64. Reward

I stared at Fabiana, who was grinning from ear to ear, clearly in a good mood about something.

"...Well, did something good happen?"

"Keh heh heh... Ah, my apologies."

"No, I mean... there's nothing to apologize for, but..."

She'd said she was sorry, yet she kept giggling away. As I was side-eyeing her, she spoke first.

"Eliarnes."

"Yes."

"Keh hem, hm... You're seventeen this year, aren't you?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Then why in the world... keh hem! Hoo... why in the world do you send messages like that?"

"...Messages?"

I tilted my head.

How had I sent messages?

I thought I'd sent them... just fine.

I'd even added a shape that looked like an eye-smile, since I figured sending only the bare point would make me look rude.

I didn't know how spacing worked, so I'd just filled it in with dots... was that weird?

"Good heavens. That's the face of someone who doesn't even know what's wrong."

Fabiana, having laughed her fill, soon rounded her eyes and her lips trembled.

"The Eustetia Duchy isn't some backwater stuck in the middle of nowhere, you know... This is truly something else."

"Well... was there a problem with my messages?"

"A problem, you say. There was no problem. Right. There was no problem at all. It's just... keh ha ha! It's just that your tone was similar to the old professors at the academy."

Old professors...?

If my tone was similar to the old professors, wasn't that a good thing? Mature and proper?

"But... what's so funny about that?"

"...Have you never exchanged messages with other students?"

I asked a question, and got a question back.

That's the kind of answer I hate most.

Reflexively, my eyes narrowed.

"...No, I haven't."

Even at my rudeness, Fabiana gave a hearty smile and nodded.

"Right. In that case, rather than me explaining it, it'd be better for you to hear it from someone else. Besides, there's plenty more for us to discuss."

It was a somewhat unsettling and unpleasant response, but I had a lot to say too, so I reluctantly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nodded.

"Good. First... I should bring out something to drink."

Fabiana rose from among the stacks of documents that were sickening just to look at.

"I don't enjoy tea. So there's nothing particularly special in my room either. How about you just drink whatever you're given?"

"I don't particularly enjoy it either, so I don't mind... but are you, the Imperial Princess, going to brew it yourself?"

"Do you not trust my touch?"

"No. I was just thinking about how much I could get if I sold tea personally brewed by none other than the First Princess outside."

"Even so, it wouldn't cover the weapons from the museum that you smashed beyond any trace."

"Uhm..."

I scratched my cheek, grimacing for no reason.

"Those... were they very expensive?"

"They're things that cannot be priced."

"For things that can't be priced, they were pretty cheap-looking... keh hem."

At Fabiana's sharp glare, I quietly shut my mouth.

She stared at me sharply for a moment, then let out a half-formed laugh—"Heh..."—and shook her head with a hearty smile once more.

"Even so, compared to the price of my life and my sister's, they're less than specks of dust. So don't worry too much."

"Uhm... Then I'll stay seated without holding back."

"A noble should know how to hold back at least a little."

"I'm not the type to refuse what a superior gives me."

"What a cheeky young lady."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Fabiana laughed off my insolent answer as if it were nothing, then held out a pale red... black tea? something like that toward me and leaned back against a large sofa.

"Eliarnes. You and I both have a great many questions for each other. Isn't that right?"

"Yes."

"Then it would be best to exchange questions one at a time."

I shrugged and sipped the black tea.

"Blegh..."

Incredibly bitter... and thick, yet bland.

A taste that made my face scrunch up on its own.

"That's the face of someone saying it tastes like shit."

"May I speak honestly?"

"Go ahead."

"It tastes like absolute dogshit."

"It has medicinal herbs in it, so of course it tastes like absolute dogshit. From the look of you, your body's in terrible shape, so shut your mouth and drink it all."

Medicinal herbs... if there are medicinal herbs in it, that's a different story.

But... this...

"Uhm... there's some kind of sediment settled at the bottom of this. Isn't that, well, a bit, wrong?"

"As if I would try to assassinate my own benefactor."

Fabiana let out a snicker and sipped tea of a completely different color from mine.

The aroma seemed completely different, and so did the taste.

"But why are you drinking something different, Your Highness?"

"I hate that absolute dogshit tea."

"...And me?"

"Are you saying you'd refuse tea brewed by none other than the First Princess of the Empire?"

"Ugh."

Leaving the chuckling Fabiana behind, I dumped a whole pile of sugar cubes from beside the table into the tea.

Then I stirred it roughly with my finger—swish swish—and sucked my finger clean—slurp.

Mm, now it's drinkable.

I wet my throat with a few more sips and looked at Fabiana.

"You can go first."

