The Incandescent Blade (1)
Unknown to most. A tomb, to the rest.
Most people had no idea the place even existed. Those who did simply thought of it as a grave.
But here—
"Whoa, isn't that a coffin?"
"A coffin? This is a treasure vault."
"Wait, you crazy ba—"
Crack!
"...stard."
"Ohhh. Nice ring."
—countless treasures lay buried.
The Vulcanus family wasn't founded by a knight. It was founded by a blacksmith.
In the age the world now called antiquity, every head of the house had made their name as a master craftsman. The weapons they forged, however, were so powerful that a worthy master almost never appeared — and so, hoping one day someone would, they carried those arms into their own coffins with them.
Crack! Crunch! Snap!
"Daaamn. Look at the sheen on this blade."
Even Vulkan probably doesn't know about this.
The records of antiquity had vanished long ago, and even if any survived, they'd only be fragments. To confirm the existence of these ancient armaments, you'd have to pry open your own ancestors' coffins.
Desecrate the graves of your forebears.
What kind of lunatic would do that?
That was the sort of thing you had to be careful about — extra, extra careful — even back in the Korea I used to live in.
So I've got no choice.
I'd just have to rob the graves and put it all to use myself.
"Not here, though."
Only after smashing my way through dozens of perfectly intact coffins did I finally straighten up.
"Were you speaking of your conscience, perchance?"
Click.
"GYAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
I shone a light orb into the face of the evil spirit running his mouth, then sank down onto the floor.
"So where the hell is it?"
Among all these ancient armaments, there was only one I was looking for.
The Incandescent Blade.
A masterpiece among masterpieces, one of the few true wonders in the world, forged by the founding patriarch of Vulcanus. Lost now, surviving only as the name of a Vulcanus family attack technique — a legendary sword.
And—
The beloved blade of Rania from the original story.
The key that had allowed the original Rania to surpass even Vivian and become a hero in her own right. Of course, it was more that she'd blossomed only after trials worthy of that result — but now that very Vivian was her master.
Anyway. For Rania to claim the name of a hero, she absolutely needed the Incandescent Blade.
Especially with the flow of events as tangled as it is now.
Before long, the unknown episode called the Rank Assessment Exam would unfold, and after that the main episode — the cult's assault — would follow on its heels. She could end up in danger the way she'd nearly died facing Haviel this time, which meant I had to make her stronger, and fast.
So think.
How had the original Rania found the Incandescent Blade and come to carry it?
I closed my eyes.
In the original, Rania discovered the Incandescent Blade right after her family was massacred. While laying the bodies to rest in the family heads' tomb, she fulfilled a certain condition.
What was that condition again...?
I was turning it over quietly behind closed lids when the spirit of darkness started making a racket.
"L-Lord Death of Death?"
"..."
"I-I think you need to get up?"
I tried to ignore him and keep concentrating, but—
"LORD DEATH OF DEATH!!! H-HAAAAAH!! L-LORD DEATH OF DEEEEATH!!!"
—he was so loud it was a lost cause.
"Ah, for fuck's sake, as long as it's nothing maj—"
I opened my eyes as I said it, and—
"Hey, Eugene."
"Oh. Nothing major, right on cue."
"?"
A pair of light-violet eyes met mine.
"You use spirits too?"
"That's not a spirit I know."
"You son of a—!!"
"Quiet."
"Ghk!"
Vivian, who had rolled the evil spirit up in her fist, crouched down in front of me and asked,
"What are you doing here?"
Translation: Why did you smash every coffin in someone else's secret graveyard to pieces?
No sooner had the question left her mouth than the choices appeared.
"Vivian."
"What."
"Wanna see some badass weapons?"
"?"
Obviously number three.
Clatter—!
I gave the piled-up armaments a nudge, and the whole heap tumbled toward her. There was no need for a long explanation.
"What's so special about—"
"Whoa."
The moment she picked one up, Vivian's eyes lit with a brilliant light.
Whip, grab. Whip, grab. Whip, grab.
With lightning-fast hands she checked every last weapon in the pile, then turned back to me.
"What is this?"
"Weapons."
"I know that. What are they."
A menacing aura rolled off her, as if to say don't make me ask twice.
Well. Nothing else for it now.
I opened my mouth with a sigh.
"Last night, in a dream, the departed founding patriarch of the Vulcanus family appeared before me."
"?"
If anyone ever asked, How the hell did you know something like that? — well, the only natural answer in the world was, Ah, fuck if I know, a dream told meee.
I steadied my breathing, filled my lungs to the brim, and opened my mouth.
