“I truly feel it’s fate that you’re dating a Fallen Angel,” the President said, with a wry smile and an air of resignation.
“Listen carefully. What I’m about to show you is just a partial glimpse, something I haven’t even shown Evia. You absolutely must not tell anyone else,” the President emphasized, quickly dropping his resigned expression.
The fact that the President felt the need to stress this so much suggested it was a highly important secret.
I had no intention of telling anyone, nor did I feel any need to.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Well, normally I would conduct a contract spell for a vow, but that would leave traces. I don’t want to leave any traces behind.”
The President’s words instilled a sense of trust in me, making me even more determined not to betray him. I swore I would carry this secret to my grave. Even if I were resurrected as an Undead, I would remain silent until my destruction.
With that thought in mind, I nodded.
Satisfied with my reaction, the President activated a spatial magic spell. As someone contracted with Valse-san, I recognized the unique magical wavelength of such spells. I needed to be sensitive to magic activations due to the security of this Dungeon Core, but since the President had no reason to destroy this space, I waited to see what would appear.
He then took out a sword-like object wrapped in cloth.
“This looks quite old,” I said.
“Ah, it has no value as a weapon now. Rather, it’s an antique that has served its purpose as a weapon.” Removing the cloth, which itself exuded a sense of age, was not like something left forgotten in a warehouse for years, but rather something carefully maintained, yet dulled by the relentless march of time.
The President gently peeled away the cloth. And what emerged from within was…
“That is…”
“Yes, it’s exactly what you were expecting.”
Pure white. That was the first impression that flashed through my mind, followed by its elegance. Unlike the aged cloth, the blade was so pristine it seemed ready for active duty. It was a weapon shaped with practicality in mind, avoiding excessive ornamentation. And from its blade emanated a faint magic of light.
“A Holy Sword,” I stated.
“Ah, indeed. A weapon created to slay the Demon Lord, wielded by the Heroes of Isal. An artificial weapon that uses human souls as a vessel. It is a Holy Sword.”
A weapon meant to kill the Demon Lord, now in the hands of the Demon Lord. Faced with such a paradox, I didn’t question why. I remembered Instructor Fushio mentioning that the President had spoken with descendants of the Demon Lord and Heroes.
“President, this Holy Sword?”
The question was what kind of Holy Sword it was. It was different from the Holy Sword the President had used before. In a way, Holy Swords were deeply connected to the Demon Lord’s Army, being weapons created to kill the Demon Lord. If they had fought wars many times in the past, it wouldn’t be strange for them to have captured one or two Holy Swords. There had been a Holy Sword during the recent company attack as well. This one was different from that captured item, but it wasn’t impossible for there to be more.
Then, just as I found myself about to dismiss the question as pointless, I realized something.
“No, it was a pointless question.”
“Ahaha, no, it’s not a pointless question. It’s a natural question, and the answer you’ve likely come to, Jin’ō, is incorrect.”
Feeling a doubt, or rather a sense of incongruity, in our exchange, the President, sensing my unease, completely removed the cloth that had served as its sheath, revealing the Holy Sword in its entirety, and then turned the hilt towards me.
“Try holding it.”
“…”
“Don’t worry, the soul of this Holy Sword died out hundreds of years ago. It’s proof that I can hold it without any problems.”
I hesitated for a moment before accepting the Holy Sword offered to me. Seeing my fleeting hesitation, the President gently brought the hilt closer to me, saying it was fine. Trusting his words, I took hold of the hilt.
“It’s surprisingly light,” I remarked.
“The core of its material is Mithril and Orichalcum, which is why it’s light.”
The sensation of holding it was surprisingly ordinary. It was a weapon within the scope of a typical longsword, so I expected it to be heavier, but with materials like Orichalcum, known for its lightness and sturdiness among fantasy metals, and Mithril, which enhances magical effects and is also light, it made sense.
“However, it feels too light for me.”
“Your own weapon is longer than this Holy Sword.”
“Haha, it’s practically a Great Sword.”
Still, the sensation of its weight was, to me, perhaps a little too light. While a lighter weapon has the advantage of being easier to swing and less tiring, conversely, it can lead to being overpowered by the impact and weight in a clash, resulting in being outmatched. If the goal is speed and increasing the number of attacks, lighter is better, but if power is sought, a certain amount of weight is desirable. Honestly, with my stats, a weight of around ten kilograms is almost negligible. It’s not as if a lighter sword will drastically increase its speed; the difference would be negligible, perhaps a thousandth of a second. If I were fighting someone of Instructor level in terms of skill, that difference might matter, but at that level, power is more important than speed.
“I know it might not suit your preferences, but please bear with it this time. It will be your lifeline when operating in Chaos.”
As someone who favored Ore Trees, which are shaped like one-edged swords, wielding a double-edged longsword would be rather inconvenient. “Even a great artist needs good tools,” as the saying goes, but I believe having specific weapon preferences is also necessary for becoming stronger. However, if the President claims it’s necessary to rescue Instructor Fushio, I have no hesitation in using it.
“I understand, but are you going to have Himik use this Holy Sword?”
Based on the President’s words, it seemed the plan was for me to go rescue the instructor. There was no problem with that in itself. If asked to do it, I would readily agree.
“No, I want her to revive the functions of this Holy Sword.”
“Functions?”
