I Can Do It
"Kairen. This is the weapon you'll be using today."
"What the hell is this?"
Kairen glanced back and forth between the longswords nestled in the box and the faces of Adria and his father.
"They're all just longswords once you're inside the arena anyway. What's with all the pointless decorations..."
"They aren't pointless decorations, brother."
"Then what are they?"
"You can think of them as a type of magic sword."
"A magic sword?"
"Yes. It's a weapon that boosts swordsmanship even for people with almost no knowledge of the art."
"Haa..."
"You're not completely useless, brother, so I believe you still have a chance of defeating Leonia, the Empire's Sword."
"Are you an idiot?"
Kairen stared at Adria with open contempt.
"The dueling arena has anti-magic measures in place. The only magic you can use inside is the defensive enchantment on the sword itself."
"......"
"Any other kind of magic is completely sealed off."
"Completely sealed off... is that so?"
Adria smiled behind her veil.
"Magic-nullifying or magic-dampening spells are certainly powerful. But they aren't without gaps."
"What?"
"There's always a gap. The Empire's mages keep researching ways to close those holes, but new spells that can slip past the Empire's magic control barriers appear from time to time."
"Then..."
"And every time they discover one of those new spells, the mages patch the hole in the Empire's control system. Once they know what can pierce the gap, fixing it isn't that difficult, apparently."
Kairen looked back at the sword after hearing her explanation. A faint trace of magic could be felt from the gem embedded in its hilt.
"So this sword is a weapon that can pierce that barrier?"
"Correct. It was one of the mana devices scheduled to fall under the new magic control restrictions starting this year."
"Was?"
"Yes."
The family head's expression turned slightly sour at the story.
"The construction of the new magic that would let the control system handle this weapon's power has been postponed until next year."
"......"
"A considerable amount of the Balcazar funds were invested, you see?"
"In other words, bribes were paid," Kairen said.
He gave the gem-studded longsword a few experimental swings.
"Then how much did they sink into this thing?"
"......"
"Hm?"
"Kairen," the family head cut into their conversation with an irritated look.
"Half."
"Half?"
"Of the entire scheme. The behind-the-scenes maneuvering to get this weapon approved, the work to create the weapon itself. We poured half the fortune we seized from the Cromwells into it."
"Wait, hold on..."
A flustered Kairen stared at his father.
"You're saying an entire share of the Balcazar fortune went into this nonsense?"
"That's correct, brother."
"Just how expensive can one useless weapon be?"
"It's expensive precisely because it's useless."
"What?"
Adria drew another sword from the box.
"In a world ruled by magic, those with power are those who possess magic. A sword itself holds little importance beyond magic sword techniques."
"And?"
"And so there's no demand for half-baked magic like this when it comes to making weapons. That's why the cost of researching the magic and the cost of crafting a weapon to use it are both exorbitant. When you only produce a single piece, the entire tool-making expense gets rolled into that one item."
"......"
"Does that make sense now, brother?"
"Ah, I get it."
"Kairen." The family head continued speaking to Kairen, who still seemed to be struggling with Adria's explanation. "No matter what, that's what swordsmanship is."
"It's useless."
"But it's also everything."
"......"
"Upstarts live off money, while nobles live off honor."
The family head quietly poured tea from the pot where the leaves had properly steeped.
"Then what is honor? It refers to all honorable things. And the citizens and nobles of this empire enjoy swordsmanship. Here, that is honor."
"So that's why you want me to become the Empire's Sword."
"Exactly. It's something with no use to those who wield magic. But for those who crave honor, it's the easiest way to obtain it. That is the title of the Empire's Sword."
"Well... that Valteria bitch got where she is thanks to the Empire's Sword title, after all..."
"Yes. So don't miss this opportunity."
"......"
Adria quietly took the swords out of the box one by one.
"That's why the Balcazar family went so far as to move up the schedule for this tournament. It wasn't simply for money."
"For honor..."
"Yes. By advancing the tournament date, we seize control of the market. In the end, those things are also just means to buy honor with money."
"......"
"If you obtain the title of the Empire's Sword, brother, none of that will matter."
"Heh. The Balcazars are nobles who live off honor, after all."
"Because we are of the imperial bloodline."
"Right."
Kairen quietly set the sword down.
