The Finest Weapon
I made the rounds of every shop in Kubel, hoping to find some piece of equipment that might solve my runaway mana problem. I hit the weaponsmiths and a handful of general stores besides, leaving none of them unchecked. Curious whether a potion might do the trick, I even paid a visit to Rian's refinery.
"It's not theoretically impossible," he said, "but a potion's effects aren't permanent. And taking something that interferes with the mana inside your body over a long period... I don't think that would do you any favors."
After hearing Rian's opinion, I dropped the potion idea without a second thought. Even if a draught could temporarily bring my mana under control, the price would have been ruinous — and long-term use apparently came with side effects of its own.
The weaponsmiths and general stores were no more helpful. There were quality swords to be had, and bracelets that offered a faint boost to physical strength, but anything with a truly powerful enchantment apparently never made it onto the open market.
Isn't there someone who would actually know about this kind of thing?
The name that flashed to mind was Algot, the Guild Master. She had asked me some rather loaded questions about demons not long ago, which still sat uneasily with me — but I didn't know anyone else who might be well-versed in this sort of field. I figured that as long as I was asking about equipment, I might as well consult her about the runaway mana while I was at it, and headed for the guild.
The moment I arrived, I put in a request through Tina to see the Guild Master. Algot was in her office, as always. She must have been in the middle of something, because I had to wait a good thirty minutes before I was allowed in.
"We've been seeing quite a lot of each other lately. What brings you in today?"
Algot asked the question from behind her desk, looking me over without getting up.
"I was hoping I could pick your brain about something."
I explained the situation: that I could no longer control my mana, and that I was looking for a piece of equipment that might help me keep it in check.
"You're having trouble controlling your mana?"
"Mana Conversion itself is fine, and so is channeling mana into a sword. The problem starts when I try to use any technique that actually releases it outward. That's when it stops listening to me."
"Hmm..."
Algot stared at me with an expression I couldn't read. After a moment, she spoke.
"I once heard of a mage who was researching mana amplification and ended up with the mana in his body running wild. Your symptoms might be similar."
"What happened to him?"
"He was swallowed by one of his own runaway spells. There wasn't even a body left."
That was not the ending I had been hoping for. So even that mage never found a solution — and he died to his own magic besides? A chill ran down my spine at the thought that I might be headed for the same fate.
"It isn't that he never found a method," Algot continued. "He used a rare ore called Dragonite to craft a staff that suppressed the runaway mana. He put his full faith in that staff and started casting freely — until the Dragonite, which had been holding the surge in check all that time, finally reached the end of its lifespan and shattered without warning. That's how it happened."
"Dragonite... so if I used a sword made from the same ore, I might be able to control my mana again?"
"That's something you'd have to try and find out. You aren't a mage, after all."
Even so, if there was a chance, it was worth taking. At this rate I would be stuck as a half-finished adventurer for the rest of my life, never able to use a proper mana technique. Of course, I could still use those techniques in situations where no allies would get caught in the blast — but after hearing about the mage who blew himself apart with his own spell, even that prospect had grown a little frightening. If a burst of Sword Qi or flame ran wild and took me with it, that would be nothing short of blowing myself up.
Well. When I had trained alone on the beach, there hadn't been any sign of things going that far. Maybe I should be grateful I wasn't a mage.
"Where can I get this Dragonite?"
"Is the control problem really that severe?"
"Well... somewhat, yes."
"Mages are always doing strange things with their mana, so I could understand it from one of them. But it's rather curious that you'd be having the same trouble, Yunoa. How bad is it, exactly?"
"Bad enough that once I release the mana, it no longer distinguishes between friend and foe."
"Hmm. I doubt it's something you ate..."
Algot seemed genuinely intrigued that my symptoms resembled a mage's mana surge. I could have told her what had happened in Einblad and given her the actual cause, but I chose not to. There was no telling how volunteering too much information might come back around later.
"I'd like to try every option available to me. If you could tell me where to find the ore, I'd appreciate it. And if you happen to know a skilled blacksmith, an introduction would be welcome as well."
"That's quite a list of requests. Information has a price, you know."
"...Is that a no?"
"Not at all. I just find this rather entertaining."
Algot smiled faintly. She had helped me a great deal over the months, but there were still times I couldn't tell what was going on behind those eyes. What exactly was so amusing about this?
The smile stayed in place as she looked me straight in the eye.
"Do you know why Dragonite is called Dragonite?"
"I don't."
