One day, Thews was lounging on a tree branch, as he often did, when Rena approached him. She called up to him, "Thews, got a minute? I need a favor."
Thews, with a lazy smile, replied, "I'd prefer to keep slacking off, but I've got nothing but time."
Rena hesitated for a moment before asking, "You were a swordmaster in your previous life, right?"
Thews shrugged. "That's what some people started calling me one day, so I guess you could say that."
"Do you think you could take on Dad in a duel if you really tried?" Rena asked.
"Cakewalk," Thews said confidently.
Rena took a deep breath and then asked, "Then… can you teach me swordsmanship?"
Thews thought for a moment and then casually replied, "Nah, I'm good."
Surprised, Rena pressed on, "I'm serious, Thews. I don't want to regret not being able to win one day."
Thews sighed, "It's just too much of a bother. I'd have to actually show you some moves, make corrections, and… stuff. So, no, I won't help you get better."
Disappointed, Rena muttered, "Is that so," and began to walk away. Before she could leave, Echo's voice chimed in, "How about I be your new teacher?"
Rena was taken aback, and Thews asked, "Are you sure you want to deal with all that hassle?"
Echo nodded confidently. "I can impart memories to people as I see fit. The rest of the effort comes from adjusting the body to those memories. To put it in terms you'd understand, Master, it's like transferring the memories from the head to the moving parts."
Thews nodded sagely. "I see, I see. Memory thingies in the head go to the moving thingies like splash, woosh, and pow. I get it. Yes, I get it! You have my permission to teach Big Sis these thingies. I leave it in your hands."
Echo smiled and said, "Thank you, Master."
Echo then appeared beside Rena and said, "So your real excuse here was to get Thews into training, right?"
Rena stammered, "Ye- Yes."
Echo grinned, "Great. Let's go find your father and tell him I'll be your teacher from now on."
When they approached Thias with the news, his response was blunt. "No."
Echo, unfazed, replied, "I'm aware of how I appear, but I assure you, I'm more than capable of teaching your daughter. In fact, I dare say… even more than you."
Thias, unconvinced, tossed a training sword at Echo. "Prove to me you're a better swordsman, and then we can talk, little miss."
Echo caught the sword and said with a sly smile, "It would be my pleasure to experience what you can do with those manly hands."
They stared each other down for a moment. When the duel ended, Echo stood victorious. Smugly, she said to the defeated Thias, "It seems your swordsmanship could use some work, but my offer extends only to Miss Rena."
Thias slowly rose from the ground, trying to catch his breath. "We… first… Alice…"
Echo calmly responded, "I think you need to catch your breath a bit more before we do whatever you're saying."
After a brief rest, Thias, Rena, and Echo made their way to Alice's office. Thias explained the situation, to which Alice responded, "Who sent you, and what's your group after?"
Echo replied, "No one sent me here, and I don't technically belong to any group. And to answer your next question, 'What are you after?'—I merely want to see someone reach their full potential. Also, my name is Echo."
Alice raised an eyebrow. "And you, a child, think you can bring out that potential?"
Echo smiled. "Contrary to what you think, I'm actually much, much older than you."
Alice gave a doubtful hum. "Then how do you look so young? Magic? Sorcery?"
Echo considered for a moment. "You could blame magic for my appearance, but that wouldn't be entirely accurate. You see, I'm a sword."
"A sword?" Alice asked, incredulous.
"Yes, a sword. One you can hold with one arm. Look." With that, Echo transformed into her original form. "This is how I was created; this is my true appearance."
Both Thias and Alice were stunned. Alice stammered, "How can… a sword turn to… magic? Yes, it must be magic."
Echo returned to her human form and corrected her. "While my consciousness might trace back to some form of magic, my existence as a sword with its own will is similar to a human having a soul."
Alice, trying to process this, said, "So, you're a talking magic sword that can turn into a humanoid form. Anything else you want to add?"
"I'm also from another world," Echo stated matter-of-factly.
