Chapter 583

I'm about to become a sword to the soul and will be nothing more than a bystander.

That's what Rhyn said to me.

If that was the case, I would be a person and a guardian for Fran.

It seemed like I had been talking less and less lately. And I had been letting Fran decide what to do. No, I had always let Fran do whatever she wanted to do.

But lately, I had probably been tossing judgments at Fran rather than trusting her to do the right thing.

It was hard for me to be aware of it, but I was going to try to get it back, starting with a conversation.

『Hey, Fran』

「What is it?」

『Earlier, when you heard Zelos Reed call Romio's name, you were surprised, weren't you? What's wrong with that?』

Even in such a conversation, Fran happily responded.

「He sounded just like someone」

『Just like someone?』

「Just like Master」

『Huh? Just like me?』

「Nn. It was the same voice that Master used when he asked me 『Are you okay?』... A gentle voice」

I didn't expect that answer.

Do I sound like him? A gentle voice? Of course, it was not the tone of the voice, but the feeling of it... I couldn't tell it myself, but Fran seemed to be sure.

『So, do you think that Zelos Reed is really worried about Romio?』

「Nn」

I heard that the Magnolia family's bloodline could even influence someone...

『Is the Magnolia bloodline really that powerful? So powerful that it can change the very foundation of a person's personality』

「I don't know. But his words were sincere. Without a doubt」

『...If Fran thinks so, then I'll believe it』

「Nn」

I finally understood why Fran was so confused. She must have been surprised to see the kindness that her enemy, Zelos Reed, showed to Romio.

She also felt sad when she compared the good changes in Zelos Reed with the bad changes in me.

Had I... failed as a guardian? I didn't even realize that I was making Fran sad.

「Hey, Master」

『Hmm? What is it?』

「Can I sleep with you today?」

『...Of course』

「Woof woof!」

「Urushi can join too」

「Woof!」

I don't think I've seen such a happy smile on Fran's face in a long time. I was even shocked by that fact.

『Then, let's sleep together!』

「Woof!」

「Nn!」

Fran then dove into the bed with me in her arms.

My sword blade was completely exposed. But when Fran wanted to be pampered, she would hug me without a sheath like this. Oh, I'd already transformed to remove my blade.

「Hey, Master」

『What is it?』

「...Tomorrow, will you make breakfast for us?」

『Tomorrow?』

「Nn. You can't?」

『Of course I can, what do you want?』

「Pancakes!」

『Aah, I see. I haven't made those in a while』

「Nn. Hey, Master」

『Yeah~?』

「You know――」

While being cuddled up in Urushi's fur, Fran and I continued to talk. It was not a particularly interesting conversation, just a casual chat.

But it was probably the most important thing for us right now. Fran seemed happy with it.

That made me happy too.

We must have been talking for almost an hour. Our conversation ended when Fran couldn't stand the drowsiness and fell asleep.

『...They're asleep, huh?』

「Shu~ Shu~」

「Gu~ Gu~」

I won't make Fran sad because of me anymore, and I'm not going to turn into a mere sword

That was what I thought when I saw Fran sleeping in a cuddle with Urushi.

『Announcer-san』

〈Yes〉

『My soul... Is it really on the verge of becoming a sword?』

〈Yes. The soul of the individual named Master is beginning to adapt to the vessel of the sword〉

『I see. Hey, how can I prevent it? What should I do to avoid making Fran sad?』

〈Your desires are conflicting. I can't provide a definitive answer〉

『Huh? What do you mean?』

〈The way to keep your soul as a person is simple. The solution is to erase the sword adaptation from the system〉

An adaptation system. I didn't know I had such a thing. But it seemed that my soul really was becoming a sword.

『By conflicting, do you mean that if I stop adapting to the sword, Fran will be sad? But why?』

〈The adaptation system is salvation provided by God. By stopping the adaptation, there is an 88% chance that the individual named Master will lose his mental stability and go crazy〉

『Wha...!!』

Are you saying that the fact that my soul was trying to become a sword was God's way of saving me? But, I was pretty sure I was told that if they put a person's soul into a sword, they would definitely go crazy...

〈There's 100% chance that the individual named Fran will be saddened if the individual named Master went crazy〉

In other words, If I tried to stop it, I'd become crazy one day and would make Fran sad. But if I don't, that would still make Fran sad?

『Then... What's the better choice? What should I choose?』

〈Suggestion. As long as the individual named Master succeeds in retaining his soul as a person and developed enough mental flexibility and resilience to not go crazy as a sword, there is no problem〉

『Is that even possible?』

〈It has 5% chance of success〉

『...So, it's not zero?』

〈Yes〉

Just a few minutes ago, I decided not to make Fran sad anymore. So, I was not going to give up, even if it only had a small chance of success.

『Let's do it. Announcer-san, you're going to help me too, right?』

〈Yes〉

I wonder why. Even though her voice was inorganic as usual, I felt as if Announcer-san was happy. Was it only my imagination?