"Because it's the ore that forms around a dragon's heart."
"A... a dragon?"
I was at a loss for words. Dragons were supposed to be extraordinarily powerful creatures, weren't they? I had encountered a Worm Dragon in the Demon Realm — a knockoff with a face that was nothing but a mouth — but I had never seen the real thing.
"Heh. That reaction is delightful."
"So that mage extracted Dragonite from a dragon's heart and made his staff from it?"
"It is a dragon, but not the kind you're imagining. A great many monsters have 'dragon' in their names, and plenty of them don't even look the part. Dragonite comes from the heart of a Steelheart Dragon. It's a fair distance from a true dragon."
"...You had me going there."
So it was another knockoff, like the Worm Dragon. I was starting to get the distinct impression that Algot had been feeding me the information in carefully misleading pieces just to watch me squirm.
"It's still a difficult opponent for a Silver Rank adventurer. And you aren't a mage besides. Dragonite suppresses mana, which makes it useless to most adventurers — and given where it comes from, you can't simply buy it, no matter how much money you have."
"Is it that strong?"
"It's durable. Extremely."
That was a curiously hedged answer.
"Even so, I need that Dragonite."
"Is that so. In that case..."
Worn down by my persistence, Algot gave me the name of the mountain where Steelheart Dragons were known to appear. She even used the continental map hanging on her office wall to point out the location for me.
Mount Aldera. Judging by the distance, it would take several days of travel east from Kubel to get there.
"This would be the nearest habitat. There's a small settlement at the foot of the mountain called Hilda Village — you can make your preparations there and then start the climb."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
I offered my thanks and stood to leave. I was almost out the door when Algot called me back.
"Yunoa."
I stopped and turned. She smiled at me, bright and easy.
"That means you owe me one. Understood?"
Then she winked, light as anything. Truly, there was no reading this woman.
Armed with Algot's information on the Steelheart Dragon, I boarded a carriage and set out east without delay. According to the map, the region around Mount Aldera was about as rural as it got. The distance was considerable, and the fare I paid the driver reflected it. Without the savings I had built up from adventuring, even covering the cost of the ride would have stung.
"Still... are you sure about this? It's not like you're coming along on a commission."
I glanced sideways at Silphy, who was sharing the two-person carriage seat with me, and asked the question with genuine puzzlement. She had happened to overhear that I was heading out to hunt a Steelheart Dragon for its Dragonite, and had immediately latched on with a Then I'm coming too!
"If I follow you, Senior, my experience as an adventurer goes up! Whenever an opportunity like this comes along, I have to go and watch and learn!"
"I'm not sure I have anything worth learning from. Besides, you're a Silver Rank adventurer yourself. Don't you have your own commissions?"
"Well..."
Silphy hesitated, her gaze sliding off to the side. What's this reaction about?
"Ah... haha... of course! I'm taking commissions properly! Don't worry about that!"
"There's no pay on this one, so you don't have to go out of your way to help."
"Ah — right...!"
"If things start looking dangerous, look after yourself first."
Coming along was her choice, but I would feel awful if she got hurt just because she was standing next to me. So I made a point of telling her to put her own safety first. Still, I had to admit I wasn't lonely with her here. Shari the ghost was perched on my head, but she wasn't exactly a conversation partner.
I was watching the scenery roll by when my eye caught on the daggers at Silphy's waist.
"Silphy, where did you buy those daggers?"
"Hm? Oh! These? I bought them with the first money I ever earned as an adventurer. At the time I thought that using a good weapon would help me get further in this line of work, so I bought the most expensive pair I could afford."
"Oh, so they were pricey."
"Yes... I wasn't even Silver Rank yet, so I spent every last coin I had. I ended up fasting for days afterward..."
She ran her fingers along the dagger's hilt as she spoke.
"That must have been rough."
"Ah! But then I saw you, Senior, and I realized a good weapon isn't everything. You do just fine as an adventurer with a completely ordinary sword... A true craftsman doesn't choose his tools! That's what I want to learn from you. I really look up to that!"
Her words lodged in my chest like a thorn. No, that's a misunderstanding... I wanted a good weapon too. I had just never gotten around to thinking about replacing mine. And right now I was literally on my way to find ore for a new one...
Silphy was looking at me with eyes that shone. The respect on her face was completely sincere. Faced with an expression like that, there was no need to go shattering the illusion.
"Haha... right..."
I turned back to the passing scenery with an awkward smile.