Unforeseen Loyalties
But… what am I supposed to do?
More importantly—what am I even supposed to ask?
Do I confront him, ask why he is truly here? That would be strange. After all, the current me has no reason to even suspect the true identity of Max.
Or… should I feign ignorance, pretending I don't know who he is, and simply accept that the Blade Sovereign and his granddaughter are here to serve me?
The thought alone made my chest tighten. Their presence meant the future itself was being rewritten.
Damn it… where did it all go wrong?
The only major change I had made in this life was treating Isabella differently. Just that small act… had history shifted so sharply?
Or… should I summon my old arrogance and kick them out, declaring I needed neither an old man nor a little girl at my side?
Countless thoughts spun wildly in my mind, indecision gnawing at me like a hungry wolf.
"My granddaughter…" Max began, his voice calm but weighty.
"She doesn't yet know the ways of the world. You may find her work unsatisfactory, Young Master, but I assure you, she learns quickly. I will personally ensure she is properly trained, so she meets every expectation you have."
I glanced at Isabella, and saw her hiding slightly behind him, clutching his robe as though for safety.
Through the strands of her messy bangs, her eyes trembled, wide with anxiety.
Why is she so nervous? Do I seem that intimidating?
When our gazes met, her small voice broke the silence.
"I… I'll do my best… I'll really do my best…"
If she was already this nervous, why were they even here? Why not serve Loret Fireheart or Mio Fireheart instead?
What exactly did these two hope to achieve by placing themselves under my command?
Seconds passed, the quiet stretching taut in the air. It became clear that Max and Isabella were waiting for my response. Snapping out of my thoughts, I stammered,
"Uh… Yes… it'd be my pleasure."
I had no plan, no defense, no clever retort. Speaking those words, I felt as if this second chance had been squandered the moment it arrived.
Why… why has this happened so suddenly?
Last night, Davis Fireheart had spent hours refining his Mana, pouring it through every fiber of his body, every sinew, in his manor room.
Unbeknownst to him, his father, Loret Fireheart, had received an unexpected guest in his study. A single candle flickered between Loret and Max, casting shadows across the polished floor.
"Are you sure about this?" Loret Fireheart asked cautiously, voice low, tinged with worry.
"I see no reason not to. I am not in a position to be picky," Max replied calmly, lifting a teacup and sipping from it as it had cooled.
"But… Great Elder, you could easily be accepted into one of the Four Noble Clans. Yet here you are, enduring all this trouble…"
"I do not consider this troublesome, Lord Fireheart," Max said, his voice soft but firm.
"Moreover, I do not call this a burden. If it benefits my granddaughter, I am more than willing to do even more."
"Sir…" Loret hesitated, feeling both indebted and troubled.
"It is regrettable that I must ask this favor of you because of my granddaughter's sake. I apologize for placing such a weight upon you."
"Elder, I—"
"I know that two great sects are searching for Isabella, so I feel all the more indebted to you now."
Loret Fireheart fell silent, unsure what to say.
To be honest, Max admitted, he had not initially intended to seek aid. Even if the two sects acted, they likely could not have found her had she hidden in the mountains.
"…Then why?"
"You may call it the selfishness of an old man," Max said quietly. "Living a quiet life with me would not give Isabella happiness. I wanted her to experience the world, to see it in all its breadth."
"If that is the case, then all the more reason she should be at my house. Davis is my son, yet he is still immature and flawed."
Loret Fireheart could not understand why Max chose his son's house for his stay. Unlike the daughters, Davis was arrogant and brash, a child stubborn in both mind and spirit. Loret had longed to guide and correct him but had been constrained by unseen barriers.
Loret knew that the first meeting between Davis and Max's granddaughter had been on the streets. He had hurried to apologize for what he assumed his son's behavior must have been. Yet, he was shocked by what he learned about Davis's conduct.
Max had chuckled at Loret Fireheart's words.
"At first, I was concerned because of the rumors," he admitted, "but I saw that Davis is a child of merit. Rather than the boy being troublesome, it seems the Lord Fireheart wishes to keep all children close to himself."
Max had quickly obtained information about Davis through widespread whispers in Emberhold City, curious how bad this third child truly was. Rumors had painted him as incorrigible, yet the truth was nuanced.
It was sheer coincidence that he and his granddaughter encountered Davis that day. He had allowed Isabella to run freely, excited as she had been for the first time in ages.
And then he had seen her interacting with a boy of her own age. The Mana coursing through Davis's body was unmistakably the flame arts of the Fireheart clan, weaker than the Lord himself but undeniable in origin.
His sharp eyes hinted at his fierce personality, yet Isabella, with her bright smile, offered him a potato—an innocent gesture of goodwill.
Contrary to Max's expectations, Davis did not act according to rumor. He protected her from harm, even offering her a chikki in return. He treated Max with respect, despite Max's simple, worn appearance.
The title of Blade Sovereign may have once instilled a false sense of invincibility, a belief that perfection was attainable. But…
Max, you still lack training.
Self-reproach bit at him. Judging a boy by appearances and hearsay had been foolish.
"I am satisfied with this child. More than that, I hope he will find us worthy."
If things had followed the rumors, what would have happened? If Davis had harmed Isabella, would Max have intervened? Or allowed her to suffer to teach her about the world?
"…Yes, sir. Please inform me if any problem arises," Loret Fireheart finally said, resigning to the reality before him.
As the conversation drew to a close, Loret asked quietly, "But are you truly at ease with this?"
Max understood the weight behind the question and could only respond with a bitter, wistful smile.
"If the Lord Fireheart says so… then I accept it."
It was said that a sect head with Heavenly Eyes could read the currents of humanity itself.
"Yes… something is bound to happen if he himself has decreed it. You understand, of course…"
At that moment, a slight breeze swept through the room, extinguishing the candle. Shadows danced across the walls as Max continued, his voice heavy with regret:
"That Isabella stands at the center of the coming disaster, and that she must wield a sword to endure it."
He chuckled wryly, the lines of age deepening around his eyes.
"That is why I ran. I know it is selfish, but why must it be Isabella? Is it not cruel? I am the one named Blade Sovereign, yet there were others capable as well."
"Elder…"
He raised his hands to his face, weary of the bitter truth.
"I cannot force her to wield a sword for disaster's sake, especially when I cannot even gift her a flower."
"I will never make her wield a sword, even if I must die and my soul turns to ashes."
If Davis Fireheart had heard those words, his heart would have shattered.