Kariel stood in the middle of a gilded room, and the light from the chandelier reflected in his damp hair.
"Do I like it?" he asked softly.
Konrad Curze hesitated for a long time, but finally shook his head.
"I don't know how to use it," he admitted dejectedly. "I don't know why, but it feels strange to hold one weapon with two hands."
"A two-handed sword is much more powerful than a short blade or a dagger, Konrad," Kariel couldn't help but smile and glanced at the weapon resting on Konrad Curze's table. "…especially if it's a power sword."
"Do you know what a power sword is?"
"I didn't sit idly before getting off the ship, Konrad," Kariel shook his head and asked casually, "So, do you like it?"
"Ferrus gave it to me," Konrad Curze replied evasively, looking away.
"Do you like it?" Kariel insisted.
"…I don't like it, but at the same time, I like it very much."
After a long silence, the Night Ghost replied in a hissing voice.
He was slightly annoyed that Kariel was looking at him so intently. Besides, not answering a question was extremely rude.
"I don't like the sword, but I like the gift… Sigh…"
Kariel rubbed the bridge of his nose with a headache and also switched to Nostramian, hissing.
"Then why didn't you tell them when you went to see it?"
"I didn't want to offend Ferrus," the Ghost replied quietly. "Fulgrim said he spent ten days just on the sketches."
"Well… then it seems you'll have to learn to wield a power sword."
"Why?"
"Because it's a sword, and since you accepted it, you must use it. The purpose of a weapon is to be stained with the blood of enemies, not to hang on an expensive stand under spotlights."
"But I don't know how."
"Then learn," Kariel replied in a tone calm to the point of indifference.
"And in a way, it's a lesson for you, Konrad."
"A lesson?" The Ghost's eyes widened.
"If you don't like something, you should say it directly," Kariel shook his head with a smile. "Hiding it will only lead to an awkward situation for everyone. What do you think Ferrus Manus will feel if you don't use his gift and prefer another weapon?"
"…I'll start learning tomorrow," the Ghost replied after a short silence, pursing his lips.
He lowered his head and fell silent.
Kariel did not continue the conversation. He walked over to the table, examined the long sword, and then began to study Curze's notes.
Frankly, he could decipher little: most of the sheets were stacked, and many words were covered by the sword, but Kariel did not touch it.
"Kariel?" Konrad Curze's voice sounded from behind him. He had switched back to High Gothic.
"Mm?"
"Do you want to see my notes?"
"More precisely, your lecture notes. But yes, I'd take a look."
"Then why don't you move it?"
Kariel smiled. He understood what Curze meant by 'it'.
Curze looked at him in bewilderment, and Kariel just smiled wider.
"Because it rained in Quintus today. Didn't you notice?" Kariel said softly after a laugh. "I don't want acid rain to get on your desk, your notes, or this sword."
"But you don't smell of acid rain!"
"That's because you've gotten used to it, Konrad. Alright, before it's too late, I'll tidy myself up, change, and then we'll visit Ferrus Manus, how about that?"
"Visit him?"
"Yes, it's better to clarify everything in advance… Besides…"
Kariel grinned and pulled a silver blade from his wide sleeve.
For an ordinary person, this knife would be too large for close combat, but for Konrad Curze, it was perfect.
The pale giant caught it with delight.
"My, my knife!"
"Yes, your knife," Kariel replied with a smile. "Its hilt needs a leather or wooden wrap, so it's better for us to visit your brother. Two birds with one stone, right?"
"When are we going?" Konrad Curze asked impatiently.
"Don't rush… I need to change into something decent," Kariel sighed. "Ten minutes, okay?"
"Yes!"
Laughing softly, Kariel left the room, shaking his head.
He didn't know how long this rare naivety would last, but as long as it wasn't crushed by harsh realities, Kariel wanted to let it grow.
Childhood memories illuminate a whole life. He couldn't give the Ghost much, but he would give everything in his power.
"Just partners," he thought and, walking down the corridor of 'Emperor Sovnium', laughed at himself.
…
Ferrus Manus looked at the giant standing to the right of his workbench, then at the giant to the left, and a rare look of bewilderment appeared on his face.
"…What does this mean?" he asked.
"Huh?" replied the giant on the left with even greater bewilderment.
