Chapter 208
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: The First Spirit Sword Awakens
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"Spirit swords usually awaken their power in two stages, or sometimes three."
"Three stages? But that sword doesn't show any sign of it, does it?"
As Luna said, the first spirit sword I'd forged after leaving Labyrinthos showed no sign of unlocking its power, even under my direct command.
It was common for spirit swords forged from spirit energy to be finicky.
But for someone at my level, who was used to handling them...
This level of disobedience was rare.
I tapped the hilt of the sword in my hand, and a faint resonance hummed through it.
It wasn't asleep.
I was deep in thought, puzzling over it.
"Big Brother!!"
In the distance, I spotted Arsha running toward me, her little legs pumping furiously.
"Arsha."
I stabbed Falling Flower into the ground and scooped her up into a hug.
"Why are you out here all alone?"
"Arsha has a present for Big Brother!"
She beamed, holding up the flower crown clutched in her hands, her face brimming with excitement.
The crown, clumsily woven by a young child, was rough around the edges.
But it bore the clear traces of Arsha's earnest effort.
"Is this for me?"
She nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Ah.
She was fishing for praise. As her big brother, how could I not indulge her?
"Wow, you did an amazing job! Mind if I try it on?"
Her eyes lit up as she nodded vigorously, reminding me just how young she still was.
Her sudden boldness must be thanks to Luna's influence.
I placed the flower crown Arsha had made atop my head.
That was when it happened.
Hummm!! Hummm!!
The first spirit sword I'd planted in the ground, Falling Flower, began to resonate with a deep hum, reacting as if it had just awakened.
Shhhh!!
Suddenly, its blade dissolved into sparkling motes of light, transforming into a blade of pure radiance like a lightsaber.
And then...
Cracks in the training ground's floor burst open as vibrant flower buds erupted, blooming rapidly all around.
"Wha... whoa..."
Arsha's eyes went wide as she stared in astonishment.
I realized then that the incantation I'd uttered earlier had finally taken effect.
As if the spirit sword, dormant until now, had finally stirred to life.
And as those buds began to unfurl...
A change came over the flower crown on my head as well.
"Wh-what?!"
Arsha gasped at the sight of it.
The modest crown of plucked flowers had instantly begun to grow, swelling into a massive, unruly thicket.
But it didn't stop there. Falling Flower triggered explosive growth in every plant it touched.
That's enough.
Nope, I'm just getting started.
A battle of wills ensued between the sword and me. Thinking back to the first spirit sword I'd awakened in the Sword Hall of Labyrinthos—a body-enhancement blade—it had put me through hell with its rampage early on. Finicky spirit swords all seemed to share that trait.
"M-my flower... crown that I worked so hard on..."
Arsha's lip trembled, and soon she burst into tears.
I comforted her while shooting Falling Flower a glare.
Causing trouble right out of the gate, huh?
In response, it mockingly bloomed even more buds around us.
The sword's chime rang out.
Through my connection, I instinctively knew:
This thing was laughing at me.
I set the sobbing Arsha down and yanked Falling Flower from the ground.
"Looks like I need to show you who you messed with."
The first spirit sword I'd awakened in Labyrinthos's Sword Hall was a body-fortification type.
It took a while to obey, but early on, during its initial spirit sword transformation, it screwed me over repeatedly.
Spirit swords didn't grasp right and wrong like living beings.
Their power drew from the spirit energy shared between user and sword.
The more it used, the more spirit energy I burned—and the more of its own essence it consumed.
Obviously, if it rampaged unchecked, I'd collapse first. But it was missing one key fact.
No matter how much it thrashed...
"Fine, let's see who wins. Arsha."
"Hic... sniff..."
I flashed a bright smile at her tear-streaked face.
"Want Big Brother to show you something amazing?"
It'd be spectacular. Even magic couldn't match this.
"Something... amazing?"
Gripping the activated Falling Flower, I scooped Arsha up by her thighs with my free hand.
"Wanna come along?"
"I'm always up for a good show."
With a Fly spell, we soared into the air. Arsha yelped and clung to my neck.
But soon, the thrill of flight brought a smile through her sniffles.
Once we'd flown beyond the estate's borders, I scanned for a suitable spot.
The fallout wouldn't be small, so distance was key.
We arrived near the cabin isolated during my earlier suppression of Thanatos's power.
This'll do.
I jammed Falling Flower upside down before a scrawny, pathetic-looking tree in a clearing.
"You picked the wrong guy to mess with."
Then I forcibly controlled the surging power pouring from it, activating it fully.
It resisted, but it didn't know I wasn't some novice.
Hummm!! Hmm!!
The sword chimed.
Vast spirit energy flooded in, consuming its essence.
Its "existence" wasn't life per se—depletion wouldn't kill it...
But the strain would mount.
Prideful thing that it was, it guzzled my spirit energy wildly, spurring the spindly tree to grow.
The sapling thickened and shot upward, leaves sprouting.
Flowers bloomed across the surrounding earth.
"Whoa... wow..."
Arsha gaped, purely enchanted by the wondrous sight.
"Curious what this place will look like tomorrow?"
I brushed the thicket from my head and asked. Her eyes sparkled as she nodded enthusiastically.
