Bilhah watched as Leroy dropped his sword. He had pulled it out of the sheath, let out an undignified yelp, and now it was on the ground. His breathing was hard and he looked frazzled. “I think Jethro sold me a cursed sword,” he said.

She looked at him derisively and picked up the sword from off the ground. A loud booming laugh echoed throughout her head. “Did you see his face?” the voice said between gasping breaths. It seemed to be trying to stop laughing. It was failing.

“You’re an ego sword aren’t you?” she asked while giving the sword her best gold glare. To her annoyance, both the boy and the sword reacted at the same time. “Who’s an ego what now?” Leroy asked, clearly confused enough to have forgotten proper grammar. Meanwhile the sword devolved into an even greater fit of raucous laughter. “Yes, HAHA. Yes I am. The name’s Topor, Ronald Topor. What’s a pretty little thing like you doing with a kid like him? Tell me your name and let us run away together. I will be your protector and your lover…” She didn’t hear the rest because she dropped it in the dirt. Her cold glare morphing into a look of thinly veiled disgust.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

Leroy still looked confused, and it seemed like he was about to open his mouth to say something, so she cut him off. “Your sword is intelligent and was just trying to amuse itself. Pay it no mind.” She would have preferred to have an intelligent traveling partner, but she would have to make due with what she had. She had made sort of a challenge for herself. A challenge to keep Leroy as quiet as possible. Mostly because she found his voice annoying. Also because she didn’t want to feel compelled to look at his ugly face. His deep red eyes and alabaster locks made her head swim and his lips made her want to do something stupid like kiss him.

“Wait what?”

She knew that couldn't be right. She couldn't remember the last time she had been distracted by a man before. She usually prided herself on her superhuman mental control. Somehow Leroy had broken through all of that. She needed to know how he had done that. She was deeply suspicious. She wanted to find out what he had done so she could defend against it in the future. She scowled deeper to mask any surprise that might have leaked through her demeanor.

The Idiot Leroy probably thought that question was meant for him, because in the next moment he responded, “What?”

She shook her head to clear it, “Idiot.”