Chapter 314
Chapter 314
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 314
Chapter Title: Causal Wheel (6)
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Instinct told him he had to get out of there.
He needed to grip his sword to activate Adamantine Arms. But the hilt of Armand was too far away.
*Psychokinesis…!*
Responding to Zion's psychic wave, Armand slid from its sheath with a soft whoosh. But before it could reach Zion's hand, Uorin snatched the hilt with her left hand.
Zion glared viciously at Uorin.
This was not the little sister he knew. Not only had she grabbed Armand's hilt without even looking, but her strength in holding the psychokinetically controlled sword in place was incomprehensible.
Uorin, holding Armand in a reverse grip, slowly moved her arm. Zion commanded it again, but Armand only vibrated, unable to break free.
As the blade neared Zion's neck, the hum of its vibration grew distinct. His sister's wrist, peeking out from her sleeve, was as slender as any ordinary girl's. He'd never heard of her learning swordsmanship.
*So how does she have this kind of strength?*
Uorin's face was calm, showing no sign of exertion.
But within her mind, a powerful force of will was at work. A technique called Incarnation in the heavens. Swordsmen of this world called such a phenomenon Divine Transcendence.
Uorin slowly moved the sword toward Zion's neck. Even with Divine Transcendence, its effectiveness would diminish if the body couldn't support it, but Zion's weak mental fortitude posed no problem.
"You are not worthy of being this sword's master."
As Armand moved against his will, Zion's mind grew hazy.
Finally, the blade touched his neck. The vibration intensified, breaking his skin.
"Sever the contract. Or your head will be severed."
The point of contact felt as cold as flowing ice. Then, it suddenly burned hot as if set aflame, and he cried out involuntarily.
"C-Contract, terminated!"
At Zion's shout, Armand's vibration ceased.
Only then did Uorin release Zion's neck and sheathe Armand.
"This sword is too good for you. I will put it to better use."
Pinned against the wall, Zion rubbed his neck, now marked with a handprint, and spoke.
"You… who in the world are you?"
"You would do well to heed my words, mortal."
With those parting words, Uorin left the prison.
The door was open, but Zion couldn't move. Only after she disappeared did he grasp the reality of his situation.
He couldn't do anything. Until she decided to release him, he was doomed to rot in this underground prison forever.
An overwhelming sense of despair washed over him, and tears streamed down his face. He slowly collapsed to his side, then curled up in a corner, burying his head and beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
* * *
Uorin sheathed Armand and emerged from the underground prison.
She had commissioned the combat-ready silver sheath from a craftsman in advance. Gold was the most stylish, but she had ruled it out for being impractical.
"I hope he likes it."
As she passed through the castle gates, all traces of Theraze vanished from Uorin's face.
Having returned to the fresh-faced 14-year-old girl, she beamed and ran toward the carriage.
"Shirone!"
Shirone, who was loading luggage onto the carriage, turned his head. Uorin was approaching, waving. For a moment, a thought pierced a point in his mind, but strangely, it was just an empty space. He blinked, then smiled, feeling relieved. Though he was cutting ties with Orkamp cleanly, he had wanted to see her one more time.
He had heard that Theraze's direct escort, the Poongjang, had appeared and taken him away after he lost consciousness. Without a doubt, Uorin had pulled some strings. Besides, if it weren't for the she had given him, he would have been a corpse, unable to dodge Xenoger's strike.
"Are you leaving now?"
"Yeah. Thanks for everything. I was actually feeling bad about leaving without saying goodbye."
"Hehe, no need for goodbyes between us. We'll see each other again someday, right?"
Shirone scratched his eyebrow, looking troubled.
He had been in critical condition until just a little while ago, but thankfully, his mind was largely unharmed. If he continued his life as a mage, Uorin was an unavoidable presence.
But now that he had gained the freedom he so desperately craved, he hoped not to get entangled with her again.
"Are you still upset with me?"
"It's not that. But... we're too different."
Uorin gave a bitter smile.
Anyone would feel the same after what happened at the royal castle. But hearing it from the man she had picked as her future husband, she couldn't help but feel hurt.
"Still… you think of me as a friend, right?"
"Of course. No, a benefactor. You saved my life."
"Then that's enough. Don't worry. I won't bother you again."
Shirone realized the meaninglessness of her words. That was something Uorin had taught him as well. But he couldn't help but be grateful for the consideration behind her saying it.
"Okay. You take care, too."
"Ah! And this…"
Uorin offered him the sword she wore at her waist.
He could tell at a glance it was Armand. Not understanding, he just stared blankly as Uorin spoke.
"I'm giving it to you as a gift. Zion won't be getting out of prison for a long time."
He'd heard from Reina that Zion was alive. He didn't know the details, but supposedly Empress Theraze herself had thrown him in prison for the crime of defiling the authority of the royal bloodline.
Just as when he'd seen it in Zion's gallery, Armand radiated a seductive light. But Shirone couldn't bring himself to accept it. He never wanted to be indebted to royalty again.
Amy wasn't oblivious to his feelings. Just hearing the name Theraze, no, Kazra, made her head ache. But this was an S-rank Objet, no less. Only a fool would refuse it.
"Shirone, refusing a gift is also bad manners."
When Shirone turned to look at her with narrowed eyes, Amy stuck out her tongue and took a step back.
Uorin pushed the sword into Shirone's chest as if to say, "Don't worry."