"How about we camp here tonight, just you and me?"
"Wh-what about... Luna sis...?"
"All three of us. Actually, since we're at it, let's call Melissa too. Family camping."
Arsha pondered, then grinned brightly at my suggestion.
While Luna carried Arsha off to tidy the cabin, I crouched before the embedded Falling Flower.
"You messed with the wrong person. If you want to sort out the pecking order, do it somewhere else. Pull that in front of me, and you're done."
It was giving its all...
But my spirit energy showed no sign of depleting. Falling Flower hummed in confusion, hummm hummm!
Running dry wouldn't kill me.
Just exhaust me utterly.
And it wasn't acting out of malice.
Spirit swords lacked the capacity for such judgment.
More like a newborn playing pranks.
Still, bad habits die young.
I rose slowly.
"Go ahead, push as hard as you want. Let's see who wins."
But you'd be surprised by how much spirit energy I have.
Like muscles tearing and rebuilding stronger, spirit energy grows through depletion and recovery.
Me, who'd gathered spirit swords and shredded an ancient god—did you think I'd have mediocre reserves?
Its potential might be top-tier.
But not for a newborn like this.
Melissa, who should have been buried in paperwork at the mansion, arrived slung over Luna's shoulder like a damsel kidnapped by a demon lord.
Luna was petite.
But her strength was anything but cute.
"What the hell is this?! Out of nowhere..."
"You're on break anyway. Might as well relax. When's the last time you properly rested since becoming count?"
I'd gathered scrap metal into a massive grill and slapped some meat on it.
Sizzle! The savory aroma made her twitch.
"Eat or don't. Say no, and I'll send you back."
"I-I'm busy..."
"Arsha, looks like your sister doesn't wanna play."
Arsha's eyes welled up at that, and Melissa panicked.
"Are you insane?! She's actually buying it, you lunatic bastard!"
She scooped Arsha into her arms and plopped down, horrified.
One count, one young master of the count's family, one young lady, and an archangel.
Gathered around a small campfire with a single grill—this camping setup felt oddly surreal.
"So why here, all of a sudden?"
"Told you. Family trip after ages."
"Cut the crap and answer straight, you three-leaf-clover-looking freak."
"Taming a disobedient one."
I pointed toward the distant woods.
Even now, it was sucking in massive spirit energy.
Still thrilled, devouring my power—but how long would that last?
It wouldn't grasp its limits until its essence wore thin.
"The territory folk are struggling just to eat."
"Bullshit."
Luna sipped her fresh-squeezed fruit juice and cut in.
"Anyone can see life quality in the count's territory has skyrocketed lately."
With ample funds, options multiply, and the land naturally prospers.
Melissa wasn't a miser hoarding every coin.
"You've already exceeded your duties. If you collapse..."
Luna glanced at me.
"Leon hates that."
"Leon..."
Yeah, I hated it plenty.
"Exactly. If you drop, I have to handle your workload. You nuts?"
Her face soured. She shoved meat into her mouth aggressively, kicking my leg repeatedly.
Arsha giggled at the sight.
I shot Melissa a glare when Arsha wasn't looking and sent a mental message.
We'll settle this without Arsha around, you anteater bitch.
She responded with a lazy middle finger.
Even our bickering amused Arsha.
Though she'd tried fleeing on "busyness" at first, she soon melted into the vibe, scarfing down my grilled meat with annoying gusto.
Yeah, when else would we do this? Gotta have days like these.
I opened the lid of the large smoker beside the grill, prepped earlier.
Inside lay the fruits of countless failures: finally, something worthy of the name.
Brisket, famous from a southern kingdom in the central continent.
The pepper and salt mishaps from my first attempts...
"What is that? The meat's charred black!"
She squinted at the dark slabs in the smoker.
"You know eating that crap wrecks your health?"
"Not burned. That's how it's supposed to be."
"Oh. Finally perfected it?"
"When else would you try it?"
"Wait, is this southern brisket?"
"Yep."
"Whoa. Heard rumors but never seen it up close... God, the juices..."
I sliced it deftly and served portions on plates.
"Boredom leads to experiments like this."
In truth, sampling leisurely life played a part.
"Mmm! It's like the juices explode in your mouth!"
Better reception than expected.
Despite worrying it might be too intense.
"Plenty more. Pig out, pig."
"Pig mode activated today."
Leaving the excited bunch, I slipped away briefly.
To where I'd planted the spirit sword, Falling Flower.
At its center hummed the resonating blade... and a colossal tree, easily fifty meters tall.
Back in my past life, I'd heard giant sequoias reached a hundred meters. Or was it giant camphor?
This ordinary tree was freakishly huge now.
Trees forcibly hypertrophied like this should weaken proportionally.
But the one empowered by Falling Flower brimmed with even greater vitality and sturdiness.
Definitely beyond mere size increase.
"Top-class creation type... At this rate..."
I hadn't flaunted it, but accelerating plant growth was an incredible ability.
I call these creation-type spirit swords, and Falling Flower seemed elite among them.
For now, just a juvenile juicing local flora.
Spirit swords generally need time to mature.
But if it unleashed full power, burning vast spirit energy...
World tree territory?