The Proposal
The moment I spoke Cheonryeo's name, the shadow at my feet began to boil like molten lava — a motion that felt almost like an answer to my call. Then a staggering amount of mana tore out of me in a single rush, and I snapped my eyes open, sensing that something was off.
Is the sword's summoning starting?
It didn't feel like that was all, though. The mana consumption was far too great for simply calling forth a blade. Maybe it was because this was the first summoning. Or maybe because the sword's rank had risen.
While I turned those thoughts over, keeping a quiet wariness about me, a black stream surged up from the shadow. The fountain of darkness gathered before my eyes and began to take shape, cascading and coiling in on itself.
Whoa.
It was a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie I'd watched before transmigrating. I had seen magic in this world and wielded aura myself, but watching a black mass wriggle and mold itself into form felt distinctly unreal.
And yet — how to put this. This thing...
It's starting to look more and more like a person.
A small face, a slender neck, graceful lines flowing down from the shoulders. Below that, a vividly curved silhouette ran from a cinched waist to the swell of her hips. No matter how you looked at it, this was a woman's figure.
What the hell is going on.
I stood there in a stunned daze, waiting for the summoning to finish. A moment later, color bloomed across the woman's form, washing away the solid black that had covered her. Beneath the blazing afternoon sun, the woman in the black dress who now stood before me parted her lips.
"Ta-da. So? Surprised?"
"...Don't tell me you're Cheonryeo?"
"That's right. Thanks to you, Master, my rank went up and I can do this now. Well, I don't think it's just because my rank rose, though."
The corners of her lips curved in a soft, knowing smile. With hair like black silk and red eyes that mirrored my own, Cheonryeo spoke.
I stared at the creature who had gone from a sword to a beautiful woman, my mouth falling slightly open.
This is actually surprising. She's already using Polymorph?
Transforming into a human through Polymorph was something an Ego Sword could only do after awakening several times over. Come to think of it, a massive amount of mana had drained out of me right after I called her name. Was that the cost of polymorphing into a female form?
I took in Cheonryeo as she stood there looking thoroughly pleased with herself. A black dress that looked expensive at a glance, adorned with gold ornaments. Matching black hair spilled elegantly down her slender shoulders, and her blood-red eyes radiated a fierce, commanding presence. And if I were to add anything — the beauty mark stamped on her breast was striking. Her forehead was remarkably pretty, too.
"Hmm-hmm. Why are you staring a hole through me? Don't tell me you're stunned because I'm just that gorgeous?"
"Quiet. I was just surprised you could Polymorph this early. That's all."
"Hehe. Fair enough, right? Honestly, even I didn't think I'd be able to turn into a woman this fast."
Cheonryeo said it while looking down at her own body, poking her rather fine breasts with a finger and grinning like an idiot. Who would look at that perverted display and think she was a sword?
I asked her something I'd been curious about.
"By the way — your way of speaking from before, and the way you look now. From every angle, you're a woman. How is that possible?"
"Huh? What do you mean? I'm not following."
"I mean you're a sword. So how can you have a female ego?"
"Ahh. That's what you meant?"
Cheonryeo clapped her hands lightly, having caught on. Then she scratched her cheek as she went on.
"Well... I'm not certain either, but it's probably because Dunkel wanted to make an elegant sword when he forged me."
"An elegant sword, huh."
"Yeah. Standing in front of a blazing furnace, swinging a hammer, and thinking about elegance. Isn't that amazing?"
"It is, I suppose."
I nodded along as I listened. Dunkel Ironheart. I had never doubted his skill as a blacksmith, but he was a remarkable man all over again. Was that the caliber you needed to forge an Ego Sword?
As I pictured Dunkel dripping with beads of sweat before a spark-spitting forge, Cheonryeo continued.
"Anyway, that's what had a huge influence on my ego taking a female form. But you know..."
"What."
"The thing is... I think the summoning's about to wear off."
"Already?"
It felt like it hadn't even been five minutes since I summoned her. The absurdly short duration was puzzling, but thinking about it, it also made sense.
Polymorph was a spell that demanded a considerable amount of mana. If you weren't just tweaking a face but completely changing form, that was the kind of magic a dragon would typically use. There was no way Cheonryeo, who'd only just risen in rank enough to use Polymorph, could hold the form for long.
I nodded in understanding — and Cheonryeo began to slowly dissolve into black smoke, scattering like ash on the wind.
"What a shame. I wanted to stay longer."
"You could just be summoned as a sword."
"Well, yeah. But I like this form."
"So if I want to summon you as a woman again, I have to wait until the mana refills?"
"Yep. But Master's mana is insanely dense and you've got a ton of it, so it won't take long. Probably about a day and you'll be able to call me out like this again?"
Cheonryeo said it while mixing in her usual unsubtle innuendo, without the slightest hint of getting tired of it.