Alice just smiled. "Got it. You're hired. What's your price?"
Thias, shocked, blurted out, "Are you just going to believe what she says?"
Alice shrugged. "In situations like this, the more you pry, the more questions you'll have. So it's better to just stop sooner rather than later, say, 'Yep, heard enough. When can you start?' and move on."
Thias was flabbergasted. "You're just going with your gut, aren't you?"
Alice replied, "I'd describe it as 'knowing less is best' and not giving a damn."
Thias sighed. "I know we're only considered nobles now thanks to what you did, and you can act all lady-like when you want to, but can you at least take things seriously when it comes to the future of our children?"
Alice responded, "Oh, I am taking this seriously. If what the sword says is true, then Rena might surpass both of us. Speaking of our children—Echo, can you extend your teachings to our other two as well?"
Echo hesitated. "I'm not quite sure about little Lucy, but I won't teach that boy, Mathews. I'll have to think about Lucy for a while longer."
Alice nodded. "I understand. My husband will continue training Mathews as usual, though he might have to start looking for him by himself in the future. So, what do you want as compensation?"
"I want a drop of your blood," Echo said.
Alice raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Am I making a deal with the devil here or something?"
Echo shrugged. "Depends on how you look at it. My specialty is extracting information from those whose blood touches me. The moment your blood touches me, I'll know every memory you hold and have held until that moment."
Alice considered this. "So, in other words, you hold the memories of many different people."
Echo nodded. "That's correct."
Alice then asked, "Do those memories include knowledge of magic?"
Echo replied, "While there are differences between what you consider magic in this world and what I knew in my old world, I can say yes. Though I must note that the methods from my old world might not work as intended here."
Alice smiled. "No problem. I accept your conditions if you promise to consider sharing some of that knowledge with Lucy."
Echo agreed, "I'll consider it, though I'm surprised you didn't ask for any knowledge for yourself."
Alice chuckled. "While it's tempting, I don't want to poke a dragon any more than necessary. I'm satisfied if you manage to positively influence my children. Though, I would love it if you did something about Mathews."
Echo giggled. "Is that so? I wouldn't describe myself as a dragon, but I'll accept the flattery. While I'm here, I might offer you some assistance in other matters, within moderation, of course. As for Mathews… I'll consider giving him some of my time."
"Thank you," Alice said, and she and Echo finalized the documentation for Echo becoming Rena's tutor. Alice also gave a drop of her blood to Echo as promised.
Echo commented with a smile, "I must say, women in this world—or at least in this country—are much more straightforward than they were in my original world."
As the year draws to a close, Alice sits at her desk, three letters laid out before her. Each letter is a wishlist from her children, part of the tradition in their world where gifts are exchanged on New Year's Eve, a blend of Christmas and New Year.
She first picks up the letter on the left, neatly written with careful consideration:
"I wish for only three things from the great gift giver.
Good fortune for my family.Good food and sweets. Especially sweets!And, if possible, could someone tighten the screw in my brother's head a bit so we can all avoid the constant embarrassment he causes? Thank you for your consideration, oh great gift giver. I wish you a good new year."
Alice smiles, recognizing Rena's sensible nature in the thoughtful wishes.