"Now that you understand, I'll give you the proper precautions."
"Precautions?"
"Yes. Even though we paid such an exorbitant price, this sword's ability is unstable. It's even single-use. That's why people who can't use magic don't bother with it."
"Haa..."
"I can't even guarantee how long the magic will last once activated. So you must only use it at the most critical moments."
"Understood."
"If possible, only use it when facing the Valteria young lady... and to be more specific, you should only use it when facing Brika, the Empire's Sword."
"Got it."
"To activate the magic, press this gem. Once you do, mana will begin to flow into the sword."
"......"
After listening to all of Adria's explanation, Kairen stared at the sword with a meaningful look. And Kairen thought:
I will absolutely never use this on you, Rubelia.
Right now, he had to save this sword and win at all costs.
Tsk! So the girl I saw that day was a fake after all?
Kairen glanced at Rubelia, who was watching him with wary eyes. He recalled his memories of Seria when she had transformed into Rubelia.
As the eldest son of Balcazar, Kairen knew the general details of the Cassian incident. He also knew that the Rubelia who had tried to seduce him had been a fake, or perhaps an illusion created through hypnosis.
No matter what, I won't let any of you get away with it. Not you, and not Selene either!
That was why this duel was also a matter of pride.
I'll defeat you with my own skill! This is something I'd only use against a truly powerful enemy!
Kairen drew the gem-studded sword. It was still just an ordinary longsword, its jewel power not yet activated.
"Both contestants, step forward!"
When the referee called them, the two briefly bowed to each other while maintaining eye contact. Then—
"Begin!"
Amid the referee's shout and the roar of the crowd, the two drew their blades and approached one another.
A rapier, huh?
Kairen had confidence in his swordsmanship.
I need to close the distance. My height advantage means it's not a major concern, but still.
Besides, before his academy days, Kairen had once seen Rubelia's skill during a friendly tournament between nobles.
She's decent at toying with opponents, but nothing worth bragging about. Especially not in front of me...
The two slowly closed the distance, watching each other's spacing. Rubelia approached with one arm behind her back, rapier pointed forward.
Now!
The moment a small opening appeared—
"Haaah!"
Kairen charged with a shout.
"Three-zero!"
In the blink of an eye, he had given up three points.
"Damn it... why..."
Kairen's sword trembled with rage.
Clang.
"Four-zero!"
"Fuck!"
Rubelia had grown far stronger than what he'd seen before.
"What the hell is this!"
"What do you mean? If you have complaints, try practicing more."
"Grr!"
In the time since, Rubelia had trained extensively with Leonia, the Empire's strongest sword. She had even received brief swordsmanship instruction from the professor she respected so much, Selene.
Through that process, she had polished the finer details of her technique.
"Aaaargh!"
Clang.
"Ugh?!"
Thud.
"Five-zero!"
Kairen fell backward while trying to dodge the blade. He couldn't avoid it.
"What now!"
"Do you know how much I paid to come watch this?!"
Jeers poured in from behind.
"Who the hell do these bastards think I am?!"
Kairen snarled back. But with so many spectators, he couldn't tell who had booed him.
After all, if not now, when else would they get the chance to curse a noble while hiding in the crowd?
Because of that, there was nothing this humiliated Kairen could do about it.
"I'll destroy you, you son of a bitch!"
The only thing left was to defeat the Rubelia before him with pure skill.
"Ugh..."
At that moment—
"All right, both contestants! Prepare!"
Kairen's eyes caught the elevated noble seating area. There stood his father. The head of House Balcazar was watching.
"Goddammit..."
His rage quickly mixed with fear. The terror of not only shaming the family but possibly being crushed entirely. The creeping dread that while House Valteria rose again, House Balcazar might fall instead.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Finally realizing this wasn't simply a matter of his own pride, Kairen—
To think I'd have to use this... here...
Click.
He pressed the jewel embedded in the longsword with all his strength.
"Huh?!"
Kairen's movement as he closed in on Rubelia suddenly accelerated. It was as if the sword itself was pulling him forward.
"Ugh?!"
Rubelia was momentarily flustered by the abrupt change in Kairen's movements.
Clang.
"Ah! Five to one!"
He had managed to steal a single point in that instant.
"But you still have a long way to go, contestant Kairen!"