Chapter 143: Akensom (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143: Akensom (1)
Magic swords.
These are special swords imbued with magical abilities. Even a blade engraved with a simple spell is generally classified as a magic sword.
Therefore, a typical magic sword would be one that...
Well, it usually grants a simple enchantment so a regular swordsman can damage entities like undead monsters that are otherwise immune to physical strikes. Or, it might simply enhance the blade's sharpness or durability to increase its lethality.
Up to this point, these fall into the category of magic tools that even those without mana can use, provided they have an embedded magic stone.
While it's possible to create magic swords more powerful than that, they aren't really necessary for swordsmen above a certain level. Consequently, magic swords that are actually useful to knight-level swordsmen—those who can perfectly manipulate mana—are rare.
It’s partly due to the price, but also because the artisans capable of crafting them are few and far between. This is why even in Leon, known as the Kingdom of Knights, magic swords aren't commonly used.
Instead of buying a magic sword, let's just feed them an elixir.
Since that has been proven to be the most effective method, most other nations followed suit. As a result, the development of high-tier magic swords inevitably slowed down.
Furthermore, the Leon Kingdom found it difficult to produce magic swords in the first place. The reason was simple: the foundation of a magic sword is magic. As one could tell by the state of their Magic Tower, Leon—the land of knights—found this to be an impossible field. Conversely, Dale—the land of magic—saw no reason to bother embedding magic into a sword.
Of course, it would be possible if the two cooperated. However, that was a possibility similar to, or perhaps even lower than, a Korea-China-Japan alliance—something the rest of the world might fear, but the parties involved would never even consider.
Thus, most magic swords on the market were imperial-made, but there was no particular demand for them in other countries. Nor did they sell well in the domestic market. High-level experts didn't want their skills disparaged by relying on such things, and for mercenaries, the price was too burdensome.
So, the magic sword market was merely a niche for the emergency use of a few high-ranking mercenaries or for collectors' displays.
That is, until the Dark Mage and Daisy’s magic sword appeared.
With the emergence of the Dark Mage, a master of magic swords, the Empire gained unexpected technological prowess and know-how in magic sword production. Of course, obtaining that knowledge didn't mean they could suddenly churn out high-quality magic swords, but for the Empire, which had previously neglected research and development thinking, 'Will that even make money?', it was now a situation worth investing in since they could save on development costs.
The final nail in the coffin was the Saintess’s Holy Sword. No, her magic sword.
A weapon of absurd performance that overwhelmed everything else.
Of course, it was said to be a divine armament blessed with the power of the gods. Thus, only the Saintess herself or someone granted her power could use it in a limited capacity, but its power was far too immense. It was enough to send a chill down the spine of even the mighty Empire.
Naturally, the day such a thing could be mass-produced would never come. In fact, the day it did would be the day the world ended!
Still, the Empire had no choice but to invest. After all, starting with the Dark Mage, hadn't the Demon Tribe—previously thought to be mere legends—recently appeared?
Believing they needed to increase their strength by any means necessary, the Empire sought help from the Dwarves, paid Leon for their swordsmanship, and even compensated Dale for their magical assistance.
The prototypes completed through this process were my Magic Sword mk-1 and mk-2. Naturally, the motif for these swords was Daisy’s magic sword.
And of course... no matter how much a Dwarven magic sword artisan poured his soul into them, and even if he ground up demons to use as materials! They couldn't perfectly replicate Daisy’s magic sword—a replica of a weapon from the mythological era that no one could dispute was the real thing now that the original was gone.
However...
The theory could be made roughly similar.
Rumble!
With a massive vibration, an immense amount of mana poured out from Magic Sword mk-1.
"T-This is cheating!"
From afar, Princess Ruelle, who was on the verge of being demoted to 'Magic Spammer No. 2,' screamed.
"Cheating? Hardly."
The ability of Magic Sword mk-1 is simple.
Absorption.
Of course, it wasn't an overt mana-stealing ability like Daisy’s magic sword. It could merely store a portion of the mana it parried. This was possible because it was embedded with mana stones that lacked any mana of their own, and because it was forged with ground-up demons—beings whose very existence is essentially made of mana.
Because of this, its durability as a sword was somewhat lacking, but that was covered as much as possible by the skill of the Dwarven artisan and expensive supplementary materials.
Crackle!
Well, even so, it couldn't be prevented from breaking. The mana it absorbed was literally a mere handful compared to Daisy’s, and since mana only accumulated when I physically blocked attacks, it was a struggle to collect.
Fortunately, thanks to the Magic Spammers acting as guinea pigs, I was able to fill it with mana more easily than expected.
Of course, this was the extent of Magic Sword mk-1’s ability, so on its own, it was just a sword that conducted mana exceptionally well.
"Release."
The sword created to complement it was Magic Sword mk-2.
"Get away!"
Seeing the violent flow of mana being controlled, Princess Ruelle shouted. As expected of a princess from a kingdom of Magic Spammers, she seemed to have judged the moment she saw it that it couldn't be blocked.
Clang!
Even though half the blade snapped off, the strike from Magic Sword mk-2, which maintained its mana perfectly, rent the world apart. For a brief moment, its power was comparable to Daisy’s magic sword. No, it was even more intense.
