The Regular Exchange (3)
"A demonic sword, I see."
Kito had approached Leon’s side at some point and was now examining the wooden sword with him. She spoke in a low voice.
"Demonic sword?"
"I cannot examine it closely either, but that bizarre flow of mana swirling around the blade… it can only be a demonic sword."
Leon’s face hardened at her words. In his experience, weapons known as demonic swords almost always inflicted some harmful effect on their owners—driving them mad with bloodlust, perhaps, or binding their souls in a contract.
While Leon frowned at the wooden sword, the pale brown surface of the already split blade peeled away with a soft thud. What emerged beneath was a wooden sword of a far deeper, darker brown.
"…."
Leon stared blankly, head tilting to one side. Was this disappointment? Relief? A strange emptiness settled over him. When he turned to Kito, she averted her gaze and muttered.
"…It is a demonic sword."
"…."
"Its true form simply hasn’t revealed itself yet. Pick it up."
Leon had been reaching out cautiously to grasp the hilt when he paused. On a hunch, he prodded the sword with basic telekinesis instead.
"Huh?"
He had only tried because touching it felt repulsive, yet the sword—which had refused to budge before—now floated gently in the air at his will.
Something really has changed.
Leon planted the sword back into the ground and cast an identification spell. No information appeared.
It’s not that it has no abilities… the identification magic simply doesn’t work on it?
That seemed the most logical conclusion.
"……It is definitely a demonic sword."
At the abrupt certainty, Leon glanced over. Kito was shaking her gray-feathered head from side to side.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Just now, when you stabbed it into the ground. I felt an unusual wave of mana."
"A wave?"
"A very unpleasant sensation… Because it was embedded in the earth, I couldn’t discern its exact power, but…"
Kito muttered with a grave expression, as though measuring something unseen. Leon listened quietly, then lifted the wooden sword once more and floated it into the air. Slowly, he guided it toward Kito.
"…What do you think you’re doing?"
"You said you weren’t sure."
"So you intend to experiment on this body?"
"We don’t have any other options. If you press it against your body, won’t we know for certain? It’s still just a wooden sword. That much should be harmless, right?"
Kito stared at him in silence. Under that gaze, Leon abandoned his curiosity.
"If it seems like it would endanger you, then I won’t."
He would simply have to learn its nature by using it himself. Whether he could afford to wield an unknown weapon in a life-or-death battle was another question entirely.
"Very well. I was growing irritated by your lack of spirit anyway. If I tell you to pick it up, just pick it up. Why must you suspect everything…"
"That’s what you were upset about? Don’t you think your grudge is lasting a bit long?"
"You are in no position to lecture me."
Kito’s expression remained largely unchanged, yet the look on her face suggested that—if she had been human—she would have clicked her tongue in disapproval.
Leon studied her healthy complexion for a moment.
"Though I called it an unpleasant sensation, it is not strong enough to threaten this body. Touching it briefly should be fine."
Her face looked strangely triumphant. Without hesitation, Leon pressed the wooden sword lightly against her.
"Kuk…"
Kito’s massive frame twitched. When there was no further reaction, Leon poked her again.
"Khuk… Stop that."
"…."
Leon pretended not to hear and leveled the tip of the sword at her once more.
"I told you to stop!"
"…."
Finally, Kito rose with her enormous body. Yet evading the sword with such a huge form was nearly impossible. Realizing this, her entire frame suddenly flared with brilliant light. The massive glow began to shrink rapidly, condensing until it was no larger than thirty centimeters. The tiny orb of light nimbly dodged the wooden sword and darted in front of Leon. The radiance faded, revealing Kito’s true appearance.
Leon muttered in a daze.
"Female…?"
"Uahaha! You only realize it now?"
The creature he had assumed was a monstrous bird had transformed into a woman with long, flowing gray hair. Her hands resting on her waist were unmistakably human, yet a slight shift in angle revealed the gray feathers covering the backs of her arms. The front of her body resembled a small, fairy-like woman, while the rear retained the feathered form of a half-beast.
Kito flapped her gray wings and zipped erratically through the air before Leon’s eyes. A sense of betrayal washed over him.
"You could use magic…?"
Kito’s movements froze midair.
"…Are you accusing this body of shirking its duties even after fully recovering?"
When Leon nodded, Kito gave an indignant snort.
"You have not yet found the core, have you? Polymorph is a magic that naturally awakens in beings like us once a spirit dwells within."
"In other words, you can use magic now."
Otherwise she could have polymorphed and escaped the moment she was shackled.
