Chapter 98

Chapter 97

"By the way, what brings you here at this late hour?"

"Just... I came to have a conversation."

-Lying. She can't hide her anxious feelings.

Perseus, who had been looking at her with a sleepy face, quietly muttered.

The information window I could see clearly showed that she had come here for another reason, indicating that her mind was currently filled with those thoughts.

Beep.

-Name: Ilina de Falan

-Age: 17

-Titles: Master of the Divine Sword, One of the Five Beauties

-Notable Points:

-Contractor of the Divine Sword

-Imperial Princess of the Falan Empire

-Member of Last Wisp (The Last Fragment)

-Current Psychological State:

-Confused, Troubled

It was a very ordinary status window, but one thing caught my eye.

'Last Wisp (The Last Fragment)...'

I couldn't help but feel that she had brought something interesting to talk about.

"Well, having a conversation isn't difficult. I'll make some tea, so please take a seat."

The sound of my footsteps echoed quietly in the empty, quiet workshop.

* * *

"That golem... If the world knew about it, there would be quite a commotion, wouldn't there?"

A commotion would be the least of it. It would be fortunate if it wasn't treated as a dangerous weapon.

A golem capable of performing complex commands and high-level combat is practically a bomb.

She gave a bitter smile as she watched the prototype Megatron, who was moving its body parts on its own in one corner of the quiet workshop.

"After all that effort... I couldn't even defeat one golem."

"That thing is a monster, not because you are weak, Ilina."

There was no lie in my words.

The core of Megatron is made of a mana stone of a different dimension, containing a large amount of magical essence.

Moreover, the basic framework is made of a unique stone material, believed to be created by an ancient mage.

Even the magical golems that were basically present could show efficiency beyond the Master level if they were poorly managed, so it was commendable that an Expert-level swordsman who hadn't even reached Master could hold out.

But it seemed that the defeat was a significant humiliation for her.

Unlike humans, who can't fight properly when an arm is cut off due to the pain, Megatron, as a golem, doesn't feel pain.

It was only natural.

While Megatron needs various data, I think this woman is in the same boat.

"Experience is important. Instead of this, let's go out."

"Eh... Deal?"

Seeing her slightly dejected, I felt like being unnecessarily meddlesome.

"It's a good night for a walk."

At my words, she got up from her seat, dazedly following me.

* * *

"Didn't you say you wouldn't teach me swordsmanship?"

"Seems like if we keep this up, something important might be lost. We need to at least maintain it for the sake of that gentleman's face."

The world doesn't know that the sword technique of the Divine Sword is known to her and me, but it's not a pleasant thing for it to gradually be lost and treated as a useless piece of trash.

At the very least, it would be good to have a tank to show off.

"That's...?"

"Do you dislike it?"

"A... No! I like it!"

Startled, she waved her hands and looked down at the sword with eyes that hadn't calmed down, her heart racing.

The great sword of silver.

The Divine Sword Calduras gently emitted a soft glow.

While she held the Divine Sword, I only held a wooden sword.

It would be a ridiculous penalty, but it didn't matter to me.

"Even if I told you to use a real sword instead of a wooden one... it would be absurdly arrogant, wouldn't it?"

She realized the practical difference between her and me.

-You're surprisingly kind. You pretend not to, but you're helping.

'It's just drawing the line before it gets troublesome.'

Even if it was unnecessary help, I had received her kindness before, so I was just repaying it.

I smiled and teased Perseus, then set down the wooden sword and quietly spoke.

"I'll let you have the first move. Come on in."

"Yes, then... please take care of me."

As soon as she finished speaking, her expression became incredibly serious.

Swish...

At the same time, a blue aura began to flow from her entire body.

A decent Expert would have been suffocated by the heavy flow of mana.

Boom!!!

Then, her body shot in like a cannonball.

It was a speed like a flash of lightning,

With a heavy thrust, I moved my wooden sword and body as smoothly as flowing water, piercing straight through.

The difference in destructive power between her heavy strike and my fluid strike was clear.

Her sword, which I judged to be more intense, was met with my strong step and a sudden acceleration of my sword.

Clang!!!

A heavy impact echoed in all directions.

Reflexively turning her body, she blocked with Calduras, and her figure bounced back like a ball, creating distance.

"What kind of power..."

She then slightly flinched and swept her side.

She showed superhuman reflexes, but it seemed she couldn't completely block the follow-up strike.

"Your heavy sword is surprisingly light."

At my provocation, her expression darkened.

At the same time, the aura flowing from her body began to shake violently, and her fierce attack began.

