Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Magic Sword Forte (9) - Coping with Corruption
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The easiest way to get close to someone is to act alongside them.
By facing each other and sharing stories, working together on tasks, or enduring hardships and joys side by side, people can grow intimate.
Conversely...
If you can't stick by the person you want to befriend, friendship is impossible, no matter what.
"Grraaaagh...!"
Divana watched her contractor spewing vomit in the bathroom with a sour expression.
The biggest reason she'd chosen this young man as her contractor was his handsome looks, the kind that made women's hearts flutter. But even that face meant nothing right now. His appearance was striking, but not at the level of reversing karma or anything.
Divana desperately wanted to slip away somewhere else to avoid witnessing this visual assault, but she had no choice at the moment.
Before passing through the Sky Academy's entrance, it might've been fine, but once inside, she always had to be cautious with her movements.
The moment she slipped out of the accessory she'd made her temporary home, the academy's system would detect her presence immediately, and that info would go straight to the professors.
"Huff, huff. S-sorry, Lady Divana. I showed you an ugly sight."
《Whatever, it's fine.》
To dispel any misunderstandings: Divana wasn't offering comfort out of some gentle nature.
She was just thinking logically.
A lunatic who spent every waking hour—minus eating and sleeping—hunting in the labyrinth was the weird one. Anyone who couldn't keep up wasn't.
In fact, this young man had lasted longer than most of her other companions.
《But this is a headache. How do you seduce a girl who's holed up in a dungeon swinging a sword all day?》
What good were handsome looks if she only had eyes for enemies?
What good was eloquent speech if she never talked?
After a brief ponder, Divana issued an order to the young man.
《You said you know some of the original students here, right?》
"Yes. Some from my family's retainers or relatives are seniors still enrolled. A few have deliberately delayed graduation, sticking around over ten years to gain power here."
《Perfect. Ask them. About areas with monsters that match well against swordsmen, or zones with nasty traps.》
Understanding Divana's intent, a sly smile crept across the young man's face.
"You plan to let her see something painful, I take it."
《She's rampaging because she's strong, right? Crush her limbs until she can't move, and she won't rampage anymore. Then you can get close under the guise of nursing her.》
"Understood. I'll devote myself to supporting her."
Two days later.
Boom. Crash!
Boom. Crash!
The party cried out in shock at the sight of the massive iron giant striding forward, its heavy frame unhindered.
"I-Iron Golem!? The monster swords don't even scratch!"
"We can't fight that! You need a Rank 4 or higher mage to dent it!"
Warriors don't shine much in major golem battles.
Even the lowest-tier Wood Golem is made entirely of wood—something anyone who's chopped kindling knows is tough yet flexible.
You can nick or gouge it with a blade, but slicing clean through in one go? Not easy.
And when the material upgrades to rock or metal? It becomes a warrior's natural predator.
In RPG terms, their physical defense is disgustingly high.
Mage spells work somewhat better, but even that's relative—hardly a weak point you can exploit.
No matter how you sliced it, this wasn't prey for students to take down. And that made sense.
It wasn't made to be taken down in the first place.
'To stop students from lingering too long on one floor, endlessly farming respawning monsters.'
The Crown Prince might've thought "camping prevention," but the contractor youth didn't know that far.
All he knew was that from certain floors onward, "impossible-to-beat-normally" monsters appeared, and you had to flee or use specific items to deal with them.
Unlike his horrified companions, the bloodied-sword wielder readied for battle against the Iron Golem. Seeing this, the youth inwardly cheered.
Of course, he didn't forget to toss out some foreshadowing aloud.
"No! Miss Pina! We need to retreat now!!"
He'd induced the golem's spawn by camping here under the quest-clearing pretext, but Pina's grudge couldn't turn on him.
He'd warn her, but she'd ignore it and push the fight—that setup would justify nursing her later.
He prepared to intervene at the perfect moment, just enough to save her life.
Slash!
Pina sliced through the Iron Golem's sturdy body like tofu, freezing everyone solid.
His companions, mid-explanation of its strength and terror, were equally stunned.
Ignoring their dreamlike denial, the message window rang out clearly.
Beating a boss you're not supposed to nets fat rewards.
In reality, plenty of insanely tough foes yield squat even if you kill them. But in this realm crafted by the Sage of the Skies, that held true.
Of course, the system was harsh on the lazy.
While the youth just blinked, Pina casually sheathed her sword.
She tilted her head at her frozen companions, then started flustering.