"Good. Then, I'll ask."

An unreadable smile settled on Fabiana's face.

"Why don't you use weapons?"

"Is that a personal question?"

"Personal, is it... Yes. It'd be best to leave it as a personal question. You don't seem to have much interest in the Empire's political situation."

Meaning she wouldn't drag my combat ability into the nobles' filthy power struggles.

Not a bad condition.

So, while I was mulling over how to answer,

Fabiana spoke first.

"From what I saw, Eliarnes, it didn't look like you don't use weapons—it looked like you can't use them. Was what I saw correct?"

Her words struck right at the heart of it, and I blinked.

"The weapons in the Arant Museum were each imbued with remarkable histories."

Having said that, Fabiana pulled out a few sheets of paper from the stacks of documents behind her and held them out.

"The Evil-Slaying Sword. A sword imbued with Holy Power, belonging to the commander of the Holy War Knight Order who was active 400 years ago."

That was the sword used by the old bastard who got the shit beaten out of him by me and still kept being a pain in the ass to the very end.

And the reason it was imbued with Holy Power was that I won an enchantment off Luna in a bet.

In this recent battle against the Demons, that enchantment came in handy too.

"Iron Wall Kudan. The shield that the commander of the First Imperial Palace Knight Order, known as the bravest man 400 years ago, never let go of until he fell in battle."

That old man was a coward who was always busy hiding behind his shield. Of course, being that much of a coward, his defensive ability was outstanding too.

And it wasn't that he never let go of his shield until he died—he saw the Legion Commander of Wrath, his heart seized up, and he died without even having a chance to let go.

In the recent battle, a Demon picked this thing up and it was a real pain in the ass, so I was glad Hakal's battering ram smashed it to pieces.

"The Dragon-Horn Bow. A bow used by a great warrior of the Beastkin 400 years ago. It got its name because when you fire ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an arrow woven from Magic Power, it draws the shape of a dragon's horn."

It wasn't woven from Magic Power—the arrows were just made from World Tree branches, so they were strong as hell.

And without those arrows, it was just a slightly sturdier bow. I was so flustered when I got my hands on it.

"Byeokgwan. The spear that pierces the world. No matter how far the distance, it's a spear that pierces even that distance to chase its target. It was also the spear used by the Mercenary King of that era 400 years ago."

It didn't pierce distance—that bastard's Intent just moved really fast.

It moves really, really fast.

So fast that even he couldn't control it.

So in my hands, it was just an ordinary spear.

That was why I just chucked it and broke it.

"And the Staff of Dragon Blood. This is... a staff imbued with the blood of a noble Dragon. Likewise, it was used 400 years ago by the ancestor of Sedil Mershdoff, the current Dean of Karelai Academy, who was an Archwizard."

It wasn't a noble Dragon—it was a Bone Dragon.

So there was no blood to come out of it.

Yet the reason it got the name "Dragon Blood" was this:

When all my weapons were broken and I couldn't continue the fight, I snatched that old man's staff and smashed the Bone Dragon's skull in with it.

Back then, I really swung it like hell.

It was so sturdy that it was sturdier than the Bone Dragon's skull.

In the process, people made a fuss about something, and I thought that was probably the "Dragon Blood" whatever.

Of course, it broke in this recent battle.

"The weapons that represented the Arant Museum... that's roughly the list. These armaments, carrying such grand histories, shattered to pieces the moment they passed through your hands. Seeing that, I came up with one hypothesis."

Fabiana's platinum-colored eyes fixed on me.

"You—your Mana—seems to have the property of breaking every weapon. And therefore, you can't use weapons. Is my hypothesis correct?"

Exactly.

Of course, not entirely correct.

That was one reason, but if I had the subspace pouch Paulo used to carry around, it'd be a problem that could be solved to some extent.

Those named weapons only broke after I'd swung them a dozen or so times.

So, if the weapons were of a high enough grade, the chronic problem with my Mana would be resolved too.

Which was why my Mana wasn't the fundamental problem that made me put down weapons.

The decisive reason I put down weapons was that the ceiling was too clear—the Realm I could reach by using weapons was far too insignificant.

Of course, at that point, using weapons was far stronger than bare-handed martial arts.

Strong enough that, even though it was only an incomplete Demon, I could beat one down without taking a single hit.

In that process, I did get a lot of help from the magical effects, enchantments, and properties imbued in each weapon, but even without those, I could take down something like a Demon.

But that was the limit.

I couldn't kill a Legion Commander.

So naturally, I couldn't kill the Demon King either.

Instead, if I train in martial arts—

if I honed this talent that even I couldn't help but admire, I would definitely become stronger than I had been in my Past Life.