Next, she turns to the middle letter, written with rough strokes but filled with obvious effort:
"Great gift giver! It's me, Lucy Witsur! This is my first time writing a wishlist, so I'm super excited! I want many things, but mommy told me to only write down the most important ones. After thinking long and hard, here's what I want the most:
Sweets! Lots and lots of sweets!Books that are a little harder than the ones I read now. Maybe magic books, but I'd really like some romantic stories, especially about forbidden love. I don't know why, but I'm really curious about love stories between siblings. I'm not sure why everyone says I can't have big bro's or papa's children, but maybe if it's just big bro's, it could work. Actually, I think I like big bro more than papa.I want my big bro to stay the same. He's funny, and I always want to see what he's up to.I wish mommy would spend more time with us instead of being at her desk all day.I want papa to stop being so obsessed with honor and stuff. He'd be less annoying that way. I still love him very much, though.I hope Echo will teach me more about things that mommy and the others won't. I want to become a super powerful mage like mommy so my family can relax and pamper me. With both mommy's and Echo's teachings, I think I could become even more powerful than mommy.I wish for my big sis to become a great swordswoman. Or is it swordsman? I'll ask mommy later which is correct.I hope the people who help our family get more free time so they can relax and give me more sweets! Especially Ana, who takes such good care of me. She even told me some of mommy's secrets, like how a sneeze once accidentally leveled a building. Ana said mommy was super embarrassed but pretended she meant to do it.I'd also like some cute, fluffy plushies.And a puppy! Any kind will do, as long as it's cute.Lastly, but this is a secret from mommy and papa: I want to have a baby with big bro as soon as possible. I don't know how it's done yet, but I'm sure you'll guide me. Something about big bro's penpen touching my pimpim, but I'm sure I can make it happen once I get the knowledge from you. That baby will definitely be cute.
With kind regards, yours truly, Lucy Witsur."
Alice sighs, bewildered by Lucy's innocent yet alarming requests.
Finally, she turns to the last letter on the right. It's from Thews, written so horribly that Alice has to spend several minutes deciphering it. When she finally makes sense of it, she reads:
"Swords and disownment."
Alice shakes her head in disbelief. As she contemplates the letters, Thias enters her office.
"Are you almost done with your work?" he asks.
"Mostly," Alice replies. "Now I just need to figure out what gifts the great gift giver should bring to our children."
Thias raises an eyebrow. "What did they wish for?"
"Rena's wishes are the most normal," Alice says. "She only asked for three things, and two of them involve the well-being of our family."
"And the third?" Thias asks.
"Sweets," Alice says.
Thias is surprised. "Sweets? Her?"
"You haven't noticed she likes sweets and dislikes bitter things? You should be more observant."
Thias frowns. "I've never seen her react differently to food, even as a baby. She ate whatever was given to her."
"She's a good kid," Alice says. "She doesn't want to bother us, but in doing so, she sacrifices her own happiness. In a typical aristocratic household, that would be seen as a blessing, but here, it's something we need to correct. She only seems to be lenient with her siblings and a few friends."
Thias sighs. "I'm disappointed in myself for not noticing sooner. I need to do better."
Alice teases, "You sound like a boy trying to marry a girl."
Thias stutters, "I-I didn't mean it like that!"
"I know," Alice says, "but it's a good segue into Lucy's wishlist."
Thias looks concerned. "What about Lucy's wishlist? Did she ask for something strange?"
Alice sighs. "While she's given up on the idea of you giving her a baby, she hasn't let go of that idea when it comes to her brother."
Thias tries to brush it off. "I'm sure it's just childhood fantasies. She'll grow out of it."
"I hope so," Alice says, "but my instincts tell me she might dig deeper into this idea and eventually do something inappropriate."
Thias shrugs. "I think you're overreacting, but let's keep an eye on it. Did she have any normal wishes?"
"She wants sweets, books, plushies, a puppy, and Echo's tutoring," Alice says.
"Those are manageable," Thias says. "And if Echo tutors her, maybe she can steer Lucy away from the baby idea. Speaking of Echo, has there been any talk about her becoming Lucy's tutor?"
"So far, Echo's focusing on Rena," Alice explains. "She'll consider Lucy when Rena is ready."
Thias sighs. "If only we could get her to tutor Thews as well."
Alice smirks. "Don't get your hopes up with Lucy just yet. We're not even sure if Echo will take the job. And as for Thews… what are we going to do with him?"
Thias frowns. "Did he ask for something bizarre?"
Alice sighs. "He asked for swords and disownment."
Thias groans. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious," Alice replies. Then she smirks. "And his handwriting looks like a magpie's toes," an expression from her hometown.
