Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Magic Sword Forte (12) - Take It or Leave It
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People often misunderstand this, but a sword is a dangerous thing even without its blade.
Whether it's still in the scabbard or you're striking with the flat of the blade, that hefty chunk of metal smashing into your head is more than enough to send someone across the River of Souls.
Thus, if her opponent had been an ordinary person, Pina would've hesitated before swinging that bloodied sword around.
No matter how precious holidays are, you can't just kill someone over one, right? (Though some office workers crushed by forced overtime might disagree.)
But the young man was no ordinary person.
He was a powerhouse with solid skills to begin with, now amplified by a demon's power.
Thus, Pina beat him senseless without a shred of hesitation.
Thwack! Thud! Thwump!
"Guh! Kruk! Ack! Ack!"
The young man couldn't get his bearings.
Right from the start, both eyes had taken direct hits, which was fatal.
As he reflexively hunched from the pain exploding across his face, his occiput got smashed next. When he toppled to the ground, a full swing hammered his side.
The young man screamed and tried desperately to escape Pina, but she stuck to him like a ghost, relentlessly pummeling him every time.
'Why... how...!?'
Confusion and doubt surged in the young man's mind.
He'd always been around the cusp of 4th rank in skill.
After contracting with Divana, his power had grown even more, enough to form sword aura.
In fact, he was currently clad in an armor of aura around his body—a defense strong enough to easily deflect all but the heaviest blows.
So what the hell was this situation? Why wasn't the armor doing anything? Did that magic sword somehow ignore aura-based defenses?
The young man was wrong.
It was true that Forte was a famed sword capable of ignoring most defenses, but even it couldn't pierce aura while still sheathed.
Thus, the simple reason he was getting trounced without a chance to fight back...
His "perfect" defense wasn't actually perfect. That was it.
《Aura's versatility is downright terrifying. Infusing mana with physical force—what more could you want?》
《The most common uses are coating a weapon to exceed its limits or wrapping it around your skin like armor, but those are just basics.》
《You can extend it to increase a weapon's reach, shape it into orbs and fire them like projectiles. Even when coating a weapon, you can compress it just on the edge for max power or focus it on incoming attack spots to boost defense further. The refinements are endless.》
《And those techniques come from steady, accumulated training. If you suddenly gain 'aura' without that process... well, you'd end up like the guy in front of us.》
《Ah, his aura just fizzled on the shin. Kick it with your toes.》
'Yes, Sir Magic Sword!!'
The girl, enthralled by the wicked magic sword's whisper, swung her leg with all her might. A pitiful wail erupted from the young man's mouth.
《Hey! Hey! Why are you just taking it like a chump? Create some distance first! Harass with spells! Your side's wide open! No, don't use the sword there—use your fist, argh!!》
Divana, watching it all, felt like her insides were boiling over.
If Pina had overwhelmed him with raw output using the magic sword's power like she did in the dungeon, Divana could've accepted it. That would've just been specs overpowering him.
But Pina wasn't even borrowing much of the sword's power right now.
Despite the young man having superior raw specs, he was getting one-sidedly pummeled.
Divana agonized.
If she revealed her true form here, she could turn the tables.
But the instructors would sense her presence, throwing a massive wrench into future plans.
Let it be, and her contractor would be crippled beyond recovery by Pina.
That innocent-looking face couldn't squash a bug, yet she beat people like a pro.
After deep deliberation, Divana finally decided.
《Ugh, damn it...! Listen up! From now on, you're going to—》
Whether that decision was right would only become clear later.
"I-it was a moment of clouded judgment!"
The young man, his once-handsome face now a swollen mess, suddenly slammed his head to the ground.
He slowly confessed why he'd done it, his speech slurred here and there, but the gist was clear enough.
The magic sword's power had been too tempting as a swordsman. He'd lost his mind for a second. He'd never do it again. He was truly sorry. End of story.
"Hmm."
Pina scratched her cheek awkwardly, and Divana clenched her fist tight.
《See? This was the right call! He's a hero's descendant, right? Unless you straight-up killed someone, they won't execute you for one attempted theft!》
'Y-yes, I suppose so.'
The young man inwardly doubted if Pina was really that naive and righteous, but he didn't contradict Divana.
Better this than more beatings—he wanted the fight over too.
Thankfully from his view, the furious Pina didn't snap and decapitate him for talking nonsense.
Meanwhile, Divana kept ranting.
《No choice now but to lean hard into pity! 'Family pressure was crushing me! Then this immense power appeared, and I fell to temptation without thinking!' Go with that!》
Dominating a mentally wrecked Pina psychologically was impossible now.
But Divana figured she could guide her by stoking sympathy instead, so she directed the young man, who followed faithfully.
A knightly house with deep history.
Descendants lacking the skill to match their glorious ancestor's name.
Then a boy shows prodigious talent, drawing immense pressure from his father and elders.
He strives to meet expectations, only to realize his childhood brilliance was a fluke, growing anxious—now a full-grown young man.
The young man's tearful confession brimmed with pathos and sincerity—because most of it was true.
Just swap "stole the sword for power" with "contracted a demon," and it was his life story.
"I see..."
Pity filled Pina's eyes.
The young man and Divana sensed victory, unconsciously gripping their fists.
And Pina declared:
"Then from now on, let's grind the dungeons harder together!"
Time froze.
At least in the young man and Divana's heads.
"T-truthfully, I've been slacking a bit on schedule when partying with you all. Sir Magic Sword even said, 'You need to learn fighting with allies sometimes,' and permitted it. But to think you were struggling inside..."
The young man doubted his ears.
What the hell did she just say? Slacking how?
"I'll step up my effort too! Let's push together!"
They didn't know it, but this was Pina's massive goodwill.
She hated training or fighting at heart, yet his backstory fired her up to motivate him.
"Th-thank you, but my skills can't keep up with your schedule."
His face ashen, the young man spoke in a trembling voice.
A desperate struggle for survival.
And to him, Pina beamed brightly.
"No worries! Sir Magic Sword knows a solution!"
"A solution...?"
"Mind lending me that gem around your neck for a sec?"
The young man flinched.
Pina had pointed right at the accessory hiding Divana.
'Wh-what do I do?'
Divana replied reluctantly.
《Hand it over.》
'Isn't that risky?'
《It's just a vessel. Even if it breaks, I'm fine.》
Ready to burst out and subdue Pina if needed, Divana prepared.
Understanding her intent, the young man cautiously handed the accessory to Pina.
She wrapped it around her sword hilt, then left it in the tree's shadow, untouched by artificial light.
The young man asked:
"May I ask what you're doing?"
Pina replied:
"No idea!"
"...?"
At first, abandoned in the tree's shade, Divana had no clue what Pina intended.
She muttered from inside the accessory's barrier.
"What a total nutjob."
"Enemy insults are usually flattery in disguise—so that's high praise indeed."
"?!"
Divana whipped around in shock at the voice behind her.
A man stood there.
Like he'd been sculpted from shadows, she couldn't make out his features or clothes.
His shady look was bad enough, but an intruder in her private space spiked her alert to max.
"Who the hell are you? How'd you get in here?"
"Skip the boring questions. It's obvious, and not important now."
The man raised his right arm, and a sword materialized in his grip.
Realizing it matched Pina's sword exactly, Divana finally got it.
"So you're the magic sword? It wasn't just crazy ramblings?"
"Your wits aren't completely dull. Good. Now—"
The man—Forte—declared:
"Choose. Death... or cooperation."