The moment I seriously decided to intervene in the story.
'Time to get moving.'
I had no intention of wasting time.
I headed straight for the nearby ruins, figuring it was the fastest way to get stronger right now.
That place held a weapon the protagonist would claim later on—a blade known as the Spirit Sword.
I planned to take it for myself.
Even someone like me could probably gain some real power with a weapon like that.
'Sorry, hero...'
Of course, I knew full well this meant snatching something that belonged to the protagonist.
Without it, he'd undoubtedly struggle quite a bit.
Even if the Spirit Sword was just a temporary tool until he got his holy sword.
Still, I figured it was mine for the taking.
There was no quicker or easier way to power up at this point in the story other than claiming the Spirit Sword.
'No helping it.'
Regardless, I was dead set on making the Spirit Sword mine.
That said, I wasn't planning to just steal it and leave the hero high and dry.
He might end up dying before he could claim his holy sword without it.
And that would mean the world ends.
So, I planned to help him out later on.
As long as I assisted until he got the holy sword, he'd be fine.
My thoughts were sorted.
I was ready to head out immediately.
'Guess I need to drop her off first?'
But before that, I needed to find someone to watch the baby.
After a moment's hesitation, I made my way to the church.
"Good day, Brother. I hope you're well."
The church sat at the heart of the village.
A modest place with clean white walls and wooden doors that radiated a peaceful air.
As I arrived, a gentle-faced woman in cleric's robes who had been praying spotted me and greeted me warmly.
"Hello, Sister Levia."
I returned her greeting.
The nun's name was Levia. We were somewhat acquainted.
Just recently, when Kailin and I had married, we'd used this church as our wedding venue, and she'd helped us out in so many ways.
"It's nice to see you again, Brother. Has it really been three months?"
"It has."
"You must have enjoyed a happy newlywed life these past three months. Hehe."
"..."
She flashed me a bright smile as she spoke.
It was her way of offering well-wishes to a newly married couple.
Of course, those words felt more like a curse to me right now...
"Is something wrong?"
"Circumstances have come up."
"Oh..."
She seemed to pick up on the fact that something was off with me.
It wasn't exactly normal for a father to be wandering around alone with a baby and no mother in sight.
I wanted to explain everything, but there simply wasn't time right now.
"Could you watch her for a little while?"
"Pardon?"
"Just for a short time. I need to head somewhere. I'll pay you for your trouble."
I handed her a single gold coin as I made my request.
I planned to leave the baby with her before heading to the ruins.
"..."
Levia hesitated for a moment at my request.
She was probably worried.
Worried that I might not come back.
"Yes. I don't know the details of your situation, but I understand. I'll look after the child."
But she soon agreed.
"I'll use the gold coin you gave me to support the church. May the Lord's blessings be upon you, Brother—and please return safely with your child."
"Thank you."
Levia smiled radiantly as she accepted the gold and the baby.
I bowed to her politely and left the church.
'Who would've thought I'd end up asking Levia for a favor like this.'
I thought to myself as I departed.
Handing my favorite character my own baby? It felt strangely surreal.
# # #
After leaving the church, I hurried straight toward the ruins.
The hero was off training his swordsmanship in the neighboring village right now—I had to claim the Spirit Sword before it was too late.
To that end, I climbed the mountain where the ruins were located with all haste.
'It should be around here somewhere?'
I knew exactly where the ruins were.
Near a mystical lake, hidden beneath a massive tree by its shore.
The hero had stumbled upon it purely by chance during his sword training.
I racked my brain, searching diligently for the ruins based on my memories.
'There it is.'
A spot under the tree where the ground looked slightly different from the surroundings.
Fumbling around there, I discovered a massive stone door.
A huge door with a handle—shoving it open revealed a staircase leading down into the ruins.
It looked ominous at first glance.
I lit the torch I'd brought with me and stepped inside.
'This place feels way creepier than I expected.'
No sooner had I entered than I noticed faint, glowing ancient runes carved into the walls.
The novel had described it as an unsettling place, but being here in person made it feel far worse.
'Gotta stay sharp...'
Besides, it was incredibly dangerous.
Magic traps lined the path ahead.
Mess up with even one, and I could be done for in an instant.
'Lucky I'm a possessor.'
But I was a possessor.
I'd read every grueling detail of how the hero suffered through these ruins in the original story. I shared in his hard-earned knowledge.
He'd come here five times to conquer it, so knowing his path was as good as having done it myself five times over.
'As long as you know the strategy, it's not so bad.'
That made these ruins no longer a threat to me.
'Dodging the first trap.'
Heck, I'd already bypassed the very first one.
A pressure plate hidden in the floor.
Step on the wrong tile, and massive arrowheads rained from the ceiling.
One wrong move, and you'd be turned into Swiss cheese—but knowing the safe path, I carefully navigated around it.
'Now the second.'
Clearing that, I faced the second trap.
A large, round orb embedded in the wall.
The massive sphere emitted an eerie purple glow, detecting intruders and unleashing a blinding light that induced hallucinations.
In the original story, the hero had gotten lost here, but I knew its position and trigger conditions.
'Phew...'
Sure enough, following the novel's description kept the trap dormant.
I slipped past the orb, clearing the second obstacle unscathed.
'Is that it?'
The ruins were perilous, no doubt, but a breeze if you knew the way through.
I pressed on through the third and fourth traps, relying on my possessor's knowledge.
And at last, I reached my goal.
The heart of the ruins.
The air there was thick with mystical, overwhelming energy.
A massive magic circle dominated the center, and atop it lay a single sword.
Its hilt was etched with intricate runes.
A soft blue glow emanated from the blade.
It was clearly no ordinary sword.
That had to be the relic known as the Spirit Sword.
I approached it cautiously.
"Hup...!"
And yanked it free in one go.
It creaked a bit, probably from being embedded for so long, but pulling it out wasn't too hard.
The sword was now firmly in my grasp. I stared at the glowing blue blade for a good while.
'So this is the Spirit Sword.'
Holding it myself, I could definitely feel why it was called a relic.
It was like sensing mana even without any of my own—like mana itself was flowing into me.
I'd known from the protagonist's inner monologue in the novel that it had this effect, but experiencing it firsthand was something else.
'Time to get out of here?'
Either way, I'd secured the Spirit Sword safely.
Mission accomplished.
I turned to leave the ruins, but then...
🗡️ SPIRIT VOICE 🗡️No matter how I look at it, this is fascinating?
A voice echoed out of nowhere.
I whipped my head around, but nothing was there.
For a second, I thought it was a hallucination, but it clearly wasn't.
🗡️ SPIRIT VOICE 🗡️It's seriously fascinating.
The voice rang out again.
I realized it was resonating directly in my mind.
And that its source was the Spirit Sword in my hand.
🗡️ SPIRIT VOICE 🗡️You don't look like someone who could clear this ruin, so how did you do it?
The Spirit Sword kept addressing me.
Listening to its voice, a thought crossed my mind.
'Hmm... This wasn't in the original story either?'
A talking sword? No matter how much I searched my memories, nothing like this happened in the original.