The Mountain Got Split...(2)
"Sir Knight, Sir Knight! Can I test the Super Strong Sword?"
"I'm busy right now, so I can't watch. Get permission from the Young Master first."
"Okay!"
"Mister, Mister! Can I test the Super Strong Sword in the training grounds?"
"Go to the back mountain so you don't hurt anyone."
"Okay!"
That should count as getting permission, right? So I can swing the Super Strong Sword now, right?
Charlotte giggled to herself as she hugged the Super Strong Sword and dashed off toward the secluded back mountain.
"Whoa..."
With a soft scrape, the Super Strong Sword slid free from its hastily made leather scabbard. As the broad black blade revealed itself, a gasp escaped Charlotte's lips.
"Nngh!"
The Super Strong Sword was heavy. Incredibly heavy. She'd lifted swords much larger than this before, but the Super Strong Sword felt at least twice as heavy. Every other sword had felt weightless in her hands, but with the Super Strong Sword, she finally understood what it meant to hold something truly heavy.
"It's bigger than Sir Knight's!"
Now that she was holding it, she could tell for sure. The Super Strong Sword really was bigger than Silvia's longsword!
Feeling a quiet sense of superiority, Charlotte raised the sword high. Good. She'd already practiced downward slashes countless times with a wooden sword. At first, Sir Knight had looked pretty unimpressed, but as the days passed, she'd started praising her form more often.
'Uh, yeah. Good. Good. Mana manipulation actually comes first, but... yeah. You're doing well. Mm.'
Even the strict Silvia had praised her! She must have improved a lot!
Mana manipulation? Was that what it was called? She still had no idea how to do that. Mana was for mages anyway. Knights just swung their swords, right? If she wanted to do something like Silvia's BOOM!, she'd probably have to become a mage... but she liked swords better.
Charlotte closed her eyes and gripped the hilt, which smelled faintly of wood, as tightly as she could. Just as she prepared to unleash her favorite downward slash—
"Huh? Something... something's being sucked out...!"
Charlotte's face went deathly pale. That old man had called it a magic sword. Did that mean it was one of those swords from fairy tales that drained life force? Was this sensation really her life being sucked away?
Charlotte trembled with alarm, but she couldn't stop now. A proper lady knight who drew her sword had to swing it, no matter what!
"Wait. The name. The name!?"
Rumble, rumble.
The ground began to shake. The sword trembled violently, as if it might explode at any moment, and Charlotte's mind raced at full speed. Something as flashy as Silvia's BOOM!! The first technique worthy of the Super Strong Sword's majesty! A final strike fueled by offering her lifespan to the wicked magic sword!
Since it was a downward slash, something like thunder...!
"Thunderclap!!!"
BOOOOM!
The sword traced an arc through the air. A deafening roar that left her ears ringing erupted, and a cloud of dust rose like fog, completely obscuring Charlotte's vision.
Her entire body went limp, and she collapsed on the spot. As the dust gradually settled, the sight that greeted Charlotte was an empty sky.
"Nngh?"
An empty sky? That was strange. There should have been a mountain right in front of her. Forcing her head to turn, she took in the full view.
"W-wow..."
The back mountain had been split clean in half.
Aslan, who had come running while gasping for breath, widened his eyes. Silvia, who arrived shortly after, stood with her mouth agape.
"I-I'm sorry, Mister..."
"What in the world have you done?"
"The mountain... I accidentally split it."
"Silvia. Retrieve the sword. Now!"
At Aslan's sharp command, Silvia rushed forward and sheathed the Super Strong Sword. It was a blade that had split an entire mountain in a single strike. Fearing it might explode, Silvia's hands trembled as she returned it to its scabbard, but no ominous aura emanated from the Super Strong Sword. It was just an ordinary sword. A heavy greatsword with a slightly high concentration of residual mana.
As Silvia stood bewildered, Aslan sighed and knelt in front of Charlotte.
'Mana exhaustion...'
Charlotte's muscles were spasming, and her pulse was irregular. Most tellingly, the light in her eyes kept flickering. These were clear symptoms of mana exhaustion, even without sensing mana directly.
"Mister..."
"Don't talk. You must be exhausted. Just focus on breathing steadily and recovering."
"I'm sorry, Mister..."
"...?"
Charlotte struggled to catch her breath, biting her lip. It was the first time Aslan had seen such an expression from the usually cheerful and bright Charlotte, and he was taken aback. Had something happened?
"I... I think this might be the end..."
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't have any strength left in my body..."
"So it seems."
"It's the end... and I don't even know what to say... Ehehe..."
Charlotte forced a smile. Aslan frowned, completely lost.
What was this airheaded kid going on about now?
"Speak so I can understand."
"Julia... she acts all prickly, but she's a good kid... so please don't hate her too much, Mister... And Yuri too... I wanted to see her... Oh no. Yuri might think I died because of you..."
"...?"
"I'll leave convincing Yuri to Julia... Yeah. There's no helping it. Hehe. It's my fault, Mister. I didn't know the Super Strong Sword would drain life force... I should've let go right away, but I stupidly kept holding on..."
