Chapter 44
“…….”
I couldn’t find the words and just blinked.
I am not a descendant of the House of Pluto.
Yet Ruben was giving me a family heirloom that was meant for a descendant of Pluto.
Thinking about what that meant made it hard to breathe.
Could it be that he actually recognizes me as part of the family?
I recalled what Rearwin said when I first arrived at the House of Pluto:
“You never know. Maybe because of this, your father will formally adopt you… You’re not an ordinary child, after all.”
“Formally adopt me?”
“Yes. Then we would truly be a family. Not that I think we’re a fake family now, but still.”
Could it really happen, an adoption?
I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t.
Ruben probably wouldn’t think of me as a family member just because of this incident.
Most likely, he was simply impressed by what I had done enough to give me an heirloom meant for his descendants. After all, he was only recognizing me as a knight.
When I couldn’t speak, Rearwin smiled.
“Accept it comfortably, Senti. Your father is giving it because you truly deserve it.”
“…Yes? Ah, thank you.”
Only then did I politely bow toward Ruben. It didn’t feel right to refuse so insistently.
Rearwin’s clapping sounded faint and distant.
“…Wow. No matter how I look at it, it’s dazzling.”
Stars decorated the night sky.
I sat in a corner of the House of Pluto’s garden, unable to take my eyes off the dagger.
That such a beautifully wavy dagger could be an heirloom of the House of Pluto…
Was it too precious for me to have?
Could I really keep this? Would it truly be mine from now on? I couldn’t quite believe it.
At the same time, my chest swelled as if I were walking on clouds.
Yes! It’s mine! I have such a beautiful weapon!
Excited, I lifted the dagger with both hands and held it under the moonlight.
Even the most expensive jewelry couldn’t compare to this small weapon in how much I loved it.
“Hmm… what should I name you?”
Since it was a special weapon, it deserved a name.
I pondered a few suitable candidates when suddenly the transparent gemstone sparkled as if it had come to life. Startled by the sudden glow, I brought the dagger closer to examine it.
“What just happened?”
The diamond reflected the pink in my eyes.
The moment I thought it looked mysterious, the gemstone gradually filled with a deeper pink hue.
Startled, I dropped the dagger slightly and watched.
“What is this?”
The once transparent gemstone had turned a full pink.
At the same time, I could feel divine energy rising from the blade—it was my own holy power.
Could it be that the gemstone changed color because it was influenced by my eye color?
“That means the heirloom recognized its owner.”
A voice reached me, and I looked over.
I saw Meteo a little ways behind the bench.
Meteo in casual clothes looked completely different from when I saw him at the temple. He had the aura of a prince in a greenhouse rather than a holy knight…
But when did he arrive?
I smiled and called out happily.
“Metti!”
“Metti?”
He echoed back, as if incredulous.
I rested both arms on the back of the bench, clasped my hands together, and stared at him with sparkling eyes.
Meteo shook his head and approached me.
“Only my mother calls me that at home.”
“Can’t I call you Metti too? It’s cuter than Meteo, isn’t it?”
“Ugh.”
He frowned as if he’d heard something unpleasant.
“Do I need to be cute?”
“I like it.”
“…Do as you like.”
He replied as if he didn’t care about titles anyway.
Meteo quickly sat beside me on the bench.
I showed him the dagger.
“It seems to contain my holy power.”
Meteo took the dagger and examined both sides of the blade.
“The color of the diamond changed when it absorbed your holy power. It’s now the same color as your eyes.”
“Really? I suspected as much, but it really changed to my eye color.”
“Yes.”
Meteo handed the dagger back to me and continued.
“I’ve heard that if someone else holds this weapon for too long, the owner can change. But if you bond with it often and handle it well, it’s not easy to change…”
“Oh, really?”
I took the dagger back from Meteo.
It seemed he had come to tell me about this heirloom. Since it had been preserved in his family for a long time, he likely knew a lot about it.
“Then I should give it a name first. I’ve been thinking about it. Hmm, since it’s the same pink as my eyes now, how about ‘Pingsuni’?”
Meteo’s face immediately showed displeasure.
“I don’t think the dagger will like that. It’s an old heirloom. If I were this weapon, I’d want a more elegant and dignified name—”
“Decided! Pingsuni! From now on, you’re Pingsuni.”
I pressed a quick kiss to the surface of the weapon.
I felt Meteo’s incredulous gaze beside me, but I ignored it lightly.
He didn’t care since it wasn’t his weapon anyway.
Then he spoke again.
“Do you know how to use it?”
“Well… it looks like a normal dagger, but I don’t think it’s just for stabbing like ordinary daggers…”
I examined the weapon with a puzzled expression.
With no handle, maybe it was meant to be thrown.
But a weapon this unique… thrown?
I couldn’t quite imagine how to use it.
I wasn’t even proficient with ordinary throwing knives yet.
My swordsmanship had just passed the beginner level—it was far from impressive for a paladin.
Still, I’ve improved a lot compared to the beginning. There’s still a long way to go…
Without the extra training with adults beyond the temple, my swordsmanship would be even worse.
Even at Count Izmir’s menagerie, I didn’t tear Evan’s clothes apart, after all.
If I had a throwing weapon in this situation, it wouldn’t just tear someone’s clothes.
Meteo’s words confirmed my guess.
“This is meant to be thrown. It has a boomerang function, so it’s rare. Actually, it might be almost a unique weapon.”
“Wow, really?”
It’s such a unique weapon! No wonder it’s an heirloom.
Meteo stood from the bench and walked a little distance away, then looked at me.
“Throw it. I’ve trained with a similar weapon before.”
“Oh, really?”
Perfect timing—I needed a training partner. And it was Meteo!
If other trainee knights learned I had one-on-one training with Adamas, the highest-ranked holy power user, they would be insanely jealous.
Just receiving the support of the House of Pluto already drew envy from everyone.
I stood to face him, hearing his voice.
“Don’t worry about hitting me. Throw as if you’re aiming for me. Be bold—”
Swoosh!
Before he even finished speaking, I threw the dagger without hesitation, determined to hit him.
He had much more training than I did, so the skill gap was large.
But at that moment, I flinched slightly as the weapon left my hand.
What…? It feels like it’s channeling my holy power!
A weapon that responds to holy power really feels different!
I marveled at the heirloom of the House of Pluto.
The blade whirled toward Meteo with incredible speed and stability, impossible for me to have thrown on my own.
It was due to the heirloom’s innate function and the holy power buff.
In the blink of an eye, it would hit Meteo. At this speed, could it even pierce a person?
Yet Meteo didn’t dodge or raise his weapon. He simply stared at the dagger.
Right before the dagger and he would collide head-on.
My heart dropped. Why isn’t he moving?
“Mete—!”
Then, Meteo lowered his body and touched the ground. Almost simultaneously, he sprang upward like a rebound and dodged.
Just before, his blue eyes briefly glinted sharply.
The most astonishing part: the weapon instantly changed trajectory and pursued him.
