Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Magic Sword Forte (15) - The Drop
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Every hero's saga features some iconic symbol that defines them.
An indestructible famed sword that never breaks.
A magic ring that protects its wearer.
A special blessing that turns water into a healing potion.
A mighty physique capable of overpowering dozens of grown men through sheer strength, and so on.
In that same vein, what symbolized the hero Fernando Valestia was none other than his technique.
The hero's ultimate skill: petals fluttering like windblown blossoms, annihilating foes with a special aura.
Back when she was even younger and more naive about the world...
Pina had adored the hero's "Flower Storm" with a passion born of bloody training.
The tale of the hero aiding people amid thousands upon thousands of beautifully scattering petals was more than enough to stir a girl's innocent heart.
The elders of her family had found it endearing, watching the girl puff out her chest and vow she'd become just like him someday.
But as always, the world isn't quite that romantic.
No matter how diligently Pina swung her sword or repeated her efforts, she could never manifest a legendary Flower Storm like the tales described.
She chalked it up to her own lack of talent and redoubled her training.
She held back from playing, from resting, from eating or dressing up as she pleased—all of it suppressed.
In doing so, she built her skills faster than her peers.
And then, one day, all that effort ended with a single remark from her father.
"My dear daughter, Flower Storm is nothing more than a fabrication. So don't fret over not being able to replicate it."
If Pina's family had been the type to shrug and say, "She's choosing to grind away at her own life, so good for her," the story might have turned out differently.
But her family were proper people.
And so, they told her the truth.
Among the secret sword arts passed down in the Valestia lineage, there was indeed a technique believed to be the origin of the "legendary Flower Storm."
However, it was so excessively wasteful of mana that its power was laughably underwhelming, rendering it practically useless in real combat.
The hero had far more practical and superior techniques at his disposal, and the widely known Flower Storm was nothing but a fantasy born from bards' exaggerations and distortions.
Pina listened to her father's explanation in a daze.
Sensing his worry that she might be too shocked, the young girl stopped denying it or throwing tantrums.
Pina simply nodded meekly and carried on with her ordinary daily life thereafter.
Yes.
It was truly an "ordinary" routine.
Pina no longer desperately chased after recreating the legend.
She didn't grip her sword until the skin on her palms peeled away like before, nor did she skimp on sleep to squeeze out extra time.
She trained just enough not to draw tongue-clicks from onlookers, slacked off when no one was watching, and harbored only the bare minimum of noble intentions that wouldn't burden her.
Flower Storm was an illusion.
The technique she had seen as the hero's symbol was nothing more than a fabrication spun from people's imaginations and tall tales.
So, what guarantee was there that other legends of the hero were any different?
It wasn't some grand tale of despair or betrayal.
Just a naive child learning the ways of the world and maturing a little.
That's all it should have been.
"Flower Storm? Ho ho. Fine technique. A splendid image."
One day, while syncing with Pina, the magic sword uttered those words.
Pina brushed it off with an ambiguous smile and a vague "Is it?"
She hadn't explained her past connection to Flower Storm to Forte.
In the first place, Forte had only learned of the technique incidentally during their sparring sessions—she'd mentioned it existed but added no further commentary.
Yet that smile of hers apparently came across as disbelief to Forte.
"You don't seem to believe me."
"Ah, no, it's not that."
"You don't seem to believe me."
"I do believe you."
"You don't seem to believe me."
"......"
The magic sword was persistent.
Especially after Pina's intellect had curbed his habit of saying things like "Heh heh, need more power?"
Thus, Pina offered a slight counterargument.
"W-Well, you see, aura in general guzzles an insane amount of mana, right? Even more so if it's detached from the body or has a complex form."
Aura.
What swordsmen commonly called blade aura is, simply put, the realm of "materializing mana."
Beyond reinforcing the body with mana, beyond reinforcing the sword—it's mana itself exerting physical force.
And materialized mana like this has no output limit.
Unlike body reinforcement, bound by the body's limits, or sword aura, bound by the sword's, aura—which is pure force—scales endlessly with infused and compressed mana.
This is why a 5th rank swordsman wielding aura can effortlessly slice through the swords and armor of those yet to reach it.
Theoretically, then, a swordsman with aura needs no weapon or armor.
Shape mana into a sword and swing—that's a peerless blade. Drape it over the body like clothing—that's supreme armor.
Yet in practice, even aura users seek famed swords and fine armor.
And when manifesting aura, they overlay it on an existing sword or blend it with sword aura, rather than conjuring one from thin air.
Because it's more efficient that way.