However, the idea of Himik accompanying me on that rescue mission brought about considerable, no, significant resistance. She was a Seraph, and although she currently worked like a housekeeper, handling all domestic chores, her combat power was among the top in the world. While it might be difficult for her to be in the top five, she was certainly capable of aiming for it. If I asked her to help rescue the instructor, she would readily agree with a smile, saying, “Leave it to me.” Her abilities and personality were both impeccable.
But selfishly, I didn’t want her, who created a peaceful home for me by handling cooking and laundry, to face danger. My desire to shield her from harm must have caused a slight hint of aversion to creep into my voice when I spoke of wielding this Holy Sword.
The President, with a wry smile, negated my words and gently pointed at the Holy Sword, requesting that it be temporarily usable.
“You know, the performance of a Holy Sword changes depending on the soul of the person who became its material. While the material tends to solidify into attributes like Holy or Light, fundamentally, the power comes from the skills that soul possessed being imbued into the weapon.”
“Yes.”
Though it was called a Holy Sword, I felt its essence was far from holy, but there was no need to point that out now. I readily acknowledged the strength of a Holy Sword and its capabilities.
“The function of this Holy Sword is proteção. It specializes in protecting the wielder from all manner of malice and ill will. The strength of its defense is proven by the fact that it protected its wielder, a Hero of that era, from the countless attacks of the Demon Lord, whom they eventually defeated.”
“It’s a sword, but it’s specialized in defense?”
“Isn’t it interesting? It carries a function that should be bound to armor or a shield. But conversely, it implies that the Hero of that time was so powerful they didn’t need to add offensive capabilities.”
I also understood the reason for trying to revive the Holy Sword’s functions.
“…This Holy Sword would be fine even in Chaos?”
“Ah, the Demon Lord of that era was a magic-specialized type, like Nōraifu. Their trump card was Chaos Magic, and I heard it was unfazed by those attacks.”
A Holy Sword that enhances defense is, in a way, a perfect weapon. Especially if it has a legend of being effective against Chaos.
“Can it be fixed?”
“Ah, with the power of a Seraph, there’s a good possibility. If not, we’ll consider another method.”
“If you say so, President, it means using this Holy Sword is the most probable method.”
“Precisely. Honestly, if we were to pursue other methods, I’d rather we find a way for Nōraifu to return on their own.”
If the method with the highest probability available to the President was there, I had no choice but to go along with it.
“President, may I ask a question that might stir up trouble?”
However, precisely because of that, a point of concern arose. Why was this Holy Sword something the President considered a matter of absolute secrecy? While it was indeed strange for the Demon Lord to possess a Holy Sword, that was merely an external perception. I didn’t think there was anything inherently wrong with possessing a single weapon. Based on what I had heard so far, there was nothing suspicious. Yet, the President stated that this Holy Sword was something that should be kept secret.
“Ah, as long as it’s within my ability to answer.”
That was what bothered me. Curiosity could kill a cat, and perhaps it was better not to ask, but my intuition whispered that I should.
“Whose Holy Sword is this?”
Therefore, I posed this question to the President. I half-expected him not to answer, but the other half of me desperately wished he would.
“It’s my grandmother’s Holy Sword. And the soul hidden within that Holy Sword is my grandmother’s younger sister.”
“That means…”
I had assumed there was a reason for him to keep it a secret, but I never expected this.
“As you know from Nōraifu, I am a descendant of a Hero. Though he probably didn’t go into detail. To be precise, I am the child of the mother born between the Demon Lord who fought my grandmother and my grandmother.”
“A descendant of a Hero and a Demon Lord’s child… I heard it in passing back then, but… is it alright for you to tell me this?”
“Ah, if this Holy Sword is revived, it will be revealed anyway. There’s no problem.”
I had heard from the instructor that he was the same existence as Carter Isperio, but I had treated it as a rather taboo topic and hadn’t touched upon it. “It’s not an unspoken rule, but those who know, know. However, it’s not exactly well-received by the public. If my noble lineage, being related to the Heroes who oppose me, were to become known to the world, what would the nobles say?”
Even after revealing such important information, the President only shushed me with a finger, as if to emphasize keeping it a secret.
“Ah, yes. One more thing: my grandmother and the Demon Lord conceived my mother out of love. It wasn’t forced, like Carter Isperio’s situation. My grandmother, who was tormented by the unreasonable Demon Lord subjugation attempts by those from Isal, with her relatives held hostage, was ‘defeated,’ and then protected.”
“Wait, that’s a lot of information. Also, why do you need to tell me all of this?”
“Now that I’ve told you this much, there’s no need to hide it anymore. I’m telling you this because I trust you, so please ensure that this spirit keeps quiet too.”
His attitude made it seem like he was lying, but there was no reason for him to lie here. And the secret wasn’t the facts themselves, but rather the fact that the President himself revealed them.
“I’ve only told Raidou and Nōraifu about this, and now you are added to that group. I believe you understand what kind of trust this signifies.”
It could be called an unspoken fact. Even if objectively proven, there was no definitive evidence, and now, that evidence was being revealed.
“I understand.”
Although I felt a slight sense of anticlimax for a secret, I felt compelled to keep it because it was the President who told me. I nodded, and then I saw Valse-san listening behind me, and she gave a casual wave, signaling her understanding. Given her nature, never saying unnecessary words, she would not publicize this, as she did not wish for the country to be thrown into turmoil.
“Good. Now that I’ve explained the situation, could you call your wife? Time is precious.”
“Yes, understood.”
With this, preparations to rescue the instructor could be made. For now, I could accept that.
Today’s word: Gaining new options is a good thing.
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