Thias sighs deeply. "I swear, he must be doing this on purpose."
"I hope so," Alice says. "Just look at how Lucy's handwriting compares to his."
She places the two wishlists side by side. "Granted, Lucy is quite advanced for her age, but someone who just picked up a pen shouldn't be writing better than someone who's been practicing for two years."
Alice puts the papers back on her desk. "Then again, teaching Thews anything takes a lot more effort. And he's mostly unwilling to learn."
"We need to find a solution," Thias says.
Alice agrees, "But how do you reprimand a child who doesn't take anything seriously other than slacking off?"
They both ponder for a moment before Alice breaks into a mischievous smile. "Okay, I've got nothing. But who cares as long as he's cute?"
Thias exclaims, "Don't give up just yet, dear! We have to find a solution! At this rate, who'll marry our good-for-nothing son? We're just barons, and he has nothing to offer!"
Alice laughs, "Don't worry, dear. I'm sure there's a woman out there who'll want a harmless husband. And if not, we have enough money to feed our cute boy for the rest of our days." She adds with a dreamy expression, "Just remember his cute, carefree face when you're feeling down. It'll cheer you right up."
Thias groans, "Don't go there, dear! Don't let your motherly instincts lead you astray!"
Alice continues, still in her mushy tone, "Come on, just think about it. That cute, carefree face sleeping in bed, then feeding him all kinds of food and seeing his happy face as he thanks us for being the best parents ever."
Thias cries out, "Nooo! I can see it! I can see it!" He starts hitting his head on the table repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Lilith, the maid who has been silently observing the whole time, thinks to herself, "This house is hopeless. Well, at least I won't get bored here."
While lounging around, Thews came up with an idea for how he could continue doing nothing even after being disowned. He eagerly shared his plan with those around him, but Echo quickly responded, "That's not a good idea."
"C'mon," Thews protested. "With this plan, I can just laze around, protect my family from the shadows, and, did I mention? Laze around."
Matrix, one of his companions, chimed in, "You mentioned lazing around twice, Papa."
Thews nodded emphatically. "That's because it's the most important thing on my list! To laze around, do nothing, while still looking out for my family."
Hime, another companion, asked, "How is this any different from the way you lived in our previous world?"
Thews grinned. "Back there, people were constantly trying to kill me. I'm done with all that hassle—I just want to do what I want."
Matrix pointed out, "That's because you were too stubborn to stay in the Garden of Swords, where no one could bother you."
Echo added, "Exactly. If all you wanted was to laze around, you could have done it back in our original world. But you know as well as anyone that's not why you came here."
Hime nodded in agreement. "You came here to live a peaceful life with your family."
Thews shrugged. "I know, but this way, I can achieve that goal and laze around."
Then a sword named Lioppe spoke up. "You want to live a peaceful life with your family by getting disowned by them?"
"Exactly!" Thews said proudly.
Lioppe sighed. "I wouldn't call that living peacefully with your family."
Echo, Matrix, Hime, and several others echoed in unison, "Agreed."
Flustered, Thews mumbled, "Leaving that aside, I don't see why my method is such a problem."
Echo explained, "Your plan involves finding an expensive item, cutting it into pieces, using Matrix's power to turn each piece into its own item, selling the extras, and repeating the process."
Thews nodded. "That's the gist of it, yeah."
Echo sighed. "Even if we find different items to multiply, flooding the market with the same product will cause problems. First, we need to find buyers for multiple identical items from an unknown source. Second, oversupplying the market will drive prices down. Sure, if we start small with less expensive items, we might avoid drawing too much attention. But even so, we'd risk the livelihoods of those who make these items in the first place."
Thews shrugged again. "So?"
Echo stared at him in disbelief. "So?! Are you… You know what, never mind. I'll give you my stamp of approval if you promise to start small, avoid drawing too much attention, and don't flood the market with hot items."
"Hot items? You mean something warm, like a torch? Candle? Magic stone?" Thews asked, confused.