"I hear even a decent knight runs dry just manifesting a sword in their hand to swing. Much less scattering it into countless petals to sweep the battlefield. And even if our ancestor had mana reserves for that, it'd be far more efficient to use the same mana on other techniques."
The words from the adults that had once convinced Pina herself.
Following that logic, she explained it to Forte.
Thus, Flower Storm was either fake, exaggerated, or a wasteful privilege for the chosen few.
Forte's response?
"Then I'll show you. Whether the hero's legend is illusion or truth—experience it yourself."
And now, time having passed to this very moment.
Pina found herself unconsciously entranced by the scene unfolding before her.
Petals scattered.
Petals scattered.
Petals the color of her hair scattered.
Each time those scattering petals touched a wall or floor, the surrounding area was sliced clean away.
Feeling threatened by that beautiful yet lethal sight, the demon's shadow warped its form to avoid contact with the petals.
And as if anticipating that, a will transmitted from the magic sword in Pina's hand.
Guided by the sword's path, Pina moved her body.
Shifting her toes, arching her waist, twisting her shoulder, swinging her arm, flicking her wrist.
Each subtle motion rippled the black aura.
Like petals caught in a gentle breeze, the aura's Flower Storm traced new trajectories toward the fleeing shadow.
──────!!!!
With every petal that touched it, the shadow let out a silent scream.
It desperately tried to read and dodge the petals' paths, but the more it did, the more wildly they fluttered, filling the room.
A demon powerful enough to toy with most humans on this continent was being overwhelmingly crushed without meaningful resistance.
Pina unconsciously nodded in agreement.
Separate from her body, which moved by ingrained technique, her heart trembled with profound emotion—enough to forget this was mid-battle.
'...It really was possible.'
The sight was one she had manifested herself—not anyone else.
No room for doubt remained, yet Pina felt no sense of reality in this moment.
No, honestly, it had been that way ever since meeting Forte.
Demons scheming to exploit the blood in her veins, a mighty magic sword like Forte lending her strength—every bit of it felt unreal.
That's why she'd gone along with it all playfully, lightheartedly, never too seriously.
She hadn't delved deeply into Forte's true nature, something she should have questioned, nor his goals—just accepted them at face value.
It was the easy, comfortable path.
Ever since abandoning her dream, that's how she'd lived.
But now...
No, from here on...
Shrrrr.
As if snapping Pina from her reverie, the black Flower Storm faded away.
What remained: a room covered in dense sword scars, as if thousands of troops had struck down with their blades, and the sage's statue—utterly unscratched.
What didn't remain: the demon once called "Shadowr."
For something of such immense power and ability, it was an absurdly anticlimactic end.
Of course, it didn't come without cost.
"Ugh."
Pina's body swayed.
No matter Forte's aid, she herself had been the one to unleash Flower Storm.
Her body, in perfect condition until just before ascending to the 100th floor, was now utterly drained, her mana teetering on the brink of depletion.
The aftermath of relentlessly cornering the escape-prone Shadowr, denying it even the slimmest chance, and finishing it off decisively.
Descending back to the 1st floor would be grueling like this, but countermeasures were in place.
That's why she'd bound the demon Divana as an ally via contract instead of slaying her—for times like this.
"M-Magic Sword, sir. My limbs are shaking... Mind if I rest a bit?"
"Of course. Kyllun and Divana are waiting below. Call out loudly, and they'll come. Eat some rations, recover your strength, then head down."
"What about the seal?"
"We'll unseal it eventually. Hand it formally to the faculty, destroy it, or reseal it somewhere the demons won't know."
As always, Forte answered Pina's questions promptly.
Feeling an inexplicable warmth and comfort in that reassurance, Pina thought:
'I've been too indifferent and half-hearted all this time.'
Time to learn more about Forte.
And instead of blindly following his lead, take the initiative to sync up properly.
It might be tough, plenty to do, but it'd be enjoyable too.
As Pina prepared to thank Forte with that resolve...
Hero's Path: First Step
📍 Clear Condition: Complete 50% or more of the subjugation work in the 'Temporary Repository'
⏰ Current Progress: 0%
⏰ Time Limit: None
🎁 Reward: Unlock Next Quest
📍 Note 1: Temporary repositories prepared for the true hero are active throughout the academy. Subjugate them and recover the 'resources' they've accumulated.
📍 Note 2: For smooth resource recovery, all temporary repositories will enter sleep mode until the quest ends.
📍 Note 3: Rest assured, Hero. Our adventure will succeed this time.
Pina stared blankly at the voices, then suddenly realized something and shivered with chills.
Why?
How?
Why does the system know about the demons?
Shadowr had revealed its true form, fine—but Divana had never manifested in reality even once?