I knew I was dying.
Half of my body felt heavy, and my eyes probably resembled those of a dead fish.
'Hah... Damn it.'
But still, I was proud.
I defeated the Demon Lord.
I saved the kingdom.
And with that, I finally closed my eyes and took my last breathe.
Everyone would remember me as the great hero who defeated the Demon Lord and saved the world.
...Or so I thought.
Because instead of resting in peace, I fell face first into a glowing forest.
'Wait. Isn't this supposed to be the afterlife?'
Well... Apparently not.
Because a small elderly man with butterfly wings was floating in front of me. His small body was glimmering like a lantern.
"Hero!" he cheered. "I am the Fairy King. You saved the human world which means you saved ours too!"
I blinked.
"...You're a bit small for a king."
His eyebrow twitched.
Oh yes. Yup! He'd definitely a king.
"Anyway!"
The fairy king clapped his hands sharply.
"To show our gratitude, I will give you a reward. Your next life shall be special!"
"Oho. Now we're talking."
Soon, a warm light wrapped around me.
Maybe I would become a mighty dragon.
Or a phoenix.
Or a handsome prince loved by a lot of women!
But of course, I should've known better.
When I opened my eyes... Well, I had no eyes.
Or legs.
Or arms.
Or anything.
I was cold. Heavy. And stuck in dirt.
'...Did he turned me into a rock?!'
But no.
A hand lifted me from the ground and I quickly understood my situation.
I was a sword.
A cracked, rusty and pitiful sword.
In short, a broken sword.
'Fairy King, you little—!!!'
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The person holding me screamed so loud that I vibrated in his hands. But damn it! He almost flung me across the forest!
"D-D-Did the s-s-sword j-just t-talked...?" he squeaked.
Yes.
He squeaked. Like a mouse.
Then he stared at me with wide and teary eyes. He was a young man with messy brown hair, soot on his nose and the trembling energy of someone who got scared by his own shadow.
"P-Please don't eat me..."
'I can't eat anyone. I'm a sword.'
"B-But you're... you're talking!"
'Yeah, right. You noticed that, huh.'
He swallowed hard.
'What's your name?'
"M-M-Me? I'm R-Rowan... uhh... Mister Sword, sir... I-I am an apprentice blacksmith... S-Sir..."
A blacksmith? I still appreciate him telling me that even though I didn't ask. Looking at him, he was quite possibly the biggest coward in the kingdom too.
"I-I'm Rowan..." he repeated. "A-And you... You're alive...?"
'Maybe. The Fairy King thinks this is a reward.'
Rowan blinked. Then he trembled. Then he blinked again.
"H-He turned you into... Uhh... A scrap?"
'Damn it!'
He tried to hold back a laugh. But it didn't work. He just panicked and dropped me on the ground.
'Watch it! I fought demons, you brat!'
"S-S-Sorry!!!" Rowan yelped while flailing before he picked me up again. "Y-You startled me! You are a talking sword! And t-that's scary!"
'I'm a broken talking sword, you dimwit. I am not scary.'
"You are scary!" Rowan squeaked again. "You are metal and alive and you yelled at me!"
Then Rowan studied my cracked blade with trembling hands. But soon, he managed a tiny nervous smile.
"I-I... Uhmm... I c-can try to fix you... Maybe... I guess..?"
I paused and considered his offer.
A cowardly blacksmith. A broken hero. A very loud future.
This is not the best reward but not the worst either.
'Oh, fine. But forge me well, boy. I refuse to stay this ugly.'
"I-I'll try!" Rowan stuttered. "L-Let's go home before my dad wonders why I am s-screaming at metal..."
And just like that, the mighty hero began his second life as a cracked sword carried by a trembling and jumpy blacksmith who got scared of his own footsteps.
And yes.
He had absolutely no idea what kind of trouble he just picked up.