Once a day, huh. Once her rank rose further, she'd be able to maintain the summoned state for longer. Fighting alongside her in this form might actually be fun.
Just before she fully scattered into smoke, Cheonryeo stepped close and whispered against my ear.
"Oh. And I found out something important."
"Important?"
"My chest. I'm pretty sure these are mana pouches."
"Come again?"
"Meaning the more mana I absorb and the higher my rank climbs, the bigger they get. So keep stuffing me full of mana from now on, okay?"
With a sultry little laugh, Cheonryeo dissolved into smoke and was gone.
I pressed a hand to my forehead at the dizzying piece of information. An Ego Sword whose tits grow bigger the higher her rank climbs. What even is this.
The Heavenly Demon Sword, who had gained the new name Cheonryeo and the ability to take a woman's form. One way or another, she was a creature who did as she pleased.
"Hah. In the end I didn't even get to properly swing her. Should I summon her in sword form now and pick the training back up?"
"Lord Behirith!"
"Liliana?"
After Cheonryeo had slipped back into my shadow, I was trying to clear my head and focus again when Liliana came running from the training ground entrance. Her clear light-green hair and the short skirt riding her plump thighs fluttered in the wind.
It had been a long time since I'd seen Liliana this flustered. What's going on? Feeling puzzled, I turned toward her.
"Did something happen?"
"Well — they said a guest just arrived at the mansion's front entrance..."
"Calm down. Guests can come. Who is it that's got you like this?"
"It's... the Headmistress."
Liliana bent slightly at the waist, catching her breath.
Hold on. Who? If it's the Academy Headmistress...
"...Endless?"
"Yes. I've only ever seen her in person at the entrance ceremony. I never imagined she'd just show up at the mansion like this. It's not because I've been skipping class, is it...?"
Liliana looked completely at a loss, her face full of worry.
You and me both. Why would she suddenly come here? It could be because of me. Or, as Liliana said, she might have personally come to deliver an academic warning to the genius mage who'd been absent for so long.
Either way, we couldn't just stand here. I gave Liliana's shoulder a gentle pat.
"Let's go. I'll talk to her."
"Yes! I'll come with you!"
Liliana rallied and answered. She doesn't need to worry so much. Endless may have her eccentricities, but she's a kind woman, all things considered.
Still, perhaps because this would be my first time seeing her in person, a faint tension settled over me as I set out to receive the Empire's Guardian Dragon — an ancient being who had existed for more than three thousand years.
"Hehe. To think the Grand Duke would welcome me so warmly. Why, I do believe my shoulders have gone up a little."
"The honor is mine. That the great Guardian Dragon of the Empire would grace us with her presence is a privilege."
Some time after returning from the training ground, the three of us sat in the mansion's drawing room — Liliana, myself, and Endless. I faced the blue dragon from the sofa.
It was an unexpected visit, but she was someone who joined as a heroine as the original story progressed. A flicker of excitement rose in me at the welcome sight, even as I calmly took the measure of Endless's presence.
She really isn't human. Her mana capacity seems greater than Bahamut's...
Separate from her beautiful appearance — sky-blue hair and eyes — the power Endless possessed was truly off the charts. Even sitting still and drinking tea, the mana flowing from her prickled against my skin with a tingling charge.
No matter how much I was the strongest in the Empire, that only applied among humans. I was trying to gauge my odds if I ever had to face Endless when her outfit pulled my gaze.
Hmm... what even is that outfit?
A blue dress that barely managed to cover her nipples. The exposure was so extreme that breasts of a violent, overwhelming size were on full display. And on top of that, the large horns crowning her head.
Comes with a sturdy handle, even?
I jammed the fragrance of the tea up my nose and tried to will my erection down.
I was only thinking that the horns look sturdy.
...
This brat is framing an innocent man. I wasn't thinking about bedding her.
And now Cheonryeo's saying this too, after Hilda. At this rate I might actually need to exercise some restraint.
After a brief moment of reflection, I looked at Endless and spoke.
"More to the point — what brings you here? I doubt someone who serves as both the Empire's Guardian Dragon and Headmistress of the Academy would come without purpose."
"Ah, yes. You see, I came because there's a proposal I wished to make."
Endless said it while looking straight at me. Her sky-blue eyes, steeped in a clear, refreshing mana, gleamed as though they were looking straight through me.
So it wasn't because of Liliana?
That was a little unexpected. I'd assumed the visit had at least something to do with Liliana. Beside me, Liliana — who'd been wound tight with tension — wore a look of surprise as well.
But a proposal? What could she want to propose that she'd come all the way here in person?
As both Liliana and I listened, curiosity piqued by Endless's words, the blue dragon looked me up and down after a brief, deliberate pause, then opened her mouth.