"S-sorry. Did you say something? I was focused on the fight and didn't hear."
More precisely, chatting with her magic sword, but that wasn't important now.
The youth desperately kept a calm face as he replied.
"N-no, it's fine. But impressive. I heard soloing an Iron Golem is impossible without sword aura..."
Implying she might be Rank 5, Pina shook her head vigorously, her long hair flapping like a tail.
"I-it's just 'cause I love swords! My skill's nothing special, yeah."
"I see."
"......"
"......"
"...Shall we head to the next floor?"
"...Yeah."
The youth and Divana plotted anew.
"Looks like we picked the wrong mark. Her attack power is overwhelming, so defense-focused stuff is pointless."
《Yeah, better go aggressive too. No matter how sharp the sword, blocking attacks has limits.》
"I'll lure her to a poison needle trap zone. It's designed assuming a warrior gets hit first, then healed by allies—so I can control the treatment level."
《Nice! How's one sword gonna block needles from all directions?》
And time passed.
Whooshwhooshwhooshwhoosh!
Spherical barriers around Pina's body deflected every needle fired from the surroundings.
Watching, the youth's lips twitched as he asked.
"A-amazing skill. Is that the legendary Aura Armor?"
At his question implying she'd used the Rank 5 secret art of manifesting mana as armor, Pina waved her hands.
"N-no! It's the magic sword's power! I can't do that!"
"I see. Haha, truly impressive. Yeah, really."
"Physical attacks don't work. Time for poison gas traps."
《You won't survive that either, though?》
"Prep antidotes in advance. Tweak the mix so only she gets side effects."
《Heh, good. How's one sword gonna block poison gas anyway?》
And time passed.
"C-can't... breathe...!"
"Cough! Cough! Grahack!"
"B-body's numb...!"
"Uwaaaah! E-everyone okay!? What do we do!?"
As other parties collapsed and twitched, Pina flailed—for different reasons. The youth asked.
"H-how are you... fine...?"
"Th-the sword's effect! Just holding it gives some poison resistance! But that's not important now!"
Pina hauled her companions out of the gas one by one, fed them potions.
She even gave the trembling youth his share.
"Grahack!"
"C-calm down! You'll be fine soon after the potion!"
"...Thanks for the healing. Without Lady Divana's grace, I couldn't even stand from the side effects."
《...Nah, whatever.》
"This time, we'll bury that damn... I mean, heroic descendant for good. Trap that forces cursed gear equip on opening the chest."
《Sounds good, but no burying. We need her elsewhere.》
"...Ahem, yes."
And time passed.
Crack!
"Phew, close call! Without the sword's curse detection, I'd have opened it blind!"
"This damn..."
"Pardon?"
"...I was saying it's safe to open rations now. Truly remarkable skill, Miss Pina."
"N-no! Thanks to everyone's help!"
"Can't beat it physically. But attacks aren't just physical. We'll trash her reputation socially, isolate her, grind her spirit!"
《Doesn't she only talk to you guys anyway?》
"...Probably?"
《No one to socialize with, so how's she hearing the trash talk?》
"......"
《......》
"I'll find another way."
《Yeah.》
Plan scrapped—no time passed.
Bam!
The youth slammed the table with his fist.
His eyes were bloodshot, dark circles like a panda's from doggedly following Pina's mad schedule while recruited allies bailed, unable to keep up despite money, connections, and looks.
"Target her day off! Stick to her all weekend, make her heart mine—physical strength won't matter then!"
《Good idea, but doable? She had days off before, but spent them sleeping.》
"Got strong stimulants ready. Overtime's no fear!"
Divana didn't nitpick if calling awake time on days off "overtime" was right.
His eyes were already at their limit.
《Alright, give it your best.》
"Leave it to me!!"
And on operation day.
The youth went to knock on Pina's door but spotted the sign.
[Using noise-blocking magic tool for proper rest. Leave notes if needed.]
"Tch."
He clicked his tongue but steadied his breath.
《Now what?》
"It's fine. Came too early morning—that's the issue. Give it time, she'll come out."
Morning passed.
"Sleeping in, huh. After pushing so hard daily, makes sense."
Lunchtime passed.
"One meal a day type. She'll emerge for dinner."
Dinnertime passed.
"...Not in her room? No, acquaintances would notify me if spotted."
Night fell.
"......"
"Hey, student! Lingering by a girl's door late at night looks bad! Scram!"
"...Yes."
The youth wanted to die.
《We need to steal the sword.》
"Without taking the sword, we can't do anything."