"Was it a success?"
During the first experiment, the collected mana was ambiguous, so only mk-1 broke, leaving me to carry only mk-2 for a while. But the power of the magic sword at maximum capacity demonstrated the significance of the 2.5-nation alliance—the Empire, Leon, and a bit of help from the land of Magic Spammers, Dale.
"This is my Anti-Magic—"
"—At least give it a name before you start talking nonsense!"
Hearing the growl from beside me, I looked up to see a battered Princess Ruelle venting her indignation. She seemed to have put quite a bit of effort into blocking the aftershock, yet she still ended up in that state.
"It's a typhoon."
"I told you to stop trying to act cool!"
The way she barked was like an angry Chihuahua.
...And dogs bark because they feel fear. There's a reason they say a barking dog doesn't bite.
"Are you afraid of my magic?"
"Ugh... Why? Why can't I beat a human like you!"
Princess Ruelle, fuming, grit her teeth.
"B-But... you've lost all your swords! Even if I've exhausted most of my mana, I can still beat down a swordsman who isn't even holding a weapon—"
Princess Ruelle blinked. Then, with a dazed expression quite unlike her usual self, she let out a dumbfounded sound.
"Huh?"
She stared blankly at the sword in my hand.
"Why... do you have that?"
Without a word, I pulled another sword from my subspace pouch and dropped it on the ground. One, two, three... After I pulled out about ten, Princess Ruelle looked as though her intelligence had regressed to that of a three-year-old.
"Why are you carrying so many swords?"
"You never know when or where a Dark Mage might show up."
People often compare the relationship between a swordsman and his blade to that of lovers. It signifies how precious the weapon is, and for some swordsmen, their skill fluctuates depending on their favorite sword.
But ultimately, a sword is a consumable. Unless it's made of extraordinary materials, the edge dulls and the sharpness fades after cutting through a few people.
Of course, for those at the knight level, there is the means of sword energy. Until their mana runs out, the sword's sharpness might never fade.
However, against our diligent and capable Dark Mages, one must never let their guard down, anytime or anywhere.
"Ah. I see..."
At my explanation, Princess Ruelle nodded blankly. Her expression suggested she didn't understand a single bit of it, though.
"...How is that even fair!"
That resentful cry became her final words.
Watching the defeated losers, stripped of their Badges of Survival, disappear at the hands of the TAs, I picked up the fragments of the magic sword and put them in my pouch. Each piece was made of expensive materials and rare items like demon dust, so I had to recover them.
"Will it take another month?"
Fortunately, unlike certain weapons used by grim reapers, my magic swords didn't have a 'unique' setting, so they could be repaired as many times as they broke. Because of their special nature, they couldn't be fixed instantly, but I was satisfied since I had used them to my heart's content.
"It's already night."
Looking up at the sky, I saw the moon had already risen.
"I wonder if I'll be spared from ambushes tonight?"
After Princess Ruelle, there were no more pursuits from the mages. It seemed they hadn't even considered the possibility of her special task force failing.
"At least I'll be able to sleep tonight."
It was a relief they all attacked at once. If they had fought me one by one in a turn-based fashion, it would have been troublesome. While mana consumption might have been lower, mental strength definitely has its limits. If the battle had dragged on, my judgment would have gradually clouded. Moreover, the rate at which mana accumulated in the magic sword would have been much slower than it was now.
"A swordsman would have fought that way."
It was a disappointing decision, typical of Magic Spammers who always move in groups.
"...Still, I want to sleep in peace."
I hadn't prepared a full set like the last time I was trapped in the 'Room You Can't Leave Without XX.' I had only packed some basic camping supplies. But seeing the reaction of the Magic Spammers today, if I used those, I'd probably be attacked before I could even close my eyes.
So, I climbed a tree with reasonably thick branches, pulled out a blanket, and leaned back.
"Hmm..."
As expected of a fantasy world, the trees were massive, so there was no discomfort in sleeping.
"You sons of bitches..."
...Nature is fine.
"Ha."
As if proving that humans are the root of most problems, I had only slept for about two hours when I found myself surrounded by Magic Spammers once again.
"Kill him!"
"They say even a dog isn't disturbed when it's eating, sleeping, or shitting."
Are they bothering me because I'm not a dog? I guess the Magic Spammers at least treat me like a human.
I continued the engagement for about three minutes with those thoughts.
"......?"
I felt something strange.
"Hmm..."
Even if I was a 'genius' who was 'ignorant' of magic and the 'Academy's strongest mage,' I could still tell that the spells before my eyes were alien.
How should I put it? If the previous attacks were a succession of colorful magic, these were mostly dull, achromatic spells.
"O, wind of darkness!"
They even included 'darkness' in the names of their techniques.
"...Are you guys Dark Mages by any chance?"
At my offhand remark, the enemies momentarily froze. Of course, it wasn't a 'We've been caught!' kind of reaction.
"You didn't know?"
"Then who did you think you were fighting all this time!"
They seemed full of rage, perhaps feeling belittled.
"No, well..."
I'd been getting dogpiled by Magic Spammers since the sun was up. I just thought you were more Magic Spammers in black robes.
...This time, I really didn't mean to needle them.
Seriously.