"It's okay to take it. This is a reward from the Kazra Kingdom. You went through hell because of the castle's affairs. I definitely won't think of it as a debt."
This time, Uorin was sincere. This wasn't a debt. Let's just consider it a sort of dowry.
If she put it like that, he couldn't help but be tempted. But he was still conflicted because it was too extravagant a gift.
An S-rank Objet was something even royalty struggled to obtain. And Armand wasn't just for amusement; it was an item specialized for combat, wasn't it? If put up for auction, he couldn't even guess what its market price would be.
"I really don't know if I should accept this. Above all, I'm not a swordsman. Wouldn't it be better for it to go to someone who needs it more?"
"Hehe, you don't know Armand's true value yet. Try making a contract first. You can always break it if you don't like it."
Shirone finally took Armand. But since this was his first time with a contract-type Objet, he had no idea how to form the contract.
"This… what do I do?"
"Hold the magic sword with both hands, stand it upright, and say this: 'I, the great mage Shirone, command thee, Armand, to obey my will.'"
Shirone looked at Uorin with a dumbfounded expression. She gave an awkward smile and said.
"Just say 'Contract'."
Shirone drew Armand and shouted, "Contract." The jewel on it glowed, and a grand vibration traveled through his palms.
"So, is the contract made? I don't feel anything."
He knew that the was supposed to share consciousness with its user. But Shirone didn't feel any different than before.
"That's because you haven't initiated Armand yet. Psychokinesis is only possible after Adamantine Arms copies the user's brain. Try saying 'Adamantine Arms'."
Amy, who had witnessed the Adamantine Arms state firsthand, gulped.
The power of the blade disassembling and engulfing the user was impressive, but the stat boost that instantly turned Zion, who had never even handled a sword, into a warrior was also noteworthy.
"Adamantine Arms."
Armand's blade opened into a sinister framework and swallowed Shirone, starting with his face. In Zion's case, the transformation had been instantaneous, but for a first-time user, it took a considerable amount of time.
The metal frame spiraled around his muscle lines, attaching itself. Once the framework was complete, a slender needle entered Shirone's central nervous system.
"Hk!"
-New user cerebrum scan. Analysis. Mental activity specialization. Linguistic cognitive ability activation.
A magnificent voice, as if transmitted through a golden crown, echoed in his mind. Then, from the framework tightly constricting Shirone's body, organic matter oozed out abundantly.
Amy, who was watching, realized that Armand was transforming not into armor, but into a robe.
Lightweight, bone-like terraced gauntlets formed on both wrists, and the organic matter turned into a hood that covered his face. Finally, a cape spread out like a stream of water and fluttered.
-Neural network activation. Focus point detected. Beta wave relaxation. Theta wave maximization. Searching for time-division section. Usable. Materialization possibility proposed. Approved. Exobrain generation. Concept word search. Outer.
He felt pressure on the leather of his right gauntlet. Looking at his palm, he saw a convex, hemispherical piece of glass embedded in it. Light shot out from it, and a glassy substance gathered in the air.
The completed violet crystal sphere rapidly circled around Shirone. It was another brain that specialized Shirone's time-division ability, a crystal sphere named 'Outer'.
"Whoa…"
Everyone watching Shirone stared with wide eyes.
Shirone, clad in the hood, looked like a perfect professional mage. The organic material of the robe was a desert color, far from flashy, but it made him look all the more powerful.
Unaware of how his appearance had changed, Shirone was simply amazed by the changes occurring within his body. His physical abilities had improved, but his mind was refreshingly clear. It was a clarity at least twice as potent as when he was at his peak condition.
Above all, he was extremely pleased with the magi-tech weapon, Outer. Since it was a copy of his own brain, he still only had one slot, but the speed of his time-division could increase dramatically. Moreover, when operating passive magic, it was as good as having a Double Spirit Zone.
"Truly incredible…"
Uorin nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Armand analyzes the user's information to compensate for weaknesses and maximize strengths. Now, release Adamantine Arms and try using Psychokinesis."
When Shirone thought of releasing it, the Adamantine Arms disassembled.
Armand, having returned to a sleek sword, flew through the air according to Shirone's thoughts. Having already achieved mental integration through Adamantine Arms, the feeling of shared consciousness was not alien.
Armand flew low to the ground and entered the sheath that had fallen there. Then it flew to Shirone's side and fastened itself as if it were a belt. This, too, was Armand's consideration, ensuring not to add even a sliver of weight to the mage's body.
"Thank you. But no matter how I think about it, this is too much. It's an S-rank Objet."
"Sigh, you're really impossible. Then again, that's why I like you."
Uorin tested the waters a bit, but Shirone didn't seem to catch any special meaning.
*Is it still too soon? But someday…* Thinking this, she grabbed Shirone's arm to ease his burden.
"It's fine. I believe an Objet needs to find the right owner as much as it needs to be efficient. Please take good care of it from now on. I'll see you again."
With that, Uorin turned and walked away first. She knew that with Shirone's personality, he wouldn't be able to leave for a whole day unless she was the one to turn away coldly.
Shirone expressed his gratitude to Uorin for her consideration to the very end and boarded the carriage.
As the horses neighed and set off, Shirone's group cheered.
Going home felt like a dream.
For a while, it was noisy. They excitedly gossiped about the Kazra nobles and speculated about the .
After an hour, a peaceful silence fell over the carriage, which was furnished like a home.