"Charlotte. You weren't drained of life force—"
"There's not much time... Thank you, Mister... And my Thunderclap was pretty awesome, right?"
Swish.
Leaving behind those poignant words, Charlotte closed her eyes. She went limp, as if she had found peaceful rest.
Holding Charlotte in his arms, Aslan, who had been frozen for a moment, finally spoke.
"What nonsense is this?"
It was just mana exhaustion. What was she even saying? Aslan let out a hollow laugh as he watched Charlotte sleep soundly, smacking her lips as if dreaming of food.
***
After moving the sleeping Charlotte to her bedroom, Aslan and Silvia returned to the scene of the incident.
She had cleanly sliced off a chunk of the mountain. He'd been startled because the direction had been toward the capital, but fortunately, the strike's power had dropped sharply right after splitting the mountain. The capital hadn't been hit. He'd nearly ended up on the chopping block.
"Have you ever seen anything like this, Silvia?"
"No. I've never witnessed magic of this magnitude. There are stories of mages who could theoretically level an entire city, but..."
It wasn't impossible, but it certainly wasn't normal either. If magic powerful enough to split a mountain in half were common, that would be a problem in its own right.
Silvia closed her eyes and examined the ground for a moment.
"Based on the residual mana... the total mana projected was roughly thirty times my own storage capacity. This might not even be magic."
"Hah..."
Aslan was speechless. If Silvia unleashed only a quarter of her mana, it caused an explosion that shook heaven and earth. That meant the strike that split the mountain was equivalent to 120 BOOMs, or thirty Silvias.
Come to think of it, Silvia was ridiculously weak, wasn't she? He'd thought she was some hidden powerhouse, but apparently not. Maybe she should just keep hiding her power for the rest of her life.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Silvia. How about you quit being a knight and become my secretary instead?"
"Why are you suddenly suggesting that?"
"You seem a bit past your prime."
"What...! I'm still very useful, Young Master. Of course I can't use flashy magic like that, but with enough mana, blowing up a building or two is nothing. And I'm excellent at delicate work too."
"Got it."
"I don't think anyone can match me in close-quarters combat. In situations where mana use is restricted due to constant movement, there's no one I can't subdue. As long as they're not a Sword Master, I can take them on. Really, Young Master."
"I said I got it. Calm down, Silvia."
"So please... don't tell me to put down my sword... Even if it means becoming a slave to the Belmont family, I can't put down my sword..."
It had just been a joke. Before he knew it, Silvia was kneeling in front of him, bowing her head. He could hear her swallowing tears here and there.
'There must be a reason she can't put down her sword.'
He didn't know the details—he'd only played up to Chapter 1 of this game. But he wasn't foolish enough to crush the will of one of the few good characters in this game.
"Stop worrying about nonsense. You'll be swinging your sword for me for the rest of your life. I'll work you to the bone, so keep that in mind."
"Hic... Yes!"
Silvia's favorability has increased by 3.
The Evil God 'Kali' applauds in admiration.
Silvia lifted her head and smiled brightly. It was a rare moment where both Silvia and Kali were moved at the same time.
Silvia quickly regained her composure, stood up energetically, and took her place beside Aslan. Noticing the tear stains on her face, he tapped her cheek as a signal, but she tilted her head in confusion before exclaiming and wiping his cheek clean with her hand.
Stupid kid... Now his face was covered in dirt.
"Fifty percent pay cut."
"What! Why!?"
"Anyway, what do we do about this? We can't exactly restore a split mountain. Wait a second."
As he rubbed his throbbing head in frustration, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind.
'Do we really need to restore it?'
The reason Belmont territory was treated like the countryside was because of the rugged mountain range between it and the capital. To reach Belmont territory from the capital, one had to travel a long detour around the mountains. But that rugged mountain range had just been split in two.
"We just need to build a road there. A direct road straight to the capital."
"Ah!?"
The story of Belmont territory being a remote region ended yesterday.
...
"Mmm, mm... Nngh. Sorry, everyone... Good night..."
"How long are you planning to sleep?"
"Huh? Julia!? W-why? Why did Julia come too?"
Charlotte's eyes flew open in a panic. This was strange. She was sure she'd died. Facing Julia, who was barely holding back laughter, Charlotte looked bewildered.
After clutching her stomach and laughing for a long time, Julia finally calmed down, wiping away tears.
"Ah. So it was real. You really thought you were dying."
"U-uh?"
"Idiot. You just had mana exhaustion. Well, you'd only know what mana exhaustion feels like if you'd experienced it before. I've been through it eighteen hours earlier than you, so I'm an expert."
"Mana exhaustion...?"
Mana exhaustion. So her life force hadn't been drained? She wasn't dead? This wasn't the afterlife?
Thanks to sleeping soundly, Charlotte felt strength returning to her body. At the same time—
"Aaaaaah!!!"
Overwhelmed by intense embarrassment, she buried her face in the pillow.
Oh no! How was she supposed to face Mister again after this!?