Strong enough to kill Legion Commanders, of course, and maybe... maybe even strong enough to kill the Demon King.

That was why I put down weapons.

The current me had no comrades.

Those bastards I met in my Past Life. The ones who filled in my shortcomings, who could watch my back, my flanks, my front.

Of course, I thought they were alive somewhere.

But I wasn't certain.

So... I.

The current me didn't have time to be picky.

Magic, martial arts, whatever—I needed to get my hands on every possible means of getting stronger.

And so, I put down weapons.

I chose the method by which I could become strongest, fastest.

So.

"No. I just don't use them."

It was the choice I'd made.

It wasn't that I couldn't use them—I chose not to.

"Eliarnes. I don't know what your goal is, but if you want to become stronger using weapons, I, Fabiana de Hermann, First Princess of the Empire, will back you."

Chuckling, Fabiana tilted her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠teacup.

"I'm saying I'll prepare all sorts of things so that you can endure your Mana and pull out a new weapon even when one breaks."

"...I... I don't need that."

"Are you serious?"

"...Yes. I... am. Stronger with my bare hands."

"Choosing bare hands even when you could use weapons—in a sense, isn't that no different from giving up on being human?"

That was right a hundred times over, a thousand times over.

In my Past Life, I... had said the exact same thing.

But at that point, the current me... was in the position of having to argue against those words. Fuck.

"...Well, a body trained to the extreme is... sharper, heavier, and harder than any weapon in the world."

"If you pick up a weapon and train to the extreme, you'll become even sharper, heavier, and harder than that. And that's not all. Eliarnes, don't you use any weapon without discrimination? So you'd definitely become twice as strong as others."

"No. Even a weapon like that is done for once it breaks."

"Weapons made of rare metals don't break easily. And those things are made to cut through an opponent's body, so they'd cut, break, and tear through a human body with ease."

"...Well, a body trained to the extreme beats even that."

"Martial Artists. I'm someone who deeply respects Martial Artists who've reached a high Realm. I can't help it. Those Martial Artist types lose limbs before reaching Tier 6. Arms, legs—it's hard for them to keep all their limbs attached. And yet, even in those gaps, there are people who surpass Tier 6 with all four limbs intact. If I ever met a Martial Artist like that in battle... it would be a truly horrifying fight. That's why I respect Martial Artists, and fear them too."

Fabiana's words weren't wrong.

To rise in Tier, one also needed experience from countless battles. A Martial ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Artist who had fought through all that bare-handed could not possibly be weak.

That was... something even I had to admit.

The body of a high-Tier Martial Artist was, how should I put it...

Even among Superhumans, it was on a different level entirely.

Arisa was like that.

Her wounds regenerated quickly, and she could eat anything she picked up without getting an upset stomach. She could even digest poison.

So naturally, she never got minor illnesses, never gained weight, and became tough as hell.

Later on, she could dent Adamantium with just a pinch.

"But if you pick up a weapon, you can get stronger faster and more easily. That is the Principle of this world."

...She keeps saying things that are right, so I'm running out of things to say.

"Even so, you intend to walk the path of martial arts?"

"...Yes."

"It's certainly... not a bad choice. I felt it before, when I blocked your fist as you were about to smash Shivria's skull in. Your talent is chilling. But I also felt your talent for weapons is just as outstanding. Is there another reason you chose martial arts?"

It was a question I didn't necessarily... need to answer.

But considering the question I was going to ask next... playing along with Fabiana's mood wouldn't be a bad choice.

"...I, well... I greatly respect and admire... uh, think that Ronan Luzarak is a wonderful person. So... yes. I want to become a Martial Artist as wonderful and strong... as Ronan."

Fuuuuck.

What the hell is this nonsense?

Gilding my own face with gold... no, fine.

In my Past Life, I used to gild myself like this all the time.

No? It's not gilding.

I actually was strong. How is talking about being strong gilding? I'm just stating facts.

But now.

Why... does it feel so weird?

Is it because I'm spouting off in front of a descendant... a brat far younger than me?

Is it because the name Ronan got dragged into praising a Martial Artist?

It's incredibly... embarrassing, humiliating... mortifying.

"Heh... You don't seem like you'll be swayed from your stubbornness."

"It's not stubbornness..."

I ground my teeth and fanned my face, which had gotten hot for no reason, lowering my head.

"Fine. If that's your choice, then so be it. Good. Then it's your turn. Any question is fine, so feel free to speak."

I wet my throat again with the tea that was just sweet and flavorless, let out a sigh, and asked.

"Do you know the whereabouts of the Sacred Relics Humble and Sacred?"