Ch.126Mana Amplification

“The sword…”

The soft light shining from the sky glimmered on the fragments of the sword. Though worn, they were much sturdier than ordinary iron swords. Two such swords had shattered.

Sei-Erin stretched out her hand. The fragments of the broken sword absorbed her mana and followed her control. Dozens of small shattered pieces floated above her hand, slowly rotating.

Even though she thought they had served their purpose after inheriting their memories…

Now that the swords were broken, she felt quite regretful. There was even an emptiness in a corner of her heart, as if parting with a cherished possession. Surely it was because of the memories she had absorbed.

Sei-Erin tossed the sword fragments swirling in her palm into the corner of the training ground, then carefully examined the remaining eight swords.

The Moonlight Sword, Mage Killer, Black Dragon Sword, and White Dragon Sword. Apart from these four, the condition of the other swords was not good. They were certainly excellent swords, but had been roughly handled over time.

Multiple fine cracks could be seen on the blades of the remaining six swords.

Sei-Erin sighed as she collected all the swords.

To artificially create a mana amplification mechanism that rotated with starlight, she needed six more swords that were both sturdy and had high mana conductivity.

***

“Suddenly asking me to look for new swords? Don’t you have plenty already?”

“I need them to properly use the Formless Flying Sword technique, and for a new technique I’ve devised.”

It was Sei-Erin who had sought out Flora as soon as day broke. Flora pondered her answer for a moment, wondering where her small friend would carry additional swords if she acquired them.

Two on her back, one on each side of her waist, another at the back of her waist. Two more swords hung diagonally on both thighs, asserting their presence.

‘She can’t possibly carry any more, can she?’

However, since it was what Sei-Erin wanted, there was no point in questioning further. Flora nodded.

“It’s not difficult to create an opportunity. But it will require quite a lot of money.”

“I have money.”

Saying this, Sei-Erin pulled out a heavy leather pouch. She had saved all the salary she had received. Given her personality, she wasn’t particularly frugal. She simply had few opportunities to spend money due to frequent missions.

Though she had a hobby of collecting swords, she had stopped buying them randomly after learning about the side effects of her blessing. Her only regular expenses were cosmetics for skin care and bread she bought before missions.

As a result, Sei-Erin was quite wealthy within the Blue Wing.

“You’ve saved a lot…”

“Is it not enough?”

“It might be enough or not, depending on what kind of swords you want.”

“I don’t need exceptionally outstanding swords. Just ones with excellent durability and high mana conductivity. Like this Black Dragon Sword.”

Saying this, Sei-Erin handed the Black Dragon Sword in its scabbard to Flora. Taking the sword, Flora carefully moved her hand to draw it.

Shhhing-

The dark blade that slowly emerged seemed to absorb the surrounding light. Flora, letting out a small exclamation of admiration, nodded.

“If it’s ordinary swords like this without special magical treatment, they won’t be that expensive. I think we could probably get about two.”

“Just two…”

Sei-Erin fidgeted with the leather pouch, looking dejected. She had thought she’d saved quite diligently, but it seemed insufficient to buy the six swords she needed.

Then where would she get the remaining four? As she was flicking a coin with her small hand, her gaze turned toward the window.

The slowly blowing wind was dropping leaves from the trees outside. A leaf at the edge of autumn fell. Suddenly, Sei-Erin thought of the Knights’ Competition.

‘The Knights’ Competition…’

That was it. Hadn’t she received the Ice Dragon Sword for her good performance in the last competition? If she could achieve good results this time as well, she might be able to obtain another sword she needed.

***

Time passes quickly. A month had passed since Sei-Erin’s group returned after subjugating the Four Dragon King. Sephiroth had risen from his bed, and most of the personnel who had been hospitalized with serious injuries had successfully been discharged and reported back for duty.

Except for one person.

Karnok.

He still lay on the hospital bed. Not waking even once during the past month.

The vice-commander of the Blue Wing was a significant asset. The Imperial Court had done everything for Karnok. They summoned numerous renowned doctors and hired mages and Astruine shamans to examine his condition.

