I’m The Only Granddaughter Of The Strongest Duke [Novel] Chapter 43

Chapter 44

“The Evil Dragon Subjugation Team… but as you know, I’m just a commoner. I
couldn’t possibly refuse the Emperor’s direct order…”

“…Is that why you were crying, Eve?”

“Yes. She was worried that if I made fourteen swords, I wouldn’t have time to
play with her…”

I pressed my cheek against Grandfather’s shoulder, sniffing, then suddenly
lifted my head.

“G-Grandfather!” Hic.

“Yes, Eve. I’m listening.”

“The Dragon… it’s the sacred being that protects the Empire, right? Not an
'evil dragon.' Isn't that so…?”

“…Indeed.”

“And our family is the one that protects the Dragon… so how can they ask Dad
to make swords to kill it…? Waaaah!”

I changed my strategy.

The Ferdinand family was the House of Dragon Guardians. A family descended from
the progenitor who was chosen by the Dragon, became its partner, and served as
its protector. And Dad, by marrying Astrit, was part of the Ferdinand family
now.

Therefore, Grandfather wouldn’t stand by and watch Dad forge swords for a group
tasked with slaying a being they were sworn to protect. I peeked at Grandfather
to see if my plan was working. He was staring at Dad with a stony expression.

“Yes, Eve is right.”

“Father-in-law…!”

“Ferdinand is the House of the Dragon Guardians. Even if the Dragon has fallen
and become the 'Evil Dragon' that threatens to destroy the Empire, we cannot
lend a hand in its subjugation.”

Grandfather spoke with a firm, resolute voice.

“Neal Royce, refuse the commission.”

“But Father-in-law! If I do that, the Emperor…!”

“Have you not already accepted the commission for Prince Lemartes' sword? Reply
that you cannot forge other blades while creating an ego sword.”

Grandfather rubbed my back with a gentle but authoritative touch.

“I will handle the report to His Majesty myself. So Neal, refuse the order.”

“…Hic.”

“Let’s do that. Eve, you have nothing to worry about.”

Grandfather gently kissed my damp cheek.

“I’ll take care of everything. For you.”

Dad really did refuse the Emperor’s commission.

Several more letters arrived from the Imperial Palace at the Ferdinand mansion
after that, but Grandfather sent them all back. Instead, Grandfather became
incredibly busy.

“Eve, I’m sorry. Today is the day your room is finished, but I have to go out.
Your father is at home, so if you’re bored, make sure to ask him to play with
you.”

“Okay! Have a safe trip, Grandfather.”

“Yes. Be a good girl for your father and Idis.”

Grandfather left in a massive carriage emblazoned with the Ferdinand crest. I
stood at the main gate until the carriage disappeared, then headed inside with
Charlotte.

“Lady Eve, your room will be completely finished by this evening. Hehe, if
you’re bored, would you like to take a little peek now?”

“Yeah! Grandfather said it was a surprise and hasn’t shown me yet, so I’m so
curious about what it looks like…”

It happened then.

A voice I had heard once before. That very voice knocked against my eardrums
with startling clarity.

“Ch-Charlotte!”

“Yes, Lady Eve?”

“That voice just now… did you hear it?”

“A voice? What kind of voice do you mean?”

Charlotte tilted her head, looking puzzled.

-No need to waste your effort. Only you can hear my voice.

The massive voice echoed once more. It was so loud and clear that the vibration
traveled through my ears and into my whole body.

I spun around to look at Charlotte.

“Charlotte! Um, I’ll look at the room later!”

“Oh, well, then later…”

“Yes! See you later!”

I left Charlotte standing there alone and ran toward a corner of the mansion.
Since I had perfectly memorized the layout and structure of the duchy, finding
an empty room where no one went was easier than eating pie.

I entered a vacant room and cautiously called out to the voice.

“Hey…”

[…]

“Can you hear me?”

The voice had clearly told me that 'only I could hear it.' Then this voice…
maybe it was following me.

Excalibur is also a masterpiece sword that can only communicate with me and
Lemartes. But since Excalibur has no reason to see Lemartes, it’s essentially
only able to communicate with me. Because of that, Excalibur felt extremely
frustrated whenever it was in a state where it couldn’t talk to me.

[To think you’d leave me behind knowing that…]

So maybe this voice, if it’s in the same situation as Excalibur, was following
me around. I had one reason for thinking the voice was following me.

The last time I heard the voice was in the Ferdinand secret chamber, but this
time I heard it on the first floor.

That meant the voice could move freely within this mansion. And if it could move
freely, it would naturally search for someone it could communicate with…

“Can you hear my voice? If you can, answer me.”

Then.

-Yes.

The massive voice boomed through the room. It sounded like it was coming from a
deep cave, and as if it were emerging from the deepest part of the ocean.
It sounded incredibly soft, yet also razor-sharp.

The moment I heard it again, I was certain: this was not a human voice. It
wasn’t that surprising. When even a knife for slicing ham talks to me, what’s so
strange about something else talking to me?

But that wasn’t the point.

[Is this the voice that lured you away and startled me last time?]

X asked indifferently. I stared at X in surprise. My face was reflected
perfectly in his transparent blade.

“You… you can hear this voice?”

[Yes, I can hear it. I couldn’t hear it before, though.]

X seemed very displeased that this voice had “lured me away” previously. The
voice, perhaps not expecting Excalibur to be able to hear its words, asked with
an intrigued tone.

{glow: -Ho, an ego sword. They say you are clever blades that choose their own masters,
and it seems the rumors are true. To think you can hear my voice… }

Excalibur vibrated intensely.

[Wait, this voice… no way. You.]

-Do you know who I am?

At that grand, majestic question, Excalibur who was strapped to my back trembled
violently and emitted flashes of light.

[Of course I do! What are you planning, talking to my eight-year-old master? Do
you have any idea how much you scared the humans when you took this child away
in the middle of the night!?]

I listened to the conversation between Excalibur and the mysterious voice, my
eyes widening. He recognized it just by the voice?

“Excalibur, who is it? Who is the voice talking to me? This voice told me about
Mom. It showed me a photo of her…”

I grabbed Excalibur’s hilt and shook it frantically. Excalibur responded with a
quiver of its blade.

[It’s amazing that you don’t recognize it! They say every descendant of the
Guardian bloodline is born with instinctive senses and a mental link with their
partner, but I guess that was all just a rumor. Indeed, you’re such a fool!]