"He said that in his own tomb countless ancient armaments lie buried having never seen the light of day so I should take them out and use them for the good of the world and by the way among them there's one called the Incandescent Blade and I absolutely have to give that one to Rania and I can keep the rest and if anyone other than me takes them an ancient curse will make all their hair fall out or something like that anyway it's true he was so adamant that even if they're sold I have to be the one selling them and even if they're given as gifts I have to be the one giving them he really hammered that nail in so if you're curious you can go ahead and pick one up I guess but there's still no magic that grows hair back is there anyway take a look if you want but don't blame me."
Hah. Hah. Hah.
The result of dumping all that out without a single change in expression:
"...Uh. Well. Yeah. Okay."
Vivian quietly set the weapon in her hand back on the floor.
"So, to summarize. You found out about the ancient armaments because of a dream."
"Yes."
"The founder said only you were allowed to use them."
"Yes."
"And among them, the one called the Incandescent Blade is supposed to be handed over to Rania."
"Yes."
As expected of the strongest being in the world. I'd poured all of that out at that speed, and she hadn't missed a single syllable.
"...Ancient curse. Touch it and you go bald."
Vivian dusted off her hands and added,
"Shame."
"About what."
"Those weapons. If I could've analyzed them, I could've gotten even stronger."
My mind spun.
What if I lent them to Vivian?
Her skill — already outrageous — would grow exponentially. And that wasn't all. She'd be in my debt, which would make her even easier to handle than she was now. Being able to manage Tyrant Vivian, with even more to squeeze out of the arrangement besides.
Now that's making my mouth water.
The moment the calculation finished, I smiled.
"Then they're yours."
"?"
"I told you, didn't I? Even if they're sold, I have to be the one selling them. Even if they're given as gifts, I have to be the one giving them. And even if they're lent out, I have to be the one lending them. So I'll lend them to you."
Vivian's brow furrowed, just a little.
"Why you."
"Come now, we're just helping each other out — does there need to be a reason? Keheheh."
"Suspicious."
"Heeey. What's a nobody like me going to pull even if I am suspicious? One flick to the forehead from you and I'm clocking out for good."
"...That's true."
A smile spread across Vivian's face.
"Then I'm taking them?"
"But of course. Take every last one."
No sooner had permission left my mouth than Vivian's pocket yawned wide open.
Spatial storage?
Gonna have to steal that too.
"...Good material."
Just as the ancient armaments forged by generations of master smiths were about to vanish into the open spatial storage—
"Stop!!"
"?"
"There's one condition."
"What."
I snatched up a dagger.
Scratch, scrape, scratch.
I sketched out the Incandescent Blade as I'd seen it in the original's illustrations, then held it up for her.
"Find this for me."
Vivian nodded at once.
"Poop."
"It's a sword."
"...A poop-sword?"
"Argh."
She didn't seem to be getting it at all, so I added detail after detail to the sketch, but—
"A penis fish."
"It's a sword."
"An elephant trunk."
"It's a sword."
"■?"
"Yikes. That one's gonna need a mosaic."
Every last attempt came to nothing. Realizing I'd have no choice but to find it myself, I waved her off.
"Haaah... forget it. Just go on up."
"Okay."
I was about to send the intruder on her way when—
"Eugene."
"What is it."
"I'm heading up now."
"Yes. Watch your step."
"No, I mean..."
Vivian hesitated, already turned away, and added,
"Want me to stall?"
It was her way of saying yes to what I was doing. It'd be a problem if you got caught, right? No matter what I was up to, she was offering to cover for me.
I huffed a quiet laugh.
"Are you sure that's all right?"
Her face didn't change as she added,
"You've got a reason, I'm sure."
It made me happier than I'd expected — having someone who would trust you, who would say yes to you, no matter what you did.
"I'll take you up on that."
"Okay."
The moment the words left her, she was gone.
Either way, that takes care of the time problem.
I'd been worried the search was running long enough to get me caught. A stroke of luck, all things considered.
But it's still tight.
Vivian was one of those people who couldn't tell a lie. From the moment she was born until now, she had always been overwhelmingly strong — so strong she'd never had reason to learn why lying might be necessary.
Meaning if her story went even slightly off-script?
She'd only look more suspicious. So I'd stopped myself from getting caught here and now — but I might have set myself up for an even bigger misunderstanding.
Which means find it fast and get out.
I picked up the sword I'd tossed on the ground and was heading for the other family heads' gravestones when—
"This guy's a total lunatic."
"AOH SHIT YOU SCARED ME!!"
Something appeared in front of my face out of nowhere. I identified it immediately.
"Good to meet you, interesting human."
A spirit.
"I am Agni."
"Would you sit still, you little shit!!"
Whack!
"NYEEK!!!!"
I swatted the nuisance aside and was trying to remember what I'd missed when—
"Um... Lord Death of Death...?"
"What, you recovered already?"
"You didn't hit me in the first place."
"Then?"
"The one you just hit..."
"...is the Fire Spirit King."
"...Huh?"