But there was no progress. No one could determine why Karnok wouldn’t wake. Only one person, the reincarnator Alberich, cautiously speculated the reason.

“For a very brief moment, the Four Dragon King’s soul dwelled in his body. Perhaps it adversely affected his soul, but this is my first time encountering such a case, so I don’t know the details…”

It was around that time that the swords Sei-Erin had requested from Flora arrived. Sei-Erin received three swords from Flora.

“Didn’t you say two?”

“We got lucky. That blacksmith showed interest in you. Seems he wants to establish a connection. You should visit him sometime.”

Sei-Erin immediately poured mana into the three swords. As the cold chill flowed out with the wind and enveloped the swords, the three blades drew themselves out of their scabbards.

Shhhing-

‘These are good.’

The mana injected into the swords flowed without obstruction. The straight, pure white blades gleamed like mirrors. There was no problem with them absorbing mana. But what about their strength?

Sei-Erin reached out and gripped one of the swords. The center of gravity was toward the hilt. It felt slightly different from the familiar Ice Dragon Sword. She immediately adjusted her grip.

Whoosh-!

White wind rode on the blade as it was lightly swung, humming with absorbed mana.

‘The strength is also quite good…’

These swords were satisfactory enough. Sei-Erin nodded and expressed her gratitude to Flora.

“Thank you, Flora. This is all thanks to you.”

Being newly made swords, they naturally had no inherited memories. As Sei-Erin smiled lightly, the three swords were naturally drawn back into their scabbards.

Click-

***

The time for the Knights’ Competition was approaching. Blue Wing members no longer went on long-term missions, and even those who had been cooped up in their quarters all day came out to refine their swordsmanship.

The Knights’ Competition.

A major imperial event held only once a year.

It could be considered a competition to determine the strongest knightly order in the Empire.

The imperial capital’s streets were bustling. Though the Knights’ Competition had not yet begun, tourists from distant places had started to secure their spots.

As the number of tourists roaming the streets increased, the presence of knights decreased. Regardless of their affiliated order, all were secluded in training grounds to hone themselves.

Sei-Erin was different. Unlike others, she came out to the streets and walked without hesitation. The small girl carrying just one sword had a strange charm that captured people’s attention simply by walking.

-Isn’t that Sei-Erin?

-I heard she was called the little lady knight, but she’s even smaller than I expected… Is the rumor wrong?

-I’m betting everything on her for this competition. Look, can you believe someone that small is a knight? The odds will be high! Everyone’s looking at her skeptically…

The place Sei-Erin arrived at was in front of a large building of some merchant guild. Built in white tones, it gave a clean impression.

‘Peron Guild’

The reason Sei-Erin sought out the guild was none other than for swords. The rumor that she was looking for new swords had spread very quickly, as she hadn’t particularly kept it a secret.

Many merchants approached her to sell swords. However, having spent all her saved money, Sei-Erin couldn’t purchase any. It was then that the head of the Peron Guild approached her with a proposal.

‘We would like you to participate in the competition wearing a cloak bearing our guild’s emblem.’

It was a kind of sponsorship contract offer. It wasn’t unheard of for knights to form such contracts with guilds or forges.

All she had to do was wear the cloak during the competition. For Sei-Erin, it was a very favorable contract with nothing to lose.

As Sei-Erin approached the guild building, a neatly dressed employee emerged from inside and greeted her warmly.

“We’ve been waiting for you! Lady Sei-Erin. Let me guide you to the guild master right away…”

Thus, Sei-Erin was escorted into the guild building with such hospitality. And so she arrived at the guild master’s office.

A middle-aged man stood in the center of the office to welcome her. A deep smile played on his lips, and on the table before him were two elegant boxes, sweet cookies, and a cup of warm milk.

Sei-Erin’s gaze fell on the cookies and wouldn’t leave. The sweet aroma approached enticingly, stimulating her appetite.

Between her small lips, a red tongue peeked out.