The Second Divine Sword (2)
The Second Divine Sword (2)
The Grand Archduchess stared, puzzled, at the bundle of cloth on the drawing room table.
"Come to think of it, what is this? I saw you bring it back the day you went out to sightsee in the capital."
To think she'd seen it and refrained from asking until now. As expected of the Grand Archduchess—she possessed true elegance.
I unwrapped the cloth, revealing the sword inside.
A broken sword, its blade warped and chipped.
When I channeled mana into it, the artifact's ability proved just as damaged as its outward appearance.
The Grand Archduchess narrowed her eyes and examined the sword intently.
"Surely... it's not just a sword that happens to look similar, is it?"
I extended my hand, gesturing for her to check it herself.
The Grand Archduchess placed her hand on the sword.
Mana flowed from her hand and seeped into the broken sword.
Though invisible to the eye, I could feel the mana traveling along the sword.
The Grand Archduchess's mana bypassed the blockages and flowed along the surface as she examined the sword's information.
After examining it for a long while, the Grand Archduchess pulled her hand away.
I cautiously asked her,
"Surely, you can't fix this one either?"
Grand Archduchess Frida glared at me.
"It was only that orb that was a failure. I even fixed the dagger, so I can easily repair a sword of this level."
She was definitely saying the dagger was much more impressive.
Well, even though the dagger contained a noisy ego, it was an artifact sword the Hero had personally wielded.
Even if this sword were perfectly repaired, it would at best be a sibling sword to the 'Divine Sword', so it couldn't compare to the dagger.
Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since I'd checked the orb. Touching it made it weaker and weaker, so I'd left it in my pocket and hadn't taken it out.
It was still fine for now, but there was no telling how long it would continue to function as an artifact.
But I couldn't rush her, either. I had no choice but to keep diligently bringing back broken artifacts, just as I had until now.
"In the end, you're telling me to fix this sword first, right?"
The Grand Archduchess took a deep breath and placed her hand on the sword.
Mana flowed into it once more. This time, it was different from before—the Grand Archduchess's repair ability.
I waited quietly.
As time passed, the sword slowly began to return to its original state.
It was almost as if time were being reversed.
The warped blade gradually straightened, and the chipped edges returned to their original form.
The sword, which had lost its luster, regained its shine, and a clear sound resonated from it.
Woong.
Though it was merely the sound of mana vibrating the sword, it felt like the sword cries often described in martial arts novels.
A moment later, the Grand Archduchess set the perfectly restored sword down on the table.
It hadn't taken long, but she was drenched in sweat.
"It doesn't just look similar. Even when appraised, it's a sword very similar to the one I saw at the Marquisate. Where on earth did you find it?"
The Auction House Owner could appraise a sword and learn everything about it, from its history to its abilities, but the Grand Archduchess didn't seem to have that level of skill.
Her ability was artifact repair, after all, and appraisal was merely a secondary skill that came with it.
It might actually be better for me if she didn't know too much.
Thanks to that, she hadn't realized the dagger was a Hero's Artifact, nor had she discovered what kind of object the orb was.
"I found it at a blacksmith's workshop. It was buried among some junk."
"Was it really just good luck? How fascinating. To go out sightseeing and immediately find a sword like this."
She looked at me incredulously, but that was the only answer I could give.
I couldn't exactly tell her that the Princess had seen a Mana Thread drawn in the sky and followed it, leading us to find the sword.
Perhaps there would come a day when we shared our secrets, but now wasn't the time.
I picked up the sword lying on the table.
Then I channeled mana into it.
As I pushed mana into it, the sword glowed faintly.
"Let me test it for a moment."
With the Grand Archduchess's permission, I stood up from my seat.
I stepped a little away from the table, drew the longsword at my waist, and held the artifact sword in my other hand.
Then I channeled mana into the drawn longsword as well.
Though it was just an ordinary longsword made for academy students' training, it was better crafted than I'd expected.
It accepted mana well and was sturdier than I'd expected, so I'd used it in real combat several times myself.
Even now, it accepted the mana smoothly.
Although the blade had chipped and been repaired by a blacksmith, the edge where the mana flowed gleamed like a brand-new sword.
A sword imbued with mana was several times stronger than an ordinary sword.
It could slice through iron bars and cut through the bodies of monsters.
I brought the newly repaired artifact sword into contact with the sword imbued with mana.
The moment the blades touched,
"Ugh!"
A sharp pain flared in my chest.
It felt as though I'd been pierced by a sword.
Startled, my mana dispersed.
"Are you all right?"
The Grand Archduchess also sprang to her feet in surprise, but I waved a hand at her.
The pain was more severe than I'd expected.
My mistake had been taking it lightly just because I'd managed to seal the Divine Sword's ability during my duel with the Knight Commander.
And I felt that much pain without even channeling much mana.
Even if I tried to block it by channeling mana into my sword, it was useless if the attack could bypass it like this.
My comparison to a gaming skill like 'Ignore Defense' hadn't been wrong after all.
If one channeled mana properly, simply making contact with the sword would be more than enough to bring an opponent down.
"Of course, for it to work, the opponent would have to know nothing about this sword's ability..."
Even if the opponent wasn't an ability user like me who could block the sword's power, it had no effect if the sword didn't make contact, so it wasn't without weaknesses.
'But the mere fact that clashing swords is dangerous gives it an unspeakable advantage in battle.'
