize the Heroes from the story. After all, we are… descendants of Arisa Eustetia.”

“Huh… Right. That makes sense. Ellie is still a Eustetia.”

The word “Hero” carried an image of perfection within just two syllables.

And the Eustetia family were the descendants of the final Hero, the Weapon Master, Arisa Eustetia.

That being the case…

Her change from calling them “Mama” and “Papa” to “Mother” and “Father.”

Her reluctance to take baths with Julie anymore.

Her preference for rough and sturdy shirts and pants over cute and lovely dresses.

It all made some sense.

But.

But!

That still didn’t justify her growing distant from him.

Her cuteness had vanished.

The kisses she used to give him at breakfast, lunch, and dinner were gone.

The little hands that used to pat him on the shoulder had completely disappeared.

Turrius still remembered.

The look of disdain she gave him when he asked her for a kiss on the cheek.

That cold, disgusted stare.

The way she slowly distanced herself.

The five-meter gap she kept from him ever since.

The pain of a stake being driven into his heart!

He would never, ever forget it—not even in death.

Kerian could read Turrius’ pathetic and pitiful thoughts.

So, he continued speaking.

“And if you consider that she’s entered puberty, I think it makes perfect sense.”

At those words, light returned to Turrius’ face.

“Ah. Puberty. Right. That’s a thing. And Ellie is at just the right age for that.”

“Indeed. So, I believe there’s no need for you to worry too much, my lord.”

A faint light of hope flickered in Turrius’ heart as well.

Puberty.

Right.

If he just waited for a bit, just a little longer…

Even if she didn’t return to how she used to be, he might at least see glimpses of the sweet, radiant child she once was.

Turrius engraved that thought in his mind.

He recalled Ellie’s smile as she laughed while riding on his back.

And that adorable voice that said she loved her “Papa” more than anything in the world.

***

“Eugh, this is really pissing me off.”

Meanwhile.

In the empty training grounds, Ellie spat on the ground with a sharp curse.

The northern ironwood sword she had only swung a few times had already started to chip.

Luckily, the damage wasn’t significant.

Only a small part had chipped, so it didn’t affect the weight or the balance, and there was no issue with swinging it.

But at this rate, it wouldn’t last even half a month before it broke apart.

Of course, if that happened, she could just ask for a new northern ironwood sword, but…

She didn’t want to.

It was a gift from her mother, after all.

“Hah, the bastard who made this must be useless. Charging all that money for this piece of crap? Damn, I should track them down and break all their fingers. Haah…”

Still, she didn’t throw the sword to the ground.

Instead, she carefully placed it down, plopping onto the dirt beside it without a care for how filthy her clothes would get.

“They kept going on about this ‘peaceful era,’ and I guess the peace has really made people lazy. Even a regular wooden sword wasn’t this fragile back then. It’s the end of days, really.”

Over the past five years, she had devoured every book and document she could find, slowly filling in the 400-year gap.

But the whereabouts of her former comrades…

Kaloso, that traitor; Paulo, Luna, and Arisa—she couldn’t find any information about any of them.

Especially Arisa.

Since she was the founder of the Eustetia family, she thought it’d be easy to find information about her, but she was wrong.

There was nothing about her anywhere. Not from her father, her mother, or anyone else connected to the Eustetia family.

She couldn’t even find anything about the chimpanzee’s husband.

Of course, she also had no idea whether Kaloso was still alive or not.

She couldn’t find the original source that was supposed to contain the entire story of the Heroes.

However, she did learn one critical thing.

The Demon King was not dead.

He hadn’t died; he had been sealed somewhere in the Demon Realm, still alive to this day.

The Hero party.

Ronan Lujarak’s comrades.

Had failed to defeat the Demon King.

“What the hell have you bastards been doing, hiding for 400 years?”

She let out a long sigh and stood up, gripping the ordinary wooden sword tightly.

“At least you, Arisa. If you became my ancestor, the least you could do is show your face once. Are you still sulking because I called you a chimpanzee all the time?”

With those words, she swung the wooden sword toward the 140 cm-tall scarecrow standing idly in front of her.

“Just wait till I catch one of you. I’m gonna hit you so damn hard, for real.”

That damn storybook.

That storybook that blabbered on about her being a chimpanzee.

It pissed her off to just leave it as is.