"We just came to visit you, Ferrus Manus," the giant on the right, Kariel, replied with a smile.
"Together?" Ferrus asked. His voice was calm, but his eyebrows rose in disbelief.
"Yes, together," Kariel nodded calmly. "Is something wrong?"
"If we follow protocol, then a lot is wrong…"
"For example?"
"For example, you should have notified me three days in advance so I could prepare a troop review, a welcoming ceremony, and a lavish feast."
Kariel laughed with a hint of sarcasm, and Ferrus realized that this sarcasm was not directed at him.
"You turn out to be a connoisseur of formalities. Don't tell me you like all that," he said cheerfully.
"Of course not," Ferrus shook his head. "But Fulgrim likes it. True, he agreed to a compromise. So the review was canceled, the welcoming ceremony was shortened to four hours, and only the two of us will be at the feast."
"What, does he usually visit you alone?"
Ferrus Manus nodded impassively. He said nothing, but with that gesture, he said everything.
"In short, we are here because of Konrad's gift."
"I'm not surprised," Ferrus replied calmly.
He looked at Konrad Curze and after a pause, under his anxious gaze, said in a tone unnaturally soft, "You don't like it, do you, Konrad?"
"I… I…"
Kariel turned away, avoiding Konrad Curze's pleading gaze.
He wasn't going to answer for him. There were things Konrad Curze had to deal with himself.
"I like it, but I don't like it," the pale giant gritted out. "That is, I really like your gift, but I don't like swords… because I don't know how to use them."
The corners of Ferrus Manus's lips twitched almost imperceptibly upwards. The smile disappeared immediately, but the fact remained: he smiled.
"I'm not surprised," he replied. "I realized that when you came to see it."
Konrad Curze looked up in amazement.
"Was it that noticeable?"
"No, it's just a master's intuition. We don't even need to ask a warrior if he likes a weapon, we can see it."
"And you can see that?" Curze asked doubtfully.
Ferrus smiled again, this time genuinely, and the smile lingered on his face longer than usual.
Smiling, he shook his head.
"Of course, Konrad. You're not a master, you wouldn't understand."
"Can I become a master?"
"You…"
Ferrus sized him up from head to toe and shook his head. He didn't explain the reasons, just gave an answer. Fortunately, Konrad Curze wasn't too bothered by it.
"So, do you want to return the sword, Konrad?"
"No, no… actually I want to…"
"You want?"
"I… uh, Kariel!"
The giant whose name was called sighed and reluctantly shifted his gaze. He was looking at Ferrus Manus's unfinished works hanging on the walls. Honestly, he wasn't going to interfere in this rare conversation, but it seemed Konrad Curze's patience was running out.
"Yes, he wants to return the sword to you," Kariel said calmly. "And ask for a small favor."
"Anything within my power."
The pale giant blinked and carefully pulled a knife from his sleeve.
Until this moment, Ferrus hadn't noticed it at all. His pupils involuntarily narrowed – Konrad Curze's clothes today didn't have such wide sleeves.
"A little trick," Kariel explained calmly. "This is the knife I gave him. As you can see, Ferrus Manus, it doesn't have a proper hilt. Bare metal isn't very comfortable to hold."
"…That's true."
Ferrus Manus, without taking his eyes off the knife, slowly nodded. He looked questioningly at his brother, and the latter immediately handed him the blade. The giant with steel hands took it with extreme caution.
After a long pause, he took a deep breath.
"…How did you do that?" he asked.
"This knife?"
"Yes…"
"A little trick," Kariel smiled slightly and tapped his temple with his finger. "How do you like it?"
Ferrus didn't answer immediately, just squinted, examining the weapon. His fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.
A moment later, he exhaled two icy words:
"It's terrifying."
Then he raised his head and looked at his brother.
"A hilt, right? Leather or wooden?"
"Uh…"
"Should I decide?" Ferrus asked prophetically.
Konrad Curze nodded.
"Yes, yes, you decide, Ferrus."
After a short silence, Ferrus Manus nodded slowly.
"I will not insult this blade," he said calmly to Kariel.
The latter smiled mysteriously.
"It doesn't deserve your attention."
"As a weapon – perhaps not. But this is not a weapon," Ferrus replied.
***
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