A sword named Hoppipopi clarified, "No, it means items of great value that would attract too much attention."
Thews looked relieved. "Why didn't you just say so?"
Echo sighed again. "Can I trust you to keep it low-key, Matrix?"
"I'll do my best," Matrix replied. "But I don't know the value of most items."
Echo turned to another sword, Rilith. "Can you keep an eye on the market, Rilith?"
Rilith nodded. "I'll monitor the market if Master permits."
"Master?" Echo questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Thews nodded. "You have my permission, Rilith. Do a good job, and maybe I'll let you handle all the sales. You could even be the face of our little… our little…"
"Company?" Hoppipopi suggested.
"What's a company?" Thews asked.
Hoppipopi explained, "It's a group of people working together, usually in business, but it can apply to other groups too."
Thews nodded again. "Yeah, let's go with that! What was I saying?"
A sword named Lori reminded him, "You were talking about Rilith being our mascot."
Rilith protested, "No, he wasn't!"
"What's a mascot?" Thews asked.
Hoppipopi replied, "It's the face of a group, usually something 'cute' or 'child-friendly' to attract a wider audience. Mascots typically don't do much other than look good, but they can serve other purposes."
Thews shrugged once more. "Sounds complicated, but whatever. Rilith can be the mascot or face or something if she does a good enough job. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"
A sword named Pip piped up enthusiastically, "Yes, Master! I have a proposition!"
"I don't know what a 'proposition' is, but go ahead," Thews said.
Pip continued, "If you let some of us roam the world, we might be able to raise your fame and fortune."
Thews considered this. "I mean, some of you can fight on your own, so maybe… Sure, it's decided. But wait, Pip, when you say raise my fame, do you mean spread my name around?"
"Of course!" Pip exclaimed. "If we spread your great name, your life will be—"
Echo cut Pip off. "I believe Master wants to remain anonymous when we sell items. I propose that while Rilith investigates the market under our company's name, we also send some of our people around the world to build the company's reputation through their achievements. Our master will lead us, but the hierarchy will follow the same structure as in the Garden of Swords."
Thews looked confused. "Sounds complicated."
Hoppipopi clarified, "It's simple. The swords in the Garden of Swords will make their presence known in this world using the company's name. Essentially, nothing changes except that we're going public."
Thews grumbled, "Then why didn't Echo just say so?"
Lioppe asked, "So, what will we call our company?"
Lori suggested, "How about GoS Company? Or just GoS for short."
"Why GoS?" Thews asked.
Hoppipopi explained, "It stands for 'Garden of Swords.'"
"Got it. If no one has a better idea, we'll go with that," Thews decided.
Pip suddenly shouted, "How about Centipede Company!?"
The room fell silent for a moment before Lori said, "I get where you're coming from, but that doesn't sound good for our public image."
"But it was our master's name in our original world!" Pip protested.
Rilith responded, "No one ever said 'Centipede' was a good name. It was just a name given to Master without much thought."
Pip turned to Thews. "Well, what do you think, Master?"
Thews shrugged. "I don't care what you call it. Sort it out among yourselves."
Lori then suggested, "Everyone in favor of GoS, say 'aye.'" A chorus of "aye" followed.
"Everyone in favor of Centipede, say 'aye.'" Pip was the only one who responded.
"That settles it then, unless anyone else has a suggestion," Lori concluded.
With no further input, Echo said, "Now that we've decided on the name, let's discuss who will explore the world and who will stay in the Garden of Swords. Master, you can leave the rest to us if there's nothing else."
"Cool," Thews replied. "Now I feel like getting a pet. What kind should I get? How do you even tame a creature? Hmm… Oh well, too much bother. If I see something interesting, I'll try to tame it. Not that I'll go looking."
Just before cutting the connection, Lioppe added, "If you want to take care of another living being, maybe you should learn to take care of yourself first."
Thews winced slightly but grinned. "Good hit. That was a good hit. Never change, Lioppe."