Like an avalanche, every time her sword swung, the mana raged and attacked again.

It was clear that she intended to block any gaps that might appear if I dodged her attacks.

Boom!! Bang!!

The impact that couldn't be thought to come from a Divine Sword and a wooden sword echoed in succession, destroying the nearby ground.

The clash of auras from an Expert at the highest level and a matching aura was far beyond the basic level.

Boom!! Bang!!

With the weight of a great force, her attack with the Divine Sword's heavy sword, which she handled freely, was incredibly heavy with each strike.

Boom!!

The ground where I stood was completely shattered and collapsed by her single strike.

Clearly, the difference in power between her with and without the Divine Sword was more than double.

'At this level, Megatron wouldn't last long either.'

If she had used a regular sword, I would have won, but if she had used the Divine Sword, Megatron would have been shattered by now.

What I showed her from the beginning was one thing. If she pushed with the heavy sword of the Divine Sword, I would respond with the same heavy sword.

I moved the wooden sword smoothly, and when it touched her sword, I accelerated explosively.

Deflecting the opponent's sword is one of my strengths; even if she is talented, it's too difficult for a girl who hasn't even reached Master.

At the same time, my wooden sword, which deflected Ilina's sword, cut through the ground like a 360-degree slash, striking her side again.

The grass on the ground was violently torn apart along the trajectory of my wooden sword.

"Ouch!!"

"Give up?"

"If I was going to give up at this level, I wouldn't have come here!!"

Despite the significant impact, her fierce attack became even more intense as she attacked again with venom.

The aftermath she created destroyed everything around her, but her expression became increasingly dark.

Whenever she managed to land a hit, my sword, moving like flowing water, blocked her sword and countered.

Her straightforward and destructive sword technique was completely blocked by my infinitely fluid sword technique.

As if being toyed with, the situation became increasingly bizarre, and her face became more anxious.

Clang!!

Finally, as I deflected her sword and tried to create distance, her body shot out like a cannonball, blocking my path.

At the same time, she grabbed Calduras, which was spinning like a spring, and charged in without hesitation.

Then, she launched a rather surprising attack.

'Oh.'

An admiring choice.

Clearly, the attack she used to pierce through my defense was the same sword technique I used to cut down the vampire maid, Shari, in the Principality of Felicity.

The power itself was incomparable, but still.

A massive wave, incomparable to the aftermath so far, overturned everything before she planted Calduras in the ground and panted heavily.

"At this point... something..."

"Okay, that's enough."

But her hope was completely shattered by me standing behind her, tapping her side with the wooden sword.

My cool smile distorted her face horribly.

-That was the sword technique you used to cut the bell, wasn't it? Did you really learn it just by watching once?

"Insane talent, is this real?"

-That's not what you should be saying...

'I can learn a wide range of things, but I'm not so stupid as to use something I saw once in a real fight.'

It took me ten years to mimic the original of that sword technique.

Perhaps because her desperate strike was blocked so futilely,

She couldn't hold back her frustration, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth.

"How could I... I don't want to end up doing nothing with such a good opportunity!"

From her outburst, I could understand what her worries and concerns were.

And as soon as I reached that conclusion, I charged at her without hesitation.

Just as she opened her eyes wide in surprise, unable to react,

I accelerated the wooden sword, which had been moving like water, and slashed just above her head, muttering softly.

"Don't miss it, watch carefully."

"What? Ahh!"

Crack!!

The destructive power of the sudden acceleration was beyond imagination.

Unlike the small destruction, the slash from a single strike flew off like a massive plow, cutting through dozens of meters.

"Got it?"

"The flowing sword technique... I couldn't defend at all, the same part was hit several times..."

She seemed confused, as the weakness of the sword technique she was learning was clearly revealed.

She must have felt it herself, but she had been denying it, relying on the reputation of the heavy sword.

"Are you... saying that the heavy sword is a sword technique full of weaknesses?"

Her voice echoed around, filled with bitter self-reproach and sadness.

"Are you saying that the heavy sword is now an old, useless sword technique...?"

Indeed, to an outsider, it might look like I was toying with her using a sword technique that had the worst compatibility with her heavy sword.

Her effective strikes were completely zero.

"Did you choose a sword technique with the worst compatibility..."

I sighed and approached her, and she shed tears, looking wronged.

"I told you to watch carefully."

Smack!!

"Ah?!"

She screamed as I suddenly smacked her forehead.

"There's no such thing as a sword technique that perfectly fits everyone."

"What?"

"Even the sword technique of the Divine Sword is the same."

Just as twins can be different, there can't be a sword technique that satisfies everyone in this world.