If I hadn't blocked the Divine Sword's ability with my Invisible Sword Aura, I might have lost the fight against the Knight Commander.
Come to think of it, it really was an incredible item. A sword that ignored the opponent's defense and attacked from within.
Various ways to use it kept coming to mind.
"But I won't be able to use it openly, will I?"
At my words, the Grand Archduchess nodded as well.
This sword possessed the exact same ability as the treasure of the Pisen Marquisate, the 'Divine Sword of Pisen'.
Now that it was repaired, its appearance was just as similar as its ability.
Anyone who knew of the Marquis of Pisen's Divine Sword would undoubtedly recognize this one.
If I carried it around, I'd surely attract a pack of jackals looking to steal the treasure.
Should I just sell it?
It was an artifact grander than all the ones I'd sold so far combined—a treasure that could fetch a fortune.
With this sword, I could even buy a duke's mansion in the capital.
But if I'd intended to sell off artifacts recklessly, I would have sold the ring, the crossbow, the pocket, the backpack, and my swords long ago.
To be honest, I already had more than enough money.
In fact, I might be the wealthiest student attending the academy.
Ultimately, since I didn't want to sell it and couldn't use it openly, it seemed destined to sit in my pocket for the time being.
"Is this sword going to end up like that other one too...?"
I couldn't help thinking of the black sword I had to use in secret for training.
As I sighed and placed the sword back on the table, the Grand Archduchess, who had been watching, spoke up.
"Is it headed for storage in the end?"
"For the time being, yes."
"Hmm, then what about the repair fee for the sword...?"
Ah, there was that.
The Grand Archduchess's repairs weren't free.
But I had no intention of selling it right away, and I couldn't use it, either.
Should I just tell her I'd pay her later?
As I looked troubled, the Grand Archduchess let out a soft chuckle.
"I've already chosen my gift. I happened to want a lamp, so I'll take that. Don't worry; we'll consider the sword's repair fee covered by the gift. I'm constantly receiving your help anyway, so I have no intention of demanding payment for something like this."
What a relief. I expressed my gratitude to the Grand Archduchess and accepted her offer.
I was truly grateful that such a daughter had been born to that terrifying Grand Prince.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I quickly changed the subject.
"Have you decided on the next destination for our group assignment?"
"No. I only just returned today. How could I have decided already? We should decide together the next time we meet."
Ah, it seemed I'd changed the subject too abruptly. Still, I couldn't stop here.
"Then, how about the temple?"
Ever since I'd eavesdropped at the restaurant, the desire to visit the temple had kept lingering in my mind.
There was no particular reason.
The fact that the Order was gathering far more artifacts than I'd expected wasn't the reason, either.
It was simply a feeling that I had to visit it at least once someday.
I'd felt the same way when I went to the Seal Grounds, and a similar feeling had washed over me when I came to the capital.
I didn't know why I only now felt like visiting the temple, but...
If I went there, I was sure I'd find out why.
But the Grand Archduchess shook her head at my words.
"It's difficult to see the artifacts in the temple."
She looked toward the window.
"Artifacts that enter the temple are offerings used in rituals to the gods. The Order doesn't make those consecrated artifacts public again."
I hadn't known that. I'd thought I'd studied hard since I was young, but apparently there was still so much I didn't know.
Did I need to learn practical matters separately in this world, too?
"That's why I intentionally left them off the list when I made it."
I'd figured there was a reason they'd been left off the list. But the problem was more difficult than I'd anticipated.
I scratched my head.
If that was the case, it would be difficult to press the matter further.
In any case, I'd brought it up only to change the subject. I decided to give up at this point.
After telling the Grand Archduchess I understood, I picked up the cloth I'd used to wrap the sword.
I intended to wrap the sword in it again, return home, and put it away in my pocket.
I didn't know when I'd take it out again, but until then, it would have to sleep inside my pocket.
Just as I was about to wrap it in the cloth again, the Grand Archduchess spoke up hastily.
"Ah, right. There was a blocked function in the sword. It was a part that didn't even need repair, which made it all the stranger that it was blocked."
Her words brought back something I'd forgotten.
Come to think of it, when I first discovered the sword, the function for drawing out the Mana Thread had been blocked.
Now that everything was repaired, I had to check the blocked function as well.
Instead of covering the sword with the cloth, I carefully channeled mana into it.
I channeled mana into the virtual circuit inside the sword and flipped the locked switch open.
Click.
Though inaudible, the switch flipped, and a line made of mana revealed itself from the sword once more.
A thin, threadlike line started at the tip of the sword and stretched toward the ceiling.
Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with the function.
Holding the sword, I walked over to the window.
I wanted to check whether it was properly connected in the direction of the Marquisate.
"Huh?"
But when I stood in front of the window, I couldn't help rubbing my eyes.
The line was pointing in an entirely unexpected direction.
It wasn't simply a matter of the line not leading toward the Marquisate.
The Mana Thread, which had shot up into the sky, plunged back down and embedded itself below.
The Mana Thread didn't even leave the capital.
The unbroken line led to a building within the capital.
It was a building with a tall spire, visible even from here.
I spoke as I stared at the building.
"It seems our next destination for the group assignment will have to be the capital temple of the Order."
The Grand Archduchess had opposed it, but there was no helping it.
The Mana Thread stretched toward the capital's temple, which boasted a beautiful spire.
For some reason, that meant there was a sword similar to this one inside the capital's temple.