"Aah, using magic so suddenly makes my head spin…"
Kito fluttered her wings, attempting to land on Leon’s shoulder. He jerked his shoulder aside. For someone complaining of dizziness, her complexion looked far too vibrant.
Well, if I had slept for forty years, even I would look well-rested…
He felt no envy. Living without worry or responsibility might be a blessing for some, but it had nothing to do with him. If she continued to laze about while he pushed her to grow stronger, he would have no qualms sending her back to her original world and ensuring she could never use her legs again.
Still… it is irritating.
Leon regarded her with coldly narrowed eyes. Kito floated in front of him again.
"Ahem. Are you not curious about the demonic sword’s ability?"
"What is it? Tell me."
"It disrupts the flow of mana."
"Disrupts?"
"It disturbs the mana of any opponent the sword touches. A mage would suffer interference the moment they tried to manifest a spell."
Leon fell into thought at the unexpected power. A practical way to use it in combat had already flashed through his mind.
***
Arpina sat in one of the highest seats of the vast circular arena. Beside her was a mage whose hairline had receded dramatically, occupying a position slightly closer to the center. In the Tower Master’s absence, the bald man—Berford—had assumed the role of acting Tower Master. He had done so ever since abandoning his training and returning.
The gap between their realms was not large, but Arpina had found the responsibility tiresome, so the authority had passed naturally to Berford. He had accepted it without protest, as though it were only right.
"We lost…"
Berford let out a quiet sigh.
"It would have been stranger if we had won."
Arpina’s tone was casual, making it unclear whether she spoke to him or simply to herself.
In the twenty years since Arpina had settled here, the Widia faction had consistently ranked between fourth and fifth among the eight factions. With Raidra obsessed solely with his own training, the result was inevitable.
None of the eight Tower Masters could claim overwhelmingly superior skill. All stood at roughly the same Beginner Insight level. The only difference was that the others had abandoned personal ambition to focus on their duties, while Raidra still clung to his obsession.
It was only natural that mages would flock to the tower that steadily revised grimoires with Insight-class magic and published cutting-edge research.
Berford, who shared that view, bore his own share of responsibility.
"Ahem… It is still only the first day. There is no need to lose heart just yet…"
Pretending not to have heard Arpina, Berford gazed across the arena where multiple duels were underway. His voice still carried lingering hope.
It might have seemed odd for a Mystery-rank mage to grow so agitated over Apprentice-level matches, yet no one around them found his attitude strange. The rewards for taking first place were simply that valuable.
The priority right to explore ruins is certainly tempting.
Yet Arpina had already given up. Watching the other disciples accumulate defeat after defeat—excluding Rowen and Lia—she could already predict the outcome of the coming bouts.
If the rule allowed the winner to continue fighting, things might have been different.
According to tournament regulations, each faction’s disciples could enter the arena only once. They could compete again only when the opposing faction changed. After every faction had faced one another once, the final rankings would be decided.
Arpina had been quietly admiring Lia’s overwhelming talent—she had not lost a single match—when her thoughts naturally drifted to the girl’s childhood friend.
If that boy had been here, could we have claimed a few more victories?
She had heard he remained shut inside the training room. Arpina shook her head.
He will come when he is ready.
Possessing three-attribute talent and still devoting himself so relentlessly to training was no small feat, hidden methods or not.
I really should find such diligence admirable…
Arpina was not the sort to dismiss sincere effort. So why did she feel this inexplicable sense of annoyance?
She recalled the strangely confident light in Leon’s eyes—the look of someone who had already chosen a clear path for himself.
He has…
"Lady Arpina."
The quiet call from the female mage sitting beside her pulled Arpina from her thoughts.
"What is it?"
"Have you prepared your remarks for the meeting?"
"That is Berford’s responsibility."
"Ah, I had heard he stopped training. It seems he has fully committed to his duties now."
"He has enjoyed his self-indulgence long enough. It is about time he suffered a little."
"Still, surely you have something you wish to say? About the recent disturbances involving the Black Tower, for instance…"
Arpina pondered for a moment before answering.
"After the commotion Raidra caused, we don’t really have much to add…"
"I see."
The woman muttered as if convinced, yet lingering questions remained on her face. Noticing this, Arpina asked.
"Is something wrong?"
"Well… it is nothing. We received information that black mages affiliated with Tenelon had established a base near Widia. But if Lord Raidra has already intervened, it must have been outdated intelligence."
Arpina frowned at the faint, unpleasant feeling that lingered in her chest.
Was there any word about dealing with the Tenelon mages…?