Swords Regret

They did everything with this phantom-like little girl, they explored together, ate together, even sometimes bathed together.

Despite this young girl being a complete mystery to them, they could still strongly feel the emotions the body they occupied had for her.

Next the scene jumped, and the two of them seemed to be taking a test, in which the boy did amazingly, meanwhile, the girl seemed to fail.

Afterwards, the boy didn't seem to spend much time with the little girl anymore, instead just enjoying his new found talent and the treatment that came with it.

Again, the scene jumped, but this time the listeners were suddenly in a hospital room, holding the little girl's hand tightly as she said something towards them.

Unfortunately, her face was a blur, and this world was soundless, so they could only obscurely make out her lip movements.

But it still wasn't enough, and even up until she stopped talking, they were still clueless, only feeling their heart gripped tightly, as if they had just missed some incredibly important information.

With the little girl's lips coming to a stop, so did her heart, and just like that, they watched as this little girl collapsed onto the bed, before the entire world dispersed into a mist.

When they opened their eyes, they were back in the real world, still confused and shocked at what had just happened.

Reaching up, they rubbed underneath their eyes, noticing they had been crying this whole time, not even realizing it.

Some of the stronger willed ones shook off this incredibly powerful sense of sadness, whereas others collapsed on their horses, their hearts completely shattered as if they had just lost the love of their lives.

Letting out a sigh, Minos put the flute away, his heart also having been affected by the music. Looking up towards the sky, he couldn't help but think of Tinka, but fortunately, unlike the Nine Sword Divinity, he had nothing to regret.

The thought wiped some of the depression from his heart, but he still felt like he should put a pause on the music for a while, at least until everyone came back to their senses.

What Minos didn't know was that a short distance behind him, a large carriage slightly slowed down.

The carriage was led by a small unit of elite guards, each dressed from head to toe in armor, the horses underneath them receiving the same treatment.

The one controlling the carriage was an old man with a bald head, but he seemed to be only slightly affected by the music, unlike the guards that were crying from beneath their helmets.

"Your Highness, are you okay in there?" The old man asked, having heard his young lady also weeping from inside the carriage.

"Who was that, who played that song?" A beautiful voice responded, filled with an innate sense of royalty.

"I'm not sure." The old man replied honestly.

"Send one of the guards to find them for me, and invite them back. I'd like to meet such a talented musician in person." The voice commanded.

"Right away, your Highness!" The old man replied, before shouting out the command to one of the guards.

"Y-yes, right away!" The guard said, as he sniffed hard in an attempt to stop his snot from dripping anymore.

Back in front, Minos was slowly trodding along on his horse, pulling out a small piece of wood before he began carving a small figurine.

He had quite a few hobbies nowadays, and while music had been his main focus recently, he still was quite fond of carving and painting.

Painting had been a lifelong passion since he was young, but ever since he began cultivating, he didn't really pursue it anymore.

It was only as his strength increased and he had the luxury to slow down a little bit, did he actually take the opportunity to become reacquainted with these hobbies of his.

And while sculpting wasn't painting, Minos felt they were quite similar, both requiring an eye for detail and an ability to recreate the world in a limited medium.

More than anything, it gave him a chance to vent his true feelings in a world that usually required absolute apathy.

While Minos was slowly carving away, the sound of heavy horse hoofs started coming from behind, causing him to pause as he turned around.

Looking back, he saw a heavily armored man and horse heading directly towards him, but he didn't think the man was actually coming for him.

"Wait a moment sir, my master would like to meet you!" The guard shouted at Minos who had turned back to his work.

"Me?" Minos asked, still not sure the man was talking to him.

"Yes! Please, follow me." The guard said, maintaining a polite attitude.

With his Heart Path abilities, Minos could tell that the man had no malice, and more than that, he didn't seem easy to mess with.

Minos was a Three-Moon weapon refiner, only a single step from Four-Moon, hence he could tell from a single glance what kind of material the guards armor was made of.

This was a Three-Moon material, and while using it to make a single sword wasn't too bad, to make an entire suit of armor for not only him, but also his horse, was definitely not something an average person could afford.

Looking back further into the forest, Minos used his enhanced vision to make out the group that was slowly marching along, realizing that it wasn't only this man with the suit of armor.

With a quick inspection Minos was clear this group wasn't easy to mess with, and since they didn't seem to have any evil intentions, he decided to agree.

"Alright, let's go."

"Thank you! Follow me." The guard said, happy to avoid a fight.

Following the guard, the two soon came upon a large luxurious carriage that was plated from head to toe in gold.

At the head of the carriage was an old man controlling the horses, and while Minos couldn't make out his strength, his instinct was screaming at him that this old man wasn't easy to mess with.

"Master, I've done as directed!" The guard said, as he introduced Minos.

Nodding his head, the old man whispered into the back of the carriage, soon getting an answer.

"Are you sure your Highness? Inviting a man into your carriage alone is a bit…" The old man said, clearly not comfortable with the idea.

"It's okay, what could happen with you here? Not to mention my own strength." The voice replied, not taking no for an answer.

Letting out a sigh, the old man could only agree, after all, he was just a servant at the end of the day.

"Young man, my master would like to meet you. Go inside." The old man uttered, while also giving Minos a firm stare, as if to warn him.

Minos just nodded gently before dismounting his horse and entering the carriage, revealing a glamorous interior.

The floor of the carriage was paved with the fur of some sort of demonic beast, clearly a high grade material, but here it was only being used for comfort.

The seats were also made out of demonic beast leather, and while Minos couldn't make out their quality from a single glance, they were at the very least comparable to the fur flooring.

Of course, more important than all of that was the incredibly beautiful young lady seated at the front, wearing a dress made out of the finest silks.

The young woman had deep blue eyes that paired well with her ebony black hair and porcelain-like skin, making her look like a doll come to life.

Her eyes were incredibly charming, like a phoenix's, filled with both a sense of innate majesty and beauty.

Her features were immaculate, everything seemingly put in place by the heaven's themselves, making it impossible to spot a single flaw.

And her body was simply perfect, an hour-glass figure with fat in all the right places, a body that would drive men crazy.

While Minos was quickly inspecting the young woman, she was doing the same for him, quite impressed with his stature.

Most artists she had met were thin and frail, but Minos was tall and broad, having a strong appearance that seemed to contradict his soft heart.

With the two done analyzing each other, they looked up, their eyes meeting. Seeing Minos's pure gaze, the young woman was shocked, expecting Minos to be like most normal men.

Even men in the highest positions who had been taught etiquette their whole lives couldn't help but slightly ogle at her, meanwhile Minos was seemingly unaffected.

Her opinion of him immediately raised, her hopes rising as she believed Minos may truly be worthy of being a friend.

As an artist herself, she loved discussing everything related to it, but unfortunately, most men were too focused on her appearance, sometimes even falling in love with her, making it hard to find a confidante.

Not to mention other women were incredibly envious of her beauty, making it impossible to form friendships with them either.

At the end of the day, she was quite lonely, so seeing Minos was like a spark in the dark, giving her hope.

"You must be the musician who played that song from before?" She finally asked, still maintaining a superior attitude.