Mana Awakening and the Sword's Transformation
“What?! What did you say?!”
“I said take off your clothes.”
The Hero jumped back in shock at my words, looking half-horrified. Hmm. Is this really that big a deal? Back when he was little, he hated baths so much I'd have to forcibly strip him and toss him into a tub of warm water.
“W-Well, I mean...”
“You're making such a fuss over something as simple as taking off your shirt. Enough!”
I swiftly grabbed the hem of his top and ripped it apart with all my strength. It was made of pretty tough fabric, but it tore like paper against my power. In the end, the Hero was left helplessly exposing his bare back to me.
Hm. Now that I say it out loud, it does feel a bit weird. I'll fix it up for him later!
“W-Why are you doing this?!”
“It's nothing major. It'll be over quick!”
“Nooooo!!!”
His pointless struggling was quickly subdued.
“If you hadn't flailed around, it would've been done ages ago. What's the big deal about showing some skin? Have you forgotten all the times I bathed you naked as a kid?”
“B-But... it's embarrassing...”
His body had grown into that of a mountain, but inside, he was still the same kid from back then. Well, that's not so bad. Yeah.
Anyway, I sat the now shirtless Hero down and carefully placed my hand on his bare back.
“Eek!”
“Quiet. If you can't handle this, how do you expect to protect others?”
“That's not it! Hnngh!”
Then what is it? Ticklish? My hands are pretty soft, after all. Not that it's my problem.
I pressed my hand to his back and coaxed out a tiny thread of mana, slowly feeding it into his body.
“Hnn!”
The foreign sensation of something entering his body made the Hero jolt in surprise. What a wimp.
I maneuvered the mana inside him, stimulating the dormant mana within his body. Gradually, his mana began to respond, drawn out by mine. Good. Smooth sailing.
The trickiest part was squeezing out the mana in such minute amounts that it wouldn't cause any issues in his body! If I hadn't been so careful, an overload might've made him go boom.
Caution was key. The process repeated: mana flowed from my right arm, swept through his body, and returned via my left—entering and exiting to heighten his sensitivity to it.
“How's it feel?”
“Something tingly comes in and goes out.”
“Right. That's mana. Keep focusing on that sensation.”
“It's not easy to concentrate...”
His voice trailed off weakly, but I ignored it.
The infused mana circulated inside him and exited, gradually awakening his own in the process. His mana started to stir. Good—it's reacting.
Stimulated by mine, his mana grew more active. That should be enough. I slowly withdrew my mana and lifted my hand from his back. The Hero let out a faint sigh, as if regretting the loss of that odd sensation.
“Ah...”
“Now, can you sense the mana dormant inside you?”
“Yes. I can feel it wriggling around in me.”
“Work on moving it at will. Do that, and you'll unlock the full potential of your Hero's sword.”
“Okay... I'll give it a try...”
And with that, mana control training was added to the Hero's regimen.
What is mana?
The driving force behind magic. A mysterious power pervading the world. A blessing from the gods. The realization of one's will to enact change. The blood flowing through the veins of this world itself. The potential to achieve anything.
It's said that dragons were the first to wield it.
In ancient times, before humans existed—in the age of dragons, the rulers of this land manipulated mana like their own limbs, using primitive magic fueled purely by will.
Unlike humans or other races who chant spells and draw magic circles for even the simplest magic, dragons simply willed it into being.
Imagine it: flicking a finger to launch a fireball, or kicking off the ground to soar into the sky.
But no human in history has ever achieved such feats. No human has ever possessed mana affinity that high.
Though there's an obscure legend of the first nameless Hero performing something similar... but humans don't have dragon hearts, so it was probably exaggerated from his actual exploits.
The Hero adapted to mana quickly. He got used to physical enhancement with it, and could even fire off basic mana bolts... though the Hero's sword absorbed most of it, limiting the output.
Still, his control improved enough for short levitation spells. He seemed ready for the sword.
“Time to try the Hero's sword's true power.”
“Took a while.”
“A while? It's only been a year...”
“A year is a long time.”
Oh, right. To humans, yeah. To me, it was a blink.
“Grab the Hero's sword and channel your mana into it.”
I'd already synced his mana's pattern to Clausolas, so just infusing it would register him as the owner.
“Done.”
“Good. Now shout 'Transform!'”
I'd originally set it to activate on mana pattern alone, but that felt too bland! So I added a verbal command for flair. A simple one-word chant isn't bad.
“Huh? Oh, uh... Transform!!”
As he spoke, the sword glowed and began to change. Clank! Clank!! The armor plates forming the blade detached and fitted themselves onto his body—arms, torso, legs.
Hm... if I'd added a bit more mass, I could've made it like those tokusatsu hero transformations...? Nah. Or maybe store extra in a pocket dimension and deploy it...
While I pondered useless thoughts, his transformation finished.
“This is... what...”
“Another power of the Hero's sword: Silver Armor Agatram.”
The Hero inspected the armor clinging to him. It fit perfectly, like it was custom-made—no awkwardness, spot-on sizing.
Of course—magic synced it automatically to his body!
“Incredible...”
“Yeah, it is. Made it myself.”
Duh. It'd be ridiculous if it wasn't impressive.
“This armor can block any blade. The protected areas won't take a scratch, so mind your gaps and it'll make you invincible.”
At current civilization levels, nothing could even dent it. Monster teeth and claws? No chance. Unless dwarven smithing advances further, it'll reign supreme for ages.
The Hero has a crucial role protecting the world, after all. Gear to safeguard him is essential.
“And this sword...”
“Matches the wooden practice sword I gave you, right?”
It was a one-handed sword, identical to that wooden one—Clausolas's other form, post-armor deployment.
“I wondered why you gave me that wooden sword too... but now I get it.”
“Everything I do has a reason.”
He examined the slender blade. Thin and elegant, but no less sharp than a greatsword.
“Sweep foes with the greatsword, or defend and strike with armor and one-hander. Switch as needed.”
“Awesome... So how do I take it off?”
He poked at the seamless armor, a bit flustered.
Unlike normal armor, yeah.
“Say 'Transform release!'”
“Transform release!”
The armor peeled off on its own, reforming into the greatsword. He looked delighted at the sword's new form.
Who wouldn't be thrilled with a sword like that? I smiled faintly at his joy.